After the Tumblr Apocalypse of 2010 I’ve decided to move my photo blog over to Posterous. Head over there and subscribe/comment/do whatever you usually do. It’s better than Tumblr for this kind of thing anyway. 

[What is Reverb10?]

• December 3 – Moment. Pick one moment during which you felt most alive this year. Describe it in vivid detail (texture, smells, voices, noises, colors).

When I read the prompt this morning, I absolutely couldn’t wait to blog about it. Thoughts raced through my head as I tried to figure out that one moment this year that I felt most alive. There were many times in Italy, of course, and spring break in Greece. Moments I wouldn’t trade for the world with my friends, family, and peers. Moments when, if I stopped where I was and dropped dead right then and there, I would have been completely satisfied with my life up to that point [not to be morbid or anything].

And then there was one moment a few weeks ago. I was at a concert in Atlanta with my friends Kevin, Anna and Alexis. It was Sufjan Stevens. I don’t want to sound shallow or ungrateful for the amazing year I’ve had in the various places I went, but there was just something about this night that I will never, ever forget. It’s something that is indescribable. One would only understand the ethereal feelings if they themselves had witnessed it first hand.

It was during the 25-minute magnum opus entitled “Impossible Soul” [click to listen & buy]. Sufjan and his band were jamming out, the audience was jumping up and down [it was the upbeat part of the song], and in that moment, I felt infinite. Yes, I stole that line from Perks of Being a Wallflower, but I mean it. Hundreds of strangers in one room, united in this unreal moment of music. 

I honestly can’t adequately describe the emotions. It’s frustrating because to anybody who hasn’t discovered that one musician (who pulls at your heartstrings so much that it can’t be explained), I probably sound like a crazy freak fan of his. I really just… that song is beautiful beyond words. 

I was on an actual high from that concert for about a week. He sang about life, love, and the apocalypse (you read that correctly). You really just had to be there. It’s frustrating that I can’t convey what I’m wanting. It was extraordinary.

I’m not psycho, I promise.

• Writing. What do you do each day that doesn’t contribute to your writing — and can you eliminate it?

Writing. I’m not really sure what to say about this one. I’m not a natural writer. Some people have complimented my style I guess (I don’t even know what that means). When I do write, at least these past couple months, it’s been in the form of a research paper, AP style, or a blog. I’m a photographer. I tell stories through pictures. Of course I wouldn’t want to eliminate that. 

What I do need to improve on is captioning my photos. I want to be able to have a photograph that tells a story without a caption, but I know that captions are essential. I do enjoy writing, but it definitely doesn’t come natural to me. I think, on a technicality level, I write nicely, but I don’t really evoke a lot of emotions through my writing. Or maybe I do? I’m not sure. 

This blog entry is exemplifying my lack of writing skills. It’s all choppy and not organized, and I apologize to anybody reading this particular entry because it’s kind of incoherent. Ah well, così è la vita, no?

[What is Reverb10?]

Reverb10. I’m doing it. What is it? Click here to find out. 

I decided to participate in Reverb10 because it sounded like something that could be a double-benefit. For one, it will get my creativity flowing again. It’s been put on the back burner due to school and stress. Two, it will challenge me to think more positively. I’m not an optimist, but I’m not a pessimist either. I’d say I’m a realist, but I spend a lot of time day-dreaming, so that doesn’t quite fit either. You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one. Anyway, this is a kind of rocky introduction, so maybe I shouldn’t even bother introducing it. 

Without further ado, here is the prompt for day 1:

• December 1: One Word. Encapsulate the year 2010 in one word. Explain why you’re choosing that word. Now, imagine it’s one year from today, what would you like the word to be that captures 2011 for you?

2010’s word? Change. 

I’ve experienced a lot of change this year. I spent the 2009-2010 school year studying abroad in Florence, Italy. I changed. People around me changed. People at home changed. When I returned to the states, things had changed. It’s not a negative thing. It’s something that happens naturally as life goes on. Things are supposed to change, as are people. We make decisions, we struggle, we win, we lose, we grow, which leads me to the word I have chosen for 2011: Growth.

I have a lot of things in store for me in 2011. Internships, jobs, finishing up school (with two degrees!), meeting people, traveling, moving. I’ll be busy. Change is inevitable, but with change comes growth. I want to grow into somebody who loves, cares, listens, learns, and helps others do the same. 

Back in September, my friend Flor was visiting Tennessee from where she currently is living in California. In 2009, I had the opportunity to take Flor and Jon’s engagement pictures, and previous to that we worked together on campus at our university, so I’ve known her for a few years now.

When she visited, she asked me if we could get together and do a “Trash the Dress” shoot. Of course, I said yes.

