The Ones I Like List of 2011 - A Countdown [#10]

"in the rose garden"

©2011 Katya Horner

in the rose garden.  I do like a good rose. I do. But I’m not inspired by one. I prefer the gentle spirit of a daisy, the simple optimism of the forget-me-not, the independent streak of a wildflower and the humble posture of the lily-of-the-valley.  Like most things I gravitate toward, I prefer my flowers to hold their gravitas in check – less Tom Cruise, more Jimmy Fallon.  Less brandy on the rocks, more grasshopper.

So why on earth would I pick in the rose garden as a year-end favorite?  I’ve been asking myself that for days.  I’ve tried to move it off the list.  I really have.  Lord knows, it would have saved me days of writer’s block.  But I couldn’t do it. These are supposed to be the "ones I like." They’re not the easiest.  They’re not the most popular.  They are the ones that burrowed into my heart for whatever reason.  The ones I would never “leave behind.” But I still don’t get it.  I'm of simple things, of surprises and curiosities. Why a rose?

Just brainstorming, but maybe it has to do with certainty.  Maybe it has to do with the certainty of the rose.  Maybe my internal flower child is seeking that which it hasn’t embraced in ages – stability.  There are few things as stalwart as a rose – maybe not in its physical durability, but in that which is more important – in idea, in symbolism, in art.  Maybe I’m in search of that.  Maybe Tom Cruise intensity equals passion and passion equals dependability.  Maybe Tom Cruise seriousness equals “all in” and “all in” equals endurance.  Maybe there is something to this whole gravitas thing, whether Tom Cruise, brandy on the rocks or a singular rose.

Or...

Maybe I’m just a grasshopper-loving, Jimmy Fallon-watching, wildflower-seeking photographer who happened to take nice shot of a rose.

I have no idea.  Both seem plausible. 

The Ones I Like List of 2011 - A Countdown [#11]

"Family Photo [In Laws]

All Photos - ©2011 Katya Horner 

Slight Clutter: This year-end list goes to eleven.
Blog Reader: Oh, I see. And most year-end lists go up to ten?
Slight Clutter: Exactly.
Blog Reader: Does that mean it's better? Is it any better?
Slight Clutter: Well, it's one better, isn't it? It's not ten.

                                                                    From the movie "Spinal Tap" -- Slighty Bastardized

Family Photo: A Series.  A portfolio is like a family.  A family is like a tree.  A tree is like every answer to every question, pondered or posed.  And here I am, a living portfolio.  Defined by what I create.  Defined inside what I create.  

I can't tell you nearly as much about my year as my photos can, but as I make my way through this year's "The Ones I Like List," I'll do my best to fill in the blanks -- the "where I've been," the "what I've been doing," the "how I've been doing," and the "where I plan to go."  I'll also color it with dabs of that which enlightened and sprinkles of those who inspired.  And I'm going to be bold, like Nigel Tufnel...and I'm going to break the rules, starting with taking this Top Ten list to eleven -- a Top Eleven.

Why eleven you might ask?  Well, I'll be the first to admit that I was an 11:11 on 11/11/11-o-phile, but it's more than that.  I am profoundly connected to my portfolio this year.  Where in 2010, I suffered through a painful detachment from my work, this year I'm deeply rooted in each and every photo. This year I found myself having to make a Sophie's Choice-like decision at the "Ten Spot," and I wasn't diggin' the prospect of leaving a photo behind.  So why do it?  I mean, why go through that, you know?  After all, as Nigel so wisely points out, eleven is one better than ten.

