say cheese photos

Spring (happily!)

2011-05-10T21:13:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how long it has been since I posted. Shamefully long. What can I say, work and life got in the way. I don't want to go into the gory details of the long hours in the office, but thankfully a bit of the time keeping me from this blog was spent having fun. I went rock climbing for the first time, enjoyed some good baseball with friends, started a book club, etc.

And I had the honor (with my friend Laura) last weekend of being my friend Lauren's wedding photographer (can't wait to share those pics!). She got married at City Hall and the reception was at Queens County Farm Museum. What a neat spot, tucked away in the middle of Queens, a little farm with animals and hay rides.

To warm up, so to speak, for the evening of phototaking, I stopped on my way into the farm to take some photos of these tulips. Oh, tulips! How happy they make me! They are such a sure sign of spring and the end of cold, dreary winter.

(Queens County Farm Museum, photographed May 2011)

Notes from the Underground

2011-04-16T14:57:00.000-07:00

Last night I posted on facebook and tweeted (follow me @cameragirlk on twitter) a photo of my ride home. As a typical new yorker, I spend about 1/24th of my day underground, riding the subway. Most of the time I'm reading a book or listening to music, but lately I've been taking some photos. Just with my iphone, secretively.

I've never thought the subway could be so beautiful.

(nyc subway, photographed April 2011)

Puppy Week!

2011-03-30T21:24:00.000-07:00

Can I just say that I don't think there is any such thing as a crazy dog lady. At least not in the same sense as a crazy cat lady. Which is a good thing as I'm well into puppy week here at Say Cheese. Puppies, puppies and more puppies! And everyone is happy. Even my friends (ahem Rosa and Heather, I'm looking at you) who have been teasing me about my recent obsession with puppies. Because who really can not help but melt when you look at these cute rascals and their cute tails?

(Puppies in Shiprock, New Mexico, photographed March 2011)

Papa Bear

2011-03-29T19:19:00.000-07:00

I briefly (very briefly) considered posting some other photos from New Mexico, you know, like of the desert or a cactus plant or something. But then I remembered this is supposed to puppy week. Much like shark week but with less teeth and more cute furriness. Yay, puppy week.

So, in honor of the bestest week ever, meet Headlights, aka Papa Bear, the father of the six little britches. He is a strong, protective, spirit dog. The kind you want by you on a dark night or during a solitary walk. I would love to find a good boy like him when I'm ready to adopt a dog of my own.

(Headlights, in Shiprock, New Mexico, photographed March 2011)

A puppy a day...

2011-03-28T22:10:00.000-07:00

I have a confession. Well, maybe I shouldn't call it that, since I alluded to it in my last post. No, it's really no secreat that I have a lot of puppy photos from my trip to New Mexico. How could I not with six adorable little puppies running arund the ranch? I'd have no soul if I didn't fall in love with these buggers, who came running to say hello whenever I walked outside. As someone who never had a dog, let alone a puppy, when I was growing up, I was euphoric at the thought of sharing a home with six little ones. I played with them, petted them and, of course, took lots of photos of them. You might as well call my trip a puppy-cation.

So I'm thinking that I might just do a "puppy a day" post for this week to share some of these great shots. And you know what they say... a puppy a day keeps the doctor away! Enjoy!

And in case you were wondering, this beautiful dog is the mama dog of the pack. Wait till you see the papa bear dog in a later post. They make a good looking pair. No wonder their puppies are so dang cute!

(Mama and puppy, in Shiprock, New Mexico, photographed March 2011)

Puppy Love

2011-03-27T19:14:00.000-07:00

I'm baaaaaaack!

I had an amazing experience in New Mexico, which words cannot describe. You can bet that in the near future I'll be sharing photos from my journey and perhaps a few reflections. But I'll also be sharing photos of PUPPIES! Lots of puppies. There were four amazing dogs (well, some would say three amazing dogs and one very rambunctious dog) and six puppies at the farm where I had the great honor to stay. Yes, you read that right SIX PUPPIES! I'm going through such puppy withdrawal right now. But more on that later. Right now, I'm just exhausted. I think I've been up for about eighteen hours, traveling for about twelve of those... Which means that it must be bed time. Sweet (puppy filled) dreams to everyone.

(P.S. This lil' one is named Cheii, which is the Navajo word for grandfather. Doesn't he look like such the little old man? The name is perfect.)

(Cheii, in Shiprock, New Mexico, photographed March 2011)

Heading to the Desert...

2011-03-13T22:33:00.000-07:00

I have exciting news. I'm headed to New Mexico in a few days to volunteer on a Navajo reservation. I can't wait to get away from my desk and out into the sun, to meet some great people and do a little good for someone else. Will have to tell you about it later, because it's way past my bedtime as I type this post. So just enjoy these photos from my field trip with Meghan to the d.c. botanical gardens in the meantime.

(d.c. botanical gardens, photographed February 2011)

Snapshots of New York

2011-03-06T19:50:00.000-08:00

I confess that, except for my brief photo field trip in d.c., I haven't been using my camera. As I mentioned before, it's just too cold and bleak to want to be out there snapping away. Spring is *finally* around the corner, but not quite. As soon as the weather turns nice, I have a photo date with Katy of Sugarlaws. I also have a photo field trip planned with my friend Laura to wander around and take photos of whatever we stumble upon. But until then, I've been staying creative with my iphone, surreptitiously taking photos on the subway and on the streets.

But I'm constantly amazed at the great shots I can capture with my little iphone camera, like these.

(New York City, photographed Winter 2011)

A walk in the garden continued...

2011-02-27T20:53:00.000-08:00

After seeing my last post, my friend Dara commented that the photos were "pretty!" but "also sort of strange," because "orchids are weird-looking." I can't say I disagree. Orchids can be quite beautiful but really are odd-looking. I'd try to espouse on some metaphor or simile with greater life meaning, but I have a headache and am ready for bed. So you are on your own for that one. Just enjoy these photos and the orchids' strange beauty.

(U.S. Botanical Gardens, DC, photographed February 2011)

A walk in the garden...

2011-02-26T14:55:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned in my last post, I was in d.c. last weekend with my friend Meghan. It was a sunny but very windy day, so we took shelter at the botanical gardens. And I took full advantage of the opportunity to take photos of all the amazing flowers, which included several dozen kinds of orchids. Big ones. Little ones. Purple with white spots. White with purple spots. Ones that looked like dancing fairies, and ones that looked like evil monsters. It was quite the collection. Mind you, there are some 20,000 types of orchids, but I think I would run out of space in my memory card if they were all at the botanical gardens in d.c.

(U.S. Botanical Gardens, DC, photographed February 2011)

Dreaming of Spring

2011-02-21T19:54:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned in my last post, I spent the long weekend in dc with my dear friend Meghan. We had a brief reprieve from the cold, dark winter during my visit. It was sunny and bright, so Meghan and I took to the streets of the district. Unfortunately, it was also windy, very windy. Meghan and I had no choice but to take shelter from the fierce gusts. Luckily, we were right by the U.S. Botanical Garden. We quickly decided that these greenhouses would not only be a great way to enjoy the sunlight without the blinding wind but also would give Meghan a chance to cross something off of her dc bucket list of things to do. Oh, and there was free admission! I love that about dc museums.

The many gardens full of colorful blossoms and exotic plants would also give me a chance to break my streak of uninspiring days without photography and start taking some photos again. (Meghan had thought of that, too, as a reason to visit the gardens. She's such a great friend). And boy, did I have fun. It reminded me of visits to the Mitchell Park Domes -- the botanical gardens in Milwaukee -- with my dad during Christmas breaks when I was younger. We'd go, cameras in hand, to take a break from the cold winters of Wisconsin and practice taking photographs of flowers.

