Chaco Tan Line Contest

Dear People of the Outdoors and Lovers of Chacos,
This is for you.

What: Chaco Tan Line Contest
When: Summer 2009 (deadline is September 15, 2009)
Where: Earth
How: Wear your Chacos, get a tan line that people who don't get understand will make fun of, and submit a picture.
Why: Why not?


So I love my Chacos. In fact, they are the only pair of shoes I have with me in the Dominican Republic. The only other shoes I love as much are Toms. But that's a different story. So Chacos. They're amazing. And after comparing talk of who's got the best tan lines, I decided that a contest is needed. So! By 15 September, send me a photograph of your best Chaco tan line to tahoe488@gmail.com . Whoever had the best (defined by most light-dark contrast) wins. There needs to be inniative for you to get this tan line besides just being extremely hardcore, so I'm going to give away a photograph. Because that is what I do. You can pick any I have taken, check out my fine art prints here (which continues to be updated, so don't feel limited by what you see now) or just browse through my blog and pick one. Size is either an 11x14 unmatted, or 8x10 in an 11x14 matte, your choice.
I will post reminders closer to the deadline on Twitter, so you can follow me if you so choose so you don't forget. So, granola on!

The Colonial Zone

This is as touristy as I may get. ..Well, that's a lie. I've taking more architecture-ish photos of some of the sites around here. Just need to get around to posting them... I just like people too much to post boring pictures of buildings and monuments.


I couldn't decide between these two pictures. I like them both, and although they are similar they are very different at the same time. Eventually I'll probably narrow it down to just one.

Twitter.. (UPDATE)

So the dreaded day has come. I got a twitter. Before you judge, let me explain. So I have a dear friend who is studying Advertising at BYU and she keeps insisting that I get one to market my work, get business, etc. I kept saying no, no, no, it's stupid and I don't want to. Plus I'm an old woman and I'm not good with new technology. It just makes me angry. Some time has passed, and after talking to some photography friends they all have them and insist that I get one as well. Well, fine. I figured I'd give it a shot. So here is my month long trial period. If it works and gets more traffic to my site, count me in. If not, then I'll stop. So! Here goes. Links are about to go up everywhere. Don't hate me because I'm trendy and hypocritical. That's all.






This is actually me, I failed to change the code... like I said, mildly retarded at this technology thing. Thanks, Jeff for noticing.

A man and his house.

A new series I'm going to start: People and Their Houses.

Juan; Bayona, Dominican Republic

The Jump Rope

As the electricity goes out for the 4th day in a row, we start to get anxious. We cannot sleep anymore during the day to try to keep cool, but we cannot bare the heat either. I don't mind a blackout for an hour or two a day, but all day and night for four days, with the only electricity lasting about an hour out of every 12, we cannot take it anymore. Socrates comes downstairs with an old telephone cord as we sit around the kitchen table, trying to figure out what to do. He is jumping up and down, using it as a jump rope. I go in to the kitchen to talk to Ivis when we hear screaming from the drive way. And our Dominican mother is making the two boys turn the cord for her so she can jump. We go out to join her, move it into the streets in which kids that I didn't even know lived here came out of their homes to join us and our old telephone cord.

Week Three

After my third week of being here and after my second day of being extremely ill.

Construction Worker.

Earth..? Kind of.

Down by the sea is this sculpture. It's quite large and in this beautiful square in which I don't think people ever visit. But you can see the monument for blocks as one of the main roads goes straight to it. However.. I think they ran out of money? Or didn't really care too much about the rest of the world? Because the Americas on the main side are perfect, to scale and everything. But then as you walk around, things start to get a bit lazy.

I mean.. I don't even know what this is on the back. Apparently South East Asia (I'm assuming that is) is the only thing that matters, not Russia or China, just that lower part, which I don't konw if you know or not.. but it looks like that.

