bec's photography

Ocean Portraits

2012-01-16T22:57:00.001-07:00

I love photographing water and because of its ethereal and intangible nature. It is also because of this nature that water is difficult for me to photograph. When you leave the shutter of your lens open and just let the movement of the water be recorded in a single image the visual effect is breathtaking... when done correctly.

Therefore, needless to say I desperately wanted to photograph the ocean when I was in Hawaii early this January. This is the closest I've come yet to capturing the the vision I have of water. These photographs are definitely inspired and influenced by Svjetlana Tepavcevic whose work I recently came across (definitely check out her waves!!!).

Tulip Dance

2011-10-20T23:27:00.000-06:00

I really love tulips, a lot. I think they are so beautiful and charming....

...especially, when they're wilting. They remain so graceful to the very end. It's almost like a ballet...so gorgeous.

Sometimes I wish I were a graphic designer...

2011-09-12T16:28:00.001-06:00

I almost changed my major from photography to graphic design because of my gd class my sophomore year. I loved it. I loved creating. I could not draw. My professor seemed to think that was an important skill to have for success in the industry. I was able to do well on all my projects despite my weakness but decided to stick with photography in the end.

I still love graphic design and do small and simple projects either as gifts for others or just for fun for myself. I designed the banner to my blog. It's actually a quote by Emerson.

I'm sure anyone who is a graphic designer or ever studied would be able to tear to shreds my mini projects (and please feel free...I miss honest and constructive feedback a degree in the arts offers), but nevertheless, I will share them anyway.

Nicole and Sam Wedding

2011-08-06T13:04:00.005-06:00

Reception

They are so in love! It was an awesome wedding day and so fun to shoot!

Carpenter Wedding Taste

2011-07-28T07:27:00.001-06:00

A Beautiful San Francisco Trip

2011-04-29T16:01:00.002-06:00

My beautiful Rockies I got to se en route to CA

A day surrounded by Redwoods and waterfalls was a most beautiful dream!

A hall at Stanford. Beautiful campus.

A mural on the outside of the Oakland Temple. I thought the faces were beautiful.

Rhubarb Pie!

2011-02-21T12:58:00.000-07:00

Rhubarb pie has always been my favorite and I don't have many favorites. It has become hard to find since the more popular version is strawberry rhubarb (which to me is an adulteration) so I haven't had a slice for a long while now. I was at the store with my roommate when she asked what this strange red celery looking thing was in the produce. IT WAS RHUBARB! I got giddy and decided to try to make my own rhubarb pie...

It's so tasty....it's going to be a great week with this friend around!

I got the recipe here, and I like the pie crust recipe from here.

Alice

2011-02-11T19:16:00.001-07:00

"Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?"
"That depends a good deal on where you want to go," said the Cat.

Aerial Rainbow

2011-02-10T02:08:00.000-07:00

This was an alluring phenomenon to see...

Wichita Wildlife Refuge

2010-06-03T02:00:00.002-06:00

I went camping in OK just 3 or so hours north of Dallas with some good friends.

I've blogged about Brett Weston before....I sure like him.

I loved every minute!

Finnegan

2010-06-02T13:05:00.000-06:00

I'm in love...

Meet my nephew...Finnegan Locke. What a handsome boy!

I wanted to give something to this baby...something that would help him feel comfy and warm in this world. I thought about making him a blanket and then I remembered my sewing skills and that option was out. So I made a pillow!

It was a fun project. It's not as cute as he is but it's one more soft and cozy thing he can enjoy!

Dallas Arboretum

2010-04-19T21:04:00.002-06:00

I feel better when...

2010-02-23T00:42:00.004-07:00

This was what I had for lunch today:

If you're wondering if that cheese says Tillamook I will tell you that it does. I couldn't resist it....I was in heaven this afternoon....life couldn't have been better. And in that cup you see there is a delicious banana smoothy. A most blissful concoction inspired by Brasil. 1+1= a very happy me!

(i love cheese)

Bye Bamboo

2010-02-20T02:07:00.006-07:00

My bamboo died. I didn't think it was so sad till I realized I've left it out...dead, black, and dried up. I can't throw it away....that's when I realized that I am sad my bamboo is dead. I've had this bamboo for YEARS (at least 8). Bamboo, in my opinion, is the coolest plant. I love all things green. I will always have a plant if not plants in my home, but bamboo combines so elegantly aesthetics with plant-ness. It's a living art and it's so pretty. Throw in a cool pot and you've got the greatest thing in your very possession.

