Plott Hound Portrait

I love domestic animals as well as animals in the wild. There is something about human's best friend that just tugs at the heart strings. Here is a portrait of a lovely Plott Hound by the name of "Sister". Isn't she beautiful?

Sister the Plott Hound


Antarctica Interview with GeoLounge

I was delighted and honored to be interviewed a few weeks ago by the wonderful blog about all things Geography -- GeoLounge.

This was a great forum to talk about the geographically important Antarctic and sub-Antarctic region, as a geographer and photographer. I must say, it was interesting to bring those two interests together in this capacity, and I had to put a lot of thought into what it means to my vision as a photographer with my background in geography -- and how that manifested during my trip to the bottom of the world.

Check out the full interview here -- I thoroughly enjoyed being able to share my thoughts as well as my images of Antarctica in this way. Thank you to GeoLounge for the feature!

Thank you to my fellow passenger who too this picture!

Thank you to my fellow passenger who too this picture!


Molting Weddell Seal

Seeing Weddell seals in the Antarctic was another unique experience. Named for James Weddell, a sailor and seal hunter, these are true, earless seals. They molt in the beginning of the summer, like the Weddell seal (Scientific name Leptonychotes weddelli) pictured here.

Weddell seal (Leptonychotes weddelli)

Weddell seal (Leptonychotes weddelli)

Remarkable Mothers of All Species

Mother's Day, a special day of the year to let your mom know how much you appreciate all the sacrifices that she has made for you. Cards and flowers fill every store you walk into around this special day. 

Today I get to celebrate with my mom, who has sacrificed hours upon hours for me -- namely, laying eyeballs on every single picture that I came home with from Buenos Aires, the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the Antarctic Peninsula. Just when I didn't think she could handle another penguin or seal picture, I would lob a few hundred more at her. Then I got back into her good graces by showing her a few thousand glacier and iceberg photos.

I have been lucky enough to not only have a wonderful mom, but to observe motherhood in nature this past winter in some pretty amazing places.

In South Georgia, I observed a Gentoo penguin mom feeding its young chick. After hiking through fur seals and up into a small hill, I was greeted with the view of Gentoo penguins nesting with their chicks.

Gentoo mother and chickSouth Georgia islandDecember 2013

Gentoo mother and chick

South Georgia island

December 2013

In La Jolla, CA I caught a couple of sweet moments with Harbor seal mothers and their days old pups. Imagine the joy my own mom felt when I let her know that I had even more seal pictures to show her (I think those were tears of joy).

Harbor seal mom and pup bondingLa Jolla, CAJanuary 2014

Harbor seal mom and pup bonding

La Jolla, CA

January 2014


Harbor seal pup staying close to its motherLa Jolla, CAJanuary 2014

Harbor seal pup staying close to its mother

La Jolla, CA

January 2014

And of course, here is a picture from a few years ago of my mom and I. Happy Mother's day to my favorite mom! Thank you for all of the support and love throughout the years - I love you! And guess what-- i found more seal pictures!

Mom and I in Washington D.C. in October 2010.

Mom and I in Washington D.C. in October 2010.

Happy Mother's Day to all of the moms out there-- of all species!

Penguins in the Wild

Something that I still cannot believe is that I saw penguins in the wild. Sure, I have seen penguins in zoos and aquariums all of my life, but there is something about seeing penguins in the wild with my own eyeballs that I just cannot get over.

My first penguin in the wild sighting was of Magellanic penguins in the Falkland Islands. I just felt so peaceful, knowing that these really do exist in the wild, and they looked -- dare I say -- welcoming to us humans.

However, seeing penguins in the Antarctic just blew my mind. Being in Antarctica was one thing - to see penguins among ice floes in the Antarctic was just amazing.

Perhaps one of my favorite penguin moments occurred as our ship sailed along the Antarctic Peninsula. the sun was making its way down toward the horizon, creating the most beautiful light at 10:30 pm. As I gazed upon the beautiful ice sculptures drifting in the sea, I noticed that there was something very dark on top of them. It turned out to be a few chinstrap penguins hanging out on top of the ice, in beautiful light and casting long shadows.

Chinstrap penguins

December 2013


Cowboys and Pictures

Last weekend, I attended an annual event full of trick roping, gun slinging and horseshoe making. Add in a mix of old country music and Old West attire, and this is a great place for fun imagery.

