The Year of the Critter

This year hasn't been much of a photo year for me. I'm alright with that. I've been keeping busy with work, my bicycles, and little furry cute things.

My zoo has been growing for years. Three years ago I adopted Ampersand the bunny from the Humane Society of Western PA. Last year I acquired a turtle that was in unpleasant condition. Got her all fixed up and now she's healthy and of proper turtle temperament; grumpy. This year my boyfriend rescued a ferret that was dumped from a car onto a busy street. She's doing well, now, too. We named her Noodle.

Tonight, during the rompus-times, I snapped a few shots of Noodle.

Here is her pretty little face.

Here she is with her favorite toy, a plastic bag.

And here she is with her most expensive toy, a carpeted tube-thing. She likes it, but not nearly as much as the plastic bag.

The rest of the photos are here on flickr. Tonight, while I was editing these, I found a ton of photos from the summer before last of the turtle and my first three madagascar hissing cockroaches. Not sure why I edited them and then didn't put them online. I'll post those sometime soon.

Yep. Ciao!

past my bedtime

Went for a ride along the Allegheny with the camera the other night. I'd probably do that more often if my tripod didn't weigh as much as me. Brainstorming some sort of camera equiptment portaging system for Little Red.

Here's little red:

There's a few things I really dig about this shot. It's about a twenty (or thirty? a pro would take note, I suppose) second exposure. The aquamarine line that's parallel to the bridge is a party boat pulling up the shore. Another reason I pat myself on the back; I ran into the shot during the last few seconds to turn on the tail light. Otherwise, it would have been too bright. It's a mighty bright light, so's I don't get hit by cars.

I took this one earlier in the evening. I used to shoot other people's graffiti all the time, whenever I saw it. Then I started feeling like a cheat, like I was taking credit for their work. Like when somebody takes a photo of a statue. Ever since the graffiti brigade started seriously cracking down on public art, and members of the community started dying off (figuratively AND literally), this genre of photography started to seem more like documentary than just thievery.

This isn't one of my favorites, but I think it has potential. This spot under the convention center is just so damn cool, but when it's empty it's a lot like shooting a statue. I'd love to go back there with a gaggle of cyclists, headlight's ablaze, and take a more engaging long exposure. Time will tell if I can get my ass in gear to do such a thing.

Please, oh pretty please pass your peepers over the rest of the set on flickr.

What's going on, in fifty words or less

This is it

Photo assignment for the City Paper, product photography for Falkora Jewelry, food photography for Brillobox.

The rest of those sets, and plenty of other new stuff on flickr HERE.

Plenty more soon, I swear.

Justice and Jello Shots

A few days ago I decided to strap all my expensive gear to my body and take my camera to an ultra-dive. It was a messy risk, but I'm glad i took it. Belvederes was hosting a benefit for our friends Quentin and Uriah. These gentlemen are facing 5-20 years in prison for a crime they did not commit. They're presently seeking justice, which is costly, and the community has been doing what they can to help.

When I heard the list of bands planned to perform that night, and found out about the man auction, I knew a camera was necessary.



Just because I had my camera doesn't mean I didn't drink; it was for a cause! If one is to view the flickr photos in order, perhaps you can see the effect that PBR and orange jell-o shots has on my ability to frame and focus a shot. The first person to correctly guess how many I had gets a free print of their choice!



Despite the beers, I think I got some great shots. Here's a couple that are family friendly. For the rest, and I do think you should check out the rest, please go to my flickr page.

How things grow, how they get grown over.

I've been working so much, and very little has anything to do with what I think is important to me. So I don't have much to show for my work besides being healthy, well fed, and luxuriously sheltered. I took a vacation that is a crucial escape for me, which I was unable to do last year during my lapse of opulent not-caring. I spent a beautiful week at the familiar Lewis Lake in the Pocono mountain region of Pennsylvania. It relaxes me; gives me a chance to wander the woods with my camera, float on the water, and catch up on my reading. I won't bore you with the details so first here are some pictures from years past at the cabin, and similar photos I shot this year.

Here is a crayfish in 2005.


And here it is in 2010.




Here is a dog house in 2005.

And here it is in 2010.



And here, a rotting birch in 2008.

And again in 2010, only two years later.



I like how things change and grow there, but never feel any different. It's such a place of peace and escape for me, even though it's really not disconnected from anything. I'm able to completely put aside any useless worries and put into perspective what matters and what is good. Also, I can clearly see how my perspective has changed and how my priorities in editing have progressed from the subject to the light and texture.

I'm not the only one to change, either. The company I keep, the people I choose to share this time with, they change too. Even if the same people join me at the cabin, I can see how they grow when I place them in an environment like this that never feels different. I really like this aspect of the cabin trips.

Here is Tammy, in 2008.

And here is Elliot, in 2010.




I understand that nobody enjoys vacation photos more than the person that shot them, but here are the links to 2005 and 2008; the only two years I still have surviving on my computer. Please, if you would, compare them with the way I saw 2010. Or rather, the way I saw these years when I saw myself fit to hold my camera safely.

I'm looking in to making prints soon. That's the kind of thing photographers do, I reckon. I hope to make some of the long exposures from this year into big prints. Maybe make 45 seconds into forever. We'll see.



Cheers.

Ladies and Gentlemen

I am pleased to announce yet another new photoset on flickr. My friend convinced me to bring along my camera to the drag show that we frequent, and I've spent today editing these glittering gems. The theme was Revenge of the 90's. The crowd was lively. The queens were fierce. It was crowded just about to maximum capacity at the Blue Moon that evening, so I wasn't able to move around for any perfect angles, but we got a seat right by the stage. Here are a few of my very favorites, but be sure to check out the whole set! You will not be dissapointed.

Welcome to the Family

The little magpie has been up to stuff, that's for sure. A lot of projects are slowly coming to fruition, and most of them involve photography. But first, a list of things that get in the way of my shooting (oh excuses, excuses);

-training for a two-day, 150 mile bike ride for the MS Society
-gardening
-work
-commissioned to paint a great big wall at a local music venue
-reading E.O. Wilson's collective works
-sleep

Now that I've got that off my chest, here's what I have been doing with my darling Nikon. Had another quick shoot with Jason Angst. This time it was a quick round of impromptu environmental photography. Most of it looks a little something like this.

I was taken on a day trip to Kittaning, which is a beautiful part of PA that's mostly forests and farms. There wasn't much time for shooting but I did catch a few of the sunset and a handful of photos of other people shooting. Guns.




I've got to say that I prefer the gentle click of my shutter to the ear-shattering thunder of a hunting rifle. The image at the beginning of this post was shot from the passenger seat of a speeding ford f150. The photographer was seated on the edge of the window, angling her lens around the radio antenna, the wind whipping her cheeks open like fleshy sails. So it might not be the best composed photo, or the crispest image, but it was fun take!

Now on to my favorite announcement; the SB600 has finally arrived! I have much to learn, but while I do, here is a precious moment captured with the new flash on it's maiden voyage for you to gaze in delight at. Now just keep gazing for the next few weeks while I get the hang of the new flash.