aint no good thing ever dies

Beautiful Scenes From a $5 Disposable Camera

2011-11-28T15:47:00.011-06:00

Check out here my newest Huffington Post photo story featuring photos from my trip to Rocky Mountain National Park! I wrote some words about the tragedy of my camera breaking the day I was looking forward to using it most, and how I still managed to find refuge in a $5 disposable camera instead.

jill smiling + tom waits - "back in the crowd"

2011-11-26T16:58:00.011-06:00

last weekend i finally was able to drive down to san antonio to visit my sister and see her new place. i took this right before she turned out the lights. she was arranging the pillows the way she likes and as we were saying goodnight, i looked over and saw this. of course, it seemed too beautiful to not capture. it's one of my favorites that i've taken in quite a while.

below is a beautiful song, "back in the crowd," off of tom wait's new album "bad as me".

feature shoot

2011-11-16T20:37:00.006-06:00

today i was featured on feature shoot, a blog named as one of LIFE's 2011 Best Photo Blogs! check it out here & big thanks to katie shapiro for wanting to feauture me :)

New photo story on Huffington Post

2011-11-04T14:31:00.008-05:00

Huffington Post is launching a new photo blog section to their site called Exposure. I am incredibly excited & happy to be one of many great contributers. My first post, "Self Portrait", went up on friday, check it out! :)

Working with the Smart Car blog + the artist Peaches

2011-09-09T13:39:00.017-05:00

I had the unique opportunity to contribute to an innovative, global online project that deals with the future of the city. It's called Smart Urban Stage (you can find the facebook page here) and it's backed by the car manufacturers Smart & takes a unique approach to questioning the status quo and looking forward. The artist Peaches asked a question regarding urban gardens and I am one of eight photographers around the world who gives their answer. I was honored to be a part of it, check it out here! :)

2011-08-30T13:08:00.004-05:00

this man is amazing and if you're a fan of his, you would know this blog is named after one of my favorite songs of his, take it with me. it's been a long time since he has had new work and i am beyond excited about his new record! (i really wish i was one of those guys in the car!) even if some of his music falls out of the type i usually would like, with him, i like it. there's something entirely different about a song when it's his, i think. anyways, i'm already finding myself constantly singing "you're the same kind of bad as me,"-- that is some good stuff!

Photo story/update

2011-08-02T13:05:00.010-05:00

Thought I would give a little update & share a few things I've been a part of lately:

--A photo story of mine is up on Austin's first daily digital magazine: An intimate look at a summer day in Austin. Check it out here! :)

--Latest issue of CarneMag, a really cool visual arts magazine, and I'm among some amazingly talented company. Check it out here

--Latest issue of CZE Magazine, The White Issue

--I was really excited and honored to be featured in "You Are My Favorite," an exhibit featuring 30 women photographers from around the world (15 countries) put together by the lovely Franziska Ebert. Again, I'm among some really amazing company. The exhibit was held July 15 in Hamburg and I would have loved sooo much to have been there, but at least I was there in my spirit with my photos. The list and works of the 30 women featured are here, and the photos of mine featured are here.

2011-07-26T18:25:00.006-05:00

i'm honored to be featured on Booooooom again :)

2011-07-10T15:26:00.003-05:00

yesterday i created my own tumblr! it may take me a while but i'm going to try & get up to speed with it all. i started with posting some of my favs, but regularly i will be posting both photos i post on flickr & photos i don't post anywhere else. so if you want to see more of my photos--follow me!

& a quote i love by dag hammarskjöld:
"pray that your loneliness may spur you into finding something to live for, great enough to die for."

here comes the sun again

2011-06-20T15:12:00.005-05:00

this makes me happy.
(two of my favorite things: airplane rides & watching everything passing by, as well as a beautiful m. ward song). so much love.

M Ward - Here Comes the Sun Again

bon iver: bon iver

2011-06-12T21:52:00.011-05:00

for emma, forever ago by bon iver is one of my favorite albums ever. his new self-titled album, bon iver, is different but still beautifully haunting to me in the way his previous album was. i'm not honestly sure though if any album he will make will live up to 'for emma, forever ago,' as it seems just about perfect already, and i know it's even more special to me because i have some special memories attached with it. and it's not quite the same, listening to him amidst the heat as it is during the cold months--where his music seems to enkindle the strange, nostalgic ache that winter brings. but regardless-- his music makes me feel like no other music does ♥
listen here.

i got a new camera!

2011-06-01T14:48:00.007-05:00

last week a beautiful contax t3 arrived in the mail with my name on it. i've been thinking about getting a more reliable camera than the yashica t4 i've been using for over a year now, but money and uncertainty was always an issue. in the past year i was able to use a friend's t3 for a little bit & the ease of using it, plus the quality of the photos, pretty much won me over. i've only shot one roll on it so far but i'm really looking forward to what our future holds together. i have a feeling it will be a great one...

the only thing about it that i didn't realize when i tested it out was how the viewfinder has faint markings of where the actual parameters of the photo starts. this kind of scares me, as there is quite a lot of space outside the parameters that i'm seeing through the viewfinder, and i take a photo when what i'm seeing through the viewfinder feels right. the parameter markings are barely noticeable and i have a hard time trying to cut out of my mind the space outside of them. we will see how things translate and hopefully i get used to it.
i posted below a few photos from my first roll. for some reason the colors became muted once i uploaded them onto the site--which is a little frustrating, but that's ok because i think the quality of the photos is still apparent. enjoy!

Adele - "Someone like you" on Later with Jools Holland

2011-05-20T00:32:00.019-05:00

i posted a song a few months ago of a M Ward performance on Later with Jools Holland, and now here i am posting another. i'm sad to say i hadn't heard of the show until this past year, but wow, am i glad i discovered it. there are so many amazing musicians on that show, and my favorite kind of music to listen to is the basic acoustic versions of songs. so obviously this show is a goldmine for me.
this song by adele is beyond beautiful and her performance here is stunning.

