audience participation...

Since I started my blog a month ago, I have been posting photos that I had taken before but had never gotten around to editting.  Well, that has been great, but now I'm bored, soooo......

I want to hear from you!!!!

Those of you that have seen some of my photos in the past:  are there any photos that I have taken that you would like to see on here?  Any photos that you would like highlighted?

Everyone:  is there anything specific that you would like me to show?  Something that you would like me to shoot?  {Keep in mind, I live in Southern California, so I would prefer the subject be something I can easily find around here!}

Send me some ideas, and if you're lucky, they will be featured on my blog! ;)

philippines {part 2}...

 Just a few more photos from my trip to the Philippines!

Smokey Mountain kids

Another Smokey Mountain child

a visit to another world... {part 1}

A few weeks ago, I found out that a very prominent person in my hometown (hereby referred to as L.E.) is leaving his post as pastor at the local Presbyterian church for greener pastures.  He has held this post for as long as I can remember, but in recent years (well, possibly before that, but I was not aware of it until somewhat recently) he has faced scrutiny, most likely because he is one of the liberal black sheep in the herd of conservatives that is the Delta community. 

Although I have never been a religious person, I have come into contact with L.E. on several different occasions.  He became good friends with my grandmother when she moved into town, bonding over their shared liberal viewpoints.  I have lended a hand to L.E. at the church for various community service projects, from my senior government class {I think?? that was soooo long ago ;)} to logging hours for sorority.  And my most recent adventure across the ocean came to fruition because of L.E.'s hard work and compassion for the under-privileged and downtrodden people of the world.

The adventure that I am referring to was a trip to the Philippines to be an Election Observer.  L.E. approached me in October of 2009 with an offer to accompany a team that he was organizing to visit the Philippines during their election in May of 2010.  {For those of you not up to speed on your Philippines history/current events:  The government on those tiny islands out in the Pacific is EXTREMELY corrupt!  At the time we were there, 43 health workers were imprisoned on the assumption that they were aiding the New People's Army, a part of the communist party in the Philippines, even though there was no evidence supporting this assumption.  It wasn't until six months after the newly elected president, Noynoy Aquino, took office that they were released and the charges against them dropped.  Just one example of the corruption...and that's not even the worst, I'm sure...}  Anyways, it was because of L.E. (and my family's monetary contributions, of course) that I was able to take part in this amazing photographic and humanitarian opportunity!

The May 2010 elections were definitely ones for the history books.  First of all, it was the hottest election day on record!  I mean, it was terrible!!  I was stationed in Manila, and I swear, there was no relief from the intense heat and humidity!  My group had to go back to our dorm in the middle of the day because it was too much for us... Secondly, this was the first election that was fully automated {before this, the votes were hand counted!}, and the new format was definitely not without its problems!  Just a few problems that I witnessed:  Machines not accepting ballots, memory card issues, power issues, etc, not to mention the problems caused by election workers that didn't know how to use the machines and rules that were set in place regarding the machines and the voting process not being adhered to...

To make a long story short, it was an unforgettable adventure that I have L.E. to thank for!

Daughter of one of the Morong 43

Government housing in the original Smokey Mountain (a neighborhood built on a garbage dump)

View of the harbor in Manila



Manila, Philippines



A rally held by the PIOM after the election





PIOM Rally:  Speeches and Music



another long lost photo...

Well, this blog post will be short and sweet, because it's past my bed time!!  ;)


This was another graffiti shot taken on a day trip to San Francisco in January of 2010.  My boyfriend, SG, took me out there {because I had been begging him to for at least 4 months} and we walked around Golden Gate park and had dinner at Fisherman's Wharf... A very nice date!!  


Enjoy!!

my BFF...

This weekend I got to visit with my BFF, Brittaney!  We have been best friends since kindergarten, when we met half way into the year when Britt moved to my hometown.  (She likes to tell the story of how she first saw me in the school office wearing cowboy boots and a skirt.... hahaha!)  She has been like the sister I never had, and even though we now live on different sides of the country, every time we get together it's like no time has passed.  We pick up exactly where we left off, and I love that about our relationship.

While I was in college (and she still lived in the same state), I did a photo shoot with Brittaney.  She was a great model, and we got some really great shots.  In the spirit of a BFF reunion, I decided to revisit the photos from that shoot.  I played around with some different editing techniques and styles, and I think I like the new edits better than the original ones!

a day at the zoo....

The weekend before Christmas, I was lucky enough to spend some time with two of my favorite people: my cousins, Jill and Kaylie!!  They happened to have planned a vacation in San Diego ((a little under two hours from where I live)), so I jumped on the chance to see them!  


We spent a lovely afternoon at the San Diego Zoo, where I was able to get some great shots of the animals, as well as a mini-shoot of my little model of a cousin, Kaylie :)  Here are some of my favorites:

thoughts???

revisiting an oldie...

Lately, I've been feeling a little lost... stuck... uninspired... And I'm sick of it!


I searched for "photography inspiration" and found a great resource that has already helped me start the long climb out of my rut...  "60 Sources of Inspiration for Photography," by the editors at Photopreneur, has some great ideas to spice up your artwork...60 to be exact!  Today, I focused on #30: 

 "Revisit Your Past:You probably have a stack of old images that you rarely review, 

including many that you can’t bring yourself to look at. Give them another chance.

 A shot that failed a few years ago might well be achievable today — and give you

 ideas for more."

Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CA

I took this photo about a year ago, but never did anything with it...until now.  I looked at different Photoshop tutorials and tips/tricks that people have used, picked one, and tried it out.  I think it turned out well.... 


what do you think???

the dreaded "first" post...

I'll tell you exactly why this first post is dreaded:  Ever since I was a child, I have been incredibly shy.  Like to the point where it is almost crippling.  Being asked to speak in front of crowd of more than a couple of people would give me nightmares. And when it came to that time to speak, my voice would shake almost as badly as my knees, my face would turn either bright red or sickly white, and I thought my heart would beat right out of my chest.  These physical reactions to any type of public speaking/sharing haunted me all through my high school years, and eventually through most of college.  It wasn't until I joined a sorority that I was finally able to get past most of the shyness (or at least trick my mind into thinking I was past it all).  {Alpha Chi Omega} gave me plenty of opportunities to speak in front of large groups, through meetings where I would update the chapter on any necessary information, and philanthropies where I would teach dance choreography to my sisters.  I have gotten pretty good at tricking myself into not being afraid of public speaking.

Now, I may have learned how to deal with speaking in public, but sharing my artwork in a public forum is a different story.  I was a Photography major in college, and I always dreaded the days when we would have to put our work up in front of the class and critique it.  These critiques usually included some sort of introduction made by me, explaining the project and the significance of it.  On paper, I had no problem with this, but when it came time to explain it to the group, it seemed that all words left my brain.  What I put so eloquently on paper seemed to come out jumbled when said out loud. I have concluded that sharing something that is very {personal}, such as my artwork, is a very difficult and scary thing for me to do.  And this blog is a step in overcoming that hurdle...


And with that introduction, I present my first foray into the public sharing of my {photography}. I hope you enjoy!

Kilometer 39.5, South of San Felipe, Mexico