This plant traveled with me from CO to ID for school and then back to CO where my parents loving cared for it while I was in Brazil. Then it came with me to UT and we lived happily for 3 years before it joined me on my long haul to TX. Now, my bamboo did not like to travel.....and there were probably a couple of times that I was a bit neglectful, but it always pulled through. (well......except for that one time that I had to do a photo project from all scanned objects up in ID and I thought it would be a good idea to scan my bamboo....I don't know. I lost one then and the trio became a duo, but these 2 were fighters.) Every time I noticed my neglect or they underwent a move all I had to do was give them a little therapy (extra love and classical music if you'd like a tip) and they would perk right back up. Now that's something.

We both were adjusting fine to TX when I left it for a month. I had to leave rather suddenly and in the rush I forgot to arrange for it to be taken care of. When I got back I had never seen it look so bad! It was bad. I did some major therapy...and was hopeful. I was expectant more than anything...it had never done anything but perk back up. But then instead of turning greener it turned black. No amount of classical music can turn that around....oh, my bamboo.......

Winter

2010-02-12T18:09:00.005-07:00

I feel pleased as a plum about what has happened in TX the past 2 days....

The county was on a "severe weather alert" all day....made me smile. (To their credit it was a record snowfall.)

gain, get, grasp...master

2009-12-03T21:28:00.002-07:00

Bluestocking: a woman with considerable scholarly, literary, or intellectual ability or interest.

Interest?....check.

I'm working on ability part.

I got excited when these were the books I got to check out for my history paper....such delicious looking books aren't they? Yes, luckily I think the content is delicious as well....but just look them! Oh, I love graduate school.

BOO TO YOU!

2009-10-02T09:31:00.004-06:00

One of the reasons I love the Fall so much is because of Halloween! Yesterday was the first day of October and as thus it was the first day I could put up my decorations. Do you find my pumpkin menacing?

Happy Autumn

2009-09-24T09:39:00.003-06:00

"Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns." ~George Eliot

I bought myself a bouquet of pumpkins to remind myself that it's Fall. Who knew you could even buy bouquets of pumpkins! I was thrilled to my core...I love this time of year.

Polaroid Lifts

2009-09-04T14:30:00.003-06:00

For those of you not aware what a Polaroid lift is: There are various kinds of Polaroid, not only the kind that were popular back in the 80's that you shake until the image shows up. Though the idea is the same, the image is instantaneous. You can actually go through a process where you boil the picture and then lift the emulsion off and you can put it anywhere. I composed these series out of my lifts. It's like peeling off dried rubber cement and trying to keep it intact....it was a blast. One of my favorite projects. The originals are hanging in my home (I scanned them into the computer so I could share the with you). That is the special thing about Polaroids, they are 100% non-duplicable. Each image is an original. I would love to create tender nostalgic art pieces like these for people of the things that remind them of their loved ones.

Storms Never Last

2009-09-04T00:22:00.007-06:00

When I was a child I was frustrated every time a storm ended. Perhaps because in CO there are an estimated 300 days of sun (the most in the US, by the way) meaning that whatever bad weather was happening that day was almost guaranteed to also end that day.

I would revel in the storms, especially rain with lightening and thunder. They were exhilarating to me. The colors they created were inspiring and refreshing. And the excitement that came with knowing something bigger than me was happening would envelope my whole self. I loved it. And it was always annoyingly short-lived.

Now, at the risk of being too personal without getting too personal I recently went through my own personal storm. This storm did not have the same affect on me as the thunderstorms of childhood. It actually created a lot of fear in my life and was not until much turmoil, extensive pondering, and needed action that it brought about its own kind of exhilaration and awe inspiring affect. I'll share what I learned from it in a minute, but the storm did pass. Though it was annoyingly long-lived.

I recently moved to TX and quickly learned that thunderstorms here are not like ones I'm used to. I have never seen such lightening. I have never heard such cracking. It leaves one longing for the echoed gift of thunder that is only offered to those miles from where the strike itself is fiercely whipped. Honestly, it's a little scary. Luckily the sky-wrenching crack occurs between bouts of thunder and the storms themselves are short-lived. Minutes sometimes even. The rain tonight came down in pelts and the interspersed flashes could be seen incessantly from inside blinded windows. But as soon as I thought I had finally reached a point of comfort with the storm so much as to not notice it anymore I realized the comfort was because it ended. I had a friend want get up and leave where we were to go and play in the storm. I laughed, I thought that was charmingly frivolous. And I remembered how I felt during my childhood storms. Of course, adult responsibility trumped or perhaps fear of social norms and this friend of mine did not leave to go play in the storm. It passed before we even had to leave the building only to resume a few hours later.

