Berry Picking

Happy Monday!

I don't know about you, but this Monday feels like a gift to me! The fact that the 4th fell on a Friday blessed us with a lovely, relaxing, and summer-filled 3-day weekend. I feel re-charged and ready to take on this week.

Today I'm sharing one of my favorite portraits of Drayton Benedict, the budding film critic and recent USC grad.

What does this week hold for you?

Photographically yours,

Kylie

Rainy Mood // Los Angeles Headshot Photographer

The world is beautiful, especially in the details.

Happy Independence Day!

Today we celebrate our freedom. Our liberty. The inalienable rights of man and their protection by the law.

To be completely honest, I don’t necessarily reflect on the why behind our holidays. Saying “Happy 4th of July” makes me think of red white and blue, swimming in the pool, and fireworks. Reflecting on Independence Day and why I’m celebrating means a whole lot more.
Last night, I re-read the Declaration of Independence, which was signed in 1776. It formally declared the United State’s independence from Britain, who was headed by a tyrrinical king. Here are some main points I picked out:

1. The Declaration was written to justify why America’s leaders were breaking away from England. Providing an explanation established the authors as logical, reasonable people who understand human decency and respect norms— not to mention the beauty of this paragraph. It’s so eloquent.
"When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation."

2. Human nature (from the political view, at least) is summarized.
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.—That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,"

3. Specific grievances are listed. The list reminds us centuries later what exactly freedom is freedom from. 
read the declaration: http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration_transcript.html
 
I’ve heard it said that as soon as freedom is taken for granted it becomes jeopardized. My hope is that everyone would be able to reflect a little on the groundwork that was laid in 1776. That we would realize that my ability to “follow my passion” is due to the fact that I’m free to do so.
Fellow humans, remember what makes us all human. Love each other. Reflect on what is sacred.

Patriotically,
Kylie

PS. feel silly having cookouts, decking out in red, white & blue, marching in parades, making a big hooplah about a national holiday? I may have. But then I saw this, and changed my view. I see it all as honoring our forefathers and reveling in what is America.  Let’s Celebrate!

"The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more."— John Adams

Did you celebrate properly?

One Year Ago Today...

I embarked upon what would become the greatest 6-week adventure of my life. Cambridge, London, Paris, Geneva, and Italy, you all were so good to me. In Cambridge I learned. I studied. I asked questions, indulged intellectually, and formed lifelong friendships. I remember laying on the garden green reading philosophy with Michael. Punting on the River Cam with friends. Adventures out around Cambridge, the various pubs, and meeting people from all around the world. My travels elsewhere taught me to view the world in a different way. I left a piece of my heart in Europe, and I hope to leave other pieces of it scattered throughout the globe.

Nerd Post: My Summer Research & Point-ed Inspiration

I went to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC the other day and was inspired by this picture from the pointillism movement.

Henri Edmond Cross “Coast Near Antibes”. Oil on Canvas. 1891. Pointillism.

What amazed me so is that it was created a century before digital imaging, but yet it utilized the very principle digital image representation is based upon: tiny pixels ("picture units") of color combining to form an image. Print a photo on a printer and you are really outputting a combination of CMYK dots aligning to form the image. Your computer screen is an array of tiny RGB cells. This digital image is a type of pointillism- I took it on the coast of Monterey, California.

I'm doing research this summer on image representation including computer science, photography, and psychology. Stay tuned for more posts, or follow my journey at my blog: http://kylienicsummer2014.tumblr.com/

Switching Cameras: Instagram // Union Station Washington, DC

I took the train into DC yesterday to watch the world cup game with some friends. One friend from California and another from CAMBRIDGE (yes, all the way across the pond) are interning in DC for the summer. It was so good to get to see them. Since my photog-ness is ingrained in how I see the world, I couldn't help but snap this photo in the train station. I loved the way the light was falling, the ceiling tiles and the spiral staircase.

Happy Wednesday!

Photographically yours,
Kylie