Sheila Bocchine, Photographer

Hello!!

I have some really, really, really exciting news! I will be moving to Korea to teach English in a few months. It all seems a little surreal, but it’s happening very quickly. So my pinhole camera and I will be exploring an amazing culture, learning a new language, teaching, trying new foods, and documenting everything in pinhole!

I need to raise $1500 before I leave so if you’d like to help me reach my goal here are a few ways you can help!

***HOME SALE!*** I will be having a sale at my apartment on Sunday March 29th from 9am-6pm. I’m selling everything! My address is 4950 East Van Buren, Apt 180 (near the pool), Phoenix, Arizona, 85008. You can park in front or across the street at the post office.
*Framed photographs
*Pinhole photographs
*Photo Frames
*BOOKS! (lots of books, including fantastic art and photography books)
*Camera equipment/materials/supplies
*View Camera
*Book cases and shelves
*Random restaurant equipment
*AND MORE!

***Pinhole Portraits***
I’m offering pinhole portraits for $100. If you’ve ever wanted to get your portrait done, now is the time! Check out my pinhole portrait portfolio on my website. Having your pinhole portrait taken is a photographic experience, a fanciful interpretation of life. The energy of your soul dances onto film with sunbursts, subtle motion and interesting angles.

You’ll recieve all 5×5 proof prints, and CD of hi-res scans for easy printing.

***Buy a pinhole photograph***
I have a selection of prints on my Etsy shop that are available.
If you would like to choose an image from my flickr stream, I can send you an invoice through paypal. Signed pinhole photographs are $25. Shipping within the US is $5, outside of the US is $12.

***Donation***
I have set up a paypal donation service, so if you’d like to donate $1 or more towards my goal of $1500, that would super spectacular! I’ll make sure to pay-it-forward in a random act of kindness!

Thank you so much for helping me reach my goal! I’d appreciate your help in spreading this information!

Love,
Sheila

This perfect fall pinhole photograph was taken at the Boyce Thompson Arboretum last November during their fall festival. Can’t you just hear the autumn’s offering of gorgeous golden leaves crunching below your feet, as you walk in the warm sun… I just adore the fall season. This pinhole photograph is available in my ETSY shop.

Today I want to give gratitude, for I really truly have everything to be grateful for! I’m grateful for my wonderful family, for my lover Gary, for my amazing friends, for my dog shadow, for pinhole photography, for laughter and parties, for gallery openings (especially my own), for daily new opportunities, for photography jobs. I’m grateful that I get to work so closely with one of the most talented photographers that I know. I’m grateful that photography brought us together and keeps us together. I’m grateful that I have time to volunteer and help others. I’m grateful for the 2 exhibitions I’m curating in 2009. I’m grateful for the Arizona sun and the occasional cloudy day. I’m grateful for abundance, love, light, energy, happiness, thought provoking conversations, people who collect pinhole photographs, my yellow vw bug, fresh flowers, green plants, good food. I’m grateful for social media and my online presence. I’m grateful for daily mediation, for deep breathing, for journaling, for intentions and intenders circles. I’m grateful for growth, always learning, knowledge. I’m grateful that each day I wake up and do whatever I want.

Feel free to list your gratitudes!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday!

The beautiful Natalya and her now husband Brian, stood for a pinhole portrait in front of this fantastic cactus. I just love how the arms look like bubbles.  Notice the drink that Brian is holding… he created a drink menu special for the wedding and the drinks were incredible with really wonderful ingredients including honeycomb.

I just wanted to thank everyone that made it to the Mysterious Exhibit.  THANK YOU!  It was a great two months and 3 pieces were sold!  Thank you art collectors, you make it possible for us to continue doing what we love… creating art!

I will be putting out a call for submissions for two upcoming exhibits in 2009.  If you want to get on my  mailing list, send me an email and I’ll add you. Each exhibit will be up for two months.

Did anyone make it to the social sculpture at the Icehouse last night?  Michael 23 held a mummification for 23 participants.  It was really interesting.  I took 3 pinholes and am really excited to see how they turned out.

I am selling a few of my favorite pinhole images on ETSY, so if you are a collector of my work or just looking for the perfect holiday gift, please do check it out:  www.daisyjellybean.etsy.com

If you need a photographer for a holiday portrait, or need your holiday party photographed, or perhaps you’re getting married and you need a photographer… I recommend four white walls photography. Their work is amazing and their prices are super affordable.

This wedding pinhole is of Natalya and Brian in Paradise Valley, Arizona.

I have a special treat for all you pinhole lovers!  I have selected a few of my favorite images and added them to my ETSY shop for you.  They are super affordable and will make a wonderful holiday gift… or perhaps the perfect gift to your own walls.

AND!  One very last mention of the Mysterious Exhibit. The closing reception is tonight.  If you haven’t seen it yet, please do stop by!  I’ll be there from 6-9pm. 1301 NW Grand Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85007.