The annual Cowboy Festival is an annual two day festival held at Melody Ranch movie studios, home to many productions over the decades here in Southern California. Performers entertained on stages throughout the venue, as well as milling about the "streets".

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the afternoon:

Delicate parasols

Delicate parasols


Trick roper Dave Thornbury shows of his roping skills

Trick roper Dave Thornbury shows of his roping skills

Country entertainer Dave Rainwater plays a tune on his harmonica

Country entertainer Dave Rainwater plays a tune on his harmonica

A blacksmith prepares a horseshoe for customization

A blacksmith prepares a horseshoe for customization

Portrait of Dave Thornbury

Portrait of Dave Thornbury

A beautiful day at Melody Ranch

A beautiful day at Melody Ranch

Boots for sale

Boots for sale

Pooch Pictures Published

last year, I attended a local low cost dog vaccination, microchip and licensing clinic. This is a great even that was held, and lots of people and their their dogs came out to take advantage of this great opportunity. of course I took the opportunity to make some pictures of pooches. This year, some of those pictures were published in press releases about the event. I have three pictures below the blue box:

SC-vaccination-clinic

Thanksgiving

This year I am especially thankful for a wonderfully supportive family and boyfriend, my health, a place to call home, and a job that allows me to build my skills. I have had the opportunity to fulfill one of my life goals next month, but I could not have done it without the support of family, boyfriend and friends, a healthy body or my day job.

Meadow in Yosemite National Park

The above image is from my family reunion trip in Yosemite. I am thankful that our National Parks are open again, and I look forward to visiting more in 2014.

I have had a lot of opportunities in 2013, and I am thankful that I have learned something from every one that has come my way. I am excited to use what I have learned this year and implement it next year.

I am also thankful for those of you who have supported my photographic journey - through this blog, through photo sessions, through social media and in person. It means a lot that you have taken the time to look at the images that I have created and read the words that I have written. I hope you'll join me as my journey takes me to new and exciting places...I know that I cannot wait to share them with you.

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Why Antarctica?

Last month, I booked the trip of a lifetime to the "White Continent". More often than not the question, "Why Antarctica?!" comes up.

Well, why not Antarctica?

Ever since I was a kid, I have wanted to visit all seven continents, and have wanted to reach the tips of South America, Africa and Antarctica. This trip will satiate two of those life goals, as I will be departing by boat out of the tip of South America.

I am envisioning the bluest of blues, the tealest of teals, and the whitest of whites. As a photographer, I cannot wait to interpret these things (Photographer David DuChemin set me straight that I would not be able to capture these things). To be among penguins is something that I have only dreamed of for years. To stand on ice that has been forming for millions of years is just beyond my comprehension.

The voyage is slated to travel into the Antarctic Circle, a dream that I hadn't quite realized would be a part of this expedition cruise. As a geographer, this will be really exciting to see the latitude change. Of course, the itinerary is subject to change depending on weather conditions. I know it will be amazing.

I'm so excited to experience these things, and I am so excited to bring back images of a part of the world that I have only dreamed I would ever visit. I hope that I will be able to post a few photos here and there, but of course that depends on internet availability.

Photoshop World Recap

Photoshop World (PSW) is a complete bubble. I entered the world of Scott Kelby and NAPP starting on Tuesday for pre-cons, or officially at the kick-off Keynote on Wednesday, and I didn't leave that world until the closing ceremonies on Friday afternoon.  It's an overwhelming few days, and it takes a little bit to process the experience overall. I have had some time to process the week, and I think this was the best PSW that I have attended. It definitely had the most attendees, which means even more like-minded people to meet. Being able to connect in person with instructors like Matt Kloskowski, Scott, RC, Joe McNally and Moose  Peterson is such a great opportunity. Being in the same room with the amazing photographers and teachers is just energizing in and of itself.

Every Photoshop World, I realize how much more I need to learn in Photoshop. As a Photoshop World attendee this year, I received a one year Creative Cloud membership, so I will be putting the things I have learned to good use.

Because this was my fourth PSW, I wanted to check out some different types of classes in addition to the Photoshop and business track. This is how I discovered the amazing work of Aaron Blaise. Now, I am not an artist, but seeing his digital workflow was just inspiring.

