sept fifteen

50mm     ISO320     f/2.5     1/400     5:41PM(Eastern)     9/15/17

Guys.  I haven't seen her smile like that before.  That's Brittany overflowing with joy because she gets to marry her gentle giant tomorrow. <3 nbsp="" p="">
(North Carolina sunsets are magic)

sept fourteen

50mm     ISO1250     f/1.8     1/160     8:09PM(Eastern)     9/14/17

Tequilah survived the 15 hour drive to North Carolina and loves the AirBnB.

Peace out.

sept thirteen

50mm     ISO320     f/2.2    1/1250      6:31PM     9/13/17

Caught some fairies in the evening glow.

Actually they're the really bad kind of fairies called mosquitos, but they sure are pretty that far away instead of all over my neck. :)

sept twelve

50mm    ISO500     f/2.8     1/200     9:02PM     9/12/17

This is my sweet Dad.  His whole summer has been working to support our family during the day and working in the shop at night to make this bed for he and my Mom.  He's designed the whole thing and is just finishing the last drawer tonight.  Sometimes engineers get laughed at for not being "creative," but I think it's just a different kind of creativity.  He is precise, yes, but he's also added so many little details and flourishes.  He routinely says, "happiness is a perfectly cut dovetail."  I so admire his creativity and skill in the workshop and love all the hours I've spent learning from him there.  I'm so proud of my Papa!

sept eleven

50mm     ISO1250     f/2.8     1/160      6:42PM     9/11/17

She's 12 going on 13 and doing her own research for a volcano project.  And was in pajamas basically all day.  Yup, she's homeschooled alright. :)  It's kinda crazy to think that she still has 10 years before she's my age, but she's only got 2 inches to go my height.  She's growing up fast and has begun baking recently (thank you British Baking Show for influencing out waistlines).

Because I haven't been shooting much we don't have any pictures from this era of life except her myriad selfies on all of out phones.  That makes me sad.  She's growing up before my very eyes, and I want that to be in front of my lens at least a little.

#shootforfamily

sept ten

50mm     ISO4000     f/2.8     1/160     11:49PM     9/10/17

I don't know what it is.  But being away from home for any length of time or being busy enough that only sleeping hours are spent at home creates a vacuum in my heart.  I think it was the same for my Mom.  I grew up with her saying she had to "commune with the house," or "have a home day," or "center herself" (i.e. clean the house top to bottom).

Well, I think there's something like that in my soul too.  If I'm grumpy there could be a couple causes that make no sense except that they're part of a repeating pattern.  Is Jo grumpy?  If no: Wow! That's wonderful.  And maybe she really is. . .she's just hiding it.  If yes: has she eaten?  Has she washed her hair recently?  Has she done something creative/artsy recently?  Has she journaled?  Is her space neat?  Has she sat alone or virtually alone with no requirement to speak or react recently?

These are "centering" things.  My INJF heart craves them sometimes and if I haven't had them it makes me want to be a fly on the wall, not an active participant in life.  If forced to participate (or if I force myself to participate. . .) I shall probably be grumpy.

Today the house was calling and the answer was to clean all the dishes.  My space wasn't neat and it was making my heart not so neat either.  Next will be lying in bed and staring at the ceiling in utter silence till I start to hear God.  And maybe tomorrow I'll journal.  The week is starting to look up. ;)

sept nine

50mm     ISO100     f/2.8     1/400     4:17     9/9/17

Congratulations, Seth and Grace Rice!!

#secondshoot

sept eight

50mm     ISO1600     f/2.5     1/80     9:37PM     9/8/17

Calm before the storm.  I think I should add it to my second shooter resume that I bring comics to read after the rehearsal and make the first shooter laugh. :)  Awkward Yeti/Heart & Brain is the bestest.

Tonight was yet another example of "I'm working, I can't take personal photos," until I remembered this was a thing and finally got it out.  Also, photographers aren't in near enough photos.  I love to catch them behind the scenes like they do so well for everyone else. :)

#shootphotographers

sept seven

50mm     ISO1000     f/1.6     1/50     6:34PM     9/7/17

Good old fashioned fun.  And good old fashioned lessons in how to speak nicely to one another.  How to share.  How to be patient.  How to work together.

