Mmmm....I like to jump :)

me--during lunch at school

Christine, myself, Andy--on pajama day at school

Lyss & me

Lyss

David & Alex--at Geneva

me--at Surfside Beach

Katie & me--at Covenant College (Lookout Mtn.)

Those are some sample jump shots I found while browsing through my photos. I've got a lot of fun ideas brewing for other shots! Coming soon...

I'm back!!

Hello!! I'm finally back after an almost 3 month hiatus! Thank you to everyone who has been getting on me for my major failure as a blogger (especially Grant!) Life has been crazy busy (and will continue to be,) but I'm hoping to settle back into a consistent blogging routine again.

I've started brainstorming what I'd like to see my blog look like and what kinds of things I want to focus on. I'm feeling like I really need some specific themes to work with over the next few months. I would LOVE to have some outside ideas!

Here's what I'm thinking so far:

PEOPLE!! -- I've spent a lot of time exploring God's grace and beauty in creation and the physical world around me through my photography. Now, I'd like to "spend time with" the creatures that are made in God's own image!

Ideas for People:
1. Jumpology: (as it is commonly referred to in the photography world) or simply, pictures of people jumping. The idea of "Jumpology" was sparked by Philippe Halsman, a famous portrait photographer in the early 1900's. Personally, I'm a huge fan of jumping (and have been known to do it in pictures where I probably shouldn't) and I think a "jumpology" project could be a lot of fun. My hope is that jumping will help people relax and not get so frightened of the huge lens pointing at them. :) I'm going to start with project and I'm really excited about the possibilities. So.....who wants to jump first?? :)

2. Hands & Feet: We use our hands & feet everyday for all sorts of different things--brushing our teeth, walking down an aisle, typing on a keyboard, etc. How often do you think about them though? I know I very rarely do. I'd like to take on the challenge of taking something ordinary--our hands & feet--and making them "extraordinary." I think I could have a lot of fun with settings, as well as rings & shoes, etc. I'd like to do a lot of outside for this one, so I'll probably save this project for spring/summer.

3. People + Umbrellas: I haven't really thought through this one...at all. I just really like umbrellas and think it would be awesome to take pictures of them. :)

4. Conversation: I want to not only focus on individual people, but also on the way that people interact with each other. I love having conversations with people and I think some of the most raw and "real" expressions occur during everyday conversation.

My brain's still spinning, but those are the only solid ideas I have at the moment. Please, please, please let me know if you come up with something awesome! I'm hoping to start off my "Jumpology" project by posting some of my favorite photos that I've already taken (tonight or tomorrow?)

Thanks again for reading and for sticking with me through my inconsistency! :)

Captivate

Captivate
November 2008

This is one of my best friends, Alyssa. She is also one of my favorite people to take photos of. The reason being, she's also a big fan of America's Next Top Model {haha} --which makes her a complete diva. This is her "captivate with the eyes" look. I think she did a pretty good job. :)

I took this during lunch today, at school, while it was snowing. Thanks, Lyss, for braving the blizzard for my art! :)

To Write Love on Her Arms

To Write Love on Her Arms
November 2008

Today is the 2nd Annual To Write Love on Her Arms Day. For those of you not familiar with TWLOHA, it is a non-profit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people (specifically young adults) struggling with addiction, depression, self-injury, and suicide. the money they raise goes directly to rehabs and help centers.

I've been thinking a lot about this organization the past week. It's not an explicitly Christian movement (although they do mention God's active redemption etc. in their vision statement), but it has a lot of really solid goals. I've begun to feel convicted of how little I'm involved in the world. I choose to minister in my little bubble where I feel comfortable. I think my struggle is also a greater reflection of the body of Christ as a whole. What is the church doing to reach out to these young adults who are so lost? Who knows, there could be tons of church sponsored ministries that I don't know about--and that's where I've failed. Or there might only be a handful across the country.

TWLOHA has only been around for a few years, but they have already grown so much and brought so much support and awareness for these people that are suffering. Shouldn't the church be making such an impact? And we even have the love of Jesus to share! I'm hoping to get involved with ministries at Geneva that reach out to teens in the community (Young Life maybe?) and I challenge you to join me in this challenge of breaking outside the covenant community to bring the love of Jesus to those who need it the most.

