One of our babies in now a book cover

I shot this a little while back, just some fun happenings in my house of three crazy cats and puppy. As most cats have a curious streak, I just like following her around with my camera and spending time in her world.

Pregnant friends...

Many of my friends are starting families. That doesn't leave a lot of time for their single friend who works and lives at night. I'm happy for them. I wish I could share more of it with them, but our schedules are in total conflict. So I am constantly making new friends...other single, un-obligated people. But most of them are younger and will probably be starting their own families soon. Repeat. Hopefully my network of friends will be family enough and I won't end up cold and lonely. Hopefully I'm a good enough friend to prevent that.

She decided she never liked him from the start.

Vietnam After Dark

I miss wandering around in the city streets of Vietnam at night.  There are so many nameless small alleyways to explore with its various nuances and character.  This one lead to an amazing restaurant that served one of the best Vietnamese Crepes I ever had, the mixture of sweet, spicy, sour and crunchy tenderness was made to perfection.  Doing the nightbeat is a bit like treasure hunting, and this was definitely a hidden gem.

55PN Polaroids

I have to say that I'm still deeply in LOVE with shooting film. I don't think that I'll ever be able to give it up. You can say it's my only true vice in life. I love the soft creamy look of film, the unpredictability, the not knowing whether you got the shoot, but when you do, it's magic! I still feel like I have so much more to explore with film and so much to learn. Don't get me wrong, I also love the immediacy of digital, the safe feeling of knowing I got the shot, but I don't think this girl will EVER get over the LOVE of film. It speaks to me and I will continue to shoot film till I can no longer...you can say, I dream in film...

Nostalgic for Film

It's been a long time since I've been able to shoot film. I really miss it and I'm super rusty at using my square format camera. I was able to take it out along with some slightly outdated film (oops!) this summer. I don't have the best scanner, but it works for just looking at proofs. In the future, I would like to use my digital camera a little less and pick up the film cameras a little bit more. A few pics from my journeys with my film camera. More of my extended fam and friends.

A day at the track.

The past few years of my life have been miserably chaotic...crisis mode and depression for much of it. It took me away from photography, my passion and my balance. I am not the type of artist whose work thrives on suffering. I create when I am happy. I have learned I need a muse. I haven't had one for a while. I'm back now, strong and happy...still lacking a significant muse, but sifting through the images I did manage to shoot during this time. I am currently trying to edit about 300 images down to a photo essay of a day in the life at the track. My brother-in-law is a horse trainer & driver of standardbred race horses: trotters & pacers, with the "jockey" being a driver in a sulky (race bike) behind the horse. He runs a stable at Pompano Park Racetrack in Pompano Beach, Florida, near Ft. Lauderdale. These are some photos of a typical day.

The day starts early, around 7am. The horses are enthusiastic about the activity. Racehorses are not typically as friendly and docile as riding horses. Many are young, ungelded males (stallions), and are quite feisty. Mostly they just want to play, and are not so much aggressive, as they play pretty rough. They are curious about me and my camera, so I had to use a wide angle to get close shots like these. Otherwise they would have slammed my camera into my face. I'm just out of reach.

Groomed, harnessed and ready to go for a training session on the track. He looks miserable, but they really do love what they do, and they have a good life.

On the move...

Training on the track. The grandstand and clubhouse in the background.

My brother-in-law, Peter, returning to the stable after training.

Bath time after a little cool down. My personal favorite to watch and photograph.

Horses are very expressive with their upper lip.

They are also very messy eaters.

More playtime with the lips. I guess that's really my favorite. So predictable too.

So there's a peek into my family life and loves.