As I mentioned in my last post, I was very lucky this year to travel to Seattle with Food 4 Farmers to attend the SCAA to present my photographs. I selected what I consider the best 40 images from Nicaragua and printed them for a portfolio. Below is a digital copy of the portfolio for those of you who didn’t get a chance to check it out!

I see coffee as a connector. It allows resources to travel from one place to another. Through coffee “I’ve been able to get to know the people who produce coffee and learn about their farming, agriculture, activities, and what the land means to them. Often people see coffee as separate from origin, and my job is to help communicate to the industry and consumers, where people do not know the story of the coffee producer, that the two are intertwined. I work to bring the resulting financial and organizational resources to the people who grow the coffee.”

There is an unspoken rule when traveling on public transportation: keep to yourself and keep quiet. I’ve lived in smaller communities for the majority of my life (Burlington, VT and Saratoga Springs, NY) and I’ve found that people look each other in the eye more often in these small communities. Whenever I’m in a big city, I feel the lack of engagement like fresh snow, everything is covered in a thin layer of concealment, but concealment that could easily be brushed away. I decided I’d try an experiment and break the silent rule. I approached people waiting for the T or in transit and asked them if I could take their portrait.

Traveling can be helpful to think outside of the box. I often find that as I am brainstorming a location for a photoshoot, I am going off a short list, and things start to gain a similar quality. I wanted to create something with an unconventional composition and a different color scheme that I normally gravitate towards. Having access to a pool while I was in Culebra provided me with a perfect opportunity to explore a different scene.

In January I escaped from the extreme cold of Boston to go to Culebra, a small island off the coast of Puerto Rico. It was a wonderful getaway to enjoy with my family and boyfriend, Nick. When it comes to vacation, I’ve never been one to have trouble relaxing and I actually read 3 books – ah joy! I decided to leave my camera behind most days, but I (naturally) did document some of the trip. Most of these are photos of my family and Nick and various beautiful sights. Hope you enjoy!

I met with Katie a few weeks ago, and as we talked about some important experiences in her life. During her time at Skidmore, Katie played on the competitive soccer team and was also a studio art major. Both of these are incredibly time consuming and demanding, and trying to balance both often lead to conflict. I wanted to create an image that reflected this tension – the tension between fostering a team-oriented, physical side of herself or the internal, artistic counterpoint.

While I was in Nicaragua working with Food 4 Farmers, I took a few self portraits in which I hoped to explore my emotions on the trip. 

Earlier this year I attended a two day workshop class at the Woodstock Center for Photography taught by Kelli Connell. I first was introduced to Kelli’s work during my undergrad studies, and her series “Double Life” blew me away. Below are a few of my favorite images from her series.

Liz & Jeremiah’s elegant Vermont wedding.

While I was in Nicaragua, I became very good friends with Nora, a woman who was working at SOPPEXCCA. Marcela, Nora and I had dinner almost every night. I wanted to do a photoshoot with her where we explored some of her experiences in Nicaragua.