Hanuman Festival, yoga in Boulder

I have never really thought of myself as a writer, mostly because as a photographer I feel I do my speaking with images. Well this past weekend for the Hanuman Festival I filled up page after page of notes on inspirations, emotions, directions for my life and the powerful feelings that I was experiencing...wow really...unusual that! Was I put under the magical spell of Hanuman and leaping monkey like into my own consciousness or simply opening my heart to the wonders that life had put on my path?...who really has an answer to that?, not I certainly. Thankfully I am more concerned with the choices that are now in front of me and how I am going to incorporate some of the wonderful teachings in to my life NOW!

So here I am, sharing in picture form, some of the inspirational happenings from watching Seane Corn teach sold out classes, to catching Waylon Lewis from Elephant Journal interview MC Yogi for Walk the Talk, to a couple who stay in constant contact for 48 hours for the Global Glue Project all the way through to the Elevation Celebration tribal dance party at The Boulder Theater. Whew what a weekend, big shout has to go out to the founders - Valerie, Yoshi and Cara for their amazing insight and hard work to have created this special festival for the Boulder community to treasure, Jai Hanuman.

Seane Corn teaching in the Earth Studio

Waylon Lewis interviewing MC Yogi

Tribal dancer

Closing circle gather around Jason and Chelsea for the Global Glue Project

Founders Yoshi, and Valerie with Waylon, Jessica, Suzanne and Colin.

Carl Kerridge is a freelance photographer specializing in Lifestyle, Fashion and Event photography, to see the complete web gallery of images please visit www.carlkerridge.com

I recently had the pleasure to work with an up and coming model, singer and songwriter, Mr Ryan Lee. When we talked about our shoot I relied on Ryan for location help, I just moved to Denver, and we agreed that Union Station was to be our starting point. We were working on an industrial theme for the shoot and we spent the next 2 hours wandering the streets looking for our angles amid the fading light of the city streets. We made a great connection and Ryan's great smile and ease to just roll with it allowed us to create some great location shots using only natural light and a little bounce for fill. Ryan is represented by nxt Model in Denver.

Yoga Festival

I was introduced to Yoga 4 years ago by my girlfriend Jessica Durivage, a local yoga teacher in Myrtle Beach and owner of Where is my Guru now. At first I was very intimidated, very inflexible and slightly nervous to step in to a yoga room with all the bendy women and men that had been at it for years. My practice has been slow to develop but I have tried to persevere with it and feel I have made great progress, I am now able to touch my toes for the first time since birth. But more than that I now understand that it is not about making my body twist in to a pretzel shape and hold it while I breathe in enlightenment, it is about connecting with yourself and the self realization that everyone in class is there to do the same.

This past weekend Jessica Durivage took a big step towards uniting the local Yoga community with the first Yoga Festival held at the AAST (Academy for Arts, Science and Technology). The festival offered local and guest teachers from Ashville, a full weekend of classes, live music by Kristin Luna Ray and live painting by Kimberly Dawn. It was a great success with over 40 guests taking classes and a huge building block for this community of yogi's to grow from. Many thanks to all the teachers, artists and yogi's that attended, we hope to see some of you in Costa Rica for our next workshop in January at True Nature Community.

Commercial work in action

I have been living and working in Myrtle Beach now for 10 years - wow how time flies. In recent years with the introduction of social media/ blogging and rapid advancements in web design it seems like the whole world is uploading pictures and tagging like crazy. So what does this mean for the veteran photographers looking to still make a living?. Personally it has meant refining my business plan, focusing on work that really interests me and striving to offer my select group of clients the highest quality images. I have been fortunate enough to have worked with some great companies here in Myrtle and would like to shine the spotlight on one client in particular that I have worked with now for over 4 years. Knotting Hill Interiors, an award winning icon of Interior Design in Myrtle Beach, recently launched their new web site http://www.knottinghillinteriors.com/ . On every page of the site, almost 100% of the images were created by your truly. What a great feeling it is to have been given the opportunity of working with such a talented and creative team, thanks Kim, I look forward to building upon our stock pile of images.
To all my commercial clients, many thanks and I hope we have many more shoots in our future.
A small example of online work:
http://www.thoroughbredsrestaurant.com/
http://myrtlebeach.ripleyaquariums.com/
http://www.internationalclubgolf.com/

Still for ATMC in NC

Knotting Hill Interiors - The Callahans

Sushi bar at UMI

Rainbow Rock at Ripley's Aquarium

Dolly Parton for the Cover of GS Magazine

The Permies are coming!

