Motivation finally hit me to update my sadly underused blog. Of course I have been incredibly busy this year! I've been published now several times and also interviewed about cave diving twice. It's been a very cool experience so far and I'm always excited to share and talk about the things I do and love.

I've been working on some training of my own and hope that in the next year I will be both a rebreather diver, certified on the Dive Rite O2ptima, and an open water instructor as well. It's been a dream of mine to be an instructor since I first started diving. I've worked as a divemaster and always loved seeing the joy that learning SCUBA brings to people. It reminds me of the joy it brings to me, and the first moments of my journey. I've come a long way but I'll still never forget that first pool dive.

Some of the biggest news I've had in recent months is that I've been asked to speak at the yearly seminar for the National Association for Cave Diving. I'll be speaking a little about the ongoing project at Silver Glen and also about what it is like to create art while working in overhead environments. I have to admit, I'm a little nervous....I've never spoke to such a large crowd about these things, so I'm crossing my fingers that everything goes well! I'm also designing the T-Shirt for this years event! I'm really proud of the design and looking forward to seeing the final product. I also have some even bigger news: I've been selected as Chair for the Photography Committee for the National Speleological Society - Cave Diving Section! Since becoming a cave diver I have longed to help out the organization of which I am both a member and a certified diver. I am proud to take on this position and am currently assembling a team of other amazing underwater cave photographers to help me in this endeavor. I am looking forward to serving the CDS in every manner I can by helping to ensure it is marketed in the best possible light through the use of imagery.

I have been doing TONS of diving and this year earned my Abe Davis Award for reaching 100 safe cave dives post full cave training while on a trip cave diving in Mexico. I am steadily racking up my next 100. I've been diversifying my portfolio with some underwater editorial portraits which I am quite excited about! I've also had the opportunity to be involved in a photoshoot for PADI's new sidemount program. The new manual will have images of me and a few other highly trained sidemounters. I am looking forward to seeing it in print!

So much going on and I hope to keep up the pace and than some in the coming year.

I'll leave you with some current images:

And we're off....

Well, as I blogged last time, I was waiting on a few big things to happen. First, I have my passport! I hadn't ever had a passport before so this is pretty exciting and I am SO ready for my trip to Mexico! I also have my own copy of my magazine submission.

The cover and the inside photos are my work, my husband wrote the article that accompanies the photography. I know this won't be the last time I submit to this magazine (or others) but it will always hold a special place in my heart since it was the first. They did a very good job with the layout, and it was exciting to see that my article was the center spread for the magazine.

I also can finally share some VERY exciting news! I have been picked to be the team photographer for the Silver Glen Springs Exploration Project. The project is led by cartographer Eric Hutcheson, who created the maps for the system nearly 20 years ago.

He is returning to cave diving and this system after being in a motorcycle accident that took his ability to dive from him for over ten years. As a team, we are going to explore, document and share updated information with the National Forestry Service and others about this system. This is all very exciting and I am looking forward to creating and sharing many great captures from this awesome project.  Here is just a peek at some stills I shot on my first dive in this gorgeous system.

Keep posted, I'll have more to share soon! I have updated my site with new work, and hope to have much more to share in the near future.

www.krbernotphotography.com

Things to be thankful for.

Most of us only think about being thankful for things around Thanksgiving, let's be honest, between work, family, a social life, and your own schedule most of us just aren't focused on reflecting. I've been doing just that the past few days and boy do I have a lot to be thankful for!

Not to say my life is perfect and blissful all the time (don't I wish!) I just wanted to say aloud all the things I'm grateful for. And what a great month for it with Easter approaching.

First and foremost, my husband recently was asked to come along on a dive expedition to Weeki Wachee cave system. For those who don't know, W.W. is pretty much akin to the Mt. Everest of cave diving. It's deep, very deep, the flow is insane, and is still being explored and mapped (hence the expeditions). My husband was very excited to be going along to check the place out and was gearing up to dive with the last group that day. That dive however, never happened. Unfortunately, one of the members of the team that had entered the water previously didn't make it back safely to the surface. A poor young man (just 2 years older than my husband) lost his life that day. Very sad news, and I send my thoughts and condolences now to his friends, family and team members. I enjoy cave diving very much, though it is risky, we cave divers must each weigh out the risks and benefits before each dive. The kind of dives these divers are doing are amazing albeit extreme and can come with great rewards, and sometimes great sacrifice as well.  I just hope that those effected by his loss find solace and peace in some way to help them through this.

I am also thankful that I've been able to do quite a bit of shooting in the past few weeks. Some underwater and some above.  Being able to create art really restores my soul, be it painting, drawing, or photographing.

I am waiting on a few big things as well. First, the magazine I submitted to should be out in the next week or two. I'm really excited to see the cover and article and hold it in my hands! I'll be sure to share it as soon as I have my copy. :) I'm also waiting on my passport. I'll be heading to Mexico this summer to do some cave diving, this is also a photo expedition for me. The first time I've been anywhere outside the U.S. other than Canada, so this should be very awesome! A lot of big things going on to be thankful for...

Really though, I'm even thankful this month for having had food poisoning. I know what you're thinking....how can you be thankful for being sick!?  I tend to take for granted that I'm able bodied and do some pretty amazing things. Sometimes it takes a challenge or bump in the road to make you remember not to take anything for granted....sometimes it takes loss. I hope that all of you will remember this and keep it in mind as we approach the holy holiday of Easter.

