Karen's Photo Journal

Majestic Heights

We live through history everyday, but it is defining moments like today that make us pause and realize what we are witnessing.  Even if you didn't vote for Obama, today is like no other day for America.  This nation has over come so much to be where it is now. A day MLK spoke of 45 years ago. Whether you voted for him or not, Obama has united our states like no other candidate could have and this is what we needed more then anything. Today, I am proud of my country.

As a side note, check out the cool avatar I made over at Obamiconme for my Facebook page:

Sneak peak: Laura and David

More coming real soon, but here are two of my long lost friend from Kindergarten that I photographed yesterday:

The Dream

Please set aside 17 minutes today to watch this whole video.  Tomorrow our nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of it's creed - that all men are created equal.

Call to Service

• "My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country."  John F. Kennedy 

• "Everybody can be great... because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love."  Martin Luther King Jr.

• "We are the ones we have been waiting for."  Barack Obama

On January 19, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, thousands of people across the country are committing to renew America. I will be taking my kids with me to do a service project on Monday, hoping that leading by example will instill something in them as well.  Won't you join us?

For anyone that books a portrait season with me and shows me that they participated in this day of service (time stamped snapshots from you cleaning a park, giving blood, etc... for example), I will take $100 off of your sitting fee or donate $100 of your portrait sitting fee to a charity of your choice.  

Please watch this video below then follow this link to find an event in your area.

         

Light + Architecture = Great Photo Ops

We went to the Griffith Observatory earlier this week. Hadn't been there in years... maybe 20!  My family had never been so we dragged the kids up Mount Hollywood to show them "that thing up in the hills" . The 1930's architecture is gorgeous and I couldn't stop shooting, much to the annoyance of my son. No tolerance this day for mommy's camera.  I got some great shots off though and here are some of my favs. 

Astronomers Monument

Here are two shots of downtown.  It was a pretty hazy (read: smoggy) day.  You can see the Capitol Records building in the foreground.  The first was mid-day and then again at sunset.  Just beyond the buildings, almost dead center is the suns reflection on the ocean.

Whatever happened to peace, love and understanding?

I like to pretend that I live in a small town.  I suppose it makes me feel more connected.  Part of that imaginary small town is that it's rural. Okay, for those that know where I live, stay with me here (it used to be all orange groves and horses, you know).  And in my rural little world there are wild creatures that I like to feed.  I feel it only fair since we have encroached on their space. (My son likes to feed the rats cheese... on a trap... he is a boy, but I digress...) Currently I have adopted two hummingbirds.  Buck and Scarlet.

This is Buck.  Buck has a green back, hence the name.

 

Buck loves our little feeder.  He is always there.  (This of course goes back to our annihilation of the native habitat... but I digress...) He'll even fly up to it with me standing right there.  When it's empty he sits on the fence and waits for me to fill it.  (I almost poisoned my children and burnt my house down for Buck... but I digress...)

Buck, as cute as the little bugger is, is not good at sharing.  As a matter of fact, he is pretty nasty. Now, I don't know about you, but I always assumed hummingbirds were cute docile creatures. Well, let me tell you, it ain't so, Joe! 

This is Scarlet... for obvious reasons.

The reason my picture of Scarlet sucks is that any time Scarlet gets near the feeder, Buck attacks her! He will wait for her, hover, attack and chase her.  Anything to get her away from his precious nectar! Here is Buck waiting...

And here they are standing off, waiting for someone to make the first move (insert spaghetti-western-show-down-music here).

They will do this for hours!  (Okay, I don't really stand outside watching them for hours... maybe ten minutes though!)  Those tiny little bodies make a pretty loud noise when they smack into each other.  Yes, they actually hit each other... I don't know why they can't share... I have a feeling I know how this will end.  With me being a sucker and going out and buying another feeder. Stay tuned...

Picture of the Day

Life is not always in focus...

What's in The Mix

I thought it would be fun to post some music I'm listening to.  I love music; almost all music so my playlist is pretty eclectic. I wish I could have been a singer but since I can't sing, I wish I could play drums.  I have settled for air-drums which I excel at.  Why fix perfection with actual lessons.  Anyhow, since I am procrastinating on working on my new web site and I can't sleep, here is the first of unforeseen numerous posts about what the next ten songs will be that I'm listening to on my iTunes playlist. (If anyone knows a player widget I can install here let me know, then you can hear them right along with me and play air-guitar!)

1. Sugar Ray: 'Fly'

   *Dub remix... fun to dance to.  Gotta dance...

2. Eddie Vedder: 'Society' from 'Into the Wild' soundtrack

   *I am in love with this man's voice.  In l-o-v-e.  I would marry his voice if I could.

3. Green Day:  'Whatsername'from 'American Idiot' 

   *Great breakup song ("Forgetting you but not the time"... excellent!)

4. Joni Mitchell:  'Woodstock'

   *Most people know this as a CSN song but Joni wrote this.  Reminds me that I'm a hippie at heart... in case I forgot...

5. Tone Loc: 'Funky Cold Medina' from 'Loc-ed After Dark'

   *The end of the 80's... old school... and I can dance to it...

6. First Class: 'Beach Baby'

   *Surf music... "Beach baby, beach baby, there on the sand from now to the end of September". I love this stuff! I used to want to be Gidget.

7. War: 'Why Can't we be Friends'

   *More great 70's stuff!

8. Dr. Hook:  'Sylvia's Mother' 

   *OMG this song makes me cry every single friggin' time I hear it.  It is the romantic song of my pre-teen years. Why wouldn't her mom just let them talk one more time? "...And the operator says 'Forty cents more for the next three minutes please'... Please Mrs. Avery I just gotta talk to her...."  So sad...

9. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: 'Shadow of a Doubt' from 'Highway Companion'

   *I have been in love with Tom Petty since 1977.  The love affair has never faltered.  You need to see this band live!

10.Everlast: 'Today(Watch me Shine)' from 'Whitey Ford Sings the Blues'

   *Great album.  Wore it down when I first got it.

 

I could go on but then it wouldn't be the Top 10 now would it?  Let me see if I have a photo to post with this since this is a photo blog.  I'll look for something good while I listen to Credence Clearwater... oops I gave away #11! Oh, I know.  I just posted this to Facebook so this one is handy and pretty rock n rolly!

Inspiration 2009

Be the change you want to see in the world ~Gandhi