Hooray! I got the 1st place prize this year in the “Story” category for this photo from Aaron and Ashley’s wedding:
I’m not sure I ever posted about it, but last year I also won in the “Artistic” category for this photo:
This kind of thing is really encouraging. 
I’m a sucker for a jumping shot. So with a beautiful setting like this…what else could I do?
First I got Ina jumping.
Then she turned the camera around (Ina is also a great photographer)!
These conditions were awesome for this type of thing, and here’s why:
Emily has a new dog. A French Bulldog named Buster, to be exact.
Exactly what it says – I just wish I could attend this party.
This was a few days back, but I don’t want to miss it! Here’s a shot from the lavender fields…alongside here’s Nidhi’s recent sketch!
If only there had been an adorable fox couple there in real life. That would have been something.
…just imagine the smell! We spent a day at Mayfield Lavender in Surrey with some friends, and I just posted my portfolio from this outing, so I want to feature a few of my favorite images in the coming days.
First up: my favorite shot of Ina.
I continue to be on a roll with these out-of-focus-foreground portraits. I’ve really been enjoying shooting them…I’m sure the urge will run its course before too long, but for now I’m just going to go with it until I get it out of my system.
In this shot, I love the way her face is lit by the overcast sky (see the incredibly soft shadows on her cheekbones?), which also gives an amazing catchlight in her eyes. Ina’s expression is a perfect one of expectation.
More to come!
Everyone loves hipster puppies. Gabe sent me a link to this one…maybe because of this photo I took of him one Christmas?
Eerie.
…has been surprisingly productive, especially considering all of the stuff that’s been going on! Before I left for SF I started this painting.
I needed to draw a grid of dots, so I marked things off with tape.
Then the real work began. I had previously printed out pages of random numbers generated in Excel, and punched the numbers out using a hole punch. (Great hand exercise…) I painted concentric circles of color corresponding to each number, and then placed the punched out number in the middle.
I did this at random (placement-wise) at first, so I could work out my technique and not leave any obvious patches of doing-a-weird-job.
After a several-week hiatus (during which I spent two weeks in San Francisco, then went to Venice and Geneva, then got married…geez), I started up on this again a couple of days ago. This time I’m doing the circles in blocks. It’s much more efficient and I’m more comfortable with the technique now. Eventually the whole painting (including the white bar) will be filled in with these.
Doing these is actually REALLY physically intensive. I have to paint with the canvas on the floor, bending over it, and meticulously make sure that the circles are at least fairly circular and smooth, while being careful not to touch the already-painted circles that are drying. Each number needs three circles of paint, and there are several hundred numbers; and each circle needs maybe an hour of drying time before the next one is painted over it. I’m using latex paint because I love working with it, and because the liquidity lends itself to making circles. It’s a ton of work, but I actually really enjoy working on it. I find the process very meditative.
I think my next few batches will be rows instead of blocks – this will make it easier to brace my hand against the canvas while painting, which I think will speed things up a bit. More to come!
When numbers match their surroundings, I feel happy. 3 is green, 1 is black, and 2 is yellow or gold. The purple door just looks good with it. This was in New Orleans, across the river from most of the city in Algiers Point.
