14 Days of Awe-full Holiday Ornaments

Sorry this one was posted a tad late. I've been busy shooting a bunch more, and let me tell you, there are some gems on their way!

Don't forget - if you or someone you know has an ugly ornament, you owe it to the world to let us know ;)

And now... more Awe-full holiday ornaments for your viewing pleasure...


Penguin. No string or hook to hang it on the tree, so I guess it goes in the manger. Since when are penguins synonomous with Christmas or any holiday for that fact?!


Mischievous santa mouse - complete with real lab mouse fur and a pipe cleaner tree or umbrella. I can't really tell.


Oh, Lion... you're the fluffiest!


Victorian hippie corkhusker.

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15 Days of Awe-full Ornaments: Awful is in the eye of the beholder

Awe-full Ornaments Q & A
Since posting the first blog entry of photos a couple of days ago, several questions have surfaced… Here are the most common and of course, your daily dose of awe-ful ornaments.

Q. "Jason, 'awe-full' is spelled incorrectly."
A. Not so. It’s a pun since not all of the ornaments are technically awful. Awful is in the eye of the beholder. However, all of these ornaments are awe-full, meaning they're something special to see. And if you must adorn them on your tree, it's understood that they're best suited for the back side, inner-bottom branches or generally out of public view.

Q. "I have an awe-full ornament that I'd like you to include. How do I get it to you?"
A. I would love to photograph your little treasure. Email me at jason@tinacciphoto.com and tell me a bit about it. This little blurb will accompany the photo and tell the folks viewing the blog why it hasn't hit the trash bin ages ago.
If you live relatively close to me, I'll pick it up from you. Whatever is convenient.
If you live a bit further away, mail your ornament to me via the US Postal Service. I'll shoot it and mail it back to you within a couple of days. I'll even reimburse you for shipping it to me. OK, I may not pay for overnight service unless it's really awe-full! ;)

Q. "Will I get my ornament back in time for Christmas?"
A. Yep, assuming you send it with plenty of time to return it. I'll photograph it and mail it back to you within a couple of days with your mailing cost. Make sure to send it soon to avoid the hectic holiday shipping schedule.

Q. "Can my friends send you their ornaments?"
A. Yep. The more the merrier. Same process applies as above.

Q. "Can you quit blabbering and show us some more awe-full ornaments?!"
A. Here ya go...


This stuffed litte cherub was made in Taiwan. With fine needlepoint like that why wouldn't you put this gem front and center on your tree.


Penguin aboard the S.S. Noel. Ho. Ho. Hooooo... watch your footing there, Penguin.


"K" is for Kristmas???

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16 Days of Awe-full Holiday Ornaments

More awe-full ornaments fresh from a musty box...

Jester snowman with an oversized tie pin.

Clothes pin? Check. Pipe cleaner? Check. Cotton ball? Check. Left over easter egg dye? Check.

Portly nun or Rastafarian? You decide...

Got leftover window screens? Make angel ornaments! This is one of my personal faves.



You haven't enjoyed this ornament until you've smelled it.

See you tomorrow with more awe-full ornaments!

About Aw-full ornaments:
I’m starting a photographic collection of ugly, funny, strange, and kitschy holiday ornaments, Got one you'd like to share? What’s the story behind it? Did you make it when you were in second grade and your mom didn’t have the heart to toss it in the trash heap? Has it been in the family for ages and no one has the courage to chuck it? I'd love to shoot it. Let me know and we'll arrange it. Email me at jason@tinacciphoto.com.

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17 Days of Awe-full Holiday Ornaments

This holiday season, I’m embarking on a journey... It’s a journey born of Styrofoam balls, pieces of used window screens, cotton balls, wine corks, stale miniature marshmallows, and of course, the versatile pipe cleaner.

My journey will take me to the depths of musty basements, dusty attics, cluttered garages, the deepest recesses of closets and backyard sheds. Fighting through cobwebs and tissue paper and risking the perils of shaky ladders will not keep me from my conquest, my goal, my mission – to uncover the most awe-ful holiday ornaments.

Each day I’ll unearth new ornaments for your visual edification – some more hideous than the next – from my family’s collection or those of friends, or friends of friends, or friends of friends of friends. And yet, I’ll thirst for more. I want to see your ornaments!

I’m starting a photographic collection of ugly, funny, strange, and kitschy holiday ornaments, and I would love to photograph yours. What’s the story behind the ornament? Did you make it when you were in second grade and your mom didn’t have the heart to toss it in the trash heap? Let me know if you have one to shoot and we'll arrange it. Email me at jason@tinacciphoto.com.

And now, without further adieu... Awe-full ornaments...

Styrofoam snowlady. Reminds me of Mrs. Doubtfire. Notice the fine knit work.

Nothing will dampen this little fella's Christmas spirit despite the fact that he was impaled by a metal hook, and has no way of actually hanging on the tree due to his broken string.

A horse made of corks, of corks, of course.

Styrofoam snowman with baseball hat. Put me in, coach... the tree!

This mighty mouse doesn't want to work. He wants to bang on his drum all day - using his prosethetic arms.

See you tomorrow with more awe-full ornaments!

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New client work: Vineyard & Winery Management Magazine

Next time you're at the newsstand, pick up the November issue of Vineyard & Winery Management Magazine. They're a new client!

Not only did I shoot the cover and insert photos of Judd Finekestein of Judd's Hill Winery, I also had the pleasure of meeting and working with Tina Caputo, editor-in-chief of the mag. It's so refreshing to meet and work with such down to earth, cool wine industry folks. We had a bunch to chat about while things were set up. She has pups and a connection to a mid-west barbershop that I'd love to visit someday.