Perhaps the best learning experience during the week was my Portfolio Review. This is a special event available to attendees for a small cost, and I only started taking advantage of this last year. I wish I had the guts to participate in this every year, because I have learned so much from each session. This year, my review was with Vincent Versace, an absolutely amazing photographer and artist. Sitting down with Vincent and going over my images completely made my day. He pointed out things in my pictures that I had overlooked and gave me life changing ideas about looking about my photography. All in 15-20 minutes. The guy is just amazing, and I am so thankful to have had (and utilized) this opportunity to sit down with him.

The Expo Hall is a pretty great experience, in that you can go chat with the vendors that you regularly use. I was on the fence about where to go with my Squarespace site, and now have a much better idea of what I will do, because I was able to chat with them in person. That is just one example of the many vendors that are there and willing to help their customers (or potential customers) in person.

I have noticed something quite amazing at the past few PSW's. I absolutely love the fact that there is such an age range. I mean, from the high school kids to the 65+ age range. I'm not in either of those age groups, however I was able to talk to anyone in any of those groups, because of our common passion. Last year during the closing ceremony, I was sitting next to a man that told me he was 85 years old...and we were discussing Lightroom and how we use it. We have over 50 years between us, but a similar workflow. That just blows me away. I saw him around the conference  this year, but did not get a chance to chat with him. I will make a point of it next year.

I think the variety of people and ages is really a testament to Scott Kelby's ability to bring people together through their involvement in NAPP, as well as your ability to bring understanding of the technology to people of all ages.

Overall, it was a fantastic PSW, and I was really happy to reconnect with old friends and make new friends. Kevin Stohlmeyer is one of my new friends, and was also blogging about the week here. Check it out for pictures that recap the week.

Thank you to Kelby Media Group for putting on an awesome conference, the staff who worked so hard to make sure every minute ran smoothly, and to all of the instructors for sharing their vast knowledge.

I look forward to PSW next year!

 

Day 3 Photoshop World recap

Of course it was another amazing and educational day. With so many sessions to choose from, there were some pretty hard decisions that I had to make. I started off the day with the man, the myth, the legend- Matt Kloskowski. His "Lightroom and Photoshop for Landscape Photographers" was pretty awesome, and showed some great tools to get the most out of landscape photos. It was also really cool to see that Matt had his dad in the audience of his class. This was really touching, especially since my dad and I always attend Photoshop World together.

 

I always try to make it a point to get attend a Scott Kelby portrait retouching class. There is something so different (and dare I say magical) about learning from Scott in person. His sessions are always entertaining, and I always learn a ton from him.

 

The Wrap Up Rally and giveaway session is the final event of every Photoshop World, and is standing room only. Every year, a variety of photographers bring the ideas and emotions of Photoshop World home. This year, Bryan Hughes of Adobe spoke about the many ways that Adobe is listening to its customers -- through forums, social media and events in person. Erik Valind spoke about the way that he got into photography, the struggles he faced and the lessons he learned from those struggles. Moose Peterson always has a beautiful presentation of his stunning images, and is something I always look forward to at the closing ceremony.

The closing ends with some pretty cool prize giveaways, which are of course are an awesome bonus...but you have to stay until the end to see if you have won! I always stay to the end and try to catch the instructors and staff to thank them for an amazing Photoshop World.

I cannot believe that this Photoshop World is now officially over, and I am so happy that I was able to participate this year.

 

Thank you to Kelby Media group and NAPP for putting on yet another amazing Photoshop World, and for allowing me the opportunity to blog about my experiences. I look forward to next year!

 

 

Day 2 Photoshop World Recap

The second day of Photoshop World is always jam-packed with awesomeness! From sessions in the morning until Midnight Madness late at night, there is constantly an opportunity to learn and have a blast. Of course there are so many amazing classes to choose from, sometimes it's impossible to attend all of them. Luckily Photoshop World provides these huge notebooks with the instructors' notes and presentations that come along with your registration. Even though you might not be able to make all of the sessions, it's helpful to have the notes to refer to.

