Welcome to Impressions Photography by christine

Impermanence and Suffering

2011-08-30T13:59:00.001-07:00

Buddhism is a discipline based upon straight forward and simple truths. You have most likely heard mention of the Four Noble Truths which are the foundation of Buddhism. The first of these truths has been translated into English as "Life is Suffering." Based upon his experiences and observations as Prince Siddhartha and during time spent as a wondering monk, Buddha recognized that all human beings have one thing in common...suffering. Suffering seems like a very negative term to describe life. It is important to understand that Buddha did not use the word suffering in his teachings. He used the word dukkha. Dukkha is a word of Pali origin defined as anything temporary or impermanent . We suffer because of our attachment to and dependence on these impermanent things. Buddhists believe that to end suffering we must first realize that it is a fact of life.

Buddha taught that suffering may be mental or physical. Physical sufferings which we have no control over include birth, aging, sickness and death. Mental sufferings include separation from those we love, the discomfort of being around those who are unpleasant or hostile, and the frustration of not being able to attain everything that we want.

As Buddha spoke of suffering, he also spoke of happiness. Happiness is real and we attain it by clinging to those things which bring us pleasure; family, love relationships, friendships, good health, etc. While we continually try to escape dukkha or suffering by hanging on to these impermanent things that bring us happiness, the first and easiest step to escaping dukkha is simply to acknowledge that it exists. It is only when we acknowledge that suffering exists and that no one can experience the dukkha or suffering of another, that we can then begin to put an end to it.

A Full Moon Night and Day in Sedona

2011-03-22T19:07:00.000-07:00

As I'm sure you are all aware by now, this past Saturday night we experienced what became known to us, through the media, as a "Super Moon." Depending on the weather in your area the moon had the potential to appear up to 14% larger and 30% brighter than a typical full moon. I was so excited about this phenomenon and with the fact that I may not see it again for another 18 years, I decided to make something special of it. A trip to Sedona to photograph this "Super Moon" rising over the Red Rocks seemed to be a good idea to me. I arrived with just enough time to have a chakra reading and energy balancing massage, then off to the motel to check in and set my tripod up on the balcony and wait for the moonrise.....unfortunately the skies had a different idea, the clouds parted only long enough for me to capture the image below sometime around 8pm. Shortly after the image was taken, the sky turned to total darkness.

Up early the next morning to check for a decent moonset, no luck. So off I went to search for the other reason I made this trip to Sedona. I could think of no better time than during a full moon to make a visit to Sedona's Amitabha Stupa. A stupa is a shrine containing sacred Buddhist relics. It is a representation of the body of Buddha and most importantly his enlightened mind. Stupas are used as a place to worship, pray and/or meditate. It is a well known fact that Gautama Buddha's birth, enlightenment and death (nirvana) all three occurred on a full moon night. Coincidence?

I was delighted by the peacefulness that I found at the Stupa and the images that I captured. I spent about two hours exploring the grounds and took some time to meditate and activate my new crystals. Below are just of a few images of what I experienced.

Moving......involved in a transfer of furnishings from one location to another

2011-02-09T17:13:00.000-07:00

The images that I chose to submit for January's theme of Moving were all taken during a recent trip to Granada, Nicaragua. As you can see, moving trucks are not readily accessible. Physical labor is still very much a way of life for Nicaraguans.
To view Desert Light Photography Group's entire gallery of Moving images please click HERE.

Power Lines

2010-10-31T05:46:00.000-07:00

Power Lines were the subject for the October Desert Light Photo Group meeting. There were a lot of moans and groans, as most members thought there were only a couple of ways to shoot power lines (bor-ing.) Once the creative juices started flowing and with the cooperation of the weather for some cool clouds and sunsets, some pretty awesome images came about! You can check them all out in the Power Line Gallery.
The images I submitted were both captured during my visit to Greece this summer.

Corfu Town Cross

Santorini Chapel

Cheers to Bottles!!!

2010-09-20T18:52:00.000-07:00

Oh what fun it is to photograph bottles, especially when there are so many to choose from.
I took the easy way out for this month's Desert Light Photography subject and picked some shots from my recent trip to Greece. Ouzo and Mythos, bottoms up!

Scott Kelby's Worldwide Photowalk 2010

2010-07-31T19:25:00.000-07:00

2010 marks the third year for Scott Kelby's Worldwide Photowalk. It is my second year to participate in the walk and this year I chose to peruse the streets of Flagstaff, Arizona with a few of my fellow Desert Light Photo Group friends. Please enjoy the images and feel free to leave a comment. I have tried several new postprocessing "techniques" as I am f-i-n-a-l-l-y using Lightroom, trying to wean myself from camera raw. I have to admit, I like Lightroom (alot,) shhhhhhhh...........
Take a few moments to visit my full Worldwide Photowalk Gallery, I guarantee there is something for everyone!