This particular lego project started as mine, but when someone asked if they could "help" the answer was always yes.  Soon we're all squeezed into one small space trying to recreate a garden and fountain out of legos.  And we're expressing our emotions rather loudly...apparently.  I love how all the bright colors all over the place are like the emotions that children wear on their sleeves.  But somehow we're learning to sort them out and be choosing to be content with our blues or looking at someone else's perspective before being jealous and taking what they have.  We're bringing every thought and emotion captive to Christ and living well -- as he designed us to.

#shootthemessy  #letthembekids

sept six

50mm     ISO800     f/2.8     1/160     8:38PM     9/6/17

Why the picture of the dirty kitchen?  Because I totally forgot about the challenge and was feeling the need for something sweet.  I've been dizzy and sick all day and some shortbread and cinnamon whipped cream was just what the "doctor" ordered.  But honestly, the more I look at this picture the more I like it.  The is my apartment, aka, "The 6."  This is real life.  This is a part of MY life I don't want to forget.  Late nights, random baking adventures, piles of dishes sometimes, and so much heat put off by this old gas stove that the flat mate and I have decided we won't need any heat this winter. :)

#shootforyou

sept five

50mm     ISO1600     f2.8     1/400     5:09PM     9/5/17

Didn't want to shoot anything today.  I was hot and cold and happy and sad and motivated and worn.  But I was 30 minutes early for Taekwondo, so I practiced using my self timer (10 seconds, one shot) and my high turning kick.  Took about 30 shots, but only 3 were timed perfectly enough to catch my foot close or at it's peak.   Keep shooting I guess.  Don't give up.  And don't be afraid to be your own subject?  I struggle with that in particular.  I want to be in photos, but I don't like wanting it...  It's weird.

#justkeepshooting  #bethesubject

sept four

50mm     ISO4000     f2.0     1/80     9:04PM     9/4/17

 In which my boyfriend helps my little sister cream me in Jaipur.  And Timothy is normal.  :)

I had some stressful moments today.  I had some sad moments today.  I also had some amazingly right moments today.  It's important to acknowledge and grow from struggles, but (since I struggle with being a pessimist) I must choose to curate my memories toward those where the glass is half-full, not those where it's half-empty.  When you shoot, you are telling the story and creating the memory.  Shoot even the sad things in a way that brings hope and beauty

#curate

sept three

50mm     ISO250     f2.0     1/1250    5:58PM     9/3/17

 Sundays are rough for taking pictures.  They are "be" days, not "document" days.

So I went out and took some obligatory pictures.

Of flowers.

They were cool, but they didn't hit home (actually they were kinda lame).  They didn't tell a story.

So I brought the camera out at Bible Study (where Kevin and Celia were in town for just the day).

We took a group photo, and then it clicked that all three of my original pseudo-bros were now married (as of 2 months ago) and were all there with their wives!  So we took a group photo.

I was worried about being the annoying girl with the camera.

I didn't want to push things.  But I shot anyway.  Because, you know, the challenge, and, like, failing 3 days in, and wanting to push myself...   So I directed them and then relied on the group of other Bible study fan behind me to provide comic relief.  And I just shot everything.

Now we have amazing snapshots of Danny's sense of humor, and Christen's baby belly, and Celia's laugh, and Kevin's beard. . .This bit of time will never come back again.  It's a different season from when the guys were all around our table eating one-pot and talking theology, and another different season is on the way.  But this here and now is the gift of the present.

It totally beat the flower shot.

Uncomfortable?  #shootanyway  #shootthestory

Our actual shot

sept two

Tilt Shift Lens     ISO100     f/0.0     1/320   5:17PM    9/2/17

So we're walking towards the apple orchard and I let these two newlywed friends of mine walk on ahead.  I was messing with my new tilt-shift and missed the shot when they kissed, so I yelled at them to do it again.  Was it posed?  Yes.  Was it real?  Yes.  When telling a true story it is important to not make people do something they wouldn't normally do -- that's fake.  But it's ok to recreate a moment (when you've got the focus on your new lens almost right. :) )  This has the vibe of that NYC moment when WWII ended:  "The Kiss."  And I like it.  I like it a lot.
#recreatethemoment

sept one

50mm     ISO100     f/2.0     1/2000     4:20PM     9/1/17

[This shot was born in the in-between moments.  None of the pictures I posed really turned out.  Kind of a sucker punch to the ego, but that's why you roll with the punches.  #shootinbetween ]