One quick shot from Kerri & Mike’s beautiful late-winter wedding yesterday.  Now back to editing!

More to come, of course.

xoxo,

klc

Here’s hoping you love and feel loved, every day of the year.

xoxo,

klc

Self-portraiture holds a very special place in my heart.  A few years ago I attempted the ‘365 Project,’ its a phenomenon on the photography site Flickr where people pledge to take one photo of themselves everyday for one year.  Well, I only made it to day 143, but the amount that I grew in my photography during that time is immeasurable.  Photography for me isn’t just the act of taking a picture.  When I need support, when I need release, when I need to feel the most ME, I pick up my camera.  Life has been tough for me recently, and I’ve needed my photography more than ever.  I haven’t put any of my self-portraits on the blog before because I want this to be a place where I display my more commercial work, but this series of photos really encapsulates my style and vision as a photographer and artist.

So try not to get too tired of my face, and instead focus on the composition, light, and colors.

I listened to the song Standin’ on the Whippgrass by Justin Vernon (now known as Bon Iver) before braving the cold for this shoot, and the lyrics and song fit quite well with the end result.

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The song is pretty hard to find, so this is the best I could do.  It doesn’t really get going until about 1 minute in, so skip ahead if you’d like.

Lay low little babe

You’re still my precious child

You’re all old and grown now

But you’re still the same inside

Standin’ on the whippgrass

Standin’ on the whippgrass

Sittin’ on the whippgrass

Watch and see how we last

You’re not alone tonight, babe

You’re not so far from your home

You got the strength of all us, babe

I give a prayer unknown

Sittin’ on the whippgrass

Sittin’ on the whippgrass

Just sittin’ on the whippgrass

I’m so full

and this is so vast

I know we’ll all be together, babe

Someday, somehow

Carry to a higher bound, babe

It’s not a sight or a sound

Smokin’ around

It’s within me somehow

I’ll carry to what I am bound

The truth that I have found

Standin’ on the whippgrass

It moves along the whippgrass

It moves along the whippgrass

It moves along the whippgrass

It moves along the whippgrass

It moves along the whippgrass

See how it lasts

It’s within me somehow

I’ll carry to what I am bound

xoxo,

klc

So, unfortunately, I don’t have a Valentine this year.  Sad for me – great for you!

I’m putting all my VDay love into my shooting - If you book  a portrait/engagement/whatever-you’d-like session in the month of February and mention this promotion you’ll get a one hour shoot at your choice of location for $100.  (The shoot only needs to be booked this month, we can shoot whenever you’d like.)  You’ll receive a disc with all the edited and organized images with full reproduction rights.  If you love my work and would like to book me for your wedding I’ll offer 10% off the package total.

I can’t wait to share and spread the love!  Please contact me at korri@korrileighcrowley.com with any inquiries.

It’s been snowing for a few days straight up in Coastal Maine and today I decided to finally take advantage of my beautiful surroundings and get out and shoot.  I had some fun and kept things out of focus while playing with  handheld panning and zooming in and out with the lens open.  The results are pretty funky, and I enjoyed experimenting.  Hope you’re all staying warm!

Excuse my dirty lens. It was cold and wet out there – I had trouble keeping the glass clean.

The Siddhi Shaligram Briddhasram (Home for the Elderly) is the only state-sponsored nursing home in the country of Nepal.  The home is located inside the Pashupatinath Hindu temple – the largest temple dedicated to Lord Shiva in the world.  The temple sits on the banks of the Bagmati river, a holy waterway that flows to the Ganges.  Cremations are performed here daily, and the smoke plumes from the fires drift overhead as worshipers offer marigold garlands to Shiva.

The conditions at the Biddhasram  are a bit shocking at first to Western eyes, but the residents here are actually among the lucky few.  Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world, with over half of the population living under the international poverty indicator of surviving on less than $1.25 per day [source].  While steep ancient steps and slick stone walkways pose a danger to the residents, the benefits they receive of hot, regular meals and a stable living environment outweigh the risks.