Feira Internacional de Arte

Yesterday I went to Feira Internacional de Arte (FIART), an annual art show in the Palacio de Bellas Artes. It was supposed to open yesterday morning at 9, but when I went at 11:30, they were still setting up. So I wandered around and got the opportunity to talk to artists from Peru, Colombia, and CUBA while there were stretching canvases and hanging their work. My article plus photo essay is here if you want to check it out.

Palacio de Bellas Artes, Santo Domingo

Paul Cabezas, Peru

Sleeping security man, Dominican Republic

Elvira Moreno Gonzalez y Juan Carlos Moreno, Colombia

Ulises Bretaña, CUBA

kind of a big deal and I am mildly in love with his stuff, very Al Magnus. Look at it here

Into Action!

So I've sucked at taking photos since I've been here because I don't really know what I'm doing here. But I've had a Christine Renniassance and I'm finally getting my barrings with life here and I'm back into action. Especially since all the wedding madness is over with having to edit all those photos. So, I will now post more, and post exciting things from my adventures here. So... ¡Bienvenido a Santo Domingo!

The Rain, Week Two

Self Portrait: Week Two
On top of a bridge over 27 de Febrero Ave.
Right in the middle of a huge rain storm but before the flooding
(hence the expression)

My love letter to my rain jacket (in haiku format of course)
Dear Mountain Hardware:
Thank you for making jackets.
Love always, Christine

Festival of Colors II and Website Update

Just a few from the Festival of Colors, just in case you have forgotten by now how epic it was. I have a new function on my site where you can order prints now, not just from events, but general prints for sale that I have done. So be sure to check out other photographs from the Festival of Colors as well as other ones I have for sale by clicking here.

Heidi and Sean

Heidi and Sean
April 30, 2009
Houston, TX

You can view more photographs and order prints HERE <--this is a new feature!

Almost done!

I am just about finished with Heidi and Sean's wedding.. but I'm just so excited about these photographs that I'm posting a few already. A good friend Nick and I went up to Houston to do their wedding, my first time tag teaming an event and it was a lot of fun and I learned so much from it. I really like the way a lot of these photographs came out, so you'll probably be seeing much more of this beautiful couple!

Boca Chica

What is supposed to be about an hour away takes roughly 2 hours by bus (Guaguas), depending on how many people the Corbradors pick up off the street and try to cram in. It was beautiful, but very touristy with all the vendors and people trying to rip you off left and right. Also saw the most white people on a Guagua that I have ever seen: 6 in total (including myself--when ususally it's just me). There were four bohemian kids about my age that we picked up off the side of the highway and one hippie girl who looks like she has been all over the world, spoke perfect spanish, and got off in the middle of the highway only to hitchhike into some truck. Jealous? Because I am.

Anyways, my goal is find a secret beach much closer that only the locals know about that I can sneak away to every day after work.

self portrait: week 1

Little Haiti

Some environmental portraits from Little Haiti, an extremely poor part of the Colonial District in town.

I have a photo essay plus some writing I did on this area with some of the same plus other photos going up on my newspaper's website, so check it out!

Welcome To My Life

A boy in Little Haiti, a poor Haitian district in town, trying to get my attention. I took a few candid of him at first, but this obviously worked too.

The Open Window.

Mission San Jose
San Antonio, TX

El Barrio

I wish I could describe how this place feels, because there is a magic about it that is amazing. Today was Workers Holiday, where nobody had work or school, so the streets were full of people riding bikes and sitting around talking on the curb. The apartments are close together and you can hear laughter and music from the streets below through the open windows and the thick hot air blowing in. I went for a walk around the neighborhood where I now live, and everything is so colorful. The people are so gorgeous, juxtaposed against the harsh poverty in which they live. The family that I live with is absolutely beautiful, and I have a new best friend: the 10 year old boy Socrates, with whom I’ve been playing games with all afternoon.
I’m going to try to write more on my blog posts, along with perhaps a Spanish version of the posts so I can practice. I’ve already learned so much Spanish and it’s been like 5 hours.

My New Sister

Ashley Elizabeth Lunt Armbruster.
[as of yesterday]