New Year's Trip - Adventure Part IV

My grandmother was spending a few weeks at our farm, so for the New Year's eve and day, my parents and I took a drive down there so that we could spend those days with her. My mom made a cake and we built a campfire even though it wasn't cold enough for one. I've also started a hashtag on Instagram where I share short (and I mean, short because they're a sentence long) stories about my trips to our village. You can find them here or just search #VillageShortStories on Instagram!

Cabin Trip

In October, a couple of friends and I took a break for a weekend and went to a cabin in Blue Ridge, Ga. We ate, drank, watched TV, listened to the river flow by our cabin, went to an apple orchard and drank some more, talked, and slept. It was amazing. 

Be warned. This post is a little photo heavy.

Making it count.

So I was at Waffle House today, and my dad gave the lady who works there a dollar to play the jukebox. She knew he likes Michael Jackson (he's a frequent there). Then after the first few songs, a man came in and sat at the table facing the stove by himself. My dad noticed that he's started to sing along with Michael, me, and the Waffle House lady. After a few minutes, when "You are not alone" came on, I saw concern on the lady's face and then I looked at what she was looking at. The man had started crying because he missed Michael. 

The point here is: for all of you who think your work doesn't matter, let me just say this: IT DOES. You may not know who it matters to, and what it means to them, AND YOU MAY NOT EVEN KNOW THEM, EVER. But isn't it worth doing something if it even makes one person feel something? So MAKE IT COUNT.

So I leave you with this:

Everything Else

I have a netflix one month trial going on right now.

Today, I watched something called "National Geographic: The Photographers". This documentary is about all the weird and amazing things that the Nat Geo Photographers have to experience (and sometimes endure) to do what they love. Yes, they do mention how it doesn't feel like work because it's something they love. The documentary was made in 1998, so we're still all about the film. In my opinion, everything is just harder to capture on film. But can you imagine trying to capture a battery (yeah, had to google that) of barracudas swirling around you on film? It's crazy to think about it regardless of what kind of gear you have underwater.

The photographers talk about the good and the bad; the glamorous and the uncomfortable. The speak of the patience, the travel, the bugs in remote regions of the world, the diseases, the lack of companionship, the language barriers, and about being intrusions into strangers' homes. But if there was one thing I could say I learned from it, it would be that you have to be willing to give up everything else to achieve that one dream. 

So I guess, if you have that one dream, you have to ask yourself: are you willing to give up today for a chance at the future? In other words, it's all about how much you want it. At least, that's what the world keeps telling me. 

Swell Saturday

Hung out with Mom on the balcony, watched the rain fall, and read National Geographic and The Portrait of Dorian Gray. 

I'd say it was pretty swell Saturday.

Happy Weekend!

Stop Motion Video

My last semester as a Computer Science student, I took a Computational Photography class.

The computational part of the class was pretty much non-existent, but the photography part of it was INTENSE.

I am so thankful I got to take it before I was done with school.

For my term project, I wanted to do a stop-motion video. 

Here are some stills from the video:

I should say that my friends are BALLERS.

No really, they are.

Foe example, it took us three hours to shoot this painting scene.

Maria stood in one spot through all of it. Baller.

Erin painted an inch between every six shots. Baller.

 I painted an eight of an inch between each shot to cover this white rose in black.

I know. She's GORGEOUS.

Brandon's shoulder is pretty.

Anyhow, here is the final product. 

Jar Of Hearts - A Stop Motion Video from Parthavi Yadav on Vimeo.

Hope you enjoy the weirdness of it.

Bowen.

The most perfect light was coming through my window.

It was cloudy day, and it diffused the light so so well!

So I asked Bowen, my roommate, whether she was up for a photo shoot.

Of course, she said yes! 

Since she's so good at doing make up, she did her own. 

And it looked AMAZING!

The following pictures are straight out of the camera.

One word: CLAVICLE.

The Power of Inspiration

I am working on a wall of inspiration. I am putting everything I love, and slowly building. It's still in its beginning stage. I am not sure why I didn't do this earlier. Perhaps I just didn't think it was necessary to "waste" my time on it.

Looking at it everyday (its the wall right next to my desk), it helps me readjust my attitude when I feel myself slip away into the state where I think of all the things I don't have. It reminds me to be thankful for what and who I have in my life. It makes me smile. every. single. time. I will never underestimate the power of inspiration. 

It makes going through each a COMPLETE AND TOTAL BLAST. I love it. And I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to hear/see what inspires you. I would LOVE IT. So please, tell me! I want to know! I would like your help to build my wall of inspiration. Forgive me, this isn't the greatest of photographs but this is what I have:

a: I think in today's fast pace world, we forget something so simple as showing compassion. There is nothing like the gift of listening. And I mean truly listening to someone to alleviate their pain. So simple.

b: I found this here. Anyone who knows me knows how much I love simplicity. This is perfect.

c&i: I love people with a good sense of humor. Being THIS cute is just a bonus. Alexi Lubomirski does some amazing editorial work. And I love Ewan McGregor.

d&g&h: I found these in the June 2010 edition of National Geographic. The best and the only magazine I subscribe to. So worth it! 

To clarify: d says: "Two [elephant] males' entwined trunks signal friendship and trust.

g: is a photograph of a man holding an antenna in one hand and a cell phone in another.

h: is the CUTEST old lady enjoying ice cream.

e: I found this here. IT MAKES MY DAY.

j: This is strawberry cobbler. I love food and food photography. The recipe for this beautiful recipe can be found here.

One very important source of inspiration I haven't put up on the wall yet: my parents. That's next on my list.

 I would love to hear what inspires you! So SHARE!