Summer and Grant

Here are a couple photos from a fabulous wedding I shot in Tucson. "A couple" photos really doesn't do the whole weekend justice, nor the amazing family. Though, it never does.






One of the many mmaannny meaningful highlights was the groom singing a song he wrote for the bride. Best. Song. Ever.

I could seriously go on and on and talk your ear off about how beautiful the trip was and what a perfect pair of people these two really are. But I won't. I'll just say I'm really honored to have met them. Thank you so much, Summer and Grant, for such a great trip. Congratulations!

2 a.m.

It's two in the morning on a Friday night. I'm plugging away at photos and designs. The laptop is uploading and the desktop is downloading. I'm trying to counteract the late pot of coffee with wine but I'm not sure if it's working. The hammock and the temperate Texas evening are my weakness. I'm in one of those really awesome moments where everything is good and there's nothing I could want for.

carissabyers.com

My website broke.

Normal editing/delivering/etc. time down to play web monkey. But it's back up again, at least serving it's primary functions. Other online things are broken too, but I'm going to try and fix them before you notice. Heh.

I'm behind in editing and work is pouring in. My fingers are crossed that I may be blessed with speed and coffee and everyone else is blessed with patience.

Someday my job as a photographer ... will just be taking photographs. *gasp!*

Popsicle Face Shirt Head

Your tax money at work

[ Actual ticket photo ommited because IT HAD MY ADDRESS ON IT OMG. Thanks for pointing that out.]

Dallas has installed cameras at intersections throughout the city to keep people from running redlights. Didn't think it would effect me much, seeing as how I stop at redlights. But today I got a $75 ticket in the mail with this awesome photo of my car. The ticket even has an awesome link to the awesome photo of my car online.

Yes, oh wise camera, that is my car----- turning right on red (legal) and not running a red light. The ticket even notes that my actual speed is ZERO. That's probably because I STOPPED at the freaking red light before I made sure it was clear to turn RIGHT. Seriously, does this look like my car has any intention of going straight? Or through a light? They even show a third photo OF MY CAR NOT BEING IN THE PHOTO. That's because I was turning. Turning and not running a red light.

The article I linked to says, "The revenue these cameras will bring in is significant. The only people who will be charged are those who are breaking the law, so it's fair."

Ummm, give me a break.

Random Self-Portrait

portrait, originally uploaded by carissabyers.

Ringo

Ringo, originally uploaded by carissabyers.

My puppy. He's orange and likes attention and his legs are too short for his body. He thinks the only thing in life that really matters is air conditioning.

Was prolonging my minute away

I took some time to myself this evening at the lake. It's nice here. The warm sun and cool wind and lapping water and just enough kayaking, fishing, cycling, jogging, dogs, kids and book readers in the grass to make you feel warm and fuzzy, but not so many that you can't have you're own space. Even the graffiti is nicer here.





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Raphael teaches Penn a strange ball trick

I heart having company.

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Mum, maintaining the balance between home and work.

Mum, maintaining the balance between home and work., originally uploaded by ali khurshid.

"Answering an early morning phonecall in her kitchen, she works tirelessly around the clock. She is the epitomy of a modern day hero, since I don't need to look at the Lance Armstrongs and the Steve Waughs of this world to get inspiration, it's usually the unheralded work going on like madness all day long which is enough to humble anyone who notices."

I am so inspired by this young man's work that I first discovered in Time magazine in this article.

Sometimes we sit down with art and look for concepts and meaning and lighting and dpi and depth of field and, and, and, an endless amount of technicalities. Ali shoots beautiful things. Probably not without the attention to detail, of course, but the moment just seems to come out first.

Click photo to see more.

No picture today

Extended thought from this morning’s Twitter:

As good as I am at sleeping in, I think my most enjoyable days start off with coffee and someone to have coffee with. Pajamas, pitter-patter-jibber-jabber of little feet and little mouths and click-clack of dogs claws and discussions about life that seem more important than they probably are because brains are still trying to master Awake.

A bit of character analyzing on a very strong soul made it easy this morning to silently note traits I admire in folks. Extreme appreciation for this overall contagious inspirational happiness and optimism that’s also rooted in reality and doubt and thinking. Concern for the things we identify with and ideas for improving the things that could be better.

Cigarettes and sunshine and the sound of a neighborhood doing it’s duty and recognizing I now have a great desire for community. For good community. For people making things happen and for making them happen over lunch and determination and love. I have a great desire to be part of things and to help others be part of things. I have a great desire to encourage my world. I have a great desire to encourage. I am encouraged myself watching others grow.