My love of taking photos of flowers has not waned since those days with my dad. I took a lot of photos at the U.S. Botanical Gardens with Meghan (ya, expect more posts on flowers), but what I loved about these is the dream-like composition. Suits my mood, in which I'm dreaming of spring.

(U.S. Botanical Gardens, DC, photographed February 2011)

Inspiration Station

2011-02-20T20:29:00.000-08:00

Hi again. It's been awhile.

There was a bit of a hiatus in posting. Three weeks, in fact. With work and friends and a surprisingly active social calender, I didn't have the time or energy to organize any posts. What's worse is that I wasn't even taking photos. I was uninspired. Blame it on the snow, the cold weather, the grey days... I didn't feel like taking out my camera, because, really, what was I going to take a photo of? The dirty, slushy streets? The garbage that sat outside for days waiting for pick up? One word. Gross.

But then something changed.

The weather became decidedly spring-like. Mind you, it was only for a weekend. But what a glorious, lovely, long weekend it was. I took the train from nyc to dc, to visit my friend Meghan (aka my cruising bestie). We bopped all around dc, and suddenly I felt inspired. Maybe it was sun, maybe it was all the time outdoors, but, let me tell you, I took a lot of photos. Including these. Which generally don't involve the sun or the outdoors, despite my prior comment. Apparently, I was also inspired by the dc underground, too.

FYI - these were all taken with my iphone, using the instagram app (a new favorite of mine).

(Metro, Washington D.C., photographed February 2011)

Flutter By...

2011-01-30T22:23:00.000-08:00

"Just when the caterpillar thought her world was ending, she became a butterfly."

I love that expression. I'm not sure who originally coined it, but I stumbled upon it while reading a sky mall magazine on a long flight. You know the sky mall magazines, right? Full of junkity-junk and crazy contraptions that no one needs and you wonder who even thought up such wackadoodle ideas. (But truthfully, I want some of the crazy but completely unnecessary items. Shh! Don't tell anyone!)

Anyway, sky mall magazine was selling some piece of jewelry or bookmark or piece of rice or something with this expression embossed upon it. As ugly as the item was, I found the saying to be so beautiful. Maybe it was the wine I was drinking, but this slightly cheesy expression really struck me. I may have teared up just a little (okay, that definitely was because of the wine). But wine or no wine, it hit a chord close to home. I went through a lot of change in the last year and a half, but, like the caterpillar, my world didn't end. I've -- dare I say it -- flourished. So, when I was looking at these photographs I had taken at a butterfly exhibit, I was reminded about how far I've come from my little caterpillar days. See, now I'm the cheesy one. I might as well buy that embossed piece of rice.

(Butterflies at Milwaukee Public Museum, photographed May 2010)

Pinch Me I'm Dreaming...

2011-01-23T21:02:00.000-08:00

It's happened again. The Packers ae going to the Superbowl this year. I'm too excited to write anything more than GO PACK GO! GO PACK GO! GO PACK GO!

These photos were taken during my first visit to Lambeau Field, back in October 2010. Read more here.

(Green Bay, photographed October 2010)

Things I Like

2011-01-17T18:49:00.000-08:00

I wouldn't ever say that winter is my favorite season. It's not. It's cold and dreary and, while I enjoy snow when it frst falls, it just gets grey and gross way too quickly in New York. However, there are some things about the season that I adore. Here are some of the things that have made me smile so far.

1. Hikes in the snow with friends.

2. First kisses at winter weddings.

3. Cups of hot cocoa with whip cream (and bourbon!)

4. Wisconsin barns as seen from the side of the road.

5. And snowmobiling in the snowmobile capital of the world, Eagle River, Wisconsin.

(Various locations, photographed December 2010 and January 2011)

Aging Gracefully

2011-01-11T00:05:00.000-08:00

Today I turn 29. Happy birthday to me! And while it was pointed out to me that I look remarkably similar to a photo of me from ten years ago that my friend had posted to facebook, I truly hope that I age with grace. Like my grandmother Joan, photographed here.

Recently I posted some photos of my paternal grandmother, Ethel, and I thought I should now give my maternal grandmother Joan her share of the limelight. Honestly, both hated when I whipped out my camera and took their photos over the holidays and, if they had internet access, would not be too pleased with me posting their portraits on my blog. But I think they are lovely and should not be so camera shy. I'm sure you agree.

Joan has a fraternal twin sister, Jane, and they both married men named Robert but who go by Bob. Not Robert or Rob or Robbie or Bobbie. Nope, they both found a man named Bob to love when they were young and carefree. And they both were able to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversaries with their respective Bobs. Sadly, after that remarkable milestone -- and after a full, well-lived and well-loved life-- my Grandpa Bob passed away. Despite mourning Bob's loss as well as the loss of other loved ones, my Grandma Joan has remained sassy and quite spunky. And truly quite beautiful.

And, although I'm posting this technically on a Tuesday, the black and white photos are for my friends at Black and White Wednesday, hosted by the Long Road to China (and back). I figure you can forgive the timing because it is my birthday after all.

(Grandma Joan, photographed December 2010)

Puppy Eyes

2011-01-06T09:41:00.000-08:00

This dog would very much like to get out of the car. Wish I could have taken him with me.

(Sorry for the short post - been too busy, but trying to keep posting regularly).

(Dog in Eagle River, WI, photographed December 2010)

Over the River and Through the Woods...

2011-01-02T20:39:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned here, my dad and I ventured to Eagle River, Wisconsin, to see some of my relatives for Christmas. In particular, my dad wanted to surprise his mother -- my grandmother Ethel -- with this holiday visit. Because of various reasons, we hadn't seen her for Christmas in a really, really long time. Too long of a time, in fact. But rather than let her know that we would be there for Christmas, we instead simply showed up unannounced at her front door, presents in hand, on Christmas Eve. (We had checked with my aunt that Grandma would be around, of course. Didn't want the trip to be a complete waste). I was just a tinsy-bit concerned that we would surprise Grandma a little too much, but no one keeled over from a shock-induced coronary during our visit, thankfully. Grandma was tickled pink to see us, and we were happy to see her as well. We talked and laughed, opened presents and posed for pictures. Although Grandma as shy before my big camera, I still managed to take some nice portraits during our weekend holiday visit.

(Grandmother Ethel, photographed December 2010)

Winter Wonderland

2010-12-29T16:58:00.000-08:00

My Christmas weekend was spent in Eagle River, Wisconsin, which is the furthest north I've spent a Christmas. I flew in from New York City to Milwaukee, where I grew up, and Dad and I then drove the five hours "up north" to Eagle River. Eagle River is -- for those of you not in the know -- the snowmobile capital of the world. I kid you not. There is signage to prove it. And gets its fair share of "lake effect" snow. It was a winter wonderland with white, pristine snow coverage. But yet, despite being far north in Wisconsin, it was sunny and relatively flake free while I was there. Kind of funny that the big snowstorm happened in New York City instead.

We wanted to surprise my grandmother and other relatives for Christmas (more on that later), but while we were in Eagle River, we also enjoyed the great outdoors. We hiked (well, more like walked a nature trail while both Dad and I took an insane amount of photographs. I am truly my father's daughter in that sense) and went snowmobiling (you have to in the snowmobile capital on the world). It was great to be outside in the fresh air. I even enjoyed the light, fluffy snow that fell when we were hiking. Plus it was fun to try to capture it using a very fast shutter speed on my camera.

