Category Archives: Photography

Almost Wordless Wednesday: The Karaoke Collection Grows

Taking a moment from the Karin/Mayumi photo fest to share a few photos of a recent Karoke evening. It seems that this has become a regular event, thanks largely to ringleader (and singer extraordinaire), LeeAnn. My collection of Karaoke photos is growing so large that I think I see a Karoake photo book in my future.

Photos have been selected carefully to protect (and flatter) the innocent.

Guess this song

And then someone else picked up the camera so I am obliged to post just one photo of myself. My favorite part of the photo is the lyric on screen. Perfect.

OK – guess I made it into the background of this one too.

Great times.

And Then the Sun Came Out…

After weeks (months!) of rain, the sun finally decided to show it’s face in Portland this weekend. We celebrated by continuing to show Mayumi and Karin around the city. In hindsight, probably not the best choice for the 4th of July/Portland Blues Festival/first nice weekend of the year. Still, we had a great time catching the train downtown and then navigating the  the crowds, to sneak in a little waterfront fountain time and a walk to Pioneer Square. (Note to the Tourism Center: you need to stock more maps and materials in Japanese).

Making use of our Joovy double stroller again for the first time in at least a year. Came in very handy for toting at least two children at a time and sometimes even three.

The kids were a little hesitant about the fountain at first but as you can see, they soon got in the spirit. As difficult as it is to photograph in full sun, I love that we finally get to experience a few harsh shadows.

Oh, and temporary tattoos are big in our house. In case you were wondering about those unsightly marks all over my children.

And you can’t call it a trip to the Rose City without saying hello to at least one Beaver…

…or posing with a few local icons (Sapporo: 4,456 miles)

Such a fun day, harsh shadows included.

She Calls Him Oniichan

Thomas has really taken Karin under his wing. Sometimes she calls him Oniichan (big brother), other times Tomodachi (friend). He talks to her in Japanese and seems to understand almost everything she says. It’s sweet and more than I expected from this three-day-old relationship. They are kindred spirits.

Of course we’re also dealing with some jealousy issues from Samuel, mainly because his brother is more likely to spend time with someone who follows him around and does everything he wants her to do. Samuel is not that child, but, slowly, he and Karin have begun playing together. He calls her his little sister.

Right now all three of them are playing nicely upstairs. I’m enjoying it while it lasts.

On a side note, Samuel fell down the stairs this morning. I watched from above as he went head over tail down about 10 steps and then hit his head on the closed door at the bottom. Samuel gained a huge bump on his head, I lost about three years of my life. We drove to the emergency room but decided on the way that, since he didn’t lose consciousness and was talking and laughing by the time we got there, that we were better off spending our time watching him at home to make sure he’s OK than sitting in a waiting room.

Three years of age is a dangerous time. This is the third fall that Samuel has had in as many days. I’m pretty sure he’s having a growth spurt and it’s contributing to his clumsiness. I just hope he regains his footing soon for my own health as well as his.

It was difficult to capture it in a photo, but I assure you that the bump was immediate and very impressive.

Life with Karin: Day Two

I’ll be posting a lot of photographs over the next few months so consider yourself warned. It’s not only because I suddenly have a new, adorable, photo subject (although that’s a big motivator), but also because I hope to use this blog to share pictures of Karin and Mayumi with their family back in Fukushima.

Mayumi and I spent her first night in our house talking about her experience in Japan after the Tsunami – she in her broken English and me in my VERY broken Japanese. She talked about how the playgrounds in her neighborhood were empty due to the fear of radiation. How Karin no longer took afternoon naps because she didn’t get enough physical activity to tire her out. How they never left the house except to run errands.

So, after a sleep-in to recover a little from Jet Lag, I took Mayumi and Karin to the park. It was the most perfect Portland day. After weeks and weeks of grey skies and rain, it seems the sun had appeared just to welcome Mayumi and Karin to Portland.

We walked past the rose garden and as the smell of the flowers hit our noses, we both shed a tear. Mayumi, because she was outside with her child for the first time in months, and me because I realized how much I take for granted and how thankful I am that one small child (a child I didn’t even know two days ago but already love as my own) is able to play outside without fear of illness. If it sounds dramatic, it’s because it IS dramatic.

