Who does your dirty work?

Walking around in SF the other night I passed by a laundromat.  Looking in the window I saw this woman cleaning out the lint from the dryers.  As a kid I was always fascinated by the lint in our dryer and liked to scrape my hand over the filter to gather it into a clump.  Being a kid, I never really understood where it came from just that after every load it would be there.  I imagined that if anyone were to ask me what I liked to do I would respond "I like to pick the lint out of the dryer."  I'm laughing now at how ridiculous this sounds but it's true and c'mon, I was probably about 8 or 9 at the time so don't judge.  So, this is what I was thinking as I was looking through the window at this woman... wondering if she has ever thought about the lint in these filters... and does she enjoy her job?  Does she know that somewhere there is a 9 year old dreaming of the perfect job and it is hers?

Holding Out

This photo was captured the week between Christmas and New Years.  There were four trees.. three were bare.  Kurt and I wondered about this one tree, why it still had a lot of leaves... did it get more light?  Was it more protected from the wind?  Kurt noticed that it's trunk was wider.. so perhaps it was the healthiest/strongest.  In my head (because that's where most of my weird pondering stays thankfully) I thought about hold outs.  Was this tree just being stubborn and fighting against the change of seasons?  Not wanting to let go?  There are people like that..The ones who are afraid of change so they dig in stubbornly trying to fight off the inevitable.. the last ones to leave the party.. Sometimes thats me.  I was probably the last to get a cell phone in my circle of friends.. I still love to play my records.. and despite my kids complaining, I refuse to have a microwave.  But thinking more about my reasoning it occurs to me that it's not fear of change that I'm dragging my feet against.. its the fact that I like to keep it simple... cooking things over a real fire, speaking to people face to face and actually holding the record in my hand and looking at the album cover art are all things that for some have gone along the wayside.. either forgotten or never to be experienced.  What are your hold outs?

New Year.. New Me

hahahahaha.. yea right!  sorry, it's just the same ole me.. C'mon.. really??  Hope the New Year is treating you as good as it has been to me.  So far 2012 has been dynamite!  Had an awesome photo shoot with another of my gorgeous nieces (2 down, 3 to go!).  Taylor met Ally and I in the city where we spent an hour plus in a very pungent alley way.. it was worth it tho.. then we drove to SSF to one of the cemeteries.. can't remember which one, but I've photographed there before.  A very beautiful setting to capture the very best of my beautiful niece.  Two pics today, my ultimate favorites from both places.. to see more visit  http:www.allykatfotography.

Illumination

It was cold.  It was late.  It was crappy weather.  Any one of these reasons were enough to keep me at home, warm and snugly under my electric blanket, with my favorite 7 year old next to me.  But I had an appointment and I needed to be there.  I was capturing my good friend and her family today for their Christmas cards and I was stoked to be doing so... but the cold, the weather and the time.. !!! As I was driving out to ocean beach I was happy to see the sun breaking through and these amazing clouds.  I texted my gal friend and told her to hurry.. the lighting!!  I got there before her and took a few photos.. this is one of them.  So glad I manned up and headed out today.. otherwise I would've missed this beautiful sight.. which left me wondering what other opportunities have I traded for comfort.. hmm..

Peace

So the 2nd half of the holiday season is upon us.  Im listening to people talk and it seems to me that this Christmas is going to be a tight one for some.  Many are stressed out to the max.. people pepper spraying one another over a deal on t.v.'s.. people flipping each other off.. families torn apart from harsh words.. raw and brutal, like cave people.  Why is this happening?  Have we lost our minds?  our focus?  I honestly don't know.. and I don't have the answer but I'm gonna try my hardest to not be part of the problem.  Peace.. and breathe..

Eve

Over the thanksgiving break I went up North to photograph my Niece.  I didn't have much of a plan other than to take great photos of her.. (isn't that always the plan?).  We drove around for awhile and pulled over when we saw something we liked.  In the apple orchard the trees were bare except for this one tenacious apple still hanging on.  I thought about the contrast between the cold, her mink hat and sweater and the fact that there was still some growth left on the tree..  and how in probably a week the apple will fall and the tree will hibernate for the cold season.  Its that time of year again.. time to hunker down and stay warm.. sweater and boots.. my favorite time of year.. although when you live in Pacifica, it is almost always boot wearing time.  So I hope that Thanksgiving was as wonderful for you as it was for me and my family.  I was blessed to have three celebration dinners with family and extended family.  Peace for the upcoming holidays.

Waiting in the Park

It has been such beautiful weather these past few days.  I spent a few minutes hanging out in Dolores Park waiting for an appointment.. yes I was early.. a rare occurrence for me.. so I sat and watched the people.. workers had fenced off part of the park and were busy doing their thing... a few women were working out with a trainer, doing sprints and lunges.. lots and lots of dogs running back and forth.. and a few people were sprawled out on the grass.  It felt good to just sit in the sun, feel its warmth -  and waste time.  I have been listening to a song by Arcade Fire called "We Used to Wait".. the words stick with me.. "I used to write letters, I used to sign my name.. now our lives are changing fast.. we used to wait."  What is waiting?  My kids certainly don't know what it is.. they grow impatient and bored when things don't move quick enough.. just hesitate for a second at a stop light and see what happens.. We don't wait much anymore do we?  The funny thing is that we all have the same destination in the end.. so why are we in such a hurry to get there?