“I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” -Anne of Green Gables
I happen to agree with Anne, there’s something magical about Octobers. While our family is experiencing a bit of a rough patch, we still made time this week to put up our fall decorations and notice the changes in our yard. All the trees are dropping their leaves, my pineapple guava plant is almost ready to harvest, there’s a large mushroom bloom growing along one of the garden boxes and everything feels just a bit more relaxed in the golden light.
For my photos this week, I’ve tried to capture a bit of the feel around our house. I hope you enjoy this selection of images and have a wonderful week.
Photos were taken with an Olympus OM-D and edited with ON1 Photo RAW
within this wild cacophony of silence sit the words we don’t say anymore scattered wispy threads of dead conversations tucked into seat cushions and under rugs
watching with its tranquil virescent leaves serenely placed on a lacy white doily the tenacious fuzzy buds burst forth to dance and sway as vermillion dolphins
“look at that,” I half-whisper glowing screen still cradled in my palm your tired eyes sweep the room smiling when you see the fresh blooms
are you remembering roaring ocean waves? swigging rum under the starry night sky? black stone beaches, curvy thin roads? slippery volcano hikes amongst the misty clouds?
I’m too afraid to ask anymore with the ghosts of words dancing about so instead I silently smile back staring at the plant by the window
“The scariest moment is always just before you start.” -Stephen King
This week I had the privilege of taking my nephew’s senior portraits. The night before I sat up late researching poses, looking at photos, and reading about photographing in sunlight. It felt like a huge responsibility and I wanted to do well. I choose a tourist area downtown with lots of varied backdrops; railroad tracks, colorful doorways, brick walls, and old pillars with lots of character.
He’s a musician, so he brought an acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass, and drumsticks. He’s also shy and not comfortable in front of the camera, so I felt the responsibility of capturing his natural smile and personality while making him feel safe. I brought my teenage daughter for support, and she also took photos. It was an awkward start but after several minutes we found our rhythm. The entire thing took just over an hour, and I came away with hundreds of shots.
When I opened them to start editing and choosing the best ones, I was surprised and elated at how good they are! I’m really proud of how they came out and I was able to send over 50 edited images for his mother to choose for his announcements. I don’t have permission to share them here, yet, but it’s part of my journey so I wanted to share the experience with you.
I’ve gotten some feedback and I’m ready to play around more with F-Stop and movement in my photographs next week. I might try some low-light images or landscapes. Thank you to those following my journey and rooting me on. It means so much to me.
If you’re unfamiliar with the 100 Day Project, the concept is simple. You choose any creative project you like and do it every day for 100 days, sharing your process on social media using the hashtag #The100DayProject. This year the dates are Feb. 13-May 24.