"Photographer. Traveler. Eternal Optimist."

I think that something would definitely be amiss if I didn't mention Beana Bern's Parallel Universe show opening tonight in Kufstein Austria. For all of us who can't make it to Austria, you can have a look at it here.

Although I've been tempted to try to describe the work in the exhibition, I really think Beana does a better job than I would. So instead, I just thought I would write a note about her photography in general... Beana and I met through flickr (who doesn't these days?) and funnily enough, we soon found that we had a fair few things in common. (American ex-pats, ex-New Yorkers, Ween lovers… and the list goes on.)

The other things which I discovered were that Beana is an immensely talented photographer and a self-described "eternal optimist". But then this makes complete sense really. Her optimism runs through all of her images. They are documents of a life being lived fully. A visual diary of someone with their eyes wide open - accepting the world in all its wonder and taking the time to notice a perfect detail before it vanishes. From the top of the Tyrolean Alpes to dark and smoky basement gigs, I imagine her with a large camera bag and an even larger smile. Oh, and she runs a great blog too. Where does she find the time?

Speaking of time, I'm off to Wales for the weekend. To a festival that seemed like a good idea months ago when we first discussed it. Only I've looked at the weather and it's looking decidedly damp... So think of me in my wellies while you're tucked up with a nice cup of tea.

SGx