biscuit's space | The blog of photographer Katherine Carver

Jun 14

Biscuit My Teacher

For those who have been following my blog know that little Biscuit is our furbaby! He arrived to live with us on January 7, 2011, after first meeting him and adopting him on December 24, 2010. Biscuit has literally gone through a swift and wonderful transformation from a very sad and extremely timid dog living on the streets of North Carolina to a confident, loyal, and loving companion who travels with us almost every place we go! Our lives are so much richer with Biscuit!

Live in the Present

Biscuit does not regret the past or ruminate about the future. Biscuit lives here, now, and in this moment, responding to whatever is happening around him. Biscuit reminds me to live in the present and to be present for him.

How much time do we spend in the past or the future? How much ‘now time’ do we waste by going over what happened yesterday, last week, last month, last year, or by worrying about what might happen tomorrow? When we do this, we lose some of the precious moments that are happening now because we are really just in our heads most of the time. Also, the greatest gift to our animals to live in the present with them. I practice being present with Biscuit each day.

Remember to Play

As humans, I think we forget this. In our modern and fast-paced world, it seems to be all work and very little play. Some people forget how to laugh because playtime is not regular enough.

I have learned to play more — especially with Biscuit! Even though I have work to complete, I do it with a much more relaxed attitude, which is far healthier.

It is also good for the heart. Playing with a dog generates oxytocin, a hormone that helps reduce stress and promotes happiness. Overall and all the way around, dogs (animals) really help us in many ways and they enrich our lives!

Our greatest teachers are closer than we think

I now understand why some people say, ‘Did you know that Dog is God spelled backwards?’ I understand it now. It is so simple, yet profound.

I believe that I have gently and gradually grown in mindfulness and awareness; however, being with Biscuit has led to awakenings in my life during this small segment of time. Biscuit has been my/our teacher — he has opened my heart to new experiences. He has taught me to be more present, aware, and patient. He has also taught me to have more gratitude for the small things in life. To me, what seems like something very small, makes a huge difference in Biscuit’s life, impacting his happiness. Biscuit is also my muse. I likely have thousands of photos of our little man documenting our time together! Biscuit came into our lives at the perfect time. I truly believe that he is meant to be with us — he has truly captured our hearts forever. I believe animals have a way in teaching us all about ourselves if we are willing to open our hearts and invest in the experience completely.

Biscuit and me on top of Mount Equinox!

Jun 13

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Baltimore Animal Care and Rescue Shelter (BARCS) — Part II – Shelter dogs in need of furever homes

I am excited about a long-term Dog Photography Project that I am working on with the Baltimore Animal Rescue Care Shelter (BARCS) as well as some local dog rescue organizations. I hope to share further information in the future. You can view Part I here.

For now, I can share some color photographs of these doggies pictured below in the hopes that they receive furever homes! If you are interested in fostering or adopting any of these dogs pictured below, please contact BARCS for further information. Please consider dog rescue! Biscuit’s story illustrates that we can make a positive difference and impact in one dog’s life.

Brief Description of the dogs in the order they are pictured below.

1. Lux — is a male terrier-pit bull mix, approximately 7 months old. Lux is very handsome with gorgeous eyes! Lux is very calm and he has great leash manners. He loves to sun himself outside and he also likes to cuddle! Lux is very gentle and he would make a terrific family pet.

2. Argyle — is a male terrier-pit bull mix, approximately 3 years old. Argyle is very handsome, calm and relaxed, and he enjoys attention and treats! Argyle also walks well on a leash!

3. Gamma — is a female shepherd mix, approximately 1.5 years old. Good news — Gamma was adopted this week!

4. Millie — is a female terrier-pit bull mix, approximately 7 years old. Millie is a love bug. She is very sweet and gentle. She would love to have a furever home with people who adore her.

Happy Thursday!

Jun 12

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Howard County, Maryland Photography Commission: Family Photo Shoot

Recently, I had an opportunity to photograph a family who wanted current photographs documenting their family and children. This family was a pleasure to work with and we were fortunate to have wonderful weather and light!

It is funny how quickly times flies by without even realizing it! In our family, we had formal portraits taken every year around our birthdays! (The photographs taken each year at school were always lousy. Thus, my parents were diligent and hired a photographer take our portraits each year even if we were not so keen on it at the time!)

Some highlights from this photography session are shown below.

If you are interested in commissions, please contact me via e-mail at katie@katherinecarverphotography.com.

Happy Wednesday!

Jun 11

Project Life 365

Project Life 365 is a photo-a-day challenge that brings creatives together under a common interface to utilize their creativity. Each day a “daily inspiration” is provided that will stimulate your creative juices! (You can provide yourself with your own direction instead of using the daily prompts!) It does not matter whether you are literal, logical, or a free spirit; there are no wrong answers. You can use your own DSLR camera and/or the camera on your phone. The outcome of this project is that you will create and accumulate many images documenting your daily life.