Have a spectacular weekend my friends!

This is an interview about my pinhole photography!!! Thanks for checking it out!

Click here to read the whole interview.

The Soop is a site that covers art, culture, fashion, lifestyle, music and trends. We are not trying to take over any news sites that are out there. More to give a voice to the local arts, the cool, the hip, the trendsetters, movers and shakers, but most of all to help grow the community.

If you didn’t see the exhibit that opened last First Friday at The Bragg’s Pie Factory on Grand Ave, you’re in luck!  There will be another opening on November 7th from 6-10pm.  Please come look at some fantastic photography, a beautiful day of the dead installation and ‘Armada 2012′ a spaceship installation (if you came to the exhibit last month, please come again, just to see the spaceship installation, it wasn’t up at the last opening).  The theme of the show is ‘Mysterious: simultaneously arousing wonder and inquisitiveness’.    There will also be amazing live jazz music as well!

Hooray for pinhole photography!

Found this lovely winter scene while walking in Scottsdale after a pinhole portrait shoot. So, of course, I pinholed it!

So, if you’re reading this blog, I have a favor to ask of you. My friend Vaiden’s mom has cancer and is asking everyone to send her mom a postcard. I requested the help of everyone a few years ago when my mom had cancer and I know the postcards brightened her day. Even if you don’t know her, a positive note on a happy postcard will make her smile! But if you do know Liz (her mom), then please, please, please make sure to send her a card!

She is an awesome lady… can kick your butt in scrabble, still goes to burning man, is a collector of everything, has the most amazing yard, and is just plain fascinating… and I know we can all help her feel better faster!

Here’s where to send them:
Liz Boyer
1407 E Palm Lane
Phoenix, AZ 85006

I do make and sell postcards, so if you’d like to purchase one from my etsy shop, I’ll get it in the mail tonight! AND! if you email me to let me know you’re sending it to Liz, I’ll waive/refund your shipping costs!

Anyone in Phoenix going to see the Cubs tonight? If so, I’ll see you there! I’m going with my undergrad alumni group, so we’ll be rooting for the Cubs (I went to college in Chicago).

See how beautifully they work together? Send some love, frame some love! This is the perfect summer image, makes me want to lay in the grass and watch the clouds change shapes! You too can send this lovely pinhole image to a friend to brighten up their day!

I’m sad when I’m too busy to blog. But, being busy is good! Gary and I booked 3 weddings since Friday. I am doing a happy dance right now! One of the jobs we booked, specifically booked us because of my pinhole photography! Yay…my dance just turned into a full on Broadway production! We’re meeting with another couple on Friday morning and a couple more next week! I love my job!

Did anyone see the Euro Cup final game on Sunday? We went to Black Forest Mill German Restaurant. Their cable wasn’t working so we missed the first 35 minutes. Spain won. I wanted Germany to win since Spain ended up in the finals and not Italy. Oh well, the world cup will be upon us two years from now and Italy will win it all again! Go Italia!

First Friday is this Friday! If you’re in Phoenix and wanting to check out some art, make sure you hit The Trunk Space up to see The Grid II. Gary and I are both in it. 10 photographers each took a different section of downtown Phoenix and photographed it in their own style. All the photographs are only $25, so it’s very affordable for you to own a great photograph of your favorite city, Phoenix!

Last night I finally found a pair of glasses that I might be able to buy. I’ve been looking for about 2 years now, for a pair of glasses equally as amazing as the cat eye frames I have now. I still want to keep these frames and still use them, but I’ve been wanting something to switch them up with. Last night we went to Optica Waterfront in Scottsdale and I tried on pair after pair after pair. I found a pair of square Prada frames, black and purple, with sparkles on the sides! LOVE THEM!!! The guy told me they were almost $700. I didn’t freak out because I know I was paying for quality. BUT TODAY I found them online for $275!!!!! How totally rad is that! What do you think of them? Or should I spend some more time looking for another cat eye pair?

I leave you with these photographs Gary took last week of the brush fire in Phoenix. We drove out to 99th Ave and Baseline to check it out and walked as close as we could get. My pinholes should be back next week.

Oh, yes, one more thing. Saturday. July 5th. 7:30pm. The Grapevine. KARAOKE!!!! It shall be my very first time so please join me! I promise it will be a good time. Drinking and Singing! Be forewarned, you may want to bring ear plugs. I’ve been told I sound terrible…

I posted 5 new pinhole postcard designs on my etsy site yesterday. These are three of them. I have about 5 more pinholes that I want to turn into postcards as well… then I need to shoot more pinholes, because the next photos I have won’t be released until the end of summer, for they are fall photographs, halloween, thanksgiving and holiday pinholes!

Making pinhole postcards and learning about etsy is so much fun!

