cars zoom past to anywhere but here, each carrying someone’s entire world. bees swarm inside my chest, heavy and frantic, a hum vibrating beneath my ribs. only my finger moves, pressing each letter into my phone, like sitting years ago in the sand, pushing rocks down as far as they would go. maybe if i press hard enough now it will reach you. a little gift from my hand to yours. a single bee let loose across the distance. do you see the sun cutting through the leaves too? does the air taste like honey there? i need everything to be okay, for you, for us.
clouds streak white, smudges in pale blue. buzzing slows to a quiet ache.
i just need to hear you say— it’s all going to be okay. one more thread for us.
2/100 For the next 100 days, I’ll be writing and posting a poem every day. I hope you’ll follow along.
lizards dart out of the bushes every time I open the front door rustling warnings when I don’t need them. wrote the word connection over and over within lined pages of my green goddess notebook, planning return of self, for self, to others or is it for others? today, tomorrow— each day is another chance for words to gather within my apron pockets if only fingers weren’t so tired. or slippery. forgiveness given when not asked for, makes arms ache for something lost. no, never was. illusions rustle whispering here we go again, eat until full this time. don’t worry about crumbs— you don’t have to clean everything everyone— you can rustle too whenever you want.
1/100 For the next 100 days, I’ll be writing and posting a poem every day. I hope you’ll follow along.
“She did not succumb to the battering of the brutal elements in her life. No, instead, with nourishment and strength from those surrounding her, and from her own deep, strong roots, she continued to grow; not just grow but thrive! So much so that she did not buckle under the weight that was not her own.”—Claudia
For the month of June, my model was my lovely friend Claudia. We met during sunrise, to avoid the heat, and our time together was magical. We wandered the same wooded area I had taken photos in last month, but it looked different, more golden and less dark green. I focused my camera on capturing her lovely energy, smile, and how she connects to nature.
I met Claudia when our kids started first grade together. My first memory of her is volunteering together to paint the school office. She was working hard (something I learned is how she’s wired) and we got to talking. I instantly knew she’d be someone I wanted in my life. She’s caring and kind, but doesn’t allow boundaries to be crossed. She’s a loving mother who taught her kids to speak up for themselves and is the very epitome of unconditional love.
I’ve seen my friend go through some very rough times in the last few years and really focus on healing. She’s in such a good place right now and I saw it, radiating off her (see the photos at the end for photographic evidence, maybe?) I’m really loving these sessions with my friends and can’t wait to keep growing and sharing my photos with you all.
Enjoy!
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What makes you proud? Watching my kids advocate for themselves and set boundaries, and knowing that I provide well for them, not just physical needs but in all of the ways that matter makes me really proud.
#4#5#6
What makes you feel brave? Reminding myself of how much healing and growth I have done these past few years makes me feel brave.
#7#8#9
What gives you hope? Trusting the path that the universe has set for me, believing that it has good things for me, and reminding myself that it has always taken care of me (even though I endured a lot of pain and trauma), gives me hope.
#10#11#12
When we first starting taking photos together, I told my friend to just take a moment to look around the woods. Relax a minute and feel the energy. I snapped this shot. Although it’s most likely just a unique sun flare, my first thought when I opened the image was “did I capture her aura?” I had to share it with you all too.
And here’s some extras, just because I like them:
These were taken with my Olympus E-M1 MarkII, using several different lenses and edited with Lightroom Classic. Let me know what you think, and check out the others in this series if you missed them.
My daughter is a huge fan of The Last of Us video game. You may have seen my photos a few years ago of us in Seattle as she cosplayed Ellie at some of the famous locations.
What I haven’t shared is these photos we took in our backyard about two years ago of her and her dad. He’s not one to cosplay, but she talked him into it. It seems like Father’s Day is the perfect excuse to share these.
A few notes:
These are BB guns in our backyard
I’m sure you can see how much fun they are having recreating scenes from the game
My photography and editing skills have definitely improved, but I still love these
If you haven’t played the game, my daughter got us all to play it and it’s fabulous. A wonderful story full of representation and complex relationships. The show…not so much 🙂
Happy Father’s Day to my husband and my own dad (see the last photo for a cute one of us).
#1#2#3#4#5#6#7#8#9#10#11#12#13#14#15#16#17#18#19#20My daughter and husband at her first birthday party.Me an my dad in my Holly Hobby bedroom.
Spent a few days by the ocean for my daughter’s birthday. It was a lovely, relaxing time filled with giggles, music and games. I’ve been going so much lately it feels good to finally be home this week. I’m taking a little time to get my house back in order, return to my regular routine, and focus on my health.
On July 1st, I’ll be launching my 100 Day Poetry Project and be posting daily here again. You’ll see me experimenting a lot with words as I work on my poetry book which I hope to publish by Christmas. In addition, I’m adding more clients to my calendar and working on a website to officially launch my photography business in January of next year. This includes getting a business plan and license, buying new gear, and taking a few more classes.
For now though, let’s watch the sunset together. Let me know if you have a favorite and have a fantastic rest of your week!
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Also…
When Lola was little we went to hundreds of music festivals. Over the weekend she played Pops in the Park, a huge outdoor music concert with three bands. Watching her perform while little girls danced in front of her…it was a big moment in a year of big moments. Here’s a few of my favorite photos. Thanks G.I.R.L.S. Rock Sacramento!
