Category Archives: ANYTIME

NYC BRIDAL PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHER | BRIDE-TO-BE ALISA

Ever wonder why certain traditions only exist in certain parts of the world?  I do!  And, I have to say, the southern tradition of taking bridal portraits prior to the wedding day is one that New York City needs to adopt immediately!  When the lovely southern belle, Alisa contacted me late last Summer to arrange her bridal portraits in New York City this Spring, I was super excited and met up with her to discuss ideas over coffee. As soon as I met her, I instantly loved her.  Alisa is just bea.u.ti.ful inside and out and she is filled with a light and joy that is utterly contagious. She smiles endlessly and is just so much fun to be around.  The bride-to-be just completed her Masters in Dance at NYU this Spring, and, being a true southern belle at heart wanted to carry on the southern tradition of bridal portraits in her favorite city before she moved back down to the south. Brilliant I tell you, simply brilliant!

Alisa looked absolutely stunning and half of New York City stopped to tell her so.  And can you blame them?  She is gorgeous!  There is just something so special about New Yorkers taking the time to stop and congratulate Alisa and tell her how amazing she looked.  I suppose it’s because of the pace of the city – the busied lives that everyone seems to have  - always rushing to go somewhere with things to do.  So, when they take a moment and stop, it almost seems to mean more than a place where you might see acts like that happen all time. It was awesome! And, I have to warn you, Trent, you are going to be simply in awe of your future wife on your big day so starting taking some deep breaths now! :) Alisa and Trent will be tying the knot in Oklahoma this month, and I couldn’t be happier for this incredibly sweet pair!

New York misses you already, Alisa!  Wishing you a lifetime full of much love and laughter!

Big hugs,

Maggie

To see a SLIDESHOW of the lovely Alisa’s bridal portraits in New York City, click HERE!

A slideshow of more of Alisa’s bridal portraits in New York City can be seen HERE!

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Jill McCool

Maggie,
These pictures are amazing! I loved the slide show – your wonderful pictures and Jack Johnson’s song! You captured her so well, and your comments about her are “spot on” – she is a beautiful woman, inside and out, and we are so glad she is in our family!

Jenna

Wow! Alisa looks incredible! These pictures are absolutely classy and sexy. GREAT job at capturing Alisa’s beauty.

maggie

Aw, yay! Thanks so much Alisa, Trent, Emily, & Mom! It was such fun!!

Gorgeous! The ice cream ones are adorable.

Alisa

Maggie, these are AMAZING! You made me look (and feel!) like a model! You are such a wonderful photographer! Thank you SO much! I really can’t wait to show these to my man! It’s killing me to have to wait until after he sees me walk down the aisle! THANK YOU!

Trent

I couldn’t agree more about bridals in NYC. As a southern boy living in the city, I don’t quite get the reason why people don’t do bridals in the north. Let’s start the movement Maggie!

Dottie

Such a beautiful bride and you captured her beauty and her emotion fabulously. Loved the slideshow too. The timing of each picture sliding on and off the screen was perfect. WOW!

BLOSSOM + BRANCH | AMAZING DO-IT-YOURSELF ARRANGEMENTS

Sarah of Blossom & Branch might just be pure genius.  When she asked me to collaborate with her for a DIY (Do-it-yourself) feature on Design*Sponge (which you can see HERE and HERE) using everyday containers from around your very own kitchen, I couldn’t wait to get started! Sarah comes up with unbelievably, brilliantly beautiful creations and I couldn’t wait to see the masterpieces that would abound.  If you’re looking for fabulously chic floral arrangements with a vintage touch, do not pass go, book Sarah immediately by emailing her HERE!  Plus, she has 2 hilarious bulldogs that are bound to make you smile!

Happy Friday, friends!

KATIE: SINGER, MODEL, FRIEND EXTRAORDINAIRE

You know, it’s funny.  My calendar says it’s June 12, 2009, but I could swear it’s April.  I mean, really, I don’t think I’ve ever seen this much rain in April and that’s a month dedicated to showers!  So, in light of this rain, I thought I’d pull out some winter pictures for those of us that are feeling a little bogged down that summer isn’t quite being summer and make us all appreciate that it is actually warmer, even if it’s not the typical warm, sunny June weather we’re accustomed to. 

Before I do that, though, I have something to share about Mr. Hallmark.  I don’t know how to say this exactly, but here it goes: my better half is not a fan of summer…or anything above 55 degrees, period.  True story.  Don’t ask me how it’s possible because it’s not something I’ll ever come close to comprehending, but this post is also for the two of you cold weather lovers out there: may the memories of bitter cold be sweet as you view this beauty in her scarf and winter coat. :)

In the midst of winter frigidness, my dear friend, Katie posed for some pictures.  Katie and I have been friends for as long as I can remember.  She is one of those friends that no matter how crazy our lives get or how long it’s been since we’ve seen each other, we can always pick up right where we left off.  She’s literally like my 5th sister.  We been through a lot of different points in our lives together and I adore her.  She’s an uber talented musical theater singer, who is going to make it super big, and she’s an absolute sweetheart.  She’s intelligent, beautiful, funny, and incredibly dedicated to those she loves.  We grew up in California down the street from each other and everytime I see her in this big city, I feel like I’m a little closer to California and my family.  What a gift to give somebody.  With each year, I feel increasingly lucky to call her my friend.  Eat your heart out, boys, she’s hot stuff!

Here are a few of my favorites of my childhood buddy, Katie – singer, model, friend, extraordinaire.

 

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maggie harkov

Thanks, friends! :)

Jana Kukla

Wow Mags – Your pictures are beautiful and Katie is the perfect subject. Good luck in your career!!

