kindness, anyone?

© 2009 Katya Horner

If you've arrived here from my website, I can tell you that the site will still be "down" for another few weeks. I'm currently in the process of renovating, restructuring and redecorating.

Just wanted to introduce everybody to the Altrooist folks. Altrooist is a website still in development that will focus on the good deeds that people do. I was lucky enough to be featured on the blog earlier this week, answering questions about kindness and such. You can check out the blog post here. Additionally, you can go to www.altrooist.com and sign up for updates. Be one of the first to be part of this special site devoted to kindness and altruism. It should be wonderful!

In other news, I rented a Canon 100mm/2.8 Macro lens this week. I just had it only one day, a day I spent photographing flowers and butterflies. I'm sold on the lens. Just one more "toy" to add to my want list.

renovations

© 2009 Katya Horner

I've gone ahead and pulled down most of my website for revamping. It will likely be a few weeks before things are back to normal at my online home. Please excuse the dust while I renovate.

The Ones I Like List of 2008 - A Countdown [#1]

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obama in dallas [reunion arena] - For the excitement that the election provided in 2008. For the kindness of a stranger, a kindness that positioned me close enough to the then Senator to enable me to get the photo. For the love that I have for photojournalism. For Barack Obama.

But most of all, for the promise of it all.




The complete Barack Obama set can be seen here.

The Ones I Like List of 2008 - A Countdown [#2]

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passionate earth - I set out fairly early in 2008 to do something I hadn't done yet in my photography -- create a series of intentionally unified images. The result, my red series, or as I refer to it, passionate earth. To date, I have eighteen completed photos in the series, and probably another ten or so in the queue, waiting to be completed. I've enjoyed the exercise of "creating" greatly, so I plan to continue with passionate earth in 2009.

In addition to being the year I went "red," 2008 was also the year that square won. Many of my passionate earth photos...many of my photos period...were presented with a square frame. Square is so nice and neat; it's everything that my photography isn't. It's the box that I refuse to be placed it. But something about the way "square" feels I like. It's quirky (not the standard 8x10 offering) and it's contained (let's hear it for our favorite parallelogram!) all in the same breath. Who doesn't like that...viva la ying and viva la yang!

I chose passionate earth because it was one of the first photos that I created from the series and it best captures the feeling that I want to convey with the set. It turned out just as I planned it. It is also the series's namesake...for precisely that reason. To see more of the passionate earth series, you can check out the flickr set here.

The Ones I Like List of 2008 - A Countdown [#3]

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Backstage with Tyann Clement - In March of 2008, I spent four days taking a workshop at the Palm Springs Photo Festival, a portrait/lighting workshop taught by the very creative Frank Ockenfels. The workshop was a valuable one because Frank really freed us up to experiment with lights (most of the makeshift variety), settings (not an ounce of "studio" to this class) and direction. I learned a lot. But none of what I learned technically or creatively about photography was as significant as what I learned about myself.

At the end of the first day of the workshop, Frank went around and told each student what they should be working on for the duration of the course. We had only been together for a few hours, but Frank seemed to have done a solid job assessing the strengths and weaknesses of each participant. When he got to me, did he tell me that I needed to learn about the way light interacts with the subject, the camera? Did he tell me that I needed to communicate better with my model? Did he tell me that I needed to think about "framing" more creatively? No. No on all counts. He told me that I needed to be more confident. That's it. "Be more confident."

I was infuriated. I remember blasting him to my friends the first chance I could. "Thank god we live in a cellular world," I thought to myself. I needed the reassurance of my friends. "He doesn't know anything about me. He doesn't know that I just spent four weeks fighting a dog bite infection. He doesn't know that I was just in the hospital the day before for a burst ovarian cyst. He doesn't know that I've had absolutely no sleep for weeks. He doesn't know anything about me. Period." I was fuming.

What I didn't know about Frank that first day, but came to understand as the week progressed, was that he was spot on with his critique. A marksman, really. It wasn't about dog bites or illness. It wasn't about insomnia or workload. It wasn't about anything external. The biggest thing holding me back was self-confidence. The bastard, and I say that lovingly, was right. Crap.

Nine months have past since the "come to Jesus" moment, and I'd love to say that I've given birth to a new bundle of "peace" with my creative ability, but I'm not quite there yet. I still apologize far too much for me and my work, even when I have nothing to apologize for. I still judge my photography against the greats in the industry, setting a bar that's much too high to allow for creative fulfillment. I still want everybody, all 6.6 billion of you, to like what I do. We've got a long way to go -- confidence and I. I'm appreciative to Frank, however, for bringing it...so clearly...to my attention. It was the one thing I learned about myself in 2008 that I know will make a difference in my life in 2009.