'Sadness is a Blessing'

2011-05-02T14:07:00.003-05:00

I love this. Lykke Li - 'Sadness is a Blessing' --Directed by Tarik Saleh, featuring the acclaimed actor Stellan Skarsgård.

POSI+TIVE MAGAZINE +piano stairs

2011-04-07T17:57:00.012-05:00

I have a little interview up on POSI+TIVE MAGAZINE that you can see here! :)

I also wanted to share a video I ran across not too long ago. First off, I want to acknowledge how much I came to fall in love with & appreciate the public transportation in Europe. I miss Europe plenty, and among the many things that I really loved about it was all the ways they were more eco-conscious. One huge way is through their public transportation, the trains and metro specifically. If I had access to a metro system, I would be using it ALL the time, even knowing it would require a lot of walking. And it's incredibly frustrating that I live in one of the most powerful countries in the world and we have barely taken any steps to establish metro systems. Not only would it be more eco-concious, it would help ease the insane chaos of traffic in metro areas as well as enable people who have limited access to transportation get to places more easily. It's a win-win-win. I recognize that we do have some metro systems here, but they are few & very far between. As far as the video, there's not too much to say about it because all the background info is in the video itself. What I will say though is that I think quality of life is everything. & it's all the little, everyday things that make our lives what they are. What is done here is something that not only improves quality of life, but also encourages healthier living. Creativity is such a beautiful, wonderful thing, and there's no telling what can come about when creative minds come together. I hope the future holds plenty more of such innovations!

SXSW Music begins...

2011-03-15T00:10:00.009-05:00

i have a music badge & i'm super excited but also feeling conflicted in who i'm going to choose & who i will have to leave out---there are so many amazing bands/artists to see. it's so wonderful, what happens to this city during the festival. austin becomes one huge party all the time, not even in the everyone-getting-drunk-sense (but there is definitely plenty more of that too), but that everyone is happy & celebrating. SXSW Music kicks off today, the 15th, with some great bands playing & below is a video from a band i plan on seeing.
Dry The River- Bible Belt

"if it's dark outside, you light the fire yourself." --so, so good.

You Only Live Once (Demo) - The Strokes

2011-03-09T00:12:00.001-06:00

Labi Siffre - Bless The Telephone

2011-03-03T18:36:00.010-06:00

Of Monsters and Men - Little Talks

2011-02-26T15:48:00.009-06:00

Anthem

2011-02-22T11:38:00.005-06:00

by Leonard Cohen

The birds they sang
at the break of day
Start again
I heard them say
Don't dwell on what
has passed away
or what is yet to be.
Ah the wars they will
be fought again
The holy dove
She will be caught again
bought and sold
and bought again
the dove is never free.
Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in.
We asked for signs
the signs were sent:
the birth betrayed
the marriage spent
Yeah the widowhood
of every government --
signs for all to see.
I can't run no more
with that lawless crowd
while the killers in high places
say their prayers out loud.
But they've summoned, they've summoned up
a thundercloud
and they're going to hear from me.
Ring the bells that still can ring ...
You can add up the parts
but you won't have the sum
You can strike up the march,
there is no drum
Every heart, every heart
to love will come
but like a refugee.
Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in.
Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in.
That's how the light gets in.
That's how the light gets in.

2011-02-14T23:17:00.003-06:00

Yes:
"The main things which seem to me important on their own account, and not merely as means to other things, are knowledge, art, instinctive happiness, and relations of friendship or affection." -Bertrand Russel

2011-02-12T16:53:00.014-06:00

i can't stop listening to this, i'm crossing my fingers it works out that i see him at sxsw:

-just saw Crazy Heart for the first time today, such a great movie with a great theme song.

2011-02-11T16:54:00.011-06:00

2011-01-24T23:06:00.008-06:00

2011-01-11T20:58:00.004-06:00

2010-11-26T17:33:00.006-06:00

sooo

2010-11-16T23:00:00.043-06:00

it's going to be a (long) while until i post a lot more photos/really write about my trip. i've had to talk so much about the trip the last two weeks with family & friends (who i can't blow off & deserve to hear about my adventure) that i'm just emotionally exhausted from it. i haven't been able to sleep much since i've been back-- this is just a difficult period in my life. some of the most intense things i've ever been through happened to me in the last 2-3 months, and while it was a great ride, i'm just now starting to really process it. it's painful and hard and all of that right now but that happens, to feel the highs you also have to feel the lows. hopefully soon enough i'll be sleeping again and ready to share about my trip! i've been listening to a lot of music & reading poetry lately, so i will try to post words or songs i'm enjoying from time to time.

i've always loved this song & especially this video. towards the end when chris martin runs on stage & twirls the light around, it's so beautiful when he releases it how it echoes the release in the song. i never fail to get goosebumps. & in the rare case that i didn't get goosebumps from that, i always do at the end. it's at the very end when the band stops playing & for the last verse everything goes still & all you hear is chris martin's voice singing alongside the thousands of other people in the crowd. the sound of a large group of people, particularly strangers, singing together is one of the most beautiful things you can ever hear, i think. one of the most beautiful things you can experience, even. especially if it's a sadder song, because you can hear the tenderness in everyone's voice, because you know that every one of them knows from their life at least a string of truth in the words. music is such a powerful thing--it can help heal and console, or lift you up--all of that. & like in this video, it brings people together.
(and that's as good as it gets.)

2010-11-11T13:49:00.004-06:00

i love devotchka right now & wanted to share two songs i'm enjoying. (i promise i will eventually write about the trip, just need some time!)

i've come home

2010-11-08T21:06:00.009-06:00

sooooo, i'm back from europe. i ended up staying a bit longer, it was a whirlwind of 2 months & i have quite a lot of photos to show for it! i will write about it eventually but just need lots of time, but for now i will just post a few pics. enjoy!

i have more than 10 days left in europe...