I'm headed into a different winter wonderland this weekend - Vermont - to be a ski bunny for the New Years. Should be a good way to ring in the new year. Happy New Years to you!

(Eagle River, photographed December 2010)

Things I Like (Holiday Edition)

2010-12-22T00:01:00.000-08:00

It's almost Christmas, and I'd like to share some of the things that have made me happy during the holiday season. I hope everyone finds things that bring them cheer, peace and happiness this season and throughout the entire year.

Happy holidays!

1. Light-up reindeer antlers on a friend

2. A bar filled with Santas and elves during Santacon

3. A specially-guarded tree in Rockefeller Center

(posted in honor of Black and White Wednesday, hosted by the Long Road to China. Thank you for all your kind support, fellow bloggers on Black and White Wednesday!)

4. Fruit, cheese and sausage plates at the start of holiday feasts

5. Homemade pumpkin pie at the end of holiday feasts (with graham cracker crust because I don't like regular pie crust)

6. And the best Christmas present I ever received, my Princess Monster Bella, who has been my furball friend for two years this Christmas

(Holiday Treats, photographed November and December 2010)

Christmas Cheer

2010-12-17T07:42:00.000-08:00

It's almost time for Christmas and I can't wait. Mind you, there's a lot to do before I can relax and just take in the holiday. Last minute presents to buy, packing to do before fighting the crowds at the airport, and, of course, lots of assignments to finish at work. But that doesn't stop me from feeling some Christmas joy. I planning on blaring Christmas music at my desk today and counting down the days until I can officially celebrate. "Tis the season.

So, in response to my earlier post on Christmas, my friend Laura asked if any of the photos were taken with my lensbaby (lots of links for you to follow!). None were, but that got me thinking. Why don't I take some photos of my Christmas tree with my lensbaby? Deep thoughts, right? Honestly, though, I hadn't taken photos with the lensbaby for awhile. In an almost shamefully long time. But I immediately knew what about the lensbaby I would use to capture my Christmas cheer: the star- and heart-shaped aperture disks.

And ta-da! My tree as re-envisioned by the lensbaby.

(my Christmas tree, photographed December 2010)

Purring with Delight (B&W)

2010-12-15T00:02:00.000-08:00

Meow.

Back-to-back posting on cats. I wasn't going to do this. Because I'm not a crazy cat lady.

But it's been a while since I've participated in Black and White Wednesday, hosted by the Long Road to China. I've been lax in posting to my little blog, thanks (unfortunately) to work and life obligations. In November, I managed to scrape together three posts. Three. In the entire month. No wonder I've been so grumpy and uninspired lately. So now I'm making a concerted effort to keep these creative juices flowing. And, in doing so, found these great black and white photos I took of my dad and stepmom's cats and thought these would be perfect for black and white Wednesday.

And that's how I got to back-to-back postings on cats. Not because I am a crazy cat lady. These aren't even my cats.

You have to admit, though, that these are cute cats. Even if you are not a crazy cat person yourself. Little Isaiah -- the one with the stripes -- was very perplexed at what I was doing, following him around on hands and knees, taking photos. I think you can see the curiosity written on his face in a couple of these photographs. Luckily for my parents, however, curiosity did not, in fact, kill the cat.

(Noah & Isaiah, photographed October 2010)

Cat in the Hat (or Sack)

2010-12-12T15:12:00.000-08:00

"We looked!
Then we saw him
step in on the track!
We looked!
And we saw him!
The Cat in the Sack!"

“I know it is wet
And the sun is not sunny.
But we can have
Lots of good fun
that is funny!”

“Look at me!

Look at me!

Look at me NOW!

It is fun to have fun

But you have

to know how.”*

Whether it be a bag or a box, my sister's cat knows how to have fun. She was very entertaining (and photogenic) when I visited during the Thanksgiving holiday.

*quotes (slightly adapted) from The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Suess

(Kim Gordon, photographed November 2010)

Visions of Sugar Plums

2010-12-09T12:30:00.000-08:00

I put up my Christmas tree last weekend. It didn't take long.

My tree -- which I've had for a few years now -- is a tiny, artificial, three-foot tree that came with its lights already strung. Although I can't wait until I have a decent sized tree (not quite practical for my Brooklyn apartment) or a live tree (not doable since I go to Wisconsin for Christmas), I still manage to get pretty thrilled at the prospect of decorating my itsy-bitsy-fake tree. Most of my ornaments have been collected during my globe-trotting adventures, so hanging them up on my tree not only gets me into the festive spirit, but also reminds me of the far-away places I've been.

If you have noticed any trend in my posting (or lack thereof), it's that I've been really busy with work the last couple of months. I feel like my days have been reduced to going to the office, working late, then coming home and working even later on my laptop. This leads to a very disgruntled, uninspired Kristen. So, to try to counteract this bad temperament, I've been trying to post more (three posts in December already!) and take more photos. Even if those photos are simply ones taken of my tiny Christmas tree at 1:30 in the morning, hypothetically speaking of course.

Although these are not the crispest photographs, I think there is something cool about the ethereal, semi-abstract quality of these shots. The sublime bokeh affect really creates a dreamy feeling, when combined with the colorful glow of the Christmas lights.

(My Christmas tree, photographed December 2010)

Family Portraits (in Wine Country, of Course)

2010-12-06T22:13:00.000-08:00

During my recent visit to Portland, Oregon, my sister and I went on a wine-tasting tour, with her husband Nick graciously chauffeuring us from vineyard to vineyard.

Me, being me, I toted my camera around looking for photo ops while still savoring every glass of pinot noir. And I found my perfect op while enjoying the view from a terrace of one of the vineyards. The light was just perfect, I had my new portrait lens on my camera, and I was feeling very shutter-happy so I made Monica and Nick pose for some portraits.

Now, I'm a little nervous to post these photos without letting Monica and Nick see them first. (So, Monica & Nick, if you don't like these, sorry, but also too late now). But because Nick was so wonderful as our designated driver, I'm not posting any bad shots of him. Favor returned, I think.

(Monica & Nick, photographed November 2010)

On the Vine

2010-12-04T15:38:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned during my last post, I traveled to Portland for the Thanksgiving holiday. It was a fantastic mini-vacation with my sister and her husband. Although I still had to do some work (yes, even on my vacation), we packed a lot into the short week. We cooked a delicious Thanksgiving feast, did some Black Friday shopping, hung out at the neighborhood bar and played some pinball, among other things. Everything was fun, but one of the highlights had to be the wine tastings we went to on Saturday.

Much to my delight, the weekend after Thanksgiving is when Oregon vineyards open up their doors for tasting specials and deals. My sister had thoughtfully researched the various vineyards we could visit, and on Friday night we sat down to chart our course for the next day. My brother-in-law graciously volunteered to be the designated driver so my sister and I could partake in as many of the five dollar tastings as we wanted (Thanks, Nick!). We tried numerous pinots (I even grabbed a couple bottles of pinot gris to bring Oregon back to the big apple) and stumbled upon a cider tasting to boot. As much as I loved the pinots, the scenery was pretty amazing, too.

