we don't stop laughing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop laughing. [michael prichard]
i think there is nothing better than a great laugh. and to be honest, i wish i had a better sense of humor, was funnier and laughed more than i do. don't ever ask me to tell a joke because it would be rather painful. maybe that's why i'm so drawn to capturing a true, honest great laugh so much -- which is often a tough thing to do for someone who is not funny.
inevitably, we WILL grow old, but may we never stop laughing as we do...
a few months ago, i had the awesome opportunity to photograph for babiekins magazine. i had such a blast coming up with the shoot concepts and the girls were amazing to work with. they were such troopers too -- as it was so cold AND windy on the day of the shoot.
it pained me not to share the photos right after i edited them, but that's the agreement -- no sharing until the issue is released. so i patiently waited...and waited!
so without further ado, here's a few of my favorites...
a super special thanks to all the models and their parents. along with andie sleeman [for makeup] and darlina contto [for hair].
the entire spring issue can be viewed here [my spread starts on page 262].
and a few behind-the-scenes photos that one of the model's parents shared with me...
live with intention. walk to the edge. listen hard. practice wellness. play with abandon. laugh. choose with no regret. appreciate your friends. continue to learn. do what you love. live as if this is all there is. [mary anne radmacher]
in a weird, quiet place at the moment. reading and embracing the thoughts above.
where are you?
what are you doing?
do you know what you want?
are you listening?
pay attention.
stay focused.
stop looking at your phone and computer.
turn them off.
put them away.
be here.
now.
in the present.
be with who you're with.
talk with them.
live with them.
take some time.
think.
do you understand who you are?
what you were called to do?
pause.
take it all in.
what is your community?
who is your community?
what does local mean to you?
do you have a presence?
if you left your community, would you leave a mark?
lead in the place you're called to.
don't worry about the past.
the future will come later.
it's all about now.
here.
go all in.
be rooted.
when you're home, be home.
focus.
look at the big picture.
be present.
- adapted from a 'catalyst' mailer
i received the above quote in an email the other day, from hands & voices, a non-profit deaf | hard-of-hearing organization. and it basically stopped me in my tracks. i read it. and re-read it. and read it again. and it's had me thinking ever since. i long to be present -- i mean REALLY present -- in my life, in the lives of those i love and care about, and in all that i do. i think being truly present is such a gift. and something i will be vigorously striving for in 2012.
every christmas break, we head to oma and opa's in nevada. they live in an awesome house in carson city, amongst the beauty of the sierra nevadas. we're always hopeful for a white christmas. this year was anything but. when we arrived, it was freezing, hitting the single digits at night. by the time we left, they were having record-breaking temperatures in the 60's. and i think they also made a new no-snow record. but, we had such an awesome time there as we always do.
so here's a bit more of what our 10 days, with family in nevada, looks like...
seeing lots of deer.
tons of tree climbing.
sometimes sky climbed too high and needed her uncle's help getting down.
i can't get enough of sky's dirty rolled up pants.
the older cousins, having some time away together.
meeting and playing with new friends. ryder's the only boy cousin, so it's nice that he got to meet a couple boys, from the neighborhood.
the hill, where they spend hours playing.
quite the duo.
the life of the party.
going on a hike.
it took linus a few days to recover from the hike, but i think he had fun.
someone turned seevn and had a bowling birthday party. we had a blast and definitely plan on bowling as a family more often.
we celebrated his birthday (on his birthday) at home too.
siblings (minus wendy and thomas, who couldn't make it this year).
all of us. i promise oma a group photo every year.
i love that my kids have this time at oma and opa's every year -- time to run, play, explore, climb, hike, camp. and i love it that they're now old enough to spend a few weeks there in the summer too. so many joyful memories being made.
i'm a bit short on words with this post because we just returned from our nevada vacation. we arrived home on the 31st, picked up charley and headed right back out -- to our friend's house for a new year's eve celebration together. we spent the night, returning to our house yesterday afternoon. then it was unpacking, grocery shopping, working on the yard, mail opening, uploading and editing photos, etc. so much to do but i'm ready for things to get back to normal. i'm also ready to get my butt back into shape (ugh!).
so...
here’s a bit of what 10 days, with family in nevada, looks like...
putting the finishing touches on oma and opa's really tall christmas tree, with the help of uncle joe.
opa sharing photo memories on the laptop, from last summer's visit (all the cousins stayed at oma and opa's together, for three weeks).
dogs, dogs and more dogs. my kids so love them.