I spent most of my time at Pashupatinath in the ward that houses residents with disabilities.  The ailments of the patients range from manageable tuberculosis to severe mental handicaps.  Many of the people in the following photos could no longer verbally communicate, perhaps in these photos a bit of their lives can be seen without needing words.

This gentleman is almost totally blind and spends much of his time in his bed alone, yet when I asked him in Nepali how he was doing he replied with an enthusiastic “I’m beautiful!!”  His spirit stayed with me long after I left the home.

Speaking of spirit, this man greeted me with a smile and booming namaste every morning that I came to the home

These two are husband and wife and came to the home together.  She is quite disabled, and he never leaves her side.  A true love story

This women is severely mentally handicapped and is prone to spontaneous hysterical ranting fits. Only two things keep her calm. 1. Helping with the daily chores and 2. Having her hand held. When volunteers come to help clean the ward they offer their hands, otherwise one of the other residents sits quietly with her. They don’t speak. They just sit. Hand in hand.  The last portrait is of the hand-holding friend.

xo,
klc

Kathmandu is quite the intense city.  The transportation is insane, as I’ve come to take as par for the Asian course, and it is unfortunately quite dirty, dusty, and polluted.   The smaller, older streets are packed tight with local markets, tourist shops, street vendors, and more people than you could imagine all flowing together to form a mass that literally pulses and breathes.

In the midst of all the energy lie some of the holiest sites in the Hindu and Buddhist faiths.   Huge temples and stupas lie almost hidden from sight – one at the top of an ardous set of hundreds of stairs guarded by monkeys, another found down a quiet winding lane that a passerby wouldn’t give another look.  These are the jewels of Kathmandu, places where, no matter what your beliefs, you can take respite from the insanity around you and marvel at the humbling power of faith.

Swayambhunath Stupa (a stupa is buddhist building of faith and worship) requires a serious hike to reach, but the sweeping views of Kathmandu valley are well worth it.  A description from my guide book: “According to legend, the Kathmandu Valley was once a lake – geological evidence supports this – and the hill now topped by Swayambhunath rose spontaneously from the waters, hence the name swayambhu, meaning ’self-arisen’”

Each of these Buddha statues is about the size of three Mack trucks stacked on top of one another.

Boudhanath stupa is one of the largest stupas and holiest sites in the world.  The area is particularly sacred to Tibetan Buddhists, and a visit to the site is assured to come with the sight of crimson-clad monks circumambulating the stupa.

At Boudhanath, the eyes of Buddha gaze serenely from every facet of the gilded tower as prayer flags flap over head.

May you always have your own peaceful places.

xo,

klc

Nothing journalistic today, just some pretty lake photos for y’all.

Happy 2010 my friends, may your waters be calm and peaceful in the year ahead.

xoxo,

klc

I have spent the last three weeks volunteering in the rural Terai region of Nepal.  I was based in Narti, a very small village in the Dang district.  Dang is home to a large population of the Tharu people, an ethnic group that was immune to malaria and enjoyed their way of the region for many years undisturbed.  When malaria was eradicated, hill people from the north began to move in and seize the land of the Tharu.  Today, over 70% of the population of the Terai is landless and live in extreme poverty.  In the face of their difficult lives, all of the people I met during my time in Narti were warm and welcoming, happily offering a smile, which is often all that they had to give.

These are some of their faces.

I’ve been feeling a bit homesick around this holiday season, so I’m glad to be able to share with all of you a taste of what my home has been like for the past month.

Much love

klc

Goats, Monkeys, Camels, Crocs, Birds, Elephants, and Snakes – OH MY!

I took this photo about half-way up the walk to the Monkey Temple in Jaipur, India.  The walk to the top takes about 20 minutes and there is a myriad of animals along the way.  I have no idea how this big guy got up there, it had to have taken hours.  Since cows are considered living Goddesses and this photo was snapped in a temple I suppose I witnessed an extra holy event.  Extra odd if you ask me.

Smile Monkey!

Love this big guy

The least exciting animal in the bunch, but the sheer number of them makes up for it…and there’s an appearance by the author

And one more monkey for good luck.

Hope you enjoyed all my little friends!

xoxo,

klc