My morning started off with something a little different. Animator Aaron Blaise was recently added to the PSW roster of instructors, and I attended his "Digital Illustration Workflow" class to try something completely different. Now I cannot draw much beyond clouds (puffy ones), but Aaron's art (both the traditional and the digital mediums) absolutely inspired me. It was also interesting to see how Aaron used light and color to create amazing work.

Moose Peterson's class "Breaking In and Making it in the Editorial Market" finished up my morning. Through various classes and workshops I have taken in the past with Moose, I have always known him as an awesome photographer, but this class really drives home what a smart businessman he is.

Perhaps the highlight of Day 2 is the Art of Digital Photography panel. This year, the panel consisted of Jim DiVitale, Julieanne Kost, Dave Black, Joe Glyda, Vincent Versace, Jay Maisel, Joe McNally and Moose Peterson. The variety of photographers and the stories they tell with their photographs always amazes me. Vincent Versace called the audience to action to help build a school in Myanmar, and then proceeded to show his amazingly beautiful images from that country.

And then Day 2 wraps up with Midnight Madness. It is, well, sheer madness. And really, you don't learn a thing about Photoshop. But you do have a ton of fun (it's guaranteed, in fact).

Tomorrow is unfortunately the last day of Photoshop World. I can't believe that it has gone by this fast. It has been great to reconnect with old friends, make new ones and learn from some amazing photographers.

 

Photshop World Day 1 Recap

And that is how Photoshop World Las Vegas starts! The keynote kicked off with a hilarious video introducing the Photoshop Guys --I really think this was the bes t and funniest of the videos for a keynote so far. The behind the scenes of shooting that introduction was just priceless. From there the keynote just got more exciting keynote with some pretty amazing announcements from both Wacom and Adobe. Wacom announced a new Intuos tablet that really pushes the envelope for creatives. Adobe previewed new advancements for Photoshop and Lightroom, as well as unbelievable Creative Cloud pricing for both--just $9.99 US per month! This is pretty amazing stuff and is really transforming the way Adobe users utilize these tools.

Once these awesome announcements were made, the Guru and Vincent Versace awards were announced and we were off to our first sessions.

I thoroughly enjoyed learning about copyright from none other than Ed Greenberg and Jack Reznicki. These two make up an awesome team that stresses the importance of copyright for anything you create, and break it down. This is such an important topic for photographers, and is something that any creative should look into and understand.

I also attended a panel called "Are You Ready to Go Pro", moderated by the now Adobe Hall of Famer Matt Kloskowski and comprised of Cliff Mautner, Joel Grimes and Erik Valind. Each of the panelists had a unique perspective of starting out in the photography business, but all agreed that it takes hard work to build a body of work and a brand.

The opening of the Expo hall is always exciting. The amount of vendors is enough to make your credit card scared, but many vendors have specific talks and demonstrations that are always entertaining and educational.

 

This afternoon was also my portfolio review session, and my review was with none other than Vincent Versace--I will dedicate a whole post to this and the importance of the portfolio reviews later in the week. This is a wonderful opportunity that is available to attendees-- it is an amazing learning experience! If you weren't able to do one this year, make sure it's on your to do list in the future.

 

For the evening classes, I chose to attend Scott Bourne's session about attracting an audience to your photography through Twitter. He had a lot of helpful information, and really gave the class a lot to think about.

 

The highlight of the first day is always the PSW After-Hours party. Scott Kelby's band performs live at the House of Blues, and they really rock! This is also another opportunity to mingle with other PSW attendees, as well as the instructors and NAPP staff who work so hard to put on an amazing conference.

I am ready for Day 2, and look forward to more amazing sessions, the Art of Digital Photography panel and Midnight Madness!

 

Photoshop World Meetup

The day before the start of Photoshop World is the day for pre-conference in-depth workshops and for the Photoshop World Meet-Up. This meet-up takes place the night before the start of PSW and after pre-conference workshops, and gives attendees the opportunity to meet other PSW attendees and to mingle with the instructors.

Held at the Eye Candy lounge at Mandalay Bay this year, attendees were able to compare notes with other attendees and chat with the week's instructors.

Personally, I was able to meet people that I had seen at Photoshop Worlds past but never got the chance to talk to, and to introduce myself to instructors whose classes I'd be taking for the first time.

Onto the official start of Photoshop World - the Keynote and Day 1!