And Then We Snapped Week 20

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 

Shelley Glimcher | Time to Play Photography 

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   

  Shelley Glimcher | Time to Play Photography 

You will so glad you did. I always am!

Love and Blessings,

Julie

Palm Desert Lifestyle Photographer~ And Then We Snapped- 365 Blog Circle- Week 17

So this is what happened when you have to take a couple of weeks off 

from publishing on time with your awesome circle of amazing photographers, 

but don't stop shooting everyday-

 you end up with a total overload of images 

that you JUST HAVE TO share.

And so here they are, my offering to you 

in a full blaze of 21, no 22 gun glorious salute! 

Images taken between the dates of November 2nd and November 22nd. 

If you make it all the way to the end, be sure to keep going over to see the 

beautiful work of my friend Lori Dozier.

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"heights"

With ideas it is like with dizzy heights you climb: At first they cause you discomfort and you are anxious to get down, distrustful of your own powers; but soon the remoteness of the turmoil of life and the inspiring influence of the altitude calm your blood; your step gets firm and sure and you begin to look - for dizzier heights.

Nikola Tesla

Forever in pursuit of the ultimate swing shot. 

Getting closer, though had to borrow someone else's kid to get it.

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"static"

The only thing I fear more than change is no change. The business of being static makes me nuts.

Twyla Tharp

The face you get when you try to decline being the motor for the whirly thing at the park.

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"goal"

What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.

Henry David Thoreau

Not on any teams yet, but practice never hurts. 

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"arc"

I am strongly of the opinion that chronology is very important. The great arc of time is what children are wired for.

Simon Schama

One day she'll go high enough to get the shot I am after.

This wasn't the day, though considering she is this cute, it really doesn't matter.

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"toss"

Have an anchor so that life doesn't toss you around.

Debby Ryan

Playing ball with Dad who is all prepped for Winter in the So. Cal desert. 

(*see socks and sandals)

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"inquiry"

A subtle thought that is in error may yet give rise to fruitful inquiry that can establish truths of great value.

Isaac Asimov

In other words, you can be looking for one thing in the fridge 

and end up finding something equally as yummy! 

Yes I put the jelly beans in the fridge to get her to stay there long enough to get the shot.

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"flight"

“Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return.” 

― Leonardo da Vinci

She is always very willing to get jumping on the bed shots.



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"dance"

“Let us read, and let us dance; these two amusements will never do any harm to the world.” 
― Voltaire

Or dancing on the bed shots for that matter.



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'hope"

Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.

Desmond Tutu

Up to my old tricks in Photoshop.  Gotta love textures!

Proof that the way an image is processed can entirely change everything about an image.

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"autumn"

There is a harmony in autumn, and a luster in its sky, which through the summer is not heard or seen, as if it could not be, as if it had not been!

Percy Bysshe Shelley

Gah, the light! 

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''brother"

Sometimes being a brother is even better than being a superhero. ~Marc Brown

This was the first day she was willing to try the seated pulley at the museum.

Thankfully big brother was around to help her out.

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"streaming" 

We get sucked into the Internet and streaming information, and it's time to just unplug and look within.

Jonathan Cain

Make time to enjoy the other kinds of streaming.
Our leaves may not turn gorgeous orange and red, but they do diffuse light in a fairly awesome way.



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"leaf"

Let your life lightly dance on the edges of Time like dew on the tip of a leaf.

Rabindranath Tagore

Who doesn't love a leaf as big your head?

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"trimming"

Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.

Abraham Lincoln

This tree has since been trimmed. We are very sad. 

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"books"

Whenever you read a good book, somewhere in the world a door opens to allow in more light.

–Vera Nazarian

Visits to the library are amazing things.



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"library"

“I don't believe in colleges and universities. I believe in libraries because most students don't have any money. When I graduated from high school, it was during the Depression and we had no money. I couldn't go to college, so I went to the library three days a week for 10 years.”

― Ray Bradbury

Especially when your library looks like this.

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"cape"

"I mean, first of all, let me say whichever superhero first came up with the idea of wearing a cape, 

he wasn't really onto anything good. 

The number of times I'm treading on that damn thing

 or I throw a punch and it ends up covering my whole head. It's really not practical."

Christian Bale

Borrowed batman costume for big brother's drama class means

 Momma WILL be taking your picture in it, in pretty light no less.




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"twirl"

“Laugh, even when you feel too sick or too worn out or tired. 
Smile, even when you're trying not to cry and the tears are blurring your vision. 
Sing, even when people stare at you and tell you your voice is crappy. 
Trust, even when your heart begs you not to. 
Twirl, even when your mind makes no sense of what you see. 
Frolick, even when you are made fun of. Kiss, even when others are watching. Sleep, even when you're afraid of what the dreams might bring. 
Run, even when it feels like you can't run any more.
And, always, remember, even when the memories pinch your heart. Because the pain of all your experience is what makes you the person you are now. And without your experience---you are an empty page, a blank notebook, a missing lyric. What makes you brave is your willingness to live through your terrible life and hold your head up high the next day. So don't live life in fear. Because you are stronger now, after all the crap has happened, than you ever were back before it started.” 
― Alysha Speer

Have skirt? Got twirl.

I have lots of plans for this skirt.

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"Unfurl" 
“But for us the road unfurls itself, we don't stop walking, we know there is far to go”
Denise Levertov

Ember unfurled.


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"shiny"

When hope is not pinned wriggling onto a shiny image or expectation, it sometimes floats forth and opens.

Anne Lamott

Not the shot I wanted because of store displays blocking the space, but I'll settle for this.

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"Vast" 

There is something bigger than fact: the underlying spirit, all it stands for, the mood, the vastness, the wildness.

Emily Carr

Her first hike in the desert. It will not be her last. 

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If you made it this far you deserve chocolate. 

Since this is the internet, 

I cannot in fact give you chocolate, 

BUT I can direct you to even more fabulous eye candy at 

the blog of Lori Dozier.

Until next week, love and many blessings to you! 

Julie

Palm Desert Lifestyle Photographer~ And Then We Snapped- 365 Blog Circle- Week 12

Thanks so much for dropping by!

I was not able to join in the circle last week, 

but I did manage to  keep taking images almost every day

Not quite two weeks worth of images, but close enough. 

Be sure to keep the circle going and head on over to see the week of

Mel Karlberg Photography

The day we found the perfect spot for silhouettes.

Eye protection is important.

This table is in constant metamorphosis- from playtime, to work time to dinner time. 

A return visit. It helps that twenty feet to the right is an awesome playground.

The boys and I like green apples. She only likes red. Regardless they will be washed and ready.

Waited until the last few minutes, just to get these awesome colors.

When you ask a photographer to babysit...

The day you got your first pair of glasses- not that you'll wear them the way you are supposed to.

Clouds, sunsets, and silhouettes are a perfect combination.

Another night, another silhouette.

One of the feral cats that hang around our house waiting for food.

We get to feed them, but we don't get to pet them or anything. It doesn't stop her from trying though.





If you've made it this far, make sure to keep the circle going and head over to check the awesome and uber-talented Mel of
 Mel Karlberg Photography!



Until next week....