Here's my story- I'm a freelance photographer based in Brooklyn, New York and I've been making pictures ever since I can remember. My first camera was a gray and pink Le Click 110 mm, which I used to photograph my stuffed animals and my dog, usually after dressing them up in sunglasses and scarves. As a kid, I was always drawing and painting and I loved to experiment with different gadgets. Among the most fascinating- a rock tumbler, microscope, telescope, bug trapping paraphernalia, and a metal detector. When I was twelve I hand processed my first black and white roll of film, and saw my first print come up in the developer. I still feel the same way I did back then- photography is art plus science plus magic and equals amazing.
The way that I shoot is rooted in a combination of fine art and photojournalism, and my style lends itself well to commercial and corporate applications.
I went to Pratt Institute on a full scholarship and after graduating I worked at the Wall Street Journal as a staff photographer and photo editor for a couple of years. I struck out on my own in 2001.
This blog is an outlet for me to share some images that may not have a home on my website but that I'd like to share. Some are from my latest shoot, and others are images from the past that have never seen the light of day.
Thanks for visiting and please feel free to get in touch and say hello!
carey (at) careykirkella (dot) com.
All images are © Carey Kirkella unless otherwise noted. Please do not use without permission.
A few images from a test shoot I did in October at Fort Greene Park with the help of producer extraordinaire Tara Trullinger of GET_IT PRODUCTIONS and stylist Sadia Seymour.
I’m starting to think I might want to consider just owning up to only posting photos of Julia on here.
Someone who I’ve never met recently reached out to me in an email to let me know they like my work, which was nice. That person also gave me a little kick in the pants about my lack of Monday (or any day for that matter) blog postings. It helps that I’m in sunny California this week and today I have the day all to myself to do whatever I want, so I’m inspired to get something out there, even if it is an ‘old’ image. I’m 34 yrs old and without any children yet and I’ve been thinking a lot about the recent post over on Alec Soth’s blog, Little Brown Mushroom called On being an artist and a mother - a conversation. I made this portrait with my Mamiya 7 II rangefinder (medium format film) camera while wandering around Miami in 2004. At the time I don’t think I really appreciated the fact that I didn’t have to answer to anyone or be anywhere in particular. This week, after reading that blog post and being surrounded by parents toting their kids around Disneyland, I’m going to head for the hills and savor every bit of my time that I have to just wander.
Some photos I made at the beautiful Altea Equestrian in Tewksbury, New Jersey. I was in awe of the horses and thoroughly entertained by the resident donkey, Billy Jean.
fotovisura chose this ballet diptych of mine as their photo of the day. There is a lot to look at on this site. I especially enjoy the featured artists archives-http://www.visuramagazine.com/a/f
Global Yodel posted a few images I made of some of the people in my favorite neighborhood in Brooklyn.
I need a break from the computer and the summer is almost over! I’m off to the pool.
Julia, my favorite person to photograph, has the Bieber fever. There’s some interesting subliminal (and not so subliminal) messaging going on in his lyrics according to Ms.Magazine’s blog.
Here’s a sample:
Baby you can do no wrong My money is yours, give you a little more because I love ya, love ya With me girl, is where you belong, just stay right here Translation: You know you’ve got it made when your boyfriend says stuff like “You’re with me now, so don’t go anywhere, and here’s some money. Actually, I’m gonna throw you an extra twenty just for the hell of it, but stay where I can see you!” This guy’s a keeper. -Ms.Magazine
Friday fortune cookie: “Your happiness is intertwined with your outlook on life.” Simple and true. Photo of my grandmother in Hollywood, Florida.
This past Wednesday I attended the ASMP fine art portfolio review and got to spend time with some great people. I met George Del Barrio of The Vanderbilt Republic, where they’re doing amazing things like re-branding Cambodia (yep), curator and photographer Savannah Spirit, and Julie Grahame, photo industry consultant and founder of aCurator, an online photo magazine, just to name a few. Thank you Stephen Mallon, Susan May Tell, Jenn at L2 Framing , and to all the reviewers for your generosity!