I think that this is a neat project idea! I typically photograph something virtually everyday, but I never thought of creating a project out of my daily photographs. Because I like to document our little Biscuit, I photograph him just about everyday! Even though the year is half over already (the time if flying), I think that I might give this project a try to capture and document some moments that I would not ordinarily think of capturing! If you are interested in starting your own Project Life 365, you can read more here!

Here is a recent image of little Biscuit enjoying an outing! (More photos of Biscuit are coming soon!)

Jun 10

Begin Anywhere

Begin anywhere. John Cage, an American composer and philosopher, is famous for saying these two words. Cage tells us that not knowing where to begin is a common form of paralysis. Therefore his advice — begin anywhere. Too many people are stopped by “not knowing how to begin” and “not knowing where to begin.” These two little words are a constant reminder that we are able to change thought, break through a lull, and reverse directions at any time. We have the authority to start anew — right now. Therefore, the stars do not need to align for me to act.

Sometimes when I feel like I am unsure where to begin I take a few steps back and reflect; however, sometimes if I spend too much time thinking I will talk myself out of starting and diving into a project. Thus, I find that it is better to begin by taking small steps during those time where I am unsure where to begin. Sometimes when I feel overwhelmed, I begin with something I know that I can complete, which gives me momentum to keep moving forward. So the next time you feel like you are unsure where to begin, just begin anywhere and you will be amazed how much easier things seem when you just begin and you will likely end up in a better position that you initially envisioned!

Jun 7

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Baltimore County Photography Commission: Annaprashan Ceremony + Family Photo Shoot

I recently had the opportunity and honor of photographing an Annaprashan Ceremony followed by a custom family photo shoot! An Annaprashan Ceremony is a Hindu ritual that marks a baby’s first food intake other than milk. The feeding ceremony is often followed with a game, in which the baby is presented with a tray containing a number of objects. The belief is that the child’s future direction and prospects in life are indicated by the object which he/she prefers to hold and play with. In this case, the baby chose the jewel/coin representing wealth!

I greatly enjoyed working with this family — thank you Sudeep and Reena! Everyone was very nice and welcoming! We were fortunate to have wonderful weather and light!

Some highlights from our photography session are shown below.

If you are interested in commissions, please contact me via e-mail at katie@katherinecarverphotography.com.

Happy Friday!

Jun 6

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The Best Little Investment!

With the warmer months upon us, we got Biscuit a fan, which he loves. I think it is the best $16.00 we ever spent! Biscuit sleeps next to his fan and spends most of his day in front of his fan! Perhaps the fan not only provides a way for Biscuit to be cooler, but it also provides some comfort! We are happy Biscuit is happy!

Below is a photograph of Biscuit sleeping by his fan! (I took this photograph after finding Biscuit sleeping in front of his fan after being at the gym!)

Biscuit is doing really well. He is really happy and enjoys going on outings with us! We especially enjoyed our trip to Vermont – Biscuit had a wonderful time! (I hope to share more photographs soon. I have been a bit behind on my own editing!) We are really excited to move to our new house! Biscuit will have more space to explore and he will have a whole neighborhood of dogs to meet and sniff! We hope to know more information later this month as to when our house is expected to be completed!

Happy Thursday!

Jun 5

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Blog Books!

I have been working on my little blog here for nearly a year and a half! The time has really flown by! I have been researching places to have my blog printed in a book format, by year, to have as a keepsake (and a hard copy back up of my blog)! I have been reading reviews about what companies people have been using that they have been pleased with. I have read a lot of positive feedback about blog2print! My plan, by the end of the year is to get things organized in order to get my blog printed for 2012 and 2013! Hopefully, this will not be too big of a feat! The nice thing about blogging is that it helps keep a permanent record of events and ideas that would have otherwise slipped by. Even though it is a lot of work developing and keeping up the blog, I am grateful that I have done it!

If anyone out there has any feedback on good companies to use for this project, please let me know!

Happy Wednesday!

Jun 4

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Interview with Andrew Pinkham, Photographer

Interview with Andrew Pinkham, Photographer

Recently, I had the opportunity and pleasure of interviewing Andrew Pinkham, a photographer living in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His work falls somewhere between digital portrait photographer and an old master painter. A selection of Andrew Pinkham’s work is displayed below. Please visit Andrew Pinkham’s website to view more of his interesting work!

KATHERINE CARVER: What were your beginnings as an artist and when did you realize it would become your chosen form of expression?

ANDREW PINKHAM: I was always taking art classes as a kid and when I graduated from high school, my parents gave me a camera and I knew then that is what I wanted to do. Plus, I was awful at sports and not what you would call a team player.

