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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Book club, who is reading what?

Soliciting all you lovers of literature: what are you reading these days?

MA HIV/AIDS - Stigma

For the survivors of the HIV/AIDS pandemic and for Mike and the memory of those who have lost the battle.


This report addresses the issue of stigma surrounding people living with the human immunodeficiency virus and the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome or HIV/AIDS. It examines the relationship between the disease and a person’s willingness to seek treatment and how an HIV diagnosis affects self-acceptance, family relationships, friendships and well being of people living with HIV/AIDS. In many cases the self-imposed stigma is just as menacing as external stigma. The global pandemic of HIV/AIDS affects every class, color and creed. It is a public health crisis that quietly infects new victims daily. In the thirty years since its discovery there is still no known cure. The passage of the Ryan White act was the federal government’s first official response to the issue. While the disease is manageable for many who can afford expensive anti-retroviral medication, the side effects and psychological turmoil they face is oftentimes unbearable. This report, and the accompanying video, Stigma, examines the social and psychological effects on people living with HIV/AIDS.