"Family Photo [Parent and Child]"

"Family Photo [Parent and Child, The Teenage Years]"

I chose Family Photo: A Series, taken in Lake Guntersville, Alabama, because it represents the first time I've shot a series of photos at the same time, processed the photos at the same time and came away with an entire series in a mere couple of days.  I'm very giddy about this because it's something that I've wanted deeply, but that has eluded me, for six years.  Oh sure, I have my Passionate Earth series, but it's not the same.  Those photos were taken on different days, processed on different days, and the very loose series is something that I've been adding to for a few years now.  Family Photo: A Series is a stand alone.  It's a mini-portfolio from start to finish, it's my latest work, and it's my "sneak in just under the buzzer" selection of the year.  It also, just as an aside, represents the first time that I've included photos not previously published on Flickr in my year-end list.  It wasn't by design.  It's just happened that way.   

"Family Photo [Nuclear Unit]"

A portfolio is like a family.  A family is like a tree.  A tree is like every answer to every question, pondered or posed. 

Welcome to my portfolio!

"Family Photo" [Only Child]

First Quarter Favorites

If you are one of the two people who have been following my blog since its inception, you know that I like to do a year-end the ones i like list.  With each photo I post, I give thoughts -- either about the photo itself or about my state of mind during the year or both.  This year, in addition to the year-end list, I'll give quarterly favorites along the way, but without the narrative.  So as we finish the first quarter, here are the contenders.



                                                                       ©2011 Katya Horner (All Photos)

Muddy Waters and I both love the Blues.

Trees, trees, trees -- no surprises.

Same tree, different story.

Same story, different setting.



...all those childhood trips to Yellowstone.

And...of course...Champster!

Totally unrelated.  Addicted to the new Foo Fighters album, Wasting Light.  You can listen to it here: http://wastinglight.foofighters.com/.  My favorites -- These Days, Walk and Bridge Burning.  But all amazing.  I think their best to date.

just catching up [buffalo bayou regatta and batch rename]

                                                          ©2011 Katya Horner (All Photos and Videos)

 
Not all of the scenes that I photograph get "repurposed" into visual hyperbole.  Sometimes, actually most of the time, they remain fairly true to their original presentation.  That's the case with the photos in this blog post -- scenes from The Bayou.

So let me get you all caught up -- a couple of weeks ago I photographed Houston's super canoeing and kayaking event, the Buffalo Bayou Regatta.  This was my fourth year capturing the event for Buffalo Bayou Partnership, and it was the best yet, with 425 boats and over 700 paddlers!  Woohoo!  There must be some truth to the happy endorphins that physical activity unleashes on us because Regatta participants are some of the nicest, happiest people I come across all year.

This year the promotion of the event went far and wide, including the both the Texas Monthly and New York Times websites.  And guess what?  They used one of my photos (cropped) from last year's Regatta!  How awesome is that?!  I was positively giddy.  You can see the NYTimes article here and the Texas Monthly article here. 

                                 

So I typically process an average of 25 photos from any given photoshoot.  The Regatta?  Almost 500.  Proof that insanity prevails.  So I was sitting there, after hours of light processing, when I realized that I had switched the prefix in the photo titles about midway through.  Ugh.  One by one, I started changing names.  The monotony was agonizing..  It wasn't until I was almost done that I decided to look up "batch rename" on google.  Low and behold, a really simple way to do it in Adobe Bridge.  Hallelujah!

Since it was a revelation to me, I thought I'd share it with all of you who might not yet know how to do it.  Low production value, but if it can help one person I'm thrilled. 


tips and such: batch renaming in Adobe Bridge from Katya Horner on Vimeo.

As I mentioned in the video, there are also options for batch renaming using programs other than Adobe Bridge.  One program that you can download for free is IrfanView.  I used it years ago to resize a large number of files and apparently it also allows you to batch rename...quickly.  Thanks to the wonderful Matt Penning for the recommendation.

TisBest to Give Back

                                              ©2011 Katya Horner. All rights reserved. (Applies to the photo on the card.)

I make a living creating fairytales.  It's nothing I ever expected to do, but it's become my reality, and that's pretty amazing.  I'm thankful. Immensely.

