Kinfolk Volume Seven

I know I'm a few months (and volumes!) late on this train, but Volume Seven of Kinfolk Magazine is absolutely gorgeous. Each story has me feeling so happy that it's summer and the subtle hues of every photograph makes me feel like I'm peering into a dream. Plus, it's all about ice cream- one of my favorite foods- and a ton of the stories are an ode to the delicious and sweet treat. Several of my favorite photographers are part of the Kinfolk Community- Leela Cyd Ross, Chris & Sarah Rhoads, Andrew & Carissa Gallo- and it's my life goal to at least submit a story to the publication, and who knows, maybe even someday be featured in it. Now I'm off to get a double decker ice cream cone...

(1 & 2) Parker Fitzgerald (3) Leo Patrone

Wedding Wonders

Jose Villa

I've been dreaming about becoming a wedding photographer for years (as seen from my "wedding photographer dreams" pintrest board) and finally feel ready to jump into the wedding world. I've been trying to book weddings for this summer for months and have successfully booked six weddings as a lead and assistant photographer. This weekend I'm assisting two weddings and I'm a bundle of nerves and excitement. I'm not quite sure what to anticipate, but I'm eager to learn from a professional and get some experience in the wedding world. While I know it takes years to really excel in this industry, I'm hoping to live up to my own expectations and make myself proud (and the couple too, of course). Here are a few of my favorite wedding photographers:

Jose Villa

This man needs to introduction. He shoots only in film and is the pioneer in fine art wedding photography. I recently purchased his book and have scoured over it for many hours already. Every one of his photographs are carefully crafted, exquisite pieces of art, and I hope to someday save up enough money to attend one of his workshops (or even hire him as my wedding photographer one day?) so I can breathe the same air as this photographic genius.

Cooper Carras

Stunning colors. Beautifully composed. Gorgeous moments. Cooper Caras's work says it all.

Bryce Covey

I first learned about Bryce YESTERDAY when he called me and asked me to assist him at a San Francisco/Napa wedding. I jumped at the opportunity and when I looked at his work my jaw dropped- it is absolutely stunning! I'm so excited to get to learn from him TODAY and can't wait to meet this amazing photographer.

the sleep of the beloved

Yesterday afternoon I discovered this fascinating story  called "The Sleep of the Beloved" by Paul Schneggenburger, who photographed couples while they slept. I found these images hauntingly beautiful- from the fluid movement throughout the long exposure, to the different positions they slept in, to how some look like one combined person. I would love to know what they were dreaming about and if their movements had anything to do with their dreams...

I think dreams are so fascinating- the way you play can out stories and situations in your subconscious that might pertain to one random detail of something you saw or thought about during the day; how you might remember just a sliver of that dream even though if felt like hours when you were dreaming it; or when you wake up and for a split second you think your dream is real. I could go on for hours about dreams and your subconscious (Inception is one of my top 5 favorite movies because of this interest) but for now I'll leave you with these stunning images for you to contemplate for yourself what they were dreaming about.

the path to awesome

The world needs you to stop being boring. Everyone can be boring. But you are gooder than that...

Being in your early 20's is confusing and difficult as you try to adjust to the real world and figure out what you want to do. I've been struggling with this for the past 6+ months, and in all honesty it's been really really hard. Growing up I had these high hopes that I would live in New York working for some high end magazine, or living in Africa helping starving children, but here I find myself working at 8 to 6 job in front of a computer, doing something I'm no longer passionate about, and giving in to all the negative energy and skepticism that pollutes my every day. But you know what? I think it's about time that changes...

This video was an eye opener (and absolutely hilarious too!) and really hit home for me. Seriously, some of his key points were just like, DUH, it makes so much sense. "What will you create that will make the world awesome? Nothing if you keep sitting there!"

I really do need to stop sitting there, waiting for life to happen, and instead  need to grab every opportunity in front of me, make a change, and choose a path that will lead to awesome. And that path hurt, I might make a mistake and have to turn back, but I would rather choose the path that makes me happy than the one that is expected of me. I may or may not start watching this video every morning with the with hope of recharging my outlook, because really, I WAS made to be awesome, and it's about time I stop crying and start dancing.

Thank you Kid President. You are awesome. 

