Friday Awe: Hearing The Voice of a Monument

Growing up I marveled at The Eiffel Tower.
I thought if I went to only one place in all of Paris, that would be it.

And I did.

Well, when I eventually went to Paris I visited several places around the city but la Tour Eiffel was most definitely one of them.

For some reason stairs are more enjoyable to climb in Europe than anywhere else in the world and so I climbed every stair of the tower that they let you climb. I thought about how strange it must have been to see when it was first built and how iconic it is now.

I took photos of the lines of its interior and views from it. Then when I climbed back down I took photos of the outside of it. I thought of all the photos that have been taken of it, all the perspective angles it's been viewed, all the memories made around it.

But I never wondered what its voice was. How cool that someone looks at The Eiffel Tower and wants to know what it sounds like.

The Eiffel Tower's Voice from The New York Times - Video on Vimeo.

©2015 Kristin Serna These are my words and my photo. The video belongs to its respective owner. This post should not be republished without my permission. Cheers.

One of the Many Reasons to Get Prints of Your Photos

Facebook is not visible around your house... yet. 

We have so many photos trapped within devices these days. Yes, we can carry a bunch around but that doesn't make them regularly viewed. Let some of them out and on to your walls and tables. Get prints of your photos. 

©2015 Kristin Serna. This post is mine should not be republished without my permission. The video belongs to Canon. Merci beaucoup.

:)

This is what I (and maybe we) need today. 

Pow-Wow

Here are more photos I took at that pow-wow some time ago. There were so many cool things to see. Each piece of clothing was a work of art. And I absolutely loved the dancing.

©2014 Kristin Serna These are my words and my photos. This post should not be republished without my permission. Cheers.

Friday Awe: Why Does Time Fly as You Get Older?

Happy 4th America! This video doesn't really answer the question, but it's a nice reminder to appreciate each day and the new perspectives you get as time passes.


Why Does Time Fly By As You Get Older? from NPR on Vimeo.

Who also wants to do a photo session with bubbles now? :)

©2014 Kristin Serna These are my words. This post should not be republished without my permission. 
This video belongs to its owner. More info can be found in the link above. Merci beaucoup. 

A Moment of Fun: Popcorn!!

Let's learn something and watch cool video shot with a DSLR camera (by someone else)!

Click To Enlarge: Popcorn from NPR on Vimeo.

Guys, we're eating starch bubbles.
I had no idea. 
Did you?

©2014 Kristin Serna These are my words. This post should not be republished without my permission. 
This video belongs to its owner. More info can be found in the link above. Merci beaucoup. 

April Inspiration

The theme of this month's inspiration is letting your joy fly... or something like that. :)

1) Meet Mayhem. That's what her mother calls her. She's a 4-year-old fashion designer/model who wears dresses she helps her mother make out of construction paper, tissue, wrapping paper, masking tape, and the like. They pretty much only use supplies they already have on hand. As this photo shows, there's clearly joy in this creative mother-daughter bonding. It's a testament to imagination, to loving the process as much if not more than the finished product. You can read more about this duo on their website: Fashion by Mayhem. And here's a few more of my favorites of their dresses from Instagram: Elegant Dress, Project Runway Korto Dress, Dress with Fabulous Headpiece, Lupita Nyong'o Golden Globes Dress

2) I think I heard about this video first on an episode of Radiolab. It's pretty much happiness incapsulated. During an expedition at the South Pole, this man comes to his last food cache. He doesn't remember what he put there, but his joy in discovering it is contagious. I mean, I dare you to watch this and not smile. This is appreciating what you have.



3) And then there's Isabella Rose Taylor, a 13-year-old fashion designer who is getting her own line put in Nordstrom this fall. It would be so easy to be jealous of someone being so accomplished so young, but instead I'm inspired by her finding something she really finds joy in doing and then doing everything in her power to understand the industry and turn it into a viable business. You can read a story about her here. Or check out her work on her website.

What's inspiring you this month?