Though, there is a certain paradox due to my fondness for solitude, too.

I know at some point I’ll move beyond morning coffee and happy and comfortable and talk into something that resembles action. But right now, I’d like to just steep in this for a little while longer. Things happen when they need to. No need to rush.

“The overman…Who has organized the chaos of his passions, given style to his character, and become creative. Aware of life’s terrors, he affirms life without resentment.”

—Friedrich Nietzsche

More about Nietzsche's "Overman."

*Confession: I have another blog. It's mainly thoughts and opinions and wholly the opposite of the blog you're reading now. It's for personal use and a small handfull of close friends. But today I felt like putting today's "private" blog post on the "public" blog as my current themes of thought surround living in and appreciating the present moment and ideals of community and, well, they're enjoyable thoughts to me I wanted to share.

AAoptical-pez.com

At the end of last year I shot the new catalog for A&A Optical. I just noticed their website is updated with my photos!


The PR page gives a good idea of how they were used. Always fun to watch the work come to print.

10:20 a.m. Boom

At 10:20 this morning the sound of a car exploding interrupted my coffee and email answering. My camera was on my desk, but I didn't have time to change lenses and didn't want to get too close fearing it might not be done exploding.

From what I gathered, the man had some aerosol cans in his engine.

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Seed

Looks like the Seed event for Art Conspiracy was a great success! Hal Samples work was brilliant and my favorite by far.

Click here to see my other stuff.

Funny Money

Here is one of four prints I'll be showing tonight at Seed.

Erica

Never a dull moment with my "neighbor." One of the most amazing people I'll ever know.

See more on my flickr.

Art Conspiracy presents: Seed

From the site:
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For the past two years, the Dallas-based art collective, Art Conspiracy, has put on successful guerrilla-style events that unite Dallas-area artists and musicians for a good cause. Now Art Conspiracy is making it official by becoming a 501c3 organization.

At 7:00 p.m., Sunday, July 15, at the Sons of Hermann Hall, Art Conspiracy will present Seed, a fundraising event that will pave the way for Art Conspiracy to become a permanent part of the Dallas arts community.

Seed will feature auctions of four images a piece from 10 well-known Dallas photographers including Polyphonic Spree video director, Hal Samples, Nathan Schroeder, and Dana McGuire.

_____

I will be one of the "10 Dallas Photographers" so come on out for fun/music/art and see what I put on the wall!

Good Night

Last night was a bit of everything a night should be. Good art shows, yummy dinner, good music, good friends and good movies. I love the Chemistry Set so much I can't stand it. Not only do they sound absolutely delicious, but they're also really fun to watch. It is my highest recommendation that you not miss a single show. Ever.





Click here to see more.



***Note: Blogger is not letting me add titles. Grrr.

Update: His name is Doof

Cosmically I went outside and saw a man putting up a flyer. I asked him if he had lost a dog and he said, "Yes, a Golden with a red flea collar." To which I replied, "Well, come on in!"

Doof and his daddy are now very happily reunited!

Do you know who I am?

There's a really really sweet and giant red golden retriever in my dining room right now and he's not mine. He was found yesterday evening around the corner of Van Dyke and Classen wearing only a really smelly flea collar. No tags. A trip to the vet proved no microchip.

I'm sure flyers in all this rain are going to do a heap of good and I'm betting a walk around his neighborhood would probably help, although I'm wary since it took two people and all their muscles to get him out of my house once he was in and I am not fond of being dragged down the street by hairy creatures who weigh almost as much as I do.

But, he's handsome and loving and obviously someone's dog. If you know him or someone who has lost their dog, please contact me as soon as possible.

341 and counting

observing the diaper change, originally uploaded by carissabyers.

My Flickr page is not my most popular spot on the internet, though it has it's moments. I don't have a "pro account" so as I very selectively upload new ones, the older pics are getting shuffled out. The stats on the photos often surprise me. One guy out of a set gets 100+ views and the rest get 5-20? He must be popular. (He is popular.)

Boggles me, though, that this photo has had 341 views so far. Perhaps people wanted a closer look at what the bed looks like when the linens are in the wash and I've covered it with a blanket from 1992 to protect the mattress from jumping shoes? Or maybe that half cocked ear on Ringo is just really compelling? (Yes. Yes it is. Though they stand up now.)

Either way, so glad we're past the diaper changing stage and that Winnie the Pooh couch has gone to better places.

I See You

I had a fisheye lens for the weekend. It's still too new to have any real concept of composition.
But good god is it FUN.