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September 1, 2014 by Kat

Photo-Heart Connection: August 2014

Love Forest. Forest Love. Whichever way I write it, it’s true.

Kat-Sloma-Photography-6511

I don’t know exactly where my love of the forest comes from. I don’t know when it formed. Maybe it was as a child, camping in the Colorado woods and going off with my Dad in the wee hours of the morning to find a good spot to fish for trout. Maybe it was in my mid-twenties, when the first home we owned was right up next to an 85-acre wooded park in Colorado Springs, a respite from all things suburban around me. Maybe it was moving to Oregon in my thirties, and discovering primeval-seeming forests with towering trees, that made me feel like I was a tiny blip on the historic radar.

It’s hard to think of a time when the forest didn’t play some role as backdrop to events in my life. But it’s recent, the last two years or so, that the forest moved from backdrop in key memories to a primary character of its own. The forest has become a staunch friend, a confidante. It is always there for me, ready to receive me, however I come to it. It teaches me, in its quiet way.

The tall trees remind me that there is more to life than my little worries. They remind me to stand straight, grow roots, take nourishment. When I do, it takes more than a single storm to knock me down.

The forest reminds me that it is an ecosystem. No one part can exist without the whole. I too, am part of the system. One small part of a whole. I need to rely on those around me, help those around me, as part of the system of human connection.

There is so much more I can say about my complex relationship with the forest, but I won’t. I will cut it short. Because this image reminds me it’s been five days since I’ve been in the forest. Five days since I’ve enjoyed the scent and the quiet and the feel of being part of something greater, bigger, older than me. Five days is too long, anymore. So I’m going to go now, and visit my forest.

Love Forest. Forest Love.


I’ve photographed this heart carved into the tree along the Mulkey Creek Trail so many times, it’s not surprising it would eventually become my Photo-Heart Connection. I know it’s awful, someone defacing a tree like this. But I can’t help but love it anyway, because it seems to encapsulate my feelings about the forest so well. It’s a simple symbol in a simple place, but it brings such deep feelings of connection to me. I’m not kidding about getting out and hiking now. I’m going to wrap up this post and enjoy Labor Day morning on the trail. 🙂

What have you found as your Photo-Heart Connection this month? What image or art did you create this month that calls to your soul? What does it have to tell you? Go through your images from August and find the one that calls to your heart. Write about it and learn from it. Share the results with us here.

An InLinkz Link-up


Filed Under: Photo-Heart Connection, The Kat Eye View of the World Tagged With: forest, graffiti, hiking, love, photo-heart connection

February 14, 2012 by Kat

Sharing the Love

Happy Valentine’s Day! I used to dislike this pseudo-holiday. I saw it as a marketing-created day, where it was all about selling stuff. A day made for couples, excluding everyone else. Then, I turned it around and began to look at it differently. What if we look at is as a day for sharing our love with the people we care about, no matter their relationship to us? A chance to pause and say, “I care about you. You mean something to me. You are valued.” I saw so much worth in that. Forget the diamonds and chocolates and flowers, just focus on sharing the love.

This video, Evidence of Love, is made to do just that – Share the Love. I want it to bring warmth to your heart and a smile to your face. Feel free to pass it on to those you care about, remembering this quote: “Love grows when shared.”

I’m SO excited to also share, there is an interview on the Photo-Heart Connection posted today on Go Inspire Go. A video interview. If that’s not out of my comfort zone, I don’t know what is! But it was really great fun to have Tea with Toan Lam, the creator of Go Inspire Go, and share my love and excitement for the Photo-Heart Connection. I invite you to come by and visit.

The final sharing of today – who won the Market/Wheels Giveaway? Out of 31 comments, the winner is #11 Holly (aka soupatraveler). Congrats to Holly! She’ll receive the matted print of her choice from my RedBubble shop.

Thank you all so much for your thoughtful feedback on the Market/Wheels series. It was very interesting to see which images resonated with you! The leading images were, by a large margin, Mobile Display and From Water to Wheels. Runners up were Carriage Display, Creperie, Merchant of Venice, A Bite or a Bike, Waiting for a Sale, Offerta and Classic Italian Transport. I look forward to doing my final selections and getting ready for the exhibition in the next couple of weeks. Next time you see this series, it will be hanging on the wall of The Arts Center!