Tom Padberg

Wonderful subject; wonderful photos! A proud Uncle, Tom

judy michalek

Well, dear Maggie May, your words and pictures brought tears to this mother’s eyes! Thank you for capturing the inner and outer beauty of our Katie.
p.s. I’ve been watching in amazement as yet ANOTHER one of your extraordinary talents comes to light. It is very obvious that you have found a passion that allows you to express yourself and bring joy to others simultaneiously. Yay Maggie!

Beth Alix

Great shots of Katie! What a beauty!

Maggie Harkov

:) Thank you my dear! Can’t wait to see you! xoxo

Maria Fernandez

OMG! This is amazing Aunt Maggie! You definetly have an amazing talent in photography :-D Love you

Maggie Harkov

Yay Kates, thanks love! So glad you like! :)

Maggie – These are WONDERFUL! And thanks for your post, so sweet of you. It was so fun being your subject. You are such a natural! Love you! – Katie

SU-MER IN NEW YORK CITY!

I have a confession, Internet…  Sometimes I pretend I’m British…

OK, so “sometimes” might be slightly more often than I’m alluding to here…(as in nearly all phone calls with friends and members of my family, on my fictional cooking show, Maggie’s Magnificent Meals, on occasional evenings out to dinner, and just when I feel like spicing things up a bit).  I’ll admit it:  I find flashing my attempt at a native Londoner accent makes just about any situation much more fun.  I don’t know how it began exactly, but I’ve always adored the English accent and think that just about anything sounds better when spoken with its eloquent tongue.  Go ahead, you can practice out loud, you know you want to!      

One Christmas, when my niece, Summer and nephew, Cody were visiting from the wee small town of Page, Arizona, we decided it was time to play the best game on the face of this earth.  (Now, I’m about to divulge some seriously valuable information here, folks, so be prepared to do the dance of joy for all eternity.)  Here it is…I pass the torch on to you with care…Follow your Nose.  Do not pass go.  Buy it immediately.  It rocks my world!  Oh, how it makes me happy!  But, I digress…we decided playing the best game on earth could only be paired with the best accent on earth and assigned each other new British names.  Summer became Su-mer, Cody now Cod-y, Maggie =   Mad-gai, and Dorothy = Doroty.  From that moment on, there was no going back.  We would always be Brits.

This year, the gorgeous and super cool Su-mer came to visit her Aunt Mad-gai & Uncle Hallmark in NYC for her sixteenth birthday present, and we couldn’t have been more thrilled to have her.  Coming from a town that prides itself for it’s proximity to the beautiful Lake Powell, and   has a total population of approximately 7,000 people, about 16 restaurants including the decadent Subway and KFC, one movie theater, and just got its first and only Starbucks inside their local Safeway, caused Su-mer to find the pace, people, and grandeur that NYC so proudly boasts to be a tad overwhelming.  We hit the pavement and explored every inch we could with our British tones and had a blast.  One afternoon I asked the lovely Su-mer if I could take some pictures of her and she kindly obliged. 

Su-mer from the microscopic town of Page, Arizona, who reads massive novels any spare moment she can find, who loves shopping, horses, Chinese food, pizza, texting, her boyfriend, Jaime, her best friend, Danielle, and dance, filled our not so microscopic New York City with joy and laughter.  She could’ve easily looked at me like I’m crazy old Aunt Mad-gai, like she’d outgrown my silly attempts to sound like a Brit years ago, but instead, she pretended she was a Brit right along with me.  She laughed and smiled, and was simply Summer.  And, when I look back on these images, I’m reminded of all that Su-mer is to all of  us…pure happiness.

 

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Marianne Kedo

Oh my gosh~girl, you did it again. Ditto to everything said before me! Your photos are totally awesome and then the story line that goes along with the photos….you WOW me. . . you draw me in….what an amazing gift. XO

Maaaaaaaaaaaahr-grit! It’s A-mahn-dah! GORGEOUS pix, m’lady. Ring me on my mobile!

Dottie

Really great snaps of Summer. She’ such a pretty girl and you got it. I love her eyes and those lashes, oh! my! Your writing is so full of life and energy Maggie!

Dory

I love your writing! I could totally hear you saying every word you wrote in your excellent English accent. I loved what you wrote about Summer, and your pictures really capture her beauty. What a special tribute to her time with you and Uncle Hallmark!

IT RUNS IN THE FAMILY: PART II

I should have known.  I mean, hey, I told you already, it runs in the family, but I still found myself amazed by her talent.

The stunning Danilda Ramirez makes a repeat appearance on the pages of www.maggieharkov.com, folks, and this time, she’s in the hot seat.  Dani, as she likes to be called, is one lady who knows just what to do in front of the camera!  She made my job a piece of cake (yellow with milk chocolate frosting, please) and we had such fun galavanting throughout New York’s fabulous Central Park.   

Dani is a beautiful mother of two.  Yes, you read that correctly.  Mother of two.  How is it possible, you ask?   I don’t know, but I plan on finding out her secrets and implementing them immediately!  I’m gonna go with genes.  Thanks, Mom & Dad! :) (Kidding.)  Dani is hilarious, full of life, and she is completely in love with her children.  Personally, I think the whole family should just get a show with HBO to showcase all their talents as there are MANY!

Well, here she is, Internet…a few of my favorites of the gorgeous, Dani.

 

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Danilda

Wow! There are no words to express my feelings! You’ve done it again, Maggie. I love all of these shots…you ability to capture so much emotion in each still moment is incredible. Again, thanks so much, you are an awesome, wholesome, charming individual that knows what to say and do in order to capture that perfect moment. Loved them all! Muchos besos,

Danilda

Dottie

Wow! She’s a mom of two? Pretty lady and she looks so young. You captured some great shots. I particularly like the head back laughing one…..so much joy there.