(Salem, Oregon, photographed November 2010)

The Great Outdoors

2010-11-23T15:59:00.000-08:00

I'm in Portland, Oregon, again this year for Thanksgiving with my sister and brother-in-law. This is my second Thanksgiving out here and I'm stoked for the company and for the Northwest. Only problem is, I'm still up to my ears in work (once again, as evidenced by my lack of postings). But if I work really hard, I might still be able to find time to enjoy the great outdoors like I did last year. The hiking trails around here are simply breathtaking, especially to a girl who spends most of her time in the concrete jungle of New York City.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

(Portland, Oregon, photographed November 2009)

Falling for New York

2010-11-14T15:16:00.000-08:00

Today was a beautiful day in New York. Although it is (gasp) already mid-November, it was unseasonably warm, with temperatures reaching the mid-sixties. My friend from high school was visiting for the weekend (hi Meghan!), so we took full advantage of the great weather and strolled through the streets of Brooklyn.

And I, of course, took my camera with me. But I didn't want to be a pain and make my dear friend wait while I switched lens and played around with my camera. Nor did I feel like lugging my big camera bag around during our stroll. So instead I took just my camera, upon which I mounted my new 85mm prime lens. I have been so busy lately (maybe you could tell by the lack of recent posts) that I haven't really had a chance to break it in. Needless to say, I'm pretty happy with it.

(NYC, photographed November 2010)

Vogue (B&W)

2010-11-03T10:34:00.000-07:00

Some girls look at fashion magazines and want to be the model. They imagine what it would be like to dress up in the designer clothes, have makeup applied and hair styled by a team of attentive professionals and pose for the camera.

Me? Although I certainly don't shy from being the center of attention, I want to be behind the camera, staging the shot and trying to capture a model's best angles. I study the fashion magazines to better understand what makes a good fashion photoshoot: light, camera lens, perspective, staging... Luckily, I have some beautiful friends to be my models so I can put my knowledge into practice.

These are some of the photos from my joint fashion shoot with Katy of Sugarlaws and Jordan of Ramshackle Glam. As I mentioned in my last post, these ladies were fabulous to shoot. You can check out the photos in color on their blogs, but I decided to post in black & white in honor of Black & White Wednesdays at The Long Road to China. I haven't done a black & white Wednesday for awhile -- work has gotten in the way -- but I'm happy to be able to share this week.

(Katy and Jordan, photographed in NYC, October 2010)

New Look and Double Fun

2010-10-30T15:16:00.000-07:00

You probably have noticed a few changes around here.

Once again, I'm playing around with the format of this blog. Besides changing the heading to be more colorful, I've added some links to my posts on travel photography and portraits to help you navigate around my blog. I plan on adding more tabs like these in the near future. I'm also trying out some new formats for showing my photos.

Like this one.

It's fun, right?

As you know, I sometimes take photos for my friend Katy and her blog Sugarlaws. She had the great idea of doing a joint photoshoot with Jordan of Ramshackle Glam. I was a little nervous, but Katy and Jordan were so much fun and fabulous to shoot. Be on the lookout for some more great photos from this photoshoot.

(Katy & Jordan, photographed October 2010)

Rolling with It

2010-10-28T20:41:00.000-07:00

As some of you may know, I'm in a bowling league (Yes, I really am from Wisconsin). My team, the Jackie Treehorn Allstars, named in honor of the Big Lebowski, of course, went undefeated in regular play last season. Yeah, we're good like that.

I took the opportunity during the last two games of the season to whip out my iPhone with the vintage and hipstamatic photo apps to take some photographs. My team loves my blog (hi guys!) and I thought I would give them a big shout out. But don't worry, I won't post any of the videos I took. I promise that those are private. And if I go over a little bit with the posting of photos this week, you'll have to excuse it. It's our bye-week for bowling, and I'm going through a little withdrawal. Just give me a ten pound ball and ten pins, please.

As I mentioned a couple of times on this blog, I really am impressed with how much fun the iPhone and it's creative camera apps can be - especially in social situations when I want to take some photos but don't want to drag out my big SLR camera.

(NYC bowling, photographed October 2010)

Street Photography

2010-10-24T18:50:00.000-07:00

I had the wonderful opportunity today to do a fashion shoot with Katy of Sugarlaws and Jordan of Ramshackle Glam. Although I often take Katy's photos (some of my favorites you can see here), this was the first time I did a joint fashion shoot. The ladies were fabulous - super cute and fun - and the weather couldn't have been any better (perfectly overcast for portraits). All in all, it was a great day and a great shoot.

So what does that have to do with the photos on this post, you may ask. These certainly are not the vogue-esque shots from today. So what's the connection? Because it is one thing to do a photo shoot with friends who are eager to be photographed, and a whole different thing to take photos of strangers on the street, who, um, really don't want me taking their picture. And while I love the staged photo shoots, there's something about taking a photo of an unsuspecting stranger that I just love. You remember that from this Portugal post (and one of my favorite posts).

These photos were taken while I was in Shanghai a couple years ago. Most of them are from one afternoon that I wandered around Old Shanghai by myself, camera in hand. I tried to sneak portraits of the interesting strangers on the street and only occasionally got caught red-handed and shot disapproving looks.

(Shanghai, photographed February 2008)

Wiesn

2010-10-21T20:46:00.000-07:00

This afternoon some of my colleagues headed to a beer garden (in Harlem of all places, but I digress) to celebrate the beautiful fall weather. And me? I had to stay in my office. Working. I thought about them drinking steins of beer while I made corrections to a client presentation. Sigh.

But, really, I shouldn't complain that I missed one outing to a bier garten. Because I once had the pleasure of going to the ultimate beer party. Oktoberfest, aka Wiesn, in Munich Germany. And while I would certainly have loved to raise a stein of beer today, I had my fair share (or maybe more than, but let's not discuss that) of prost-ing with friends during Wiesen.

And, despite the piles of work, I thought tonight I would dig out a handful of Wiesn photos to share and to remind me of some of the good times I've had.

And yes, those hot dogs are a meter long. There's no "foot-long" dog in Germany. Metric system. That, and the Germans are really serious about their sausage. I just don't recommend going on the rides after eating one.

(Oktoberfest, photographed October 2008)

Prime Time

2010-10-17T21:19:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been asked to take a bunch of portraits for my friends. My friends' engagement photos, another friend's wedding, some more baby shots... I'm super excited and honored (thanks, guys!). But this also got me thinking that maybe it's about time that I invested in another prime lens for these portraits. I really wanted a prime lens that would give a sublime bokeh - photographer-speak for that dreamy blurry background effect in photos. I did my research and I found that an 85mm / 1.8 was exactly what I was looking for. And I bought it.

I had a chance to play with it this weekend while doing another fashion shoot for my friend Katy at Sugarlaws. I really think some of the portraits turned out quite lovely. But those photos aren't ready to be posted yet. So instead, I'm sharing with you the other portraits that I took this weekend. Of my favorite cat model Bella and Katy's adorable puppies.

As usual, Bella was not as cooperative of a witness as I would like. See below. Haha. The puppies were better behaved.

(Bella and Coco & Calvin, photographed October 2010)

Studying Portuguese

2010-10-12T21:49:00.000-07:00

I had a lovely (and much needed) evening with friends tonight. Over a couple of glasses of wine, I caught up with some dear friends, including my friend Laura, whom I traveled with in Portugal for my summer vacation. You may recall various posts about her - including this one dedicated just to traveling with a fellow shutter bug.

Well, Laura and I got to talking about how great our vacation was and how, after the daily toil of our jobs, we really wanted another vacation. Which, of course, made me start thinking even more about how great our last vacation was. We traveled through Portugal, without a set itinerary, traveling wherever the road took us. And we wound up in the great university town of Portugal - Coimbra - where we followed Rick Steves' recommendation to a underground fado club. Which was perfect, except for the creepy man who wanted to um, let's just say, get to know Laura and I know better and who insisted on "translating" the fado songs for us. Ya, thanks but no thanks. But that's a whole 'nother story...

