Janie Koike Photography Blog

Beautiful ~ {teaser}

  

Beautiful light.  Beautiful love.  Beautiful couple.

 Beautiful engagement session.

More photos to come.

Creativity & Nature

"Try to be surprised by something everyday . . .

. . . Life is a stream of experiences . . .

. . . Swim widely and deeply in it . . .

. . . and your life will be richer."

That quote came directly out of my text book for Human Growth and Development in a section about creativity.  It is the first of six ways to "cultivate your curiosity and interest," which is the first step toward a more creative life.  Researcher Mihaly Csikszentmihali interviewed 90 leading figures in art, business, government, education, and science to learn how creativity works.  From his study, he concluded that "everyone is capable of achieving flow; a heightened state of pleasure experienced when we are engaged in mental and physical challenges that absorb us."  

So what are the six ways Csikzentmihali says we can cultivate our curiosity and interests and thus live more creative lives?

1. Try to be surprised by something every day.
2. Try to surprise at least one person every day.
3. Write down each day what surprised you and how you surprised others.
4. When something sparks your interest, follow it.
5. Wake up in the morning with a specific goal to look forward to.
6. Spend time in settings that stimulate your curiosity.

Santrock, J.  Life Span Development, pg 434.  2009.

Keeping up with the Joneses . . .

. . . could not have been more fun!  First, you have Lindsey and Mike, a couple who is in love with each other and with their two adorable kids.  Then you have baby Carter, who was 1.5 weeks old when we took these photos and oh-so-cute.  I was amazed of how many photos I was able to get with his eyes open.  His parents were loving his red hair!  And then there was Natalie.  She stole the show with her big blue eyes and infectious laughter.  I could not help but take tons of photos of her!  

Enjoy love.  Enjoy family.  Enjoy baby cuteness and little girl smiles.  Enjoy life.  Enjoy the Jones Family.

Begin mom & dad & baby series . .  .

I mean seriously, how could you not love this little, wrinkled, new-born face?

Moment. Captured.

Begin Natalie's show (co-stars, mom and dad) . . .

Mike asked me if I could think of a way to get his tattoo into a photo.  I LOVE the way it turned out!

Do you remember playing like this?  

The End.

Reader's Choice

I've been talking to a few people lately about the ridiculous capabilities of PhotoShop.  It is amazing.  You can literally change a photo to look like whatever you want (photographers are cringing right now as I give away this secret).  But it is true and all photographers use it.  I have been learning a ton and enjoying seeing the dynamic capabilities of this photo editing software.  Tonight, I played around with this photo.  The top is a "trendy/modern" contrast effect.  The bottom is just a little boost in the contrast.  

So . . . readers' choice, which do you like better?  (I love it if you'd be willing to share your opinion with me.)

Rockin' Halloween Party

I had the opportunity to photograph a rockin' eighth grade halloween party last weekend.  Look at these cool kids and their awesome costumes.  They had a blast: they danced; screamed when "Jason" showed up mask and all; belted out the lyrics to every song, especially Taylor Swift; told secrets; laughed; took pictures and just enjoyed being young and cute.  These are just a few of my favorites from the night.  

I really like this picture . . . it kind of reminds me of Saved by the Bell, or something based in the days gone by.  So, I edited it to look like an aged photograph from an 80s party.

Mario and Luigi won an award for best costumes.

I like the Batman in Gotham City effect in this photo.

The Birthday Boy

Kenzo will laugh when he sees that I posted this photo.  We were in Guatemala, sitting in a stair-well, waiting for a rainstorm to pass and I snapped it.  He wanted me to erase it.  "Heck no, this is your model photo!" was my response. 

Today he turned the big 2-6.  We celebrated with a sushi date last night and a late night, post-class, slice of pumpkin cake tonight.

Happy Birthday Babe!  

I love you.