Today I was turned on to the wonderful organization, TisBest.  TisBest is in the business of charity gift cards.  I mean, how many times has someone asked you what you want for a birthday or holiday, and you were completely stumped.  Maybe you have everything you want.  Maybe you find the whole gift giving thing slightly awkward and embarrassing.  Or, maybe you love presents.  I'm not going to lie, I do...when they are from family.  Anyone else?  I just feel plain silly.  Very, very appreciative, but silly.  Well, here's a new option I can totally buy into.  Gift cards that allow me to donate a specified amount to a charity of my choice.  Awesome blossom!

Well, now I plan to turn that ship around!  For anyone who spends $100 in my Etsy shop, shipping not included, I will purchase a TisBest gift card worth $10 and I'll include it in the package with the purchase.  You'll not only be able to decorate your home, you'll be able to give to the charity of your choice.  Want to buy a canvas gallery wrap or a photo on aluminum?  For every $200 spent, a $20 TisBest gift card!  $500?  A $50 gift card!  How cool is that?!

Oh, and another neat thing with these gift cards.  Each gift card photo will be in a limited edition of 20 cards.  So you can keep them, trade them...or...hey, why not...recycle them!  Did I forget to tell you, the card is printed on recycled plastic.  Yes, I did?  Well, it is.  So, even better!

Anyway...just my way of saying thanks to the universe for allowing me to do what I do.  A fairytale, indeed!

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The photo, three trees, on the inaugural card is one of the few non-"red" photos from my Passionate Earth series.  You can see the full photo below.

fun with photography [science edition]

Photo on Left: Hubblesite.org                                                                                    
Photo on Right and Below: ©2011 Katya Horner

Okay, folks, this is a short blog post, but I simply had to share.  I was happily processing my ice photos last night when I was hit with a funny feeling, a feeling of déjà vu...all over again.  (Sorry, I truly can't help myself.)  I knew I had seen an image similar to my photo on the right, but, for the life of me, I couldn't remember the "what" and "where" behind the photographic doppleganger.  Thankfully, I'm a woman of the 2000's, so I just dialed up my internet and, after just a few minutes of searching , I found it!  It's a "black hole-powered jet of electrons and sub-atomic particles streams from center of galaxy."  Of course it is.  Just what I was thinking. 

I might have added some effects to my photo -- the light, the orange and the sprinkling of stars - but otherwise, the ice formation was left "as is."  An ice formation, by the way, that clearly knows what it wants to be when it grows up -- an astronomical phenomenon.  You can see the unadulterated ice photo below. 

By the way, the photos at Hubblesite.org are simply mind-blowing.  We are so small, you and I.

meditation

                                                       ©2011 Katya Horner. All rights reserved. (All photos in post.)


It seems like it was only yesterday that I was lamenting about the creative disappointment that was 2010.  Now to think of it, it was yesterday.  Iced Soy Chai Monday, otherwise known as Lamentation Day.  The great thing, though, about Lamentation Monday is that it is followed by Revelation Tuesday.  That's today for those not keeping track.  Today, as I was still sifting through my digital stash from last week's ice-tastic winter storm, I realized I had something, something to be mildly (and mindfully!) enthusiast about.  I had, without even knowing it at the time, found myself the proud mama of a new creative series -- "meditations."

It seems that I have about twenty or so images of constellations, subatomic particles and DNA strands all in the form of natural ice sculptures.  I look at these images in their RAW form (won't finish processing them this week), and the perfected confusion of nature instantly calms me.  It couldn't have come at a better time, this new discovery.  It give off just the right kind of energy.  Kind of like 2011 in general.  Here's to new discoveries, good energy and Revelation Tuesdays!

snow can wait, i forgot my mittens*

                                 ©2011 Katya Horner. All rights reserved. (All photos in post.)

Oh, winter, forever we will be ships in the night.

Houston doesn't do winter. We don't. Oh sure, we do holidays. We buy sweaters. We eat chili. But we don't do winter...in the classic sense. Bing Crosby and White Christmas and lakes iced-over -- well, that's all mythology in these parts. You know, like Zeus, like Poseidon...like the Yeti.