Coimbra was made for black and white pictures. From our amazing hotel, pictured above, with film noir art deco decor inside, to the cobblestone streets, I just had to take photo after photo. And it being Wednesday, I figured it was about time to pay homage to Coimbra for Black & White Wednesdays, hosted by the Long Road to China. I can't imagine what it would be like to actually study in this place -- I can't imagine being anything than a history major here. Or maybe graphic design, with its vivid graffiti.

(Coimbra, Portugal, photographed June 2010)

Game Day

2010-10-07T20:26:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in my last post, I went to Green Bay to go to my very first Packers game. And it was incredible. Everything I had hoped for. And more. Much more.

Mind you, the Packers barely held on their lead to win. It got awfully close near the end of the game as the Lions tried to take the lead away. But a win is a win. And it was a beautiful day with a fun-loving crowd, including my friend Katie from high school (Hi Katie!). And nobody can lead a tailgate like my Aunt Karen and cousins.

Which leads me to my next point...

I've also learned that it is really hard to take photos in the bright sun after drinking. I have a couple hundred photos (apparently I get really shutter happy when I drink) but I forgot to change the ISO to handle the glaring fall sun. Yes, that tailgate was a little too good...

But I'm all smiles (see below).

(Green Bay, photographed October 2010)

Wiscaaaaahnsin

2010-09-29T19:30:00.000-07:00

I can't wait.

One more day and I'll be on my way back to Wisconsin. I'm headed to my very first Packers game and will get some quality family time to boot. It's only for a weekend, but it will be good to be home. Especially after the long days I've been having lately at work (which you may have figured out from my mentions in recent posts and well, to be frank, my lack of recent posts). I need some quality R and R.

Thinking about Wisconsin made me go through some of my photographs from my last trip to Wisconsin, when I went home for a family reunion. My dad and I went to Merrill and Tomahawk, two small towns in Wisconsin, and visited the Lincoln County Fair. And I gathered an interesting collection of photographs from those adventures. This time, I hope to come back from with some great ones from Lambeau Field....

And I almost forgot that it is Wednesday! The days have blurred a bit lately. But it being Wednesday means that it is Black & White Wednesday, hosted by The Long Road to China. Although this post is more colorful than most of my B&W Wednesday posts (sorry!), I did specifically choose that top shot of the clover field and this bottom shot of my gin and tonic as my B&W shots from my last trip to Wisconsin. And as a side note, that was just not any gin and tonic... It was a very special gin and tonic. It brought much comfort after a long day of socializing at the family reunion with a hundred relatives I hadn't met before.

(Wisconsin, photographed July 2010)

Grapes of Wrath (B&W)

2010-09-22T05:11:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned here, I visited the Duoro River Valley while vacationing in Portugal earlier this year. My friend Laura and I rented a car and drove through the hills overlooking the river, stopping at quintas to quench our thirst (for port that is). But we didn't just sit and sip our port and enjoy the scenery. We trekked through the quintas, taking photos. Laura had encouraged me to experiment more with black & white photography, so I kept alternating between taking photos of the luscious grapes in vivid greens and trying to capture in black & white the contrast played in the leaves by the bright sun and dark shadows, as shown here.

I figured that this little study of mine, in black and white, would be perfect for black and white Wednesdays, hosted by the Long Road to China. I wish I had more time to tell you more, but work beckons. But once I finish what will surely be a long work week, I'm going to celebrate with a glass of port. Seems fitting with these photos.

(Quinta do Panascal, Portugal, photographed in June 2010)

Shanghai'd by Work

2010-09-16T18:30:00.000-07:00

Work this week has been crazy. I don't even want to begin to think about how many hours I've been billing. It's kept me from things that I like to do, like bowl in my league with my friends, going to a nyc fashion week party, finish reading "the hunger games" (such a good book!) and update this blog. Thankfully, today ended mercifully early (relatively speaking that is), giving me a chance to put on my sweats, curl up on my couch and make a new post.

I started flipping through my old photographs, wondering what to share tonight, when I came across these photos. They were taken when work had taken over my life, but in a slightly different way. I was on an assignment in China, spending up to three weeks there at a time. Although some of the days were long, I often had nights to myself to wander around Shanghai by myself. Well, just me and my camera that is...

(And if you think the smooshed pig face hanging up in the one market picture, just wait until I post my photos of the street "meats").

(Shanghai, photographed February 2008)

Pearls of Wisdom

2010-09-12T20:37:00.000-07:00

It's fashion week in New York City. Glamor and tall skinny models abound. Because of my friend Katy at Sugarlaws, I've been able to attend a few events. I've gotten dolled up and put on my high heels (ouch blisters) and had cocktails with the fashion elite. And it's been fabulous.

But I'm not posting photos from Fashion Week or Fashion Night Out. I've taken a few photos for Katy's blog, but mostly have just been soaking it in sans camera. However, as I was going through old pictures to decide what to post tonight, I saw these. Strands of pearls from China. Strands upon strands of pearls. How glamorous, right? Reminded me of the fashion festivities going on right now...

When I was in China, one thing I quickly learned how to do was pick out cheap but nice pearls. Each booth in the markets would have hundreds of strands, just waiting to be picked through to find a decent set to be made into a necklace. I would weed through them, and, after much haggling over price, I would buy one and (in what was my favorite part) the saleswoman would quickly knot up the pearl strand into a beautiful pearl necklace. It was amazing how quickly these strands became beautiful necklaces to wear or share. And I bought plenty, both to wear and to share.

(China, photographed April 2008)

A Day at the Beach (B&W)

2010-09-08T00:15:00.000-07:00

This Labor Day weekend was exactly what I needed. Time out of the city with my friend Susie. We went to Cape May, New Jersey, and had a perfectly splendid mini-vacation: scrabble, bike rides, brunch, good wine and dinner and, of course, the beach.

Oh, the beach. How I love thee.

Hurricane Earl had threatened to ruin the weekend, but he proved no match for the Jersey Shore (must be all that fist-pumping that scared him away). And I could tell you how beautiful the weekend was, but it's much easier to just show you. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, after all. And these pictures should amply explain why I came back from the shore with renewed spirit.

Earlier I mentioned that I am in love with my new iPhone. And my day at the beach underscored that love. All of these photos were taken with it (vintage b&w free app and the hipstamatic camera app). I love how it allows me to take some pretty amazing photos without risking getting sand all over my nice canon camera baby. It also helps me take my photos of strangers on the sly. My friend Susie didn't even know I was snapping away, even though I was sitting a mere foot away from her.

Because it's Wednesday, I posted my black and white photographs (but trust me, the sky was a beautiful shade of blue). I love how black&white Wednesdays, hosted by The Long Road to China, keeps me exploring the art of the black and white photograph (if even just on the iPhone). Go check it out!

(Cape May, New Jersey, photographed September 2010)

The Writing is on the Wall

2010-09-06T20:52:00.000-07:00

One thing that stands out in my memories of Portugal is the graffiti (especially in Lisboa and Porto). Around every street corner there was another spray-painted image. My friend Laura and I were intrigued by this street art. Yes, although I don't want anyone to tag the side of my house, I think that sometimes graffiti can be quite beautiful or thought-provoking. The strawberry above falls into the former category, but a lot of the graffiti that I saw in Portugal fell into the latter category, rife with political messages and expressing personal discontent.

