Photographing The Katherine

*** There are photos added to this post periodically, so visit again! ***

Sometimes we photograph those we love.  Sometimes those photographs build up over time.

This has been the case with photographing “The Katherine.”  Through the years, we’ve been spending wonderful time together, and often, as a photographer, I have a camera with me. With her openess, I casually record these experiences.

Here is a growing collection of my favorite photographs of Katherine, with the stories that grew with them.

Katherine reading in the morning.

The above photo has to be one of my favorite shots of her.  It was early in the morning, and for some reason, as we’re both not morning people, we had woken up and started milling around.  Maybe it was because there was such a heavy photographic workload at the time?  Anyway, the light was coming through the window in a spotlight fashion just for her, so I carefully rang off some images before she noticed the shutter clicking.

Katherine rubs her feet.

This image has Katherine’s feet soothing each other after tossing off the shoe in the foreground.  We had just finished a long bike ride together, which we both hadn’t each done in about ten years.  I was lucky that I had my camera ready and thank the room for the great light!

Katherine at a Texas diner.

This was taken shortly after we sat down in a roadside diner along Interstate 10 in Texas.  I couldn’t tell you how to get there or which town it’s in, but somehow we’ve landed there twice between two different cross country road trips…  A great little diner that exists to quench thirst and clog arteries, they seem to have an interesting section containing all sorts of kitschy leather products.  Their milkshakes get two thumbs up.

Katherine in the tub.

I remember Katherine being ok with me taking photos while she was in the tub, which to a photographer, feels like a trusting gift.  I love our intimate nature with each other, and knew that I had the surroundings for a meaningful photo.  For some reason, Katherine’s sisters cat Sophia, likes to be around us all the time when she’s not there, so bath time was no different.  That’s what Katherine is laughing about here, as Sophia was down low and slowly creeping up to the water-filled tub…

Katherine meets a friend.

This rainy day, was Valentine’s Day, and I surprised Katherine by driving down California’s Central Coast and bringing her to our old stomping grounds around Cambria/Harmony/Paso Robles.  This was in Harmony, known as being the smallest town in America with a population of 18.  My plan was to come here and take some photos in front of this big heart-shaped bush in front of the broken down post office.  As soon as we pulled into town and got out of the car into the rain, this curious black cat befriended us and hung around while we snapped photos.  Ballsy little feller, as when I was crouching while photographing Katherine, he jumped right up on my legs and walked around on them without even sniffing my hand.

Katherine on a cruiser.

Katherine was SO happy this day.  It was on one of our cross country road trips going exiting South out of New England after shooting a beautiful wedding in Maryland.  I had read about this island called Assateague, which was a national wildlife refuge for wild horses, and just had to visit.  So Katherine and I went and tented on the beach for a night, and yes, saw many wild horses.  After we arrived, it just seemed right to take advantage of the warm day and sunshine, so we found a little hut that rented beach cruisers and saddled up for a ride.  It turned out that they closed in under two hours, and needed the bike back, so we dropped the ballasts and cruised, enjoying the wind whispering past our ears and quietly stopped to photograph the wild roaming horses.

Katherine wields her holga.

Some days are meant for gliding softly by with the ones you love.  This was such a day, and happened to be Katherine’s birthday.  The main goal of the day was to relax, and we did that.  She wanted to casually take some photos outside with her holga in her dress sent to her from her dad.  It was the beginning of November in Massachusetts and there were still bright orange maple leaves covering the ground.  We went out and mooned about for maybe an hour (I think K was wearing tall black boots) and took film photos, of which we always treasure.

Katherine waits to go onstage.

Katherine is a tour de force of vocal ability, and she also knows how to dance her keyboard as well.  This was in Cambridge, MA while she was waiting to go onstage to join three others, including our drumming friend Goss, for a show.  I forget the name of the band, but Katherine played keys with them for a short time.  For the facts that I’m clear on in this photo… I remember drinking some yummy guinness, and I remember Katherine and her scene reminding me of classic French photos by Doisneau or Brassai.

Katherine waking.

This is also one of my all time favorites of Katherine.  Indeed, it was a finalist in a Fuji sponsored photo contest that won us a six pack of soda and some sweet black and orange socks!  I remember having one or two shots in my camera and wanting to take them of Katherine.  The day before, in the time when we usually wake up, I had seen this great light and had this photograph in mind, but Katherine woke up and got up before I had a chance to get my camera and take it.  So I held out until the next morning, when I left the camera close by, with the light coming through even better.  I silently got out of bed, got the camera ready, fixed all the settings to be right, then stood up on the bed and held the camera over her.  I noticed her hair had this cool twist in it, which was like the icing on the cake, and just as she started to wake up then I snapped the shot.

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