117/365 Buttons

I spent the morning with a cute 2 year old and the afternoon with my biggest cheerleader. Mom and I had brunch together at an awesome Mediterranean restaurant in the city today. The food was excellent. We were both beyond pleased!

We reached the restaurant about an hour before our reservations, so we decided to pass the time by visiting some of the local shops. We finally just sat on a bench and began to discuss The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. She had seen the movie weeks ago, I had recently rented the DVD. The overall message for mom was that we have to enjoy the time we have and to live without regrets. I'm still thinking about all of the lessons I learned and about the things I enjoyed about the film. Sometimes lessons hit quickly and other times they surface over a period of days.

This dusty miller plant was growing in a pot beside our bench. I pulled out my handy macro and focused on the flowers. Yellow is my favorite color and the light was perfect in this spot.

116/365 Chair

I like to keep fresh flowers in the house. I rotate them out every week, but these have been around for about 3 weeks now and they still look great. The petals have a rich velvet appearance that I love. I wanted a different way to photograph the flowers so I threw them in a chair that I need to use for an upcoming session. I got to test the chair and snap the flowers.

What am I reading now? The Last Lecture. I'm just up to chapter six so I won't share my thoughts just yet. I will say that it's very thought provoking and I'm thoroughly enjoying it.

Lesson: “I take photographs with love, so I try to make them art objects. But I make them for myself first and foremost - that is important.”

--Jaques-Henri Lartique

112/365 Tear

A dear friend of mine will be burying her father next week and another friend buried hers last week. Even though death is a part of the natural order of things, it can still be a difficult part to face. I thought of those friends when I saw this image. It was one of a handful I took today. I had a vase of flowers and I was actually wanting to focus on a flower (and not the bud). I turned the vase and down it splatted. When I picked the flowers up they were all wet--a happy accident. I put them back in the vase and found that I liked this one best of all.

My wish for you:

I wish you bluebirds in the spring, to give your heart a song to sing,
And then a kiss, but more than this, I wish you love.
And if you like lemonade to cool you in some lazy glade,
I wish you health, and more than wealth, I wish you love.

I Wish You Love, Lyrics by Charles L. Trenet

106/365 Maze

I feel like I'm spinning in several directions, but not actually getting anywhere! Things are looking up though and that's a good thing. My office is neater, dinner is cooked, bread is baking, the kidlets had school, I'm crossing things off of the massive TO DO list and I went to the gym! All of that before 5:00 p.m.!

This will not become a flower blog, I simply have not set aside time to really think about what I want to shoot before I pull out my camera. Today was actually the only day I pulled out the camera JUST FOR ME in about 3 days. Even though I shot just for myself today, I still did not give my subject much thought. I just walked to something close and focused on the bud that called out to me in the loudest voice.

Lesson: Life is a journey, enjoy the ride!

105/365 Waiting

One opportunity I expected this month, may not come at all. I'm trying to balance the desire to do what I want with doing what may be best.

Lesson: I'm learning to wait.

102/365 Emerge

Just playing around with one of the images from today.

99/365 Pots

What an interesting day! I parked in front of a row of shops with nothing in mind really. No plans, just being open. As I stepped out of the car, I realized I was in front of an art gallery that had not been in that spot just 3 weeks ago. I wanted to get a closer look at the art, so in I walked. About 30 minutes later I was walking out again after being asked to bring some of my work to be juried by the gallery owner. If he liked it, he would hang it and sell it. Wow!

Now, I don't know what will come of this at all, but I'll step through the door that has been unexpectedly opened. It may well be that the owner decides that he doesn't like any of my work and it will not hang in his gallery! I am expecting a great lesson in this process regardless of his final decision.

Lesson: Only when we are no longer afraid do we begin to live.
--Dorothy Thompson, American journalist

94/365 Bouquet

I had an idea for my picture of the day, but it didn't come out as I planned. I had no plan B this time, but thank goodness for random acts of kindness! This little girl saw me and decided that I needed flowers! She picked them from her yard and brought them over to me. I was instantly thrilled that she thought of me although I am (was) a complete stranger! A smile crept across my face where a scowl had just been. I was feeling particularly grumpy today--probably due to a lack of quality sleep! At any rate, I wrapped the raffia around the bouquet and asked her to hold the wonderful flowers for me. Since I didn't know her and could not have her sign a model release I did not include her face. The colors of her clothing make a wonderful backdrop for her gift.

This image serves as a reminder to me to practice random acts of kindness everyday, starting in my own home.

Lesson: You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

61 and 62/365

62 Me (2)


It's been a little more than a month and I've lost several inches along with a few pounds. My jeans are slightly larger than they were when I started. Woohoo!

I live with a little boy who rarely hesitates to speak whatever is on his mind (we're working on that charming quality ;-) )! A few weeks ago he told me that my thighs were as big as Desperuex's ears. Had it been another time of the month, I might have considered crying. Instead I took an honest look at me and could see his perspective. I did weigh much more than I wanted to weigh. I was already motivated to do the necessary work, but his comment sealed the deal!

Lesson: Once you determine why you want to lose weight, it's much easier to stay on course.


61 Lily in Snow



I was curious about how the lily would look with snow as the background. The snow has melted everywhere except in this one shady spot on the lawn. I wasn't feeling my best yesterday so it was an effort to do this much. This image is poorly composed and I'm not at all pleased with my results. However, I post it as a reminder of the lesson learned on the day it was created.

Lesson: Your best will be different on any given day. Best is relative. Your best when you're feeling great may very well be different from the best work you create when you're ill or otherwise distracted.

62 Coming....

60/365 Beauty

"You're beautiful and I'd like to photograph you."

If those words were ever spoken to you, how would you respond?

Would you let the person capture your curves:



What about the tiny lines around your mouth or eyes? Would you allow them to see that part of you?



Would you let them come close to examine the smallet details or see the flaws in your skin:



Or, would you want the photographer to blur the lines and leave the details to the viewers imagination:



I don't think there is anyone harder to photograph than a woman. I have heard every complaint you can imagine. My hips are too large. My chin is... My eyes are too... Please hide my... Becoming whole means being comfortable in your own skin. It means loving the flaws and learning to treasure the tiny wrinkles. Embracing the hips, the nose, the thighs. Loving yourself unconditionally so that you are free to love those around you.

We're listening to The Secret Garden now and it's inspiring to witness the growth of Mary. As she learns to love herself she is discovering the joy that comes with loving others in spite of their flaws. She is blossoming before our very eyes! Those around her are starting to see her beauty.

Lesson: You can only love others to the extent that you love yourself. The more you love, the more beautiful you become inside and out.