Happy Holidays!

I know it's a day late, but I've been under the weather:  Merry Christmas everyone!  I hope you all had an amazing day! 

Don't forget to click the 'follow' button on the right (or on the top left) to be entered into the giveaway.  Names will be drawn tomorrow night at 9 PM sharp!  So make sure you're entered before then!

Perception

In my color theory class I was taught that there is a bias in all photography; the photographer. I look at life a certain way and it is reflected in how and what I shoot. But there is another bias in all photography and that is the viewer. No matter what the content of an image or emotion I feel I’ve captured, it’s unlikely we will see the same photo in the same way.

It reminds me of that old fable about the blind men and the elephant. You can read the whole poem here, but the just of it is this: Several blind men gather around an elephant to try and understand what exactly it is. One man feels the elephant’s side and thinks it’s like a wall. Another blind man feels the elephant’s trunk and thinks it’s like a snake. Yet another blind man feels the elephant’s legs and thinks it’s like a tree; And so forth and so on. The moral being that we all experience things differently and can't get the big picture from a little piece.

I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately and on a different level than photography and elephants. A couple months ago I was talking to a coworker of mine who is greatly misunderstood. This woman has been called a number of bad names, been told she is lazy, and laughed at to her face. Yet she takes it all in with a grace I envy. I know it gets to her, she has told me that, and sometimes her frustrations get the better of her. But she keeps her head up and pushes forward. What most of our other coworkers don’t know is that she has been through a lot in her life. I don’t want to get into specifics because of anonymity, but she really does have quite the story. After she opened up to me I felt immediately humbled. My struggles are nothing compared to hers. She has overcome bad circumstances and even now works two full time jobs to support her family and future dreams.

I feel like I was one of those blind men that only knew one piece of the puzzle.

My coworker’s story reawakened something in me that had long been sleeping. I love people. I love their stories and histories and hopes and dreams. When I was younger I longed to hear what people had to say- what advice they had to give and what tales they had to share. I wanted to know their triumphs and where they faltered. I wanted to know how they saw the world.

I guess life got to me a bit. I got wrapped up in my own world. Not that it’s bad to take time for yourself. But when you are too focused on looking inward you lose sight of everyone else around you. And even though I hold a piece of the puzzle, too; I can’t do much with just one piece.

We have to remember that our perception is biased. We can’t hold the trunk of an elephant and make conclusions about what an elephant is. Life just doesn’t work that way. An open mind and understanding can work wonders on even the blindest of men.

Mr. Trimble

I'm a lucky girl.  In April of this year I married the most amazing man I've ever met.  AJ has all the qualities I love but never thought I would find in one single person.  He is patient, compassionate, humble, good hearted, funny, and any other good adjective I can think of.  How did I stumble across such a catch?  I have no idea!  (But I do feel incredibly blessed.)

It was AJ's birthday this past Saturday so it only seems appropriate to show some photos of him.  Luckily, my husband is super patient and a good sport; he lets me snap pictures of him even though he is pretty shy about it.  Here are a few of my favorites:

AJ was my model for one of my photography classes a couple years ago.  Once he picked up his guitar he became much more comfortable in front of the lens.

He is also an amazing artist.  

He thinks it's just doodling, but his drawings are so amazing!



Want to see one of his finished drawings? Click here

Blah-day

Yes, I think I have a case of the Mondays.  What a horribly long day it has been!  The good news is I get to play with some cute little kittens that my parents have adopted.  Long story short, someone dumped four kittens at my parents house and neither my mom nor dad could bring themselves to take them to the shelter.  My parents are some of the coolest people ever.

I know they will cringe when they read this because it means their secret is out but, they now have 8 cats!  To be fair, four of them are techincally mine.  However, they reside at my parents' home, but it's a home full of love so it's a great place for some kitties to grow up.  They are probably the luckiest kittens ever.  And they have the cute-kitten-face down pat!!!  Look at this sweet girl:

Bat-Boo   (This is my mom's favorite of the bunch)

Hope this brightens your day!

Tis the Season

It's December!   Can you believe it?  Me niether!  In honor of the holiday season, I want to do something for you, my readers.  So, if you are a follower of this blog you will be entered into a drawing.  Whoever is selected will win their choice of a free portrait session or a photograph they've seen on the blog.  The winner will be chosen on December  27th.

What are you waiting for?  Click the "follow" button.

Happy Wednesday night! 