I must confess that the term Permaclture has only recently hit my radar. By definition Scott Pittman is the man to talk to and his company The Permaculture Institute just completed a 2 week training a True Nature. The course included class and projects on the land with a visit to a neighbouring farm. I learnt new terms like water retention, guilds, LETS System, nitrogen fixers, grey water and designing micro ecosystems so everything works together. Wonderful stuff!. The students who came from as far away as Norway shared the common desire to improve their lives and those of others through understanding natures patterns. You guys were great to have shared time with, all the best on your projects. Pura Vida Amigos.

You can check out more of my pictures at http://www.carlkerridge.com/ and I am on Facebook so find me there. Jess also writes so check out this blog called Where is my Guru now. Peace.

Critters

In honor of a new friend, Steve ( Chief Jungle I Hohaha ), to whom all living creatures are critters to be enjoyed.

Butterflies fill the skies here with bright color and soft wings

Hummingbirds buzz past with a flash of color

The Cheeky Monkey ( White Faced )

Looks like someone took a sharpie to this little fella

The Beautiful Scarlet Macaw.

Karma Yoga

At the beginning of our last full day together, just before we hiked down to Nuyaka falls, our yoga teacher Karina Ayn Mirsky asked us to devote some time reflecting on the meaning of Karma Yoga, community, and what we can take from the experience we had just participated in.
So…. what had we just experienced?
For me it was possibly the most concentrated period in my life for first time experiences. To list just a few: living with 20 women (and not just ordinary women but strong and proud yogi’s), yoga practices with Katy and Karina, ecstatic dance, hiking to the ocean, big mind/big heart, group chanting, acro yoga, waterfall climb at Nuyaka, Intention ceremony, Kirtan, Deeksha blessing, painting the community center, blowing a conch, shredding pooh, talks of eliminating anywhere with Amy, carrying rocks up the hill from the river, smelling raw coconut oil (yummy), cutting down a banana tree, riding in a Costa Rican pickup, live music with Josh and Luna at the Bhakti Vinyasa Project. Wow what a list! and if I sat in silence with my new meditation practise I could probably add lots more.
I could not have imagined a better introduction to a lifestyle simply known as Karma Yoga. With the arrival of 15 new faces, for a week long retreat, we welcomed 15 new smiles with 15 open hearts and minds. Each person on their own journey to leave a soulful footprint on the earth of True Nature and with the community of La Florida.
As a photographer I often fell on the outside, someone watching people’s lives unfold before me with an opportunity to catch just a small glimpse of their life. Not this week. From the first walk down the hill until the parting wave it was like a huge family with a greater understanding of the reasons we are all here.
Watching friendships blossom from bud to flower in a week is amazing, but to see higher connections made surrounded by the ever present buzz and energy of the jungle is what the Tico’s have wisely catch phrased “ Pura Vida” or pure life.
So what did I take from this?
A bond to this 'Mother Earth' with an affirmation that I have chosen wisely to share my passions for life with caring souls and to live every day in that moment. I feel blessed to have shared my footprint with so many remarkable "V" powered women (and the 2 guys) and will look back on this experience and see the light shining brightly as a reminder that service and sharing is Karma Yoga. Peace.

Jessica has also written a blog post and will continue to add stories and pictures at www.whereismygurunow.com
I have also uploaded a gallery to my site under events/clientlogin, click here and will be working on an art gallery soon.
It's impossible to sum up this week with just 5 pictures but think on these.
Share new experiences with new friends....
Focus to understand our mind and body....
Eliminate....
Laugh, sing and dance....
Connect....