self portrait

I'm never too fond of posting or taking a self portrait, but this one caught me by surprise -- like most things the past month. I was lucky enough to get hired as the AV Multimedia Specialist at the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum! I am their official photographer, but I also get to work with the Audiovisual Archives -- which includes about a million photographs. No joke. A million photographs. LBJ's personal photographer during his stay at the White House was Yoichi Okamoto, who was the first photographer to have unprecedented access to the President. The negatives and prints resting in the cold vault of the archive are incredible. They are true treasures -- American history preserved on thin strips of celluloid. I'm a lucky lady. Inspired, I ventured out to start my own stockpile of digital images for the Library -- and came across my reflection in the window.

Self portrait - LBJ Library and Museum - 2012

the first day of summer

This was taken on the first day of summer. It's the last first day of summer I'll ever have after graduating from college. So, I feel this photo is very fitting - looking back on all those treasured first days of summer.

Barton Springs - Austin, Texas - 2012

kim d.

I've been working hard to finish school the past few days. I have one assignment left and I'm almost done. This is my favorite photo from my multimedia project on autism. It's of Kim. She is a writer, poet, and artist.

You can view the rest of my project in progress at multimediagerson.blogspot.com.

Kim with her artwork - Round Rock, Texas - 2012

blackbird

I know it's cheesy to have a post the same as the blog title, but I think this image deserves it. This is what I see when I think of home. A place that is your own, yet you share it with your family. This is Birdy's favorite spot in the house. She's sits up here most of the day, chirping (yes, chirping) at the birds and squirrels that tease her on the other side. It's really hilarious and Kyle and I love watching her do this. It's these small moments we share that I think make a family.

Blackbird in the Window - Austin, TX - 2012

the snake

Here are a couple of edited stills from the set of my thesis film shoot - "El Aguila y La Serpiente." These images have been in my head since last year. It's really exciting to see them now in front of me. It was a long road to get to this point, but a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I can't wait to see all the 35mm footage edited together in one piece.

A special thanks to my actors - Lucy Bandoh and Wesley Scott.

Vesper and the Driver - Austin, TX - 2012

The Snake - Austin, TX - 2012

lisa

Happy twenty-third birthday to my dear friend Lisa! This is from my trip to visit her in San Francisco two years ago. I had just bought a Diana mini downtown and lots of film to go with it. This one was taken under the bell tower on the UC Berkley campus.

Lisa - Berkley, CA - 2010

the eagle

The first still from my thesis film, "El Aguila y La Serpiente." We are shooting the second part this weekend and then off to Dallas for the supervised transfer!

The Eagle - White Sands, NM - 2012

destruction and rebirth

It has been almost six months since I have looked at these photos. I was lucky enough to photograph a bunch of students helping victims of the September wildfires in Bastrop, TX. The clean-up process was pretty sweat intensive and the smell of rotten food lingered in your nose afterward, but the look on the homeowners faces after they were finished was worth the effort. The photos here I took in the early morning before the clean-up started. It is incredible the destruction a fire can bring upon us, but equally as interesting the rebirth of life it gives afterwards.

Destruction - 2011

Rebirth - 2011

forever alone

I thought the internet meme title fit this tree well. This week last year, I was location shooting for my 3 minute film exercise for my Narrative Filmmaking class. We were only allowed to shoot 200' of 16mm black and white film and have one or two characters tops. My sister Lindsey helped me create and write the story, without her the film might never have happened or turned out as beautifully as I think it did. A special thanks goes out to Shan, who was so willing to run around a cold, damp field in nothing but a see-through lace dress and jump into a freezing cold pool for a scene that never actually made the final cut. 

A Random Field in Hutto, TX - 2011

the next 364

My last day in El Paso and the first day of the new year. Twenty twelve. The past year has been full of surprises - good, bad, ugly, but mostly good. Looking forward to the next 364 days that come and the places life will take us. Happy New Year!

Scenic Drive - El Paso, Texas - 2012