©2014 Kristin Serna These are my words. This post should not be republished without my permission. Images from the sources noted. 

A Moment of Fun: COMA - Missing Piece

This video is so much fun. It's full of dancing and playing and imagination. It reminds me of what I want to see in my photography sessions – hanging out, experiencing the moment, smiles, silliness... and cuteness. I do not mind cuteness.


COMA - Missing Piece from COMA on Vimeo.

©2014 Kristin Serna These are my words. This post should not be republished without my permission. 
This video belongs to its owner. More info can be found in the link above. Merci beaucoup. 

February Inspiration

It's another month and more things are inspiring me!

1) I've featured Kid President on here a couple times. Kid President says it's everybody's duty tox give the world a reason to dance. I can totally get behind this sentiment. Everyone can do something that brings a smile to another person and happiness is easier to pass on when you're happy. And sometimes when people are happy... they dance. I do. Kid President does. I'm pretty sure it's not just the two of us. It's something I'm trying to keep in mind every day – to do what I can to give the world a reason to dance. You can find out more about the awesomeness that is Kid President on his very own website.

2) Haaaaaave you seen Frozen? This is seriously the best Disney movie I've seen in a long time (from the Disney Animation Studio). I don't to ruin the story, but I'll warn you that it'll most likely give you a case of the feels. There's a lot in there for everyone. And the music.... it's clever and catchy and reminds me a lot of Wicked. It also makes me want to go to Norway even though I'm pretty sure Arendelle isn't real. 

3) It's been cold outside (is an understatement) and there's nothing comfy cozy like a nice, warm mug of tea after coming inside. I love tea time. 

©2014 Kristin Serna These are my words. This post should not be republished without my permission. Also that tea photo. That tea photo is mine. 

The Science of Love

Soul Pancake makes really cool videos. And now I want to high five all the people in this one.

©2014 Kristin Serna These are my words. This post should not be republished without my permission. 
This video belongs to its owner. More info can be found in the link above. Merci beaucoup. 

January Inspiration

Hi, there.
Does everyone collect things that inspire them? Or is that a subset of the human population type of thing? People who like Pinterest type of thing? I don't necessarily mean physically collect (although you certainly could), but what you keep floating around in a corner of your head -- those things that you can pull up and they make you smile or make you think or... make you feel a connection.

These are those things for me this month:

1) The Modern Hepburn is a Tumblr that about 75% of the time I see a post on, I think "oooh. yes." I guess it's not technically just a January inspiration source; I've been following this blog for over a year and I probably will continue to draw from it in the months to come... so... yeah. And I don't know much about the woman who runs it, but I'm happy to have her as a curator of things from Tumblr-land. The image above is a snippet of the feed reader when I keep up with Modern Hepburn, the bookmarked entries I'm most drawn to. Sometimes it's photos of people dancing, sometimes it's close up images of every day objects, and sometimes it's a quote, but it's usually a reminder of the beauty all around us.

2) If you haven't heard of photographer Chino Otsuka's photo series "Imagine Finding Me", well then I'm here to tell you about it. First brought to my attention by Cnet, it's a project where Ms. Otsuka has digitally placed her present-day self in photos from her childhood in the '70s & '80s. She does a great job with her seamless additions and it's a neat perspective on memories and nostalgia. You can see more on her website. (image credit: Chino Otsuka)

3) I almost don't have words for The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. Ben Stiller and everyone involved did such a beautiful job with this film. I know it got some mixed reviews, but don't listen to the bah humbugs and go see it. I love the look of the movie and the kinetic energy and special effects. It makes you want to be the best you you can be. There's no doubt I'm going to buy this movie and watch it every time I need a lift. The music is such a great fit (Of Monsters & Men AND Bowie) as well as the bits of comedy slid between the serious and the awe-inspiring. Plus photography plays a part. Yes. 

I'm putting the trailer right down here for you. Watch it. And then check out The Secret Life of Walter Mitty website. It's pretty slick. 

I want to hug this movie.