2010-10-16T11:24:00.008-05:00

i was supposed to be getting on a plane this coming monday morning, october 18th, at 6am, that would take me back to america. before i left, people joked i wouldn't come back. these people were smarter than i thought. while i AM coming back (because i love my friends & family far too much not to), it looks like i'm now flying home some time before/close to the beginning of december! i fly back to vienna on wednesday morning & i will be there for i'm not sure how long, staying with the kind chris pitschl, who is letting me occupy his living-room-esque space again so i can experience more of his city that i fell in love with.

funny thing is though that me being in a german-speaking city for a while should make for some quite amusing correspondence with my dad, who took german when he was in college & then studied abroad in germany for a year. 2 emails ago he signed the email guten tag, & this past email he has shared with me some german phrases. the list below is the list he sent me, which he claims is "all i will need to know"...

Wie viel kostet das? How much does that cost?
Guten Tag = good day
Guten Nacht = good night
Bitte = Please
Danke = thank you
Vielen dank = thank you very much
Wo ist zie = Where is the…
Sehr Gut = very good
Wie Geht es Ihnen = How are you
Auf Wiedersehen = goodbye (literally it’s until I see you again)
Haben sie ein Zimmer frei? = do you have a room available?
Ist das niedlich Junge verfugbar? Is the cute boy available?

...ahahaha. too good, too good.

i've been in paris for over a week now & it's crazy because i've been so preoccupied trying to re-schedule everything so as to find a way to not go home/stay longer that i might as well not be in paris at all! don't get me wrong, the place is great, but i just wasn't able to do it justice the past few days--and today, when i felt like i was in the mood to try & kick some paris-sight-seeing-butt, it went & got super dark & rainy. typical.
i'm definitely missing matt, who went home about a week ago, & wishing i had someone to enjoy the city with. oh well, i've made some great friends so far so i'm crossing my fingers that some time between today & tomorrow i meet some more great ones! (the thing that sucks about traveling is making friends & then having to say goodbye a few days later...)

that's all for now, hopefully will update again a bit soon!
xx

i have 10 days left in europe

2010-10-08T10:44:00.005-05:00

and it kills me.
i think this addresses my current status: i'm loving europe & i really, really don't want to leave.

since i wrote i've been to vienna, austria-->bolzano, italy-->zurich, switzerland-->munich, germany (oktoberfest)-->berlin, germany-->amsterdam, the netherlands-->paris, france; in a few days i go back to barcelona to fly out on the 18th.

so far things have been amazing & i have to say that the best times i've had have been in the places where my friend (matt) & i have stayed with photo friends of mine. these photo friends are people i hadn't ever met prior to them opening up their couches to me, yet in meeting them it has felt like we were old friends. we started off in barcelona where the wonderful ana cuba & salva lopez opened up their flat to us. we couldn't stay long before we had to catch a train, but we managed to fall in love with their cat & had an amazing time. we traveled quite a few cities inbetween until we got into vienna, where we stayed with christian pitschl & matt, chris & i, along with chris's brother lukas, got along so well that we traveled with the boys to their hometown in bolzano, italy for 2 days. it felt like we all had been friends for years. parting was really hard, & i actually got super homesick for the first time since i started the trip. i will really miss those boys. i fell in love with vienna (as predicted by many people) so i have a feeling i will be seeing them again. we spent a quick 24hrs-ish in zurich & were off to munich, where we experienced the famous oktoberfest. we stayed with manuel braun in a little town an hour outside of munich, so it was nice to get away from all the crowd of the city as the festival was happening. we had a little back house to ourselves & manu bought us lunch & everything & showed us around. munich was definitely beautiful & well groomed. the festival itself was pretty crazy packed & i wasn't the biggest fan--as it seemed every ten minutes i saw someone looking like they were about to puke. the guy in the table behind me did puke indeed...all over himself. and the guy next to me was SOOOO drunk that it was impossible to understand him... yet he kept trying to hit on me & put his arm around me, which was more hilarious than anything as matt got a good few photos/videos out of it. i was just happy that i got out of there before he maybe threw up on me. then it was off to berlin & amsterdam, and here i am now in paris. the weather in paris was beautiful today & i'm going to try my best to eat outside at some beatufiul restaraunt on the water. will cost an arm & a leg i'm sure...but this is paris we're talking about. such things are worth it. i met some lovely aussie ladies at my hostel & looks like we may go out tonight. we will see.
so yes, things are good--i just don't want to leave. but ok, ok i will stop complaining.
i will leave that for my next blog post--in another few days?!
until i type again...
xx

greece, oh greece

2010-09-20T14:36:00.004-05:00

so i am currently in athens, greece, in a somewhat sketchy neighborhood but happy nonetheless to have some cable tv, a.c., and a computer to access the internet...all complimentary, what a treat! AND i don't have to pay to use the bathroom or for water at a restaraunt in this city. so far that is...
i left the quaint town of nafplio, greece earlier today and it was bittersweet, because i was happy and excited to be moving on to new places, but sad that i was just starting to really get a feel for the town and the people and then had to leave. i guess that's traveling for you. the guy that was part of the family who owned my hotel was definitely key in making my impression of nafplio a near-and-dear one. his name is mike and he's mid-fifties and hysterical. every time i walked through the lobby he had a huge grin on his face and was so happy to see me. he was silly and kind and it's like we were old friends! amazing. i was picking up some postcards to mail off before my train left for athens and there was a worker outside the shop i was looking at who i followed inside to buy the cards i had picked out. there was a middle-aged woman & man behind the counter smoking, and the older man who i had followed in began to join them. i said i wanted to buy the cards and as i fumbled around for change in my pathetic little coin purse the woman just smiled at me and asked me if i smoked. i said no, a bit hesitant to explain that the smoke gives me a headache sometimes, because i was afraid of offending them in turning down her offer. she laughed and nodded though, saying they were puffing away up here away from all of us in america. as if maybe it was a good thing i wasn't always around the smoking? she said she was going to offer that i smoke with them, and i felt so flattered and so appreciative for the warmth these strangers whose store i had just walked into were showing me. how kind of this woman to invite me to join their little social smoking circle! i was sad i couldn't partake but we chatted a bit more & i walked off with a photo of the city she gave me and a smile. mike + my little shop friends= what traveling is all about.
fingers crossed there are more such wonderful interactions and stories to come.
xx

