Bird

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Photography: Sunset & Rest

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.

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Photography: #100DayProject-Recap


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:

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  • 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!

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Photography: Women Are…

“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.

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What makes you proud?
My kids and grandchildren make me very proud! 

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What makes you feel brave?
When I’m out walking in the woods with my beloved dog Olive.  

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What gives you hope?
Looking into the eyes of my granddaughter and grandson.  I hope for greatness for them both.

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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.

Thought you might enjoy some extra photos of Olive. I’m particularly proud of the first shot as you can see the trees reflected in her eyes.

  • These were taken with my Olympus E-M1 MarkII, using a 14-150mm lens and edited with Lightroom Classic.
Proof of silliness!
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Photography: Sunset and Beach Activity

Last week’s quick trip to Dillon Beach for my birthday, was a wonderful reset. I got to watch a magical sunset (joined by my women’s group on Zoom), take a nap, play rummy with my daughter, and listen to the sound of the waves for an entire day.

I also got an unexpected show! The Sonoma County Sheriff, Marin County Fire Department, and CalFire were holding training sessions right on the beach. From the balcony of the house we were staying at, I pretended to be a journalist documenting the scene. It was wild fun and a wonderful way to cap off the trip. They aren’t the best quality, as I was pretty far away and didn’t have my biggest zoom camera, but it was fun to document the entire thing.

Hope you enjoy these photos and let me know if you have a favorite.

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  • These were taken with my Olympus E-M1 MarkII, using various lenses and edited with Lightroom Classic

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Photography: #100DayProject—Almost There

As you may remember, I’m doing photography for the #100DayProject. This means, every single day for 100 days I’m out taking photos, editing them, and sharing them with my friends. In addition, I’ve started doing photography sessions for people I know. I’ve done three senior sessions, a family shoot, and several portraits.

I’m loving this! It feels like I’m understanding my camera more and more. I’m still battling with computer storage and editing, but those are getting easier too. I’m having fun experimenting with different lenses, playing around with color, and dabbling in street photography. I still have an editing class to take, but each session I’m learning something new. The project ends June 2, which means there’s still lots of images to take and skills to learn.

Here’s a ton of my best photos from the last few weeks. Let me know if you have a favorite (and I totally understand if viewing 40 photos is a bit much!) These appear in order of photos taken, not favorites. I thought you might like to see how each grouping was edited differently. Among these was my first photograph of lightening, some crazy macro bug shots from my yard, and some really cute animals.

Oh, and if you were curious if the egret’s had their babies…I think so? I was able to capture what looks like heron babies being fed in the nest (#33), but they are pretty large. A quick google search says they grow super fast, so maybe?

One more thing, at the last minute I added some photos I took yesterday (the ones I mentioned to you, Michael!)

Thanks!

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  • These were taken with my Olympus E-M1 MarkII, using various lenses and edited with Lightroom Classic.
  • To follow Anna’s progress in the 100 Days. visit Little Bits of Thread
  • See what my friend Angelica’s doing for her 100 Days, visit Journal of a Wayward Writer
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Photography: Springtime at Coyote Pond

She turned to the sunlight
And shook her yellow head,
And whispered to her neighbor:
“Winter is dead.”
—A.A. Milne, When We Were Very Young

Yesterday, I returned to Coyote Pond to see if it might be a good place to take senior portraits (yes, yes it is). My first visit was during a rainstorm, and I took some of my favorite pictures of birds. This time, the sun was shining brightly and the entire morning felt like magic.

Sure, some of these photos are too bright and the focus isn’t technically perfect, but I’m so in love with these images. The world right now feels unsettling, and I’ve got too many things to think about, but there are still baby geese and turtles and ladybugs. I can’t stop thinking about how much Neil would have loved these photos, and maybe you will too.

Let me know if you have a favorite and have a fantastic day!

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  • Photos taken with the Olympus E-M1 MarkII, using a 14-150mm lens and edited with Lightroom Classic.
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Photography: For You


The news right now is horrific. I watched the video of the second person killed by ICE agents, gunned down on a street in broad daylight, and my heart broke into a million tiny pieces. Again. A powerful sense of mourning for America has overcome me, more than I ever thought possible. I’m terribly sad and angry.

It’s hard to create right now, it’s hard to do anything right now, but something tells me you might need these photos as much as I do. These little tiny pieces of art I crafted for you when I should have been sleeping. Thorns. Flowers. Weeds. Fruit.

These are for you, for me, for all of us.

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  • Photos were taken with an Olympus OM-D1 and edited with Lightroom Classic
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Photography: Beach Camping

A few weeks ago, I went camping with family. Our campsite was surrounded by large bushes which attracted birds, we spent an afternoon at the beach, and I hiked up some big sand dunes.

Although these might be some of my favorite photos, it’s hard not to beat myself up because I’m not writing. I made an attempt at working on my middle-grade novel recently, and it was rubbish. And although I’ve sold over 100 books, more than I thought I would, I can’t seem to get people to review it. My mind tells me it’s because people don’t like the book, which is fine, but the small hopeful part of me is a bit sad. But you know what? Two local bookstores carry my book and I’ve been selling about three copies a month in store, from people just browsing and liking it. That needs to be celebrated. As I’ve always told my kids—comparison is the thief of joy.

So, let me brush this all off and say, I’m not writing currently, but I’ll be back at it soon. In the meantime, enjoy all these photos. And as always, let me know if you have a favorite. Have a wonderful day!

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Bonus photos:

I’m in love with Superman (aka kindness).

Converted the back of my van into a sleeping area with fun lights.

My hiking buddy.
  • These photos were taken with an Olympus OM-D and edited with ON1 Photo RAW.
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Photography: Road Trip


This week I was reminded again at how complicated emotions can be, at how we can hold both tremendous grief and overwhelming love in the same breath. It was a week of tragedy, connection, rock camp, fairy doors, bubbles, car talks, and two panic attacks. 

Would I argue with the rain or clouds or the ocean itself?  I see faces, I see shapes, I see love wanting only to freely bloom.  I think I won’t complain.–Neil Reid

I’m still struggling, but I’m finding my way forward. Part of that path involves showing up here with you, even if I have to fight myself to do it.

About a month ago, my daughter and I drove up the coast of California into Oregon and Washington. Although this trip wasn’t what I had hoped, I got some pretty photos. Here are some of the best from day one.

I’d love to know if you have a favorite photo; can you guess mine?

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  • These photos were taken with an Olympus OM-D and edited with ON1 Photo RAW.