The things you missed.

I did a day in the life of a chef, but I also took a lot of pictures of beautiful food. Here's some things that didn't find their way into my series.

A Day in the Life of.... a Chef.

Here's a picture story I made with the theme of "A Day in the Life of.." for class.



Chef Neils grabs some herbs from the patio dining area and garden of the restaurant Svineriet in Århus, Denmark.



The cooks discuss the fastest method of shelling hard-boiled quail eggs.



BAM! Flambe.



Checking the ingredients...



Neils pour samples of a fresh nectar that a local farmer produced for the restaurant to use.



Relaxing after work.

September has treated me well so far..

I happened to wander to the sea in the middle of the most beautiful light, just before the sun was setting.



A neighbor left bags of apples at the sidewalk and a note that said they were extra. We took some and made an apple pie crispie. SoGood.

Practice, Practice, Practice

I am so uncomfortable taking portraits of strangers!! AH! This week we had to two take two portraits - one of a couple in love or in an very close relationship and the other was to be a group portrait of 3-5 people related in some way.

First, I found some ballroom dancers and tried to make pictures of them. But, I gave up too quickly and felt like I was inconveniencing them and I scurried off.









Then I went to social event for a group of Danish lesibans at a feminist cafe. They were so warm to me and I stayed for a few hours just chatting and making a few pictures.







And there I met an incredible couple who has been together for 37 years. They've faced a lot of struggles together and have both survived breast cancer. Because of technicalities with the Danish government's pension program, they've been forced to move apart in order to afford their medicines. They still spend most of their days together - watching television, relaxing, taking care of their horse, or being in the garden. They have both dealt with their own amount of discrimination from their families, but many of the laws in Denmark have been progressive in respect to homosexual couples. They were so welcoming to me and spent a few hours just talking to them about their life together, and it was beautiful.





Then I photographed a few Danish middle-schoolers on a track team.

A Family Story

On Wednesday, we were assigned to make a picture story of five images and bring them back on Friday morning. My topic was "family" and I was immediately scrambling for access to a Danish family. On a different assignment, I had met a wonderful woman who invited me over for dinner after having photographed her son. I thought of her when I received this assignment and I was lucky enough to have her allow me in her home for a few hours to photograph her and her son.

The images that I chose tell a story about a little boy growing up, gaining some independence and exploring the world. The first five images are the ones I chose for the assignment and the rest are outtakes that I just love.

I feel myself growing so much as a photographer in this environment. I don't think I could have told this story or taken these pictures 2 months ago with the time constraints. I am challenged here and I feel proud when I can pull through and finish the assignment well.













The outtakes:

Dinner in the Sky, Århus Festuge 2009

Our photojournalism class asked us to cover one event in the 10-day Århus festival and tell a story in 4-5 images. While looking through the event calender, I was drawn to "Dinner in the Sky", an event that straps people into seats similar to a roller coaster and lifts them 25-50 meters to enjoy a meal while looking over the city. Sounds... strange, right? I got there not knowing what to expect from the people, the workers, or anything really. I had a lovely time getting to know people there and trying to take photos that would express the mysteriousness of the environment from my perspective. I hope you like the story, I worked really hard and I am proud to say it's mine.



Anita and Per Haugaard, traveled from their town 50 kilometers outside of Aarhus to watch as the crane swiftly lifts the guests of Dinner in the Sky.



Staff of Dinner in the Sky prepare the apparatus for three to four hours before the first guests arrive, assuring that everything is secure.



While waiting for a 40-minute trip with Dinner in the Sky, ticket holders enjoyed drinks and conversation inside of a tent.




A couple prepares for their ride in the Dinner in the Sky crane-lift. The hosts provided plastic ponchos to protect clothing from the continual rain.



Ole Schriver raises a toast to his daughter waiting below as he dines in the sky.



Guests were prepared caviar mousse, gazpacho, and salmon with a dill and lemon marinade. Here, a woman looks over the city while finishing the chocolate cake provided for dessert.

P.S. I'm adding the second image here that I didn't show for review in class. I like the balance with all 6 images.