today is an exciting day in banana land

i have been so busy working on my photo galleries for my website. i have already updated my wedding and portrait galleries and am now halfway done. yay! in the very near future, everything will be revamped. so go check out my website. who knows, maybe you'll find yourself in one of my galleries; you'll just have to visit my website to find out... 

have a great wednesday. the stars are aligning, people. i feel it. (however, i didn't think they were aligning so well when my front tooth chipped yesterday). 

bliss

today reminds me of the day i took these photos. the weather was so cloudy, so clean. it makes me so content. i imagine it's the same way someone in sweden must feel when a sunny, warm day breezes in unexpectedly. on that note, have a wonderful weekend! i'll be attending miss america tomorrow. not as a participant, but as a viewer-in case anyone was wondering.

the college years

you wonder if the young man in these photos had any idea, even an impression, about the events that would unfold in his life.

photos by lisa jack

via time

interesting tidbit

i'm not sure if anyone besides my family might think this is interesting, but i'll tell you anyway. my grandma was watching the news yesterday, and the obama family was shown moving into their new home. the company that has been moving government officials for many years is united van lines. anyway, she called my mom to inform her that my grandpa (a former driver for united van lines) had personally moved jfk into the white house in the 60s. as trivial as they may seem to others, anecdotes that have to do with my personal history always make the best stories.                                                       

when it's time to lean...

i stole this photo from my sister's blog. this is her son with his grandpa. i can't forget to point out that this was not staged; of course, that's what makes it so great, right? 

this photo takes me back to the time when i worked at krispy kreme many moons ago. multi-tasking was the name of the game there. i worked the drive-thru, emptied the coffee grounds, and boxed fresh doughnuts after they had glided through the "glaze waterfall" or "glazer" (whichever you prefer)-all simultaneously! after a tornado-like rush, i would lean against the stainless steel counter, exhale, and relax my sore feet. 2.3 seconds later, my boss e--- would saunter by and inform me that "when it's time to lean, it's time to clean." funny how things like that stay with you throughout the years. anyway, here's to old bosses!

photo by camille

yasmin cont'd

yasmin

it was such a joy to work with yasmin. she was a trooper-laughing and joking the whole time, despite the subzero temperature. okay, it may not have been that cold. i'll post some more photos from yasmin's session tomorrow.

who: yasmin

what: portrait

where: unlv (my alma mater!)

p.s. yasmin told me that the BEST peruvian restaurant in town is mi peru. and she would know. i'm excited to check it out. sooooo rico!

annie can inspire

i highly recommend annie leibovitz's new book, AT WORK. it will inspire photo enthusiasts and artists alike. here are a few excerpts that i loved:

What advice do you have for a young photographer who is just starting out?

"I've said about a million times that the best thing a young photographer can do is to stay close to home. Start with your friends and family, the people who will put up with you. Discover what it means to be close to your work, to be intimate with a subject. Measure the difference between that and working with someone you don't know as much about. Of course, there are many good photographs that have nothing to do with staying close to home, and I guess what I'm really saying is that you should take pictures of something that has meaning for you...you have to care about what you do. You might even seem to be obsessive about it."

How many pictures do you take?

"Certainly fewer than I did when I was young. But don't worry about it. It varies. It takes what it takes."

"There are not many smiling people in my pictures. I've never asked anyone to smile. Almost never. Where did "Smile for the camera" come from? It's a tic. A way of directing attention to the camera. "Look at the birdie." It took me years to understand that I equated asking someone to smile with asking them to do something false."

"When I'm asked about my work, I try to explain that there is no mystery involved. It is work. But things happen all the time that are unexpected, uncontrolled, unexplainable, even magical. The work prepares you for that moment. Suddenly the clouds roll in and the soft light you longed for appears."

encore

here are a few more of the carlson kiddos in no particular order. 

on an unrelated note, i just found this quote and liked it. perhaps it's because goals are on my mind...

A goal is a dream with a deadline.

-Napoleon Hill

have a fab friday!

self portrait

fresh out of the camera, baby.

dear abby

i found this in the review journal yesterday. i really like this gift idea. read on.

Dear Abby:
A year ago, I received such a thoughtful Christmas gift from my daughter-in-law that I can't resist telling you about it. First, she sent a card instructing me to open my gifts according to the month written on the package-so the giving would continue all year long.
For January, she gave me a calendar. For February, a heart-shaped pin; for March, a leprechaun figurine; for April, a bag of candy Easter eggs. A kitchen utensil holder with "Mom" on it was her gift for May; for June she gave me sunglasses; Fourth of July candles were the July surprise; my birthday gift in August was a candy dish. September is Grandparents' Month, so she gave me a grandmother plaque.
Her October gift was a small jack-o'-lantern to hang up in my window. November was a decorative wall hanging, trimmed with nuts and berries. And in December, there were two housedresses.
Abby, I loved the series of gifts. They reflected affection, ingenuity and generosity.
-A Very Happy Mother-In-Law

influence

is mary-kate and ashley's new book. they interviewed some of the artists who inspired them and compiled these interviews with photos and images. i found myself reading interview after interview and being inspired by their words of wisdom.

a few quotes i liked:

You know, the most important thing I can tell you about creativity is to try to think originally. And try to look into yourself to find things. They're not outside. 

-Peter Lindbergh

Life is about giving. It's a luxury to give. And even if people take advantage of you a little bit, it's okay. 

-Diane von Furstenberg

Blood is a very magical juice. 

-Goethe

by the way, i like the jacket photography by rankin.