with picking out bright yellow sunflowers from Trader Joe’s and hoping my eyes aren’t still puffy from crying myself to sleep last night
with wearing my expensive Dior lip gloss 026, intense mauve shimmer, because it makes me feel fancy
with drinking water from the turtle cup with the metal straw, the one my best friend made for me, because it makes everything taste better
with seeing the text I sent my dad about my feelings was read on Sunday but he’s still not responded, and deciding not to send another one
with wearing the colorful flower dress my four-year-old nephew said was his favorite because it makes me look like a garden
with playing the absolute stupidest game ever on the Nintendo Wii with the teens, drinking Grimace’s birthday shakes, and laughing so hard I remember kegel exercises are important
with waking up early to water outside and saying hi to three bumblebees and one hummingbird who lingered close enough I could see how incredible their wings are
with moving my watermelon plant to another part of the yard because it’s getting choked out by the enormous pumpkin leaves and wanting it to have a chance to survive
with watching all 10 episodes of Drag Me to Dinner with my daughter and wanting to hug every LGBTQ person on the planet and tell them they are loved
with having teary conversations with my teens about respect and communication knowing they will always have me and each other in their corner no matter what
with replacing the bowl of old candy on the counter with a bowl of fresh apples because I can’t make others love me the way I want to be loved, but I can eat healthier
with turning to words again and not worrying if they are good enough because that’s not the point and I can show up exactly how I am
what if my family was big enough to fill the movie theater? would i grow weary of so many arms hugging me? so many pies to eat? or would I finally be full?
“Stories, like people and butterflies and songbirds’ eggs and human hearts and dreams, are also fragile things, made up of nothing stronger or more lasting than twenty-six letters and a handful of punctuation marks. Or they are words on the air, composed of sounds and ideas-abstract, invisible, gone once they’ve been spoken-and what could be more frail than that?” —Neil Gaiman
This week my assignment for the 52 photo challenge was to play with the idea of abstract photography. It was defined for me as photos that look unrealistic or unrecognizable. The goal is for the photos to look more like paintings or artwork than a photograph.
My photos this week are from two different locations. The top image and the first seven photos are from William Land Park, including the Sacramento Zoo. The final three images are from a Melanie Martinez concert I attended with my daughter last Wednesday. I edited these photos using the same presets to give the set a cohesive feel. Let me know if you have a favorite.
Thanks, as always, for your support. Life continues to be busy and I’m falling further and further behind in all things, but I remain hopeful and optimistic.
#1#2#3#4#5#6#7#8#9#10
Photos were taken with an Olympus OM-D and edited with ON1 Photo RAW
If you want to join the 52 Photo Challenge, you can find all the information at nicolesy.com
“Some people talk to animals. Not many listen though. That’s the problem.” —A.A. Milne
I went to the Sacramento Zoo by myself this week. It was a cool day and many of the animals weren’t outside, but I really enjoyed my own company and being able to spend as much time as I liked at each spot.
As it turns out, the last time I photographed the zoo was one year ago. It was fun to look back on those images to see if my photography skills have improved. Let me know what you think and have a wonderful day!
“A garden to walk in and immensity to dream in–what more could he ask? A few flowers at his feet and above him the stars.”—Victor Hugo
Happy Saturday! Here are some shots I took earlier this week at William Land Park. I went to photograph the lotus flowers, but they weren’t blooming due to overcast and rain. I shifted my focus to other plants and visited the Sacramento Zoo. I’ll post some animal photos later.
It was nice spending some time alone and remembering I actually like my own company. Let me know if you have a favorite photo and have a wonderful weekend.
#1#2#3#4#5#6#7#8#9#10
Photos were taken with an Olympus OM-D and edited with ON1 Photo RAW
the moon, the stars and me watched you walk proudly across the stage. we smiled knowing the truth. love doesn’t recognize such things as endings or beginnings. only connection and connection. love isn’t contingent or feeble. it doesn’t come with strings or weights. free and full— vast as the infinite universe. i’m forever here for you.
“If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.”—J.R.R. Tolkien
This week my assignment for the 52 photo challenge was to capture food. It was a busy week celebrating my son graduating from high school, but I did sneak away yesterday to the Carmichael Farmer’s Market. I’m not in love with any of these shots, but I did enjoy spending some time alone and stocking up on my summer favorites.