These were taken with my Olympus E-M1 MarkII, with various lenses.
These were taken at Cornish Pasty, Red Rock Canyon overlook, and near Fremont Street. I wanted these to look out of time, so I focused on a different color palette using a vintage preset as a launching place. I left the grain on these, and love how they turned out.
Let me know what you think and if you have a favorite.
#1#2#3#4#5#6#7#8#9#10#11#12#13#14#15#16#17#18#19#20#21#22#23#24#25#26#27#28#29#30#31#32#33#34 (my ride for the trip)#35 (my buddy Paris)
These were taken with my Olympus E-M1 MarkII, 12-50mm lens.
The last few weeks I was in Vegas with my daughter and her best friend house-sitting. I’ve been doing a lot of polished portraits lately, so I used this as an excuse to play with a different style of photography. For these, I really embraced grain as it seems to fit the grittiness of the city. I tried to focus more on composition and on catching interesting moments. These photos are from Fremont Street and edited to give them a more documentary feel.
How did I do?
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These were taken with my Olympus E-M1 MarkII, 12-50mm lens.
The #100DayProject ended on June 2nd. It was a wild, exhausting, fulfilling, and beautiful experience. Here’s my final images and a brief recap.
First, the numbers: I delivered 20 full galleries to photography clients, each with an average of 100 photos. I don’t have a count on total number of photos taken (that number would be embarrassing), but I edited 3,384 photos. That’s a lot of practice!
My biggest take aways:
Storytelling behind the lens is beautiful, and I love it more and more every day.
I really need a camera with a bigger sensor so I can capture low light easier.
Editing and color theory are so interesting, and I have a lot more to learn.
Documentary-style photography is my whole heart.
This can become a second career for me.
I can push through even on hard days.
Challenges work for me.
Not all of these are revelations, or even surprising, but they all give me information which can help shape my path forward. Let me know what you think of these images, if you have a favorite, and if you see improvement.
Thanks for following along!
If you missed the earlier posts and want to compare:
These were taken with my Olympus E-M1 MarkII, using various lenses and edited with Lightroom Classic.
What’s next for me?
I’ve got several more photo shoots lined up in the next few weeks, and then I’m taking a brief break to do a 100 day poetry project. My heart still wants to finish my book dedicated to Neil, and so, I’ll give myself that challenge. I’ll begin on July 1st and end on October 9th. My goal is to have the book published by Christmas. I hope you all will indulge me sharing lots of poems starting in July, with a smattering of photography as well.
Here’s hoping I can find balance and keep up my motivation!
“If you can’t love yourself, how in the hell you gonna love somebody else?” —RuPaul
For the month of May, my model was my lovely momma. We decided to include her best friend, Olive, in the photo shoot and I’m so glad we did. My mom is a lover of animals, loyal to those who are kind to her children, and a bit silly. She knows how to make me laugh, is always there when I need someone to listen to me, and loves me more than anyone else on Earth. I credit my mom with giving me my resilience, a childhood filled with animals, and being my number one fan.
My mom lives in Washington now where she and her dog can take daily hikes in the woods, her favorite thing to do. While she was here for my daughter’s graduation, I had to get her in the woods for some photos. This little spot filled with oak trees and a few wild flowers was perfect. This shoot included way too many burrs in our clothes, a tiny bit of rain, and a lot of giggles.
Thanks mom for being a light in this dark world. I love you more than you’ll ever know.
#1#2#3
What makes you proud? My kids and grandchildren make me very proud!
#4#5#6
What makes you feel brave? When I’m out walking in the woods with my beloved dog Olive.
#7#8#9
What gives you hope? Looking into the eyes of my granddaughter and grandson. I hope for greatness for them both.
#10#11#12
I’ve got over twenty photo shoots under my belt now and I’m starting to find my stride. I’m currently on a trip to Vegas with my daughter and her best friend, and leaning into a more documentary style. I’m experimenting with leaving the images a bit grainy, editing less, and exploring more with composition. I’ll be curious to see what others think of those images when I post them, and what you think of these. I also did very minimal editing on these, and I think I’m starting to find a sort of style I like. Let me know what you think, and check out the others in this series if you missed them.
I missed the full moon. My daughter graduated high school. Sleep eludes me.
So many emotions follow me around these days, and it’s no coincidence I’ve thrown myself into photography like jumping off a cliff. In the last month I’ve done ten photos shoots.
I’m not sure I was prepared for all this. I need a faster computer, a camera that handles low light better, and more time. Always more time.
But I’m learning and growing. This is how I step toward my fifties, with camera in hand, watching both my kids crafting adventures for themselves, discovering career paths, and falling in love. I watch them and remember both being their age, and nursing them.
My daughter walked across the stage on Thursday, moved the tassel to the other side, and I couldn’t be more proud of her. She’s talented, beautiful, funny, and incredibly loving. Whatever she does, I’ll be here to watch and cheer her on. I’ll probably also take photos of it!
So, here are some photos I took instead of the moon, and just a few shots of my daughter’s senior session we did last month. Isn’t she incredible?
Have a wonderful week!
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These were taken with my Olympus E-M1 MarkII, using a 14-150mm lens and edited with Lightroom Classic.
Bridgette Tales 