Holidays | Virtually Gina

Prospero Año y Felicidad

December 29, 2015 by Gina Marie

On Christmas Eve Day, I took my dog for a stroll along the beach. The weather was unseasonably warm — almost 70 degrees. After a mile or so, we came upon this message in the sand, and I snapped a pic using my camera phone. Using the BeFunky app on my phone, I combined the image above with a photo of the full moon taken last summer. The final result, displayed below, made for a muy feliz navidad. In the words of Jose Feliciano: […]

Categories: Beaches, Christmas, Collage, Holidays, Moon, New Jersey, Photo Journal, Photography, The Artistic Process • Tags: Feliz Navidad, New Year

NYC: If You Lived Here, You Wouldn’t Sleep Either

December 8, 2014 by Gina Marie

Six hours, give or take, in arguably the world’s greatest city. One D-SLR camera. One Gina Marie. Put these all together and what do you get? Many digital images, of course. I whittled a hundred or so down to the following “baker’s dozen” of my favorites. Eerily, nearly half of these feature mannequins and/or statues. (My day job working in luxury consignment has been rubbing off on my subconscious, it seems.) Now, without further ado, a glimpse at the most […]

Categories: America, Holidays, Mannequins, New York City, Photo Essay, Photo Journal, Photography, Travel, Trees, Urban

A Storm of Herculean Proportions

January 3, 2014 by Gina Marie

Ah, the post-holiday afterglow: Chrismas lights still adorn houses, the air is cool, presents have long been unwrapped, and New Year’s toasts have all been exchanged. It’s time for a fresh start and, apparently, a fresh snowfall. (Thank you, Winter Storm Hercules.) I’m a Minnesotan by birth, so I should be used to this. Still, even I–who have lived in Philadelphia going on three years–was surprised by the intensity of last night’s storm. I attempted to capture it from my […]

Categories: America, Earth, Holidays, Life, Memoir, Minnesota, Philadelphia, Photo Essay, Photography, Trees, Winter • Tags: America, Earth, Hercules, Holidays, Life, Memoir, Minnesota, Philadelphia, Photo Essay, Photography, Storm, Trees, Winter

Happy Thanksgivukkah to You, Happy Birthday to Me

November 28, 2013 by Gina Marie

Every few years, my birthday (as well as my brother Eric’s) falls on Thanksgiving. (Nope, we’re not twins.) This year, our birthday falls not only on Thanksgiving, but also on Hanukkah . . . never mind that we weren’t raised Jewish — it’s still an honor. Tonight, after America fills its collective belly with turkey and side dishes, and after Israel and the diaspora light the menorah, Eric and I will blow out our respective birthday candles and give thanks […]

Categories: Gratitude, Holidays • Tags: Gratitude, Holidays

A Comic Strip by Little Gina

January 2, 2013 by Gina Marie

I drew this over two decades ago; I’d just turned twelve. I came across it while looking through some old papers recently. The language is a bit dated, but the message still holds true. 😉

Categories: Art, Christmas, Drawing, Holidays, Humor, Minneapolis • Tags: Cartoon, Comic, Humor, Technology, Throwback

Welcome to Christmas Village

December 24, 2012 by Gina Marie

Every year, Philadelphia’s Loves Park hosts a holiday-themed open air market called “Christmas Village.” As illustrated in the following photo essay, grey skies and blustery air aren’t enough to deter throngs of shoppers from gathering together to check out wares, sip hot beverages, and scout out holiday gifts for their loved ones. Welcome to Christmas Village! **BONUS SECTIONS!** The following three images, while not “Christmas Village” per se, were captured in the general vicinity . . . And, last but […]

Categories: Art, Christmas, Consumerism, Holidays, Humor, Philadelphia, Photography, Travel, Winter • Tags: Art, Christmas, Consumerism, Holidays, Humor, Philadelphia, Photography, Travel, Winter

Holiday Scenes We Rarely See

December 13, 2012 by Gina Marie

The other day, I happened upon four young adults dressed in Santa suits, strolling casually along an urban street as if this were nothing out of the ordinary. I couldn’t help but wonder: “Who are these people?” Two possible theories came to mind. Perhaps these were department store Santas taking a brisk walk during their lunch break. Or perhaps they were simply four friends on their way to a holiday party. Whatever the case, if I really wanted to know, […]

Categories: Holidays, Humor, Philadelphia, Photography, Winter • Tags: Holidays, Humor, Philadelphia, Photography, Winter

A Visually Aware Human Being

December 6, 2012 by Gina Marie

“I’m not just a ‘photographer’ or a ‘painter,’ but a visually aware human being searching out ways to communicate the intensities of life.” -American artist Barbara Morgan (1900-1992)

Categories: Architecture, Art, Color, Drawing, Holidays, Inspiration, Life, Light, Philadelphia, Photography, Shadow, Winter • Tags: Architecture, Art, Color, Drawing, Holidays, Inspiration, Life, Light, Philadelphia, Photography, Shadow, Winter

Budapest’s Dohány Street Synagogue

July 10, 2012 by Gina Marie

The following photos were taken in Budapest, Hungary on an unseasonably warm afternoon in early May. On this particular day, most stores were closed for the May Day (Labor Day) holiday. The Dohány Street Synagogue, however, was open to tourists, so I stopped in to snap a few pictures. I marveled at both the size of the building and at its incredibly ornate interior. Trivia: the Dohány Street Synagogue is the largest synagogue in Europe and the fifth-largest in the […]

Categories: Budapest, Europe, Holidays, Photography, Travel, Trivia • Tags: Budapest, Europe, Holidays, Photography, Travel, Trivia