Vanessa Espinal Photography

New Site

2011-02-05T11:00:00.007-05:00

Going forward all of my posts are located on my new site

www.VanessaCastaldo.com/blog

Please check it out!!!

We Are Gaga 05.15.10

2010-07-06T10:17:00.004-04:00

About two months ago my mind was blown when I went to see We Are Gaga perform. They are a Lady Gaga tribute band based in Philly and I really wasn't sure what to expect. As soon as they began playing I was convinced they were geniuses. These are some pictures from their show on May 15, 2010.

More can be found here !

Botanical Gardens Pt2

2010-06-28T13:13:00.010-04:00

Soon after the orchid show we decided to go back to the botanical gardens for a bird watching tour. We didnt get to see too many birds and we ended up leaving the tour to do some exploring of our own. I took a few pictures and here they are:

The rest of the pics can be seen here as well as my attempts of catching some birds up close. In that set you will also see pics from the first trip. enjoy!

Botanical Gardens Bronx NY

2010-05-23T10:09:00.014-04:00

This spring I was finally able to go to the Botanical Gardens for their yearly orchid show. We walked all around the conservatory (which is why you will also see cactus). It is a gorgeous place and I seriously recommend you spend a day there if you've never done so. I was pleased to go there twice this spring and this batch of pictures is from the first trip.

Fall Recap!

2010-04-12T19:51:00.017-04:00

So this blog has been in a winter hibernation! Now that its spring I will be posting more frequently. Before i update with some newer stuff I'll be posting this quick little fall recap of just a few things i shot during that time.

In October we went to the Atlantic Antic street fair in Brooklyn. Not only is it a great street fair but its a wonderful opportunity to check out the old MTA busses displayed by the transit museum. Here are some shots from that day :

Pumpking carving was another fun fall highlight. I never carved a pumpkin before and I must say it was really fun. Here's some from that evening at Tiffany's

Miniature Rhino

2009-10-21T20:58:00.007-04:00

Its been awhile since I've posted so I thought I'd get back into the spirit by featuring one of my favorite people Jessica Marquez. Not only is she a wonderful person and an amazing photographer, she is a full time crafty lady! The pieces in her Etsy shop are beautiful and her work is like none I've ever seen! I was excited to be invited into her awesome workspace and see some of her process. I even got to outline a few hearts! Enjoy the photos and visit her web store and her flickr to see the finished outcomes of her lovely work!

Outer Banks August '09

2009-09-09T11:38:00.000-04:00

Here are some pictures from my lovely vacation in the Outer Banks, NC.

Mike busted out the old Canon AE-1. I'm curious to see what he came up with.

Bodie Island Lighthouse

We weren't allowed to go up because the lighthouse is in bad condition at the top. This was the best they could do for us. It worked out anyway, I dont think I could've done it with my foot still being injured!

Currituck Lighthouse

This was a crazy storm

Mike was a birthday boy while on vacation. Everyone loved the apple pie and peach cobbler!

The lovely Outer Banks at night!

More HERE

ZOMBIES!!!

2009-08-21T09:32:00.004-04:00

I haven't abandoned the blog! I'm recovering from my broken foot and I'm finally back at work so things have been busy. I'm also preparing for my Outer Banks trip next week and most importantly I've been doing alot of shooting for the Handsome Zombies movie! The last two shoots have been awesome and I got to photograph some pretty gory scenes! Here are some photos from the last 2 shoots! Just another couple of shoots left and the movie is done. Hopefully by November it will be ready for you all to see. For now, here's some stills from the set!

City Methodist Church - Gary, Indiana 06.10.09

2009-07-27T14:14:00.003-04:00

Of all the places I got to see in Gary Indiana, the City Methodist Church was probably the most massive and majestic to step into. Built in 1926, the church also served as a community center full with classrooms, a gymnasium, and a theatre. Due to the decline of Gary in the 60's the church could barely afford to keep the property and by 1975 it was closed. In 1997 the abandoned property was further damaged by a fire.

Here are some of my favorite shots from that day:

The rest are HERE

Union Station - Gary, Indiana - 06.10.09

2009-07-14T19:20:00.004-04:00

The abandoned Union Station in Gary was one of my favorites spots to go to. The freight trains passing by were an awesome sight to see and added to the feel of the place. The station was built in 1910 and supposedly has been vacant since the 1950's.

Here are some pictures from inside:

More photos HERE including some outdoor shots!

