Grey Tones

WEARING: H&M LONG GREY SUIT JACKET | H&M LONG SLEEVE GREY SHIRT
FOREVER 21 STRETCHY HIGH-RISE SKINNY JEANS 
STEVEN MADDEN NOBLE STONE PEEP TOE SHOE BOOT | GUCCI DIANA SATCHEL

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One of my ultimate dreams in New York City has come true! It was so hard to keep it hush-hush for about a week now, but I am delighted and very excited to finally be able to tell you guys all about it! Sometime last week, I was having a very rough start to my morning and was really feeling under the weather, but I like to start my day by taking walks with MaQ, especially when I'm feeling down. Just the two of us roaming the streets of New York never fails to inspire me to keep going.

That morning was kind of cold. You know, those spring mornings where it's only slightly warm being in the sun. I was going to keep it a brisk walk and take MaQ out for a longer one later on in the day, as I had so much work to do. But, because I wasn't feeling 100% and the fact that I walk around to clear my head, I opted for a longer route and went to one of his favorite parks in New York City, Washington Square Park. He loves to find sticks to chew and play with, accompanying me while I people-watch and take snapshots. Suddenly, a deep male voice from behind said, "Excuse me, do you mind if I take a picture of your dog?" But before I could reply, he graciously continued. "I run The Dogist... I'm not sure if you've heard about us..."

My jaw dropped to the ground and I was beaming. Ever since Elias Weiss Friedman had created The Dogist in October of 2013, I've been following him religiously. With nearly 2 million followers on Instagram and over 10,000 photos of dogs from around the world, he's got my (well one at least) dream job, chasing dogs and traveling. I just never saw the man behind the camera! We had a blast shooting with Elias and his assistants, MaQ took his role as a supermodel VERY seriously. Come take a look at his AMAZING portrait shot HERE!

To see more incredible portraits of dogs by The Dogist, go to thedogist.com

Lastly, here's my look of the day! Grey tones meet casual chic with a long suit jacket from H&M, Steve Madden open-toe ankle booties and Forever 21 skinny jeans. It's one of my favorite comfy go-to looks. You can totally keep doing your #GIRLBOSS thang in this outfit. Sadly, due to grey tones not only being a part of this look, the weather did not allow us to film this look for the week. Boo, to rain! But don't worry, more to come soon, soon, soon! Stay tuned...

Photos by Gilles Decamps

Styling & Editing by Suzanne Spiegoski

LOVE & XX'S,

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Graffiti Day

Mr. Smiley :) Put on a happy face! ♡

It's almost Friday! (Thank goodness.) We've been busy with several upcoming projects that I can't wait to share with you guys! I really haven't had the time to go and check out the new graffiti and street art in my neighborhood lately. I enjoy these city walkabouts, very much so, with my pooch, MaQ. We've been at this for a couple of years, running around the city and him posing in front of some seriously talented and amazing art! But this morning I had a little extra time so off we went! You can check out MaQ's Instagram feed for tons of New York City graffiti, videos and more! As you can see, he takes pride in his modeling work. It's tough being a stud muffin! :)

The first art piece MaQ posed with is Zukie's Art and these adorable lil' critters. According to the artist, "Zukies are mysterious creatures that do not talk. They communicate with thought bubbles and facial expressions. Zukies intend to generate emotions through their visual thoughts and that is how they create an emotional bond with us." - Miss Zukie

Bullseye! ◎

Happy Happy, Thank God it's almost Friday! Let's dance!

I can't seem to find the artist who did the mural with the bullseye in the background. If anyone by any chance knows, please get a hold of me! I always leave credit where credit is due. It drives me nuts when I can't find something I'm looking for! Can anyone else relate to this? :P

The photo to the left is me in front of Steve Zolin's mural. His graphic art is just simply amazing! It reminded me of Diego Rivera's work at the Detroit Institute of Arts. There's so much life and color in Mr. Zolin's piece even though when I look at the mural as a whole, it's very industrial-inspired. Lots of blue and purple tones, as if it's being vivacious with feelings of melancholy simultaneously.

Centre-fuge Public Art Project with Hissxx's kitty cats & MaQ!

Yay! Hiss Art has made yet another appearance at the well-known trailer that displays graffiti from different artists with the Centre-fuge Public Art Project. We photographed some of his older work as well a few months back on this graffiti blog post. Funny random fact about MaQ: he despises cats! When he was only an itty bitty puppy (a stocky 18-pounder at 10 weeks!) one of our friend's cat's scratched his nose in retaliation of MaQ trespassing onto his 'territory'. Poor bub, ever since then, the two don't mix. They're like oil and vinegar. You should see us with a New York City bodega cat. They really startle us when they're outside of the stores sometimes. Perhaps someone wants to play peek-a-boo and the other doesn't? Ha ha!

I'm with Batman, not Robin. ;) Graffiti by: Ramiro-Davaro Comas

Isn't this Batman & Robin piece so dope? I believe MaQ secretly thinks he's Batman. Eh, who am I kidding, I think everyone secretly WANTS to be Batman. Heck, I wish I was, don't you? :) Batman is my ultimate favorite superhero. Everything about him is just so bad-ass and the toys that he's got? Talk about cool. The artist behind this stunner is Ramiro-Davaro Comas and I can't wait to see what he'll do next! I'd love to see an artist do a mural of X-Men characters. I would be totally geeked up about it!

Look at me! Graffiti by: Billy the Artist

Lastly, I have Billy the Artist's new art up on E. 6th Street. (Between 1st and 2nd Ave.) We also covered a mural of his back in September in this blog post, see for yourself; he's all sorts of awesome! Thanks for stopping by! We hope you had fun looking through our batch of graffiti photos! Until next time... have a spectacular, vibrant day! ♥♥♥

PS Don't forget to check out MaQ's IG Page down below! :)

Love & xx's,

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Portraits of Samia

Last month after sifting through hundreds of photos I come across on Instagram daily, I stumbled upon a face I immediately felt drawn to. Samia is six feet of intense beauty. A sense of extreme curiosity compelled me to message her and see if she'd even be interested in collaborating together.  It's not as common as you may think, (perhaps it's because I'm a tad shy when it comes to reaching out to people for the purpose of photographing someone. Or maybe it's because I took a long hiatus from photography in itself.) But I have never been the type to be as forthright as I was when I contacted her. I was pleasantly surprised when she replied back right away.

My hiatus consisted of writing my first novel as well as working as a figure skating coach, which explains the break. It's can be tough when you're passionate about multiple projects!  I've been wanting to update my portfolio for some time now. I think MaQ was the one who led me back to the camera since I've been pretty keen on only photographing him besides everyday snapshots of my husband and friends. And now with the blog, it's become second nature. I love documenting our journey together and sharing it with you guys!

For me, it's not just about a photo. It's about telling a story; a conversation; a conflict. A photograph is worth a thousand words as they say, and I think what makes photography truly special, is the constant absorption we receive from each photo made. Sure it should be technically sound but the affect it has on it's viewers is what matters most to me. Photos should make you feel something. I love portraits that make me feel like I already know the person but what I love even more is how it can make me want to get to know someone I don't already know. Especially strangers. Not only are you getting to know each other but you're always learning from each other.

I'm a total people-watcher. As a writer, all you interesting folks bring such inspiration when it comes to creating characters. The art of observing is what motivates me to bring them to life. I, however, never click and tell on who and where it's originated from. :)

Scroll down for more photos of Samia! You can catch more of this beauty on her Instagram.

Interested in a photoshoot together? I'm always happy to hear from you!

Message me here or on my personal Instagram account. Happy Monday!

Love & xx's,

maQ + Suz