hale'iwa- north shore, oahu

I still have so many images from this trip to go through but I got this roll of cross-processed back yesterday and was loving the crazy colors. film is fun.

tree vs. stars

my honeymoon destination search brought to light a few more possibilities...

...like staying in a TREE HOUSE!

I loved swiss family robinson as a young thing and was very intrigued with the inner workings of living in a tree house. I've always wanted a master bedroom with a "roll away" ceiling so you could just sleep under the stars. no 5 star hotel could beat that. I love this idea.

read more about tree house hotels here or here.

...or what about this! a luxury safari camp in africa! I'm not sure how you would be protected from the wild animals but who cares if you can really get this view!

last but not least, SPACE. I'm not sure why I hadn't thought of it before. seems perfectly reasonable. book your flight to outer space here.

honey beach moon hut

(photo somewhere in french polynesia borrowed from here)

today I have been a woman obsessed with beach bungalows.

fiance and I are thinking of a south of the equator honeymoon....or at least somewhere warm....currently most thought about places are maldives, bora bora, india and indonesia. we both decided we wanted our honeymoon to be somewhere neither of us has been.

I have my heart set on some combination of hammocks, white linens, outdoor shower, amazing food, secluded local, mosquito netting etc. it doesn't have to be fancy, but we don't want to be without hot water and a comfy bed. oh, and it would be a plus if it was affordably priced

any suggestions?

where did you go on your honeymoon? what do you wish you would have done differently? know of any great little beach huts?

kineto pictures- documentary style defined

one of my most talented friends, damian, is one of the owners of kineto pictures in SL. (you might remember them from here) they have a great company and a great blog. I read a post on their blog today about documentary film making and I thought it was a nice description for still documentaries as well...so I borrowed a bit of their post, but go check out their blog for the full post.
A lot of people may think that a documentary style automatically includes a handheld camera and shaky framing. And although those aspects are often used in documentaries, they’re not really what define them. We like to think that what makes a documentary interesting, is how a story is told, without necessarily a storyteller. Everything is presented factually with real people and real events. If this is done correctly, the filmmaker is able to present the opportunity for the viewer to have a personal connection with what is going on without the guise of any fiction. It also gives the cameraman, the editor, and the director a unique chance to create a narrative for a real-life story that has possibly never been told. Have you ever heard of Steven Wiebe, the title holder for the second highest score on Donkey Kong? Or what about Little Edie, the turbaned, reclusive social-climber from the Hamptons? What’s most fascinating about documentaries and the documentary style, is that the ordinary is able to become extraordinary. Using this kind of style makes every pan, angle, and cut have a purpose in order to visually create meaning. Suddenly the shaky camera isn’t an awaiting headache for the viewer, but the proof that they’re invited along for the ride. I guess what I’m trying to say is, with our business, it’s personal.

frame emi and kort

to purchase prints from emi and kort's wedding visit here.

(ps. I know I have majorly neglected my blog this past week. I think it's the holidays and planning a wedding myself that is causing me to fall behind. don't give up on me! keep checking back because my goal is to fully remedy my blog problem by wed).

grandpa puente

when my friend steven asked me to take some portraits of his paternal grandfather, the initial idea he had was to recreate a image of gpa puente in his boxing shorts. I was excited. taking photographs showing life, history or stories of individuals are my favorite type of portraits. we never ended up being able to talk this 80 something man into changing into nothing but mini boxing shorts and then letting a complete stranger take photos of him...but in the end it didn't really matter.

he is a natural born story teller. he just talked talked and told and laughed and flattered and charmed his way into the middle of my camera, where I tried to bottle his charisma. we ate some oatmeal, hit some golf balls, rummaged around in the garage. he blew me kisses, told more stories and explained to me who people were in all the frames. we took a small visit to the community senior center where it was evident he had charmed everyone there as well, and then back to the house to pick some avocados off of a huge overgrown avocado tree looming in the backyard.

this whole shoot really got me thinking about how important it is to do family history...not only in writing but also with photographs! I know before I took some photos of my grandma henriksen I thought, "but my grandpa has already passed away...I should have done it earlier...maybe it's too late..". It's NOT too late! don't wait to preserve memories. don't miss a chance to help tell the story of a grandparent or a family member. I want to remember (probably the number one reason why I am a photographer) and I know you want to remember as well.

I feel honored to have been invited into grandpa puentes home. his life has been rich and full and I can tell and feel that he is loved by many people.

If you are interested in having me shoot a photo story of a family member, friend, or yourself, please let me know! It's great to have a nicely composed, picture perfect photo of your child or your family, but how amazing would it be to also document your family doing what it does, LIVING LIFE! in your home, neighborhood, favorite park, eatery...getting ready for school, making dinner, decorating the christmas tree... I would love to create a family history for you through photographs.

tis the season to remember and feel thanks.

xxoo- rachel

your musical

here is the link to the improv duo that I was telling you about from emi and korts wedding. sooo good!

11/27/2008

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
(now, stop reading blogs and go be thankful.)