St. Pauls

Here are a few photos I just found of the Catholic Church mentioned below.
Stunning, huh?
I love Pittsburgh.

Candles

Candles
August 2008

I am officially not a fan of being busy anymore. *Hopefully* I can get back on track with my blogging soon. I need some ideas for new shots...thoughts? Any places to recommend?

This shot was taken at St. Paul's Catholic Church downtown As cool as these candles look, what they represent makes me very sad. :(

On a happier note, two of my photographs are going to be auctioned off at the RTCS Anniversary Dinner this Friday night. I chose "Stockholm" and "Bat and Ball" to be printed and framed...they look great! It's so crazy to think that a photograph I took could be hanging up in a stranger's house someday!

Rose Petals

Rose Petals
June 2008

Yeah...you guessed it....another picture from the rose garden in Charlotte. :) I took this just outside the parking lot/building. I thought it looked awesome with the petals scattered all over the sidewalk. As of now, this shot has no editing done on it. I haven't decided if I want to play around with it a little or just leave it in the raw. We'll see. :)

Pumpkin Chai

Pumpkin Chai
September 2008

This photo represents what I want most in the world right now....

Pumpkin Chai

yum. :)

Fenced In

Fenced In
June 2008

This is another shot I took at the Rose Garden in Charlotte, NC. It was actually a somewhat scary fence, considering it was surrounding a rose garden. I think it's even more intimidating from this angle. I don't really have any profound thoughts on this photo, so I'm going to rely on others' interpretations...

"What does this picture make you think of?"

Alena: "Fish scales."
Nate: "A fence of pain."
Mr. Wirebaugh: "A backstop."
Christine: "A bow and arrow."
Mr. Wirebaugh Take 2: "Despairing, oppressive feelings of being trapped, while playing backgammon."
Andy Brown/Joe: "A chain link fence."
Mrs. Boelcke: "The Holocaust."
Mike: "A net."
Jon: "Remnants of a nuclear war."

The Tree

The Tree
May 2008

I'm not even sure I could count how many pictures this tree has been in over the past few years. It's one of the most picturesque things on our school grounds--especially in springtime. I love the color of the blossoms. So vibrant. Although, I may have tweaked the color saturation just a tad... :) It's better this way.

Summer Repose

Summer Repose

August 2008

1. Kudos to my friend, Alena, who named this photo. :)
2. It makes me miss the lazy days of summer.
3. Those are my legs/feet.
4. Obviously, I took this shot myself. It took me a few tries before I got the focus in the place I wanted it.
5. I love how green the grass is.
6. Isn't my skirt awesome looking? :)

Graffiti

Graffiti
October 2008

You know, I've always been a busy person, but I'm getting to the point that I'm frustrated because I have so little time to do things for pleasure. Like blogging, for example. *sigh* Maybe someday I'll have time to sit around and blog all I want...

This picture perfectly captures the concept of irony for me. This graffiti is on a wall at Geneva College (the Christian college I'll be attending next year.) Also, keep in mind that is only part of the wall. It also says things like "Try Jesus" and "Serve & Protect."

"Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart." -- 2 Tim. 2:22

It amused me that someone who vandalized a wall was trying to urge people to "flee the evil desires of youth." Ha. :)

The Cross

The Cross
July 2007

I have multiple things to say pertaining to this photo:

1. I took it in Sweden, which automatically makes it awesome. :)

2. Story time: I bought this really awesome cross necklace from a Chinese woman at a Kiosk in the mall the other day. I love the reminder it is to me of the church's responsibility to bring the gospel to the whole world. I was wearing it tonight at work and a customer told me she really liked it. She then asked if I was Christian and if I went to church. I said yes and that I go to Providence Presbyterian. Her response: "That's awesome! Keep up the faith, sister." Seriously. It made my night. I love the body of Christ.

3. Tomorrow is the start of 31 days of prayer for global missions {sponsored by Mission to the World.} I'm going to commit to it and I challenge you to do it with me! Here is the link to the calendar.

