new blog

I am finally getting around to letting readers to this blog know that I have a new blog. I have been trying to import these posts into my new blog but it is just not happening. I'll have to try a different plug-in. The new blog is located at thoughtgap.com/blog.

pirate park

Merrik does Pirate Park with Marley and Quinn....

zoe's park

We spent the morning playing in Zoe's neighborhood. With the park around the corner from mother central it was a lot of fun for Merrik to have all the playmates-especially all the girls!

beach play

paint, paste and pour

keeping up

It's not easy keeping up with kids at a birthday party. Even harder is shooting the party with a manual focus lens and no automatic exposure settings! I recently did this over the weekend but still came out with some great shots. I guess I still have a little edge over people with all automatic cameras. I wouldn't want to shoot like this all the time but it was a fun challenge.

my valentine

cutie pie

puzzle pro

my guys at work

a new lease on life

Not only did I get my camera back but I have been playing around with all the other lenses I have. It's amazing how going back to old stuff can give you a new perspective. I have always loved going back through old images to gain a new view on what images I first thought were outtakes. However, I've never gone back to old camera equipment (except maybe the 4x5 or my old Yashika Mat). I pulled out an old manual focus 50mm 1.8 lens and have been having a blast.


merrik's toys








baby girl clothes!

epic camera story

So, I finally got my camera back, fixed and in working order. It has been a long road of craziness. When I first dropped off my camera to be checked at Aperture Camera in Dana Point I had a bad feeling about things. A huge red flag was waving in front of me and I ignored it. Walking into the place I felt like I was back in the 80's. They even still had their Christmas card samples up!?
I waited 10 minutes in this tiny shop and called out for help to no avail. After 15 minutes or so of another customer and I waiting for help, someone else came in and went behind the counter to tell the owner we were there. He was sitting back there the whole time without a peep! Weird.
Then, 2 weeks later when I called about picking up my unfixed camera (after 3 follow up calls to just get the estimate), the owner yelled at me that he had crashed his car, had pneumonia and needed a break just before hanging up on me. Well, I am sympathetic to his pain but if you are in business, then you need to have someone fill in for you if you are sick and can't handle it any more. I finally got my camera back by plotting with the third party repairman to meet at Aperture and do the swap. I ended up taking my camera to Arcade Camera in San Clemente and everything was quick and smooth. A reminder to listen to your inner voice about those big red flags!!

a reason for everything

I finally figured out why I have been tortured lately by having my camera out of commission. The last week+ brought to light a lot of things I had been neglecting. Both my guys have been sick and it has given me the time to sit (literally sit holding Merrik in the chair for hours on end) and think about what it is about photography that keeps me coming back to it over and over for the last 20+ years. I also was forced to find new inspiration in the post production work which is my absolute favorite part of photography. The excitement has been like stepping back into the darkroom. I found some amazing ways to post process my work that has rejuvenated my existing work. My favorite thing is that I can reprocess images differently each time! Therein lies the real reason I could never be a commercial photographer or technician. I just can't bare the thought of reproducing the same image in the exact same way over and over! Here are a couple of ways I've given new life to my existing work...

original



reprocessed


original


reprocessed

will i ever get it back?

I am worrying about getting my camera back from the camera shop that doesn't answer their phone or open up anymore. But I have also been worried for over 3 years now if I will get my "life" back. Well, probably not the way it was. Which is fine but I would like to get some of the things back that I have known. Surfing, intellectual conversations with creative peers, romance, travel. I don't mind if I never climb a huge mountain again or travel by rickety train to a remote desert village, but I would still like to experience the thrill of surfing a short board in warm Pacific waters and the stimulation of discussing the latest creative ramblings with good friends until 3:00am. With #2 on the way, I can truly say it will be awhile. But at least I know I'll always be a mom now.

concentration

working from home

I don't know if it's easier or harder to work from home. I am sure you get a lot of interruptions from coworkers when you are at an office but it's probably different than my experience of being interrupted by a preschooler.

Today I was shooting a few small objects for my new website and some posters that a guy in New Zealand is interested in buying. All the time Merrik kept walking through the shot or ran his trains into the objects I was shooting. If it's not this he wants to do letters on the computer (write an email with the keyboard), stand on my lap while I type or watch toy Thomas on You Tube. The joys of being a work at home mom!

my guys

jonesin'

So I have been thinking that I wanted to "get away from" photography for about the last year and a half. Well, I have been without my camera (my digital camera that is-the film one is too expensive and time consuming now, except I have considered lugging out the big ol' 4x5) since January 2nd and I am going through withdrawals. Now I know I can't help but do photography. I already knew I couldn't help but make websites but now I know I am a photographer too. I guess after 20 years of "shooting" you can't just stop even if you have other creative outlets.
My camera is in need of repair and I've never been thrilled with it from the beginning. Now after 12408 actuations (shots!) it's giving me a chance to get out. My first attempt will be to confront Nikon with all the issues I've been having with the camera since the beginning. Then I'll decide where to go from there. I have been committed to Nikon for so long now that I would feel weird going to Canon. However, that's the way all the "real" pros are going. The other issue would be the lenses. I hate my lenses but when you have all the added costs of kids it's hard to justify buying good, fast Nikon lenses. But if I start making money doing my photography again, well then...So, watch for my new "modern portraiture" promotions!

identity crisis

So, I've been wanting to do a blog that is related to my work but didn't know quite how to approach it. What voice would I use? Me as frustrated and bored photographer ready to up the ante, me as artist's consultant, me as eco fanatic, me as mom with baby on the way. I have been struggling with the fact that I have so much to share about all my identities but not too sure artists interested in how to promote themselves would be interested in hearing about my favorite eco design inspirations. So, I am going to just roll it all in together and not worry about it. It's all kristianne koch riddle anyway and one aspect contributes to the other. My husband thinks I am nuts already spending as much time as I do on my photography and website programming so now everyone else can see how nutty I am about all this. I have been wanting a creative outlet for my identity crisis and tried to start doing mixed media work but nothing has transpired so maybe this will be a stepping stone.