This is life people! You got air coming through you nose, you got a heart beat. That means it's time to do something!

What if there really were two paths? I wanna be on the one that leads to awesome. 

Don't stop believing, unless your dream is stupid, then get a different dream. 

If life really is a game, are we on the same team? 

I took the road less traveled... it hurt man!! 

Create something that will make the world awesome. 

We got work to do- we can cry about it or we can dance about it.

You were made to be awesome. 

heros

My high school photography teacher Mr. Martz was THE BEST photograph teacher an aspiring photog could ask for. His quirky personality and unique teaching style bred creativity- he was great at teaching us the basics and then would let us experiment and learn on our own, giving helpful tips to improve our work while never criticizing us for our failures. In addition, every Monday he would sit us down and teach us about different photographers that have changed the world through their images- everyone from Ansel Adams and Paul Caponigro to Dorthea Lange and Annie Liebovitz. One of my lifetime goals is to acquire a collection of beautiful photography books from all of my favorite photographers. Some of two all time favorites include:

Paul Caponigro

The contrast of his black and white photographs is so stunning that it makes me want to only photograph is black and white for the rest of my life. Absolutely breathtaking.

Annie Liebovitz

She needs no introduction. One of the world's best portrait photographers (in my eyes), she lives the ultimate dream of photographing celebrities around the world. I just purchased her book Annie Liebovits At Work and it gave me a newfound perspective of her work, introduced me to images I had seen but didn't know were hers, and inspired a newfound love for photography by sharing stories and images how she come to where she is today. Such an inspiration.

My Hockney Attempts

As I mentioned here, a big source of my inspiration comes from David Hockney's collages and I've tried to replicate his style in some of my own work. Not only are they some of my favorite pieces I've done because they are so interesting to look at, but also because they were so fun to create! The photos took a while to shoot as I wanted to make sure I captured the entire atmosphere of the environment, and I'm not going to even get started on the process of choosing which photos to print and actually printing them, but the best part and the reason why I loved this style of photography most was putting the acutal collage together. I was able to alter the scene and insert images that created a cohesive image that, I feel, perfectly portrayed that specific moment in time.

( I couldn't take the photo out of the frame so the bottom of the photo shows the reflection, sorry)

I created this collage for my final project for my photography class in Florence, Italy. It's of the Duomo, a beautiful cathedral in Florence, which I used to walk by every day on the way to class. I would always take a couple of minutes to people watch as there were always tons of people congregating around the building, some resting on the big white stairs, some using it as a meeting place, others doing the same as I would and just admiring the beauty.  It was always such a lively and energetic place, even in the middle of the night- which is why I thought this was the perfect place to create my first photo collage. I feel like I was able capture the busy environment of the area through the movement of people below of people (note the bicycle moving throughout the crowd) and while I could have printed some of the images a little better, I think I create an accurate portrayal of this beautiful monument. 

This next project I created for my mom's birthday a couple years ago. Everyone had been home ( a rarity in my family as my dad travels for work and my sister and I are busy bees) and we had a wonderful dinner and birthday cake to celebrate my mom's special day. This was so fun to shoot as my family is so funny and energetic, and you can see that they had a great time too. This collage is very special to me because it reminds me that no matter where we are in our lives, no matter what has happened, we always have each other and the special moments we share. 

Rosie Hardy

Rosie Hardy is a photographer I found on flickr who has taken the world by storm. She has a very creative, dream-like perspective that is so inspiring and unique. She creates the most amazing self portraits that reflect her mood  and perspective of the world, as well as taking amazing wedding and commercial photographs. She is a master photoshoper and has turned her passion for creating beautiful photographs into a successful photography career! Fun fact: she is the model AND photographer for Maroon Five's new album, Hands All Over. AWESOME, I know. She is definitely an inspiration. Check out her blog and website here.

via

David Hockney

One photographer that has always been a favorite is David Hockney. He creates the most unique collages of images that makes his work have movement and depth. He has been a huge source of inspiration for me and I've tried to mirror David Hockney's style is a couple of my own pieces. The scrabble game shown below is one of my all time favorite images as it shows movement and action in a still, flat medium.  I love the fluidity and unique perspectives show in his work, and I'm excited to explore this style more.  

The Scrabble Game