there's also lots of games. uncle dan helping ryder with the polar bear puzzle.
ryder and daddy playing battleship together.
and cousins working on the 1000-piece puzzle.
skyler decided she wanted to climb the house's rock wall.
and then the other rock wall.
and finally the rock walls in one of the casinos in reno.
along with walking a tight rope.
ryder played lots of soccer with his uncles.
and with the dogs. sometimes we had to put izzy back in the house because she would actually stop the ball.
skyler finding a new way to sit on the kitchen chairs.
the cousins (minus one) -- ages 7, 8, 8, 9, 10 and 14. kiele spent most of the vacation at her dad's in CA; she joined us on the 28th.
having fun with tires.
our elf found a new friend mixed in with oma's christmas ornaments. even though oma's elf wasn't "real", sky sat him with our elf, joy.
always so much food at oma and opa's. there's something sitting out at all times of the day. and lots of eating, i did.
oma reading the littles 'twas the night before christmas' right before bed, christmas eve.
more tomorrow. :-))
there’s a group of 12 of us participating in this what ____ looks like monthly project. i hope you’ll check them all out [clicking link to link]. next up… stephanie moore | tucson senior photographer.
wishing you a wonderful christmas holiday and a safe, happy, healthy and exciting new year!!
and how amazing is this christmas painting of my three kids. done by my dear friend -- the uber-talented erin darcy. i will treasure it forever!! you can see and purchase her paintings and prints HERE.
sharing some favorites of my kids from this past year. my goal was to narrow it down to 20 images; however, i didn't quite make it. 28 images | 35 photographs...
one of the best changes i made with my photography in 2011 was to take more everyday photos of my kids. i plan on doing even better in 2012.
so fun to see my lensbaby interview reposted on the lensbaby blog yesterday. not sure if i ever shared the interview here...
i get asked a lot of questions regarding shooting with a lensbaby (i've actually received five emails over the past couple days). most often, it's inquiring about my favorite lensbaby products or which products i'd recommend. so i thought i'd share a bit about that here (lensbaby makes for a great christmas gift).
first, you need a lens. i have both the composer and composer pro lenses. the composer pro is definitely more solid / sturdy feeling. and for a $50 difference, i'd go with the pro.
then you need an optic (or two or three...). i started using a lensbaby years ago, with the double glass optic. some are discouraged by the fact that with the double glass optic, you have to internally swap aperture rings. however, honestly...i rarely swap the ring. most of the time i'm shooting with with the f/4 ring in.
not long ago, lensbaby released the sweet 35 optic, which is awesome because you can adjust the aperture on the outside [versus having to insert a new aperture ring in the optic]. the sweet 35 is an awesome optic; however, for me personally, i've become so used to my double glass optic (some habits are hard to break) and i seem to be more of a 50mm shooter than a 35mm shooter. so i still seem to default much of the time to using the double glass optic.
i have almost all the optics and wish i could share more thoughts on the other optics but i haven't shot with any others -- YET!! it's definitely one of my 2012 goals; experimenting and playing with the other lensbaby optics. anyone want to model for me?
here's a few of my favorite lensbaby photos shot in 2011...
and i'm so honored to have this shot grace lensbaby's sweet 35 optic box.
the above is not my photo. i wish it was. i actually wish it was a photo of me with one of my babies. but it's not; it is a photo taken by my dear friend, steph [lifeography]. she facebooked the photo today, with the title -- do you remember holding your babies this way?
the sad thing is...i don't remember. well i do remember if i try really, really hard, but i want more. i want the photos, to remind me. i want the photos, to take me back to that magical place that i'll never physically go to again. sadly, i don't have that many photos from when sky and ryder were babies. especially photos that included me with them.
and sadly, i have NO video of my children or family. and THAT pains me so deeply. one of my goals for 2012 is to learn video AND to have my own family captured on video. i'm determined to capture my children more on video, even if it's iphone video. the absolute best camera is the one you have with you, right?!!
another crazy month. come and gone. i'm not really sure where it even went. but thank goodness i have some pictures to remind me.
here’s a bit of what november in tampa, florida looks like [kind of crazy to still be catching butterflies, swimming, wearing shuts and running around barefoot]…
finding and holding a butterfly, in our front yard.