This week, we were to be enlightened. We were to discover "the earth revolves around the sun" and "the cell divides" and "E=mc^2"...and, if that weren't enough, lo and behold, the mythology of winter? Not really a myth at all.

Four days we had freezing temperatures.  Four days.  Sure, to our friends up north, this is nothing.  We're not used to it, however, and four days of freezing + one day of wintery-mix = over 1000 car wrecks in our usually fair city. I had been pining for snow something awful.  It was the water cooler talk all week.  Snow on Friday! One to four inches! Huge system! Moisture from the Gulf!  I had Wunderground on speed dial and even became a fan of one of our local weathermen on Facebook.  All day Thursday, I waited, I planned, I daydreamed.  I was beguiled by the proposition of fluffy white goodness.  Beguiled I tell you!

There's a feeling one gets when one is let down, when the balloon deflates, the energy wanes, the music turns all sappy and Celine Dion.  Cheetahs get turned into snails.  Sprints lumber. Wind gets coughed up and "doubling over"...well, you get my point.  It didn't snow.

That could've been the end of this story. "It didn't snow." But then where would we be, winter and I? I was determined to find winter on Friday, even if it would mean my heading to the local XYZ mart and buying a Slushie. Instead, I tried to find it in earnest. I headed to Hermann Park. It was empty. 

 Oh, sure there was a little frozen water.  But how exciting is that?  I could have just photographed my freezer. 

Oh well, the myth of it all, of winter, continues...no different than the myth of Medusa.

*Title comes from the lyrics of Tori Amos's amazing song "Winter."  (Link goes to Amazon.)

The Ones I Like List of 2010 [#1]

©2010 Katya Horner. All rights reserved.


two deer on green. It's their complete disregard for me - or acceptance of me - that beguiles.

I chose two deer on green because of the deer, the fog and the unnerving silence. I chose it because it represents a kind of stillness that is synonymous with creative confidence, a stillness that often eludes me, but seems to show up without fail when it's just me and nature. And, most of all, I chose it because if I had seen the photo in someone else's portfolio, I'd have wished -- really, really wished -- that it were mine.   

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I can't do one of these year end lists without giving a shout out to some of those who have really inspired me, instructed me, and/or given me encouragement along the way.  I'm a decidedly more optimistic soul than a few of these countdown posts may have suggested, and one of biggest reasons for that positive state of mind is you -- my family, my friends, my mentors and my contemporaries.  Aside for a huge "thank you" to all my clients, who keep me afloat, I'd like to thank...

Jeff, for being "all the above" -- inspiration, instruction and encouragement.  You're not only a great friend, but you are a wise soul, one, thankfully, with an unimpeachable knowledge of Houston's roadways. Folks, this guy has kept me from getting lost on the way to photoshoots for years!  But, seriously, thank you. And thank you to the lovely Cathy as well. You run with rockstars, Jeff!

The Flickr posse -- Phillip, Linda, Adrian, Ralph, Laura, Irina, Paul, Derrick, Myla, Betty, Marya, Ben, Bobby, Patrick, and Patrick -- it was great keeping up with you on Flickr and (most of you) on Facebook this year.  You are all inspiring, not only for your work, but for the way you proceed in life.  A together bunch you are! 

Matt, for continuing this friendship through the miles.  You are always there with a supportive and kind comment, and those comments are never taken forgranted.  Oh, and your blogging discipline, inspiring. As are your photos.

Lori and Laurie, two Houston photographers who really inspired me this year.  I'm glad that I got to know each of you better in 2010.  And, speaking of Houston, thank you to the entire Houston photography community -- your talent is deep and your sense of community, deeper.  I'm proud to be part of it.

Leland, for stepping up to teach me lighting.  You are such a great soul.  Can't wait to have dinner with you and Amanda in the coming weeks!