I was home alone when I suddenly heard the water dripping so loud I thought we had a pipe burst in our house. It was the rain come back full force. I think the combination of earlier being reminded of my childhood love for storms as well as the romanticized laissez-faire attitude portrayed in the movie I was watching is what caused me to want to explore this storm. I realized that part of my fear was my lack of experience, my fear of the unknown. I wanted to face it. (At first I wanted to photograph it. Then I remembered the pelting rain and so gingerly returned my unprotected electronic piece of equipment to the apartment.) I wanted to step outside and watch the lightening. Then I saw that my porch was no cover for the sweeping shower. I stepped out into it to see if I could see any of the lightening. I loved the heavy drops falling all around me. Two drops would have been enough to make me feel wet due to their expansive splats. It took seconds for me to get duly sopped. I was having fun. There were a few flashes that illuminated the whole sky defining what seemed to be one mammoth cloud as voluminous layers. Though, before I could become soused I saw that strike of lightening with the immediate crack from its whip and it sent me bounding back indoors. Yet, keeping in Texan tradition the storm shortly passed.

Storms never last.

One of my favorite quotes happens to be a scripture in the Bible, "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. . ." (2Tim4:6)

It is for that reason I will face the unknown, embrace change, and continue moving whether the storm is enchanting or terrifying, short-lived or long-lived. After all, storms never last.

The following is a photograph I took that is completely unrelated to this post. It is of my favorite trees.....aspens.

Rothkoesque

2009-08-22T13:56:00.008-06:00

Squaw Peak

2009-06-22T01:18:00.010-06:00

We had a lovely hike up to Squaw Peak. We left at 6am and it was stormy moody weather...such a dream.

The Crew

Some thoughts about some Art

2009-06-12T10:07:00.003-06:00

I often feel like art is misunderstood and it makes me a little sad. My art history classes were some of my favorites. It was so enlightening to learn what happened behind the scenes of great artists and art pieces. Knowing the history and the evolution of ideas considerably helped me to appreciate even the commonly (or perhaps especially) misunderstood pieces of art; for example, the ones that look like your 6 year old brother could've done that (admit it, you've thought it). I'm just going to highlight some of my favorite little tid bits that have encouraged and aided my understanding/appreciation/love of art all the more.

1. Realism: obviously a movement all about depicting what was real. Artists were done being dictated by the high and mighty and started to show all the itty gritty details of real life for the majority of people. They were the demonstrators of the labor-intensive, sorrow-ridden, religiously-devoted lives of the average person. Below is an example by Gustave Courbet titled Burial at Ornans (1850).

2. Impressionism was a movement in contrast with Realism. Claude Monet is perhaps one of the most commonly known impressionists. You might know him best for his paintings of gardens such as :

His Cathedral Series is also worth note:

Here's why it's worth note.

(I don't know how many of these he did but I don't think I'd be wrong to assume that there are more than these) I find these images fascinating not only because to me they are beautiful but also because for Monet it was a scientific study. Interesting. Never before when I had looked at and appreciated Impressionism did I ever think it was scientific or concerned in the slightest with reality. It seemed to be about, well, impressions - feelings and thoughts - more so than reality. However, it is my understanding that Monet when he looked at the Rouen Cathedral he didn't see the Cathedral but rather saw light, shadow, and colors all of which were constantly changing. Impressionism was just as concerned about reality as Realism, only its primary emphasis or concern was with visual reality - the fact that shadows are not black but rather purple and blue and green. Impressionism was not concerned with the object but with what was happening to the object such as the way it receives/responds to light. This is what Monet did. He studied the Rouen Cathedral until it wasn't about the Cathedral anymore....the object disappeared and light and color were revealed.

3. Cubism ensued Impressionism and adopted with it a similar take to this idea of breaking down an object until it is not about the object. Cubism is also actually very scientific. Georges Braque's The Portuguese (1911) is a wonderful example of this. (You thought I was going to mention Picasso here didn't you...)

This is an image of a Portuguese guitar player. Cubism is all about flatness. However, this flatness is combined with perspective. As you move around a 3-d object your perspective of it changes. Cubists merely put all these perspectives together on one flat plane. This piece of Braque's is an interpretation of his theory of reality....Isn't this how we perceive experiences, ideas, objects, and others...all of our perspectives superimposed to comprise our reality? Just a thought.

