The 45 Most Powerful Images of 2011

These are simply incredible.

ETSY

I have an Etsy shop :) It's a bit sparse.  I'll add stuff as I have more time...

The Former Grand Dragon

Now that everything's set, I feel more able to share the fantastic potential story that Mindy and I will share in our historical short doc.  Gorrell Pierce was the Grand Dragon of the area KKK during the Greensboro Massacre which occurred in 1979.  He was not present for the killing of the five Communist Workers Party members, and even told us that he told his klanmembers not to attend the "Death to the Klan" rally that the CWP was putting on that fateful day.  KKK members still went, and after having their cars beat on they stepped out, removed their guns and fired for 88 seconds.  Incredibly, news cameras caught it all on tape, but fails to identify the actual shooters of the victims.  No one was convicted.  It's an interesting story...surf the web to learn more.  

Pierce has led an unimaginable life, and has gone through a sort of transformation over the years.  At 60 years old, he certainly is not what you'd expect from a former leader of the KKK.

Tomorrow we are spending the day interviewing him, on camera this time.  I'm giddy with anticipation, eager to see what stories he will bring. 

Do What You Love

Forgot how much I enjoy drawing...found these on my external.  Excuse poor image quality.

Chellah

Diptych of the Chellah ruins

Rabat, Morocco

Privacy

I will not reveal the subject.  But, we spent some time with our interview subject for our historical doc today.  This could be good.

Christine Was Here

My fellow coffee-drinking, travel enthusiast, wine-loving, owner of an untamed heart, jazz-adoring friend visited.  We ate good food, watched good films (Jane Eyre, twice), and shared our worlds with each other.  It was fun...and needed.  Much thanks to you Christine for making the trip :)

Autumn Walks

A beautiful little creek I cross on my walks with Milo.  Unfortunately, it was taken with my phone camera.  Next time I'll bring my real camera.

Relax

Two things that make me happy...yoga & muffins.  Mmmm.

I finally made a bag for my yoga mat with fabric I've had laying around.  It's always nice to make something that you need rather than purchasing it.  I always have these DIY project ideas, but don't often take action.  Hopefully this success will encourage me to continue to make things...to give, to keep, to sell.

And, since it's a rainy, cold, Autumn day and Jessie's driving down to visit me in Winston, I made some Pumpkin Ginger Muffins :)

From the Eiffel Tower to the Hagia Sofia

Come May, one of my closest & dearest friends, Christine, and I will be flying across the pond to take on Zurich, Paris, Nice, Cannes, Rome, (perhaps Naples or another southern Italian city), Athens, Crete, and Istanbul over two weeks.  As we plan our trip we have already noted some stops we know we want to make: the Cannes Film Festival, mass in Rome, wine-tasting in Crete, the Hagia Sofia in Istanbul....

I am BEYOND excited.  It's about time for another adventure.  Recommendations are welcome (and begged for)!

Passion

Tonight I got paid to combine two of my passions: basketball & photography :)  I love my new lens.

In With Peace

I have a yoga instructor who suggests that when concentrating on breath, focus on breathing in peace, and breathing out love.  How beautiful is that?

Playing with my lens in low light because.....I may be shooting a basketball game tomorrow :)  

Black & White v. Color

Sometimes I just don't know...

Open Sea/Open Land

Images like these remind me of the adventure waiting out there.

The South Carolina shore & the mountains of Virginia.

14 years

14 years of friendship...

Taken with my Holga.  Myrtle Beach, August 2011.

South Carolina

Finally got my holga film developed.  Here are two (Myrtle in August & Charleston in December).  More to come.

Sunshine Morning

Live

I have been bad at posting lately.  I have a film due a week from yesterday which my partner and I have been tirelessly working on.  I've come to realize it is not what I wanted it to be, but I have to make it the best form of what it is going to be and be satisfied with that.  Among that I have other things to do, who doesn't, and as a result...art making & photography have taken a HUGE backseat :(  But, I finally have an adapter for my camera battery and can start shooting again.  I think I'm going to start a 30 day photo challenge (after we turn this film in). 

Race As A Social Construct

Here is one of the shots from Rhonda and my upcoming Observational Documentary short about race as a social construct and using art to create a conversation about race with the goal of addressing racism as being a product of our environment, not as something we are born with.

Unfortunately, the quality of the video decrease tremendously when it is uploaded onto blogger....the film is shot in 720HD format.

The Desert Rises

Big Sky, Big Dreams

Some images I found on my computer from, where else, Morocco, that have really moved me.  It's funny how different images can speak to you in different ways over time.  These had been images I had originally passed up as uninteresting & not worth the time to edit.  Now, they inspire me.

 

This image I took yesterday on my phone.  The sky was too beautiful to pass up the photo op.

Native America

How come the Western license plates are so much cooler?

Missing This

Climb the beanstalk...

 

Got a little impatient with the blue...just a night project for fun (and a card for a friend).

Beauty (Should Be) All Around

Beautiful street art.  Why can't the whole world look like this?

Chickpea

I found a new yummy recipe for roasted chickpeas with a Moroccan spice mix (some of my favorite flavors).  It was quick, easy, yummy, and *bonus: healthy!  The recipe is here.

Nikkor 85

I got a new lens :)  It's a rainy day, but I had to try it out!

Feel The Love

I found an article with a collection of beautiful images of people around the world commemorating September 11.  Naturally, some of the photos display an overwhelming tone of sadness and heartbreak.

But many of the photos radiate warmth, love, and peace.  They're beautiful images that remind us that love is ALL around us despite constantly being told what is wrong with the world.  Focus on what is right with the world.

You can find the article and other images HERE.

Reynolds Tower

Scavenger Hunt

Our first assignment consisted of us receiving a clue from our mentor (a second year in the DFP) to a specific location here in Winston Salem.  We researched, read about, and interpreted the clue, and then went out to shoot our location.  The trick was, there would be no editing allowed after shooting, so the shot sequence through which you wanted to show the location had to also be the sequence in which you filmed.  This meant a lot of planning. 

"That tall one there in the Empire State, that's my baby."

This was my clue...which ended up being the Reynolds Building in downtown Winston Salem, which is the building that the Empire State Building is modeled after.  It's a beautiful building, but is no longer accessible to the public, so I was only able to shoot the exterior. Since it was just a building with little activity surrounding it, I was able to go the day before and plan my shot selection and sequence.  It's nothing award-winning...but here is my first experience with a camera.  I loved it :)

Natural/Urban

Call of the Wild

Photos courtesy of Michele :)