Family

Hello my lovely readers,

With the warmth of a holiday so often spent celebrating with family and friends fading into the golden light of summer days past, a maternity shoot that I did for a lovely family from the heart of Minnesota comes to my mind. Joy and Miles (and their beautiful daughters Lauralyn [the oldest] and Marrian [not yet born when these were shot]) approached me about doing a maternity/family shoot this past winter. I was delighted by their trust and nervous- afraid that my first attempt at a maternity shoot would fail. Luckily, I found Joy, Miles, and Lauralyn to be full of fun and easy to laugh (and work) with! The little bump pictured in these pictures is  already lifting her head up and exploring the world around her, but at the time of this shoot she was just a promise- a promise of love, and trial, and the powerful yet potentially fragile bonds that hold a family together.

 

So thank you again, Joy and Miles, for letting me capture this precious stage in your life! And thank you, my fabulous family of readers, for continuing to support my work and let me share my viewpoint with you!

-AK

The ISBN Project

Hello my dear readers,

Today I have a very special project to introduce- the ISBN Project. The premise of the project is simple- the subject provides me with the title of their favorite book. I then take that title and find the ISBN (International Standard Book Number). After the ISBN has been found, the subject chooses a place on their body and the ISBN is stenciled onto that location. The area is then photographed against a black background. 

This project is very dear to me because A) I am a bookworm and I wish to earn my Master in Library Sciences, B) I believe that a person's favorite book reveals something about who they are, and C) I am intrigued by the way in which we, as a society, define ourselves by numbers (school ID numbers, social security, height, weight, credit card numbers, etc.). I hope that this volunteer based project will cause people to consider these themes, and perhaps give them a glimpse into the lives of those around them. 

I have already completed one volunteer's image, which was shot this past Easter when I first conceived the project. I then placed the project on hold while I completed my Bachelor's degree and had stencils made. The stencils are now complete and I hope to begin shooting very soon! If any of you are interested in participating or are just curious about the project, please feel free to email me at akphotog@hotmail.com. 

I hope that you are all having an amazing summer, 

AK

To Brianna- A beautiful model and a dear friend

An oversize sweater that once belonged to someone's grandfather. A beautiful girl, a dear friend, seeming to softly glow in the fading light. A click- the shutter- and then through the silence comes another sound: laughter, laughter all around. We talked, we laughed, we drew closer together- and as I look back upon those images I see you perhaps more clearly. Mysterious, beautiful, strong, and yet still growing- you, my friend, are a constant source of inspiration.

With my thanks for sitting constantly infront of the camera and for laughing at my jokes as if they were funny,

AK