I'm Kate. I do science. And when I'm not blowing stuff up, I'm trying to become a better photographer, musician, and cat. No really, Ruffles is teaching me to lay in front of the heater all day, beg for belly scratches whenever people are near, and tunnel under the area rug in the hallway. It's a good life.
This blog is a partial repository for my own photography, partial collection of inspiration photos (and a reflection of my love for photojournalism) and partial display of the chemistry nerd at my core. Check out more of my work on Flickr or follow me on Twitter!
Catching Elephant is a theme by Andy Taylor
National Science Museum by Pengin! on Flickr.
This photograph was taken in the middle of a rough snowstorm in a field near McMurdo Station, Antarctica. With low visibility and strong winds whipping words out of earshot, a colored flag is the only guide on the Antarctic ice. Red and green indicates “okay to pass”; black indicates a crevasse. Out here, life depends on simple, critical designs.
With the end of the American occupation of Iraq on December 15, 2011, Iraqis are facing new challenges arising from the pullout of troops and the death of Saddam Hussein five years ago. Reuters photographer Shannon Stapleton asked ordinary Iraqi citizens the question, “What do you see for the future of Iraq now that the United States military is leaving the country?” Their answers:
Top left - “I don’t think we will have more problems and it is better than when Saddam was here. We have no heating or light in school. I don’t think that is going to get better.” Kharar Haider, 12, a young student poses for a portrait at a soccer field along the Tigris River across from the Green Zone in Baghdad.
Top right - “I expect worse days to come now. When the Americans leave, the Iraqi army will not be able to fight al Queda. Even when the Americans were here they could not stop all the bombings, and neither will the Iraqis.” Ihab Najam, 23, an unemployed former security guard, poses for a portrait at his home in Baghdad.
Bottom left - “Iraq is more stable now. I hope everything is going to be fine. All depends on God. In my neighborhood there is no electricity, no water. We have to buy water to drink. Hopefully nothing will happen.” Saad Moslem, 63, a fishmonger, poses for a portrait inside a fish market in Baghdad.
Bottom right - “I was just a young girl when the Americans came. I used to walk with the US soldiers and take pictures with them and they talked with me. They gave me pencils, and school books. I hope things get better but security is still the main problem here.” Roaua Mansour, 18, a mother, poses for a portrait in her home in Baghdad.
(Source: Boston.com)
An Iraqi man looks at anti-US cartoons displayed at an exhibition in Karbala. (Credit: Mohammed Sawaf/AFP/Getty Images)
(Source: Boston.com)
A woman and children pause at a camp allocated for widows in Baghdad. There may be 1.5 million widows in Iraq, nearly 10 percent of the female population. (Credit: Mohammed Ameen/Reuters)
(Source: Boston.com)
A contrast of the lives of children in Baghdad, Iraq:
Left - Yasser Yassin, a 9-year-old who left school, works at a garage in Baghdad. (Credit: Saad Shalash/Reuters)
Right - A girl holds balloons inside the Al-Zawraa Amusement Park in Baghdad. (Credit: Shannon Stapleton/Reuters)
(Source: Boston.com)
Damage to property and lives is seen across Iraq.
Left - Residents inspect a damaged church after a bomb attack in central Kirkuk. Iraqis are still troubled by almost daily bombings, attacks and killings that are as much a part of their lives as power shortages, security checkpoints and government food rations. (Credit: Ako Rasheed/Reuters)
Right - A boy stands near the site of a car bomb attack in Baghdad’s Shaab District. The death toll from a series of bomb attacks in the Iraqi capital climbed to at least 40, with scores wounded. More than 10 explosions struck Baghdad in the first apparently coordinated attack on the capital since a crisis erupted between its Shiite-led government and Sunni rivals after the withdrawal of the last US troops. (Credit: Thaier al-Sudani/Reuters)
(Source: Boston.com)
A man fishes across from the Green Zone on the Tigris River in Baghdad. (Credit: Shannon Stapleton/Reuters)
(Source: Boston.com)
A woman sells legumes at a market in Baghdad’s Sadr City. (Credit: Mohammed Ameen/Reuters)
(Source: Boston.com)
A man works at his shop selling traditional hand-made copperware in Baghdad. Al-Safafeer Souq is one of the Iraqi capital’s street markets selling traditional and cultural goods ranging from souvenir items to antiques. (Credit: Mohammed Ameen/Reuters)
(Source: Boston.com)
Melbourne Australia (by â–ºCubaGallery)
Cyber Monsoon
A torrential monsoon rain in Bhaktapur, Nepal.
Credit: Anuar Patjane/National Geographic (source)
Blue Pond & First Snow
The blue pond of the famous tourist resort. This is a place where many tourists gather in spring, summer, and autumn. However, since this pond freezes in winter, nobody is there during that period. This photograph is the moment of the first snow of the season falling on that blue pond. We can see the first snow of the season beginning at the end of October. Why is the pond blue? Because the underground hot spring ingredient is gushing. This blue pond changes color every day. I think that mystical blue and pure white snow are beautiful. All are nature’s tints. Location: Biei, Hokkaido, Japan.
Credit: Kent Shiraishi/National Geographic (source)
(Source: The Atlantic)
Flying Kites
Kite battle at Santa Marta ghetto, Rio de Janeiro. For many years, the kites were used to alert the drug dealers when their enemies were coming. The place was a war zone controlled by traffickers that were in constant conflicts against each other to control the drug market. A few years ago, Santa Marta was occupied by the Pacifier Police Division, which released the population from the traffic domination.
Credit: Felipe Carvalho/National Geographic (source)
life:
Christophe Dessaigne photographs surreal scenes of lone figures wafering a post-apocalyptic landscape.
