A Belated Review: 2013

Hello my wonderful readers!!

Happy (belated) NEW YEAR!!! It is 2014! How crazy is that?! Is it just me, or has this year flown by?! I am super excited to see what 2014 has in store for us, but as I look forward I am also compelled to spend a moment honoring all of the wonderful (and perhaps not so wonderful) moments in 2013.

This year:

I bought my first Iphone and, subsequently, 
Posted my first image on Instagram

Bought my first vinyl album and went to Nichole's for the first time 

I turned 22 

Went to my first NHL game (GO WINGS!) 

Started learning how to play hockey
Spent St. Patrick's day with family 

Attended an outdoor party (yes, we spent the day outside, and yes there was snow) 

Fell in love with the Como Conservatory

Graduated from college!!

I found/was found by Brooke Kupcho
Attended the first Wolftree Event

Visited the Minneapolis Institute of Arts for the first time

Ran/walked my first 5K! 

Went Kayaking
Went camping in Itasca State Park

Went to two family weddings (congrats again Emily and Charlotte!)
Lost dear family friends to illnesses :(  
Started working at a bank
Saw THE POSTAL SERVICE in concert!!!!!!!! SO AMAZING! 

WAS PUBLISHED IN WOLFTREE V. 2!! :D
Chopped wood for the first time :) 

Watched my dad run a half-marathon in the rain :)
Celebrated birthdays :)
Went to Colorado
Saw my Dad run an impromtu 5K in Colorado
Saw lots of my extended family
My best friend got engaged!
Donated to the Kickstarter community (and began an art collection) 

Commissioned a piece of art
Realized that the details matter to me
Worked on Wolftree's first Ebook, "5 Pies and a Sugar Cookie"
Baked. A lot. (for me) 

Attended the Wolftree cooking workshop!! :D 
Read books. Lots and lots of books. (and contributed said books to my library- also known as my room)
Had a food fight in a bar, and didn't get kicked out
Helped my dad create a rink  in our backyard 

I applied for grad school (all done!!! *happy dance-> like this about 20 seconds in*)
Had 4 wonderful Christmases

Thank you to all of those who joined me this past year! I am excited to see what the future will bring for all of us!! :)

With gratitude and joy,

AK

FILM!!

Happy September my lovely readers!!!

I'm super excited to share with you some quick images of the film I just got back from the FIND Lab!!! Now, I will be honest, I ruined most of the film. I underexposed almost every image and learned that I really REALLY need a light meter!! However, I also learned a lot. It was my first time shooting professional grade film, and I discovered that the rules I had learned from shooting non-pro film didn't really apply. The main thing I learned is that the film is actually the ISO it says it is and shoots like it. So the general rule of thumb I had developed for my camera settings were entirely incorrect (for those of you who don't know, the light meters in my film cameras are all non-functioning- hence the need of a light meter). Despite the many, many underexposed (and I mean extremely underexposed- as in so badly underexposed that you can't read the image underexposed) images, there were some that turned out, and I am so pleased with them! The colors are lovely and rich and just... *insert really pleased expression here*!

-AK

All film was shot on Kodak Portra 400 on the Pentax K1000 and is unedited (other than adding the watermark).

Wolftree: A Gathering

Dear readers,

This past Monday Brooke and Noah hosted a pre-party for those who had been involved in creating Volume Two. It was a wonderful event and I wanted to share my impressions and the images I captured at this lovely little gathering! :)

The flags in town drooped- the wind was uncharacteristically absent- and sun stood alone in the blue sky. It was the hottest day of the North Dakotan summer thus far, and most of the state's residents were either in a pool or seeking refuge in air conditioned houses. 

Except us. We were a somewhat motley group- our ages varied widely, as did our history, but our faces all shared the same excited expressions. We sat around a wooden table in a studio space. The building had once been an old college, and was too old to have air conditioning. There was one fan weakly trying to stave off the heat, and we all had cold beverages in our hands. Sweat gathered on our brows, but we made light of the heat, for every second of potential suffering had been transformed into an opportunity to share our hopes and become inspired by those around us.

We were part of the growing Wolftree community. There were about 15 of us, and we had all contributed to the making of Volume 2 (which is released on the 24th of August!). We were the writers, makers, and dreamers who had been found or had found Brook and Noah and had shared our talents and our stories to create their beautiful magazine. Brought together by our shared passion for the beauty within everyday events, we were brought closer by the laughter and ideas that we shared over guacamole and artichoke dip. We discussed our pasts, and focused upon Wolftree's future. We croweded close together to catch a sneak peak at the Volume 2 mockup. We oooh'ed and we ahhh-ed; we laughed and (at times) we silently admired. I won't claim that we all left the best of friends, but we did leave feeling like we had met others who accepted us- who validated our efforts, who inspired us, and who shared our appreciation of  the oft overlooked beauty of the Midwest. 

 

Wolftree's kickstarter campaign has TWO hours left! They are $100 short of their goal! Please consider becoming part of their project and part of the Wolftree community! 

Thank you,

AK 

To Brianna- A beautiful model and a dear friend

 

An oversize sweater that once belonged to someone's grandfather. A beautiful girl, a dear friend, seeming to softly glow in the fading light. A click- the shutter- and then through the silence comes another sound: laughter, laughter all around. We talked, we laughed, we drew closer together- and as I look back upon those images I see you perhaps more clearly. Mysterious, beautiful, strong, and yet still growing- you, my friend, are a constant source of inspiration.

With my thanks for sitting constantly infront of the camera and for laughing at my jokes as if they were funny,

AK

Winter Wispers

Dear reader,

In most places March is met with expectations of warmer weather and daydreams of an arriving spring. However, there is a place for which these expectations are not held. A place where the citizens trudge through March blizzards and huddle together to keep out the last bitter chill. In this place winter claims more than half the year, and the wind never stops blowing.

Those who live in this place are hardy folk. They are friendly, though somewhat wary of new people [and of change in general], and laugh often. These are the people who balance the open lonely habitat within which they live with shared meals and laughter with friends and family. These are the people who grow up listening to the constant whispers created by the wind.

 -AK

Getting to know you

Hello my lovely readers,

I hope that your springs have been relatively lovely and much warmer than mine. As some of you know, I recently created an Instagram account (which can be found here: http://instagr.am/p/Wfto0tNBiR/ ). I really do want you, my readers, to feel like you know who I am. So I've decided to start sharing end of the month recaps- posts which highlight some of my favorite moments and give you all a chance to see into my day to day life a bit more.

So here it is, my recap for the moth of February:

This past month was my birthday month, and this year I was blessed with the unique opportunity to go to St. Paul and watch the Detroit Red Wings play the Minnesota Wild. We had excellent seats, and it was an amazing experience even though Detroit lost the game. My mother, father, Anne, Bob, and Darren all joined me on the trip and the best part of the experience was eating and spending quality time with those I love.

I also spent a lot of time on my college campus and in hockey rinks, cheering on my dad and Anne. I suppose as I review what I photographed a focus or pattern emerges- this past month I spent a lot of time exploring the small common beauties that surrounded me and experimented with different ways to share my vision of this world. So let that be my challenge to you- in this next month try to find a new simple moment to savor and enjoy! Play with Legos, learn how to say thank you in sign language, stop and admire the steam rising from your morning tea or coffee. I honestly believe that beauty can be found everywhere as long as you have the courage to search for it.

Until next time,
AK