Save it for a Rainy Day...

"Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket
Never let it fade away
Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket
Save it for a rainy day"

The past few days its been raining pretty hard, but today I finally took out my saved falling star and have a pretty good day. This morning, my sister, Shiri, and I went to Disneyland. Since it was raining, it was not very busy despite it being holiday season. We got to go on just about all of the major rides, and all in just a couple of hours.


But this was not the highlight of my day. As always, any day that I see Kevin Mills is a good day. I've known Kevin for only about a year, but he's still one of the few people that always brightens my day when I see them. I met Kevin last year at a Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra rehearsal and we got to be good friends through the Maxim Presents fundraiser concerts. Even though this year Kevin and I are both graduated and at different colleges (he stayed fairly local), we were both invited to return as alumni for another Maxim Presents tonight. While the performance itself wasn't very good, it was still great to see Kevin and get to spend some time with him.

A Long Time Coming...

So ever since my photo class ended, I stopped posting pictures as break happened and things got busy. But now that things in my life have calmed down a little bit, I've decided to go back to posting pictures and just all around updates on my life.

My favorite part about break thus far has most definitely been going to Disneyland with one of my favorite people in the world. Last week my friend Sam came from Houston so we could go to Disneyland for a couple of days. But before we went to Disney we hiked up a hill in Turtle Ridge with the perfect look out point over the beach timed perfectly with the sunset.

 The colors were absolutely brilliant and I loved being able to capture them. Its hard to make these colors any other way but in nature and it was just amazing to experience them.

The next two days were absolutely fantastic, as what could be better than two full days at Disneyland at Christmastime when there are hardly any lines? That's right, nothing. I had a lot of fun spending time with Sam and Kyle (from Ventura) came down to spend those days with us as well. Oh how I love Disneyland at Christmastime :)

Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears; 6 November, 2010

For another class, I was required to attend the production of Julius Caesar put on by the Theatre Department. This was certainly an interesting cultural experience, and although I wasn't a huge fan of the play itself, I thought it was done very well. The staging was very different than what I imagine Shakespeare originally intended it, but there were many things in it that Shakespeare clearly did not intend. For example, there were several Nazi references in the battle dress of some characters and the tiles on the floor of the stage were arranged in a swastika, something that clearly wasn't common in Shakespeare's time. Also, many of the characters were cross-gender cast, so many of the male roles were converted into woman's roles. I didn't really like how this was done as it seemed to detract from the huge masculinity that should have been shown in the roles of the conspirators.

Once a Warrior, Always a Warrior; 5 November, 2010

This time last year, I was running in my last cross country league finals. This was an extremely eventful day in my life as not only did we advance past our league into CIF for the first time since my freshman year, but we also had one of our girls break her leg in the last 400 meters of our race. However, before all of this happened, the varsity girls took almost 100 pictures of each other, and our whole team. During this picture spree, we found this log along the side of the road that looked like it had a heart cut out of the center. So of course, we took many picture of the log itself and of us around it. This is my favorite of those pictures as around the heart, our feet are aligned in a star formation (even though its a little lopsided). I miss my cross country girls tremendously and I'm so proud of how they've been doing this season, on track to place top 5 in State.

Intermural Volleyball; 3 November, 2010

Another great thing about college that was never available to me in high school is intramural sports. So far my hall has had a broomball and volleyball team, and I can't wait for next quarter when we rock indoor soccer. This picture was taken at our last (I think) intramural volleyball game, and since it was right around Halloween, we chose to go dressed up in our fantastic costumes.

All Hallows Eve; 31 October, 2010

Halloween was so much fun this year. I haven't done much for Halloween the past few years, opting to stay home with my sister watching our favorite scary TV show, Supernatural, rather than go out and party or something of the like. So this year was great actually being able to go out and have some fun with my new family. This photograph was from the first night people went out, with these girls (minus our fabulous RA Vanessa) going up to CSU to see old friends from high school. I didn't go with them, so I was photographer for the night before they left.

Pi Lambda Pi for life :)

Pumpkin Carving; 30 October, 2010

In the days leading up to Halloween, the JMac Leadership Team held a pumpkin carving contest. As JMac LT historian, of course I was there snapping photographs of all the pumpkins and their carvers. I really like this picture as it has just about all of the carved pumpkins in it and the orange stands out against the black night outside. All of the pumpkins turned out so good after they were carved, and I'm sure it was difficult to choose the winner. I love being a part of the JMac LT and was glad I was able to participate in this event and help put it on.