ALWAYS dirty, dirty feet. kids play outside barefoot every day.
one of skyler's gifts to me. they usually end up on my inspiration board. that's where she likes them.
yep, this is how i found them one day.
the barn nursery. sky loved holding the piglet until the barn dog became interested. then she got too nervous.
we so love seeing the new additions. these were the new ducks, who are now pretty big. last time we were there, they were in the geese pen and the geese were crazy protective over them [and loud]. we're waiting on baby bunnies to be born. any day now.
more new barn friends. with each visit, we always seem to find new friends.
the deer were so timid when the barn first got them and now they love to be pet.
this guy scares me. i finally was able to take a picture of him, but not without hissing at us.
sometimes i like to explore the other areas of the barn with the kids. sometimes they don't.
the only place ryder wanted to take flat stanley was...under water.
location scouting for my editorial shoots.
playing on a tire swing. sky was doing all kinds of tricks. she's pretty fearless.
sky also seems to sit on the couch every way except how she's supposed to.
ummm...homework and TV.
there’s a group of 12 of us participating in this what ____ looks like monthly project. i hope you’ll check them all out [clicking link to link]. next up... stephanie moore | tucson senior photographer.
i'm super excited to share that leah and i are holding our fourth WALLFLOWER FRIENDS RETREAT at seal cove inn, moss beach, california [right outside half moon bay and about 40 minutes from san francisco]. the 2-1/2 day retreat will be held APRIL 27th - 29th and we have the entire inn reserved for our retreat. limited to 14 photographers.
all the details and registration information can be found here. and you can see what some of the previous guests had to say about the retreat here.
i got an email from max's dad today, sharing how interconnected things can sometimes be.
both max and kirsten battled cancer in san diego. i photographed both max and kirsten multiple times throughout their battle. max's doctor now works with Tgen (via the van andel research institute). and both families are incredible supporters of the cancer research taking place at Tgen.
it's such an honor for these families to be able to use these photos that i took of max and kirsten on websites, magazines, news publications, etc., in an effort to raise awareness and encourage others to give, with the hope that one day -- someday -- a cure WILL be found!
now, i can't wait to connect these two amazing families with one other.
max's dad also shared this video with me -- pat lacey talks about his son, will, a seven-year-old boy, who has been battling neuroblastoma since he was six months old.
i'm hoping that one of these days, i will be able to get to boston to photograph will and his family. we've been talking about it for years!
let's be honest...
i had a rough couple of weeks. beyond my husband being gone, a bathroom renovation that is going anything but smoothly, and a re-roofing that left me saying "i really just hate that" [although they are fixing it]...my photography journey had me in tears [more times than once].
wondering...
where i'm at.
where i'm going.
just trying to make sense of it all.
of anything really.
but it's like trying to make sense of things in the midst of a tornado. the eye -- the center of the storm -- is there. you know it. but you can't get there. you can't even see it. you can't get to that bit of clarity...that bit that makes sense. it's all just swirling. that's how things have been and felt lately.
but today, my friend sent this to me, prefaced by...
saw this today and thought about you.
don't dilute your inner voice by soliciting the opinions of others, heeding them over its counsel. why ask mere mortals for advice when you're guided by sacred wisdom? treasure your sixth sense. treat it like gold. wear it close to your heart, and don't allow anyone to rob you of its power.
-sonia choquette
can't even begin to share how much this quote speaks to me. so much about this photography journey is trusting yourself. allowing yourself to just be. and learn. and grow. but trusting, and listening to that inner wisdom, along the way. and not being influenced by the craziness that surrounds you. and well, there's a lot of craziness going on in this industry right now.
with that being said, another wise, inspirational friend emailed me last week and shared how i need to just be patient. there's so much i still don't know. i'm still not educated on. instead of focusing on what isn't happening at this moment, i need to embrace and be grateful for what IS happening. words of wisdom from someone who has been there and done that.
as a former active duty air force nurse and now being married to a naval explosive ordnance disposal officer, i couldn't be more proud to celebrate veterans day and honor those who have served our nation in war...and peace.
do you know how and when veterans day was first declared?
On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, was declared between the Allied nations and Germany in the First World War, then known as "the Great War." Commemorated as Armistice Day beginning the following year, November 11th became a legal federal holiday in the United States in 1938. In the aftermath of World War II and the Korean War, Armistice Day became Veterans Day, a holiday dedicated to American veterans of all wars.
[history.com]
++
the other day, i drove around the corner, to look at the monster house they're building right behind my house. a couple doors down, i noticed a large sign with an american flag and a marine corp flag on each corner of the sign. i said to my mother-in-law,
that's interesting. i've never seen flags of support like that on a home depot work sign before.
and then we got closer and i read the sign...