4. Have you seen Duchamp's Fountain (1917)?

Yup. Marcel Duchamp was actually scoffing at the god-like perspective artists were having about art.....mostly that anything an artist says is art is therefore art. He entered this piece into a show under the name of R. Mutt (basically a nobody) to surface the much needed discussion that is unresolved today of who gets to say what is art. I just think it's great that he knew it was ridiculous and was essentially calling them all yahoos. Regardless, it has become a huge art icon and I think with reason.

5. Artists started to use the new ways in cubism of portraying reality to convey their ideas and agendas. For example, Ernst Barlach's sculpture titled War Monument (1927).

With this - a lingering deadman somewhere between life and death - he is making a statement about the unresolved state of things that existed after the war.

6. Then Surrealism. A creation of the subconscious, a disconnection from reality. Salvador Dali is a good example. The Persistence of Memory (1931). Honestly not my favorite movement and I don't know if it merits to be among my tid bits but it did play a role in modernism and post-modernism which are movements I find endlessly interesting....hence why it's among my tid bits.

On to Modernism. It shouldn't be hard from here to see where we get works like Warhol and Pollock. Kazimir Malevich's Suprematist Composition: Airplane Flying (1914) shows how all the previous ideas have been built upon each other: the flat perspective combined with the conveying of a message combined with the subconscious...

I can't remember what it was about Marxism and Communism that he is trying to say here but you are looking at an airplane from 6 different views. All are the same rectangle. This was a religious piece for him, again I can't remember why, but it was very utopian because it deals with pure color and pure shape. It is easy from here to see how the following developed.

This was done by Piet Mondrian (1930) and is called Composition in Red, Blue, and Yellow. For him true beauty was in perfect form and primary colors. This was a piece of purity.

The main values were simply shape, composition, and color. This became narrow and dictated among the artists to the point of exclusivity. Greenberg even declared that they had achieved their goal of Modernism.....flatness. This he probably shouldn't have said. This unintentionally declared that art had no where else to go and the purpose was closed.

7. Post-Modernism rebelled! Other artists revolted against the hegemony and declared that meaning, wholeness, ideas themselves are more important! One of my favorite pieces is by Joseph Kosuth titled One and Three Chairs (1965).

You see he asks the question of which is real? Is it the actual construction of the chair? Is it the photograph of the chair? Is it the dictionary definition of the chair that makes the the construction mean it is a chair? What is a chair? Mind you, this is a discussion that has gone on since the ancient greeks....I could see how something like this could be seen as elitist as in to suggest that one must be deep and say meaningful things and wear black to be real and truly alive. Or it could also be a way to remind large quantities of people of some good or interesting or thought provoking ideas.

Another reason I like Post-Modernism is because the process started to become significant. The how an artist arrived at the end was just as important as the end product. I agree with this. Even with paintings, pictures, sculptures, whatever the piece...I think the process is important and therefore the artist is....who they are what they believe and what they think all matter because it all contributes to the art piece...or can.

If you have any thoughts, ideas, contributions, corrections I'd love to discuss whether via blog or face...

"Fine art is that in which the hand, the head, and the heart of man go together. " ~John Ruskin

2009-05-01T01:25:00.006-06:00

Today was a really good day. I can't help but notice that it is Thursday. I tell you....there's just something about them.

I also wanted to share these images with you.

This first image is one I took awhile ago when I was first learning about the zone system - the system that perfects black and white photography. I returned to the image about a year later when I was given the assignment to make a digital image for a platinum print. I scanned in the negative b/c I remembered liking it and thought it'd be a good choice. But as I looked at it with eyes made fresh for no other reason than that time had passed, it seemed to be.....lacking.

So I did what you see to your right. I've been told I'm a modernist because I like to do things like this to my images. I can't help myself. I do think this second one is a much more interesting image. Don't get me wrong, I love the one above. I remember shooting it, it took about 2 hours (sometimes when there's that much frustration involved you're destined to love it if it even remotely turns out...the hard thing is being able to tell if that's why you love it or if it really did turn out well). But then I did this to add interest. I don't know what others think about the comparison. I know a lot of people struggle with enjoying abstract images so I would assume maybe not a lot of people in the general public like it. As for myself, I think I love abstract art because it's all about what you feel (for me). I definitely create based on what I feel. I love to massage an image making minute changes here and there till it just.......feels right.

I didn't mean to be a modernist. Although, I'm not an elitist. I see why modernism in art ended and post-modernism needed to begin. I think it was a good thing based on where modernism ended up. I enjoy many art forms and in fact, that's been one of the most interesting aspects, for myself, of becoming an artist. (I say 'become' because I don't feel it was on the very edge of my personhood like it is for so many others. It seems they feel like they have no other way of living but by and through art. I highly esteem those people....several of them were my classmates, and I have before even wished I were like that. However, I had to find it buried down a bit deeper) I loved to see that the kind of art that I most admired was not the kind that was most natural for me to create. By 'natural' I don't mean easy in the sense that there was no effort or even struggle but that it just seemed to make sense as I created. Rather interesting....

