Spain where are you?

So i made a brave and impulsive decision to go study abroad in Spain. Valencia, spain the third largest city right on the eastern coast. with over 300 days of sunshine a year, lots of beaches, and a rich culture- why wouldnt you want to go?
my trip could not come sooner- i want to be there now!

while i am there i will be documenting everything i do on this blog- hopefully everyday but you know how that goes-
after valencia i will be taking a very long trip to southern italy, mola di bari, for 3 months. there i will see family and friends that i havent seen in over 3 years- which for me, a family oriented italian is more than too much.

as i sit in a quiet room in my residence hall, procrastinating for finals- i wonder of what all the magical adventures i will have, the great people to meet, the delicious food to try and all the photographs to take. spain, you could not come any sooner.

when it all falls down.

A few weeks I ran into a good friend of mine, who I haven' seen in almost a decade. It was unexpected and beautiful but also a smack in the face because sometimes we are so involved in our own lives that we forget to think of others. I once read somewhere that everyone is more related than we think, we have all cried, smiled, suffered and prospered. For some, there is more success and for others there is more suffering, but we all have pain and we all experience love.

Seven years ago there was not a worry in our lives. We focused more on what movie to go see and who had the latest Jordans, but with time, we understood life, its cycle and the importance of people and their love. While my life seems to be at ease for the time period, someone else' will not. When we ran into each other at Forever 21 on Black Friday this year, I had the slightest clue of what he was going through, i mean the last time we saw each other was the beginning of 9th grade.

A brother, a sister, a semester from graduating college and a mother battling brain cancer was what he forgot to mention in our pleasant encounter by a clothes rack.

We all suffer joy and we all suffer pain. Deeply, I believe that it is in our human instinct to support each other during both. Be happy for my joy and be there when I cry. One cannot battle alone. Support your loved ones, support your friends and support those you do not even know, at the end of the day, we are all the same.

to my old time friend, to my family, to my best friends and to those I don't know- you are not alone.

To read more or donate:

http://maryconnors.net/default.html

DUBWAR NYC

This Friday night, me and and some friends decided to check out the hyped up dub-step scene that seems to be creepin into success. Located at club LOve once a month, dubwar is the ultimate party. The beats are anything but bland and the people, well the people are each in their own world. I must admit- from a chic who has been to thousands of hip-hop, reggae and dubbing parties, this was somethin on a whole other level. it was less about who was around you and more about how the music made you feel. you can literally feel the sound waves from the floor- physically getting into your body- if that doesn't make you wanna dance- i dont know what will?

it was totally worth the 2 hour ride to get to the party- cant wait for next month's dubwar!

For more pictures, check out my site @

http://sites.google.com/site/binafrondaphotography/

and for more dub-step reviews, make sure to check out

coowala.tumblr.com

Life is overrated....

So just two weeks ago, a few of the organizations of SUNY New Paltz organized the well- known Blue and Orange weekend, the unofficial homecoming weekend.

As much as i love our school- it lacks in the school spirit department. as an alternative, we came up with BLue and Orange weekend- a series of events, from parties, dance shows, fashion shows and more parties. now- people usually assume that school events are poorly planned and amateur, but I must admit that New Paltz is far from it.

I was beyond impressed with the level of professionality, skill and talent amongst the SUNY New Paltz community. The parties were so well advertised that they had to shut them down for over capacity. The dance show had some serious talent that deserves to documented and the talent, I seriously thought I was at a legit fashion show. The set-up, the clothes, the models. New Paltz is serious!!!!!

so whenever someone says, oh its just a school show, fuck you- its New Paltz- we are a whole other level!

FOR MORE PHOTOS CHECK OUT MY SITE:

http://sites.google.com/site/binafrondaphotography/home

Fresh outta Tha JUngle Partyyyy

Tuesday night- two well known dance teams in New Paltz, NY hosted Cabaloosas on Main Street for a night of dancing and more. THe party- Freshh OuTTA tha Jungle- called for lions tigers cheetahs amazon queens crocodile hunters and more. The result?, A bunch of animal print dubbing and going crazy on the dancefloor. For a Tuesday night- New Paltz was far from asleep, Cabs roared with liveliness.

whats next?