Craziest Girls I Know; 27 October, 2010

My absolute favorite class this quarter has definitely been my FSEM, simply because of the fantastic girls in the class (and of course you, Roddy). No matter what's going on, we always have fun together and despite our personalities being very different, we get along so well. We all have a love of photography that comes out when we're together and I will miss this class and these girls so much next quarter when we're not together anymore. I love this "self portrait"so much because it captures all of our crazy personalities, but we're all so close together that we're clearly a united group.

My New Family; 24 October, 2010

In leaving behind my family of 6, I joined a family of 68. My floormates, and fellow PLPers have truly become my family here at DU. Over this weekend, my family had our annual retreat at the Nature Place, and what is a retreat without a bonfire and s'mores? Over this weekend, I got to know my fello PLPers so much better and I love every single one of them to death. As I look forward now to the next 6 weeks away from everyone here, I realize how much I'm really going to miss them while I'm home.

DU Hockey; 22 October 2010

One of my favorite "new" experiences that I've had here at DU has been the hockey games. Even though I have absolutely no clue what is going on during the games, I love being a part of the student section cheering like mad. I wish this picture could accurately capture the excitement and school spirit that is present in the student section of hockey games, but unfortunately it does not do it justice at all.

Wall Painting; 21 October, 2010

Last week, I was heading to tutor at The Bridge Project's Lincoln site, when I passed the Buckhorn Exchange and saw these wall paintings. I thought these paintings were absolutely beautiful and especially with the warm natural light coming off the left side of the photograph. There were several paintings on the side of the wall, but I like this one the best because of the lighting and how the dark shades of the painting really stood out from the yellowish bricks.

Christmas Come Early; 20 October 2010

One of my favorite things about the holiday season is my family's Christmas tree. A lot of my family's Christmas is done through traditions that we've formed over the year and our tree is no different. Every year, my sisters and I each get a new ornament and so our tree grows each year with the number of ornaments. When walking around campus, I saw this tree and it reminded me of Christmas (obviously). I really liked the lighting as well as the sky was completely clear, making the background look completely white. I also took another photograph (below) through the branches capturing how dense the branches are. I like that picture as well because even without flash the branches are completely illuminated and the green color of each of the needles stood out against the brown of the actual branches.

Fall Leaves; 19 October 2010

I really like this picture because of the vibrant colors not only in the fluorescent sign but in the fall leaves as well. The light turned out much better than I was anticipating and I absolutely love it. Fall colors are my absolute favorite and I think this picture really captures the essence of fall and all that it stands for.

18 on the 18th; 18 October, 2010

This Monday I finally turned 18! It was great to be in a dorm on my birthday as people were coming into my room all day unlike high school where it was only a couple hours at school where you saw people. A lot of friends came into my room when I wasn't there and left things on my desk and, clearly, painted on my window some decorations. Although I don't feel any different to be a legal adult, Monday was still a great day and I had a lot of fun celebrating. And how did I celebrate, by going to Yogurtland of course!

First picture as an 18 year old! :)

See By The Light of the Moon; 17 October 2010

I really like this picture even though the moon seems so tiny compared to the street light. I had hoped the moon would be larger, however there was not much I could do about it. I do like how the buildings and tree are still in the picture as some of the other angles that I took this in did not have either and it just didn't look right and there was absolutely no perspective other than the lamp itself. I also  like how the light turned out, not too dark so that I would need the flash, but the lamp had a nice warm light that wasn't too harsh.

Homecoming Parade; 16 October 2010

Last Saturday for Parents weekend, there was the Homecoming Parade fit with Boone the Pioneer. The parade and all other Homecoming events were a lot of fun, and it was great to meet all of my friend's siblings and parents. I like this picture because it really captures the excitement of the weekend and all of the cool activities that were going on.

Parent's Weekend; 15 October 2010

I have always loved taking pictures of reflections and I really love how the lighting turned out on this photograph. It was so bright but the light was not harsh at all. I wish there was a way to get in both the entire reflection and the entire building but sadly, my camera did not have that big of a frame and it would not fit. I still really like this picture though as the color is just so sharp without any need to enhance it through photo shop or any other means.

