Rachel Yoke Photography

Have I mentioned I live in Beckley now?

2011-10-15T10:15:00.002-04:00

So I recently upended my life, joined AmeriCorps, and moved to Beckley, WV. That's part of the reason there haven't been many posts lately. The other part is that I have been feeling that this blog might have outlived it's purpose. I'm not in school anymore, and I find it easier to share recent work on my Tumblr. I don't think I will delete this blog yet, but there may be even fewer posts in the future.

Saturday

2011-08-21T22:22:00.000-04:00

Chicago in the summertime

2011-08-01T22:11:00.001-04:00

Wow, it's been a long time

2011-07-02T21:59:00.001-04:00

And I still don't have anything great to post. But you can look at a picture of my extremely cute kitten, if you want.

Finally

2011-05-10T09:51:00.001-04:00

One month after my first spring post, spring may in fact actually be here. Maybe.

It was all yellow

2011-04-10T15:07:00.000-04:00

My obligatory spring post.

Green River

2011-03-12T17:06:00.002-05:00

Chicago kicked off its St. Patrick's Day celebrations with the annual dyeing of the Chicago River. Everyone had a great time, despite the chilly weather.

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

2011-03-10T18:25:00.004-05:00

Yeah, I know this post's title is cheesy, I just don't care. These pics were taken on various rambles over the past two weeks.

Berwyn

2011-03-10T18:23:00.000-05:00

I'm always glad to be home.

It's raining, It's pouring

2011-03-05T09:51:00.004-05:00

And I thought it was fun to photograph snowy nights.

Foremost

2011-03-01T11:09:00.001-05:00

This building caught my eye, for some reason.

Forgotten

2011-02-07T21:58:00.003-05:00

I was going through my hard drive last night, and I found this photo that I took in a hotel room that I no longer remember. The light is still beautiful though.

The surface of the moon

2011-01-29T19:57:00.002-05:00

Sometimes I truly feel I have stumbled onto another planet.

Chicago Digs

2011-01-25T22:35:00.002-05:00

I was bored this afternoon, so I took some pics of my new place. It's fantastic, but the best part about it is that it's in Chicago.

Chicago Digs 2

2011-01-25T22:31:00.001-05:00

Chicago Digs 3

2011-01-25T22:27:00.002-05:00

First Impressions

2011-01-23T18:03:00.002-05:00

I officially moved to Chicago yesterday, and while I haven't had time to have a good photo wandering session, I did take a few frames in my new apartment. The first is the nighttime view from my living room window, the second is of some memories I brought with me, and the third is the morning sun through my blinds.

I'm looking forward to the next phase of my life here in Chicago, and I plan on documenting it all photographically and sharing here on my blog. I hope you enjoy.

Meow

2011-01-18T09:19:00.000-05:00

The queen surveys her territory.

Cowgirl

2011-01-18T09:17:00.000-05:00

It's here

2011-01-17T14:20:00.001-05:00

The snowpocalypse is upon us. Or at least it was last Wednesday.

Sisters

2011-01-11T22:02:00.004-05:00

I took some photographs of two of my oldest friends the other day. Whitney and Caty have known me longer than almost anyone, and for some reason they still want to be friends with me. I don't know why. All I know is that I am lucky to have them in my life.

Snow Day

2010-12-08T08:09:00.003-05:00

We had an unexpected snowfall here in WV, which resulted in two snow days for my brother and sister and some cold weather picture taking for me.

It's coming

2010-12-05T21:26:00.001-05:00

Belated Thanksgiving images

2010-12-05T21:21:00.001-05:00

A few shots of my sister on Thanksgiving.

The ends of things

2010-11-16T11:39:00.001-05:00

More senior portraits

2010-11-11T20:23:00.002-05:00

A few more frames from Makensey's senior portrait shoot. I had so much fun that day.

Falling

2010-11-02T14:40:00.003-04:00

I had a few free days last week, so I took advantage of a beautiful day and spent an afternoon at a local state park. I had a ton of other things to do, but I consider it an afternoon well spent.

Senior Portraits

2010-10-21T08:38:00.000-04:00

A frame from a recent senior portrait shoot. More still to come.

Why shoot soccer?

2010-10-21T08:23:00.000-04:00

When there was such a sky to be seen.