Tampa Bay Community Supporting
Cpl Michael Nicholson USMC
Giving our best for the best our
Nation has to give!
Send Donations to:
Michael Nicholson Road to Recovery
c/o Alley, Clark and Greivwe, PA
PO Box 3127
Tampa, FL 33601
as soon as i got back home, i began to investigate and learned that on july 6th, cpl nicholson [22-years-old] was on foot patrol in afghanistan and was attacked by a hidden improvised explosive device [IED], tragically losing both his legs and one of his arms. i continued to his michael nicholson fund facebook page and found this article about the endless search for IEDs in afghanistan. i also learned that the young man in the 11th photo down, cpl justin crabbe, who is from the same unit, also lost both of his legs due to an IED explosion in afghanistan.
on october 13th, corporal nicholson walked for the first time since july...
corporal nicholson is an american hero. a wounded warrior. a brave, young man, who has sacrificed beyond words. i can't imagine his pain. his suffering. i honor him -- his determination, strength, dedication...his courage. corporal nicholson is a true inspiration for us all.
if you would like to donate to corporal nicholson's road to recovery fund, here is the info:
The “Michael Nicholson Road to Recovery Fund” is set up and administered by Alley, Clark and Greiwe, PA in Tampa. 100% of the donations will go toward Nicholson's care, specifically on items not covered by the Veterans Administration. The fund is set up at the Bank of Tampa. Donations can be sent c/o Alley, Clark and Greiwe, PA P.O. Box 3127 Tampa FL 33601. Please only donate directly to them or Bank of Tampa and please make sure checks are made out to "Michael Nicholson Road to Recovery Fund"
muse.the goddess or the power regarded as inspiring a poet, artist, thinker or the like.
a goddess that inspires a creative artist.
a source of inspiration.
skyler is and always has been my muse. she inspires me more than any other. she's put up with my growth and frustrations in photography. she's allowed me to test new ideas and techniques. most of the time, she just does her thing and i excitedly shoot. we understand one another that way. but, i hope she knows how much i truly appreciate her and all she does and gives to me...each and every time. i can't imagine a better muse in my life but i guess that's what a muse is all about. i can't imagine my photography without her. ever.
needless to say, i have SO MANY photos of sky. i was grabbing some of my favorites of favorites, to share, and there were still so many that i decided to have a muse part I and II. most of these have come and gone, from my website portfolio. a few have stayed strong. i hope you enjoy part I [2006, when i first picked up a camera, till 2008]...
goodness, i love this child so much. so much my opposite. so much my same. so much completes me. and i can't wait to continue to grow WITH her.
october was a tad bit really crazy. it brought my 42nd birthday, new plumbing for our whole house, the complete demo of a bathroom, the start of the bathroom renovation and a husband leaving for three weeks to afghanistan.
in celebrating the chaos, here's a bit of what our everyday amongst the chaos looks like...
kid mess. not related to renovation mess.
"tribal markings", courtesy of kiele. notice the little chest hairs. he had armpit hair too.
ryder's new trick, which he won't stop doing.
charley love.
always asking to help with chores. well not always, but a lot of times.
location scouting.
playing on the front yard swing.
meeting more new friends on the farm, during kiele's riding lessons.
star tattoos and giggles.
half of the time, i find her upside down somewhere.
and some iphone [instagram] photos from this month...
where you'll find the little ones and i, every tuesday and thursday. where's skyler and ryder?
a few of my birthday surprises. can't even begin to tell you how much i love the art my kids create for me [thank you kim!!].
in the middle of the bathroom demo.
skyler: "hey mom, this looks like your hair".
i just love her knees. even more when they're dirty.
and here's to november and celebrating all that's to come.
there's a group of 12 of us participating in this monthly project. i hope you'll check them all out [clicking link to link]. next up is the awesome stephanie moore | tucson senior photographer.
during family shoots, i always ask encourage the parents to allow me to photograph just the two of them [without their kids] for a bit. many times, i take one...or two photos [if i'm lucky] of the parents...and then they say, that's enough. i respect their wishes and never get too pushy, but i personally think it's an important aspect of a family session -- photos of the family together, siblings together, kids by themselves and parents by themselves.
last week, the joseph family was game for anything and they just happen to make photographing the two of them way too easy for me. so i kept shooting -- just the two of them. ryan is an awesome photographer here in town and shared with me that they never had family photos done together. sigh...i'm so incredibly happy i could capture these memories for them.