Hylaea; 14 October, 2010

This last week, I went to see the Hylaea exhibit in Penrose Library. While I'm not a huge bird person, I thought the exhibit was extremely interesting. It was cool to see the enlarged pictures of just a part of the bird (like the beak above). However, it really annoyed me that the photographs were not just enlarged but a bunch of small squares put together with a slight gap. I also didn't like how it was all so spread out. I generally don't like museums because there's just so much to see in such a large space and its tiring to go through all of it in one day. I really like this photograph that I took at Hylaea because it included both the sculpture and the picture of the beak without being too cluttered or having one lock the other.

"A Photographer's Life"; 13 October 2010

Annie Leibovitz once said, "a photographer's life is seeing through a lens". She exemplified this idea of a photographer her entire life. It amazes me all the opportunities that she just fell into from touring with the Stones, to working for multiple high fashion magazines at once as neither wanted to lose her. Her photography was absolutely fantastic and the fact that she was able to say what she wanted in a photo shoot and she got everything regardless of cost.
"A good photographer takes pictures like other people live and breathe". I wish I could do this, but Annie Leibovitz clearly did. Her photographs for all areas of her life including pictures of her kids and out the window of her car are all gorgeous in a simple, but beautiful way. Her professional photographs have caused great controversy but are absolutely fantastic in their controversial way. While many have argued that her transition from the real photography from her time at Rolling Stone to her commercial work at Vanity Fair and other fashion magazines has ruined her photography, I don't feel that way. Her commercial photography is still beautiful just much more intricate and staged than her earlier photography. However, I believe that half of a good photograph is the staging for it. You can have a good photograph without a good set up but if you place each model or subject just right, it can be greatly improved becoming beautiful.

Overall, Annie Leibovitz's photography has pushed me to strive for beauty in all aspects of my life. I want to become a true photographer that takes pictures where ever I go no matter what is around me. I want to find and capture something new and beautiful each day.

There's No Place Like Home; 12 October 2010

At the end of this week, my parent's are coming in for Parent's/Homecoming weekend. So for my picture today, I decided to use a picture that I took over the summer at the lake near my house. Now generally, I don't consider this lake beautiful as it is man-made and they put some sort of dye in it to make it look pretty and blue. However, I really like this picture of the lake as it looks fairly natural and the shadow I'm standing in gives the water a slightly muted feel although it is reflecting the sun.

Downtown; 11 October 2010

Last week, the Pioneer Leadership Program went downtown to attend the Denver City Council meeting. As we were walking down the 16th street mall I saw the sky and clouds reflected in a big, tall office building and I thought it looked cool so I snapped a couple pictures. I absolutely love taking pictures of the sky, so I liked this picture as it was still technically of the sky, just a different take on it.

Finally Fall; 10 October 2010

One of the things that drew me to Denver (well, more outside of California) is the fact that there's "real weather". In Southern California, especially, we have summer and maybe a couple weeks of "winter" where its a little cloudy and 'cold' (as in 60 degrees, not real cold) so I was excited to come to a place where there were four distinct seasons. So far its still been pretty warm, only a couple days of rain, but now as the trees start to change, its finally fall. I took this picture out of the JMac first floor lounge window and I love the contrast of the darker green and the bright yellow of the leaves.

Black and White; 9 October 2010

One of my favorite things that we've done so far in this class is the taking and developing of black and white film. I have always wanted to learn how to develop and print my own film so this was really exciting for me. Also, whenever I get something new, I generally take it apart to see how it works and then put it back together so it was very fun being able to take apart my disposable camera and really see how the inside works. I like the way this picture came out (taken, of course, with my digital) with the light reflecting off the inside of the camera. I can't wait to see how my negatives turn out!!

Who You Are is Who You're With; 7 October, 2010

I have always thought that a big part of you are as a person is who you associate with and who you spend time with. So for one of my self portraits, I wanted to take a picture of my friends and the people that I have spent the most time with here at DU. One night when many of my friends were across the hall doing homework, I grabbed my camera and snapped this picture. I really love the way it came out as it well represents my friends and also who I am.