The throw

2010-10-08T10:51:00.000-04:00

Quiet

2010-10-04T13:38:00.000-04:00

Looking up

2010-10-01T15:52:00.000-04:00

Some soccer images

2010-10-01T15:40:00.000-04:00

I've been to a lot of games lately.

Autumn

2010-10-01T09:43:00.000-04:00

An October moon in September.

Two among many

2010-10-01T09:40:00.001-04:00

This happened right in front of me and made my night.

Football under a beautiful sky

2010-10-01T09:32:00.000-04:00

I was in huntington, WV last week for the Marshall v. Ohio University game. I didn't take too many pictures, because I was enjoying the game, but that sky was too great to pass up.

Waiting for the parade

2010-10-01T09:16:00.000-04:00

It's really not fair how blue her eyes are.

Nancy

2010-09-06T21:18:00.000-04:00

Outtake

2010-09-06T20:58:00.000-04:00

I like this, for some reason.

Whitney

2010-09-06T20:45:00.000-04:00

I took some photos the other day of my friend Whitney Metz to be published in an online vegan magazine. Whitney is an author; a vegan; an animal rights activist; and one of my oldest friends.

Waiting

2010-08-26T15:31:00.000-04:00

I spent the last 10 minutes of the game wishing something would happen with the clouds as a backdrop.

Feathers

2010-08-26T15:27:00.000-04:00

Chickens at the Mannington Fair.

Summer sun

2010-08-26T15:25:00.000-04:00

I've spent a lot of time at the lake this summer with my family.

Days at the fair

2010-08-25T21:12:00.000-04:00

Rainy Days

2010-08-25T21:07:00.000-04:00

Chicago with my real camera

2010-07-19T16:30:00.000-04:00

Water

2010-07-19T16:26:00.000-04:00

Chicago

2010-07-19T16:23:00.000-04:00

A few shots from a recent trip to the windy city. Most were taken with my point and shoot, so the quality isn't great. I had a lot of fun taking them though.

More fireworks photos

2010-07-05T13:38:00.000-04:00

Lights in the sky

2010-07-05T13:34:00.000-04:00

The fireworks are always my favorite part of the 4th of July.

4th of July eats

2010-07-05T13:22:00.000-04:00

My dad makes great dip.

Family time

2010-06-23T15:25:00.000-04:00

Datdat

2010-06-23T15:22:00.000-04:00

My grandfather on father's day.

Virginia Beach

2010-06-09T13:21:00.000-04:00

A moonrise as seen from the beach a few weeks ago.

Favorite places part 2

2010-06-06T15:03:00.001-04:00

The photos I haven't been posting all quarter

2010-06-06T14:55:00.000-04:00

Contrary to what this blog might suggest, I have been making photos this quarter. I have been taking a documentary photography class, for which I have been working on a portrait series of people in their favorite places. My intention was to explore the connections that people have to certain places. I am far from certain that I was successful, but I had a lot fun working on the project. Here are a few of the frames from my final presentation.

Soul of Athens

2010-06-06T13:53:00.000-04:00

I should have posted this last week, but Soul of Athens is now live. You can view my project here:

http://2010.soulofathens.com/expression/the-road-athens

And then you should check the other great projects that launched last week, and keep checking back for more content throughout the summer.

Sam

2010-05-20T10:48:00.000-04:00

My little sister taken a few weeks ago when I was home for a visit.

A light in darkness

2010-05-20T10:46:00.000-04:00

I don't have anything profound to say here. It's just, as always, I was drawn toward the light.

Fun by firelight

2010-05-20T10:41:00.000-04:00

My friends and I had a bonfire last week, and since it was too dark to make any decent frames, I decided to have fun and and make some intentionally not decent frames. I'm happy with the result.

A taste of Soul of Athens

2010-04-30T08:53:00.000-04:00

A taste of Soul of Athens

2010-04-30T08:43:00.000-04:00

Two Birthdays

2010-04-17T20:58:00.000-04:00

I'm at home for the weekend, and I've been lucky enough to help my sister celebrate her 6th birthday and to help my grandmother celebrate her 82nd.

Cherry trees

2010-04-15T23:26:00.000-04:00

View from the 7th floor

2010-04-11T22:59:00.000-04:00

I spend a lot of time at the library, when I'm at school, and this is the view from my favorite table.

