Everett teen’s photo on display in Vice President Biden’s house
Published 1:30 am Sunday, December 11, 2016
Karenna Blomberg has never been to Washington, D.C. Still, a photo the 15-year-old shot has an honored place in Vice President Joe Biden’s house.
“Berries,” the Everett teen’s picture of a summertime dessert, now decorates a holiday ornament. It’s on display this month at the vice president’s official residence, a Queen Anne-style house built in 1893 on the grounds of the United States Naval Observatory.
For more than a year, Karenna has been contributing her pictures to the National Geographic Kids My Shot website. It’s a photo community where, with parents’ permission, kids upload their photography, get photo tips and comment on other photographers’ images.
“They have a moderator look at it before it’s public. It’s like a more kid-friendly Instagram,” said Karenna, a home-schooled 10th-grader who has four sisters.
National Geographic Kids recently sent her a surprising message.
“It was just an email,” Karenna said. It asked permission to use her yummy-looking photo as part of a display in the Bidens’ Washington, D.C., home. The picture shows bowls of the colorful Fourth of July dessert her mother, Barbara Blomberg, made for the family — a simple treat of strawberries, blueberries and whipped cream atop angel food cake.
Karenna’s picture, along with images taken by nine other kids, is on view as part of a collaboration between National Geographic Kids and Jill Biden, the vice president’s wife. Launched in 2015, the project showcases the work of young photographers, with new photos featured each month.
Photos are exhibited, in rotation, on a digital frame at the vice presidential residence. Kids whose pictures are chosen receive digital “VP” badges for their personal My Shot pages.
“Joe and I are so proud to bring the creativity of so many young photographers from across the country into our home, and to see the world through their lens,” the nation’s second lady said in a National Geographic Kids press release. Jill Biden is a longtime educator who has taught English at a community college in Virginia.
Andrew Blomberg, Karenna’s dad, said the family learned his daughter’s picture would be displayed on a holiday ornament. A regional facilities manager with the state Department of Transportation, he is also an artist. His watercolor paintings are on display in the Blomberg home near Lowell Elementary School.
Karenna has been interested in photography for years. “I always liked looking at nice photos,” she said. About two years ago, she used Christmas gift money to buy a Canon PowerShot SX520 HS. “It’s a small version of a professional camera,” she said.
Mostly, Karenna takes pictures of birds and animals, including “Mama,” the family cat.
Her picture of the fruity dessert “just kind of happened,” she said. “I always like to look out for things that might make for a good photograph.” She is less interested in carefully setting up photos than she is in “just taking a picture when the timing is right — which is what I think happened with this photo.”
A career in professional photography sounds fun, but she said that “right now I’m looking more at criminal law.”
Whatever her future, Karenna won’t stop taking pictures. She was recently out in the cold taking pictures of a frosty spider web. The camera captures moments in time.
“It kind of helps me remember things,” she said. “Sometimes you don’t remember that really cool time you saw that bird outside.”
Julie Muhlstein: 425-339-3460; jmuhlstein@heraldnet.com.
Learn more
National Geographic My Shot is a moderated photo community where kids, with parents’ permission, can upload photos, get photography tips, and comment on other pictures. See the works of young photographers and learn more at http://kids-myshot.nationalgeographic.com/
