the skies will know

There comes a time in one's life where you can't see past what's in front of you. Planning my future has always given me anxiety. I can't think too far ahead or I start to panic. looking up to the sky has been helping me lately. What am I doing lately? I'm working, I'm hula hooping. I'm not going to make this all about how hula hooping isn't just a child's toy (it's not), but I just wanted to share that it's an activity I do, along with yoga, that helps to calm my racing mind. I'm more focused on my movements and my body than I am the irrational thoughts plaguing me. I've been hooping less than a year, but I was asked to be featured at Duara Blog, a space for hoopers of color. It's something I was looking for when I initially started and didn't really find until DUARA. The feature is right here. This week, I'll be helping a fellow hooper create her promotional video. Sarahjo is an incredible flow artist and performer. Check out her page here! She's also the sweetest lady.

Life has definitely been throwing some curveballs to me and hooping and yoga have helped me to deal with those curveballs. So has looking up at the sky. It's so large and vast that my problems are so small.

chevrons and sunlight

one hundred thirty-seven through one hundred thirty-nine

mind contents

Sometimes, I'm hesitant to post images that I think others would be critical of. "Oh, it's a foot with light on it. Boo. Whatever. Records. Blah." But why should I censor what I like for the sake of others? I've never understood people who will take the time to comment that they dislike a blog. The internet is a vast place with endless websites. Move on. No need to troll.
I've been collaborating with Chiara Cianniello, an Italian photographer with an eye for capturing amazing light. She reached out to me, which is great because I'm always nervous about reaching out to others about collaborating. Through emails and photo exchanges, we're getting to know each other better in order to better critique and encourage each other's work. It's giving me great pleasure because I don't have photographer friends nearby. In fact, most of my photographer-friend community is online. I've already reached out to Nick Gerber, who offered budding photographers a chance to photo-walk with him for in-the-moment critiquing/training. Lensblr is a fantastic community on Tumblr that promotes original photographers. It's how I've come across amazing work of people that are constantly inspiring me to change my views a bit every time.
My current collaboration with Chiara is one of self-portraiture of an ideal day. I went a different route due to the loss of yet another quick release plate for my tripod. I gathered items representative of such an ideal day. Enough rambling. Onto the photographs.

sixty-eight through seventy-one

random snaps

fifty four through fifty eight

chasing light

I had a rather productive day chasing the light around the house as it was way too cold to venture outside (I'm in the middle of that Polar Vortex). I also decided that since I have been studying light, I would introduce a new tag to my sidebar- a chasing light tag. I hope you have been enjoying what I have been doing so far this year (just a week in!) and continue to follow me on my journey. I have a few collaborations in the works that I will gain the courage to share. Cheers!

twelve through twenty

this is the end

three hundred fifty three through three hundred sixty five

on this day of giving thanks

three hundred twenty through three hundred twenty three

After bringing in the food we contributed to our dinner, I threw my coat on the floor like a kid, grabbed my camera, and began shooting the amazing last rays of sunlight coming into the dining room. I tend not to take a lot of pictures around my family because everyone shies away from the camera, but I also just like talking, catching up, and reminiscing. Oh, and playing video games with the kids, of course. My cousin's home is cozy and exactly the kind of place I dream of coming home to everyday. And of course, that light!

experimental phase

taken October 2008; Nikon D40

I transferred a bunch of old photos from my PC to my MAC. With it came a lot of experiments I did while on a cross-country road trip in 2008, such as the photograph above. I've been so focused on my 365 and am almost done with it, but now I'm starting to experiment outside of things I normally do. Writing with light? Oh, there will be more of that. I'm getting friends to do shoots with me in exchange for food and/or booze. I also found a small mirror that I'd like to find ways to include in shoots in a surreal way. My photography teacher in high school would get frustrated that I had pages in my research notebook on Magritte and Dali. "They don't relate to what you're doing!" Well, it may have taken me six years, but I'm going to use their influence to have fun experimenting with my photograph. They take surrealism to the next level with painting, I'm going to paint with light.

three hundred seventeen through three hundred nineteen

light study parte dos

three hundred thirteen through three hundred sixteen/365