instamap

Lately I've been a little obsessed with maps. I'm even looking for a map so I can pin all of the places I've been on my wall. And of course you can do this virtually. This is an awesome widget for any website. It uses the photos from your instagram account and pins them on the map where you took them using google. And it's free. Here's all the places I've instagrammed recently:

 

mom & dad

I love going back and looking at old photos. Actual photographs that were developed and printed and stuck in a box somewhere in the storage closet and also digital photos that you find in the hidden corners of your hard drive. Ones that you forgot about. I love it when you find a great photo that you passed over the first time and rediscover it on second glance. These are my favorite type of photos. This is one I found of my mom and dad not too long ago. I took the picture just last year at my cousin's wedding. I love the way they are looking at each other, after all these years it's exactly the same as photos found in the box from when I was a kid.

Mom & Dad - Vashon Island, Washington - 2011

riding free

This past spring I had the honor to film Miriam Dell'Antonio on her way to the Equestrian Special Olympics in Taylor, Texas on April 22, 2012. Miri, who was diagnosed with autism at the age of 2, has been going to therapeutic horseback riding lessons for six years with the support of her adoptive parents Susan Jackson and Andrew Dell'Antonio. This is her story.


For more multimedia about autism, visit Battling the Social Norm to raise awareness!

#birdythecat

Oh, how I love Instagram. For a photography and film lover, it's the perfect combination. And it's fast. Take a picture, pick a filter, post it on your social media mogul -- all on one device. The photography world is changing so quickly. When I entered college five years ago, there was no such thing as an iPhone. Now, it's the camera that I use everyday.

Everyone knows that the internet was invented for cats -- cat photos, cat videos, nyan cat, cat fails, and the list goes on. So it's no wonder that cats have invaded our Instagram feeds, too. It's no surprise to me either, that of all the photos I post, the ones of my cat, Birdy, are the most popular. So here's to the Bird, and her very own hashtag on Instagram -- #birdythecat.

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