Second Shooting

In May, I had the pleasure of second shooting a wedding at the Historic Barr Mansion with the very talented Katie Hayes Luke. This was a beautiful outdoor wedding in the garden. For me, photographing a wedding is all about the real, unposed moments. Some people would refer to this approach as style. Photojournalistic images are not a style I've tried to hone, but who I am as a photographer.  My background in photography is rooted in the newspaper tradition where images cannot be posed or manipulated.  Wedding photojournalism is a wonderful opportunity to put to good use all of the creative story telling techniques I've learned from working day in and day out on news photography.

Karla's Quinceañera Portraits

The Quinceañera is a right of passage for a young woman.  It not only signifies her fifteenth birthday, but also her passage into adulthood.

The venue for Karla's quince was the Nueva Vida First Evengelical Free Church in Southwest Austin.  This beautiful church offers stunning archways and corridors of native Texas limestone, an incredible backdrop for such a beautiful young woman.

La Quinceañera de Karla C. en blanco y negro

Karla and her family are an inspiration.  It was such a joy to photograph Karla's Quinceañera in June.  She is the light of her parent's life and for good reason.  She is kind and compassionate beyond what you would imagine for a typical 15 year old.  Her ever present smile and silliness made the 100 degree Texas summer day bearable.  

Iphoneography Love or Hate.

Prior to owning a smart phone with a camera I was rarely without my M6. But like Gary Winograd my film often ends up in a box full of mystery rolls. Its exciting once every few weeks to process this film and see the results.

The evolution of phone cameras leaves me standing on a fence of uncertainty. Do I love it or hate it? On the one hand, I never miss a shot because I always have my phone at hand and also like Gary Winograd I LOVE street photography. One of the upsides of smartphoneography is the instantaneous nature of sharing your vision with others through social media. Sites such as Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and others are a quick method for publishing and sharing your work.

I think it helps feed my personal creativity in that I am always looking, seeing, and making myself aware of potential images.

While walking to the park with my son and husband I took this photo with an app called Hipstamatic. It offers a variety of virtual lenses, films and filters that create an interesting effect. Many of the packs of digital products it offers intend to emulate film photography.

Billy Calzada, a photojournalist with the San Antonio Express-News has embraced the concept, exploring the possibilities and creating beautiful images with iphoneography in an ongoing project he calls, "Last Picture of My Day."

Another photographer Penny de los Santos writes about how iphoneography has changed the way she shoots in a post called, "How Instagram has Influened My Photography."

As a photojournalist, it can be difficult to make images for yourself that express your vision and creative eye while on assignment for a publication, whose needs are oftentimes very specific.

That is one of the joys of iphoneography. You can make images that satisfy your intellectual curiosity as a photographer and share that vision with a broad audience of followers, fans and friends. But what happens when we leave our SLR's at home?

Creative Inspiration

There is something about music that enriches our lives, makes us feel genuine, gives depth to emotion, and joy to lightheartedness. I've never been a fan of downloading pirated music for fear of viri attacking my CPU and a general respect for the artistic integrity of the musician.

Lately, I've been spending a lot of time on Spotify, finding new and old music that inspires. Spotify is the best time-suck online since Facebook, but unlike other social networking sites like Pinterest it allows me to do my work while enjoying never heard musical acts or old familiar licks. While I have long been a fan of Pandora Internet Radio, Spotify allows for a more organic music discovery experience by offering up the "Related Artists" tab which led me to my new favorite band "Beruit."

Now, with creative inspiration, I can start updating my Website www.christinaburkephoto.com. That's really the reason why I turned on my computer isn't it?

Free Black and White Photo Classes

A Smile On My Face
SMILE, an 10-week program, is a series of 35mm photography and darkroom workshops for students ages 11-19. Participants focus on the art and science of photography in the Austin area while gaining an awareness of cultural pride. The program is offered free of charge, but space is limited and registration is required. Fall Session runs Sept. 14 - Nov. 18, 2011. Classes meet once a week, Wednesday 3 p.m.-5 p.m., and Friday 1-4:00p.m. Parents please be prepared to stay the first class for a small orientation. Now enrolling for fall 2011. Click here to download an enrollment form For more information, call 974-3651 or email danita.nelson@ci.austin.tx.us.

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