(And sorry for the short message today. I certainly fulfilled the "labor" part of labor day, meaning there's wasn't much time left over for posting.)

(Portugal, photographed June 2010)

One Fish, Two Fish, Black Fish, White Fish

2010-09-01T02:30:00.000-07:00

First of all, let me apologize if you don't like fish. And let me say, you should just quit looking at this page if you don't like fish. Because this whole post is all fish.

Yup, all fish.

I'm just as surprised as you that I have this many photos of sardines. But, like I mentioned here, when I was in Portugal I visited this amazing open air market in Oporto. To confess, Laura and I went there specifically to take photos. We thought a bustling market in Portugal would provide plenty of photo opps. And well, it did. Just a lot of those photo opps were fish. It seems that almost every other stand in the market was selling sardines or fish of some kind. I guess that shouldn't be surprising as I was in Oporto, which, as the name gives away, is a port city on the Atlantic Ocean. I'm more used to my Wisconsin farmers markets that have cheese at every other stand.

But sardines, with their slippery shiny scales, are far more interesting on film than cheese -- especially black and white film.

And thanks again to everyone at Black&White Wednesday, hosted by The Long Road to China, for being great. Hope you don't mind all these fishies. I promise cuter photos next week.

(Oporto market, photographed June 2010)

iPhotography

2010-08-28T17:52:00.000-07:00

I have a new toy.

I finally took the plunge and traded in my very, very old flip phone and bought an iPhone4. And I am obsessed, beyond obsessed, with it. I thought I had some good reasons for holding off on this upgrade. My primary reason was that I have a blackberry through work, which - although it is a very, very old model - handled my on-the-go internet needs. I figured it was silly to spend the money on another smart phone and on a big data plan and all the other costs that would go along with it. Why bother?

Now I can't believe I waited so long to get one.

What finally got me to give in was that my sister (who lives on the far other side of the country from me) got an iPhone4. I'm a sucker for the Apple and iPhone commercials, especially the "face time" video chatting they show as possible with the iPhone4, and I wanted my sister and I to have our own special moments via this iPhone video chat.

That, and I've been admiring photos taken with the hipstamatic camera app. Some friends had previously posted these really cool looking, vintage-feeling shots on facebook, and with some digging, I learned they were taken with hipstamatic. I knew I had to have it.

And so I quickly went out to the store, upgraded, and it's now been about a week and half with my new toy. Not only did I get the hipstamatic camera app, I got several other photography apps, like vintage shift, vintage green and vintage red. I plan on acquiring more, too. My phone has suddenly become the most convenient but fabulously creative camera in my bag.

And, in case you are wondering, I still haven't video chatted with my sister, as she's now in Japan on vacation. But with all the other things my iPhone does, I really haven't minded much.

(nyc, photographed August 2010)

In the Market For...

2010-08-25T00:01:00.000-07:00

I feel like I've been hinting about the photos I took at the Mercado do Bolhao in Oporto, Portugal for some time now. I definitely mentioned it at least here and here and maybe elsewhere on my blog. I already posted some when I had a post on sly portraits though I really didn't identify them as market photos. My personal favorite, sunflowers in black and white, was included in my post on flor. (If you haven't already seen it, click on the link and check it out. I really like that photograph.)

Now I thought it was finally time to do an actual post on the market itself. Described as "bustling" and "exuberant", "flamboyant" and "colorful," my friend Laura and I specifically selected it out of our guidebook (thanks Rick Steves) as a place that would likely have great photo opps. And it did. Although we caught it on a slow morning, Laura and I wandered down the halls of this old open air market place, stopping at stalls and snapping photos. It was made for black and white photography.

I wish I could have bought something from one of the many housewives hawking their goods, but there was no place for flowers and no kitchen for cooking meals on our road trip through Portugal. But there was always (well, at least at this point in the trip) room on my memory card for more photos.

I also want to thank everyone at Black&White Wednesday, hosted by The Long Road to China, for welcoming me so wholeheartedly! I shared my first post last week and everyone was so supportive. Thanks guys! I'm so happy to be part of this great community. And if you haven't had a chance yet, go check out the other great blogs that participate now (well, after you scroll down to the bottom of this post at least).

Also - I'm now on Twitter (though I'm still very, very new to it and just learned what certain things like "RT" mean). Follow me @CameraGirlK if you like.

(Oporto market, photographed June 2010)

A Fair Day

2010-08-22T14:17:00.000-07:00

I've mentioned my love of the Wisconsin State Fair before (like here, here, and here), so I won't repeat myself again. You get the picture. Although I don't want to become a broken record, I still had a few photos left to post from the Lincoln County Fair. I would have waited to post these photographs, given time for you to want to hear more stories about the fair (do you know that I went every year of my life until I was 22?), but work has been busy. I had these photos ready in the queue, so that's what will be posted today.

(Lincoln County Fair, photographed July 2010)

Falling Into A Dream

2010-08-20T21:55:00.000-07:00

It's not that I'm ready for summer to be over just yet. Geez, it flew by so quickly as is. How did it get to be this late in August? I feel like I need to have more time to go to the beach, eat more ice cream and sit in the park before summer passes us completely by. No, I'm definitely not ready to let summer go.

But lately I find myself thinking more and more about the fall. Perhaps it's the "back to school" ads that are popping up on the television. Maybe it's the jackets and long sleeved shirts that I'm now seeing in the stores (long gone are the bikinis and tank tops). Could be that my firm said goodbye to our summer associates and is already in full swing of "fall recruiting." Yes, despite the persistent humidity and continuing sticky days, fall is quickly approaching.

I love fall though. Pumpkin spice, brightly colored leaves, crispness in the air, hot apple cider, warm mittens and scarves without jackets, sweater weather, football. Yes, without a doubt, it's my favorite season. And looking at these photographs makes me (almost) excited to say farewell to summer.

These photos are from last fall, when one day in late fall my friends and I escaped from the city and rented bikes out in "the country." Although we were a little late for the changing of the leaves (or leaf-peeping as people call it in New England), it was a gorgeous fall day. I'm hoping we'll go again this year, but when the autumn leaves are at their best.

(around Pawling, NY, photographed November 2009)

Bella in Black & White

2010-08-18T00:15:00.000-07:00

When I first started this blog, I posted a few photos of my princess monster Bella. Although you haven't seen her since (don't want you to think I'm a crazy cat lady), I often take photos of her when trying out different lenses or camera settings. She's not terribly patient with me or my camera, but she's cute and looks good in print. And well, let's be honest, she's a captive subject.

Well, this weekend, I wanted to play more with the external flash I got for my camera. It's embarrassing to admit, but I've had this external flash for a long time and haven't really used it much. I've always been a natural light kind of girl. I tend to hate the built-in flash in my camera and avoid it at all costs. It just looks too much like a camera flash, which usually is not the look I'm going for. Blech. I was afraid that the external flash would disappoint me as well. But let me tell you. I learned this weekend that I really love (underscore love) this external flash. I'm just kicking myself for not using it more before.

So Bella got to pose again. And Bella, well, she was generally a good subject. She played with her toy (the mouse) while I played with my toy (the camera). We were two happy campers. But every once in a while she reminded me not to interfere too much with her playtime. The claws literally came out. Just look at the second to last photo if you don't believe me. She didn't get the nickname Princess Monster for no reason.