Summit County; 4 October 2010

The weekend of the 4th, I went on the Honors Retreat up to Keystone Science School in Summit County. On Sunday, we hiked up Mount Sniktau, a thirteener above Loveland Pass. The hike was absolutely gorgeous, we could see for miles from all sides, it was so clear. The hike itself was pretty difficult but the view definitely made it worth it.

2nd Happiest Place on Earth; 3 October 2010

One of my favorite things to do with my friends is go to Yogurtland. We absolutely love the yogurt there and we like to think its healthier than going out for ice cream. We've already gone several times and plan to keep on going multiple other times throughout the year. I was extremely excited to have Yogurtland here as I thought I wouldn't have it until I went back home again.

An apple a day...; 1 October 2010

The other day, I was out with my friend and while he was shopping, I was taking pictures. I love how this one turned out as the light is reflected in each of the apples and the color is just absolutely brilliant.

Random Owls of Kindness; 28 September, 2010

My hallway in JMAC (1-2 all the way) is known as Hogwarts, or the Harry Potter hallway because of the bulletin board at the entrance of our hallway. This month's bulletin board is covered in small scrolls of paper each with the name of one of the hall residents for the rest of the floor to write encouraging notes and affirmations on. The whole board is titled: Random Owls of Kindness, and has various ways that we can show kindness and love to those around us. I was playing around with settings on my camera, particularly the black and white setting when I snapped this picture and I just love how it came out. I really like what it says in that kind acts are never wasted, and they are always appreciated in some way. Also, I just think it turned out really well with the lack of color emphasizing the words themselves.

Just another American Saturday Night; 25 September 2010

September 25th was one of the greatest days I've had at DU. I was able to go see Brad Paisley and several other country artists perform at the Comfort Dental Amphitheater. Brad Paisley is one of my favorite country singers, so it was absolutely amazing to see him live in concert. It was a fantastic concert and I belted along to all of the songs and loved every single minute of it.

Full Moon; 24 September 2010

On the 24th of September, I attended my first Colorado Rockies game. While the game was not particularly exciting, the moon looked absolutely amazing. As it rose behind the stadium it looked more orange than usual and really stood out against the black sky behind it. When it continued to rise, it lost the orange tinge but still lit up the entire sky outside the bright lights of the stadium.

Hogwarts or DU? 23 September, 2010

I thought this shot was absolutely breathtaking, even though the photograph doesn't capture how the sky looked at that time. The sky looked so amazing lit up by both the setting sun and the law building in the center of the shot. The clouds were completely illuminated from below and as my friend mentioned before I took this picture, it looked like a building straight out of Harry Potter.

Picnics; 22 September, 2010

Generally, I haven't been a huge fan of the dorm food but the best day, by far, was when we had a picnic of barbecue chicken and other typically "southern" foods. Not only was the food great at this "picnic", but I had interactions with many bugs including this ladybug that enjoyed climbing around my empty plate. I tried to capture the moment where there was not just a ladybug, but a yellow jacket, and spider on my plate, but the only photo that turned out was this one with just the ladybug.

Working Hard, Hardly Working; 21 September, 2010

One of the great things about college is that there are always people around, in the hallways, in their rooms, and especially in the lounge. The downside to that, is that its very difficult to get work done as everyone is always around. I took this photo when my friends were trying, unsuccessfully, to get reading done while the rest of us were just hanging out as our work was finished. The table shown in this picture has been moved many times a day for people to use, not just for their books and other work, but to be used as a footrest for those attempting to do work. In a way, this table kind of represents college life, as everything is always being changed and moved around, but overall it stays the same and always ends up back where it started.

Denver Sky; 20 September, 2010

My favorite thing to take pictures of is the sky, and Denver has had some awesome skies while I've been here. I never liked the sky back home as it was generally devoid of clouds and when there were clouds, it blocked the entire sky making everything gray. I loved the sky this day because the clouds were just so vibrant and white, but you could still see the blue behind them.

Water; 19 September, 2010

Last Sunday was the Pioneer Leadership Program barbecue. Because it wasn't particularly warm with the breeze, a bunch of us decided just to sit by the edge of the pool with our feet in the water. I loved the way our shadows were falling in the water and were rippling in the water. I also like the bright reflection of the sun in the water that's lined up with the ripples. I think that this photograph turned out really well even though you can't really tell who's in it.