And I think the look on this child’s face tells the rest of the story…

 

Five Things Friday: Inspirational Photo Books (Plus Three on My Wishlist)

I have an obsession with photography books – instructional, inspirational, historical, educational – you name it and I have at least one (or three) taking up space on on my book shelf. One of my favorite activities is to sit outside with a glass of wine and flick through pages and pages of other people’s photographs. Heaven!

So today I share my top 5 photography books, chosen for their ability to make me want to go out and start taking better photos immediately – plus three more that I currently have sitting in my Amazon shopping cart.

Note: While I have a TON of educational books, they are not included on this list. That’s a whole other post.

1. The Photo Book, edited by Phaidon Press

This books is like an encyclopedia of photography, featuring 500 photographers, each with one photograph and a short blurb about their background. This book is so big that I never fail to find something new every time I pick it up. I recommend the hardcover, full size version.

2. The Contact Sheet, by Steve Christ

Sometimes the most fascinating photographs are the ones that didn’t make the cut.  This book takes a look at some of Western culture’s most iconic photos and shows them in their original photo sequence. It’s fascinating to see the photos that nearly made the cut and those that were not even close. The best things is that you will not always agree with the photographer’s choice which highlights the subjective nature of art.

3. The Great LIFE Photographers, by Editors of Life

Anyone who reads this blog knows how much I love a photograph that tells a bigger story. I also have a passion for history (Little known fact: I have a teaching degree, majoring in History and Psychology. Not that I’ve ever really used it…) LIFE magazine employed some of the most talented photographers in the world to capture some of the most amazing stories of the 20th century and shares a profile of each and every one of those photographers in this book. I bought it on a whim at Costco and have read it cover to cover at least twice (although, in fairness, more pictures than words). Fascinating read and a visually stunning representation of 20th century history.

4. The Photo Album, By Frankie Magazine

I adore Frankie magazine. My sister-in-law introduced me to it in Australia but, sadly, shipping costs make it a little too expensive to justify a subscription. One of the best things about the magazine is their wonderful photography which is often a little vintage and a little quirky. This book features photos submitted by amateur and professional photographers who share the Frankie aesthetic. I love the simple, clean design of the book and the way the images are often unexpected and unusual.

5. National Geographic Image Collection

Pure eye candy – amazing images from from the collection separated into the categories of Exploration, Wildlife, People & Culture and Science & Climate Change. You’ll recognize some of the photos while others are being shared for the first time in this book. I dare you not to be inspired the moment you open it.

And Three More…

Although my desire for inspiration is endless, my budget is not. These books have been sitting in my Amazon shopping cart for some time and are just waiting for me to build up enough rewards points on my corporate credit card so I bring them home where they belong.

  1. Annie Liebowitz At Work – A career I envy.
  2. Vivian Maier: Street Photographer – not yet released but available for pre-order. You can preview some of the images that may be included in the book dedicated to this unsung street photographer here.
  3. The Polaroid Book: Selections from the Polaroid Collections of Photography (Taschen’s 25th Anniversary Special Editions) – I’m sure we’ll have a version of this for iphone photography in 20 years.

Please feel free to share your own favorites in the comments and help me load up my wish list. 

On Being an American Mother

Growing up in Australia, my primary understanding of American childhood and adolescence were the images that came from the TV and movie screen. Happy Days and Grease (High school in the 50s), Family Ties (Family life in the 80s), Beverly Hills 90210 (High school angst in the 90s), Sesame Street (childhood with Muppets!).

Now, I realize that these representations of middle-American life are more stereotypical than true to life, but they gave me enough information to appreciate the many differences that existed for those wonderfully cool and attractive people that lived on the other side of the world, most notably…

  • School cafeterias
  • School buses
  • Cheerleaders
  • Jocks and football, track, basketball…etc. (but, strangely, few female sports)
  • Proms, homecoming dances and people who were given royal titles for such occasions.
  • Being able to drive yourself to school!
  • Lots of partying and drinking

Note: none of the above happened on Sesame Street. What I learned primarily from that show is that people and monsters can live side-by-side in harmony.

Right now, Kei and I are catching up on the one and only season of Freaks and Geeks. I don’t think the show ever made it to Australia and, if it had, I can’t help thinking that my view of the American adolescence may have been a little less bright and shiny and a little more like my own Australian experience (minus the cheerleaders).