Ted, for sharing your knowledge about the history, the business and the craft of Photography with not only me, but with everyone.  Your podcast series, both of them, are not to be missed.

Jeremy, for starting it all with a link to Flickr back in early 2005.  You'll always be on this this list because I'm ridiculously grateful.  And because you are a bit of a rockstar.

Flickr, for doing it up right.  If I had to pick only one site to keep, you'd be it.  Endless inspiration is served up by the second.

And...

I can't end the list without thanking my great friends, both new and old, and my super supportive family.  You are truly the light in my life.  I love you all.

The Ones I Like List of 2010 [A Detour]

Some of my favorite photos have been the product of my taking a detour from an expected path.  Detours are a way of life, literally and metaphorically. So I've decided to add one to the "List."  Before unveiling my #1 photo on The Ones I Like List of 2010, I want to revisit a few other favorites that didn't make the official countdown for one reason or another.

The Historic Crocket Hotel.  This photo was taken while I was on assignment in San Antonio for Where Guestbook.  The photo itself wasn't part of the assignment, but rather just something I saw while walking back to the hotel, and I thought would make for an interesting photo.  I'm not always up for long exposure -- don't like carrying around a tripod -- but since I had my tripod with me, it all worked out.  The streaks were created by the lit horse-drawn carriages making a turn from one street to the next.

Laurie.  This was my favorite portrait of the year, both for the photo itself and for the way Laurie, a fellow photographer, described the portrait experience in her wonderful blog. I love the image for the generous eye contact and for the branch shadow at the neckline.  Just as a tree extends those delicate branches, Laurie extended herself in approaching the shoot, something that is very much outside her comfort zone, with total vulnerability and open-mindedness. I admired it completely. 

Apartment Therapy.  Back in April, my friends Vernon Caldera and Adam Gibson asked if I could photograph their apartment for Apartment Therapy's Small, Cool 2010 contest.  It's something that I had experience doing when it came to editorial work, but not so much when it came to interior beauty shots.  That said, I think we did just fine.  And the apartment, cool as can be, made it to the national quarterfinals, doing really well, but missing by just a smidge.  Vernon is the founder of Left Brain Right Brain Design and Keep Houston Rich.  Adam is the Business Development Director at Rottet Studio.  The pair's talent can only be outdone by their stunningly good looks.  (Wait, is that wrong to say??!)

heron.  I like heron because it's quiet, unadulterated.  From a technical standpoint, it's quite different from my typical fog photos in that the depth of field is wide open and the scene, broad.  That's another thing I like about the image -- the unexpected of it all.

Mister Charming.  Claudius entered my life in late 2009.  He walked in on a conversation I was having near the parking garage and then screamed "adopt me!"  I did.  One of the best decisions I've ever made.

The Ones I Like List of 2010 [#2]

©2010 Katya Horner. All rights reserved.

almost fairytale season. When I went to Stowe, Vermont in September of 2009, I was instantly a convert.  Until then, Asheville, North Carolina had my go-to happy place -- the Blue Ridge Mountains, the formidable arts community, the Biltmore's lush and spacious grounds.  I didn't think that any U.S. location could unseat it from its throne.  But then there was Vermont, a state with an independent, active spirit, a landscape that had all the bucolic goodness that I had only up until that time dreamt about, and it had history, real history, formative history, something that I found myself more and more drawn to while touring the far corners of the state.  I went there thinking fog, foliage, moose and Ben & Jerry's, and I left there thinking retirement, passion and the depth of and capacity for inspiration.  It was a "greater than" kind of trip.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, 2010 didn't afford me the same kind of inspiration as 2009.  (Or, rather, I didn't afford myself the openness to become inspired?)  I had my heart on another trip back to New England all year, and for a number of reasons, it just didn't pan out for me.  It's funny how something like that, a failed attempt at a vacation, can be a "deal breaker" when it comes to one's relationship with their positive perspective.  What it told me was that I still didn't have a firm foundation under this thing called "creative confidence." It teetered too easily.

