UNDER CONSTRUCTION NOTICE

Hi. I've used a certain platform to build this website from day one of sharing my photography online. And now I've pushed it past its limits. My wings need more space to fly. And so my focus lately has been on building a new website on a new platform. It will be bigger. It will have so much more info. It will be beautiful.

For now, you can still use the contact form if you'd like to book a session.

You can still see a sampling of my wedding photography here. 

If you'd like to see some of my family, children, couple, or individual portrait photography, you can do so here for now. 

When the new site is ready, you'll be able to come right back here and it'll have magically replaced what you see now. See you there.

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.

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.

Pow-Wow Preview

Some time ago I had the opportunity to attend a public pow-wow. It was beautiful - a neat learning opportunity to be sure.
I've been meaning to share some of my photos of it for a while. So here's a preview with more to come!

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

Always Improving

You know, sometimes you step back and you think...
Something has to change around here...

I looked at this website and I didn't feel like it had grown with me. In my head I envisioned a whole revamp that I'd work on in secret and then one day you'd come here and voilà. As we sometimes forget, it's often much easier to make things happen in your head than out in le monde réel. Also... I started getting impatient. There just wasn't a day or even a weekend to sit down and make the whole thing happen as I'd liked.

So. Things are changing around this site piece by piece. I like to think of it as more organic of a process. And everyone knows how much I love organic things. :) Now this page might look the same to you as it did before. That probably has something to do with the fact that it is the same minus some bullet points (as of this posting). But some of the other pages... voilà.

The streets of Paris.

This is good. This is progress. I like the view from here.

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

Envisioning Your Image | Tokyo | Travel Photography

The whole idea of envisioning the image you want, composing it in your head before you click the shutter -- that's not a load of bantha poodoo. It really helps.

It can happen really fast or you can take your time. It's up to you and your environment. Since I take a lot of lifestyle photos where people are moving, I'm used to envisioning quickly. In this photo in Tokyo, I was testing myself. I saw this scene while walking down a street, framed it up in my head, and in seconds took the photo without even looking through the camera. It's pretty close to what I imagined.

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

Food Trophy: The Photo

I was in the airport in Tokyo for hours. 

Eventually hunger set in. I surveyed every dining option in my terminal. My funds were limited. Fast food was an option. I could just point at an image at a counter and then take my food off into a corner somewhere. 

No. 

That would probably leave my digestive system uncomfortable in the long run. Plus... too easy. (That's right. I challenge myself when it's not even necessary.) So I found a restaurant, took a deep breath, and greeted the host in Japanese. Then I ordered my meal in Japanese. At one point I asked for more tea in Japanese. 

And here's the thing... I barely speak Japanese. Seven days earlier I'd managed to forget the few words I did know. Yet, people understood what I was saying. I ate the food I wanted to eat. I drank what I wanted to drink. It seems like such a simple interaction, such a small feat.

Sometimes though, it's those little things -- appreciating what we might usually take for granted or the victories that might only matter to us. This was one of those things. And in that, this photo became a lasting representation of me doing something new and a bit scary. It's my small, food trophy.

©2013 Kristin Serna This post and these photos 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. 

A Heart in Japan | Travel Photography

After climbing to the top of Osaka Castle, I was surprised to find this heart.
Love Actually was right. Love actually is all around. :)

By the way, if you got engaged yesterday feel free to contact me about wedding photography. This also applies if you got engaged 2 weeks ago or 8.... or get engaged today or tomorrow or the day after that...

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

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. 

Apologies for falling off my posting schedule. I still have many great photos to share.
You see, my cheetahcycle broke down and has been in the shop.
And... well... it's harder to go places quickly without your cheetahcycle.

Photo taken in Ginza, Tokyo. 

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

Bastille Day!

C'est la Fête Nationale (ou Jour de la Bastille en anglais), mes amis! Et oui, je parle français. Et oui oui, je vais fêter ça!

What are you celebrating today?

I got all giddy when I took this photo. This place was in one of my French textbooks. Ah, the feeling of finally getting to see a place in real life. 

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

Fun Fact: Austin Peacock | Travel Photography

There are places in Texas where you can walk down a residential street and cross paths with a peacock. This is strange when you've previously had to go to the zoo to see one. But don't worry, you get used to it really fast.

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

Why, Hello 2012

:)

Yes, I know. You've been around a few months. I've been a bit busy. You know that though. Oh and 2012? Don't forget, 2011 was quite a year.

In it I photographed some beautiful weddings,

attended my first Indian wedding,

documented partnerships new and time-tested,

was honored to work with some charities,

witnessed children growing up,

and the beginnings of a hobby that could turn into a great business,

explored new places,

further worked on my cooking skills,

watched the sun rise,

and went to my first pow wow. 

And I'm ready for all the wonderful experiences you, 2012, have in store. 

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

Red Rock | Travel Photos | Nature

I think it's fair to say a majority of people don't think nature when they think Las Vegas. But there's some really cool stuff out there if you can manage to get yourself away from all the Elvi (that's plural of Elvis) and the bright lights.

Everything in Vegas tends to be pretty big, but then you meet Red Rock Canyon.

Those are people in the upper right quadrant. There's more of the rock wall that didn't fit in the photo. So yeah, it's pretty huge. The word "majesty" becomes stunningly appropriate. 

Nature makes the prettiest colors. The red in this rock comes from iron.

The animals and plants who live here are pretty impressive themselves.

If you look closely above you can see in the lower right the curvy road and the tiny cars on it.

And in the right-hand photo below you can see in the lower left 5 handprints - which were left by Native Americans to let others know there were adequate resources in the area to survive. 

The desserts in the last post were pretty impressive but these rocks really take the cake.

That's right. You've been punned. 

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