Viva Las Vegas!

2010-06-28T10:24:00.000-07:00

Just returned from a weekend in Vegas spent with friends from Indiana. I wanted to try my hand at some architectural photography as well as some night photography. Here a few of my favorites, the entire gallery can be viewed by clicking here Viva Las Vegas!

McKenzie's Baritone

2010-06-18T17:22:00.001-07:00

Last month I got the privelage of attending Anasazi Elementary School's Spring Band Concert. McKenzie and the rest of her 5th grade classmates performed beautifully. After the concert McKenzie and I headed out on the school grounds and captured these fun images. The hat and shades were worn for the band's Grand Finale of Louie Louie, yes, they brought the house down!

Click here to visit the rest of McKenzie's Gallery.

Kourtny Lynn's Beach Session

2010-06-14T05:32:00.000-07:00

During a recent trip to Hilton Head Island I had the pleasure of capturing these images of my best friends daughter, Kourtny. After she got used to the water, she ran wild and had blast jumping and splashing. The entire Gallery of Kourtny's Images can be viewed here! What's that you ask...do you want to go to San Diego? Of course I will travel to the beach with you for a photo session with your child!

Food....

2010-05-13T13:53:00.001-07:00

As of just a month ago there were only two foods that I had a strong aversion to eating....peas and kiwi. Since my return from Singapore I have added durian to the list. Durian fruit is native to Indonesia and is known there as "the king of fruits." The fruit is easily identified by it's unique texture and malodorous scent. Thanks to my daily walks through Chinatown the scent of the foul smelling fruit became ingrained in my nostrils. Note that durian is so offensive that it has been banned from Singapore's MRT and you can be fined for bringing it on board.

This month's Desert Light Photo Group's theme of food brought this fond memory of durian to mind. I chose to leave my image of durian out of the mix of those that I presented to the group and went with the following.

Surya Namaskar

My recent yoga retreat to Bali included a sunrise yoga session on a beautiful veranda overlooking Mount Batur volcano. I cannot imagine a more beautiful setting to honor our earth's sun and awaken the body, mind and spirit. This smoothie was an added treat to this amazing experience.

Pochoclo se Vende was captured on the streets of Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego.

Frutas y Verduras

This image was captured while strolling through the street markets of Montevideo, Uruguay.

Dead...

2010-05-08T09:46:00.001-07:00

I have a certain affinity for photographing cemeteries.
That is why I was excited to hear that April's monthly theme for my Desert Light Photo Group was Dead.
I literally have thousands of cemetery shots and had a tough time choosing which images to submit. Below are my final selections.

Passing Through

Departure

Afterlife

Click here to visit the entire Desert Light Photo Group Gallery of Dead Images.

NOLA Songbird

2010-03-14T18:03:00.000-07:00

While perusing the streets of New Orleans during Mardi Gras, I stumbled upon this young lady tucked away in a corner. I was captivated by the way she was playing her banjo with all of her heart and mesmerized by her voice as she sang as sweetly as a songbird.

Tempe Photo Walk

2010-03-07T20:11:00.000-07:00

Two of my fav's from the Desert Light Photo Group,

Tempe Photo Walk.

You may view the rest of the gallery by clicking HERE

Vulture Mine

2010-02-23T09:44:00.000-07:00

Vulture Mine was discovered by Henry Wickenburg and is located just outside of Wickenburg, Arizona. It was once the largest producing gold mine in Arizona. On a sunny day in January I had fun exploring and photographing the mine with a group of friends from the Desert Light Photography Group.
Please click here to view the entire Vulture Mine gallery.

Desert Light Photo Group

2009-11-14T06:53:00.000-07:00

After a few months away from my DLP friends it was nice to catch up with everyone again.
This months theme was Pets and you can check out everyone's images by visiting our recently updated website at http://www.desertlightphotogroup.com/ The new website is beautiful, have a look around. The first of my two images was taken in Ushuaia during a South American cruise last February. The cat spent some time preening itself as I captured the image from the street below. The beach image was taken on my most recent trip to Nicaragua at Playa Majagual. The dogs were frolicking in the surf with my future son-in-law.

Preganancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month

2009-10-26T07:17:00.006-07:00

I would be remiss if I let October pass without mentioning that in addition to Breast Cancer Awareness Month, it is also Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month. As some of you know I am currently a volunteer and area coordinator with the non-profit organization Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep. I am very passionate about the services offered by this organization and am always honored when a family invites me to be a very small part of their child's brief moments in this world. NILMDTS was founded in 2005 by Cheryl Haggard and Sam Puc. The mission of NILMDTS is "To introduce remembrance photography to parents suffering the loss of a baby with the free gift of professional portraiture. We believe that these images serve as an important step in the family's healing process by honoring their child's legacy."
And this is how it all began.......
Maddux Achilles Haggard was born into this world with a condition known as myotubular myopathy. This condition left little Maddux without the ability to move, breath or swallow on his own. On the sixth day of his life, his parents were torn with the decision to take little Maddux off of life support. Before they did so, they contacted a local photographer in their area, Sandy (Sam) Puc. Sam arrived at the hospital and spent the next several hours photographing Maddux both before and after he was removed from life support. The beautiful images of Maddux being cradled in the arms of his parents were what inspired Cheryl and Sam to found the organization, Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep.
And the legacy continues....
NILMDTS is know comprised of over 7,000 volunteer photographers in the United States and is serving parents in 19 different countries worldwide. If you are a photographer who is interested in becoming a volunteer I ask you to visit the Photographer's Area of the NILMDTS website for further information and to contact an area coordinator in your city to discuss the possibility of shadowing a future session. If you are a parent in need of services I urge you to visit the NILMDTS website to search for a photographer in your area and to visit the Family Discussion Area of the NILMDTS forum for support and the sharing of your story.

Easton's Newborn Session

2009-09-26T08:47:00.008-07:00

Last Saturday I had the pleasure of photographing tiny baby Easton and his parents. Easton was a trooper after nearly 3 hours of shooting, including 4 potty "mishaps" and a couple of feedings. I think we were all five of us were ready for a nap by the end of the shoot!

Jonathan's Photo Shoot

2009-08-12T11:22:00.006-07:00

I spent this morning photographing my little buddy Jonathan. He was a great sport, full of energy and ALL BOY! He was fascinated by the rocks, enjoyed playing with a tire, drug the monkey around the yard, and practiced throwing the baseball. Yes Mom and I were worn out after chasing him around for an hour!

Desert Light Photo Group

2009-08-12T10:54:00.015-07:00

Once a month I join my friends at Desert Light Photography Group for great food, good conversation and fantastic photos. August's monthly them is Shadows. The images here were captured at Meteor Crator National Park around the overlook area. To see more images of past monthly themes you may visit the

Desert Light Web Gallery

Standin' on a Corner.....

2009-08-05T12:49:00.004-07:00

.....in Winslow, Arizona! I finally made it to Winslow for a short stop at the gift shops, restaurants and corner park. Enjoy the Gallery!

Window to the Southwest

2009-08-05T07:28:00.003-07:00

This image was captured during a recent visit to Meteor Crator National Park located in Northern Arizona. To view more images of where over 50,000 years ago a fiery giant meteor mass weighing several hundred thousand tons hurtled through space and impacted the earth, please take a moment to visit my Meteor Crator Gallery. For more information on Meteor Crator National Park click HERE.

2009-07-23T14:16:00.003-07:00

Luckily I was up early enough to capture this beautiful sunrise over Lake Kinnikinnick while camping there last weekend.

Worldwide Photo Walk 2009

2009-07-23T07:49:00.011-07:00

On Saturday the 18th of July I joined over 32.000 walkers in more than 900 cities around the world to participate in Scott Kelby's 2nd Annual Worldwide Photo Walk.
I participated in the Tempe, Arizona walk led by Trevor Dayley. Our group of 50 started at 5:45 from the Tempe Center for the Arts, located on Tempe Town Lake, temperature 115 degrees fahrenheit. After getting some amazing shots at this architecturally beautiful structure we headed along the lake front to the railroad tracks at Mill Avenue. And then.....the dust storm hit!! We were attacked by thick brown dust particles and were challenged with the task of keeping our equipment out of harms way. After the dust settled, we headed down Mill and into some of the side streets. For those who wanted, models were available for practicing posing, lighting, composition, etc. I took full advantage of the opportunity to photograph the models. We ended the evening by chatting with new friends, sharing our shots, and sipping cold beverages. The Worldwide Photo Walk was an excellent way to meet my fellow photogs, learn new techniques, share stories, and just plain have FUN!

The New Face of Impressions

2009-07-18T09:01:00.011-07:00

After several weeks of color picking and coordination, font selection, layout, image selection, music selection, and the addition of a new logo; I am delighted to announce that I have created an all new website for Impressions Photography by Christine.

Impressions Photography is my photography business located in Scottsdale, Arizona. I specialize in photographing newborns and children using a photojournalistic lifestyle approach.

I invite you to visit the site now to view my style of photography and my portfolio of beautiful children's images.

In addition to the new site I have created this blog for past, present and prospective clients, friends, family and colleagues so that I may share my photography world with them.

Here you will find images from my portrait shoots, travels, Desert Light Photo Group submissions, and any other photo-ops that I stumble upon.

I will also use this forum to introduce fellow photog buddies, and discuss products and techniques and services that I find interesting or useful.