Have a wonderful Valentine’s Day! Share the Love!

Filed Under: The Kat Eye View of the World Tagged With: evidence of love, heart, interview, love, valentine's day, video

January 16, 2012 by Kat

Evidence of Love

It’s here! Today I’m sharing a new portfolio, Evidence of Love. I started this project early on in Italy, with this picture from Bergamo. When I took the photo, I didn’t see the heart, I was so focused on the texture and lines. The graffiti seemed to magically appear when I edited the photo later. From that moment on, I kept an eye out for graffiti hearts and other Evidence of Love. I looked for images that showed both the emotion and a sense of place.

Don't Tread on my Heart

The new portfolio is a compilation of these images, capturing Evidence of Love from around Italy and other places in Europe. It doesn’t seem to matter where you are, you will find these declarations of love hidden somewhere. Love is a universal emotion.

Penciled In

I wanted to release this portfolio in advance of Valentine’s Day, so that you can use them to express your love too. Let’s take Valentine’s Day beyond the “couple” holiday and express love to everyone in our lives we care for, including close family and dear friends. What better way to make a heart connection? The images are available in my RedBubble shop, where you can purchase greeting cards, postcards, prints or even a calendar. Love-ly inspiration for all year long!

Which one is your favorite? I’d love to know!

Filed Under: The Kat Eye View of the World Tagged With: Bergamo, Burano, evidence of love, graffiti, heart, Italy, love, portfolio

January 12, 2012 by Kat

Coming soon…

Evidence of Love.

Love, Framed

Curious? You’ll have to wait a day or two. First, tomorrow is a new Exploring with a Camera. See you then!

Filed Under: The Kat Eye View of the World Tagged With: black and white, graffiti, heart, Italy, love, Venice

February 17, 2011 by Kat

Share Your View: Breaking the Rule of Thirds

What have you discovered in the last week since the Exploring with a Camera: Breaking the Rule of Thirds post? Do you follow or break the rule of thirds most often? Link in below and let’s take a look! I saved this image from Via dell’Amore for today because it was a perfect illustration of the rule of thirds along with the love-lock tradition I talked about in yesterday’s post.

When you link in your examples of following and breaking the rule of thirds in the link below, and you have two chances to win. I’m giving away the “C is for Camera” notebook below and Tammy Lee Bradley of Bliss and Folly has joined in to giveaway a Vintage Camera trio – head over to her blog here to see how to enter for her fabulous giveaway. Thanks so much Tammy for sharing the love with us!

So, without further ado, please share your view! Link in below or click the thumbnails to see the other great examples shared so far. Thanks so much for participating! You can find the code for the Exploring with a Camera button here, if you want to share the love on your blog too.

Filed Under: The Kat Eye View of the World Tagged With: Cinque Terre, giveaway, Italy, lock, love, rule of thirds, share your view

February 16, 2011 by Kat

Via dell’Amore

Via dell’Amore is a nice little walk along the Mediterranean Sea from the towns of Riomaggiore and Manarola in the Cinque Terre. The story goes that the trail was built between the two towns as the railway was being built in the region, and it became a place for young lovers to meet to get away from the watching eyes of the townspeople. Now it is an enjoyable walkway along the sea, with benches to sit and enjoy the view.

The pathway is lined with love graffiti and covered with locks on every possible surface, including this little nook celebrating the famous walkway. The locks seem to be a tradition in Italy – near any body of water you will find locks hooked to bridge railings with little messages symbolizing the love of a couple. We first noticed this in Florence and have seen it many places in our travels, but no where are there more locks than along Via dell’Amore. They even sell locks if you want to participate in the tradition.

I was tempted to buy a lock for a keepsake but managed to resist and just capture a few images instead. I’m curious though – is the lock tradition something that is only found in Italy or does it happen in other parts of Europe? What are the traditions to celebrate young love in your country?

Filed Under: The Kat Eye View of the World Tagged With: Cinque Terre, Italy, lock, love, sea, silhouette

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