hello, from italy

2010-09-13T11:34:00.005-05:00

hey friends,
i'm currently in florence and writing from a super old school computer with an italian keyboard. it's taking me a while to type everything correctly right now so please excuse any strange grammar mistakes.
it was last week today that i took off for barcelona and so far, so good. things have been a bit tricky getting adjusted to constantly being on the go and the stress of trying to see everything at once, but im hoping by the end of this coming week i will be 100% in the groove of things. i spent a few days in barcelona and then 2 in venice, and now tonight i'm in florence and early tomorrow afternoon off to roma. ends up the day we come, aka today, monday, is the one day a few of the museums with florence's jewels are closed. primarily, i'm talking about michelangelo's david. super sad i'm not going to get to see it, but i guess that's okay. another reason to come back to this wonderful country.
on the train to venice the other day i was in a car with an older italian man who i happened to hear on the phone for a few seconds. I was doing my sudoku per usual and i look up to gaze out the window when i hear the older man say "Ciao, Lugi, Ciao!," with such gusto and that spot on italian inflection. it made my day. also, i may have imagined it, but i'm pretty sure i've run across a few marios too. gold.
venice was magical, just like everyone says. it was full of beautiful old buildings and secret corners, and yes, you really do get lost in the blink of an eye. luckily my friend helped me keep my bearings but i'm pretty sure if i were to go wandering again alone i would need to plan at least 1.5 hrs to find my way back to wherever i started. for at least a meal and a half i munched on a big fresh thing of grainy bread with some cheese and it was beautiful. wine is super cheap too. ahhh, the italian diet. gratzi gratzi to them for it!
today while walking around in florence an older italian man started talking to me in italian, and when i said 'english, i only speak english' he seemed confused that i wasn't italian. i felt proud of this, or at least for the fact that it seemed like i fit in. when i proceeded to tell him i'm an american and from austin, texas, the warmth kind of faded and i found him looking me up and down. i think my big chacos screamed american/tourist and he seemed not as pleased and i suddenly found myself feeling a bit down and ashamed that i wasn't the italian he had hoped for, haha. anywho, it was nice talking to a local for a few minutes and i'm hoping there's more of that to come.

it's cold, rainy and dark in this little hostile room of 6 so i'm going to wrap this up so i can go munch on some more milk chocolate butter biscuits. hopefully i will be able to write a bit more in a week.
ciao luigi, ciao,
xx

Too Much Chocolate

2010-08-14T13:21:00.003-05:00

This week I was featured on a great site called Too Much Chocolate. "The rotating gallery features the work of an emerging photographer as well as an interview with him/her. The gallery is based off ‘collective curatorship’, where the photographer from week 1 chooses and interviews a photographer for week 2, week 2 chooses/interviews week 3, etc." The gallery features some really amazing photographers and it was a wonderful surprise when the talented Margaret Durow said she wanted to interview me for her curatorship. You should really check out her site, she has some enthralling work. And check out the interview with me here! :)

Best of Flickr

2010-07-21T16:08:00.011-05:00

Hey hey,

A few weeks ago I was asked to curate the "Best of Flickr" for Platform Magazine and yesterday my selections went up, yay!
It took a lot of blood, sweat & tears to get myself to narrow my favs down to 20, but I did it. Check out the photos here!

A few that I'm incredibly in love with and always will be:
by Steven Dacanay
by Tania Leshkina
by Lina Scheynius
by Haley Kiesewetter
by Katharina Schumacher

2010-07-11T12:19:00.000-05:00

"The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has
its own reason for existing. One cannot help but be in awe
when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of
the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries
merely to comprehend a little of this mystery every day. Never
lose a holy curiosity."- Albert Einstein

2010-05-17T14:17:00.007-05:00

"The defining function of the artist is to cherish consciousness."

Nuit Blanche explores "a fleeting moment between two strangers, revealing their brief connection in a hyper real fantasy." life is so much the fleeting moments and in between pauses; that's what makes me love this film that much more.
watch the short film here, it's less than five minutes and a stunner. let me know what you think!
cheers,
k

heather-darling

2010-05-03T12:07:00.023-05:00

i've literally grown up with heather. ever since kindergarten, we've been buds, and this year i got to live with her. well. kind of.
she has a boyfriend & is over there 99% of the time. but i understand 95% of the time, and make her come over and hang out with me 30% of the time.
more recently i've been taking photos of her for a few photo projects i've had, and i've really enjoyed it.
i remarked about how i could "take photos of her 24/7" one day when we were hanging out, and she replied back "ya. i think i could make this another hobby." she said this seriously & casually. what! oooohhhhh, heather. too funny.

she went with me when i drove up to dallas on the 22nd (april) to shoot the local natives and it was wonderful. i'm all about open road & road trips, and that day with heather was the best i've had in a while. reasons why: i got to photograph an amazing band, be on the road, eat ice cream cones at midnight while driving on the road (with the windows down), listen to music loudly while driving on the road (with the windows down), explore the old school/'entertainment' part of dallas & take photos, and spend it all while hanging out with a good friend. perfect day.

2010-05-03T01:21:00.005-05:00

i'm in love with this photo. my current favorite. see it here on my flickr.

Local Natives, the magic of books

2010-05-02T16:20:00.014-05:00

So I was fortunate enough to get to shoot the Local Natives for City Magazine the thursday before last. They're fantastic & if you don't know about them, you need to. I love all their stuff but I particularly can't stop listening to Airplanesand Wide Eyes. Click here to visit their site and buy their record!

