photography
what's a gorgon anyway?
in photography, poetry
medusa the gorgon, fated to turn men all men who looked upon her to stone… but was it a curse? or a blessing?
medusa was one of three gorgons, daughters born to phorcys & ceto. the only mortal among her immortal sisters—sthenno & euryale—medusa was either born with her infamous serpent hair; or according to ovid, was later cursed by athena with an appearance so hideous she turned all who looked at her into stone as punishment for the crime of daring to be raped by poseidon in athena’s temple.
beheaded by perseus while she slept (the only way the supposed hero could manage to defeat her). upon her death her children, pegasus & chrysaor, sprang from her bloodied neck. perseus avoided the vengeance of medusa’s sisters by wearing the helmet of darkness, gifted to him by hades, which granted him invisibility. those ancient rapists gotta stick together right?
Read Moresalt
in poetry, photography, BADWATER
diving into my latest project. thinking about death valley & what it is to be a woman living a non-traditional life. BADWATER >> read more.
red // dread
in photography, poetry
experiments in instagram poetry layout.
mermaids
going through old photos & came across these film shots from the coney island mermaid parade. I’m not certain of the date, but I estimate it’s 2010, if the bp oil spill reference is any indicator. I didn’t attend the parade every year I lived in brooklyn, but I did go several times. always a highlight of my new york summer season.
the coney island mermaid parade began in 1983 as a launching of the summer season. it is now the largest art parade in the united states—attracting thousands of participants & even more spectators from around new york city & the world. nautical themed costumes are encouraged for viewers & required for participants. a range of contests & other festivities surround the event, including the annual crowing of a king neptune & queen mermaid. in 2019, arlo & nora guthrie received the honors.
learn more about the parade on its website.
shot on 35mm film with a vintage nikon fe.
skatepark
an afternoon at the venice beach skatepark. making me dream about buying a skateboard & coasting around hollywood… even though I never had a skateboard as a kid. maybe it’s a kind of nostalgia for a place & time that doesn’t actually exist.





crystals




trying out some tricks I’ve been learning via youtube & instagram. filling up my product photography portfolio on raymarkmedia.com
blue ocean floor
in photography
learning the art of taking photographs of people.
see updated portraits in the gallery.
follow my brand new media company, raymark media, on instagram.
or visit raymarkmedia.com as I build my portfolio.
-n
california dreaming
in photography, poetry
keeping secrets
I’m the part of the canvas
that’s been painted over—
another image hidden behind.
someone asks:
what would it take to reveal yourself?
& I answer with laughter
like a threaded strand of lies.
a tale of two blooms
in photography
things found while strolling the hollywood hills in early summer…
two faces
in photography, poetry
joshua tree
in photography, explore
joshua tree national park straddles both the colorado desert & the mojave desert in eastern california. the park was originally declared a national monument in 1936 & re-designated a national park in 1994 after congress passed the ‘california desert protection act’. taking up nearly 800,000 acres, the park itself is slightly larger than the state of rhode island. joshua tree is named for its trademark vegetation, the yucca brevifolia, which is native to the mojave desert.
death & rebirth
in photography
ghosts
in photography, poetry
untitled (ghosts) self portrait series, 2019.
I’m skin
& bone
& maybe
more.
maybe—
I wanted to be born.
maybe—
I wanted to be a ghost?
becoming
is slow like
weeds pushing
up through
cement.
but sometimes—
I wear my skin
as a costume.
blooming
in photography, explore
I spent the morning a few days ago wandering the California Poppy Reserve, despite almost 35 mile per hour winds! The superbloom happening in Southern California right now, however, was more than worth the chapped lips & wind-whipped hair.
Put together a short video (of very wobbly windy footage) of my explorations. Look for more photos & videos from this gorgeous adventure on my instagram in the coming weeks.
+++
The Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve in Lancaster, California is home to the most consistent blooming of the state's flower, the California poppy. The department of California State Parks does not water or stimulate the flowers in any way, instead leaving the blooms in their strictly natural state. It is against state law to remove flowers from the site & veering off the established paths can result in a hefty ticket. The traditional blooming season for California Poppies is mid-February through mid-May.
The so-called "superbloom" of 2019 was caused by an increase in rainfall during the winter months in Southern California. Parking on-site at the reserve, which is currently open 7:00am-7:00pm, is $10 per passenger vehicle, or you can opt to park on the shoulder of the road for free, provided you are at least 100 feet away from the park's entrance.
notes on the body
in photography, poetry, diary
questions:
-how does the body work?
-what does the body hold together within & without itself?
-what does the body hold?
-where in the body is the ‘self’ located?
further study:
-how can language or thought interact with the physical body?
-how does the body need language in order to exist?
s y m b i o s i s
Read Morethe fire
in photography, poetry
the fire burns against the water
the fire burns against the sea.
I wake in hills surrounded by kindling
I wake in california breeze.
All Signs Point to Mecca
mecca california is an unincorporated community along the north shore of the salton sea in southern california's colorado desert. the sea & the surrounding settlements are almost directly on top of the famed san andreas fault.
the area surrounding the salton sea had a short life as a resort town in the 1950's, but the ever-increasing pollution of the lake all but ended tourism in the area. the sea is now surrounded by the sun bleached corpses of fish & water birds poisoned by its toxic waters, as well as the remains of shops, resorts, & motels either totally abandoned or repurposed by the community's handful of current residents.
Paris Street
in photography, explore
travel diary:
in the summer sun, people are out on the streets of paris. not just tourists, but locals who, for whatever reason, didn't leave the city for the nationwide august holidays. the markets & cafes are busy despite the heat & the otherwise empty city chatters with french, english, italian, german, & spanish.
Red Sun + Midnight Sky
in photography, explore
diary:
sitting on the manicured sand of balboa beach in orange country, watching the fat red sun sink behind palm trees & multi-million dollar homes. a lone lifeguard stand sits empty, dusk crawling in around it.