Monday, February 16, 2015

Palm Desert Lifestyle Photographer~ And Then We Snapped- 365 Blog Circle- 2015 Week 7


Each week I join the most fabulous group of ladies in a blog circle called 
And Then We Snapped.
These ladies have inspired me, encouraged me, supported me and held me accountable.
Without them, my first 365 project would not have gotten finished,
and the second would not have started.
Cheers to these ladies and cheers to you as well 
if you keep the blog circle going this week by visiting each of these ladies!


Without further ado, welcome to my week.


As I had mentioned last week, some of my shots are a bit out of the ordinary for me, as they are exercises from a class I am taking over at In Beauty and Chaos called

I wasn't sure how much I would get from the class at first, since it's not technical at all.
I am always on the look out for how to improve my shooting skills with better techniques.
This class is aptly titled in that it seeks to improve your photography from the inside out,
at the creative root and heart.
Already in week one I am starting to see how from framing the shot to post processing, I am communicating things about myself subconsciously. I think ultimately the point of the class for me is to recognize it and take it from subconscious to conscious and intentional.

Week 7 
February 8th through 15th, 2015



"Retreat"

That perfect tranquillity of life, which is nowhere to be found but in retreat, 
a faithful friend and a good library.
Aphra Behn



I wish I could do nothing but read. Reading is definitely a happy place of retreat for me.




"Sound"


 The sound of colors is so definite that it would be hard to find anyone who would express bright yellow with base notes, or dark lake with the treble.
Wassily Kandinsky


The quote is not mismatched here, even though it mentions color and this image is black and white. To me, the quacks and splashes sounded more like they did this day
 when they were in black and white.


 "Solo" 
"Life is like playing a violin solo in public and learning the instrument as one goes on."
Samuel Butler


We definitely chose the wrong day to go to the park. It's been a while since we went to this one so we had no idea that this particular day the playground would be closed for repairs. All except these two swings. So we made the best of it. 

A few minutes later, another family showed up in the same predicament. The good things about a closed playground is it gives birth to all manner of ideas for running, tagging, rolling, and climbing of trees. 





"Dirty Money"
"Do you think it's dirty money?-All money is dirty. If it were clean nobody would want it."

Author: Carlos Ruiz Zafón

Only five and already laundering money. I blame the ponies.
Seriously, I never know what I am going to find around the house with this kid. 
Silence is not golden. It is dangerous.



"Horses"

“Employers are like horses — they require management.” 
― P.G. WodehouseCarry on, Jeeves




This is one horse obsessed equestrian.





"Conundrum"

"Dave Sim said in his latest thing of his, 'when you're on the right track, you'll know it, but until you get there, you have to believe you're on the right track'. Interesting little conundrum. it's not easy."
-Eddie Campbell



We were all excited about the new reclining sofa glider was gifted to us.
That is until we got it home and tried to get it in the house.

Epilogue: 
We finally got it in the house after contacting our landlord. 
We had asked for permission and help to take out and put back the sliders. 
He responded by showing us that the back actually comes off the furniture.


"Yawn"
"Yawning is like our bodies way of saying 15% battery left."
Unknown


Princess work is both dirty and tiring.
Be honest, did you just yawn after seeing this?




'Tis not her coldness, father,
That chills my labouring breast;
It's that confounded cucumber
I've ate and can't digest.”

Richard Harris Barham (1788-1845) ‘The Confession


This was the image I chose as my final assignment for the first week of my class.
This assignment had to do with illustrating one of ten truths about myself.
 That truth was that I am cool as a cucumber in the midst of a crisis. 
In defining this, I wasn't necessarily thinking of it as completely positive- just necessary. 
Along with the cool I can be "crunchy". 
The way I stay cool in a crisis is definitely a defense mechanism. 
I just internalize the stress and it comes out later bit by bit. 
When they told me my son had cancer, I didn't cry- at least not in front of my son or anyone else. 
I did it later, in my car, all by myself.
It is a behavior I am sure is part inherited (through environment not genetics) from both of my parents and just life circumstances which did not allow me
to do anything other than keep it together in the midst of super difficult trials. 
As for being "crunchy", that is a characteristic I have had to develop
 to be effective at managing chaos and crisis. It is both a positive and a negative. 
When I describe myself as cool- it's a surface quality more than an internal one. 
My emotions run deep, I am just fairly good at setting them aside in the moment 
while dealing with logistics when other people may be overcome by the emotion. 



I find it amazing how much you can tell about someone from their artistic expressions.



Remember those amazing ladies I mentioned at the beginning?
Well now is the time to go visit them.
Start by heading on over to see the amazing artistic expression of 


Her work is simply stupendous!


