Quote of the day

"I see no more than you, but I have trained myself to notice what I see". -Sherlock Holmes

Ethiopia 2011

In May 2011 I travelled to Ethiopia with Children of Ethiopia Education Fund (COEEF). 

This is an organization that sponsors girls' education in Ethiopia and I was fortunate to spend 11 days with them visiting schools, homes of students in Addis Ababa, Yirga Alem, Hawassa, etc.

Here are a few of my favorite images. If you click on the first image, you can scroll through them like a slideshow without the distracting background of the blog:). 

Kidane Mehret Orphanage, Addis Ababa

The nuns change diapers at Kidane Mehret Orphanage, Addis Ababa

Men on the street, Addis Ababa

Men reading newspapers, Addis Ababa

Man on the street, Addis Ababa

Laundry outside a home we passed on the street walking back to our hotel.

Walking in Addis Ababa, I spotted a woman doing her dishes in her small yard.

Woman selling vegatables on a street in Addis Ababa

Girl selling vegetables in Addis

Girl playing on her own in Addis

A COEEF sponsored student shows us her home and her cousin she helps take care of. Her family of six lives in this small room. Addis Ababa.

The hustle and bustle of a street in Addis Ababa.

Two curious kids take a peek at us as we walk through a neighborhood in Addis Ababa.

Grandmother of a student we visited in Addis Ababa.

Neighbor of student peeks out the window

Grandmother of COEEF sponsored student prepares coffee for us in her small home.

Grandmother of COEEF student we visited keeps an eye on the coffee making from the door since we couldn't all fit in her small home.

Man walking as the storm moves in outside Addis Ababa

Sun breaks through the clouds, seen from the car window driving south

Student peeks out of the window at a school, Addis Ababa

Two COEEF students write letters to students in Utah

An orphan boy at Kidane Mehret color the playground outside the orphange.

A nun at Kidane Mehret hugs one of the children at the orphanage, Addis Ababa.

COEEF sponsored students are all smiles as they receive new school supplies we brought,

Boys fish at Lake Awassa.

Bracelets worn by our tour guide at Lake Awassa.

Homes in the southern region, close to Lake Awassa.

A sudden camel crossing driving north from Lake Awassa back to Addis Ababa.

View from my hotel in Addis Ababa.

Road leading from Lake Awassa north back to Addis Ababa

Two boys navigate a horse-drawn carriage 

Dog dayz

It's a lazy January here at the Kirk household.

Yoga on my mind...

My dear friend Heidi is a yoga instructor...she's MY yoga instructor. A few years ago she built a beautiful studio in her home where she teaches the most awesome classes. I'm probably one of the least flexible people in the world (no, I'm not kidding) and when you're tight like a 70-year-old guy, yoga can be a bit intimidating. To spend an hour and a half doing the very thing that I'm worst at...flexing and stretching has taken a lot of accepting, breathing and just...being ok with where I am at.

Heidi has helped me do that. Her calm voice, her gentle poses and simple suggestions have nudged me toward that acceptance and I now revel in the time I can spend in her class.

A while back she asked me to take a few pictures of her studio, and after class two weeks ago we were able to do just that. We still have plans for some more stuff showing classes and poses but I just wanted to share the first batch. I love how the two portraits show different sides of Heidi. Happy, sweet, gentle,  strong, thoughtful and beautiful. She is all of those and more. For more info on her classes and workshops, check out (and like) her Facebook page and look for her new website to come.

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Autumn Portraits

The fall colors in Salt Lake City are just about over. Snow is on it's way and you can smell winter in the air. I was lucky enough to photograph Brad and Amy and their awesome dog Bandit a few weeks back in a local park at the height of color. Love the rich colors and Amy's red hair only adds to all that awesome color.
They are getting married in New Orleans in December and wanted some photos of them hanging out with their sweet pup. An awesome session with a sweet couple up for anything and I was covered in dog kisses trying to shoot the pic of Bandit in the foreground and them out of focus in the back. Finally got it, but Bandit made sure lick my face thoroughly a few times first:).

Photographing pets with their owners can be a challenge but I really love it. It's a little more time consuming and you certainly get lots of photos with just a ball of blur passing through the frame, but being a dog lover surely helps. Look forward to photographing more doggies and their owners in the future. Bring on the slobber!