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Photography: Neighborhood Sunrise

“The morning steals upon the night, Melting the darkness.” -William Shakespeare

A gorgeous friend of mine writes and talks a lot about joy—seeking it out, the importance of recognizing it, and fighting for it even when it feels ridiculous. She inspires me all the time and this morning I did something purely for the joy of it. I hiked to a park by my house with my camera to capture the sunrise. It felt luxurious and I basked in the beauty of the world for an entire hour alone.

My mother-in-law has entered hospice care within the home of my kind, caring, and incredibly giving sister-in-law. This time in our lives is hard. Watching a woman of immeasurable strength and love fade before all our eyes is beyond difficult. While I don’t know what this next part looks like, I do know that even within these hard moments we can find gratitude and even joy.

All the photos above were taken with my Olympus OM-D and edited with ON1 Photo RAW.

Here’s a bonus iPhone self-portrait:

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41 thoughts on “Photography: Neighborhood Sunrise”

  2. These are truly stunning photos, Bridgette. You take a very good picture. I’ve sometimes thought of investing in a decent camera but wouldn’t have a clue where to start in finding one (I’m not sure I trust the reviews on Amazon). The camera on my small iPhone is okay, but could never produce results as your camera does.

    I’m very sorry to hear that your mother-in-law is now receiving hospice care with your sister-in-law. I hope your MIL isn’t in too much pain and distress. It must be a very tough time for all your family. I hope that her latter days are peaceful.

    I agree with you about how important gratitude and joy are even when life gets difficult. I keep a gratitude diary each day and it never ceases to amaze me that I find so much to be grateful for even in our troubled world. I took a look at your friend’s Twitter and Instagram links and am now following her. I love her photos. I hope you don’t mind, but I found you on her page at Insta, too, and have sent you a request to follow you, also. My Insta name is Elliest888, so you’ll know it’s me. Please, don’t feel obliged to accept. Some people like to keep their accounts private and I understand that. I like your self-portrait and you do look joyful there. Take care. Xx 🌷🌞🌹

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    • Thank you so much, Ellie! I lucked out and got a hand-me down camera from my dad. iPhones have come a long way, but my photography skills have definitely increased with the fancier camera.

      Thank you for your kindness. We are keeping her as comfortable as we can and loving on her.

      I’ve added you on Instagram and thank you for following Jill. She’s an inspiration for sure. Her podcast is amazing.

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      • How lovely to have inherited your dad’s camera. Thanks for accepting my request on Instagram. As you will see, I’ve only recently set my Insta account up so there’s not much of any interest on there yet. I’ll probably post some more pictures on there when I get time. At the moment, my blogging and reading posts takes up most of my time. At least, I enjoy it anyway. X 🌻

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  10. Beautiful pictures.
    Before they passed away about a year apart, my mom and dad were both on hospice. And even through those last, difficult months of their loves, when my siblings and I cared for them in their own home, there was joy to be had.

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  11. I love, absolutely love, the vivid colours you’ve captured with your camera.

    Sorry to hear about your mother-in-law, and the decline she’s experiencing. I hope you and your family find strength and inspiration during this difficult time.

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