Giveaway

2009-04-22T21:14:00.003-06:00

Remember this picture?

I have six (6) 5x7 prints of them. My graduating photo class did a print exchange for each other and there were 5 that I cut wrong...as in not centered....an oops that is not uncommon to myself. The picture itself is unscathed...it's just got a 1/4" margin on one side and 3/4" margin on the other. The good news is that if anyone wants one of these oopses all you have to do is comment on this blog. There is one (1) left over that is perfectly cut so the first person to respond gets that one.

To reiterate. I have six (6) of the above photograph that I would like to giveaway. If you want one, comment to let me know (if I don't see you on a regular basis leave your email address so I can get in touch with how to get it to you).

Thanks!

Bridal

2009-04-16T10:22:00.002-06:00

Product Photography

2009-04-08T12:50:00.006-06:00

These are from one of my classes.

We had to come up with an ad to sell an item. This is my lipstick ad:

These are just various individual products:

Cadbury?

2009-04-03T19:20:00.003-06:00

So the other day, maybe a week ago, I was having a conversation about Easter candy. Who doesn't love Easter for its candy and who can talk about it without mentioning Cadbury eggs! Well, I know that Cadbury is a brand of chocolate however, to me their name is summed up in their greatest creation.....THE Cadbury Egg.

The kind that does this:

The kind that is so delectably sweet that it takes the whole month to eat a pack of four! This to me IS Cadbury.

Well, there is another Easter treat that I thoroughly enjoy; one I can eat more regularly while building up gusto to eat another.....Cadbury egg. So it was this treat that I was trying to explain in this conversation about Easter candy. For the life of me I could not remember what they were called! The fellow in the conversation responded to my description "you mean cadbury eggs." It wasn't a question, he knew. Oh dear, he misunderstood, was my thought. We had just discussed Cadbury eggs....THE Cadbury and no that's not it. I'll try to explain it again. Again he said, "cadbury eggs?" (In hindsight I can't help but wonder if the dubious tone was not to indicate a quesiton, but instead was insinuating that my ability to accept answers is quite questionable.) I sought help from others who were more or less in this conversation and no one replied. I was left to wonder to myself....what is that blasted candy called!?!

I felt more or less like a stumblebum when I was at the store a few days later and found my beloved candy! Indeed called Cadbury Eggs. Cadbury MINI Eggs to be exact and to somewhat defend myself (though it's a lame attempt and honestly, the joy of finding them and now eating them heavily outweighs the pinch of feeling like a stumblebum). In the end I still love Easter candy and especially Cadbury eggs....in all their forms!

Not a day for eggs

2009-04-02T01:53:00.003-06:00

This is what happened to my egg this morning. The one I cooked to replace it burned b/c I was preoccupied photographing this one. I've never heard of anyone burning their egg before.

Oh Yeah

2009-04-01T01:22:00.005-06:00

Well this is what happens when I go through old pictures. I find ones that I had forgotten about and when I see again I say, "yeah....oh yeah."

I think I prefer dippin' dots

2009-03-30T11:43:00.007-06:00

Aubrey I'm sorry it has been two months since I've blogged.....

Ever since I've graduated and have found myself with a plethora of time (in comparison to student life anyway) I have also found that it's a lot harder to get things done. Strange. By 'things' I of course I mean those that have no time line or deadline. Blogging is an excellent example. I have actually learned a lot of things since I've graduated which comes as quite the relief to me only b/c I loathe the day I stop learning. Here's a list of some things I've learned (most are along the lines of self discovery)

I work better with deadlines
I love visiting people
Eating three real meals a day is wonderful
The desire to wake up early and be productive is trumped every morning if I didn't go to bed early enough.
I don't like blackberries in my cereal or my yogurt
Just b/c I have the time doesn't make finding the time to cook any easier
I like to cook (which is a big deal!)
Yogurt with blueberries and walnuts is my new favorite snack
I can use my lip gloss as easily as I can a card to break into a certain place that sometimes requires breaking into (I promise I'm not breaking the law)
I cannot make hash browns from scratch
I like to have secret meetings with my friend under the table
There are people in the world who can do amazing juggling tricks
When I do my best and really care it makes a difference....it really is that simple sometimes
I very well may prefer dippin' dots to ice cream
I like to be busy even if it's busy with silly things
I like to have something homemade and sweet around (banana chocolate chip bread is my latest treat!)
I love yoga...who knew
I feel most fulfilled when I feel like people can open up to me....these are my favorite conversations
I love old movies (this is not a passing passion or temporary trend but a long lasting love!)
I like tangelos

I'd say that the months since my graduation have not been spent in vain one bit. I have liked the new challenge of trying to figure out how to have time. I'm still figuring it out but I can't help but wonder if anyone ever completely figures anything out.