KATHERINE CARVER: Did you study art formally?

ANDREW PINKHAM: No, I went to a photo school that didn’t really delve into art. It was more about honing your craft and doing it commercially for a living. The instructors didn’t quite know how to handle me because I didn’t quite fit in to any category. I didn’t want to shoot weddings or babies.

KATHERINE CARVER: How do you describe your style?

ANDREW PINKHAM: 18^th-19^th Century and a bit of Pinkham mixed in!

KATHERINE CARVER: Can you describe the time when you first realized that creating photographs was absolutely something that you had to do?

ANDREW PINKHAM: For years, I had always been searching for ways to express myself creatively and this just seemed so right.

My dad was in the paper business and dealt with a lot of publishing companies. He would bring home these sophisticated publications like Print & Communication Arts and I thought that it was pretty great. There was just something about making art with a machine that I found so enticing.

KATHERINE CARVER: What was the impetus that inspired you to begin photographing dogs and other animals?

ANDREW PINKHAM: Our first greyhound, Suky, started it all. My wife, Ashley, and I set out one afternoon on a whim just to see what we would come up with. The setting, time of day, and light all came together. It wasn’t instantaneous but with some post work, I really got a painterly quality to come out. We showed friends at the dog park and the rest is history.

I had been doing illustration and photography separately for years and this merged the two mediums together in a way that it’s hard to tell where the one medium ends and the other picks up. I had done things for years by others’ direction. This was for me.

KATHERINE CARVER: How have your own dogs (or animals) influenced your artwork?

ANDREW PINKHAM: Ha! Our dogs are our guinea pigs so to speak and we try new ideas out on them. Discovery is always an important part of my work and I never like things to become stale or feel like I am just going through the motions. If I am trying anything new, they are great go to subjects.

KATHERINE CARVER: Where do you show/exhibit your work?

ANDREW PINKHAM: Mostly in publications, an exhibition here and there and in client’s homes.

KATHERINE CARVER: What does “being creative” mean to you?

ANDREW PINKHAM: It means everything really – for better or worse, I always feel the need to do things differently. Most of the time it works, sometimes, it blows up in my face. This is a necessary part of the creative process for me. If I am not pushing the envelope, I get bored easily and the work looks contrived.

KATHERINE CARVER: What is the most challenging aspect of being a photographer?

ANDREW PINKHAM: Art and commerce is a tumultuous affair. My style is incredibly narrow in scope and either people like it or they don’t. At first, it took a lot to really stick to my guns on this and I’m glad I did.

Most of the clients I work with might want a change here and there, which is fine. Others can be more high maintenance especially when they are unsure of what they want.

Ultimately, if I am afraid of what they might think, it gets in the way of the process and it ruins the outcome.

KATHERINE CARVER: What inspires you to keep going and what keeps you motivated?

ANDREW PINKHAM: Being stubborn and obsessive.

KATHERINE CARVER: What is the most rewarding and satisfying part about being a photographer and creating art?

ANDREW PINKHAM: Knowing that I make something tangible out of a crazy idea.

KATHERINE CARVER: What kind of patterns, rituals, and routines do you have while making your photographs?

ANDREW PINKHAM: I need a really simple set up or else my mind is all over the place. Once I anchor my camera down on the set, it doesn’t move. I get distracted and I lose focus if too much is going on. I don’t like things scattered all over the place like someone threw a party.

KATHERINE CARVER: Looking back on your accomplishments, to date, what are you the most proud of?

ANDREW PINKHAM: That I have gotten as far as I have with a very singular vision. It’s not for everyone but it’s what I’m most happy doing.

KATHERINE CARVER: What are you working on now?

ANDREW PINKHAM: An ongoing series of pets doing bad things.

KATHERINE CARVER: What artists inspire your work?

ANDREW PINKHAM: All painters – Vermeer, Stubbs, and Wyeth.

KATHERINE CARVER: What piece(s) of your artwork is your favorite?

ANDREW PINKHAM: My next piece. I always think my next work is going to be better than what I have done in the past.

KATHERINE CARVER: What advice do you have for aspiring photographers and other artists?

ANDREW PINKHAM: Be true to yourself and in it for the love of doing it. When the phone isn’t ringing, your inbox is empty and you feel like no one loves you or your work, you will have that to keep you going.

KATHERINE CARVER: How can people view your photographs?

ANDREW PINKHAM: You can view my work at my website – andrewpinkham.com.

All images are courtesy of Andrew Pinkham.

You can read additional interviews here.

May 31

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Two Peas in a Pod!

Below are a few recent images of Biscuit and Doug relaxing and enjoying a lovely afternoon together — two peas in a pod! Biscuit loves to sun himself — especially if he is simultaneously getting a belly rub!

Happy Friday!