--------
I'm juggling reading quite a few books right now, on top of all of my required school readings. I go through phases where I'm reading 24/7 all the way to droughts where I'm so busy or preoccupied with life that I forget the magic that books can bring. I'm a strong believer in the power of books---their ability to change the way we think, even change our lives--if not, at least, to bring us a little comfort in knowing we aren't alone. The author James Baldwin articulated this beautifully: "It was books that taught me that the things that tormented me most were the very things that connected me with all the people who were alive, or who had ever been alive.” Amazing.
Another equally wonderful quote I love:
"My understanding of the meaning of a book is that the book itself disappears from sight, that it is chewed alive, digested, and incorporated into the system as flesh and blood which in turn creates new spirit and reshapes the world. -Henry Miller

I'm always asking for book recommendations, and am happy to give my own, so if anyone has a fav novel or knows about a lesser-known but amazing book, please do share!

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend,
x

2010-04-13T20:05:00.015-05:00

heather, monday, getting ready to enjoy some Sandy's ice cream cones.
-----
"Great people are those who make others feel that they, too, can become great."

hi hi!
Sorry it's been a while, I have five weeks left until i'm a college graduate, so as you can imagine I've been quite busy. Once school finishes up I'm hoping i'll have more time to update this thing!
I was introduced to the TED videos through a class and was shocked and upset to discover these videos have been available for a few years, all without my knowledge! TED stands for "Television, Entertainment and Design" and it's devoted to "Ideas Worth Spreading." On TED.com, what once started out as something open to only the smartest and most talented of their fields, is now available to the world for free. I seriously encourage everyone to visit the site--whether it's a moving musical performance, a fascinating new discovery or a humbling talk about the best way to go about political change, you'll end up leaving the site a bit more enlightened. I'm posting a few links to some videos that I was required to watch for a class, as well as a video I stumbled upon that I can't stop thinking about.

-Aimee Mullins talks about growing up without a normal pair of legs and gives an empowering talk. I've always been aware of the power of language and the power each person has to change the way someone else sees themselves. The quote at the top of this post is by Mark Twain and something I strongly believe in. I think it ties well into what Aimee talks about. Check out the video here
-Barry Schwartz (cleverly) points out our society's loss of wisdom, watch it!
-Natalie Merchant stuns me with what she's been working on for the past 5 years: a rich body of work, full of history and stories unheard. She adapts both classic and contemporary poetry into beautiful songs. In this TED clip, she "brings back to life" a collection of 19th century poems. I've never been more inspired or amazed by her talent as from the clip--she is truly a professional at what she does!

-->I posted two poems that Natalie sings that I found really beautiful.
-at 7:35 on video
maggie and milly and molly and may
by E. E. Cummings

maggie and milly and molly and may
went down to the beach(to play one day)

and maggie discovered a shell that sang
so sweetly she couldn't remember her troubles,and

milly befriended a stranded star
whose rays five languid fingers were;

and molly was chased by a horrible thing
which raced sideways while blowing bubbles:and

may came home with a smooth round stone
as small as a world and as large as alone.

For whatever we lose(like a you or a me)
it's always ourselves we find in the sea
-----
-at 16:20 on video
Spring and Fall: to a Young Child
Gerard Manley Hopkins

Margaret, are you grieving  
Over Goldengrove unleaving?  
Leaves, like the things of man, you  
With your fresh thoughts care for, can you?  
Ah! as the heart grows older  
It will come to such sights colder  
By and by, nor spare a sigh  
Though worlds of wanwood leafmeal lie;  
And yet you will weep and know why.  
Now no matter, child, the name:  
Sorrow's springs are the same.  
Nor mouth had, no nor mind, expressed  
What heart heard of, ghost guessed:  
It is the blight man was born for,  
It is Margaret you mourn for.
----

hope you enjoy!
x

2010-01-04T00:09:00.006-06:00

i went on a day-long road trip full of open country roads yesterday. i met this gal at dawn. the light was stunning and so was she.

-listen to paolo nutini's soulful cover of the famous song "wake up" by arcade fire

"it’s a kind of ‘Amen’ to life"

2009-12-17T22:21:00.022-06:00

Break is finally here and I know by new years I'm going to be antsy with all this free time. ugh. During these next 2.5 weeks, some of the things on my "to do" list include: taking a small road trip or two, doing a good bit of reading, photos photos and more photos, some soul searching?, freaking out about graduating, really freaking out, catching up with friends & making lots of lists. lists are good, i like lists.
Below is another dose of my "a few random good things" posts. enjoy.

photo by Stephen Shore, a photography god (clearly)

music:
-completely regardless of whether you've seen the movie, the music from the soundtrack is so powerful it makes me really appreciate people like Gustavo Santaolalla. he was able to evoke such particular and overwhelming emotion from notes in his head. amazing. click here to listen.
-also love: a classic, johnny cash

“What you feel in the presence of a thing you admire is just one word – ‘Yes’. The affirmation, the acceptance, the sign of admittance. And that ‘Yes’ is more than an answer to one thing, it’s a kind of ‘Amen’ to life, to the earth that holds this thing, to the thought that created it, to yourself for being able to see it. But the ability to say ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ is the essence of all ownership. It’s your ownership of your own ego. Your soul…[which] has a single basic function – the act of valuing…everything to which you grant your love to is yours.”
-one of my favorite books & a quote that i will always remember, The Fountainhead

City-Wide Garage Sale

2009-12-08T15:22:00.004-06:00

so excited about this. i plan on being there most of the day on the 2nd. and maybe the 3rd too.

2009-09-23T23:29:00.005-05:00

katie, at our house. so beautiful.
--------------
yes:

"I shot an arrow into the air,
It fell to earth, I knew not where;
For so swiftly it flew, the sight
Could not follow it in its flight.

I breathed a song into the air,
It fell to earth, I knew not where;
For, who has sight so keen and strong
That it can follow the flight of song?