Also, I feel I owe some pictures since it has been so long. These are old pictures from my editorial class last year. They are from the Hare Krishna Festival of Colors again last year.

(a reminder that these images are copyrighted)

The Rest of My Portraits

2009-01-06T21:00:00.009-07:00

My Artists Statement: In today's society people are consistently taking pictures of each other. the people in these pictures usually are smiling in order to look their best or making a face to be funny. Rarely do these pictures capture the essence of the individual. Each one of us is so disparate from one another and complex in nature that I would argue it is impossible to capture the wholeness of anyone. However, there are aspects to all of us that hardly get seen. It was my goal to capture one of these aspects on film.

I used a large-format camera which is one I particularly enjoy. My subjects had to stay very very still while I did all the necessary calculations to taking a properly exposed photograph. To help them would they stare at an something directly in their line of vision. I believe that by concentrating on that one spot for an extended period of time allowed for the person to think instead of perform. They exposed a deeper aspect of who they are and that is what I sought to capture.

(This is not a terribly original idea...you don't have to search far into the history of photography to find masterpieces done along these lines. Nevertheless, it was a fun project for me to execute and I got to photograph a lot of my family which makes me happy. I greatly enjoyed the whole process.)

Dad

Mom

Jim

Heidi

Brandon

Arianne

Me

Christmas - A Season of Love

2008-12-29T21:12:00.006-07:00

It has been a wonderful Christmas break. Partly because of the sale items on sale at Banana Republic, but mostly because of my family. I must note that there has been a ubiquitous void with my brother and sister-in-law missing but I guess Scotland can have them for a bit longer (a bit I said). But I will tell you this....along with it being a season of peace, kindness, giving, laughter, fun, games, and joy, love has reigned.

You see, my sister got married about 4.5 months ago and last Christmas this guy wasn't even an idea in my sister's head. Luckily, he found her and recognized her awe-inspiring nature and she his compelling heart. So it's been fun to see her so happy and them so in love. We are all more than willing to welcome him into our home for the holidays and into our lives forevermore.

But, you must also see that I have yet another sister. Sure, she loves us as much as we love her and so was excited to be home with us for Christmas. However, it was obvious that she missed her boy who consequently was across the nation at his home. Or so she thought. Instead he was in cahoots with my parents and showed up on our doorstep Christmas Eve not only to surprise her with his presence but with his great-grandmother's ring! Shock is an understatement. So is bliss. I'm overjoyed that he has noticed her distinguished essence and fallen in love with her. And she has noticed his warmhearted qualities and fallen in love with him. I'm glad that he likes our family for we sure like him and are delighted to have him as an everlasting addition.

Of course the break has been full of other happenings as well like sleep, yummy treats, and a lot of dirty marbles. All of which have been beyond wonderful. But I admit, next to my mother's annual peace reading (which nothing can trump), the witnessing of a union's first Christmas along with a match made perfect it is no wonder that the season of love has reigned.

Thursday

2008-12-04T11:37:00.006-07:00

I don't have many favorites in the world, it's often too hard to pick one thing that stands out above the rest in any given category. However, with days of the week it's really easy. Thursday. I choose Thursday (this is, of course, with the understanding that Sunday stands on its own and isn't even really a 'day of the week' to me). It's actually been a really good week. I've been diligent in my personal studies, gone to the gym multiple times, been productive with my time and am actually feeling hopeful about getting everything done, and even have plans to play a bit (yes Dad, I am allowing time to play). Now if I could only work on my grad apps....then it will be a miraculous week.

I've also done some more film portraits. I'm really enjoying this project and think that they're turning out well. I'll explain more about the purpose of this project later....maybe on another Thursday.