The shoot was an interesting one... We arrived in the late in the afternoon to photograph Judd and his band, the Maikai Gents, as they put on a mid-summer's evening concert in the vineyard for the Samantha Brown, host of Travel Channel's "Samantha Brown's Great Weekends". The crowd sipped on Judd's Napa Valley wine as the band strummed some Hawaiian tunes. While the film crew took in the sights and the sound, so did I. Except I forgot camera flash and video aren't a good combo. A friendly tap on my shoulder by the producer was a good reminder. Sorry guys :)

Anywho, check out Tina's article on VWM's website: http://vwm-online.com/

Thanks again, Tina!

The Making of a Portfolio

Putting together a portfolio is a bit of a daunting, yet exciting task for me. In essence, I’m showing would-be clients a snapshot (pun intended) of my best photographs to illustrate my skill, aesthetic, genre, message, and personality.
The ladder is very important to me since I’m a firm believer that a big part of what makes a good photographer in their genre is their personality. Of course it depends what type of photo work you do. I’m just gonna throw this out there, but when hiring a forensic photographer, you may be looking at a slightly different personality profile than for, say, a wedding photographer. I’d bet too, that some wedding photogs may feel like they’re working with a bunch of stiffs sometimes! :P
But seriously, my body of work represents who I am as an individual – my ideals, sensitivities, humor, aesthetics, etc - all in an effort for someone to judge me – someone that doesn’t know anything about me. That’s how the game goes. Enter the daunting task of editing my photos such that it: a. tells the viewer something about me, b. that my photographic vision has direction and promise, c. that I can hold a camera and take pictures, and d. I’m likeable enough to work with!
So how do I start???
First, I pour over nearly every photo I’ve taken over the last 4 years… close to 15,000. I have a three star rating system in place that allows me to rate photos based on their goodness, and makes the photo selection process easier.
Three stars means a photo is an instant favorite for me and worthy of placement in my portfolio. Two stars means there’s great promise in a given photo, it possesses some nice elements, and nearly worthy of portfolio placement. One star tells me this photo doesn’t suck. It’s a good photo, but maybe isn’t strong enough on its own. Pair it with another image and it could speak many more volumes. A one-star photo could also be an outtake – a photo that’s just “off” from its two or 3 star sibling, yet worth revisiting for such a time as this.
After selecting nearly 300 of my rated photos, I print them, turn up some music, clear the living room furniture, and spread all the photos on the floor. It’s actually quite a fun process. Nestle looks at me like I’m some kind of loon, and periodically helps rearrange them when she traverses the room in search of another sleeping spot.
From their 5-foot 10-inch perch, my eyes scan the rows and columns of photos below and the pairing begins…
My portfolio (or book) currently consists of a series of diptychs and triptychs - two and three photos juxtaposed together. This format works well for me as a way to give the viewer vignettes and short narratives through my photos. It’s also a great way to show more photos per page without (hopefully) boring your viewer.
Take a look-see at my online portfolio at http://www.tinacciphoto.com/.
But how do I know which photos go together??? Well, I don’t always, and herein lies the most fun part of the process.
I start with those 3 star images since I’d really like them in my book, and begin matching them with related photos – perhaps ones from the same shoot or series. Other matches are formed by similar basic elements like color, shape, and composition or some less obvious elements like concept and mood. Since I like humor in my work, pairing a feisty 9 year old girl in braces with an alligator just makes sense. Sometimes the photos find their way together on their own. Just by chance a photo of green and yellow string beans could meet a photo of swamp grass and fall in love! You really never know…
Once matched, the photos get stuck to the wall with Fun Tack. Having them on the wall is a great way to visualize all the pairings and portfolio as a whole - the big picture, if you will. Over the next couple of weeks, I’ll stare at the wall filled with over 50 groupings and begin to edit again. I move photos around, add new pairings, and remove others that aren’t compelling enough. My goal is to end up with roughly 25 to 30 diptychs and triptychs or about 60 to 90 new portfolio images.
Here are some fun visuals of the editing process. Yes, sometimes beer and wine are involved :)


Spreading out nearly 300 photos across the floor.


The matching game begins as I create series of 2 and 3 images together for the pages of my portfolio book and website.


A change in venue since I moved... I spread out my photos again and now begin to tack the series to the wall of my office.

The floor is bare. That means I'm done for the evening.
Here’s a sneak peek at some possible new portfolio images in the works...

http://www.tinacciphoto.com/portfolio/pages_40-76.htm

I’m a lousy blogger.

But I can change… Really, I can! C'mon... Gimme another chance!

It’s been a while since my last post and much has happened. Many photos were taken. Fun was had. Interesting people were met. New lands were visited. And I didn’t share any of it! Sorry about that. Allow me to fill you in – photographically speaking…

Let’s start with some recent work and work backwards, shall we?

Client work: Laura Chenel Chevre Blossom - I love working with the wonderful staff at Laura Chenel’s Chevre. They’re a fantastic group to work with and not because they send me home with delicious goat cheese products.

Recently, we worked on their latest product called Blossom. It’s a wonderful hockey puck-sized ring of creamy chevre with a center filled with one of three fillings – sun dried tomato and roasted red peppers, fig and olives, or my favorite, basil and olive oil. I’m actually noshing on some as I write this. Jealous? Yeah, I bet you are ;)

Look for Blossom and other delicious goat cheesy goodness from Laura Chenel’s Chevre at a fine food store near you.

To view more food photography, visit the newly redesigned, TrellisCreative.com.

Next week... the editing of a portfolio. I'm revising my portfolio and letting you in on what's normally a pretty personal process for me. In a nutshell, I look over all my photos, select a group of a few hundred, spread 'em all over the floor, paste them to a wall, and whittle them down to a batch of 40 something images to be put into a printed portfolio and website.

And yes, Nestle helps pick the photos.