A Rapid Revolution; 18 September, 2010

Last Saturday, I attended a Colorado Rapids soccer game against the New England Revolution. It was my first time in Dicks Sporting Goods Park, and I loved how the seats across from my section were colored so that the white seats spelled out COLORADO. Its difficult to see here as some seats are occupied but I thought it was cool nonetheless. I also really like the architecture of the stadium, as shown in what looks to be solar panels above the seats. The stadium looked a lot smaller than the Home Depot Center (where my team, the Los Angeles Galaxy plays) which gave it the illusion of being fuller as there are often tons of empty seats at Galaxy games. I had a great time at the game, and it was quite entertaining when the Revolution players were warming up at halftime and the sprinklers turned on. :)

In Plato's Cave

            “Today everything exists to end in a photograph.” (p. 24). With today’s digital age, this has become increasingly true. Instead of seeing the world through our own eyes, we’ve begun to see the world through a computer screen. Society is living in Plato’s Cave, and yet seems to have no idea that it is stuck there. People are not comfortable going out into the world to take in all it has to offer. Instead they are content to just capture the basic form and shadow of the world through a photograph. According to the world, as Sontag puts it, “to photograph is to appropriate the thing photographed” (p. 4). So through seeing something, however briefly it may be, if you take a photograph of it, then it is forever yours to have in print or as a digital file stored away on a hard drive. It seems as if the world is trying to replace experiences and memories with a crude snapshot that doesn’t even come close to the actual sight. People travel the world not to immerse themselves in local culture and experience all a new place has to offer, but to walk through a town with video camera in hand, recording every second as if filming a documentary. When I see such tourists, I often wonder if those videos are ever seen again, or if they’re stored off in a corner to only be forgotten.

            In her explanation of the extent that society is stuck in Plato’s Cave, Sontag compares today’s cameras to a car. In this day and age, everyone attempts to take the easy way out, with absolutely everything being completely automated. Cars can now start with the push of a button without the driver even being in the car. Documents are automatically formatted on a computer, and our words are finished for us in even the shortest of text messages. Cameras are no different, now with the capability of waiting to take a photograph until everyone in it is smiling with their eyes open. No thought is needed anymore when taking a photograph clearly separating photography as art, a true representation of the world, and photography as a means for immortalizing a memory. This has extended past mere automation to a lost of interaction with the subject of the photograph. Like the automatic check-out lines and ATMs which take away the need to interact with actual people, the simplicity of “just aim, focus, and shoot” (p. 14) that cameras provide allow amateur photographers and tourists to just snap a shot. People very rarely take the time to interact with the world around them, taking the time to set up a photograph, examining a subject at all angles before moving on to the next sight.

            Sontag classifies photography as “a neat slice of time, not a flow” (p. 17). It is a single second that only happened once, and will never happen again in the exact same way.  Much of modern society is failing to see the world this way and taking for granted all that they come in contact with. To be a true photographer one must actually be seeing the world around them, not simply looking for a brief moment before moving on. Photography is having a relationship with your surroundings, immersing yourself completely before stepping back to capture the elements. Just as a concert attendee will better appreciate a piece of music if they have prior knowledge of the piece, knowing what to listen for, one is only a true photographer when they don’t simply see what they are capturing, but become a part of it and know where to find all the small details. Through photographs we can know about the world, granted we “accept it as the camera records it” (p. 23). The current generation that did not live through the Holocaust and both World Wars can see the horrors that were created through the photographs taken of barren battlefields and liberated concentration camps. Future generations will know about the destruction that took place on 9/11 but see the hope and unity it brought to our country through photographs of Ground Zero and the subsequent memorials to the lost. But just as history is told by the victors, photographs can be one-sided and deceiving, defying what Sontag refers to as “narrowly selective transparency” (p. 6). During the Westward Expansion period, very few photographs portrayed the Native Americans in a positive light, only depicting the several instances when they were victorious in a battle with American soldiers. Tabloid magazines take advantage of misleading photographs to start a scandal in order to earn money, and political campaigns will take anything of their opponents and spin it in their favor.