My little girl, growing up

On January 19th four years ago my life was forever changed. That was the day a tiny angel was placed in my arms. I remember when I first found out I was pregnant I was a bit mortified (I know, probably not every mother-to-be's first thoughts). I couldn't believe it, I wasn't ready to be a mother yet! My husband was slated to deploy in less than a year and all I could think of was 'what am I going to do if I have to have this baby and take care of it on my own.' I knew many others who were in that same position.  Eventually, I got over the shock and came to terms with it, and even started to become excited that I was going to be a mom.

As fate would have it, a miracle occured, and my husband didn't end up deployed after all and I was lucky enough to have him there with me on the day she was born. Actually, if he had been delayed one more day in California, where he was overseeing some training, he might have missed it.

I can't believe the wonderful little person my little girl is becoming. She is perceptive, sweet-natured (though she has her moments), vivacious, and cheerful. She aspires to be a pediatrician one day. She spends her time running like crazy, playing in dirt, chasing her pets, imagining and pretending, drawing and coloring, and always has something interesting to talk about. Her favorite colors are pink and blue. She LOVES fruit and often chooses it over sweets for a snack.  Her smile puts a light in my heart no matter what else happened that day.

I love my little girl, I'm so lucky to have her in my life.

New Year, Big Changes

It's a new year and most people make a resolution only to 'forget' it a few weeks later. Most strive to get thin, quit smoking, become a better person in some aspect...and while, yes, I would love to better myself, I am more dedicated to my goal this year. My big goal involves my photography, more specifically my underwater work. I am making a commitment to try to get something published in print this year. I think I can accomplish this goal.

I feel very blessed for everything that has happened lately. I keep wanting to pinch myself to make sure I'm not dreaming.  This area seems to be a networking mecca in some aspects. Thankfully I dive often and I'm pretty sociable. This has allowed me to meet some pretty interesting and inspirational individuals. I've been extended two very promising opportunities in the past few months that could easily help me reach my goals. I'm excited to see how these things progress and I will be posting as things develop.

In the meantime I'll keep diving and shooting. Here's one of my recent favorites. I had this printed and sold some prints (also a first other than to my portrait clients). :) The image is of the river at the end of the spring run in Ginnie Springs (a place I frequent on dives lately).

I'm feeling creative!

Long time between blogs, I know! I'm horrible at keeping up with these things sometimes. I've had a bit going on the past few weeks.

First, I've been shooting a bit underwater. It's something that I've wanted to start focusing on for a few years. Finally I have a lot more opportunity and time to do it. I've added several shots to my underwater/underground section on my website. I am getting much more comfortable with the gear and have seen great improvement in my shots there over the past year. Always great to see and know you're improving and learning more and more. Though, I still have a lot to learn. 

I've been given two pretty big opportunities lately, things that could really jump start my career in a serious way/direction here. The first is some product work for a major dive manufacturer. I had the chance to photograph some product for Dive Rite for use on their webpage and in dealer emails. Take a look at my shot and the screen capture below:

This is VERY exciting for me! This is officially the first work I've had published! As a diver myself, it's kind of a big deal.

Dive Rite is a company that produces some wonderful equipment. In fact, before we moved here to Florida our dive shop in North Carolina was a Dive Rite dealer. We always loved the products that came in to our shop and raved about the quality of the equipment they produced. Dive Rite is a pretty big name in the industry and it's just amazing to have my photography on their site.

The second opportunity is in the works, so I can't give away too many details. But I will say that a pretty well known individual in the cave diving community is taking a chance on a relative new-comer (me). I'll get the chance to photograph and hopefully write and publish an article about it, it certainly warrants it. This could be the opportunity that gets me in the door so to speak. I'm beyond words blown away that I would be given a shot like this and so soon after moving here. I'm just very honored and am looking forward to sharing more as this progresses.


For now, I'm going to keep getting in the water with or without my camera and enjoy the fabulous diving! I'll leave you with the link to my underwater work on my site so you can check out the new shots!

http://krbernotphotography.com/index2.php#/fgallery/1/

long over-due update

Time to clear the cobwebs here...I've been neglecting my blog a bit...I really have been doing a bit over the past few months. For starters I am selling my crochet products in a small store here in the next town over. :) I am super excited to be included there. The store is Sprout Learning Resources in Alachua, FL. They focus on childrens educational toys and supplies for teachers.  I've also been trying to set up crochet classes at the store, hopefully soon I will have my first group to instruct.  I've been, as you can imagine, busy crafting, I have also started spinning and dying some yarn of my own.


I can also finally announce that my husbands probationary period with his new job is up so I can brag that he now is an official Dive Rite employee. He's the new service manager/customer service rep. It's pretty much the perfect job for him and we are both so happy that he is a part of the team.  This has been a dream come true for us, the timing, everything has been just unbelievable! Needless to say, we've both been cave diving a LOT over the past few months. In fact, I've been diving at least once a week since we've been here (some weeks more like two or three times). Here are some fabulous shots from one of my latest excursions at Ginnie Springs:

I still have yet to really start full on marketing here, mostly because I am still getting things settled here and taking some time to shoot for myself and enjoy my free time with my little one. I think after the holidays I may start thinking more seriously about getting back into the business end of things. I just am not there right now, though I do miss meeting new clients and taking portraits. Maybe I'll warm up by doing a few trade sessions or something similar once I get more focused again.

Anyhow, Thanksgiving is coming up, and I'll have my first visitors to our new place. My mom and brothers will be here. I am very excited to show them around the area and take my brothers diving with me. :) Hopefully I won't get too caught up again and let this blog get all dusty again!