photographer envy: berta tilmantaite

It's true. A picture is worth 10,000 words. I look at the work of Berta Tilmantaite and feel as though I'm traveling around the world with her. From place to place I get a sense for the people, the landscape, and a way of life that is so foreign to me. You can see it on the people's faces. In Georgia the norm is a grimace and in Indonesia the smiles are full of joy. It tells a history. It exposes reality.

How I would love to be a photo journalist doing just that. I want to travel. I want to see the world and capture it all with my lens. Through a couple mirrors, some light, and a snap we're able to convey a world of truth that connects people all across the world. I look at Berta's Facebook, and she's meeting people, talking to strangers, and soaking in the beauty of who they are as an individual and a representation of their place in the world. She goes anywhere and is fearless. I want to do that, uncover the story of mankind and communicate it to others. 

Berta Tilmantaite's work hits my aspirations on the head. She's does it too perfectly. Do browse her work and videos if you get the chance. It is all phenomenal.  

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Berta Tilmantaite's Portfolio

rocket cat cafe

Nestled in the heart of Fishtown, on Frankford Avenue, lives Rocket Cat Cafe. It's become a recent favorite for it's bare decor, quirky clientele, and dark house brew. It's a small hub of locals, where people come to be alone, but never really are. Together, everyone sips and writes and thinks and stares out the window. Everyone brings a story with them, and they whirl through my brain as I sit quietly observing.

weekly scenes: the highs and lows

Call it hormones, or call it life. The past couple weeks have had a lot of ups and downs. When the lows roll in, man it’s defeating. Thank god for the people who help talk it out.

But let’s not dwell on the negative. There have been so many great things that have happened too. Babies being born, pancake breakfasts, belly laughs, new opportunities...those are things to focus on.

In every life there will be downs, we just can’t let them kill us. If anything, they are lessons to better ourselves. Use the energy of those highs to push on through the bad. I'm not perfect. None's perfect. That's life.