Thanks to the great people of Style Me Pretty, and especially Corinne, Andrew and family. I’m so honored to have taken part in your special weekend.

My role on this particular trip was to put together a photography class that could be taught as a one-off, or spread out over a few days in the local villages. I encountered so many humanitarian individuals pre-trip, willing to donate cameras, film, batteries, photo paper, printers, ink, money, and lesson plans. The giving and support, some from complete strangers, was a good reminder that an overwhelming amount of good can come from people with a common aspiration.

Now with that said, the fact that I was in charge of this whole photography shindig at that time is a bit laughable to me, because my knowledge of said field in 2007 was a bit . . . lacking. However, when the task at hand involves teaching kids how to compose and take a picture with an automatic camera, the pieces tend to fit together easily. Add that with the fact that some of these classes included of hundreds of kids, most of whom had never seen a camera and some, I might add, a white person. The novelty of both won out over the finer details of picture-taking. Also, there is something inexplicably magical about giving a person a printed image that they have taken or giving someone the first picture they have ever seen of themselves.

Mostly this trip afforded me the chance to be with a people who provided so much beauty to a place that holds a history of so much pain and devastation. In 2007, the aftermath of a 20+ year civil war was barely into its “after” stages. Part of our group worked alongside local Ugandan counselors who were aiding in the healing process for children who had experienced the atrocities of this war. The stories I heard were so horrific that if I focused simply on what HAD happened, it would be easy to get lost in the awfulness of it all. Fortunately, as I hope these images portray, I was able to witness tenderness and a reawakening to real childhood and future as Uganda works to rebuild itself.

[In case anyone was wondering, I now charge extra for couch moving during photo shoots. (winky face).]

ONWARD: Tina & Jeff from FloodSanDiego on Vimeo.

$150, 30 minutes, 15 hi-res images, and an easy card uploader straight from the online gallery, for those who don’t want to deal with the craziness of Costco during the holidays. Cheers to that! Please contact me for more information.

When I found out they were moving near Boston, (note: that is not near San Diego for the geographically challenged) I felt something akin to what my brother expressed when my 11 year old self maliciously revealed to him that Santa Claus wasn’t real: “You broke my HEART”. [cue tears]

However, when good fortune smiled upon me with a Massachusetts wedding this year, I was able to spend some time refreshing my soul, catching up in the crisp, east coast air . . . and let’s not forget two batches of lemon bars. From the impromptu backyard photo shoot, you can see why I love them so, and why it is so hard to be 3,035 miles away . . .

And behind the scenes where I apparently take down my subjects. Shot by Owen (5th grade):

Here are a couple from a whole set of lovely photos taken by future star photographer Ella (7th grade):

And here’s a video what happens when you tell four kids you’re taking video instead of still photos . . . anarchy!

Click here to see video.

[click here to watch video]

Also, thanks to:

Food: Matt and the crew at MIHO Gastrotruck

Flowers: Cristy Booher of Buds and Blooms and Tamara Leeper

Graphic Design: Jen Jackman of Jennifer Jackman Design

Cake + Petit Fours + Jewelry: Leah Peterson of Dandy Goods

Officiants: Scott & Linsey Wildey

Song: Linsey Wildey and Angela Neve

Lighting: Tracy & Justin McNair and Chad BeMent

Sound: Bobby Cressey

Coordinator: Priscilla Woodall

Homebrew Beer: Tyler Graham and Cameron Perry

Other Beer: Stone and Lost Abbey

People who helped make us who we are today (and paid for everything): Mom(s) and Dad(s)

But back to the beauty of fall . . . if you find yourself wanting to document this new season, I’ll be offering different photography specials throughout the next few months. In September I’m collaborating with Banding Together, a non-profit that provides music therapy scholarships, mentorships with local musicians, and instruments for youth with special needs. Not only is the session discounted (this may be the best deal I’ve ever offered) but $25 of every session goes straight to Banding Together. Contact me for more information!

[click here to view video]

[showing how she got stuck in the dress]

[the girls *may* be the more theatrical half of this bunch]

[malerie's brother and his girlfriend both caught garter + bouquet]

(And extra thanks to Shannon Hannon for her second shooting awesome-ness.)

I’m thankful for friends who not only stick around for the long haul, but who also come to San Diego on vacation and give me an excuse to hit my shutter button while digging my toes in the sand. If anything is grounding for me, it’s the ocean. Tacos and burritos at Lucha Libre don’t hurt either . . . If anything else is grounding for me, it’s Mexican food.

Timberline was the first place I went snowboarding in high school, the first place I lost all my friends on the mountain because they didn’t know it was my first time snowboarding, and the first time I’ve ever tried to pretend pouring rain was just as good as white fluffy snow while snowboarding. Fortunately for the wedding, we were neither lost, nor covered in rain, which the weather forecast called for that day. The ever-changing weather system did subject me to a day-long lesson in lighting, but I say give me cold, clear, wind that changes the sky every 30 seconds over rain any day.

