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.

Notre Dame, Paris | Travel Photography

Notre Dame Cathedral - Paris, France.
Two views - the back and a set of doors in the front.

This time I went in through the front doors. Promise.

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

Sacre Coeur, Paris | Travel Photography

Sacre Coeur - Paris, France.
Dual view from the steps.
Oddly enough neither of these were my first view of this site. I went in a back entrance -- clearly because I'm special and not because we missed a turn. Right? Right.

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

Insert a John Phillips Sousa March Here

or Katy Perry's Firework... it's really up to you. 

©2012 Kristin Serna This post and these photos should not be republished without my permission. Merci beaucoup.

Las Vegas | Travel Photos | Architecture & Food

Welcome to part 2. If you missed part 1, it was about street photography and you should check it out.
There's an adorable duck in it for you.

This part is about architecture - which is interesting in Las Vegas because so much of it is copying someone else's work.

The scale and attention to detail is pretty impressive, but you're always trying to dodge signs to photograph it. 

And now we are into food - which in Vegas often is in one of two categories: buffet or art. 

I've decided I prefer the art. At Julian Serrano (above two sets) it leans towards art with the added bonus of being really tasty. 

This is rather unfortunate but due to timing I never got to eat one of those desserts so I can't tell you if they taste as good as they look. I'm going to imagine they do though.

©2011 Kristin Serna This post and this photo should not be republished without my permission. Merci beaucoup.

What is Photojournalistic Lifestyle Photography?

You may have noticed the banner on this blog says "photojournalistic lifestyle photography." Maybe you wondered what I mean by that. Well... either way, I'm going to answer it for you.

I'm an observer. Some people mistake it for quietness. Although I do like to sit in silence, noticing the details and watching how everything fits together.

Sometimes I watch that through my lens. And I capture what I see.

For food, places, and events, I like seeing how things have played out. I like noticing someone had the forethought to plate food in an artful way.

I admire that someone took the time and had the skill to carve that shape into stone.

I like capturing that moment of joy - no matter how big or small.

I say photojournalistic instead of photojournalism because while a large part of what I do is grab how things were in that moment, I'm not beyond giving a little direction for a portrait (unless it's of a building - they're rather stubborn). Sometimes the occasion just calls for it. Sometimes a person looks into your camera at just the right time.

The lifestyle part comes in with the location. It's what helps round out the story. For kids especially it also brings a certain comfort and lets them really just be themselves. My moving subjects can run, jump, and play. And I can freeze them for their loved ones and their older selves.

The world is in constant motion. Sometimes it's just nice to hold on to a moment.


©2010 Kristin Serna This post and these photos cannot be republished without my permission.

Travel Photos | Photojournalism: Toronto

I really enjoy visiting new places. Exploring architecture and culture, seeing what's different and what's the same, and marveling at history often turns into an adventure.

So from time to time, I plan on sharing photos here of places to which I've traveled. And while digital photography has allowed me much more leeway than I had when I was 5 (see The 5-Year-Old Photographer) in how many pieces I capture of each city, it still isn't that easy to narrow it down to my favorites.

To begin, let's go to Toronto.

For those unfamiliar, Toronto is Canada's largest city. It's also the capital of Ontario and home to over 2.5 million people. 49% of Torontonians were born outside of Canada, making it a very diverse place.

The St. Lawrence Market is one of my favorite places in all of Toronto. In the second half of the 19th century it was Toronto's first city hall and jail. Today this building hosts a giant market 5 days a week where all sorts of food (as well as some non-food) items are sold. It's a great place to pick up a fresh snack, try a peameal sandwich, and explore.

Inside... one of these things is not like the others...

The Distillery District is an amazing project built out of the remains of the Gooderham and Worts Distillery. It's now an entertainment area as well as supposedly the largest preservation of Victorian Industrial architecture in North America. The area is really uniform but still has unique spaces. And there is so much beautiful brick work.

There's often good live music there too. Dancing is totally welcome.

At one end of the Distillery District sits Kolios, a sculpture by Michael Christian. It's an amazing gigantic piece of metalwork. You can sort of get an idea of his size from that street lamp nearby. I like to call this shot Kolios Prepares (To Take Over the City).

The Distillery District isn't the only place for art installations though. The next one is a disco fallout shelter. At least that's what the sign says. Although I'm not sure if it's just disco-themed or if we're supposed to go there should disco rise again.

I also had a secret alley find of this on the outside wall of a comic book store. Well it was a secret find until I loudly gasped and started photographing it. That may have drawn a bit of attention from passersby... who them came to look at it too.

Then there's Chinatown. You're just walking down the street and suddenly everything is different. It's an amazing distinction. Among the changes are a lot more people covering the sidewalks, a whole lot more signs, and the predominance of the color red--a marker of good fortune, happiness and loyalty in Chinese culture. 

In contrast to the busy crowded Chinatown, the quiet and spread out University of Toronto can be found just to the north. This area is full of Romanesque and Gothic Revival architecture as well as gardens and open green spaces.

And if you're looking for somewhere even more peaceful, there are the islands in Lake Ontario. Hello, nature. 

The trip to Centre Island was the first time we resorted to transportation other than feet. It was probably for the best since it would have been quite a swim. Plus, it allowed us to really step back and look at the city.

So there it is, just a few pieces of Toronto in a 12-photo nutshell. There are still several places I couldn't include in this brief glimpse but would definitely recommend - including a whole underground part of the city (that I don't have any photos of because we were too busy trying to find our way around it). 

So many styles and people and foods co-exist in Toronto. Anyone could probably find an area of the city that would appeal to them. 

Kristin takes photos... of Toronto.


©2010 Kristin Serna This post and these photos cannot be republished without my permission.