Fishing in Kansas

I could have sworn I already shared some of these images (since they are from this spring), but apparently they got lost in the shuffle.

Scott and I both really enjoy fishing, and this spring we went quite often. Unfortunately because of the heat, both of us fighting some long-lasting illnesses at the beginning of the summer, and our generally busy schedules we haven’t gone much lately. I also was pretty bad about actually shooting images with my camera (I got lazy and just used my phone most of the time) while we were out, despite bringing it along. But, here are the images that I did capture.

Happy Sunday everyone!

on the farm.

A few weeks ago the boy and I headed to his parents’ farm for a quick little visit. I have blogged about the farm before (here, here, and here, to name a few), but this place has started to take hold of a little piece of my heart. It can be rather desolate and empty at times; the only noises you hear are cows, birds, and the occasional farm equipment running, and the dirt roads around the farm seem to go on forever. Evenings and mornings there can be absolutely stunning, and even though I have photographed a decent amount there I feel like I have barely scratched the surface. On top of that, it changes so much depending on the season that there is always something fresh the photograph. Late spring and early summer are probably my favorite times to be there (which also tends to be true of most locations for me), and since this has been a mostly cool and fairly wet spring/summer so far, things were extra beautiful (aka very green and lush). Earlier this spring however, the weather was not so ideal. The higher temps and lack of rain left the wheat (my favorite part of the farm) very short and not as great as normal for photographs.

The day that we got there was cool and rather perfect early in the evening, so we sat out on the deck for a while before the sun dipped low and things got too chilly. Scott practiced guitar, and I wandered the farm taking pictures in the beautiful light. It was lovely.

 

The Farm

Shortly after Thanksgiving Scott and I went to visit his parents’ beautiful farm. We were only there for a night, but the light that evening was stunning; richly golden with a low haze in the distance.

Also, to any Arabian horse fans out there, these beauties are for sale. Feel free to contact me for details.

Long Overdue Film

I haven’t been doing such a great job of keeping this place updated lately. Graduate school has kept me busy that is for sure. But I am in a blogging mood tonight and decided to share some images with you all (some long overdue ones). I also have plans for a few more posts that I will hopefully be able to get to in the coming days to update you all on how my graduate work is coming.

This post, however, is all about film. I recently got some rolls developed, some of which I had forgotten about since shooting them years ago. The first set, was from a trip to North Carolina that I shot with some very expired film. If I remember correctly the expiration date was the year I was born (1989), so that is why the grain is so intense on these images. They were shot on a 35mm Holga camera.

This second group is from about a year ago. I went exploring an abandoned farm with a fellow photographer and shot these on my Pentax K100 I believe.

These next images were shot this past spring on 120mm film with a standard Holga camera. Each image is from a different trip/mini adventure. The first and last are from two separate trips to Colorado, and the middle ones are from two different adventures outside of Manhattan, KS.

Last spring I also took a cartridge of polaroids that I never shared for some reason. Some are from Manhattan, some from Scott’s parents’ farm, and some from a climbing trip to Colorado.

And lastly, one from Scott’s parents’ farm that I shot with 120mm film in a large format camera.

 

Happy weekend everyone!

Time in the pasture.

About a month ago Scott and I went to his parents’ farm for dove hunting season. We went out in the evening and sat in their pasture watching for birds. I, however, was very distracted by how beautiful it was out there.

We sat on buckets, low to the ground and surrounded by tall grass fronds catching the rich evening light as they swayed in the breeze. Not far away was a group of wild sunflowers in full bloom. A small pond was in front of us, and it was mesmerizing to watch the giant dragonflies swoop down to catch bugs in the low, golden sun. The only noises we heard were bugs buzzing, birds chirping, and the sound of the wind in the grass. It was almost dream like.

Rise and Untitled (and behind the scenes)

Here are two others that I liked from the shoot a month ago. I have found a new obsession with fabric in my self-portraits, and have a couple more images in mind with it. Hopefully I can get those shot in the next few weeks.

Rise

Untitled

And a few behind the scenes shots for you all. And a chance for me to introduce you all to the greatest photo assistant of all time, Scott. He was willing to sit there wrapped in tulle while I figured out my composition and such, and still managed to look manly 🙂

The Thought Process

It had been ages since I shot a self-portrait before this one. I had some vague ideas that I was wanting to shoot but never seemed to have the time, energy, or motivation. This summer has been a bit of a slump for me artistically, but I’m hoping I can turn that around once the craziness of this month settles down.

Anyways, about a month ago I went home with Scott (the boyfriend) to his parents’ farm. They have some big wheat fields, which, as previously posted, are one of my favorite things. I had the itch for a self-portrait, though I didn’t really know what it should be. Before we left for their house (which is close to a two-hour drive) I had thrown in a bunch of tulle and other fabric thinking I could do something with movement and wind (since Kansas is ALWAYS windy). That evening, around sunset I decided to just go out and see what would happen. It was all very spontaneous and unplanned, which is often the best for me. When we were walking to the spot that I wanted to shoot at there were some hazy clouds covering the sun and light wasn’t very exciting. I was sort of bummed out and even debated not shooting that night. But, I decided to go for it anyways, and it paid off. The haze ended up lifting while I was shooting, making for some wonderful golden light in most of the images.

I have sat on these images for a while, unsure of how I wanted to edit them, and share them. Finally, as I am sitting in a hotel in Lexington, KY about to shoot a wedding I decided I was sick of having them sit on my hard drive. I will make another post with a few more, but this one was my favorite, and when the title popped into my head this morning I thought it deserved its own post.

Happy weekend everyone!

Farm Life

A couple of weeks ago I went home with Scott (the boyfriend) to meet his parents for the first time. His parents have a big, beautiful farm in central Kansas, and even though we have been there a few times now I still haven’t even scratched the surface of what I would like to photograph there. Here is a small sampling of images that I shot over the past few visits.

They are surrounded by seemingly endless, gorgeous wheat fields. I have a small obsession with them I have realized. In the spring they are a stunning green, and then come summer they turn an amazingly rich gold. The texture is awesome for photographs, and watching as well as listening to a wheat field in the wind has to be one of the best things ever.

They have lots of animals on their farm, though I haven’t photographed most of them. This cat is absolutely precious, though extremely sick. She has taken a liking to me, and the last time I was there did her best to follow me around as I was shooting.

Last weekend while we were there for a short visit I was able to shoot a self-portrait that I am quite excited about. I am currently in the process of editing that, and when I get it done I will post it here, so be sure to check back!

312/366

*Friday, November 23

166/366 – South Dakota

*Wednesday, June 20

Thursday afternoon my parents, sister, brother-in-law and I jumped in the car and made the drive out to my brother’s house in South Dakota. We were in the car all day pretty much, so I grabbed a shot with my phone while we were on the road.