Tomorrow's prayer focus is on China! :)

Pumpkins

Pumpkins

September 2008

Basically everyone remotely involved with RTCS never wants to hear the word "pumpkin" ever again. The soccer team picked somewhere around 350 pumpkins last weekend to sell as a fundraiser. Most of the pumpkins are lined up along the back of the school building...so obviously I had to snag some shots during study hall. :)

p.s. Have I mentioned that I love fall?? :)

See You at the Pole

See You at the Pool
September 2008

I'm back!! Ah! It feels like I haven't blogged in 6 years! I've missed it. I have been so insanely busy though. I'm actually completely free tomorrow night {other than the season 5 premier of The Office :)}, so I'm hoping to work on several posts and time them out for the next week.

Today was See You at the Pole! For those of you who are unfamiliar with it, here's what their website says:

See You at the Pole™ is a great place to connect with God, connect with other believers, and connect with your campus in the name of Christ.

SYATP connects believers together at the beginning of the school year, so you can stand strong together throughout the year.

See You at the Pole™ is all about prayer. It's about you coming together and laying aside all the labels and groups for one day, to simply connect with God in prayer and connect with fellow Christians in unity around the flag pole—whether jocks, preps, geeks, Methodists, Baptists, Catholics, sophomores, or seniors.

So are you ready to connect? Are you ready to say, Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening?

Join your generation Wednesday, September 24, at 7 a.m., GATHER at your school flagpole. PRAY for your school, friends, families, and world. CONNECT. Listen as He speaks to you.

It's a really awesome ministry and is definitely something I look forward to every year. How amazing is it to think that thousands of other students across the country are all lifting up their voices as one?? Ah. I love the church.

p.s. I love the natural morning mist in this shot.

Idea

Idea
September 2008

I took this picture of my best friend, Jessie, while we were having coffee at Starbucks today. You can probably tell just from this picture why we're friends. I'm pretty sure she completes me. :) We love just meeting for coffee and discussing what we learned at school that day, the books we're reading, new music, random ideas, you name it. Lots of awesome nerdiness occurs in our relationship. :) Right before I took this, she was reading me a quote about literature from her journal. She's studying English Literature and Writing at Pitt and she keeps an awesome blog. Check it out.

I decided to play around with some of Alice's editing features today. I was mostly testing out different filters--black&white, sepia, warm tones, cool tones, etc. I think the 2nd version is my favorite. Thoughts?

Cafe

Cafe
June 2008

This is a shot of the wall paper in a cafe that I went to with my dear friend, Annie, in Charlotte, NC. It was such a fun & quirky place--I loved the way it was decorated. I definitely have a soft spot in my heart for cafes {considering I work in one!} I especially love small, privately owned ones, like the Beaver Falls Coffee & Tea Company {just off my future college campus.} I just love meeting friends for coffee ({like you!} or sitting by myself with a good book {especially in the dead of winter.} There's just something oddly calming about the scent of freshly brewed coffee. :)

p.s. My drink of choice is a Hazelnut Mocha, if you were wondering. :)

This is Art

This is Art
May 2008

I wanted to share a brief conversation my friend, Alena, and I had during art class this week:

{While sketching a still life of bottles/jars/boxes}
Jamie: "So we have to sketch all of these?!"
Alena: "Just sketch what you see from the angle you're at."
Jamie: "Well what if I choose not to see those bottles?"
Alena: "That is called art."

I thought her response was absolutely hilarious and in a way, very true. An artist can choose to see what he or she wants to see. An artist creates. With photography however, you are slightly more limited. You can't completely create something from scratch--you are capturing something as it is. However, you can choose to view it in a different way than most would or alter its color and texture. Anyway, long explanation just to say: I strive to create art by capturing what is already there.

The shoes in the above photo belong to Alena. She is a wonderful artist {can you tell from the doodling?} and is actually working on a logo for Pilgrim! Yay! I can't wait to show it to everyone! :)

Bowling

Bowling
September 2008

I heart bowling. And I'm actually pretty good at it. The end. :)

Speed Limit

Speed Limit
September 2008

I've gotten several requests for some black&white shots...so here you are! I love b&w, but I honestly haven't done many shots I really like. I feel like I haven't found many suitable locations or objects yet. Hopefully my black & white muse will visit me soon. :)

The contrast of the modern sign vs. rustic fence really struck me in this picture. It makes it interesting. :)