That's it for my week!
This next week's class is going to be very in depth and very interesting.
Should make for an equally interesting blog post next week!


Blessings, 
Julie



Monday, February 9, 2015

Palm Desert Lifestyle Photographer~ And Then We Snapped- 365 Blog Circle- 2015 Week 6




Another week has passed by super quickly! 
Tuesdays always seem to sneak up on me!
Actually it is late Monday evening here on the West Coast, 
but most people will be reading this on Tuesday 
when it becomes part of this week's blog circle
And Then We Snapped...
Just a lovely bunch of amazing women 
who share my passion for capturing ordinary everyday moments
in a beautiful and meaningful way.


One of the most horrible things about getting older is how our perception of time changes.
We realize exactly how fleeting it is.
Whole weeks fleeting by in the same way Tuesdays keep sneaking up on me!
A perfect argument for mindfulness.
Being thoughtful in as many moments as you can. 
The only way to slow down the relentless future is to truly be present in the moment.
Photography helps me to do that.


So I present to you another seven images documenting moments
from the week I have just lived.




February 1st thru February 7th, 2015


"Shrug"

Suck it up, shrug it off, and laugh about it. Life isn't about pleasing other people.
 It's about making yourself better.


This has been a trying sort of week. Dealing with personal health issues isn't easy and running into brick walls and eight week waiting periods for an appointment don't help. 
In the meantime, I am choosing to be proactive and try to address the problem at it's root-nutrition.
 It took a few days, but I am already feeling better.  I still need to see a doctor though. 
Feeling better makes waiting a whole lot easier though.




"Breakfast"

"I went to a restaurant that serves 'breakfast at any time'. 
So I ordered French Toast during the Renaissance."
Steven Wright


Though I am making big dietary changes in my own life, 
I am not making everyone in the family follow along. 
That being said, I am trying to sneak in good stuff for them where I can. 




"Slick and splat, girl and cat" 


Stains on the driveway make puddles especially interesting and ominous. 
They are very slippery though.



"Into the Light" 

"Education is the movement from darkness to light."
Allan Bloom


Always moving into the light and away from the darkness, 
though without the reality and presence of darkness, 
the light would blind us just as the darkness does.
Education is very important to me. Though not the kind that is spoon fed to you.
I believe in an education you must carve out and take for yourself.
Self directed learning is far more meaningful and much less likely to be forgotten.




"Ripple"

The impact of a conscious artist is necessary, and it ripples through the world.
Common



She wasn't quite as cooperative as I had hoped i
n trying to get a full body sharp reflection in the puddle.
 Making ripples was a far more pressing priority.



"Morning News"

"I wake up every morning at nine and grab for the morning paper. 
Then I look at the obituary page. If my name is not on it, I get up."

Benjamin Franklin

I was at my desk working on the grocery list and looked over to see this.





"Daydreamer" 

“A daydream is a meal at which images are eaten. Some of us are gourmets, some gourmands, and a good many take their images precooked out of a can and swallow them down whole, 
absent-mindedly and with little relish.” 


I would love to know what she is thinking about in these moments. But I can pretty much guarantee those image meals are comparable with escargot and caviar. 







That's it for my week. 
I have just started a class 
with Lucy Baber over at In Beauty and Chaos, called Creative Insight 
so next week's images 
may a look a little different than you are used to from me.
I am so excited to take it too!
It's my first photography workshop ever! 



If you've made it this far, then surely you know you 
just have to head on over to see the brilliant work of 





Love and Blessings,
Julie

Monday, February 2, 2015

Palm Desert Lifestyle Photographer~ And Then We Snapped- 365 Blog Circle- 2015 Week 4 & 5





I really hate missing weeks in this blog circle. The only good thing that comes of it though are extended posts of oversharing. So if you're a fan of the little girl, you'll enjoy this post because she's all over it. The kittens also make an appearance, as do the camera shy menfolk in my family.
For the sake of expediency, I am going to sum up, rather than explain. Generally each image has a quote and a little story. My current story is making  that a little difficult though. I am dealing with some personal health issues. I am still shooting, but I am cutting corners pretty much everywhere else until I get some energy back. 
There are more than two weeks worth of daily images even though several are shots on the same days. It's okay to do that. It is still a representation of the weeks. We stayed home, went places, stayed inside, went outside, did regular things, and a seldom allowed thing or two.

Without further ado, I invite you to witness my 2015 365 project, weeks 4 and 5.

























If you've made it this far, I implore you to head on over to see the brilliant work of 

You will not be disappointed!