P.S. This is my first time participating in Black&White Wednesday, hosted by The Long Road to China. I'm excited to share these black and white photos of Bella. I've had fun looking at the other blogs that join in and think you should take a look at them, too.

(Bella, photographed August 2010)

You Spin Me Right...

2010-08-15T13:54:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned here and here, I love the Wisconsin State Fair. Cream puffs and deep fried cheese curds and farm animals and pig races... It's always been a family tradition. Although I couldn't make it to the State Fair this year, my dad did the next best thing he could do - he took me to the Lincoln County Fair while I was in Wisconsin for a family reunion.

When I was a kid, I used to love going on all the rides at the Fair. My parents used to buy me the bracelet that would allow me to ride all the rides all day... or until the spinny-dizziness-tipsy-turvy feeling of the rides would make me have to seek more solid footing. Nowadays, I wouldn't last longer than one ride without losing my cookies, I'm sure. I enjoy the rides much more now from the ground, with my camera in hand of course.

(Lincoln County Fair, photographed July 2010)

Strike a Pose

2010-08-13T10:43:00.000-07:00

As a photographer I consider myself very lucky to have a friend who loves to be a model. My wonderful friend Katy blogs about style and food on the superfabulous Sugarlaws. Although she can and sometimes does take photos herself using a tripod and remote control, we often go out into the city and do our own vogue-esque fashion shoots for her blog. And I can't tell you who loves these afternoons more - me or Katy. Her husband, on the other hand, thinks the both of us are just nuts.

But it really keeps my creative juices flowing to spend a couple hours roaming around the city with Katy, looking for interesting locations for our shoots and trying out different compositions and framings. Lately I've found myself studying other fashion blogs for ideas, watching America's Next Top Model marathons on tv for inspiration (they do some very interesting shoots, seriously), and flipping through glossy magazines. I really like fashion photography.

These are just a sampling of some of the photographs Katy and I have done together. For more, check out Sugarlaws.

(Katy, photographed in various NYC locales, Summer 2010)

Portugal Potpourri II

2010-08-09T21:05:00.000-07:00

Okay, I know I have done this before. But work remains busy, and it's either skip posting again or just share an odd assortment of photos from my recent journeys through Portugal. I went with the latter. I think you'll be happy with this choice.

Enjoy these photos, and I'll hopefully have more time to write in a few days. Fingers crossed.

(Portugal, photographed June 2010)

Gente Interessante

2010-08-05T19:17:00.000-07:00

I have a secret.

I love taking photographs of people Including strangers. Especially strangers. Strangers, however, don't often reciprocate the feeling. In fact, I think it's pretty safe to say that most people do not like some random person taking photos of them.

But I do it anyway. In a secretive, furtive fashion, I quickly point my camera at an unsuspecting person, snap, and just as quickly, point my camera at something else, as if to say "nooo... I wasn't just taking a photo of you, I was taking a photo of this lovely wall or rock or pole or whatever..." As if they believe me. But I try. The problem with this approach is that you don't always get the photo you want, but sometimes you get lucky.

It also helps if they never notice you in the first place (zoom lens around a corner, although that's kind of creepy) or if you look just like some dumb tourist, like I did in Portugal, where I took these shots.

(Porto, photographed June 2010)

Let Me Take Your Photo

2010-08-03T20:24:00.000-07:00

I've been neglecting this blog, I know. I haven't had a chance to post lately - not for lack of photos (trust me, I have more than enough photographs) - but because I headed out of the city to the beach this last weekend and work otherwise has consumed my life.

But I'm staying up late tonight to share some photos with you. I thought about picking some nice beach shots, in honor of my mini-vacation at the shore. I thought about finally sharing the Porto market photos to which I keep alluding. I thought about posting some more photos from the county fair...

But, alas, I'm tired. Too tired to weed through those photos for the ones I like best and try to put them together in a coherent post. But, I already had assembled these portraits of Laura, taken while we were vacationing together in Portugal. I thought she might like to use one (or more) for a facebook profile shot. Now she's (another) blog post.

See what happens when you spend a lot of time with me...

And here's a neat one of the two us.

(Laura, photographed in Portugal, June 2010)

My Other Camera

2010-07-27T20:57:00.000-07:00

It was just my dear friend Anne's birthday. To celebrate, she invited a bunch of her friends to this yummy bbq joint in the city that had live country music. (This is my friend who had her bachelorette party not in Vegas, not in Miami, but in Nashville, mind you.) But hey, no complaints from me. I borrowed a pair of Anne's cowboy boots for the soiree and gave a few "yeehaws" and enjoyed the night.

And me being me, I had a camera and snapped some photos of the birthday girl and the festivities. This prompted Anne to excitedly ask whether these photos would make it onto my blog (Hi Anne! Thanks for reading!). I must have given her a bit of a face. Okay, I definitely gave her a face, and she quickly stated "oh... these weren't taken with your fancy camera, so no, right?"

Quite honestly, the answer was going to be no. I wasn't planning on sharing those photos here (and for the most part, I won't - check facebook instead). They were the cheesy group shots and candids taken with my point and click camera -- my not so fancy camera. But Anne's comment, though, got me thinking. Although I love my quote unquote fancy camera, my point and click camera takes some pretty nice photos, too. So I think it's about time that I show off some of the ones I took in Portugal. I didn't photoshop these - the special effects came from the camera's own built-in settings.

Lesson learned: you don't need a fancy-pants camera to take a good shot.

And happy birthday, Anne! Thanks for the inspiration. And the giant ice cream cake.

(Portugal, photographed June 2010; NYC, photographed July 2010)

No W(h)ining

2010-07-24T11:57:00.000-07:00

Whine... It's so hot in New York City this weekend. Unbearably hot. Too hot really to do anything but sit in a nice cool and dark apartment and drink a chilled bottle of vinho verde. (Yup, am still plugging this wine. Seriously, you have to try it).

When Laura and I were in Portugal, we not only drank our fair share of vinho verde, we also visited wine and port country. We drove our car through the hills overlooking the Douro River, which are populated by countless quintas, each touting rows and rows of grape vines. We stopped at one, where they grow the grapes used in fonesca port. The day was hot, the sun was baking as we combed through the seemingly endless rows of vines, but our sweet reward was several glasses of port waiting for us to sip in a lovely air-conditioned tasting parlor.

Oh, and the opportunity to take some neat photos was a fun treat as well.

(Quinta do Panascal, Portugal, photographed in June 2010)

Happy Cows Come From Wisconsin

2010-07-22T20:12:00.000-07:00

My last post about the Lincoln County Fair was all about the horses, but really, what would a county fair in Wisconsin be without the cows?

Speaking of cows, I have a story that is slightly amusing or maybe slightly embarrassing. Really, I'm not yet sure which it is. Last night, I was playing trivia at a bar with my friends. A question comes up, requiring us to identify a particular breed of dairy cow. Me, being the easily excited girl from Wisconsin, I scream out that I knew it, letting it slip that the particular cow (Jersey) was my favorite dairy cow. Yes, the cat, er... cow, is out of the bag. Not only do I know the various breeds of dairy cows, I actually have a favorite one.

I really am from Wisconsin.

(Merrill, Wisconsin, photographed July 2010)

My Fair Lady

2010-07-20T18:37:00.000-07:00

Although I've lived in New York City for ten years, I'll always be a girl from Wisconsin (as the title from this blog should make clear). There are certain things about Wisconsin that I just love... like cheese curds and the Packers, Summerfest and the Dane County Farmer's Market... and the Wisconsin State Fair.

