more than a foot of water in one hour...

so... my first spot news event. ludington, a town about 90 miles north of grand rapids, michigan, flooded today. this was one of the first times that i've had to make pictures quickly. i did not like it, but it was a learning experience. i wish i would've had more faces to focus on... next time.
also - i apologize for the number of photos in this post. i blame drea for living so far away.

here's to multi-tasking...

Flooding in Ludington, Michigan from katie barnes on Vimeo.
the audio for this video is in stereo... and it's all thanks to one very smart person.

the new spa

gabi...

gabi, short for gabrielle, is seven years old. she was born with a hereditary neuromuscular disorder called namline rod myopathy. the focus of this story for the newspaper was about how the local children's hospital works with outpatients. gabi is very close with her older sister olivia, and her mom says in the summer - if they're not inside playing computer games, they're out here with the bubbles and the 3d chalk.

how to photograph a garden that has yet to grow?

i promise - the last festival slideshow

wooden shoes, wet

thunderstorms at festival... video shot with the g9!

http://www.vimeo.com/user479007

Thunderstorms at the Festival of the Arts from katie barnes on Vimeo.

and i drive a camry. a camry!

as much as i hated to pay this much for gas... i'm secretly hoping these high gas prices will be a blessing in 5 years. or 1 year. it's like the high gas prices are cheerleaders for alternative energy. GO GREEN! *high kick*

sometimes, it's about the content...

i was downtown shooting the festival of the arts all day today for the paper... lots of cute kids and music performances, but for me... the highlight was this. a peregrine falcon perched on top of a super tall building. one of the few birds in the united states i haven't seen... until today. this bird nests in tall buildings and under bridges... it can swipe a pigeon out of the air while flying over 200 mph. i've been waiting to see this bird since 1995. i bet you didn't know i was a closet-ornithologist did you?! ;)

festival of the arts... in the rain

new lion exhibit...

i do not like zoos.

from a refugee camp in tanzania to the suburbs of grand rapids

i had to go and shoot a straight portrait of samson and his son hussein for a story on how this family came all the way
from a refugee camp in tanzania only to have their bicycles stolen after they settled into their neighborhood in grand rapids.
the first portrait below is what the paper ran. the rest is me hanging out... which eventually led to a "shoot back" session...
i am loving this miracle that i'm actually getting paid to do this.

the traveling heart of a seventh grader

i went to photograph a visiting artist lead a workshop for seventh grade students at the local mexican immersion school in grand rapids, michigan. i was drawn to this girl... she didn't speak any english, so her friend translated for her. she is from mexico, and came to grand rapids in january of 2008. "she and her brother, they're all by themselves," her friend said. "their parents, they're still in mexico." i asked if she missed mexico... "she misses it a lot." i can't imagine being this girl.

what can i say... i'm might be a total nerd.

my new home... for the summer from katie barnes on Vimeo.

i made this video in (obviously) a very short time period for my family, and close friends to get a glimpse into my new world.
it might take a while to load. apologies if the g9 video makes you a little dizzy...

music - david byrne

rambo.

take my picture!

warhol...

resting on water...