Madison: 1 Year

Happy (belated) birthday to my niece, Madison!   She turned 1 year old in February and we tried to get some photos of her.  But what I've learned about babies is that when they hit the one year mark they get a little sassy and after 12 months of being adorable in front of camera they decide they've had enough.  I managed to get a couple out of Madi but she was not feelin it that day!  Oh well, she's still pretty stinkin cute.

This pretty much sums up how the day went:

And my personal favorite:

Happy 1 year Madi J!!!

6 months later...

The last time I posted on here was 6 months ago when my niece was still a newborn.  Now she is 6 months old;  I can't believe how quickly time has passed!  In honor of her half birthday we did another set of pictures.   She is super photogenic and has the best expressions.  Happy half birthday my little Madi J, you are too cute for words!!!

Click here for the slideshow

Madison Jean

My beautiful niece, Madison, was born on February 15th. She is the most beautiful thing in the world and seeing her fills my heart with so much love. Congrats Mike and Asheena, she is amazing!
 

Click HERE to view the slideshow.

Oh Baby!

I know I've been MIA for a couple weeks now, but I'm back with a vengeance!

On Sunday I shot some maternity pictures with my brother, sister-in-law, and their near-due baby girl.  I haven't had time to finish editing all of the photos, but I just couldn't help myself with a few of them.  Besides, editing is a great distraction from studying.... 

There are more to come, but here are a couple of my favorite shots from the day

LOVE this one!

I can not wait to meet this special little girl!

Happy Monday!

Camera Obscura

Most people have never heard of "camera obscura".  Those that have know how sweet the phenomenon is! 

Camera is Latin for 'room'; obscura is Latin for 'dark'.  Put those together and you get a dark room, right?  Right!  But where it gets interesting is when you use a lens to let light from the outside world filter into the dark room, projecting a picture on the opposite wall.  It works in much the same way our eyes do. 

It might sound kind of lame, but seeing it in person is incredible.  And when we talk about Camera Obscura you can't leave out the master, Abelardo Morell.  I had the pleasure of hearing him speak a couple years ago at Sac State and was in absolute awe of his work.  You can see all of his work here, but this is just one example of his photos:

Beautiful right?

What Abe does is find a landscape or cityscape that he wants to capture then finds a room with a view of the desired landscape.  He blacks out the windows, attaches a lens and a mirror to a small hole carved into the black-out sheets, and lets the image appear.  Even though the room is very, very dark, he captures a lot of color and clarity using a tripod and exposure times of 2 or more hours.  Sweet!!!

Naturally, I had to try this myself.  I blacked out my windows and attached a lens to a hole in the black-out sheets.  I didn't use a mirror to flip the image so it is upside down.  Also, my walls at the time were painted black so for the image to appear I had to hang a white sheet on the opposite wall.  Here are some pictures:

Light coming through the lens- you can see the grass and the sky.

I flipped the image in my computer so it's a little more clear.

Okay, so it's not quite as spectacular as Abe's photos, but it was still really cool to do.  I made all of my family members check it out, too.  My mom even went out and ran around the yard so I could watch it on my wall.  It's like a movie!!!  

If you ever feel so inclined, it's worth the set up!

That's it for today, hope you enjoyed the camera obscura!  Have a happy Wednesday!

PS:  The next two months are going to be extremely busy for me.  I will try and keep posting once a week, but it might not happen.  Just a heads up!

PPS:  I totally forgot to announce the winner of the giveaway!  Shayla Murchie has won herself either a portrait session or a print of a photo that's been posted on the blog.  I will keep you updated as to what she chooses.  Thanks to everyone who became a follower, I appreciate all your support!



1/1/11

It’s the first day of 2011 and I am thoroughly excited! This past year has held so many ups and downs it’s hard to count them all. But looking back at the big picture, it was a pretty amazing year; I married my best friend, got a new job, met a lot of great people, and found myself walking in a new direction.

As good as 2010 was, I feel like things are only going to get better in this new year. There is something deep inside me that is awakening- it’s a sense that amazing things are on my horizon. I feel upbeat, happy, and full of life! This year is my year! Big things are going to happen!

Honestly, I’m just sooooooo excited that the new year is here. I can’t wait to meet my little niece, Madison, in February. I can’t wait til AJ and I to hit the one year mark. I can’t wait for the 49ers to make it to the playoffs! Ok ok, I won’t get ahead of myself now…

Here is to a happy, memorable, love filled new year!

Happy New Years Everyone!

 

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!!!!