Mike & Asheena

Every year my family spends Thanksgiving in Lake Tahoe; it's been a tradition for over 13 years now.  It's my absolute favorite holiday and I look forward to it all year long.  This year we ended up going to Tahoe the week before Thanksgiving and on the drive up I was pretty bummed out because there was no snow.  Four days later I was bummed out because we had to shovel the 3 feet of snow that covered the drive way!  (To be honest, the boys did the vast majority of the shoveling).  It was absolutely beautiful and it snowed pretty much our whole stay. 

While we were there I took some photos of my brother, Mike, and his wife, Asheena.  They wanted a picture for their Christmas cards and this year is a really special year as they are expecting their first child, Madison.  Asheena isn't due until the end of February but we still wanted to show off her baby bump!  I can't wait to shoot some more photos of them in the next couple months, and I really, really, really can't wait to meet my niece; I know she is going to be one beautiful little girl!

Mike, Asheena, and baby Madison

Of course Mike was in flip flops.... I'm not sure he owns any other shoes.

This is my favorite.  A gust of wind blew the snow off the trees and right onto them :)

Thank you to Mike and Asheena for letting me be your photographer.  Love you guys!

Happy Monday everyone!

Bum Glove Love

Dear Bum Gloves,

With you, time seems to stand still and fly by all at once. Here we are at another winter and there is nothing else I’d rather grace my hands than you. I have so many fond memories to call upon whenever I think of you, and I know we will make more this season. People may groan when they see I’ve got you with me, but I ignore their comments and stares; deep down I know they envy us.

I know you’re worried about the newer, trendier, fingerless gloves- with their fancy colors and fabrics. But fear not, my dear Bum Gloves, for you can never be replaced. There are those that want to me to replace you but there will never be a pair of gloves I love more. Even as you age and fray I will wear you with great pride. My love for you will continue to grow this winter, so let’s make it the best one yet. You have warmed my hands and stolen my heart! You are amazing!

Love,

Katie

Carpe Diem

About a year ago I was working on a project for my Color Theory class and drove by an amazing old barn. I thought, “I have to use this somehow.” The next day I went back and had a magic moment; I captured one of my favorite images.

Look familiar?

This was the most beautiful barn ever. It was ragged and the paint was stripping off the sides. I had big hopes for taking people out there and doing some surreal portraits. But when I drove by a week ago my heart sunk. This is what the barn looks like now.

While I might not have gotten around to shooting there a second time; I’m so happy I was able to get the image I did. One of the best and worst things about photography is that you are capturing a brief moment in time. No two images are ever the same. You can try your best to recreate a photograph, but it can never be exactly duplicated. As photographers we have to learn to capture the moment while it’s there.

Henri Cartier-Bresson is widely known for his photographs that seem to capture the moment that we miss when we blink; he called this the “decisive moment”. Here is one of my favorite photographs of Cartier-Bresson:

Every photographer longs to perfect this art, myself included. When I saw that my pretty old barn had been “revamped” for more practical use I realized that I need to take advantage of every situation. I had planned to take more photos in front of the barn, but procrastination got the best of me.

From here on out I will be better about taking advantage of time. I don’t want to have another missed opportunity. And who knows, maybe I will channel Henri and capture a moment in between moments…

There is a new week ahead and I’ve got some diem to carpe!

"I am the way"

One of my favorite things in the world is waking up to the sound of rain.  Even though I have to head off to work in a half hour or so, I can't help but feel warm and fuzzy inside.  Maybe it's the rain, maybe it's the extra hour of sleeping in... either way I feel good!   :)

Yesterday morning, before the sun was even up, I found myself standing in the middle of Fair Oaks Blvd.  I was finishing work on a set of pictures for my brother-from-another-mother, Danny, for a church's youth room where he works.  It was such a beautiful morning to finish up this project, the light was amazing and the fall colors of the trees was gorgeous!  I felt like the world was smiling at me.

Danny, if you're reading this, thanks for taking a chance on me!

Here are a few of my favorites from the series:

Drought

These past two weeks have not been kind to me. I can’t seem to get out of this creative slump. I’m working on some pictures for a friend and I’m just not happy with the results so far.

Today I decided that maybe I just need to force myself out of this rut. I’m hoping that taking my frustrations out on fruit with a steady stream of Marcy Playground will do the trick.

Lately I've been addicted to kiwis.  

I liked it in black and white, too.

It's finally pomegranate season!

Have a good weekend, friends!

It's Official!

