t h e c o n s e r v a t o r y

t h e  c o n s e r v a t o r y

"the butterfly show"

our class traveled to krohn conservatory to watch and capture the activity of the "pura vida butterflies of Costa Rica". they were absolutely everywhere and so were the many kids that chased them around the indoor rainforest. although it was nearly impossible to keep up with the flutters of the exotic butterflies it was easy to catch the kids interacting with them. i have almost a dozen pictures of the same face on different children. that moment when no one else is around except for that butterfly on their shoulders. with every photograph i took i caught myself saying "you are so lucky!" and it was obvious..they knew they were. 

a l l a b o u t t h e f l a r e

a l l  a b o u t  t h e  f l a r e

man do i love reflections and flare.

 i'm not sure if it ever makes sense, but

damn does it capture me and force me to feel. 

a m a n d a + j e r e m y

a m a n d a  +  j e r e m y

 for the most part of my time in school i am in and out of campus and keep to myself. but without trying too hard i made a few wonderful friends a long the way. amanda and jeremy are two of those great people i had the pleasure of bumping into and connecting with. i met jeremy in a printmaking class. although he didn't say too much i quickly fell in love with his style of drawing and imaginative perspective. amanda is someone who sat next to me in my very first photo class (which by the way was supposed to be just a fun credit, joke's on me). amanda and i spent most of our class time comparing photographs and talking about our hilarious families. she even accidentally photographed my sister while shooting for a street photography project. when i found out the two were a couple i couldn't help but get excited for their love. and when amanda asked me to photograph their engagement i was thrilled. their quiet and quirky balance of love for each other is obvious, sweet and true. i am delighted to part of their beginning. everything after their moonlit walk.

m e e t t h e s k i p p e r

m e e t  t h e  s k i p p e r

our class visited an old classic yesterday, the anderson ferry. the anderson ferry has been on the ohio river since 1817 and is on the register of historical places. my curiosity paid off when i was allowed to come to the front of the ship and spend time with the ferry's skipper, john. john has been working on this boat since he was just fifteen years old! he is exactly what you would imagine a skipper to be. a man with tough hands, a packed pipe, bushy eyebrows and a warm smile. I could tell he was a little uncomfortable sharing his small cabin with me and a large camera in his face so i made it a point to stay behind for the most part..but i had to sneak in and get a shot of some of his well earned wrinkles! after a few rides back and forth between cincinnati and kentucky i shook his hand and thanked him for his time. i could tell by his handshake and smile that he appreciated my appreciation and i hope my photos do him justice.                   

 

   

s w e e t r a b b i t h a s h

s w e e t  r a b b i t  h a s h 

as part of my summer workshop we all took a short trip up to rabbit hash, ky where we walked the dirt roads and kicked it with the locals. my intention was to spend more time capturing the signage and wider shots of this beautifully eclectic community but i couldn't help myself. i found a native and we "shot the shit" for quite awhile. when most of my time was up i realized i only had shots of river Ron and the small details close and around to where he was standing. 

  

t h e b a s i c s

t h e  b a s i c s

  with a lot of "life" happening all at once and the feeling of stress stacking, i knew that i needed to take a step back and return to the beginning. as a photographer there is this constant hunger to learn more, see more and do more. to get better, be stronger and challenge yourself as an artist and creator. but sometimes it just feels good to do what you know, photograph who you love and simply be inspired in that simplicity. this past week i made it a point to just have my camera. no intentions, no plan. just to make it outside with my family and get back to the basics. while my husband worked on building his motorcycle my daughter found fun with just a big bucket, some string, a paint brush and some water. at that moment it seemed as if all of us were breaking life down to the basics. i crawled on the floor with august and did just that. I looked for the best light, the subtle shadows, and tried to catch her moving the water. it was then that i remembered why i got this camera in the first place. 

t h e t e r m i n a l

t h e  t e r m i n a l

for three weeks i am involved in a summer workshop where we spend time exploring a city we almost know and sharpening our travel photography skills. although we haven't been to too many places just yet its been great. getting excited to revisit these historical and special places in Cincinnati with a fresh perspective almost makes me feel like a tourist in my own town.