> Annie Pence

> James Ballard

> Aaron Hatch

More Recent Work

2008-11-22T16:33:00.007-07:00

These are more images from the project I explained in an earlier post. I still don't know what I'm doing exactly, but I do like these images. I've been talking to another art professor here named Hagen Haltern who also does abstract pieces only through other mediums. To look at his art is to escape the present moment,or perhaps escape everything else but the present moment. Either way, there is some kind of reaction, something more than a 'hey neat' response. So we've been talking a lot about symbolism and the purpose of art and what is beauty and I think I'm starting to understand. Starting. (I want to share more about what I'm learning from him, but I'll save that for another post.) Of one thing I'm sure, this type of application does not come about in one single piece. It's achieved through a process and maybe one day will be culminated in a grand masterpiece or maybe it will slowly seep through waxing and waning which itself will relate much to life. I think the latter is more likely which is good because I think I prefer it anyway. Though, the semester is drawing to an end and I don't know what will happen next...

Random Thoughts and Some Pictures

2008-11-07T08:43:00.008-07:00

The most wonderful thing happened the other day. First, I should set up a bit of context. I aspire to be like my sister-in-law who loves cooking and seems to know all the secrets. A love for cooking is not innate within me and because of this I'm afraid that there are some basics that I simply don't know. And now we're back to my most wonderful experience. I was at the store with my roommate buying ingredients for spaghetti when I went over to pick some ground beef to put in my sauce. I started voicing my frustration to my roommate about how all I wanted was some beef and how am I supposed to know which kind of all the choices they offer is the best? Then, this kind young lady who was standing next to me said, "Excuse me, but I happen to be a nutrition major and we actually just learned that round is the best cut of beef to buy." Oh! Thank you! Wouldn't it be wonderful if every time you didn't know something there was someone by your side to say, "Excuse me, but I happen to be an expert on...."

I saw two darling little sisters walking together and the younger one, about 6 years old, said to her older sister, "I like holding your hand. Your hand makes my body feel warm." Made me smile.

Being surprised with flowers from a good friend also makes me smile.

I like shooting film, though I don't do it often. Here are some older pictures that I finally scanned into the computer. I am working on doing more portraits with 4x5 film so hopefully you'll see more recent film work soon.

Bodies Are Amazing

2008-10-29T16:06:00.008-06:00

"Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Tulp" - Rembrandt (I like the name 'Tulp')

Once upon a time, the side of my face hurt and over a progression of a few days it went numb and then finally swelled. I was diagnosed with Bells Palsy. I vote for a name change because it sounds quite a bit more terrifying and permanent than it really is. It is a mysterious thing in that they do not know what causes it and there is really no rhyme or reason to who the lucky ones are that get it. However, it is curable and recoverable and it looks as if I will be just fine.

The purpose of this post is not to focus on what my brother so lovingly calls 'hells bells palsy' but rather to express the awe and respect I have for our bodies. It has been an interesting recovery and maybe even a little enjoyable because of the things I've felt. You know when you suck the air out of an empty milk jug and it starts to crumple in in abrupt portions? That's the best way I can describe how it felt as my face deflated, of course, on a much smaller scale. Then, ever since the swelling has gone down it has felt as if my muscles and nerves are dancing as they try to tighten back up (I would classify it more as a ballet than hip hop). The doctor said that what I'm feeling is my nerve regenerating. How neat is that! The fact that our bodies can heal themselves is simply amazing to me(even when they need some extra medicinal help...in fact, here's a shout out to modern medicine...thank you!). A while ago I found this quote by Elder Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve and I feel it's very applicable,

"The Fall of Adam (and Eve) constituted the mortal creation and brought about the required changes in their bodies, including the circulation of blood and other modifications as well. They were now able to have children. They and their posterity also became subject to injury, disease, and death. And a loving Creator blessed them with healing power by which the life and function of precious physical bodies could be preserved. For example, bones, if broken, could become solid again. Lacerations of the flesh could heal themselves. And miraculously, leaks in the circulation could be sealed off by components activated from the very blood being lost."

Our bodies are wondrous, fascinating, incredible, and awe-inspiring.

Pretty

2008-10-28T22:08:00.003-06:00

Joy in the Crunch

2008-10-11T05:11:00.005-06:00

I love Fall, besides the obvious reason of Halloween, I love the weather and overall feel of the season, and......I do believe that it is officially here. In addition to the fact that the people who make the calendars have already declared it, the temperature has also suddenly dipped. It was a warm 70 degrees yesterday and then today it maybe reached 50 degrees for a minute. The air is nice and crisp and my hoodies are now a part of my outfit instead of being carried around for precaution's sake (blast those annually chilly rooms).

But here is the reason I love Fall most...fallen, crunchy leaves. My eldest sister blogged about this on her lovely list of simplicity a little bit ago and I must agree. When it comes to stepping on a big, curled up, dry leaf my alacrity never falters. Walking to and from school is much more adventurous when you're keeping a sharp eye for a good crunch. You see one about five paces ahead of you and so you make quick calculations in your head; I must slow down a tid, lengthen my stride a bit, and move ever so slightly to my left...then CRUNCH! Ahhhh, so satisfying.