            In Plato’s Cave, society was ignorant of their surroundings, in The Phantom Tollbooth, author Norton Juster described a town that essentially was nothing, because the townspeople were too busy running from place to place to look up and notice their surroundings so it just simply disappeared. With our society going the direction it is, soon we will lose all appreciation for the world and the things it has to offer. It is only through photography and the taking of photographs that this world will be preserved and we will retain what has already been lost.

Destinations; 9 September, 2010

As I said before, I really enjoy taking indirect pictures. This one, taken in the Denver Art Museum, was almost accidental as what I was originally trying to do wasn't coming out as I had hoped. But when I moved just a little bit to the side, I noticed that the capitol building (at least I think that's what it is) was perfectly reflected in the patterned window. After snapping a few shots of it, it looked like it was a double exposure, with one being a photograph of the window and the other of the building itself. I am really proud of this picture and how it came out.

Light; 8 September, 2010

While sitting on a bench on campus, I noticed this tree and for some reason, really liked the light around it. It was a pretty harsh light, but I liked how it essentially turned the sky white and brought out the more neon yellow in the grass. The backlit tree also looked really cool to me and even though its a fairly uninteresting tree, I think the photograph turned out really well.

Reflections; 7 September, 2010

One of my favorite things to do is take indirect pictures. So often people photograph something head on, looking straight at it, but I love taking pictures through something else, or reflected in something else. So not only was the lighting of the building great, but it was also perfectly reflected in the window. I absolutely love DU's campus and I have really enjoyed finding good places to take photographs around campus.

Sunrise; 6 September, 2010

Move in day was extremely exciting for me, and it started out the perfect way, with a beautiful sunrise over nice puffy clouds. I took many, many photographs of the sunrise but what I loved the most about this one, is that the orangey-yellow filled up the entire frame, like the light was reaching everywhere. While I originally wanted nothing in the photograph but the sunrise and the clouds (not the trees around me) I ended up really liking how it was all in silhouette.

Monument: 5 September, 2010

The weekend before move in day, I was staying with family friends in the hills (mountains I guess) just above Monument. We went out exploring behind their house as it is completely surrounded by rock and trees, and When we got to this spot, I loved how the one rock was balanced on the larger rock and how the light was just streaming in above it. The sky behind was just so beautiful and I loved the sun just creeping into the corner. Unfortunately, with the mountains to the left, we couldn't really watch the sunset which is something that I really miss from California, as the sun sets perfectly over the beach.

Garden of the Gods; 4 September, 2010

Sorry for the delay/gap in posting pictures, I've been so extremely busy packing and getting ready for college!! But now that I have some time, here's a couple more photographs. This one was taken at Garden of the Gods near Colorado Springs. While this particular rock wasn't all that special (there were some that looked like faces and other shapes) I loved the way the sun was just peaking up over the edge. One thing that I love about Garden of the Gods is that you never see the same thing when you go multiple times because the light is always hitting the rocks in a slightly different way. I only wish I had a car with me at school so I could go at all different times of the day just to see how what rocks are highlighted and what photographs I can get.

LA Galaxy: 28 August, 2010

Last Saturday I attended an LA Galaxy soccer game at the Home Depot Center (the team's home stadium). Soccer is by far my favorite sport to play and watch, and one of my favorite things to do in general. As I knew I had really good seats for the game (3rd row, on the sideline) I came prepared to take tons of pictures of the players and the field itself. This was probably my favorite of the night (not counting pictures of my favorite Galaxy players from only a couple meters away) as it showed the Galaxy banner on the back lawn and the flags were almost fully unfurled next to the scoreboard. While the game result was a disappointment (my team lost 2-0), I still had a lot of fun and got some great pictures out of it!

Guitars; 27 August, 2010

I took this photo when I was a part of the Worship Band for my church's vacation bible school. I have always wanted to learn guitar, so I loved wandering around the stage taking pictures of my friends' guitars. This one was especially fun because of the unusual color of the guitar and the clown nose placed on one of the sound controls. The week was Circus themed and each day was a separate dress up theme, so on the "clown nose day" we were given foam noses. It was very difficult to sing with these noses on, so after we got onstage, we all abandoned the noses. So not only was this fun to take, showing how the noses were put in unusual places, but also because the colors seemed so bright in the dimly lit sanctuary.