Monday, March 29, 2010

Window to the Soul

I confess, I am utterly fascinated by eyes. Completely intrigued by their uniqueness. It has been said that "eyes are the window to the soul," and while I still wonder at the full meaning of that wise saying, I wholeheartedly agree with its premise. Someone's eyes reveal just the tip of the iceberg. A piece of their story.. their emotions and feelings, their past and present, their trials and hope, their dreams and their deepest secrets.

I love the uniquness. I remember meeting this girl for the first time. And I was instantly fascinated the brilliance of her blue eyes (No freaky contact lenses. Those are the gorgeous eys that God gave her!).

And this girl? She has gold flecks! In her eyes! Ah-maz-ing..

And this one? This is my younger brother all dressed up in winter camo. I tell him (because I'm his sis and I can say things like this!) that his eyes are like melted chocolate. :) I looove chocolate.. ahahaha.


I love the sparkle of light dancing in someone's eyes.


I confess that I'm a stare-er. I stare at people's eyes.
So I appreciate when I can put a camera to my face.. and put some distance between myself and the object of my staring. Makes things not-quite-so-awkward. Because us Americans? We like our personal space! :) :) :) As a forewarning, if you find me in intense thought, staring in your general direction, don't be alarmed! Be flattered - I'm probably fascinated by your eyes. And I want to capture them with my camera!

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

More Babies

Every age group is different when it comes to capturing an image. Toddlers have the attention span of a puppy (ya know "SQUIRREL!".. please watch the Disney movie UP to understand that!). Teenagers need alot of encouragement, but once they get confident.. watch out! Because they have discovered modelling as a new career. And then there's babies. Make sure they are full of food, with a fresh diaper and about an 18 hour nap behind them... and portrait sessions are a breeze!

Hahaha! Like all those factors will ever happen AT THE SAME TIME. So ya know what? It's all good! We go with the flow here..

This session was originally to capture my two baby nieces together during a rare family get-together. Of course, we were so busy eating, talking, laughing and catching up with the WHOLE family that we didn't think about portraits until laaaate. And by then, the babies weren't exactly happy.


The poor darlings! While the togetherness didn't work out, here are some consolation images...
They
are
happy
now!!!



She looks mischievious..

Even baby mugshots can be cute!




Doesn't she look like she's praying?

Monday, March 22, 2010

Welcome Spring :)

Last week... before the *official* first day of spring, there was some glorious spring-ish weather. After work, I decided to be spontaneous! I skipped my daily gym workout, headed home to grab my camera and started walking through my quaint little hometown.

The first sign of spring was in my own front garden. And I smiled.


Remnants of winter...


And I love stone architecture...

and church signs..

a lonely stairway...

This former Governor's mansion is my second-favorite house in town! I have a faint memory of seeing the inside of the ballroom once when I was a child. Sadly, it was only used as a huge storage room. I still remember the double stairways that came down towards the dancefloor. This place has been a part of my historical fantasy world... maybe one day it could be bautiful inside again!

I guess it is Bellefonte's claim to fame.


And the true test of Spring? When the weather becomes too warm for me to justifiably drink a hot latte! My walk-about-town ended with a good hour of contemplation on the patio of my favorite local coffe shop.. drinking this lovely bit of heaven. A frozen mocha!

Happy Spring! I am SO. GLAD. to see you!

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

I'm BAAAAACK!

Not to overemphasize my pathetic lack of blogging in the last month or so, I'd like to announce that.. YES. I AM BACK. Winter is such a dreary photography time. Maybe because I love sunlight. And I love warm weather. And there's just something about the dreary grey/blue light of winter that makes my camera cringe. But no worries! Today, I sunned myself on a patio like a happy kitty... and I felt my soul revive. With a camera in one hand and a journal in the other... I came to life again. :) Look for more photography news... and.... as always, every blog entry is better with a photo!

This one makes me laugh! Look away and then look again.

Yup, I'm still laughing! Sometimes babies don't like picture-taking time. No worries to all the mommies out there, this negative moment was very brief. Nice pictures of these two little girl nieces o' mine are coming sooon... Stay tuned! :)