My business cards have arrived :)
I finally sat down, finalized my design, made some touch ups, and put in my order.  And now they are here!!!  I feel so official and I can not wait to give them out when people ask about my photography.  Here are what they look like, though a lot smaller of course:

Happy happy day!

World's Largest Corn Maze

There is a mountain of clean laundry that is calling at me to fold it, but I would rather put up my pictures from today.  We got up early, went out to breakfast and drove out to Dixon to once again tackle the world's largest corn maze.  Our first visit to this corn maze was two years ago (it wasn't open last year due to damage from high winds) and we made the mistake of going close to Halloween and in the afternoon.  Today, we got there 20 minutes after it opened in the morning.  We were the 3rd car there and it's a good thing because when we left it was packed.  The first time we did the corn maze we kept getting stuck behind other groups, but this year we only ran into people once, and it was kind of weird.  We saw them coming from another direction and they ended up a good 30 yards behind us.  We were goofing around and started power walking to gain some more distance, but they were professional power walkers because before we knew it, they were tailgating us.  We stepped to the side and they didn't hesitate at all to pass right on by.  We aren't even sure they looked up from their maps.  After we finished the maze we went and picked out a couple of pumpkins.  Perfect pumpkins are hard to find, but we did our best and are pretty happy with our choices.  I haven't decided what to carve into mine just yet, but there will definitely be pictures in the future. 

Here are some of the shots I took today.  Though, I do have to say it is hard to take photos and not get lost in a corn maze.  So there might not be as many pictures as I had wanted there to be but oh well.  I think AJ got tired of having to wait for me :)

The corn was so tall this year!

Creepy caterpillar. 

An ear of corn that had all sorts of problems going on with it.

Look at how crazy this corn maze is.  Can you imagine doing it without a map?  Or at night?

Self timer  :) 

Happy October!!!!



Very Good, Young Grasshoppa

The other night I was sweeping the patio and I was nearly killed by this guy. I grabbed my camera and snapped a few shots. Then he started drooling and turned and looked at me. Pretty sure he was rabid and threatening me, so I might have screamed and ran inside.... AJ thought my near death experience was funny. Me, not so much. At least I got this shot out of it.

Only 2 days til the weekend!  Woohoo!

Feeling bold? Click the 'Follow' button...I dare you. 

Raspberries

These things were so huge I couldn't help it!

And then I ate them all... a whole box of 'em.

Tummy happy

The Mulberry Tree

This is the tree I spent my whole life climbing.

When I was a little girl, people would ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I would swiftly answer, “I wanna be a pet shop!” Yes, a pet shop. Obviously I didn’t want to be the building itself; I wanted to play with animals all day and when you’re 4 being a pet shop seems like the best way to accomplish that. When I was 12 and had to put down on paper where I saw myself in 10 years, I wrote “Riding my horse in the Olympics!” My sights certainly were set. But as I got older and really did “grow up” it was pretty clear that I was headed in neither of those directions. Not to say that it wasn’t possible or that I couldn’t if I still wanted to, but life isn’t a singular road stretching into the horizon.

When I was 5, my world was black and white; I thought of things in absolutes. I will always love my blankie. I will never do drugs. But as the years went by the gray areas grew. Five-year-old-me, who swore she would never touch a cigarette, turned 9 and when curiosity met opportunity took a drag from a lit menthol and immediately regretted it. When I was 13 I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my life; I wanted to live on a big piece of open land and run my horse ranch. But gradually that dream faded into another which faded into another.

Last night I was thinking about how people have changed over time; how I’ve changed. I began to wonder what four-year-old-me would think if she were here now. What if she was sitting right next to me examining where her life was going? Would she be surprised that I’m still messy? Would she be happy that I love animals more than ever? Would she be sad that I wasn’t a pet shop or an Olympian? Am I the person she wanted to be? Or have I let her down.

There have been times in my life that I wish I had had four-year-old-me by my side. I feel like she would have kept me from making so many mistakes. And I think she would have told me to be more forgiving of myself for the ones I did make. She could have kept my paths a little more straight and reminded me of my core values- ones that she first adopted all those years ago. Although four-year-old-me isn’t literally by my side I think tonight, I have found her playing hide-and-seek inside my heart. She sits there having a tea party with Timon and Pumba and gently reminds me to not take life too seriously.

This may not have been the life I originally planned for myself, but it certainly is a beautiful one. Am I the person that I want to be? Yes and no. No because I want to better myself- I always want to be bettering myself. And yes for the exact same reason.