I'm not quite sure exactly what it is that I like so much about Backstage with Tyann Clement, but it's my favorite portrait of the year...by a mile. It's right up there with Texas Bullfighter as an all-time favorite. But contrary to what this year's Top 10 would suggest, I had a lot of portrait sessions this year, many of which yielded photos I really like. Some of my other favorites (the first two from Frank's workshop) are tamara, wednesday night in palm springs, orange is in and soloist.

The Ones I Like List of 2008 - A Countdown [#4]

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fog season - I'm not feeling so hot and don't currently have the chops to write something interesting, so I'll let my recent "video," kindred spirits and big fish, (below) speak to my feelings about going out on the road, exploring new places and seeking out the things that keep me going back for more.

Generally, I had a fun traveling year with highlights that included Asheville, North Carolina; Palm Springs, California; New York City, NY; and Kerrville, Texas (twice). I spent a wonderful 24 hours in Washington D.C. and the loveliest of mornings in Boston, Massachusetts. fog season, chosen as #4 simply because it represents all the elements I love in photography (mornings, fog, autumn, trees, beauty), was a product of my very brief stay in New England as were most of the photos in kindred spirits and big fish.

I plan to travel quite a bit in 2009, hopefully making it to Europe by year's end. Right now, I have Aspen, Colorado (May) and Boston (October) marked in pen on my calendar. I also have Palm Springs (February/March), somewhere along the mid-atlantic seaboard (April) and New York City (December) marked in pencil on that same calendar. If life treats me really well, I'd like to visit Seattle, Washington (have never been) at some point this year as well as Detroit, Michigan. It's one of the things I love about being a photographer -- always having a work-related excuse to take a vacation.

I want 2009 to be not only about seeing the places, but also about meeting the people -- so many photographers whom I have befriended over the past four years, but have never met. So if you've been my photographer "pen pal" for the past few years, and if your city is "on the list," I can't wait to meet you! Linda, Adrian, Patrick, Myla, Bobby, Patrick -- Charge your camera batteries. You are all on notice!

The Ones I Like List of 2008 - A Countdown [#5]

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hurricane ike [we dream. houston] - As we close out 2008, I find myself a bit too banged up to write, sidelined with a bad upper-respiratory infection and the "shrapnel" left over from an ovarian cyst explosion. Nothing that modern medicine can't handle, though!

Medicine, however, doesn't cure all kinds of pain. Hurricane Ike left a lot of damage along the Gulf Coast this year -- homes destroyed, employers put out of business, photos and family keepsakes lost. One only has to drive south of Houston on Interstate 45 to know things "just ain't right." McDonald's restaurants with still hollowed out "golden arches," street signs and billboards slanting towards 2 o' clock, wooden fences that look a bit like they suffer from the "hanging chad" syndrome -- hurricanes leave stubborn bruises on an otherwise healthy landscape.

But landscapes are nothing more than visual stimulus. We'd like it to be all pink tulips and pretty, manicured lawns, but if it isn't, we'll be fine. People are what matter. An injured heart carries far more weight than 1000 tree-removal trucks. And injured hearts were everywhere following Hurricane Ike - an entire coastal community littered with broken hearts and the debris of happiness and security. To this day, there are still 50 people missing from the Bolivar Peninsula area. No medication can ameliorate the loss of a loved one.

And then there are all those folks who suffered great structural/material loss -- decades of memories gone with one giant surge of water. Charles and Wanda, married to one another for 58 years, come to mind. Charles and Wanda lost much of what makes up "home" in the storm surge -- a lifetime of electronics, clothing, collectibles. Seeing the condition of their house was truly saddening. But with all of that destruction, what did Wanda tell me upset her most? It wasn't what one might think - photos, china, furniture. Instead, it was the loss of $250 of clothes that she had bought with the intention to donating to disadvantaged children in a neighboring community. With the storm's approach, she was never able to make the drop-off and the clothes, like everthing else, were ruined. Ike might have come through and devastated her and Charles's property, possessions, but in the end, she worried more about those who were suffering prior to the storm than she did about her own difficulties after the hurricane.

