...came and wentway too fast. although i'm thinking the summer a busy one might fly by that much faster. and as i think hope pray believe for a couple treasured friends currently battling cancer i'm ever-so-grateful for every single minute of may and every day!!
a bit of our everyday may...
and because i was traveling on memorial day, let us never forget those military members and their families, who gave the ultimate sacrifice.
hats can be short,and hats can be tall. you can wear them to the market, or you can wear them playin' ball.
some people wear their hats to block away the sun. some people wear their hats just because they think it's fun.
the pilgrims, they wore hats, and nurses do too. sombreros are a spanish hat, but that I bet you knew.
hats can be all colors, all shapes and sizes too. like a cowboy hat or a pirates hat in black or white or blue.
magicians use their hats to pull their rabbits from. and a sailor has his hat on when it's home from sea he comes.
there are hats for all occasions and many places too. last night we thought we'd model this hat for you. - author unknown
came across the above poem and couldn't help but share. reminds me of dr. seuss, which we read nightly in this house and...last night, i asked sky if she'd let me take a few photos of her, to test out my new hat. (the poem will also be a perfect addition for my family's annual book.) we didn't have a lot of time to shoot last night -- about 15 minutes in between sky and ryder's gymnastic start times and then about 10 minutes when we got home (until we had enough of being attacked by mosquitoes).
photos shot with lensbaby composer | double optic and nikon 50mm f/1.4G
also, i wanted to share this video series i just discovered and am totally diggin' -- [framed] show, by melissa niu. i watched ryan muirhead's [framed] video yesterday and i can't stop thinking about his closing words...
...find your own voice and the only way to do that is by working. you can't read up on it. you can't learn it. you can't absorb it from someone else. but if you're out there shooting constantly -- on good days, on bad days, when you're feeling creative, when you're not...carry a tiny camera with you everywhere you go. if you do that enough, your voice will find you. it's inevitable.
YES... your voice will find you.
thanks ryan for your ongoing inspiration and the reminder to keep shooting...through the good days and the funks!!
...a different place. i remember when i left san diego...i wondered where my photography would go in kansas. i thought,
how can i shoot without my beloved PB pier. without my beach.
yet kansas was probably the best thing to ever happen to me (as a photographer). i could play without pressure. a year where i didn't worry about shooting clients. i just allowed myself to be. and shoot. and grow.
and now i find myself in this place called tampa. a place where i long for my business to resume. a place i long to connect with. i'm getting there. i am...
when i look at this photo, i can't wait to get back out there and explore these incredible tampa beaches with my camera. this journey has only just begun. and that in itself is something magical to embrace.
and this photo will forever remind me that things will be okay here in tampa.
just as this photo will forever hold a special place in my heart, from our time in kansas.
different, yet the same. i am truly blessed to be able to move around and experience these awesome, different places with my family. each is unique. each is special.
you know how you feel that you're just meant to do something? well that's how i feel about shooting polaroid. i'm not sure i can explain it. but it nags at me. to keep going. to keep shooting. to keep investing. of course, i struggle with my brain and waiver at times but ultimately, i'm always brought back to this darn polaroid camera.
but it's not easy. nor reliable (especially if you purchase 600 film off ebay, which i don't recommend). and it's expensive. and that can be frustrating.
i'm trying to figure out a way to incorporate polaroid into my client session because i think they're magical. and therefore, i think i should. i have some definite ideas.
here's a few shots from yesterday that have now become up there with my all time fav photographs.
yes, i believe it's meant to be. and well...that's good enough for me.
and of course, i have the 'remember who you are' polaroid, which i will forever treasure. and is now hanging as a framed 20x20 print right above my desk. maybe i'll enlarge and frame a few others and have a wall of polaroids.
celebrate your success and stand strong when adversity hits, for when the storm clouds come in, the eagles soar while the small birds take cover.- author unknown
so we had this great idea today, to head to the beach...as a family. we hadn't done that yet here in florida. so we packed up the car and drove 40 minutes to this great beach. and there in the distance, we saw the storm clouds. what we didn't know is how fast the darn thing was moving. all of a sudden i hear...
i feel sprinkles. momma, i really feel sprinkles.
and poof. just like that, we were being poured on! steve was gathering up the kite. i was screaming for the kids to grab something and go. of course, there was quite a walk from the beach to the car. hands were full and we were moving as fast as we could.
so we went to the beach. for about 20 minutes. and drove home soaked for the next 40 minutes -- a family outing to remember, for sure. :-)
p.s. i have plans with this beach. can't wait to go back. all shot with lensbaby. no time to change my lens...or really get my kids to cooperate.
...have i been up to lately? oh nothing much. just... traveling from kansas to florida photographing a wedding celebration in WV (more on that soon) sharing meeting lots of new friends settling into a temp condo registering the kids in summer activities, schools, gymnastics, etc. transferring my business getting ready to head back to san diego this friday for a workshop and client sessions and... buying. a. fabulous. mini. castle.
ok, it's not really a mini castle, but it's what i've told the kids. and i think they might just believe it...i mean really, it has a pool. :-) how could it not be a castle in their minds, even if they have to share a bedroom. contract is officially signed and our move in date is scheduled for august 19th.
so. can't. wait. to. be. settled.
also -- i wanted to thank you for hanging in there with me, through this transition!!
sharing a few recent photos. special times with very special friends...