Folks who have been following me since 2005 (thank you!) know the struggle I've had with not really owning my talent, with trying to please others, with feeling technically sub par.  It's been no secret that it's a mental game with me.  When I first started shooting in 2005, it was so easy.  There were no expectations about my photography from others and, more importantly, myself.  That lack of expectation yielded liberated work.  A liberation that I sought out this year, but didn't find.  Maybe I tried to hard.  Maybe I thought too much about it.  There you go stinkin' thinkin' again, Katya! 

I chose almost fairytale season as my #2 photo on the 2010 The Ones I Like List because it, interestingly enough, represents all my missteps this year.  I haven't counted, but I'd be fairly certain that I processed significantly more photos from 2008 and 2009 in 2010 than photos from the year itself (work not included).  All that faux confidence was residing in the past, photos that I already knew would be successful, not photos that would be up for discussion, evaluation, photos that would stretch my creativity, my passion. It was photography from a place of fear, and that's this photo in a nutshell -- old raw image, predictable processing, resting on the ever-so-safe laurels, whatever a laurel is. 

Now, I wouldn't post a photo as my #2 photo of the year if I disliked it.  I don't dislike this photo at all.  On the contrary, I love it.  I think the colors are exciting and the scene, beautiful.  It's the same wood and clearing that was offered up in #7 on this year's list.  And there lies the problem (and the blessing of having that kind of a "moment," I guess), two crowd-pleasing photos taken in 2009 on the same day, probably within the same ten minutes, processed and presented in 2010...taking up two spots on this year's list.  It's kind of like cheating...myself.  But it typifies my year, so, I guess, it was the only way to go.

Other favorites (seen below), narrowly missing the list, that were taken in 2008 or 2009, but processed in 2010 include: turn, two trees in the distance and wonderland.

Movies I really enjoyed in 2010: True Grit (my favorite), The Social Network, The Town, Inception, Unstoppable, and The Kids Are All Right .  A movie released in 2010 that I suspect would have made the list had I already seen it -- The King's Speech.

The Ones I Like List of 2010 [#3]

©2010 Katya Horner. All rights reserved.

to better see you with. Well, no need to reinvent the wheel on this one.  I wrote a bit about this photo back in July, explaining why it meant something to me.  So, if you didn't get to see the post then, you can click here and see it now.  (Or, if you'd like to read it again, awesome!)  If time is money and money is time, spare yourself the click and read an excerpt below:

There...I breathed in all that was right with art and design and people who who carry quarters...and fold...in public...for the world to see. I saw my reflection in that which was tumbling just moments earlier. That which was now housing "clean" and stillness. I saw people all around me creating things...piles of cotton origami, friendships with those they'll only see on Wednesday nights, lists of to do and have done. I could do that. Create something. I took "that which makes me whole" in my hands, steadied myself and took a picture. And another. And another.

Since this post will be a "been there, done that" for those who have seen my earlier, ever-so-rare mid-year blogpost, I offer two things I learned this year that have saved me time as a photographer.  The first, how to make a copyright symbol without cutting and pasting.  Just hold down the alt key and press "0, 1, 6, 9" one after the other and release.  There you go -- copyright symbol!  The second, Lightscribe!  I use it for all my DVD's now.  Instead of dealing with stick-on CD labels or handwritten jobs, Lightscribe etches your label right onto the DVD.  My computer comes with it, but it also comes as a stand alone.  I recommended it to one friend already, and she loves it.  Just thought I'd share.

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What I was reading in 2010: After Dark by Haruki Murakami, Juliet Naked by Nick Hornby, The Best American Essays 2010 edited by Christopher Hitchens and Robert Atwan, Created in Darkness by Troubled Americans: The Best of McSweeney's Humor Category edited by Dave Eggers and company, The Book of Faces by Joseph Campana, Stupid Hope by Jason Shinder, and Take the Long Way Home by Gail Caldwell.