Kathryn Harris
Photography & Design
Jen & Adrianna: Engaged!
Sooo. It’s been a few months since I last blogged. School is to blame, but even with all of the homework and sleeplessness, I have some photos to share from the last couple of months!
Kicking things off, here are some of my favorite photos from an engagement shoot with Jen & Adrianna. These two are total sweethearts. They’re also kind of a powerhouse of a couple. The energy and passion they have for the things they do and for each other just kind of radiates off of them in waves. Our photo shoot was a short one, but so much fun. We snuck in some quick library photos and then raced across the river to the esplanade (with an outfit change, to boot!) just in time to watch the sun dip into the horizon. I love that they committed to their various interests in these photos, and can’t wait to see what they do for their wedding this Fall!
Sarah & Derek: Engaged!
New England had a couple of very snowy weekends in a row. When Drew and I drove up to Maine to meet Sarah & Derek for these photos, we passed no fewer than six cars that had snow-related accidents! However, the snow tapered off just in time for some photos, so all we had were the cold temperatures and a whole lot of wind. Sarah & Derek were terrific sports — and they brought along two incredibly adorable dogs, who made an appearance in a few of the photos — I spend a fair amount of time swooning over them. If Sarah & Derek are this game on a snowy, gray day, I can’t wait to see what their wedding will be like!
My mom, the playwright.
My mom wrote a play! She and her high school students will be competing in a one-act festival in March, so she spun together a short play based on a mural painted by the artist, Judy Taylor. The mural consists of eleven panels that depict Maine’s labor history, and was supposed to live in the waiting room of Maine’s Department of Labor. It attracted some controversy when governor Paul LePage decided to take a stance against it, arguing that it was biased against business owners. It is because of this controversy that the show appears to be getting a little extra press.
The play is about the stories told in the mural, panel by panel. There is, in fact, no mention of LePage or anything having to do him. People seem to want the play to be about the controversy around the panels, but my mom is already taking a stance just by writing about, exploring, and showing an appreciation for the very material that inspired a debate. Unfortunately, I have to root for her from afar, but if any of you are in Portland next weekend, go check it out!
Learning to Visualize Data
I’ve been terrible about posting my design work on the blog. It’s hard to share your projects when you’re still learning. As that Ira Glass quote goes, “…there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not.” But everyone has to start somewhere, so here goes!
Last semester, I completed my first course in Information Architecture. I’m currently in the second course, with one more to go. It is a difficult, multi-faceted subject, and I’m still so new to it that I can’t decide whether I like it.
We spent the bulk of the semester on a 100 items project. The assignment asked us to find a personal collection of some kind that had a minimum of –you guessed it– 100 items. For my approach, I examined 100 jump photos I’d taken in recent years. We then had to assign attributes, set up a spreadsheet, and think about ways we could visualize the collection. From there, we had three deliverables: a poster, an animation, and an iPhone app.
First up is the animation — I have already shared this on other channels, so apologies to those of you who have seen this already!
white/white
We had a visit from Nemo this weekend. As soon as the wind died down, I was out shoveling and taking photos (of course). I shot plenty of photos showing how deep the snow got in my neighborhood (and even made an animated gif of Drew trying to cut through a snow bank), but this weekend I was all about snowy textures.
Our Engagement Photos
One very cold day in January, Drew and I hastily pulled what we could from our wardrobe* and headed outside. Because the temperature was dropping pretty quickly, we didn’t do much more than put the camera on the tripod and set the timer — but I think we got some keepers out of it, don’t you?
(I told Drew I didn’t want an engagement ring, per se, but I did get a different kind of ring for myself. If you’re curious.)
*Hopefully my mom won’t frown too hard at my wrinkled coat. <3