Old Gary Post Office - Gary, Indiana 06.10.09

2009-07-06T09:18:00.002-04:00

The Old Gary Post Office in Gary Indiana is a massive art deco building built in the 1930's. I was amazed at how big it was with its lovely marble base, just sitting there rotting away. Here are a few from inside.

More HERE

Palace Theatre - Gary, Indiana 06.10.09

2009-06-25T23:02:00.003-04:00

It's quite coincidental that I've prepared the first part of my Gary Indiana series on the day of Michael Jackson's death. Going to the Jackson family's hometown earlier this month was fascinating. Seeing the city's former glories forgotten and abandoned was pretty crazy. Since my visit to Gary I've been on a bit of a Michael Jackson kick, so his death earlier today was especially shocking to me.

The first stop on the Gary excursion was to the abandoned Horace Mann High School, but there wasn't a way in - so the next stop was Palace Theatre. Built in 1924 the Palace Theatre was majestic and was quickly one of the hot spots in downtown Gary. Much like the rest of the city, Palace Theatre saw a decline in the late 60's and by 1972 its doors were officially closed. Presently, the Palace Theatre sits in downtown Gary, decaying away.

A few more HERE

Midwest Vacation

2009-06-23T12:11:00.004-04:00

Mike and I spent a week in Indiana with our lovely friends Chris & Monica. The trip was alot of fun and I must say we ate like kings. Here are some shots from our trip.

Buffalo on Rye @ Veggie Bite, Chicago

The wonderful counter menu @ Veggie Bite, Chicago

Crunchwraps!!

We spent our week with the lovely Saffie!

Chicago Diner

The Statue of the Republic from the 1893 Chicago Worlds Fair

Vegan Benedict @ Pick Me Up Cafe, Chicago

To see more pictures of our food/trip click HERE

Frank's Bday 05.22.09

2009-06-03T00:51:00.005-04:00

My brother Frank is a great kid. We celebrated his birthday last week in Brooklyn and I snapped a few silly pictures from before the festivities.

He was thrilled with his baloons:

Mike hanging out:

My sister Yesenia:

Yesenia and Frank:

CT Rollergirls 05.09.09

2009-05-31T00:43:00.008-04:00

I was lucky enough to be invited to this roller derby bout in Connecticut! The teams battling were the Devil's Rejects and the Ave Marias and man, was it fun to watch! It was my first time ever seeing roller derby in person and I loved it so much that I cant wait to go back to shoot again. Here are some shots from that evening!

You will probably see more roller girl pics up in the fall, but for now you can check out the rest of the set HERE

Lula's Sweet Apothecary 05.02.09

2009-05-27T22:50:00.007-04:00

Lula's Sweet Apothecary in NYC is quickly becoming one of my favorite spots. Lula's made their debut in the fall of last year and I'm looking forward to spending some time in there this summer. What I love about this place is not just the treats but the detail the owners have put into the feel of the shop. When I'm in there I cant stop looking at things. Here's some of what I love to look at when I'm at Lula's!

The New Yankee Stadium 04.30.09

2009-05-17T10:13:00.003-04:00

I got to snap away at the new Yankee Stadium a couple of weeks ago. It's actually really beautiful and I think they did a great job at giving tribute to the history of the Yankees. Unlike the old stadium, the new stadium offers more of an experience while wandering through the concourse. It's more than just "Grab your hotdog and get back to your seat". I'll probably continue to post pictures of the new stadium as I continue going to games because there's plenty I didnt catch this first time around, so take this as a sneak peek!

One of the many majestic entrances:

The Great Hall:

I LOVE Thurman Munson:

Man do I wish I was around in 1977:

Say yes to cupholders and more leg room!:

The legendary Freddy Sez:

To see a few more from the new stadium click HERE

To see pictures from the old stadium click HERE

A Local Weekend 04.19.09

2009-05-11T22:09:00.005-04:00

My weekends are rarely ever local these days, so I really loved the weekend of April 19 -20th where I was able to stay around town! Mike, Angie, Coleen, Kristyn and I got to hang out both days doing various silly things. Here are some of my favorites from that weekend.

The glorious Gravitron at the kearny-val .

Little Elvira and her catnip.

Bloomfest at Branch Brook Park

View of the GW Bridge from Palisade Interstate Park

Mike was a tree person

and also a creepy model...

Kristyn was the star of the soccer game

Handsome Zombies 04.11.09

2009-04-21T14:09:00.003-04:00

These are some behind the scenes moments that I captured at the third shoot for Handsome Zombies - a quirky zombie movie that should be completed by the end of this summer. I'll be on set for some of the other dates and I am super excited about it!