Long, long afterward, in an oak
I found the arrow, still unbroke;
And the song, from beginning to end,
I found again in the heart of a friend."
-- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

cowboy boots

2009-08-28T17:03:00.004-05:00

i'm craving a road trip to some small texas town that nobody has ever heard of. with fields stretching for forever and where the bars are full of cowboy hats and boots and the hotels still have flowered wallpaper.

that would be so nice.

i'm leaving

2009-08-12T21:22:00.014-05:00

for chicago friday morning (at 4:30am jeeeeez!) and am really excited. traveling is my favorite. ever. i get so giddy at airports, i'll admit it's pretty cute how worked up i get. probably even "uncool," some may say. but guess what? the older you get the less stuff you get giddy about, so i'm milking this for all it's worth. will i be able to sleep thursday night? probably not. and i like it that way.

among lots of visiting and traveling i will be meeting up with a friend and taking an architectural tour downtown, as well as going to the museum of modern art. the only problem right now is that the camera that i take everything with, my t4, broke a few days ago. yeah. so i'm hustling and bustling the best i can to find a camera i can borrow & take. there is no time to mourn now, but there will be plenty of mourning later, that guy went everywhere with me. hopefully things work out with finding a spare, because we know that i need a camera. i have my electro but out of a roll of 36 at least 8 never come out, 6 come out super dark, and the rest are super grainy, other than maybe 2 perfectly exposed ones. in other words, i don't like using it.
regardless of the camera, the trip is about making memories. yes.
until i'm back (with hopefully some goodies),
k

Entopic Group, plus Hi-Low and Katie peeling a mango

2009-08-07T14:45:00.007-05:00

Hey friends,

new update: for the month of august, my work, along with that of three other photographers, is featured in an online show run by Entopic Group. the show is called GAP and the description reads as follows: "In the confrontation of banal curiosity with the sense of discovery something unusual always arises. The question of perception between the similar and equal brings this ambiguity to a place of sensory conflict of differences. The gap appears when the inexplicable interposes itself in the normal cognitive perception."

I also am in Volume fourteen of Hi-Low, a monthly young magazine produced by XXXL Remixed Creative Factory. It's "vision-based, supplemented by text" and focuses on living attitude and youth memories. it has a neat set-up and music that plays while you view. my stuff starts on page 52.

and this is a photo of one of my roommates katie. it was after a day at barton springs, and here she is getting ready to peel and eat a mango. i wish i could have gotten a photo of her during it, because it was a "gooood" mango and she was really excited about it as she was eating it. she's funny.

transitory

2009-08-02T18:08:00.029-05:00

some snaps (the 3rd and on are from my new place!)

i've been babysitting this guy on and off, he's the sweetest. here he is, sound asleep. like a frog. ugh. the cutest

i'm in the process of moving into my new place, a beautiful old house in hyde park with high ceilings, wooden floors, and amazing amazing light. it's all so new to me, i've been incredibly inspired and therefore shooting like crazy. hopefully i don't keep up at this rate, because i will probably be broke by september. we'll see... i'm just excited for this upcoming year, it's my last at my college and i know it will be a memorable one.

No Culture Icons

2009-07-29T17:50:00.011-05:00

Hey everyone,

Some of my work is featured on No Culture Icons, "an online photography collective, showcasing the best in new up and coming photographers from around the world." As you can imagine, I'm flattered and honored to be included in it.

It's run by Liam Henry and full of amazing photographers.

Check out my work on it here.

where to start?

2009-07-02T16:02:00.026-05:00

photo of mine i'm currently in love with, mark and some light

_
i feel like i'm revisiting an old friend. this post is long overdue (and therefore very long, hang in there with me!), i'm sorry i haven't been blogging much lately. i think my life lately has been full of so much that it's hard to ever know where to start.
_
life is good. still. yes. i'm 21 now, and it's nice. i discovered (to my surprise) that i actually really enjoy the taste of beer. i appreciate it, which is strange because i never thought i would be a genuine beer lover. i envisoned myself being one of those people who aquires a love for wine and would enjoy tasting, exploring, appreciating all the different types. but now it seems i still want to do that, but with beer instead. who knew.
_
i'm still trying to find my footing with the fact that i have to enter the real world in less than a year. i get so restless sometimes because it's frustrating when you're in between stages or places in your life. it's hard to remember to live in the moment, because you're just ready for that next step. but most of life is full of in-betweens anyways, so i think that this point in my life is just good practice.
_
lately i've been catching up with old friends, trying to spend time with the dog i grew up with because he's an old man these days, having good conversations at coffee shops. and of course, as always, taking photos. i recently picked up the yashica mat that i have had for months and decided to put my fear behind me of all the money i will intially waste while i learn how to use it. i haven't shot too much on it, but i really love the way images look in a square. it's a new way of seeing, so it's exciting. it feels different too. i can't wait to really explore medium format. and eventually, hopefully i can get a mamiya---what a dream.
_

as far as photos i am really loving right now--there are always too many to name--but i thought i would share this photo above that i especially am in love with. it's by Salva Lopez, who is not only an insanely talented photographer, but also a wonderful graphic designer. it is such an amazing portrait of his grandmother--so endearing and so beautiful. the photo below is of his grandfather and another one of my favorites. really, everything he does is brilliant, check him out.
_ i've been a part of some really awesome photo stuff lately, and i am incredibly greatful for all the wonderful people who have included me on their blog, sites and magazines. here's a run-down of the most recent stuff:

The Sister Project- a lovely site that featured an interview and some photos of mine. read it here
The Moon, Issue July 2009- a magazine in China, I didn't know my photos would be featured in this particular issue where they're shown in a certain light, but i guess you live and learn?
Pistol and Fur blog: Wonderful little group & blog on flickr, features an interview with me. i enjoyed the questions they asked--i was their 6th interview, scroll down a bit and you'll find my interview among other great photos. check it out!
All Encompassing All blog: Another great group and blog on flickr. They featured a few photos of mine and have a collection of a lot of other cool photos and photographers as well.
Appendix Magazine Online, Edition Zero: Really honored to be in this, i'm among amazing company. A photo of mine is featured in a piece they did about the photographic dictionary, a project run by Lindley Warren (check it out). The piece devotes one page for each letter of the alphabet where one word was picked. I have been lucky enough to have quite a few photos of mine put in the photographic dictionary, and one of them was featured as the "D" in the piece. It represented the word "difficult," and you can check it out in the issue or see it, along with other great stuff, on the photographic dictionary.
Polliwog magazine: Run by Rebecca Rijsdijk, it's a " photography zine containing the stuff of young talents" & is published twice a year. I was in their most recent issue, issue 4 entitled "the photographers that we have been admiring for ages." the title alone is humbling. it features a few photos of mine and a interview, along with ten other talented photographers. check it out here.
ROMKA, issue 3: an international magazine run by Joscha Bruckert that shares photographers' own most favorite photos. such an original and meaningful idea. check it out, my photo is on the cover & i say some words about my three favorite photos inside

