what do you see
little poppet
little dear
when you look past
my face
to where the shadows clear
does your hand trace
memory or sound or sky
draw a circle around us, poppet
keep the dark outside
*31/100: For the next 100 days, I’ll be writing and posting a poem every day.
**All photos are mine, taken with an Olympus E-M1 MarkII and edited with Lightroom Classic.
“I am who I am meant to be. I am this poem.
I am moose inside Light.“—Neil
moose runs through stars
now
playing tag with light
his
threads collect cinnamon
pain
turned to bottled milk
absorbed
within the belly of a cat
amethyst sits on shelf
now
heavy dust collecting
her
dreams into bound pages
pain
liquid rain sparks inside
swallowed
with another cup of coffee
gravity loses its grip
next
dust blows off the pages
both
floating blue whales
fear
quietly dissolved by salt
joined
in the belly of the universe
*22/100: For the next 100 days, I’ll be writing and posting a poem every day.
**All photos are mine, taken with an Olympus E-M1 MarkII and edited with Lightroom Classic.
I’ve borrowed a few cameras that I’m playing with on vacation. I’m experimenting with lenses and systems much different than my own. My biggest take away—I can use any camera. I think that was good for me to learn. While the colors of the Sony Alpha 7 IV where beautiful, I was really blown away by the feel of the Leica Q2. Dude, that camera feels GOOD in your hand.
I’ve mixed up the images in this post, some taken with the two borrowed cameras, and some with my Olympus. Honestly, editing them all, it wasn’t as big a difference as I’d thought. It really seems it’s the lens that matters more than anything. I ordered a new/used one that’s 50mm with a much lower f1.8. I’ll be testing it out next week at the State Fair and report back.
For those not following my slight nerd rant, can I interest you in deer triplets?? (see below) They were seriously so cute!
Let me know if you have a favorite shot and have a fantastic day!
*There were shot on a variety of cameras and lenses, but all edited on Lightroom Classic.
whisper soft again, friend
describe cold smoke, warm mother
blue-glazed bowl of soup
another cat in the window
dusty fan-blown strands
ten whole days widen slits
where tiny words swallowed
or tap danced
or overly devoured
around wispy sunlight fingers
peeled painted eyelids open
spiraled dragon breath
rocks stacked with books
green moss lingered
two arms flung upward
toward you
*10/100: For the next 100 days, I’ll be writing and posting a poem every day.
**All photos are mine, taken with an Olympus E-M1 MarkII and edited with Lightroom Classic.
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.
**All photos are mine, taken with an Olympus E-M1 MarkII and edited with Lightroom Classic.
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!
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!
“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.
What makes you proud?
My kids and grandchildren make me very proud!
What makes you feel brave?
When I’m out walking in the woods with my beloved dog Olive.
What gives you hope?
Looking into the eyes of my granddaughter and grandson. I hope for greatness for them both.
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.
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!
“What she needs are stories.
Stories are a way to preserve one’s self. To be remembered. And to forget.
Stories come in so many forms: in charcoal, and in song, in paintings, poems, films. And books.
Books, she has found, are a way to live a thousand lives—or to find strength in a very long one.”
—The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
For the month of April, my model was my dear friend Bonnie. I met her when she was just in high school and I’ve had the pleasure of watching her grow into a giving, talented, hard-working young woman. Bonnie is the kind of person who gathers others to her. She cultivates community, has a wonderful sense of humor, and is a fierce defender of kindness. Her friends call her a silly goose, which fits her, but she’s also the very thing Shakespeare talked about when he said “though she be but little, she is fierce.”
In addition to being a kind human, she’s a gifted editor. She whipped early drafts of my 52 shorts stories into shape, and recently edited her wife’s beautiful fantasy novel Wayward Magic. She’s currently studying to be a librarian. and so it was only natural for us to be around books. As it also happened to be National Library Week, we drove to the gorgeous Mill Valley Public Library. Tucked amongst redwoods, and brimming with golden light, it was the perfect setting for these photos.
Please leave Bonnie some love below and visit her fantastic IG page where she talks about all things books.
What makes you proud?
Knowing that I could have grown into a much different person and yet I took the hardness and darkness in my life and turned it into kindness.
What makes you feel brave?
Knowing that there is a community of people that love me, support me and surround me. I’ll never be alone in anything.
What gives you hope?
Queer stories give me hope. Knowing that they’ll always be told and have been told for centuries. Queer joy fills me with so much hope everyday. ❤️
I’d love to know if you think my photography skills are growing. With each session, my confidence behind the camera grows and I’m starting to really enjoy putting together galleries as a new form of storytelling. Stay tuned for lots more work to come.
“A winner is a loser who tried one more time.
Not the smartest.
Not the fastest.
Just the one who didn’t stop.”
—George M. Moore Jr.
For the month of March, my model was my dear friend Penny. I met her in 2013 at the table read for the Listen to Your Mother stage show. We locked eyes across the table, and instantly connected. She possesses a warmth and kindness that allows her to make people feel profoundly seen, a rare gift. She’s a singer, writer, storyteller, caregiver, and one of my favorite people on the planet.
We met last week at the beautiful St. Ignatius Loyola Catholic Church, where she sings as cantor. The space was gorgeous, and she was a natural at posing. We only had an hour to spend together because of our schedules, but we made the most of it. She trusted me fully, and I think it shows in the way she’s looking at the camera/me.
Penny normally doesn’t like her photo taken, but she said it was fun with me. And she loved the photos! That’s the whole point: helping my friend see her own beauty. Each time I do another shoot, my confidence grows and I’m learning more and more. I’m so grateful for this growth! Please, give her some love in the comments below and tell me what you think of this shoot. Do you have a favorite? Do you see improvement in the quality of these photos?
What makes you proud?
For most of my life I have been able to do what I loved, what I was good at and things that made a difference on the planet. The fact that I usually also got paid was icing on the cake.
What makes you feel brave?
I’ve been a family caregiver for over 30 years. If that didn’t break me, nothing will.
What gives you hope?
Children. They are the future. The fact that God keeps sending them is a sign that He hasn’t given up on us yet.
Thank you to everyone who is cheering me on with my photography. I’ve been very focused on it lately, but I’m still writing. I’ll be sharing some words soon. Promise!
Bridgette Tales 