Tag: photography

Classroom :: English

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[vimeo https://vimeo.com/72216778 w=640&h=360]

gnarly Bay

For the most part I always enjoyed English class.  There’s always that one book that you can’t stand and then there are the books that stick with you for life.  For me it was One Hundred Years of Solitude, Around the Bloc: My Life in Moscow, Beijing and Havana, and The Great Gatsby that remain with me. I’ve read hundreds of books since finishing school but these are the ones that stand out to me since being made to read and discuss books in the classroom.

One of the many reasons I love these books, all books for that matter, is because they transport me to another place and time.  This video is that perfect blend of transporting the viewer to a new place and poetry.

As far as the eye can see…

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I’m kind of on a travel roll right now- I mean come on, it’s summer!  This is the time when a lot of us take off and enjoy the warmer weather etc. etc.  so I’m wrapping up the summer with…

august-landscapes

I don’t think you actually have to go too far from home to admire landscapes, but they are something that I definitely notice when I’m the road.  Landscapes say so much about the place and the culture and therefore are difficult to ignore.  Not to mention they are pretty darn gorgeous a lot of the time.  So before we get back to seriousness of life and the weather starts to cool off, here is one more month of “exploring”.

Culture :: Life Drawings

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How do you make a scene in the round interesting to the viewer’s eye when they can only have one point of view at time?  I think this film has found the answer.

Wriggles and Robins

Not only does this video take something that can be fairly still and turn it into fluid motion, but it takes nudity (which we usually view as taboo) and turn it into something beautiful and natural.

Handmade :: Sourdough

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I love making bread.  I originally started because I thought was “fun” after reading Little House on the Prairie and American Girl’s Kirsten books.  Yes, I was one of those people who wanted to try out the “pioneer ways of life”.  I’ve come a long way since then.  Now I love trying out new combinations of grains, seeds and herbs – and the texture and density has improved significantly from when I first started.  I’m not saying that my bread is by any means anything like this

Image from TARTINE Bakery, SAN FRANCISCO

but it holds its own and actually tastes good.

The bread I aspire create to is pictured above and made by the good people of the Tartine Bakery in San Francisco.  The point of all this prattle about bread is that 4SP Films made a short documentary about the bakery and I would like to share it with you (click on the the sliced bread below to watch the film)

Image from Tartine Bakery, San Francisco

Why share a film about a bakery with you? Well there are several reasons

  1. The graphics in this film inspired the graphics that I created in “Out of Print,” so obviously I like the use of graphics.
  2. I like the use of light and the camera work.
  3. Although bread could seem like a dry subject, it’s actually brought to life as its own character in this film- almost like the live sourdough starter that creates this famous bread.

So now that I’ve made you hungry for artisan bread, go find a loaf you love and enjoy!

April Showers Bring May Flowers…

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… Or so the nursery rhyme says.  This year, the rhyme seems a little obsolete as everything seems to have bloomed extremely early.  None the less,  for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, May is that glorious month when Spring has most definitely arrived and Summer is suggesting its arrival.  It is also the time of year when we really begin to notice the new life popping up around us- flowers, animal babies are out and about etc.

Following this idea of renewal and creation, I’m celebrating the month with the theme

Made-by-Hand

So much of what we buy, wear, consume, is made by machines, but there is nothing like those items made carefully and lovingly by human hands.  Admittedly, not everything that we create without the assistance of machines looks or functions as well as we would like, but I think there is something special about handmade items.

So here’s to those creators and their craft, documented carefully by the lens of a camera.

Runnoff :: Foz de Iguacu

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Foz-de-Iguacu

Foz de Iguacu, Argentina

These falls straddle the boarder between Brazil and Argentina and attract thousands of visitors each year.  The mist makes every thing hazy and of course soaks anyone standing  on the observations decks scattered around the park.  I took this picture from the Argentine side and I looked like I had gone for a swim in the falls by the time I made it back to the park entrance.  I would definitely advise wearing a swimsuit when you visit and keep a spare set of clothes in a waterproof bag.

Having said that, these falls should be on everyone’s list of places to visit.  They are beautiful and a cool reprieve from the hot and humid South American temperatures.

Spring Colors

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I know that I’m drifting pretty far from my theme of “Runoff” with this post (pardon the pun), but I want to acknowledge the change in season that we are experiencing here in the PNW.  This last weekend was absolutely gorgeous- bright sunshine and warmish temperatures that remind us that winter won’t last forever.  Phew!

Spring is finally poking its head through the clouds and the chill in the air is slowly thawing.  With this comes all of the spring flowers:

Tulips

I love tulips- can you tell?  I love their colors, the various textures  and heights that they bring to spring gardens.  Admittedly they tend to wilt after a few days in a kitchen vase, but I love the few days where they stand up straight and brighten a dreary room still lit by cloud filtered light.

One of my favorite places to find these cut flowers is Pike Place Market.  This time of year the flower stalls are flooded with tulips in every color imaginable and is where I took this picture.  It probably seems very girly to take pictures of flowers in a market when there are so many other things to take pictures of but 1) I am a girl and 2) there is so much there than girly petals.  There are multiple aspects to consider including light, angle, framing etc. etc. etc.  The usual aspects all photographers must consider.  What I love most though is the abundance of color found in one place.  As partial as I can be to black and white or sepia prints, there is nothing like a shot bursting with color.

Now… back to the theme of “Runoff”.  Tune in on Tuesday…

Melting into spring

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If you live in the Pacific Northwest you’re used to your fresh water supply trickling down from the mountains every spring and summer.  Now that it’s April the mountains are slowly beginning to defrost and the waterways are filling with

Spring-meltdown

Thanks to a plenty of snow this winter we should be set for until next year.

I’ve mentioned before that I love water sports and now that spring is here I’m going from snowflake to the ocean by talking about my favorite outdoor activities concerning water – some of them happily supplied by spring runoff.