BLUE & ORANGE WEEKEND- the unofficial official new paltz homecoming weekend- our pride- keep an eye out for pics on crazy parties, a notorious dance show, and a well- crafted fashion show.

Hi everyone, I thought you might enjoy this episode from DJ Nick Shaw . Click this link to check it out: http://djnickshaw.podOmatic.com/entry/2009-09-29T15_44_23-07_00

Weekend with the Family

Bad weather leads to indoor days with the family- but no one said that was a bad thing. This weekend i went to a Laura Pausini concert- and hung out with the people i love mostt!!!

took some pictures of prosciutti panini at the dinner table!!

Hey all,

It has been a quick but hectic week in New Paltz, though I must admit, the weather has not been too disappointing. As for the auditions, they went quite well, and me and my co- choreographer, Lesley Sarran, have made our final decisions for who is in our piece.

Tomorrow I will be teaching a Dance class on the house dance style. House dancing incorporates all different dance styles from hip-hop, modern and salsa fused with house music that sinks deep into ones body.

As for photos, stay tuned!!!!

Upcoming projects include the Fresh Outta tha jungle party in new paltz, more dubwar, hip-hop competitions and fashion shows!!!!!!

Bless & Respect!

Dance Auditions

Dance Auditions tomorrow!!!! Doing an afro salsa-

posted up the rest of my pictures on facebook- make sure to check it out

bina fronda photography

add me!

Quattivea Shoot

Last night New Paltz hosted a DUBWAR event in the Cabaloosas nightclub. For my next project, I decided to photograph models at this event. The models were to embody the Quattivea personality- wtf is Quattivea?

Quattivea is a character, a description of a fly ass girl- someone who spends all their money on living the dolce vita-

and sooo- sloppy, drunk and beautiful- my models made their way to the bar - and partied- while i photographed their fabulous outfits- including printed mc hammer bands- gold chains, beautiful hats and ridiculous make-up

Thank you Quattivea!

Quattivea Shoot

Last night New Paltz hosted a DUBWAR event in the Cabaloosas nightclub. For my next project, I decided to photograph models at this event. The models were to embody the Quattivea personality- wtf is Quattivea?

Quattivea is a character, a description of a fly ass girl- someone who spends all their money on living the dolce vita-

and sooo- sloppy, drunk and beautiful- my models made their way to the bar - and partied- while i photographed their fabulous outfits- including printed mc hammer bands- gold chains, beautiful hats and ridiculous make-up

Thank you Quattivea!

Quattivea Shoot

Last night,

New Paltz hosted a DUBWAR event in the Cabaloosas nightclub.

file:///Users/stu/Desktop/9118_573401202510_27907589_34017119_3734853_s.jpg

Hats Shoot

So today I am doing a photoshoot for a bunch of beautiful hats from the costume shop in our school. The model, Tiff Nguyen, will be modeling tophats, head bands, head-gear with nets, and beautiful big featherbands. The make-up will be done by up-and coming make-up artist, Elana Doran. This is the continuation of a shoot we began last week. We got so excited and so into last week, that we ran out of time. So I am enthusiastic about continueing the shoot. Images will be up this weekend, there are a lot!

Also this weekend, we will be doing a nightlife documentary fashion shoot. Dubwar, which is this reggae, electronic- very deep music event is happening right in the heart of New Paltz. Our goal is to get our very fashionable models, wearing their own clothing, interacting with non-models at the party, and showing that fashion, honey!, is every day and in this case, every night!

Stay tuned!

Getting Started

Hey All,

So this is my first blog, let me know how I do! As I mentioned in my about me, I am a photo major at SUNY in New Paltz, just an hour and a half away from the city. I am originally from Brooklyn, New York, but living in New Paltz to study. I have been studying and practicing photography for over 7 years now. Along with photography, I study public relations and Italian. Ultimately, with my 3 degrees, I would like to pursue a career in commercial photography, especially for fashion, portraiture and travel. As of right now, I am studying, but trying to build my own business in photo- which is not easy! As I started browsing the web for advice from NYC commercial photographers, I found it difficult to get responses from them. I guess they didn't lie when they said that it is a competitive business. And so, for now, I am learning, building a portfolio, and of course enjoying my college years all during the recession!