Mie Ahmt Photography

Wear Sunscreen!

Last year I was diagnosed with melanoma. It is a mean cancer and I ended up having my lymph nodes removed in my right arm. I am now cancer free - but having had melanoma has turned me into the 'sunscreen Nazi'! If you are around me and the sun is shining I will harass you until I am sure you are completely covered in some ridiculous high spf factor sunscreen!
I just rediscovered this great old Baz Luhrmann song; "Everybody's free to wear sunscreen". I remember when it first came out; I loved it. But I totally forgot about it and was really happy when I rediscovered it the other day.
Take a moment... Listen and Enjoy:

Made me cry...

This photo feature was the Pulitzer price winner for feature photography in 2006. The photography is by photographer Todd Heisler and it's written by freelance journalist Jim Sheeler. It is an amazing feature! They spent a year following Maj. Steve Beck as he takes on the most difficult duty of his career: casualty notification. The photographs speak for themselves - so do the words! But together this is a unique feature.
The photo bellow I found especially heartbreaking.
"The night before the burial of her husband's body, Katherine Cathey refused to leave the casket, asking to sleep next to his body for the last time. The Marines made a bed for her, tucking in the sheets below the flag. Before she fell asleep, she opened her laptop computer and played songs that reminded her of "Cat," and one of the Marines asked if she wanted them to continue standing watch as she slept. "I think it would be kind of nice if you kept doing it," she said. "I think that's what he would have wanted." (From The Final Salute Gallery)

I have a very personal view on the war in Afghanistan after having lived there for more than 4 years... I admire this feature!

Her Morning Elegance

I have always been very intrigued by stop motion, time lapse and anything that really mixes video and photography.
This morning as I was drinking my morning coffee I randomly fell over this video by orenlavie. The photography is by the Israeli photographer Eyal Landesman...

Just bought...

I just bought this book at Amazon for $6. First of all I can't beleive you can actually buy a book for $6. How is that possible... never mind the fact that it is a photo book!!!

Armed America is a photo book by photographer kyle Cassidy. Kyle Cassidy traveled all over America over 2 years photographing gun owners in their houses - asking them one question; "Why do you own a gun?".

Just the thought of this project sends chills down my spine. I don't understand at all why you would want to own one or keep one at your house. I lived in Afghanistan for over 4 years and I never had a gun. I will and do use armed guards if required... The concept of guns just make very little sense to me...

I am exited to see the book... I really really like the idea of this project! Hurry up mister postman!!!

It's a new day...

The other day as President Obama put his hand on the bible and gave his oath to serve America (and I guess the rest of the world...) The sun, that had been hiding above the inversion, for about a week came through the clouds and through my windows... It truly is a new day!

Congratulations to America... and the world!

Working on...

I just got two cute, 6 weeks old puppies... So I am working on potty training!
But what I am really working on is finalizing pictures for a show in Missoula, Montana next month. Here is a sneak peak of the Afghan version of Garbage Galore.
The short introduction to this is that I am exploring waste! Especially food waste... Food we all throw out every day that is perfectly fine! More than 25% of food produced in America - goes directly yo trash... When you start to look in to this you realize this insanity... I am trying to display it - and still let people come to this conclusion by themselves!
I will tell you more about this once I am ready to launch... First Friday in Missoula is coming up fast... I am so exited.

So here is some of the stuff I found in the Trash in Afghanistan.

Love Fire...

It is no secret that I am currently living in a construction site as we are trying to remodel our new house. It is also no secret that I am a bit of a pyro... This house remodel gives me a great excuse to spend a lot of time surfing all the cool design sites on the internet - great excuse to dream big and great excuse to post cool stuff on this blog!
Yesterday as I was doing research on fireplaces I found the perfect solution! Although I really like the feel of a wood fireplace - let's face it! It is a hassle. It is dirty - you have to haul wood, dry it, carry it, get it, clean up all the time, have the chimney cleaned... and bla bla bla... Then there is gas - which doesn't have so much of an appeal to me.

But after reading about the BioEthanol Fireplaces I think it is a no brainer really! What's nice about the bioethanol fireplaces as well, is that unlike gas fireplaces, which have a pretty unattractive (and unromantic) blue flame, the flame in a bioethanol fireplace is actually as close as you will get to traditional yellow wood crackling flame.

I totally love this coffee table with a build in fireplace from Schulte.
   

The fact that you don't need a chimney and that it is clean, safe and environmental friendly just makes me smile...  Ethanol is made from plants, it does not release any new carbon dioxide (CO2) into the air. The only CO2 that can be released is the gas which was absorbed by the plants as they grew. Also, when ethanol is burned its emissions are roughly similar to human breath – small amounts of water vapor and carbon dioxide, with no harmful or toxic substances, so ventilation is not necessary.

Can you feel the exitement here????

  

Tiltshifting

So... I did not get that tilshift lens I wanted for Christmas... No problem!!!
This awesome website called tilshiftmaker creates awesome tilshift-look-alike images for you. It is so easy and the pictures come out great! Now - don't get me wrong... The tilshift lens is still on the list of things I wish I owned!
   I feel a little bit like it is cheating... But who cares??? It looks so cute!

Best Christmas Gift... Ever!!!

I finally have internet at my new house in Boise, Idaho! Yay! It has been a long time with no connection to what in my mind is 'the real world' so I am exited to be back online again!

I just received the best Christmas Gift ever! A little late and in about a thousand pieces - but who cares? Remember the story about the Afghan Photographer? Well, that exact camera is now mine - sent all the way from Afghanistan to Boise... Arrived in pieces - but we will have it back together soon!
Maybe I will settle down as the Danish Street Photographer in Boise with my Afghan Camera... Now that would be fun!