As this year is winding down to a close, I find my activity level winding up faster and faster.
I still shoot almost daily, but getting everything edited and into a blog post is becoming more and more challenging. I am anxious to close this year up and start fresh. I have lots of changes planned in the upcoming year. Both for my blog/website and for my photography focus.
So I will offer up what I have finished in the past weeks, as more highlight than documentation.
Feel free to stay a while and meander around. When you are done, be sure to keep the circle going and head on over to see the amazing work of
These next three shots were from Thanksgiving Day at my mother in law's house. She has these great windows and an amazing view in her front yard. The light was just too irresistible to not get the big camera out. Almost as irresistible as the pies.
These next two shots are from a client session. I've known this senior and her mom since she was in eight grade. It was an honor to shoot her sweet sixteen and now her senior pictures. These two shots however, were for me. They were shots I wanted to take and used the session as an excuse to experiment. I'd consider the experiments successful,
We haven't been eating out much these days, and I have had my camera out and about with me even less, but this day I just happened to have it. The light in this particular Panda Express was and extra treat on top of the fortune cookies.
When I deliberately stop and take account of all the blessings in my life that I am grateful for, I am utterly overwhelmed and doubly blessed-
first by the blessing itself
and second by the realization of it.
It was my intention to spend the last 30 days of the year documenting them visually.
Of course this whole year has really been about that too,
so though I may have slacked on the daily images of gratitude,
I seriously live with an attitude of gratitude every day of my life.
God has brought me through far too much not to see behind me with 20/20 vision just exactly how He was there all along and preparing me for the next stop on the journey.
Just an iPhone shot, but I could not fail to document this
gorgeous view in my mother in law's front yard.
I was able to treat myself to a little bit of new gear this month.
This shot was taken utilizing a macro filter.
Perhaps a macro lens may be in my future, but for now, I think this shot is nothing to sneeze at.
The hubs and his new band were able to play a fairly large venue at a local festival.
It was a perfect opportunity for me to get some good performance shots of the band.
Performance shots are fairly boring to me, so in addition to those I got creative.
Shooting with an almost five year old in tow has it's own unique set of challenges, especially when there are carnival ride nearby that you don't get to go on until the band is done playing.
She waited patiently (mostly) and we were both rewarded.
I am far from a girly girl. I do not like jewelry,
flowers seem wasteful, and I am hopeless with hairstyles.
Though my oldest child is a girl too, being the mom of boys for so many years served me pretty well. This girl though, she likes the girl stuff and this mom is just going to have to deal with it.
So this is the first time I ever painted her nails, even though she is almost five.
It was so sweet to see her keep her hands and feet safe while her nails dried
and then admired the color sparkles for the rest of the day.
She drew and colored the crown all by herself and her daddy helped her cut it out.
Her other crown broke and she wasn't willing to wait
for a visit to the dollar store to pick up a new one.
I tend to think this one is way prettier anyway.
When I shot these next two images, I knew they might be black and white.
I could see it in my head. But I was also trying for color.
There is something about strong directional light in small amounts
that lends itself so well to a dramatic black and white edit though.
It also might have something to do with the way all my Christmas decorations make me feel.
Ninety percent of all my Christmas decor belonged to my mother.
Most of it bought in after Christmas sales just after the last Christmas she spent here on Earth.
She passed away before she was able to use them.
Though Ember never met my mom, she reminds me of her so much.
This first shot is a bit of an inside story because my mom collected teapots
and she bought this particular ornament for herself,
and now Ember has claimed it as hers.
Not to end on a sad note at all, because I truly do love the season of Christmas.
Though I don't love all the shallowness and hoopla and stress.
I love instead, the hope it represents.
Hope of the eternal and of redemption and most importantly:
of magnificent love.
Be sure to head on over to see the fabulous work of
You will so glad you did. I always am!
Love and Blessings,
Julie