I stayed home sick today.I had a headache and was in a grumpy mood. I have a lot of brides to call and a few photo jobs to book dates/times for… so I’ll be busy all day.

Is anyone going to see James Ray speak tomorrow night? Gary and I are going, we went the last time he was in town too. He’s pretty amazing and so full of great energy. Last time I took a bunch of notes, this time I think I’m just going to listen and absorb.

I am sitting outside and there is a giant wasp flying around our HUGE aloe vera plant. I kinda want him to go make love to the purple flowers and leave me alone!

I really wanted to pinhole these silver and blue streamers over the car lot on Van Buren, so on Memorial Day, when they were closed, I sneaked in and started shooting. Well, I wasn’t high/close enough to the streamers so I looked around and decided to jump on the back of a truck in the lot… and if alarms started sounding I would run!!!! Alarms never sounded and I got the pinhole shot I wanted!

This image is for The Grid II, an exhibit that I’m co-curating with Steven Jansen. It opens on Friday June 20th at The Trunk Space in Phoenix. It will be up for two months and will be AMAZING! Please come! Last year we documented a street in Phoenix, this year we are documenting a section of downtown Phoenix.

My weekend was marvelous! My new book arrived just in time for me to spend the weekend reading! The Answer by John Assaraf and Murray Smith is one of the best books I’ve ever read. It’s a blend of scientific and creative genius. Concentrating on helping you to understand what a powerful tool your brain/mind are, it leads you to clarity by having you write out the answers to certain questions. It’s about visualization and how concentrating on a few positive sentences each day, related to what you want to achieve, can transform you life.

I’m already feeling different! I already know that it’s working. I know that right now, brides are emailing me saying “Yes, we want you to photograph our wedding”. I know that right now galleries are looking at my website and portfolio and saying “Yes, we must give Sheila Bocchine an exhibit in our gallery.” I already know that right now Design*Sponge and DailyCandy are looking at my etsy shop and saying, “I must get a hold of Sheila and feature her etsy shop on our website.” I already know that right now the universe is working in my favor to make sure that I sell 1000′s of pinhole postcards each month. I already know that right now the perfect apartment at Optima will be available at the end of October for us to move into.

I’ve sold 6 postcards since last Sunday when I opened shop! Isn’t that exciting! 2 of the postcards went to London! WOW!!! I did have to make some minor adjustments to the pricing… everyone takes a little profit of the sale (etsy and pay pal)… and because my envelopes are no bend mailers the price of the stamp was actually double than I was quoted. BUT!!!! They are still very affordable and perfect for sending and framing!

Question? Are massages suppose to hurt? They were giving free 10 minute chair massages at my apartment complex yesterday and while she was massaging me I thought I was going to die… but I didn’t say anything because I figured it’s suppose to be that hard so your muscles feel really good when you’re finished? right? right? WELL, my whole upper body is still in pain. I kept making Gary check my back for bruises. I thought massages were suppose to be calming, relaxing and feel good? Can someone give any insight?

I wanted to interrupt The Grid series for this very important announcement! My etsy shop is live and running! I am so excited. I feel so good about this positive move in my life. I listed 5 items (with a run of 15 each) on Sunday and have already sold three items! Thank you sooooooo much my fabulous first customers! When I think about those sales, the smile that is already plastered to my face, grows even more!

All I want to do is blog and flickr and twitter and find other blogs that want to showcase my postcards! I have all these great marketing ideas and will spend all weekend implementing them. My goal is to sell 40 postcards a day… or 200 a week… To Start! Then I intend to sell 100′s a day, from my etsy site and through wholesale opportunities. Every day post office workers will delight in seeing the pieces go through their hands, and every day 100′s of people will check their mail to find a wonderful surprise in their mailbox! How rad is that! Life is good!

Last night was Bunco (a dice game I play once a month). Wanna know a funny story? I left her address at home knew she lived on the same side of the street as my friend. I also knew she had a basketball hoop in her driveway. I pulled up to the first house with a bball hoop and no one was home… so I knew it wasn’t the right house… I went to the second house… still the wrong house.. third try worked! ha! three houses in a row had basketball hoops! ha!

Friday night is Intenders Circle. If you live in Phoenix and want to come with me, let me know. It’s so incredible. About 10-15 people get together and have dinner at Aaron’s house… then he and his super amazing sister Ashley start the circle. We talk about what we’re grateful for and about what our intentions are. Then we hang out and talk some more. The energy is electrifying and I always leave on such a positive high. It’s off the 51 and Bell, let me know if want to join us and I will send you the details. Starts around 7:30 and ends around 10pm. I’d love it if you joined us!

Tonight Gary and I are going to a private party at a restaurant in North Scottsdale. We’re photographing it and have been invited to join this elitist group of Phoenix reviewers. Should be a blast!