The fun construction worker vomit scene:

A fight scene rehearsal with the fight choreographer:

Zach getting done up:

Andy = not playing around:

The rest are HERE!

Baltimore 04.05.09

2009-04-13T10:18:00.002-04:00

I'm sitting here wondering where the nice weather went because last weekend in Baltimore the weather was wonderful! It’s been pretty cold and windy here the past few days and looking at these pictures definitely had me longing for sunnier weather. These are some shots I took while walking around Baltimore last Sunday. It was a pretty interesting journey because one minute you’d pass cute homes and spring in bloom, and then you’d see tons of boarded up abandoned buildings, then back to more inhabited spots. I was definitely in a strange part of town!

This was the Mayfair Theatre that was built in the 1870's. Its been in disrepair with a collapsed roof since the 1980's. I really tried hard to find a way inside but it was damn near impossible.

I saw this little Peanuts comic glued onto one boarded up building that looked partially burned down.

The rest of my Baltimore shots are HERE

Crystal Lee 03.30.09

2009-04-10T09:52:00.002-04:00

I took some shots of my sister last week. Here's a couple of my favorites from that evening.

Lexsis Jumps 03.27.09

2009-04-09T11:25:00.003-04:00

Lexsis Jumps is one of my favorite bands to see live. They are an extremley talented bunch and I try to catch them every chance I get. This was a show in Toms River New Jersey at The Shed. This night was special because they played a bunch of new stuff I hadnt heard yet. It was a steamy sauna in the shed and by the end of their set my lens was pretty foggy!

Definetly check out Lexsis Jumps at their myspace page

More photos from this set are HERE

Black Kites 03.15.09

2009-03-21T19:57:00.003-04:00

Black Kites played their record release show last Sunday at an awesome skate park in Pine Brook NJ, called Garden SK8. The graffiti on the walls was phenomenal and it apparently gets changed up every few weeks. Black Kites played an awesome set and I'm looking forward to checking out more shows at Garden SK8!

More of this set HERE

Binghamton Ferry Boat 03.14.09

2009-03-18T11:23:00.000-04:00

This was quite a strange find. The Binghamton Ferry Boat operated between 1905 and 1967 carrying passengers from Hoboken to Manhattan. I'm not sure when it went out of service, but it was registered as a historic landmark in 1982. I'm also not sure when it became a restaurant, but for awhile this was a fully functioning Steakhouse and Sea Food hotspot in Edgewater New Jersey with beautiful views of the New York City Skyline. I couldn't find any information regarding when it was abandoned, but the boat and its extensions are in pretty bad condition. I tried to get in but had no luck. The doors to the boat were padlocked and there were fences hooked up to alarms blocking entry to the deck of the ferryboat. (Probably because of its historic landmark status.) Someone definitely found a way to get up on the boat because there are some signs of vandalism, but I was not about to become a daredevil, so I shot as much as i could without actually getting inside. It was pretty fun to shoot here and according to one of the plaques leading up the boat, the Binghamton is the only double ended steam engine ferry boat still floating on the Hudson River.

More can be found HERE

Pyramids 03.07.09

2009-03-14T15:22:00.002-04:00

Pyramids are a Delaware/Philly band that unfortunately I don't get to see too often, so I was excited when I found out they'd be playing in Brooklyn. These photos are from their set last Saturday at the Charleston in Williamsburg.

The rest of the photos can be seen HERE

Soul Control 02.11.2009

2009-02-16T21:16:00.003-05:00

I was lucky enough to play with Soul Control last Wednesday in a basement in New Brunswick. They played a great set which ended off with a cover of Inside Out's "No Spiritual Surrender". Rory is a wonderful guy and an incredible frontman. It was a treat photographing this band!

Here are a few pictures from their set.

The full set can be viewed HERE

Boyce Thompson Institute 01.12.09

2009-02-12T17:41:00.004-05:00

I figured I would start off my blog with one of my favorite places to shoot. The Boyce Thompson Institute is located in Yonkers NY. It was a plant research facility that remained active until 1977, when the Institute moved to Ithaca. The building and the greenhouses are severely vandalized with poorly done graffiti and broken beer bottles. There is some incredible available light inside which always makes dreary places look really interesting. I don't know why I'm drawn to being in there for hours when it's freezing cold out, but there's just something about this place in the wintertime that keeps me going back.

Below are some pictures from my latest trip to Boyce Thompson in January of 2009.

A collection of my photos from the Boyce Thompson Institute can be found here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/vanessa52/sets/72157594268755418/