Emily August

Rory was burning data off of all these old laptops, 3.5" floppy disks, and CDs we had been hanging on to. (He's sending all this technology to GreenDisk, which is a company that recycles technology.) I can't believe he found photos I had no idea existed.

I'm a pretty sentimental person and I hang on to everything (literally, metaphorically). I tend to hang on to relationships, cassette tapes, piles of writing that is neither useful nor enjoyable to read, you name it. Being such an aesthetically-motivated person, I also usuallly remember a great deal of images. So, I was surprised to find I didn't remember these photos at all and it took me a long time to try and remember when and how they came about.

These were from college, I guess, but at the very end. This was that last semester when I was working a full-time job, taking a poetry class, and finishing my thesis project on Bob Dylan while going slightly crazy. This is when I was writing zines, interviewing bands a lot, hosting shows in my parents' backyard, and trying to keep my head above water. After the job at the law school, but before the job on Wall Street. Yep. There you have it.

I thought I wasn't going to do a self-portrait post this week, but the universe went ahead and practically did this for me. I'm feeling so emo now.

Created with flickr slideshow.

From the PhotoJoJo newsletter:

Admit it: You desperately want to post photos of yourself, but you’re afraid to look vain.... Today, Tumblr users rock the self-portrait with Gratuitous Picture of Yourself Wednesday (GPOYW). GPOWY is an internet-wide wave for self-portraits... It’s okay to post a picture of yourself. On Wednesdays.





Why these me's? Neither of these photos is retouched, and both were taken on Mac Photobooth. I guess its kind of a weightloss theme this week, via my Flickr archives. Visible are both my comfy workout gear, and my sort of awkward arm band I wear to track my exertion levels and calories spent... its great, and I forget I'm wearing it, plus it looks like I am in some sort of anarchist movement sometimes if all you see is the black elastic. March onward into March, we'll see you next week!

Speaking of Flickr, if you are a Jersey City resident, join my group on Flickr!

From the PhotoJoJo newsletter:

Admit it: You desperately want to post photos of yourself, but you’re afraid to look vain.... Today, Tumblr users rock the self-portrait with Gratuitous Picture of Yourself Wednesday (GPOYW). GPOWY is an internet-wide wave for self-portraits... It’s okay to post a picture of yourself. On Wednesdays.





Why these me's? Neither of these photos was taken with a proper camera, but an old cell phone and a Mac Photobooth application, and both are focused on the eyes. Both retouched using the Picnik app on Flickr.

Speaking of Flickr, if you are a Jersey City resident, join my group on Flickr!

Created with flickr slideshow.


drawing club!

Thank you to Jet Blue for letting me fly down to Florida yesterday for very little money. I love their little secret fare sales, and I especially love their leg room. Most of all I adore the fact that I am not in NYC's below-30-degree weather, and am instead participating in the adorable lives of my family in Florida.

What I love about these photos is the fact that once you give kids some simple instructions, such as how to make the camera on a MacBook work, they can pretty much take over, make their own artistic choices and surprise you with their own expressions.

Lucy and Helen were in the drivers seat for these Photobooth shots. I could spend a century playing with kids, asking them questions, and listening to them get so excited when they see what they can do. Its one of the reasons I love having the chance to shoot for the Willie Mae Rock and Roll Camp for Girls, too! Girls are so wonderful. I hope to have some of my own someday soon.

snapshots of our glad tidings: enjoying time with family during an otherwise difficult time. grateful for the people i was born unto, and grateful for recent personal discoveries that could lead to new beginnings. thankful of course for pets, which you will see play a large part in our happiness. oh, and foods!

especially proud of this little cat who came down the turnpike with me and is allowing people to pet her and showing a great amount of personal growth from whence she was born unto the snow blower in my sisters' summer garage. go rubes!




also keeping this old magical mare comfortable during her last days. this is hard on the family but she is so loved. tomorrow is naomi's 15th birthday. yesterday she got up and was very excited by rory's visit. it was very sweet.




click below for larger images:

down by the bay:


35mm prints, circa 2001

Megan Gulick shows you some of my photos in the Jersey City Museum from emily august on Vimeo.

Were you at the show? Tag Yourself in these photos on Facebook!

"The Machine" Ken Bastard's Art Opening at LITM from emily august on Vimeo.

Created with flickr slideshow.

halloween party photos from emily august on Vimeo.

Created with flickr slideshow.

Created with flickr slideshow.

Today I took photos for the Companion Animal Trust: Feral Cat Initiative. They seem to have been able to adopt out all five baby black cats they brought to the event so that is a huge success! I'm so proud to have helped with this event. This is a really cool organization.

I will be photographing at the Black Cat Adoption event this weekend in Jersey City. Come have your photo taken with a little baby Ruby!



Ruby and I were listening to old records yesterday.
There were only a few good songs, but the few were good enough.

Thank you David Ziser, Dane Sanders, and Sarah Petty; from a new photographer with a bright outlook for the future.


In 2006 I had this little studio space set up in my parent's basement.
I've definitely progressed since then...

Last night I attended the David Ziser Digital WakeUp Call Seminar in midtown. I learned a lot about lighting, marketing, video, and the wedding photography industry. It got me very excited at the prospect of shooting more weddings, and for finding someone local to work with and learn the business side of things. Photography is one of those things that I think has always been in my life and I'm just now realizing how important it is to me and all of the creative aspects of my personality. Photography ties in my loves: fashion, music, design, nostalgia... you name it and I can capture it with a lens. I can't explain how nice it feels to discover just how much I love taking photos.

This snowball of a process is all due in part to my purchase of a smugmug account, which gave me a discount download of an audio book by Dane Sanders called FastTrack, which led to me tuning in to the recent Sarah Petty Joy of Marketing Telesummit. I feel like I've finally found a few tools to help me share and explore my talents in a way that expresses them perfectly. I'm so excited to see what other classes I can take and who else I can meet in Jersey City that's shooting events and is looking for some assistance from someone like me! Stay tuned to find out.

These were all taken on MacBook PhotoBooth with no retouching. That halo of soft light is just the overcast day outside coupled with our semi-yellow kitchen bulbs. Loving the light in our kitchen today! It makes me think of oldschool photos and magazine shoots.

99 Ways to Die: Ruler and Friends art opening at LITM from emily august on Vimeo.

Use this shortcut to put this video in a tweet: http://bit.ly/5lhzf

As you may or may not know, LITM, a local bar, restaurant, and art gallery in downtown Jersey City, asked me to come and photograph all of their monthly art openings. This is the latest: a team of three tattoo artists and friends displaying pen and ink, airbrushed, and mixed media pieces. Enjoy the photos of work by Tim, Russel and Ruler and get down to LITM to check it out in person. Particularly of note: Russel Kelley's painting of a Saturday Evening Post Rockwell cover was a knockout.

I had the joy of attending my college roommate's wedding this past weekend. It was a long trip, but it was such a nice and relaxing time. We had gorgeous, if a bit rainy, weather down in South Carolina, and I may have finally erased my tan lines from biking in Ireland over a year ago so I am a happy camper. The wedding was great, the wedding band was AMAZING! My favorite part of the weekend was remember what amazing college friends I have: they are quirky, comical, caring, and totally loyal and fun. I almost forgot what treasures they are! How nice to reconnect with friends who know you well and knew you when. Here's to Monmouth University alums everywhere!

I also just really LOVE shooting weddings. I love capturing personality and movement in candid moments. Enjoy!