The Funico Studios Blog

A few weeks ago, we went up to Maine to do a photo session with Sophia and Seth.  Sophia and Seth invited us to stay at their beach house and were kind enough to invite our 15-month-old daughter, Lauren, to come with us. For those of you who have never been to Maine, it’s a 5-hour drive from NY. 5-hour drive with a a baby…hmmm…that might not be a pleasant experience. We had visions of non-stop crying.  And, what happens when we get to Maine?  It would be a completely different environment for Lauren and she might not like it.  Oh no, possibly more crankiness to ruin everyone’s good time! 

To our pleasant surprise, all 3 of us had a great trip.  As you can see from the below, Lauren really liked the O’Donnell beach house.

What was the attraction?  The rocking chairs on the porch that she could sit on, push back and forth and basically play with all day long.

What was our secret to keeping her happy in the car, you ask?  No, it wasn’t a portable DVD player playing Barney.  It was actually the motion of the car.  We didn’t know until this trip, but our daughter seems to have inherited my sleepy gene.  I get sleepy from any type of motion.  Planes, trains, automobiles – they all make me sleepy.  I’m usually snoring away before the plane fully takes off (unlike poor James who can’t sleep a wink).  Lauren basically slept the whole way to and from Maine.  Yes, about 5 hours each way!

Unfortunately, this sleepy gene has its pluses and minuses.  James’ sister recently gave Lauren this cute little bike, which she loves.  After a few minutes of being wheeled about, however, her thumb goes in her mouth and she’s ready to take a nap because yes, the motion is making her conk out…

We appreciate good art (and of course, in particular, good photography) and always like to check out exhibits whenever we can. On our to-do list is the The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in Manhattan’s retrospective of Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908–2004). Mr. Cartier-Bresson is considered to be one of the first photojournalists and a legend in the photography world. Even if you don’t recognize his name, you’d most likely have seen one of his famous photos hanging in a store or in a friend’s home. He’s famous for coining the term “the decisive moment” because of his uncanny ability to capture people at the perfect moment.

Like Mr. Cartier-Bresson, we try to capture our brides & grooms at the perfect moment and have our photos tell a story. Even though Mr. Cartier-Bresson’s work is mostly from the last century, his work is still widely admired because it is timeless. We have the same philosophy about wedding photography. We want our images to be timeless, not the product of the latest trend or special effect, but something that will make you go “wow” for years. For those of you whom we’ve had the pleasure to meet, one of the photos on our “wall” is actually of one of our first brides in 2003! You wouldn’t have guessed it, huh? Mr. Cartier-Bresson once said “to take a photograph is to align the head, the eye and the heart. It’s a way of life.” We could not agree more.

If you are interested in seeing the work of a photography legend, we highly recommend taking the time to visit the MoMA before the exhibit ends on June 28th. It is the first retrospective of his work in the United States in three decades. If you plan on checking it out, we must warn you that it’s extensive. We suggest that you give yourself one or two hours to see the exhibit at a comfortable pace. In fact, we actually have an itinerary for you. La Maison du Chocolate is near the MoMA and has some incredibly yummy chocolates. Why don’t you go to the MoMA, then stop by La Maison du Chocolat and then come by and visit with us? The map below has our Day of Chocolate and Art for you!

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