Fire on the Mountain

I am intoxicated with the fall leaves. Today I spent a good two hours framing close to 300 shots of the brilliant, eye popping color. I did some pretty crazy bushwhacking to get some of these pictures but it was worth it. Don't you think?

 

 

 

Want to hear my tender mercy of the day? Earlier this morning I bought a NICE memory card, on sale for $24.99, (usually $89.99). I was so excited to use it. After snapping a few pictures on my old card my camera displayed the message: "CARD FULL." I reached into my pocket to retrieve the new one but sadly it was -EMPTY- My heart sank. I was standing in a gorgeous canyon during the "golden hour" before sunset and that card was nowhere to be found. I had just hiked up and down a long steep hillside loaded with grass and bushes so I was feeling pretty doubtful I'd be able to find it. I decided to say a little prayer anyway and asked Heavenly Father if he would be willing to help me. Well, guess what happened? Just as I got back to my car I looked down and there was a little blue card sticking up out of the dirt. Sweet huh? I was so glad not to have to hike back up and down the mountain searching for it.

Old Fashioned Quilt Renovation

This is a picture of my Grandmother; Alice. She died when I was four so I don't have many memories of her but the two distinct memories I can recall still invoke happiness in me. My first memory is bouncing on a mini trampoline in her living room as she sang: "Goldilocks, goldilocks..." my crazy blonde curly hair flying all over the place as she sang. The second is running through the grass in her front yard while she watched, smiling, from an old fashioned lawn chair. She was a kind, peaceful, hard working, woman. Someone that made everything from scratch. Someone I hope to emulate in many ways.

Recently I inherited a small corner of an old tattered quilt that she made most likely during the 1930's. I fell in love with the cheerful fabrics and carefully pieced design. Her tiny quilting stitches, barely noticeable, speak of a bygone era. This is one of those rare gems, my own little old fashioned piece of history. I wanted to display it somehow but was a little unsure what to do with it since so many of the pieces were terribly damaged. It felt wrong to throw it out, or hide it in a box somewhere, so I got creative. Here are a couple of before pictures. If you look carefully, you can see where it was torn:

And this is what I came up with after:

This was such a fun project and it also tied me closer to my Grandma Alice. I felt a few stitches of our souls meld together as I stitched away next to my lamp right before bed. I'm excited to have such a cheerful, tangible reminder of her creative craft and all that she stood for displayed in my home.

New Eyes

Photography has given me new eyes. When I have a camera in hand I find myself noticing shapes, colors, textures that generally I am blind to. Sometimes when I go for a "walk" images start to pop out of the background and scream "Look at me! I've got a feeling to express. I've got a story to tell. I want to teach you something about the beauty of creation."

Next time you're having a bad week go for a little hike in the woods, or a walk in the city, stop somewhere, and start discovering the details.

It will change your mood. I guarantee it.

Photography 101

Yesterday I took a beginning SLR class from Portrait Genius, Justin Hackworth. I was so stinkin' excited to be chosen as one of the lucky five "trial learners" to give feedback on his course.

Here are a few of the other class members learning about light settings:

Taking a class from J.H. is FUN and informative!

3 hours flew by in a flash.

I learned how to use several functions on my camera that I've always ignored because I didn't understand how they could work to my advantage.

Then we were free to apply our new skills in his studio--which is perfectly simple and full of exquisite natural light.

The models were beautiful and interesting.

Every single one

Just like you, and just like me. Which is why I love photography so much.

For more information about Justin Hackworth and his upcoming classes check out his blog here: http://justinhackworth.com/blog.

Family Pictures

My Brother's family asked me if I would take some family pictures for them yesterday. We had such a blast! I'm convinced that photographer's have the best job in the world. I am definitely an amateur but I think a few of these turned out pretty good. Though I must say; trying to get a 2 year old and five Canadian Geese to cooperate all at the same time is no small feat!

Living Aware

Last week a woman I'd met only a few times passed away, and though I never had the chance to know her well, those few moments in time have changed me in ways I will never forget. I remember sitting out in a park with her, and her sister, laughing and talking on a nice Summer day. I can remember the coolness of the grass, the softly tinted light of the fading sun and most of all I remember the quiet goodness this woman exuded. She was a woman of strength and she had this presence that reached out and snagged my heart from the very first moment I met her. She was not false or pretentious in any way and I remember just feeling comfortable sitting there with her, and her sister, and a friend; connected by the power of our laughter.

It is interesting for me to see how many lives I love have been touched by her simple yet profound elegance. I have been thinking a lot recently about how interconnected we really are, how much we really do need each other. I thrive on the gifts others have to offer and they in turn are fed by mine.

Yesterday I had a card to deliver and rather than make the 10 minute drive I turned it into a 30 minute walk. As I walked along I thought about life and all of its wonder. Sometimes I forget how truly incredible it is to be alive. I thought about the power I have to walk and run as I felt my muscles working together, exerting their strength. For a moment I tried to take in every sensory detail set before me; the gentle stirring of the wind on my skin, The little pockets of sunlight offering warmth in contrast to the pink coolness of my cheeks, the curiosity of a horse with brown and white speckled spots that came to greet me at a nearby gate. There was color everywhere! I marveled at the dandelions and how they live and die and change into a puff of seeds that divide and blow in a hundred different directions. And I thought about this woman, Briana, whose life and influence will do the same. I wondered about the passion she poured into her life's work and whether she was a little reluctant to leave it behind.

And then I thought about my own life and whether I am living it fully enough. Sometimes I forget this life is an experience to be delved into and not just endured. Something stirred within me last evening, a feeling both beautiful and good. Thank you Briana Blackwelder, I hope we get the chance to laugh together in another time and place. Perhaps then we can become true friends.

Storm Clouds