I know there is some stuff I'm leaving out, and hopefully i will have time later to fill in the gaps. regardless of what i did and didn't include here, the point is that i am incredibly grateful and honored for all of the support and kind words everyone has shown to me. to be a part of these things means so much.

before i bore you to death, i will leave you with some words that whenever i'm feeling a bit lost or confused, always put things in perspective. they are as true as it gets:

“I have learned that to be with those I like is enough.” –Walt Whitman

yes.

time passes by

2009-06-10T16:41:00.020-05:00

so quickly. i turn 21 in less than 2 weeks, and now more than ever i'm thinking about my life. what i've been through, where i'm at now, what lies ahead. i'm in awe of how fast the last few years have sped by. so much has been ignored or put off for another day, another week, another month. life is a constant stream of change, and suddenly those things you meant to do are no longer. this birthday is a check point. a healthy dose of reality that life is brief and each moment is fleeting. time to live. a lot.

here are two more photos at the top of my favorites:

this is by erin jane nelson. erin is amazing. this photo? i could stare at it all day. truthfully. erin is such a talent, i am so happy i found her stream and i can't wait to see what she continues to produce. also, she's really nice. so that's puts her high on my list.

luo yang is a female photographer from china whose photographs are mostly of female subjects. this photo of hers really stuck with me. it's such a poetic image of the two girls. everything about it says so much--things that could never be said in words.

and i'll leave you with this quote:
“A broom not only clears a surface, but sweeps the dust back into the wind to be carried to another surface, landing with a crackle of static communication. Maybe it says "hello" ...or maybe it says "I‘ve been here. I wonder how long before I am gone".

beautiful.

life is busy

2009-05-30T13:05:00.026-05:00

but good right now. i'm spending time with some greatly missed friends and trying to make up for lost time. i'm taking photos like crazy because i've found myself really inspired lately--just from living my life. it's a nice thing. maybe it's the freedom and sense of carelessness that the summer brings. or maybe its all the new places and people i'm around. or maybe its because life is just good and i'm finally able to soak it all in. regardless, i'm loving it.

--here are some of my favorite shots from a day with my friends:

i also really need to work on my site. it's embarassing how long i've had it "up" but with nothing on it. i've tried to do it without buying any software--but it's looking pretty hopeless. if anyone knows a good program to use and/or also a good 35mm scanner (i am in desperate need of one but can't make up my mind), please do share!_

i'm free

2009-05-17T21:07:00.034-05:00

finals are done with.
praise the heavens, summer is here.
yesss.

today i added another place onto my road trip wish list. badlands national park in south dakota. check out some photos and you'll understand, i need to go there. i also want to go to yellowstone--i've been twice but its been forever. to see the huge expanse of fields and mountains, and buffalo roaming ....ugh. heaven. and that's without thinking about photography. the potential photos those places hold is daunting. i hardly ever go out to shoot, most of my stuff is just from my life, devoid of open fields and wild animals. but hopefully this summer, that will change.

i discovered nan goldin a month or two ago (i sadly don't own any photo books or know many famous photographers---i hope to change this this summer) and can't wait to start really looking at her photos, especially the relationship ones. amazing.

and here are some more words that i love:
(walk to the water, U2)

She said it wasn't cold
She left her coat unbuttoned
She wore canvas shoes
White canvas shoes
Around her neck
She wore a silver necklace
'It was given to me by my father' she said
'It was given to me'

She took the back way home
Past the lights at Summerhill
Turn left on to the north strand
And on
On towards the sea

He said he was an artist
But he really painted billboards
In large capital letters
In large capital letters
He was telling jokes
Nobody else would listen to him

I saw you that day
Your lips were cherry red
Your legs were crossed your arms wide open
Your hair was coloured gold
And like a field of corn
You were blown by the wind
You were blown by the wind
_
Walk, walk, walk to the water
Walk with me awhile
Walk, walk, walk to the roadside
walk with me in a light

A room in the Royal hotel
With sea facing views
A man with a suitcase
Full of things he doesn't need
I'm looking through your window
I'm walking through your doorway
I'm on the outside
Let me in

Let me love you
Let me love you
Let me

Walk, walk, walk to the water
Walk with me
Walk, walk, walk to the roadside
walk with me a while
_

--->the 4th stanza is my favorite (it starts with "i saw you that day," go back and read it), i especially love:

"And like a field of corn
You were blown by the wind
You were blown by the wind "
...doesn't get much better than that.

i don't sleep too much

2009-05-11T00:00:00.037-05:00

anymore. oh well. more life that i'm living.

summer. yes. :

phoenix- too young

the sunset was beautiful the other day. there were clouds in the distance that made a second horizon, so i watched the sun hide its head before it was even through. it almost looked like it was descending into mountains and i love the mountains. it made me a bit giddy, which is nice to feel every once in a while. plus, look at those two lonely clouds. beautiful.