And then there were Houstonians...as a collective. The entire city mobilized to help out -- neighbor helping neighbor. So many people use "neighbor helping neighbor" as rhetoric, but when the federal and regional governments were slow to act, we just took care of business ourselves. Mayor Bill White deserves a lot of credit for his leadership...as does Harris County Judge Ed Emmett. But, ultimately, the ones who deserve the most credit are the folks to the right and to the left of you -- the ordinary citizens who took positive action when challenged by the most difficult of circumstances.

I chose hurricane ike [we dream. houston] because it captures so well the prevailing spirit of our city. We live on the coast here in Houston. Hurricanes will always be a fact of life for us, racing through with menacing intent. But come as they may, we will always respond with the best of who we are -- dreamers and doers. Thank you, Houston, for making it so easy to write about you...even when I'm *cough* under the weather.

The Ones I Like List of 2008 - A Countdown [#6]

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I got holes in both of my shoes
Well I'm a walking case of the blues
Saw a dollar yesterday
But the wind blew it away
Goin' back to Houston, Houston, Houston

-Dean Martin

downtown - "It's the economy, Stupid!" James Carville was onto something when he turned that phrase back in 1992. Today, the words still ring true. Everywhere, people are suffering financially...including people who have never before struggled with money and real estate and such. The "suffering class" is seeing its capital blown away by this most pernicious, greedy wind.

Dean Martin was onto something when he proclaimed that he was goin' back to Houston, Houston, Houston. Bucking national trends, Houston is still seeing employers hiring at a steady clip. The ManPower Employment Outlook Survey shows that the Houston-Sugarland-Baytown area's employment outlook is the "third best in the nation." And then there is Kiplingers, Kiplinger's magazine ranked Houston as #1 in its 2008 list of Best Cities to live, work and play. In a renaissance of sorts, Houston, downtown in particular, is making a statement -- "we're back...so come join us!"

Another photo, a diptych, that I like from Downtown Houston is voice at the hotel icon. While it didn't make the top ten, I think it's sleek presentation matches the city's current climate...and...well...the "Dean Martin" of it all.

The Ones I Like List of 2008 - A Countdown [#7]

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on the eve of a swan song - I have to admit, when working with a human subject in my photography, nerves tend to get the best of me. This is none more true than when I am working with an artist whom I admire. That was clearly the case when I photographed Tyann Clement, a soloist with the Houston Ballet, for Downtown magazine this past fall. The assignment was to get some backstage photos of Tyann, photos that would be used in a Q&A type story about Tyann's then upcoming retirement.

Before I go any further, I have to tell you that I love Edgar Degas. Love him. That should give you an inkling about the amount of pressure I put on myself for this shoot. I love Degas. And with Degas' paintings, he set the bar pretty high for the rest of us who are trying to tell a two-dimensional story of a ballerina's life. If we climb 20% of the way to the bar he has set, we'll be doing pretty good. It's not easy to bring something extra to a ballet photograph. Sometimes, when all the elements are there -- the costumes, the pageantry, the lines -- sometimes...getting an exceptionally interesting image is made all the more difficult. Easy is sometimes hard.

Out of challenge comes enlightenment. It was the night before this shoot, the nerve-racked night before this shoot that I learned how to use the exposure bracket on my camera. I also figured out the sweet spot, the perfect f/stop for the lens that I was using (f/8 on the Canon 17-40L for those keeping score). Finally, I committed to using a tripod -- something that I had previously reserved for long-exposure water shots. I was going to do everything that I could to get the "technical" right, so I can focus on the composition without distraction. And the little bit of studying beforehand really did make a difference. (That and the fact that Tyann was incredibly gracious and easy to work with.) The photo shoot resulted in my favorite set of portraits to date, photos that I do think tell a story, that I do think rise to that 20%.

This leads me to my plans for the new year -- it's off to school I go. No turning back; I've already enrolled. While my degree-seeking days are over, I'll always be up for a class or two. The particular class that I'm taking will run for a few months and will focus on lighting -- all kinds of lighting. I'm not so much interested in studio lighting, but it sure would be nice to learn how to expose a daytime shot correctly. Uh...no...seriously. I've spent a great too many hours trying to correct improperly exposed photos. I'm enthusiastically looking forward to the class.

And before I finish up, I do want to give a mention that, coincidentally, today Tyann will be dancing in her last performance with the Houston Ballet -- she'll be dancing as the Snow Queen in the Nutcracker production. After the curtain falls, Tyann will be "hanging up" her ballet slippers for other pursuits -- which will include finishing up her business degree, among other things. My best wishes for her going forward.