I was the least popular girl in one of the slightly popular groups. We were not quite outcasts but we definitely lived near the fringe of school life.  I was in the singing group (think Glee but with less impressive choreography), I played a minor character with a solo in the school production of Oliver!, I got mostly A’s but a few B’s (until they changed the grading system and I started getting S’s and C’s). For the most part, I flew under the radar and I knew, without a doubt, that my life would get better when I went to University.

And it did. Phew!

Now I find myself raising children in the world I saw on television and not the world I knew. Sure, there are similarities, but my kids will eat in a cafeteria, one day ride an iconic yellow bus to school… and then there’s the sports.

Thomas just finished his first season of T-Ball. Two practices and one game each week for three months. He’s only five. In two years he’ll have to try out for the team. On the one hand, I am excited that he’s growing up and spending time outside and, right now, seems to enjoy himself. On the other hand, I’m a little afraid of this brand new world that we’re both moving in to – the world of school buses and organized sports.

One thing’s for sure, though, I have never felt quite so much like an American mother as I did when I watched Thomas at his final T-Ball game of the season. And, while I felt as though I were having an out-of-body classic-American movie experience for some of the time, it was fun to watch my little boy run the bases.

And the best part? I can tell him about my couple of seasons spent playing with the Ferntree Gully Fireballs T-Ball team. Despite the fact that many of his other childhood adventures will also be new experiences for me, we’ll always have T-Ball.

I guess we’ll learn the rest together.

A Weekend Well Spent

There is nothing better than returning to work on a Monday with the feeling that your weekend was well-spent. This weekend I had the perfect mix of getting some work done around the house (painting started but laundry not quite finished), time with the girls (hello, karaoke!) and family time that also included a whole lot of bike riding. No wonder I slept so well last night, although I could easily have done with a couple more hours. I’m waiting for my second coffee to kick in and get me through the rest of the day.

For my I heart faces entry this morning, I chose a photo that I took while we took part in Portland Sunday Parkways. The challenge is “whimsical” and I suppose this fits the bill…

Had to borrow a friend’s child for the photo because my two boys would rather do anything than run around under a sprinkler and get wet.

This week promises more house painting, prepping Samuel’s bedroom for Japanese guests (SO excited!), more laundry and, hopefully, a little time to squeeze in some photo editing, car cleaning and maybe even a pedicure. Bring it!

Celebrating Fatherhood

Unless you’ve been living under a rock in America, you’ll know that today was Fathers’ day. A day that, thanks to it’s close proximity to U.S. graduation, earned the unfortunate marketing phrase “Dads and Grads.” It’s sad that Dads don’t get their own marketing phrase. Fathers’ Day falls in September in Australia and does not conflict with any other major holidays. I’m sure that’s by design.

But I digress. Today was about celebrating the dad in our life – the Yin to my Yan – the one who makes this whole parenting thing a true partnership and provides balance. The one who makes up for my weaknesses with his strengths.

The man who will get down on the floor and wrestle. Who will talk through an issue when I just want to put them both in time out. Who persists with the bike riding and the T-ball and everything else that I (honestly) don’t have the energy for. That’s what makes this whole parenting together thing so perfect.

Happy Fathers’ Day to the man who helped me bring two wonderful little boys into this world. I truly could not do this without you.

This photo is also my entry in the latest I Heart Faces challenge, “Let’s hear it for the boys.” Ok, now I have that song stuck in my head for the next couple of days…

Cause for Celebration: 1000 Blog Posts

Turns out that I passed the 1,000 blog post mark this week while I wasn’t paying attention.

This is post 1,004. Wow.

That’s a whole lot of stories, photos and ramblings… And I have a couple of readers so it’s more than just talking to myself.

This adds just one more item on a list of things Kei and I will be celebrating at date night tonight, a list that includes:

  • a new job (for Kei)
  • the end of Pre-K (for Thomas)
  • a special family coming to visit us for the month of July (I’ll share more as we firm things up)
  • an almost-finished backyard deck
  • AND finally some sunshine in Portland (to enjoy that deck)

Life is good. I think I might treat myself to a cocktail. Cheers!