I’ve known Amy since high school and it was a huge honor to be a part of her and Ben’s wedding. And if I happened to be holding a contest for toughest bridal party, you can scroll down to see why this group would win (extra points for one strapless wedding dress, one bridesmaid in sandles, and one groom with broken ribs who still managed to pick up his bride multiple times). Don’t let the sun fool you, it was cold and windy enough that at one point my hands were so numb, I only knew I was taking pictures due to the sound of the shutter closing on my camera. The chance of frozen limbs: well worth a free trip with the parents to one of the most picturesque wedding venues to date . . .

1. If you’re a stranger, don’t take creepy photos of couples and then show them.
2. Instagr.am + iPhone does not a photographer make.
3. [sun setting quickly]
4. GET OUT OF THE WAY!

The best part was when Anna followed up with, “At least he can’t tag us on Facebook.”

Now, due to the fact that the fundraiser was being held at the new local hipster hot spot, Tiger! Tiger!, and that Kevin had the happy luck of getting a craft beer and a winning raffle ticket the same night, he ended up winning the shoot. What follows is an overflow of my own personal luck: getting to shoot such beautious, funtastic people FOR A LIVING.

Right around the new year (yes, it took me a year to get this one roll developed), Jen and I perused San Diego, cameras in hand, hoping to catch said amazing images. As you can see below, the images are only perfect and/or amazing insomuch as film from a 70 year old, fixed focus, manual winding, dusty rangefinder lens camera is “artistic” or “perfect” in it own unique way. The other tricky part about this beast is that it takes two pictures for every one normal frame on a 35mm role, making for twice the chance of either screwing up when winding the film, or, if you’re a glass is half full-er, twice the chance of coming up with amazing images. These are all straight scans, the only edits coming from the lab during developing (the first image(s) Canon 5D mkII).

edited with VSCO film Fuji 800.

December 10th, half-hour photo shoots, 20 hi-res downloadable images, online gallery, $150+tax, location in San Diego TBA.

1:45-2:15
2:30-3:00
3:15-3:45
4:00-4:30

Email me to reserve your spot!

Here are a few selects from the last Christmas Shoot Extravaganza a few weekends ago . . .

Second, Visual Supply Company released their Lightroom film presets today and I am a happy camper. I luuuurve me some film, but I often shoot it and then the rolls sit on a shelf for months because I’m too cheap and lazy to get it developed.

Now, with the click of one button, I was able to get the look of Kodak Portra 160 and Kodak T-MAX 3200 to process these shots. Can we say darkroom chemical high??? I often get annoyed with “over-processing” in the photography world, but I feel like they’ve gotten this so spot on…it’s kind of like the difference between a girl who knows how to wear make-up without looking like she has make-up on, and a drag queen, VSCO being the former. Best thing in my photo arsenal since the Mark II.

A few months ago, Terry ventured out on his own to open Remington Tattoo, a classy shop full of vintage decor and one-of-a-kind pieces of art right in the heart of North Park, San Diego. I took some hand-held video at their grand opening and threw together a quick edit. If the video doesn’t show up immediately, try waiting, refreshing your browser, or clicking on the Vimeo link below. Also, thanks to River City Band for an awesome live performance at the opening!

Remington Tattoo Grand Opening Party from Katie Gardner on Vimeo.

Oregon | New York | Maine from Katie Gardner on Vimeo.

d) It is imperative that you equip yourself with an experienced hiker manhunk (or fembot) to feed you gourmet food and pick up the pieces when you start to emotionally unravel (hypothetically) right in the middle of the most beautiful place on the planet. A scratched lens is a silly excuse to suddenly forget about the postcard-like view from camp and the schoolgirl-joy of jumping into the frigid mountain water and the fun of being with manhunk and a night with more stars than I’ve ever seen in one sky and the Irish food at the bottom of the mountain. And the not getting eaten by bears.

[thanks to the amazing erin pifer for being my partner in crime for this shoot]

Story after story proved that this hospital goes above and beyond to provide care for its patients (who actually fit the age limit, unlike myself). The warrior kids I photographed had stints at the hospital that lasted for months, each not lacking stories of life threatening emergencies countered by exceptional care and miraculous recoveries. I always said if I could handle it, I’d love to be a nurse . . . but since my own blood makes me pass out like a big sissy la la, I’m happy to simply capture their heroics on film.

[Thanks, Chad, Amie, and your Mini-Me, for one of the most fun photo sessions to date.]

“Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But 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 your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know its normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through.”

Ira Glass, host: This American Life

My favorite part of any photography shoot is capturing the beauty of people as I learn their stories. I was blown away by the determination of these kids to be students of life (and more languages than I’ll ever speak in a lifetime) and give back to the world with their respective talents and strengths. This project was definitely near the top of the list for 2010.

[click on title in feed readers to see video]

More photos here.

This is exactly what I experienced when standing in the middle of a silent, snow drenched Central Park. With its backdrop of concrete and metal, you can never go too far without being reminded that you are always right in the center of a metropolis. This is a scan of one my favorite darkroom prints from one of those moments in the park.