I’ve been in a funk and stuck in my feelings. I’m extremely behind in reading blogs and responding to comments. Please be patient with me. I’m doing what I can to move through this and hopefully, I’ll be back to myself soon. In the meantime, I think WordPress might have glitched on my photography post for last week. If you missed it, you can find it here: Week 21: Shadow. As always, let me know if you have a favorite. Have a fantastic week!
#1#2#3#4#5#6#7#8#9#10My boy.I’m just a little bit proud.
Photos were taken with an Olympus OM-D and edited with ON1 Photo RAW
If you want to join the 52 Photo Challenge, you can find all the information at nicolesy.com
“Nobody, of the hundreds of people that had visited the Fair, knew that a grey spider had played the most important part of all.”—E.B. White
I was a 4-H kid. I started out showing guinea pigs when I was about 12 and slowly moved up to horses. The culmination of my year was always the Sacramento County Fair.
This week we attended the final hours of the fair to cheer on my daughter’s friend who had entered a flower arrangement in the youth exhibit. While the animals were almost all gone, it was still great fun to wander the fair with my camera. I hope these images spark a bit of joy or memory for you today. Let me know if you have a favorite and have a great rest of your week.
#1#2#3#4#5#6#7#8#9#10#11#12#13#14#15#16#17I’m the girl in the center with my champion guinea pig (he had fancy pedigree papers!) Clearly, this was the era of big hair and even bigger hoops.Me on my horse Rocket sometime in the early 90s.
Turn up the music, turn down the lights I got a feelin’ I’m gon’ be alright Okay (okay), alright It’s about damn time
On Sunday, my daughter and I attended a Lizzo concert in downtown Sacramento. It was a combined birthday present for us both and it was life-changing.
We got to the arena five hours before showtime and were lucky enough to be number 35 and 36 in line. The fans we stood beside became our friends as we waited in excitement to be let into the arena. I’d never done pit tickets before and didn’t know what to expect, but our new friends took us under their wing and walked us through the ropes.
Once inside, we got a spot on the barricade—right beside the stage! My daughter and I kept turning to each other in disbelief. It was more than we could have hoped for.
Lizzo’s DJ opened the show followed by the gorgeous Latto. One of her songs featured protest signs and we chanted “My Body, My Choice” as a crowd. The energy felt incredible.
Then, the moment came. When Lizzo took the stage in a striking purple sparkling outfit, my daughter and I cried. She is more than a performer to us, she’s a symbol of how to love your body. She’s a role model. She stands for self-love in the biggest way possible. We were starstruck! We danced, sang along at the top of our lungs, and laughed. We felt free and beautiful. We felt her magic.
When Lizzo appeared in a stunning silver robe and removed it to sing Naked to the crowd, it brought up some big feelings. I’ve had such a hard time loving my plus-sized body, but she made me believe I could. She made me believe I deserve it. We all do. What a gift!
Let down my guard, undo my robe I’m standing here, don’t need no clothes I’m naked Love how you look at me naked Come make this body feel sacred I’m a big girl, don’t you waste it, naked
The most powerful moment of the night, for us, was when Lizzo played the song Special. This song is an anthem in our house and has played a major role in my daughter’s mental health journey. It’s a mantra and a call to self-love. We play it on the dark days as a beacon of light. We cling to it when times are hard. To hear Lizzo sing it mere feet from us was transformative. My daughter and I sobbed beside each other feeling the weight of the last few years, the bigness of what we’ve been through together, and the love we share.
In case nobody told you today You’re special In case nobody made you believe You’re special Well, I will always love you the same You’re special I’m so glad that you’re still with us Broken, but damn, you’re still perfect
At one point during the song, Lizzo saw my girl sobbing and they had a moment. She gave my girl love. Directly. Life can be so hard, but that moment was pure and utter magic. I can’t thank Lizzo enough for seeing her, for her powerful music, and for making me believe in the good of people. Here’s a bit of the song for you to enjoy:
It’s been a few days since the concert and honestly, I still feel transformed. My body feels somehow more comfortable. More like my home. I wore tighter clothes the last few days and didn’t hide my arms. I felt more peaceful about my body. More in love with it. This morning I even caught my reflection in the back door while watering and thought I looked pretty. I snapped this picture so I can remember this feeling.
If you are reading this today, consider it partly a love letter to you. Yes, you. I know it’s hard to love our bodies when they don’t look like we think they “should.” But it’s okay. It really is. You can work on yourself and love yourself. You can be happy with your body right now. Please, be kind to you today. We all need you here. One more time, all together:
You’re special I’m so glad that you’re still with us Broken, but damn, you’re still perfect
Bridgette Tales 