Eric Kelley Photography Inc.

A California Vacation

eric — Thu, 10 May 2012 11:30:12 +0000

Life gets going and it is so hard to turn it off, or even slow it down just a bit. A little while back, my wife and I took a trip to visit California. It was her first trip there and I am sure it won’t be our last.

One of the best things we did was to visit Jose Villa in Solvang, CA. Driving along the Pacific Coast and through the mountains on a gorgeous day might be one of the best things California has to offer.

In the middle of the trip we were invited to sit in on the scoring of Snow White and The Hunstmen and listened to the masterful work of James Newton Howard.

We had a wonderful stay at San Ysidro Ranch, which lis located just outside of Santa Barbara. When you visit you must get the blood orange margarita as it is the best drink ever.

A baby in a bundle.

eric — Wed, 09 May 2012 12:34:27 +0000

Film Processing: Richard Photo Lab

Cate and Ryan

eric — Mon, 07 May 2012 16:13:26 +0000

Film processing: Richard Photo Lab

Carolyn and Neil

eric — Fri, 04 May 2012 19:30:32 +0000

Film processing: Richard Photo Lab

Nicole and Michael

eric — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 19:09:39 +0000

Film Processing: Richard Photo Lab

A family of four.

eric — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 13:28:22 +0000

A little laughter.

eric — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 18:25:43 +0000

Aerials of LA.

eric — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 18:07:56 +0000

Facing West from California’s Shores

Facing west from California’s shores,
Inquiring, tireless, seeking what is yet unfound,
I, a child, very old, over waves, towards the house of maternity, the land of migrations, look afar,
Look off the shores of my Western sea, the circle almost circled;
For starting westward from Hindustan, from the vales of Kashmere,
From Asia, from the north, from the God, the sage, and the hero,
From the south, from the flowery peninsulas and the spice islands,
Long having wander’d since, round the earth having wander’d,
Now I face home again, very pleas’d and joyous,
(But where is what I started for so long ago? And why is it yet unfound?)

-Walt Whitman

The bustling country of Nicaragua.

eric — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 20:50:10 +0000

I’ve been traveling to Nicaragua to photograph kids since 2005. It’s hard to believe it’s been 7 years. Nicaragua is a beautiful place with really interesting people. One of my favorite things about Nicaragua is how much people smile… even strangers.

The first couple with their little boy work at one of the orphanages. They are care-takers for the kids. Their son was 8 months when I visited.

There is a certain feel of warmth to the air in Nicaragua, and the pace of life is like slow, summer day, enjoying the moments. In the morning, the light is fresh and clean, and everything smells like dew and freshly roasted coffee. This is one of the first places I learned to appreciate the goodness of a black cup of coffee.

This is one of my favorite portraits from Nicaragua.. the picture of the young man in the orange shirt, a rice farmer. He was working in the field when I passed by and asked to take his photo. The sun was really bright and hot, and I took a few shots of him standing actually in the sun… but I wanted to convey that he was taking a break, heading to lunch… resting. And I liked the shade under the tree.

This guy is a shoe repairman and shoe-shiner in the market in Grenada.

This was taken at one of the feeding centers at a church in Nicaragua. They feed about 150 kids a day.

I liked these portraits of the guys because they all look look so happy, like I accidentally made them laugh or something. There’s something kind of mischievous about taking a portrait… you’re interacting with a person, catching a bit of them, in a certain moment.. an unrepeatable moment. It’s pretty awesome.

This is one of the volcanos in the middle of Lake Nicaragua… I woke up to this view for 3 days before I went into Managua. Rest is amazing.

These little boys live in the community at El Canyon. We fed them lunch one day. I liked the symmetry of their hands.

Film processing: Richards Photo Lab in LA.

A Lovely Garden Wedding.

eric — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 02:31:02 +0000

Melissa and Bryan were married at the Collonade Club at UVa. Bryan is a chef for UVa, and he did all of the fabulous food for their wedding! It was a lovely morning with beautiful soft light and so much joy! We’ve enjoyed getting to know Melissa and Bryan and their sweet son Jaden, over the last year as they’ve been planning for their wedding. Congrats to you, both! Such an honor to be a part!