When the crunching began this season I wondered if my delight in such an act was unwholesome, you know, delighting in destruction.....But, don't even worry, I've decided that that is the purpose of a fallen leaf! Alright, so obviously leaves must fall in order for trees to be able to brace the winter. And yes it only makes sense that without the nourishment from the tree they must dry up. But why are they so much fun to step on? Hummm? The logic only makes sense...

Here's to crunching.

My Current Inspiration

2008-09-30T20:28:00.016-06:00

Ever since I transferred down to BYU in the photo program the professors have been asking us, the students, who our inspiration is. 2 years ago I had no idea, nope, not one. I didn't even know who were the big whigs in photography, past or present. I was thrilled to take the History of Photography class so I could finally find my inspiration. So silly. I remember a date I had where the fellow grew up with a father who was a photographer and had all kinds knowledge about the big whigs. When he found out photography was my major he asked who in the field I admire. I was currently in the Hist. class and I tried to remember a name, any name. I said Henry Brasthon. He told me he had never heard of him but he really liked Henry Cartier Bresson. Oh, that's who I was trying to say....I didn't tell him that, I played it off cool. Of course. Anyway, the moral of the story is that I fell in love with photography without ever knowing any of the Greats and without seeing any timeless work. It's a wonder I had made it as far as I had.

Thank goodness for education and an excellent program that has taken me to museums and galleries in various states and even to the doorstep of several successful and inspiring photographers. I have since grown to admire many photographers and their work; sometimes independent of one another and sometimes because of one another. Last March the Photo Department took us to San Fransisco. It was at a gallery there that I saw the above photograph.

It's a beautiful silver gelatin print by Brett Weston titled "Reeds, Japan, 1970". It caught me. I was lost in it. It was beautiful to me and playful. In fact, I'm pretty sure I giggled to myself as I admired it. Probably in part due to the awe I felt....an awe caused by this photograph I was looking at, Brett Weston's creation...

He was a direct inspiration for the following image I made this last summer:

We went as a Nature Photography class up somewhere neat (I cannot remember the names of any of the places we went...something I need to remedy). It was a beautiful park that had ponds and waterfalls and trees, etc. When I saw the pond plants I got so excited b/c I remembered Brett Weston and I wanted to try something along the same technique and see what i would find. It was a fun shoot, and a new way of photographing that I would not have tried otherwise.

These next images are not direct influences from Brett Weston in that I did not have him in mind as I took these photographs but all the same you can see his ideas echoed in them namely; abstraction from nature (or the things that surround us everyday), a closer look if you will.

One of the things that I love about Brett Weston's abstract images is that they are still very clearly in the realm of Photography. As I created my first series of abstract fine art images (one of my first posts) I struggled with this idea. My images became so "painterly" and slipped slightly outside the realm of photography. When I realized it I was troubled b/c photography is what I love and I wanted that to still be very much a part of the piece. I had to face the questions of "what is photography?" and "does the process of how you arrived to your final piece add to or diminish from the pieces?" Questions that we're currently debating in my Fine Art class; questions that I do not have answers to. All I know is that I want to take my abstract pieces deeper, I want to add meaning to them...something beyond aesthetically pleasing. That is the challenge I have given myself this semester. AND I want to retain more of a photographic quality, keep the elements that are particular to photography. I have to pull in the reins sometimes but to me it's worth it and makes a difference. Below is the first image I've created along these guidelines. Was I successful? (It's sad to me that you cannot view it on the scale I'd like you to via the blog. I intend to make this series BIG, as big as I can go without going broke.) I feel like I'm on my way and we'll see where I end up.

It's a fun adventure, whatever it is...

Summer Olympics 2008

2008-08-08T13:57:00.003-06:00

The Olympics are here and I'm thrilled! I plan on getting my popcorn ready and being amazed by the talent and skill of these athletes. It's all so impressive and inspiring. I missed the summer Olympics in Athens and so it has been 8 years since I've seen gymnastics, swimming, track, or any of the several other events...too long, much too long! I can't wait!

The Moon and its buddy star

2008-07-21T15:57:00.000-06:00

Clouds

2008-07-08T13:55:00.000-06:00

Nature - Provo

2008-07-08T13:33:00.000-06:00

Abstract Fine Art

2008-07-08T12:38:00.001-06:00

Door Series

2008-07-08T12:30:00.000-06:00