The Ones I Like List of 2008 - A Countdown [#8]

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Blackbird fly
Blackbird fly
Into the light of the dark black night.

-John Lennon/Paul McCartney

Four - Borrowing the words from last year's number four...

Morning. Fog. Bird. Nothing more to say really.

Another bird photo that likely would have made the list at #11 is blackbird, taken in 2007, but processed in 2008.

The Ones I Like List of 2008 - A Countdown [#9]

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All autobiography is self-indulgent.

-Daphne du Maurier

pastures - It's an odd thing, compiling a "The Ones I Like" list -- highlighting one's own work. On the internet, we are taught -- encouraged -- to introduce worthwhile creations by others to the masses -- sharing a link here, giving a shout-out there. It makes sense. A nurturing, altruistic community coupled with a fairly easy mechanism for allowing the proverbial cream to rise to the top -- not a bad system. Today, word of mouth is everything.

But word of mouth -- the good kind -- relies on people, lots of people, being interested enough to spare the breath, to burden the digital "vocal chords." It relies on people liking you, or what you do, or...preferably...both. So, how does one compile a "The Ones I Like" list without giving at least some thought to audience. While some artists create solely for themselves, I am not, nor have I ever been deaf to the ear of my partners in this grand, collective experiment. You (yes, you!) are always in the back of my mind. Sometimes I try to block you out. But, you are there. You are always there.

Nothing gave me greater grief this year in choosing my "Top 10" than deciding whether or not to include the image pastures. Without a doubt, it belongs on my list, but with almost the same certainty, I can say that it doesn't belong on yours. It's an entirely self-indulgent photo, created while not "under the influence," while throwing caution to the wind and rebelling against the "work" that has begun to constrain me. It sits tenuously in the #9 spot, a compromise of sorts. If this "autobiography" was truly self-indulgent, Ms. du Maurier, pastures would have made one of the "if I could take only five photos to a desert island" positions. But by the very fact that I subscribe to the "what is mine is yours and what is yours is mine" of it all, pastures sits right where it belongs...at #9...tenuously, but truthfully.

Other examples I like that were tinted by self-indulgence this year include Family Book and in dreams [yesteryear].

The Ones I Like List of 2008 - A Countdown [#10]

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rose petals - Slight Clutter. It really, really does capture who I am on so many levels. I've always found it difficult to settle in somewhere, to plant my flag and say "this is my spot, this is who I am and this is how I will allow you to define me." I've been everything and everybody in my life -- the social butterfly, the solitary enigma, the bubbly every-girl, the more introspective non-conformist, the savvy sensualist, the insecure nobody/everybody. I've had so many incarnations that I sometimes think it is my very state of transition that defines me best. And that state of transition is illustrated perfectly by my choices when it comes to photography...likely because my "choices" are nothing more than a reflection of my mood, of "where I am" in the grand scheme of things.

There are some constants in my life, though. My love for my family, of course, comes to mind. My compassion for an underdog and my affection for furry creatures. Then...there's my love of all things arboreal. When I'm happy, I want to photograph trees. When I'm sad, I want to photograph trees. When I'm experimenting with texture layers, I want to photograph trees. When I'm feeling like a photography purist, I want to photograph trees. Whether a dense forest or a solitary tree, whether a riverbed of cypress or simply the limb of an oak, I'm drawn to it...always...fully.

Rose Petals is just one of probably hundreds of tree photos that I took this year. It came in at #10 for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that it shows how much one can bastardize an image of a tree - through cropping, through texture, through color manipulation - and still, still find comfort in the single, reassuring truth...no matter the color of the leaves, the arch of the branches, the height of the apex, or the proximity to others, a tree is still a tree...in all of its incarnations.

Two other tree photos that I really liked this year, but that missed the top 10 are one tree and tree song.

for optimism and things

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for optimism and things is the first entry in what will be my next color project, a sequel to my "Red" series. With a new zeitgeist of hope ringing in the new year, I'm adopting a similarly hopeful aesthetic. Morning's Gold/Yellow will be the color of 2009. (The "Red" series will continue simultaneously.)

On a another note, my friend and fellow photographer, Linda Plaisted has had her artwork nominated for Daily Candy's Sweetest Things of 2008 in Washington DC's "Best Nest" (home decor) category.

I'd really appreciate it if you could help Linda out by giving her your vote. She's an amazing artist, fully deserving of the recognition. But don't take my word for it, go on over to Daily Candy and see for yourself.

