currently, february edition

unthawing from the Polar Vortex and 14 inches of snow we got last week.

marveling over morning sunlight glinting off icicles.

drinking coffee, as always.

still watching Grey's Anatomy. I'm on Season 15!

knitting a baby blanket for my best friend.

scheduling maternity and newborn photos for all my pregnant friends.

reading You Are a Badass by Jen Sicero.

working on more features for my Wedding Vendor series on my website.

announcing the winner of a free session giveaway over on my Facebook Page!

wishing you all a happy Monday.

flowers in black and white

Flowers. I've been thinking about them a lot lately, because tomorrow is Valentine's Day, and I did a florist feature on my website this week. I went through the archives and found some bouquet photos from weddings I shot last year. They were all beautiful, because flowers are always beautiful no matter what. But something about making the photos black and white appealed to me. In black and white, it becomes more about the shapes and the texture of the flowers than the color. Everything becomes chiaroscuro and blends smoothly into light and shadow, flowing from one petal to the next. It makes me want to go back to my art school days and get my hands dirty with charcoal again, sketching and blending trying to get the light just right. It's magic, whatever it is, and it feels just right.

magic is something you make

I posted on Instagram last week about finding magic where you least expect it. It's hard when everything feels like it's pulling you every which way and you don't know which way is up anymore. I challenged my audience to go outside and PLAY in the snow, so of course I had to do the same. I bundled up, pulled on my boots, and ventured outside to take pictures in the snow. I found the magic. Spinning around, making footprints in freshly fallen snow, dancing and trying not to fall over. It all brought me back to the root of it. We have to look for our own magic. It will not appear out of thin air. Magic is something you make. I thank Mother Nature and the snow for this revelation.

it’s a good day for an adventure

Today was a reminder to take more adventures. I went to Goodwill to get Justin new pants and came home with all of this wonderful stuff too. I’m going to be wearing these slippers til March, and probably spending the rest of winter playing with paint again. Once the battery charger comes for that camera, I’m gonna see if that helps me to take more everyday life photos. This thrift haul was a little bit of magic in the middle of this bleak, ice-covered week we’ve been having. It was exactly what I needed.