Waiting

2010-03-25T01:02:00.000-04:00

This post is coming to you from the airport while I wait for my flight home. Washington was wonderful. I'm sorry to leave.

Cutting Board 2.0

2010-03-25T00:47:00.000-04:00

The Jenga champ

2010-03-25T00:46:00.000-04:00

Happy 21st birthday.

The collector

2010-03-23T02:49:00.000-04:00

Pond

2010-03-23T02:46:00.000-04:00

Another beautiful day

2010-03-22T01:22:00.000-04:00

Saturday

2010-03-21T14:21:00.000-04:00

6:00 a.m.

2010-03-21T01:51:00.000-04:00

Hazel

2010-03-21T01:49:00.000-04:00

My trip west has given a chance to spend time with my cousin Hazel. It's been fun getting to know her.

Hurricane Ridge

2010-03-21T01:44:00.000-04:00

Spring

2010-03-20T10:09:00.000-04:00

Daffodils have always been my favorite.

Washington

2010-03-20T10:03:00.000-04:00

I'm out West for the next few days visiting family in a little place called Port Townsend. There is water everywhere I go, and I can't get enough.

The last days of winter

2010-03-11T21:21:00.000-05:00

Doctor's Visit

2010-02-24T22:22:00.000-05:00

I went to my sister's doctor visit in Pittsburgh the other day. I took a few shots, but it's hard for me to capture what it's like to be there.

Skating in Millennium Park

2010-02-21T08:57:00.000-05:00

From a day spent shopping

2010-02-21T08:56:00.000-05:00

By the water

2010-02-21T08:53:00.000-05:00

The Bean

2010-02-21T08:52:00.000-05:00

Chicago at night

2010-02-20T22:24:00.000-05:00

Window

2010-02-20T22:18:00.000-05:00

I realize that I haven't updated in a while, and I wish I could say it was because of an exciting project – but I can't. I got caught up in the busyness of living in a big city, I had guests my last two weekends in Chicago, and then I had the madness of moving home again. Now that I have more time, I'm going to try to update more often. And you should expect several posts in succession of the images I made my last month in Chicago.

This is the window of my room in Chicago. I already miss it.

Balloons

2010-01-19T20:25:00.000-05:00

This is my favorite Boston shot, for some reason.

Al Gore

2010-01-19T20:21:00.000-05:00

Al Gore was the featured speaker at the conference I photographed over the weekend. It was cool to have the opportunity to photograph him.

Boston

2010-01-19T20:17:00.001-05:00

Some shots from my ramblings.

P.S. The squirrels in Boston are incredibly tame. One even tried to climb in my purse.

Scenes from around the convention center

2010-01-19T20:10:00.000-05:00

I spent a lot of time here in the last few days.

Nighttime in Boston

2010-01-19T20:07:00.000-05:00

A Belated Christmas Image

2010-01-09T12:03:00.000-05:00

Home for Christmas

2009-12-25T22:21:00.000-05:00

And so very glad to be here.

Spires

2009-12-06T13:03:00.000-05:00

I took a walk yesterday and saw some cool things. This was my favorite.

Lost Creek Road

2009-11-29T11:29:00.000-05:00

I took a little drive around my area the other night. Sometimes I forget why I love West Virginia, and I have to remind myself. I wanted to be sure that I would remember while I'm in Chicago for my internship.

Football

2009-11-22T19:40:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I attended one of the year's last football games and the last I will attend as an OU student. I was only shooting for fun, so as usual I found the band much more interesting than the game.

Bonfire

2009-11-22T19:39:00.001-05:00

Power 105

2009-11-22T19:35:00.000-05:00

My friend Kristen and I recently visited the radio station where another of our friends works. It was my first time in a radio statio, and I found the whole place fascinating.

486 final - work in progress

2009-11-16T17:44:00.000-05:00

This is the rough version. Please leave me feedback.

Revisiting

2009-11-07T01:06:00.001-05:00

A few from a recent visit to the Shaikh's.

Haunted Train

2009-10-15T12:58:00.000-04:00

These are a few images from my first photo project of the quarter. I photographed a haunted train ride, and it was not my best shoot. But I learned a few things, about night-time photography, editing, and trains. And I did have fun shooting.