Voting is open until January 16th. Thanks, everyone!!

Song for Obama "Our Legs are Burning"

As an enthusiastic supporter of Barack Obama, I considered my participation in the Song for Obama "Our Legs are Burning" video slideshow a no-brainer. I think the song, written by Kate Schutt and Koko Bonaparte , is absolutely beautiful...as is its brave, hopeful message. My thanks to Koko for inviting me to participate in this very small way.

Where My Head Is

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My thoughts are firmly planted in autumn, as demonstrated by two posts in a row declaring just that fact. With our first "cool front" having arrived earlier today, I decided to post a celebration of fall by way of an old Hermann Park photo retooled with a bit of color work in Photoshop. You know...as a a kind of offering to the autumnal gods.

autumn in santa fe

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I'm over the whole summer thing. Bring on autumn!

While I won't have the opportunity to take another three-week trip out West this fall, I will be traveling to Boston to assist my friend, Jeff, with a wedding shoot at the end of September. We're doing the whole road-trip thing because 1) we both love the hit the road griswold style and 2) it gives us a chance to expand our individual photo archives. Some of the fun photography stops along the way will include Asheville, North Carolina (my very, very, very favorite place in the whole wide beautiful world), Washington DC and New York City. Following the wedding, Jeff and I will part ways, and I'll head up to Maine to visit my dad and his lovely wife, Penelope, for a few days. I should be in Maine at the peak of color season, so I think I'll be some sort of landscape heaven. I'm warning you now -- it will be nothing but photos of colorful tree-lined roads and New England's brand of autumn for months upon my return. Dress accordingly.

Downtown Magazine

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For those of you who don't know, I've recently completed the photography for the inaugural issue of Downtown magazine, launching in mid-September. It was a great experience -- each shoot slightly different from the one before it. The only thing tempering my enthusiasm was my very busy schedule outside of the publication work, which included a move back into the city, an assignment in San Antonio and all the regular client work that happens any given month.

The two images posted are photos that weren't chosen for publication, but that I liked and wanted to share. The first, downtown, was taken without a tripod just after sunset. I consider it a freakish example of luck in photography -- my hands aren't normally that steady on a long(ish) exposure. The second, thirsty, was taken at Voice at the Hotel Icon. It uses only natural light, capitalizing off of a bar that was lit from underneath. I'm not inclined to pull out the flash unless absolutely necessary, so the unique lighting really worked in my favor.

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Take Me out to the Ballgame!

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Just two photos from last night's Astros vs. Dodgers matchup. The first, a more photojournalistic take on the game. The second, "fun with photoshop." You can see the details surrounding the first photo here.

my new toy -- animated gif

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I stayed up pretty late last night trying to figure out how to make an animated GIF file. Why? Who knows. Wild hair, I guess. This is an early attempt. We'll see how it progresses over the next year or so.

My friend Jeff's band, orange is in, is featured in this experiment. You can check them out here.

April Flowers and a Quick Update

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Is it almost May already? How time flies when you are...having fun?

It's been some time since I last posted, and I actually have lots to say once I get around to posting again in earnest. Just wanted to give a quick update -- since late February I've enjoyed four hospital visits, all sorts of car issues, an ill-timed trip to California, and a sixteen pound weight gain. I'm doing better now, but the year has been exhausting thus far. (/close "woe is me" section)

Inspiration alert: I recently discovered Colin Finlay, an amazing photojournalist. I'll let his work speak for itself. You can see some of his photographs here.

Remembrance

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A photo in remembrance.

My grandma was born on the first day of spring. Nothing could have been more appropriate.

I miss you. We all do.

You can see my other interpretation of the same photo here.

Portrait

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I'm off to Dallas in the morning. Just a simple portrait before I go...

Okay, maybe not so simple. There was fence wire cutting across the photo in one location, wire that I painstakingly removed. Other than that...no post-processing!

Okay, okay...maybe a little post-processing? What's a girl to do? Photoshop is half the fun, right? ;)

Is there fog in Dallas?

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I'll be heading up to Dallas next weekend for four or five days to shoot some photos for Where Guestbook Dallas. You can see sample pages from my work in the Houston and Fort Worth books here.

In other news, I've purchased a second website. More on that later...

for the love of it

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Three years ago today, I posted my first photo on the mega photo sharing site, Flickr. I affectionately call today my "flickrversary." And why not? It has been a beautiful union.

Passionate Earth

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More from the "red" series.