I used to go to the State Fair each year, every year since I was born. But I haven't been able to make it back the last few years. But when I went home this last weekend for my family reunion, my dad had a special treat for me -- the Lincoln County Fair. We stopped for a couple hours on Sunday, and it was like the State Fair, just on a smaller scale. Animals, crafts, rides, games, and of course, deep fried food on a stick.

Although I still have more Portugal photos to post (yes, I took a lot of photos on vacation), I'm taking a break to show some from the fair, starting first with these from the horse barn.

(Merrill, Wisconsin, photographed July 2010)

Pousada of My Heart

2010-07-15T07:14:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in my last post, I spent one night at a pousada while in Portugal. A pousada is basically a state-owned hotel operating out of a renovated historic landmark, like a monastery, castle, palace, or other architecturally and culturally rich building. There's about forty-some pousadas across the country, but the one that Laura and I stayed at was located in the hills of the Douro River valley, overlooking the water below.

It was gorgeous, of course - essentially a nobleman's bed and breakfast. Our pousada had a parlor, a game room, a beautiful dining area, manicured rose gardens, several elegant fountains and so forth. It even came with its very own wedding party.

(Portugal, photographed June 2010)

Flor!

2010-07-13T08:25:00.000-07:00

As you may be noticing based on the steady stream of posts about Portugal, I took a lot of photographs while on vacation. Traveling with another photographer meant that it was (generally) not annoying if I stopped and snapped a shot whenever something caught my eye. And, well, lots of things caught my eye. Like flowers. I loved these tiny red ones that we saw at a quinta. They looked like they were made out of crinkly tissue paper - very much like the red tissue paper poppies that the VWF sells in front of stores in remembrance of our veterans.

But this one of the sunflowers is one of my favorite photos of the trip. I saw these sunflowers at a market in Porto that Laura and I visited one morning and am just so smitten with how the photograph turned out. I wish every photo I took came out so perfect.

These next two photos were taken at the romantic pousada that Laura and I stayed out while in the Douro River Valley (more on that later!). The place had a beautiful rose garden out front and, of course, we wandered through it taking photos.

(Portugal, photographed June 2010)

Futbol Fever

2010-07-09T07:03:00.000-07:00

I haven't had much luck with the World Cup this year. The Americans, although giving it their all, did not ultimately deliver. My Germans (who I loved watching in the Eurocup while in Munich two years ago) were just eliminated in the semifinals. But what disappointed me the most were the Portuguese.

Not because I normally cheer the Portuguese on, but because they played what should have been two big games while Laura and I were in Portugal. The match against Brazil (their old colony!) took place while we were visiting Porto. The match against Spain (their neighboring rivals!) happened was while we were visiting Lisboa - in fact, on our very last night in town. Seriously, last night in town. I wanted riots in the streets as my fair farewell to Portugal.

But no.

We had none.

The game against Brazil, photographed here, was so anticlimatic. As it was still in the early rounds, it ended on a zero to zero score. Yes, zero to zero. No goals. Nothing to cheer for or against. We watched in an outdoor square along with many futbol fans, but when the game was over, everyone went their own ways, with no celebrating or sulking. Just walking on to continue their days as usual. Anticlimatic, indeed.

Maybe I'll just have to go to Rio in four years instead.

(Porto, photographed June 2010)

(Not So) Camera Shy

2010-07-07T19:49:00.000-07:00

I've mentioned the food, the vinho verde and port. But another reason why my roadtrip through Portugal was so wonderful was that I was traveling with another shutterbug. Usually on vacation, others have to wait for me as I stop here or there to catch a photo that I see happening. But Laura, she stopped to take photos as much as I did (or at least almost as much).

There is something wonderful about traveling with another photographer, especially one as talented as Laura. We picked spots to visit, like the market in Porto, specifically because we thought there would be some great photos to be had (and spoiler alert, there was). We talked about f-stops and isos. We compared photos over dinner. We encouraged each other to try taking different photos. I blame Laura for the proliferation of black and white photos that you will now see on my website... (no really, I thank her).

And when you have two photographers traveling together, you got to expect some photos of taking photos(maybe you should ask Laura to see the photos she was taking here)...

(Portugal, photographed June 2010)

Saude!

2010-07-05T10:57:00.000-07:00

Saude!

To your health!

Last post I showed off some of the things I ate while in Portugal. But a good meal in Portugal wouldn't be complete without a good drink. The fish stew was delicious, but it was even better with a bottle of vinho verde. The tarts were yummy, but I preferred them with a shot of ginja in a chocolate cup. And a glass of port rounded off the night, of course.

Although I loved the ginja (which is a type of cherry brandy complete with soaked cherries) and have always enjoyed port, I cannot stop thinking about the vinho verde. Vinho verde, literally green wine, is not really green in color. It's called "green" because it's made from young grapes. It's crisp, refreshing and has a soft effervescent fizz to it (but far from the bubbles of sparkling wine or champagne). It's the perfect wine served chilled for a hot summer day. I strongly and very strongly suggest that you hurry out to a wine store, go to the white wines from Portugal section, and pick up a bottle of vinho verde for yourself. You won't regret it.

(Portugal, photographed June 2010)

Bom Appetit!

2010-07-03T13:50:00.000-07:00

Bom Appetit!

People have been asking how my vacation in Portugal was. My standard reply? I ate well, I drank well, I had a fabulous time. And I truly did - though you may disagree when you see some of the things I tried. Grilled octopus, well, that's nothing new to me. Sardines, well, they were bigger than I expected. They weren't the small fit-in-a-tin-can type, but still had tons of tiny bones making them harder to eat. The eels? Well, um, that's a different story. I've had eel sushi, but these were tiny eels, fried up in oil. The fried up part was good -- hey, I'm from Wisconsin. I like my fried food -- but when my friend Laura pointed out to me that they had tiny little heads looking back at me, well that's when I gave up. I stuck to the delicious fish soup, the bread, the portuguese cheese... Yup, I ate well. And did I mention how much I loved the tiny tarts?

On an unrelated note, you (hopefully) noticed that I made some changes to this website. I figured it was time for a much needed makeover. But like a girl getting ready to go out, who's not sure she likes what she's got on, I'm not sure I like this current look. Don't be surprised if it changes. And, hey, if you like what you see, leave a comment and let me know.

(Portugal, photographed June 2010)

Portugal Potpourri

2010-06-30T18:33:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm back. Sorry for the long absence from posting. I was on my long anticipated vacation, driving around Portugal with my friend Laura, eating good food and drinking (many) bottles of vinho verde. Don't worry, though, I have lots of new photos to make up for the time spent away.

But, alas, I'm jet-lagged. Barely too tired to transfer photos from my camera and definitely too tired to sort through the two memory cards worth of pictures to put together a cohesive themed post about any one of the towns Laura and I visited or things that we did. So instead, you will just get this, a potpourri of pictures from the trip. Hopefully they will get you excited to see some more.

That is, once I've recovered from the jet-lag... (yawn).

(Portugal, photographed June 2010)

New York State of Mind

2010-06-19T19:27:00.000-07:00

As I've been not-so-subtly mentioning (like here), I'm going on vacation. Soon and very soon, I'll be on a plane headed to beautiful Portugal. I can't wait for the seafood, the port, the castles, the coast...

So, of course, what am I posting about?

New York City. Where I live and work. The place I'm super excited to get away from for a few days. Yup, tonight, instead of packing, I'm posting about good ole' new york.

I do love this place though. She's a beautiful city, especially when she wears her bright lights and neon at night.

(New York City, photographed 2009-10)