How about some non-Chris photos from Joshua Tree? Let’s be honest, the man is my favorite subject, but other people might want me to switch it up a bit.
As pretty as Joshua Tree was, I wasn’t moved to take many nature-ish shots, oddly enough. I took a lot of shots of Chris in nature and then not so much without him––until we stumbled across the World Famous Crochet Museum that is.
Keep reading!
When Chris and I met, I fell for him right away. But not in that insane head-over-heels way. No, I feel for him in a very reasonable way in that I recognized that he was a really nice guy who I had a lot in common with who also made me laugh almost non-stop. No, the insane head-over-heels part came later and I think our relationship is better off for it. I honestly feel as though I fall in love with Chris a little more every single day. Cheesy? Maybe. Cliche? Definitely. But, hey, whatareyougonnado?
I’m gonna marry this man. I feel like I’ve won the lottery every time I think about it. I don’t know where I’d be if I didn’t know him. All I know is I’m a better person for having known him and that’s what it’s all about for me.
There are a ton more images of this guy after the jump!
Click to continue reading “If You Weren’t Real I Would Make You Up”
Of course the secondary mission for the weekend was to take photos, photos and even more photos. Chris served as my muse, and as you can see from the photos above, he makes a great one. I love that face.
I’ve got hundreds of photos to pore through, so please stay tuned!
I think the best part about photographing kids is that for the most part they don’t try to pose. Heck, most of them refuse to pose. For someone like me, this is great, because you are able to better capture the essence of their personality in a photo. This one was taken during a company kickball game/picnic. It was a family affair and this kid is the son of a co-worker. He was a rambunctious one–in your face on the kickball field and unable to sit still when it wasn’t game time. I captured the shot just as he picked up the ball and tried to persuade his dad to get the game started. I like to think you can see the wheels turning underneath that curly mop of his, as if he’s thinking, “Hmmm, how can I get what I want?”
I’ve lived in our apartment for over a year now. Chris lived here about three years before I moved in, and his best friend lived in the very same place a couple of years before that. All this to say that I’m not new to the surroundings. So, you’ll imagine my surprise when on Friday night I noticed a cherry blossom tree in full bloom–right next to my parking spot. The parking spot I’ve parked in every day for over a year.
I don’t know how I never noticed this beautiful tree before, but I’m not the only one. When I ran upstairs to ask Chris about it, he had no idea what I was talking about. It’s the only cherry blossom tree on the block, so you’d think it would have caught our eye before. Apparently not. One thing’s for certain, though: the tree is now on my radar and will probably be featured in a few more photos after the one above.
I’ve decided to start a new weekly installment. Every Friday I’m going to pick a song I’m really into at the moment and put it up here for people to listen to. Mostly because I just really like music and I get a lot of joy out of sharing my favorite songs with people. Sometimes these songs will be new songs, sometimes they’ll be old songs–no limits!
I’ll pair each song with an image, just to stay true to the nature of a photo blog. Today’s image is from a black “sand” beach in Maui.
This week’s song is by Jonathan Rice. I’ve had this song on my computer for some time now, but I don’t remember how or why I have it. I usually listen to my music on random in iTunes and whenever this song comes on I get chills the first time the chorus starts up. Rice has a very powerful voice, especially in person. I was able to catch him live late last year and during the show I was reminded of this song, which hadn’t popped up in my player in a while. Ever since the night of that show I’ve made a point to seek the song out just to let it play on loop a few times. I hope you enjoy it.
Jonathan Rice - The Acrobat
[audio:TheAcrobat.mp3]
There’s something to be said for just letting it all hang out, so to speak. By opening up about my feelings of anguish over my lack of creative drive, it’s as if I was instantly able to let go of any apprehension and focus on setting things straight. I spent every free minute today pouring over photography websites and felt more and more inspired with each click.
I drove to the bookstore tonight and picked out a pretty little journal. Just now, armed with my new purchase, my favorite pen and a couple of photo-heavy magazines, I clipped glossy images from each publication–new inspirations to be kept in my journal so that I can forever look to them to re-ignite my creativity as needed. I didn’t limit myself to only the most awe-inspiring photos, either. I clipped some simple shots that I’ve seen some variations of before, just as a reminder that beauty can be found in the simplest of images.
I’m saying this here and now with the hopes that it’ll encourage me to do something about it: I’m in a rut.
While it’s true I haven’t had much free time to go out and photograph for fun lately, I also haven’t been utilizing what little opportunity I’ve had. Instead of spending a couple of hours this weekend with my camera, I spent some extra hours visiting my family, and I don’t feel guilty about that one bit. I do, however, wish that I felt more inspired.
This isn’t to say that I’m not inspired once I do get behind the camera. Once I pick it up, I’m perfectly fine, so my clients (present and future) need not worry! It’s just getting myself to pick up the camera and create images just for the joy of it that I can’t seem to get back to lately. But I’ll get there again, I know it!
In fact, I already have a particular project in mind. When I told Chris about it, he suggested we take a weekend away so that I can focus just on that project. Sounded like a great idea to me. So, in a couple of weeks we’ll be renting a house in Joshua Tree for the weekend. The house looks magical and I’ve never been to Joshua tree, so I absolutely cannot wait for this trip. I’m hoping the locale will jump start my creativity.
Speaking of creativity, Chris has launched a new site called Creatively Stunted (hey, that’s the perfect term for what I’m going through right now!) He’ll be writing about all kinds of things like music, books, movies, etc. Chris gets a lot of his inspiration from the creativity of others. He’s the type who can talk for hours about a movie or an album–and he always has something really worthwhile to say.
I’m usually inspired by nature and emotion, but what inspires you?
My original plan of taking new shots daily just isn’t happening. I want to pick up my camera more often, but I just can’t seem to get myself into the habit. This has become very frustrating for me. One thing I might do is enroll myself in some workshops, just to give me a reason to shoot.
The good news is the re-launch of the website has sent some new gigs my way, so I’ll have some willing subjects very soon! The subject above is my dear Flaxie. You may have noticed a few shots of her in my portfolio. These shots feature her basking in the warm glow of the West Hollywood sunset, along with her stuffed pal, Cool Santa.