-and some loveliness, via ryan adams:

Took a walk with you
In the shadow of my shoes
Danced around the broken blues
In the dirty summer rain

Moonlight on the cars
Parked in single file at bars
With a thick and rosy smoke
Waving its busted hand

i could read that over and over and never be sick of it. that's all for now. xo

i smell like soap, again

2009-05-01T21:13:00.012-05:00

apparently after shower moments are when i get inspired to write a few words.

so my favorite photos are almost always the real ones. the ones where i don't move an inch to adjust the angle, have someone stand a different way, stop my life and make a photo. instead, i love the ones that are exactly how it was. how it is. literally a second of my life. and it's always beautiful. and that makes me happy.

this photo was taken the other day. i'm always on the floor, it's where i think best. i had my camera next to me and jessica came in to chat. as we were talking of life and loves and laughs, i put the camera in front of my face and pressed the shutter.

i love this.

i smell like soap

2009-04-30T00:39:00.005-05:00

i just got out of the shower.

it's late.

i have a paper to write.

but i miss my dear friend, anna.

she is in greece.

we are not only good friends, but also bathroom photo buddies.

yes. we have fun. we've snuck into hyatts downtown at early hours of the morning, we've gone into bathrooms big enough to fit an entire house, we've done it all. no matter the occasion or bathroom, we take a photo together.

i miss that.

she'll be back soon enough though.

a longing for what is real

2009-04-26T17:19:00.002-05:00

i ran across an excerpt today that resounded with something inside me.

throughout my life i've gone through periods where i feel like i'm searching for something. trying to find my place. trying to find meaning. these last few months i've had this heightened sense of awareness and this hunger for something more. periods like this are always hard, because of course it's not pleasant when you feel a bit unstrung, a bit lost. but i think the only way you can find satisfaction in life is to live what is real. times like these are when you grow the most, you become more alive and more yourself.

this passage is by Anne Hillman. i think everyone can relate to her words. they are true and truth is to be shared:

“I did not know I was on a search for passionate aliveness. I only knew I was lonely and lost and that something was drawing me deeper beneath the surface of my life in search of meaning. There is a hunger in people to go to those deep depths; to know that our lives are sacred; that our hearts are truly capable of love. It is a yearning to be all that we can be. A longing for what is real.”

the wind

a few random good things

2009-04-20T22:55:00.003-05:00

i decided that on this blog needs to be some of my favorite songs and photos. just because those are two things that make me really happy.

-the top photo is by tania lёshkina, who is really creative and talented. this is one of my favorite photos i've ever encountered on flickr. i love the photo for so many reasons and i've caught myself thinking about it often during the past few months, ever since i first discovered tania and saw it. there's such a delicate feeling and tenderness to it, it's beautiful.

-a photo of mine that i love a lot right now:

-songs i'm love with:
1. thirteen- ben kweller (all-time favorite)
2. cold desert- kings of leon
3. use somebody- kings of leon
4. old hat- ben kweller (the video isn't the best, but still good song)

-->obviously, i love ben kweller and kings of leon. their most recent albums, Only By the Night (KOL) and Changing Horses (ben kweller) = ftw. so get on it if you aren't already. srsly.

that's all for now.

Summer is upon us

2009-04-19T16:59:00.003-05:00

mark, sleeping on a hammock

(essential summertime activity)

While i'm not the biggest fan of the heat, my beautiful friends will soon be back in austin. we're something special together. and this is the first summer we'll all be 21.
it's going to be a summer to remember.

some things i'm looking forward to:

long, lazy days
fireflies
south congress
popsicles
frozen grapes
belly laughs
and lots of them
porches
ritas
cleo the cat
barton springs
hammocks
road trips
marfa
music, always
the warm wind
balmy night walks
telling ridiculous stories
star gazing
good books
old books
any and all books
harmonicas
learning how to play said harmonicas
bonfires

dancing all night
golden, hazy afternoons
sticky nights
smores
fingernail painting
sunburns
sunscreen
the smell of sunscreen
fields
open land
the open road
that beautiful mixture of the wind and music
when it beats in your ears
hotels
listening to Changing Horses
and also, Only By the Night
photos photos and more photos
always photos
vintage shopping
tan lines
cheesy sunglasses
sunglasses tan lines (yikes)
concerts
inside jokes
homemade meals
late-night talks on the porch
summertime
and the living is easy
good friends
good times
life doesn't get much better

to clarify some things

2009-04-19T16:10:00.004-05:00

So before this blog takes off, i thought i would share the song that the blog name came from.

It's "Take it with me" by Tom Waits, a song whose lyrics i really, really love. The blog's title touches on what I think is such a beautiful part of life. All those good things, the feelings, the people, the places, the memories. It never dies. We can take it all with us when we go.

Take it with me

Phone's off the hook
No one knows where we are
It's a long time since I
Drank champagne
The ocean is blue
As blue as your eyes
I'm gonna take it with me
When I go
Old long since gone
Now way back when
We lived in Coney Island
Ain't no good thing
Ever dies
I'm gonna take it with me
When I go
Far far away a train
Whistle blows
Wherever you're goin
Wherever you've been
Waving good bye at the end
Of the day
You're up and you're over
And you're far away
Always for you, and
Forever yours
It felt just like the old days
We fell asleep on Beaula's porch
I'm gonna take it with me
When I go
All broken down by
The side of the road
I was never more alive or
Alone
I've worn the faces off
All the cards
I'm gonna take it with me
When I go
Children are playing
At the end of the day
Strangers are singing
On our lawn
It's got to be more
Than flesh and bone
All that you're loved
Is all you own
In a land there's a town
And in that town there's
A house
And in that house
There's a woman
And in that woman
There's a heart I love
I'm gonna take it
With me when I go
I'm gonna take it
With me when I go.

it's the beginning

2009-04-19T15:52:00.010-05:00

Hey strangers,
some people have been asking me if i have a blog. most specifically, a man who was interviewing me for a magazine had asked me, among many other questions like when i was born and where i live, what blog i was a part of. as if it's assumed i have one. i had created this blog (under my name) in october, after a friend suggested i use it to post photos. but i ended up making one post and then abandoning it. i had forgotten about it until the interview, and now i found myself revisiting the idea. maybe i should talk a little. put some words out there, on the vast expanse that is the world wide web. sometimes some cool stuff happens to me. sometimes i discover some new things. and sometimes i love some stuff a lot. so i decided that this is a good place for me to share these things. sometimes.
x