Ask yourself the same thing; are you the person you wanted yourself to be?

Lazy Sunday

Ever feel like this guy?

Addicted To the Shin Dig

I know this is my photography blog, and there are pictures I promise, but photography is not my only passion. I am absolutely obsessed with music. I call it my passion, even though I can't really create it...at least not well. ( Maybe that's why I married someone who is musically inclined.) Anyways, my love for music has been an interesting journey. I don't really remember much before I was 10 years old, and at that age all I knew of music was Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys and whoever else was featured on the first Totally Hits CD to be released. And I grew up listening to country but I don't remember there being anything else on the radio other than my favorite pop or country songs. One day I was going with my parents somewhere and brought my headphones along so I wouldn't have to listen to Bob Brinker, or whoever it was my dad listened to. We had a fancy new suburban that had the CD player in back, but although I had my headphones, I forgot to bring any of my Cd's. However, my brother had left his CD in the player and since it was better than talk radio, I listened. From that day I was profoundly changed. Never had any song moved me so deeply. It was like a great awakening; my ears had never heard such beautiful music. I listened over and over again- I think I had heard bits and pieces of these songs on the radio before but this time it was different. The rest of the world was blocked out; there was only me and that soulful voice filled with so much emotion. From that day on my world was changed. Sure it sounds dramatic, but it really does hold truth.

The songs that had such an effect? Otherside and Scar Tissue. The Red Hot Chili Peppers were addictive and Californication became a gateway drug into the world of rock and roll. This music was so different- it had depth, it had passion and emotion and was more than 5 guys doing choreographed routines. This music was something real.

My brother ended up letting me have that CD and I literally played it so many times that it would not play anymore. To this day the RHCP are my favorite band. Their music unlocked a whole new world to me. And in that world I found a lot of loves. But one guy stuck out in particular. I actually can't remember when or where I first heard Rocky Votolato- but I know his music is magical.

There are few songs that have ever moved me to tears. I actually can't even think of one at the moment other than Rocky Votolato's "Instrument". And putting that out there is a big step for me. One thing about me is that I'm selfish with music. When I connect with songs on a deep, personal level I don't ever want to share those with anyone. I guess I don't trust other people to understand how they make me feel or maybe I'm afraid it will make them feel the same thing I do... But today I am sharing. Why? I don't really have a good answer. I suppose for once I do want other's to get the same feeling from a song. I had the amazing opportunity to hear this live when Rocky Votolato played a small show at my parent's house. It was one of the best nights of my life. I don't personally have a video of the song, but here it is taken at a show he played. And since this is still a photography blog, further below are some pictures. Some by me and some not by me. So enjoy the photos and enjoy the song.  And if there have been any songs that moved you, please share!   Enjoy my friends!

AJ bought me a book put together by the Chili Pep's photographer, Tony Wolliscroft.  He has the best job ever!

RHCP

Some of my RHCP collection.

 Now that's what I call love.  I got this tattoo when I was 18? 19? 

 This was when RoVo played at my parent's house.  It was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!  Rocky and his wife, April, are the nicest people you'll ever meet.  April even sent me a homemade postcard thanking us for hosting the show!

This was taken by Brian Patrick in studio. Wish I could've been there!

Find out more about Rocky Votolato here.

And here is a bonus video. 

The Olde Homestead

Today was a really good Monday for me.  Work went well.  I had a great dinner with mi familia.  I successfully spoke broken Spanish to a stranger.  And now I'm on here!!!  This past weekend I went over to my parents' place to wash my truck and borrow a few things.  I brought my camera along because it's always fun taking pictures there.  I either find something I never thought to photograph before or I take pictures of the back yard.  They have spent years making their backyard beautiful.  There are flowers everywhere, a secret hideaway, a garden, and a potting shed my dad built for my mom.  It really is amazingly gorgeous!  Here are some pictures I took out at their place.

This is actually inside.  There was amazing light coming through the window so of course I had to put something in it's beam!

My mom spotted this nest awhile back and noticed there were two tiny eggs inside.  A few weeks later these baby humming birds were just about bursting out of the nest.

Just some pretty flowers.

Some little ant sculpture out in the secret hideaway.

I was taking a picture of the big gray cat, Ali, when Moose decided to come out from the potting shed.  My dad used our old mailbox as a little cat door :)

That's it for now.  Hope everyone has a good week!!!