©2014 Kristin Serna These are my words. This post should not be republished without my permission. 
This video belongs to its owner. More info can be found in the link above. Merci beaucoup. 

Friday Awe: The Stars (Mauna Kea Heavens)

This Friday I'm missing being able to see the stars shining at night -- even though it usually doesn't look quite as cool as this.


Mauna Kea Heavens Timelapse from Sean Goebel on Vimeo.

©2014 Kristin Serna This post should not be republished without my permission. 
This video belongs to its owner. More info can be found in the link above. Merci beaucoup. 

Friday Awe: Iceland Timelapse

BEYOND NATURE Iceland Timelapse from aprilgarden on Vimeo.

In the words of Liz Lemon...
I want to go to there.


©2013 Kristin Serna This post and these photos should not be republished without my permission. Merci beaucoup. 

Kid President's 20 Things We Should Say More Often

I love Kid President's enthusiasm and kindness. Don't worry. Thank you is on the list. 

Although the bonus one of Let's dance may be my actual favorite. :)

Thank you for checking out this site. Thank you to those of you who've hired me and believed in me. It's been a good year.

Let's dance!

©2013 Kristin Serna This video is not mine. It's shared via YouTube. But these words around it are mine. Please don't republish them without my permission. Merci beaucoup. 

Friday Awe: Life in Timelapse

aprilgarden Film Timelapse 2012 Reel from aprilgarden on Vimeo.


There are some really cool timelapse scenes in this reel, but the thing that really elevates them is that slow horizontal movement as life flies by on the screen. I absolutely love the beginning and the part with the tent is probably my 2nd favorite.

Oooh! I found more of the tent footage. The colors of the sky and the light in the tent and the stars floating above... sigh.



get outside, meet nature! from aprilgarden on Vimeo.


©2013 Kristin Serna This post should not be republished without my permission. Merci beaucoup. 

Friday Awe: Dancing with Light

I like dancing. And as a photographer, I definitely like playing with light. So it was neat to find a video that combined the two. Happy Friday!


Nuance from Marc-Antoine Locatelli on Vimeo.

©2013 Kristin Serna This post should not be republished without my permission. Merci beaucoup. 

Friday Awe: Morning of the World - A Slice of Life

Morning of the World from Gunther Gheeraert on Vimeo.

Ah! What a gorgeous slice of life. The music and movement are so spot on here. There are at least approximately 347 moments where I'd snap my camera shutter. The looks people give each other... the smiles... when the sun gets to that one spot... :)

Have a beautiful day and a pleasant weekend!

©2013 Kristin Serna This post should not be republished without my permission. Merci beaucoup. 

Friday Awe: Box

Guess who figured out one way to get videos to play larger on her blog? It's me. 

(I couldn't wait for you to guess. I'm too excited by already reaching one of my goals.)

But I assure you that's not really the Friday awe.

This is the Friday awe. 

Box from Bot & Dolly on Vimeo.

James of Julia + James shared this video with me some days ago. 

Hello, imagination and technology coming together into something amazing. I can't get over how slick it is. 

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." 

- Arthur C. Clarke

©2013 Kristin Serna This post and these photos should not be republished without my permission. Merci beaucoup. 

Pep Talk & Some Smiles | Like That

It's Friday.
I think we all need a Pep Talk from Kid President.

"It's like that dude Journey said - 'Don't stop believing... unless your dream is stupid.' 

Then you should get a better dream."

 "Create something that will make the world awesome." 

Thanks, Kid President. :)

And if he made you tear up a little, here's a bonus - his hilarious interview with Dave Coulier. End it on smiles, people. And don't forget to dance!

Of course these videos belong to their owners and I'm just using it as a reference here, but the rest... ©2013 Kristin Serna This post should not be republished without my permission. Merci beaucoup.

In a San Diego Moment

I've been in San Diego. 

And I clearly need a better camera on my phone. 

Although it's pretty good for making photos seem old-timey. 

:)

©2013 Kristin Serna This post and these photos should not be republished without my permission. Merci beaucoup.