We didn’t actually end up completely trashing the dress, although it did rip a little a few times (no aesthetic harm was done to the dress, but it didn’t matter because it was a trash the dress shoot anyway).

We traveled around the more urban areas of Chattanooga, and for our last location, we ended up on top of Lookout Mountain at dusk. I couldn’t have been happier with the photos. The locations speak for themselves. 

Click here to see more.

Earlier this year I got to visit my friend Laura (whom I met while studying abroad in Italy) in California. We visited Joshua Tree National Park and it is seriously one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been, especially at night. I’m kind of at a loss for words for how gorgeous it was, so I’ll let the photos try to do it a little justice.

We also went to Laguna Beach at Sunset.

I did a lot of other things there, but these were probably my highlights. 

Last Sunday afternoon, I had the opportunity to photography the lovely Laura and Jonathan. I met Jonathan a couple years ago when we had a class together, and he contacted me a couple months ago to do their engagement photos.

I was thrilled that they asked me, so we met up and headed to downtown Chattanooga, Coolidge Park, and the art district—a favorite among local students.

Jonathan and Laura have known each other for many years because their families are long-time friends. They started dating three years ago after coming to the same university, and got engaged in August.

They were a lot of fun to shoot, so I hope you all enjoy the pictures as much as I enjoyed snapping them :)

Click here for more.

Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking is written by New York Times best-selling author Malcolm Gladwell, and examines the human tendencies to judge somebody within the blink of an eye, essentially, judging a book by its cover.

Blink was already snaking through my brain within the first chapter, telling me that I had already judged a book by its cover, and that’s precisely why I was reading it at that moment. I know that’s nothing too deep, but it definitely made me think about how I even came to the decision to read the book. Part of it, yes, was reading the back cover, and deciding that it looked interesting. It definitely didn’t let me down in my “snap judgment,” as Gladwell calls it.

From case studies of how married couples interact and react to different situations, to discussing 3,000 diverse facial expressions (and how there are only 500 trained professionals in the world that can correctly read each of those expressions), to dissecting the split seconds of an attempted presidential assassination, Blink captures the reader and maintains holding the attention throughout the entirety of the book, cover to cover.

 A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to see Gladwell speak at the University of Tennessee in Chattanooga for the opening of the 2010 G.T. Hunter lecture series.  He spoke about overconfidence and incompetence, specifically in the recent economy. He spoke for roughly an hour, and by the time he finished, I was actually disappointed—but only because he wasn’t speaking for longer. Gladwell has such a way with words that keeps you wanting more from his brilliant mind, and his book Blink is no different. I look forward to reading more of his books, and frankly, I’m disappointed I didn’t read this one sooner.

My rating: 5 out of 5. 

As I write this blog entry, I’m on a bus headed back to Chattanooga from Rochester, New York, where I attended the annual conference of Society of Adventist Communicators.

When I was younger, my mom would often go to nursing conferences, and I was fascinated by the fact that somebody would choose to go to classes all day… for fun. I mean, what’s with that? But as I’ve grown, I’ve discovered something about myself: I love learning. Maybe I don’t appreciate all the classes I have to take in college, but for the most part, I really do love learning, and this was the first time that I had the opportunity to go to something like this and expand my own knowledge in the profession that I hope to be working in one day soon.

A few weeks ago, when I signed up to attend the conference with Southern’s school of journalism and communication, we were asked to pick the breakout sessions that we’d like to attend. I noticed something immediately: there were a lot of classes about social media. I was absolutely stoked. I’ve noticed in the past couple years that I’ve been come somewhat addicted to social media—Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, Tumblr, and more. I can’t explain it. I love how connected the world has become.

When Michael Jackson died, I didn’t find out from CNN or MSNBC or Fox, I found out on Twitter, along with millions of other people. Now, to be fair, I didn’t quite believe anything until one of the major news networks confirmed it, but the news spread like wildfire… except faster. I think that was one of the first realizations I had that social media is really a driving force in today’s news.

Obviously, since I’m so fascinated with it, I signed up for as many social media sessions as I could. I think there were about three breakout sessions that I attended that were really focused on social media. Even the key note speaker, Phil Cooke (you must check him out—he’s got a lot of great insight), incorporated social media aspects into his presentations.

In the next week or so, I’ll be writing an entry about all the cool things I learned at SAC this year—maybe I can help others gain some insight into the world of social media, and how to use it more effectively.  It’s definitely something that has piqued my interest in the last couple years, and I can see how it will grow even more in the future.

I’ve also decided that this blog will no longer be just for my photography. Yes, that will be the main focus, but I am now going to be adding more types of entries—book reviews, social media integration, perhaps some product and movie reviews, and probably some opinion pieces, too.  We’ll have to see where it goes.

If you’re reading this, I appreciate it a lot! I’d love to know who you are—leave a comment below! Thanks!