Goodbye, 2010: A Year in Pictures.

Happy New Year! What are your plans for tonight? Me? I will be cuddled in bed next to the most handsome boy in the world. He'll be drinkin' beer.....heavy on the root. He's got a few more years to go before he's the legal drinking age.

Oh sure, I could be out at a party somewhere getting wasted but no one will ever convince me that getting drunk is fun. I'd like the keep my dinner right where it is, thank you very much. Besides, when you got a good lookin' man like that at home, why go anywhere else? So, I will be ringing in the New year right at home, silently rejoicing that we made it through 2010, and praying 2011 is good.


This year, we watched spring turn into summer,

Summer fade into fall,

And fall fall into winter.

A year. 52 weeks. 365 days.

Seems kinda small in the scheme of things but so many things happen in a year. You start things. You finish things. Win some. Lose some. You develop new relationships.
Here's a relationship I developed this year:




One with insects. But not only insects. One with photography.

I've loved.

I've seen laughter.


I've succeeded. With honors.


I've cried,
Gained some,

and missed others.
But I have lived. And seen beautiful things.





And that doesn't even begin to cover it. Let's just say I'm a lucky girl.

On the right track.

"Growing up is never easy. You hold on to things that were. You wonder what's to come. But that night, I think we knew it was tome to let go of what had been, and look ahead to what would be. Other days. New days. Days to come. The thing is, we didn't have to hate each other for getting older. We just had to forgive ourselves... for growing up." -The Wonder Years

I've been taking lots of photos at the railroad tracks down from my house. It's especially one of my favorite places to photograph kids. They love to see what they can find here, they are happier so they are easier to photograph. I also feel like railroad tracks can symbolize a lot. In this photo you can see tracks in the distance. It can symbolize a journey stretching out a head of you. A long way to go. It can symbolize growing up, too. You can walk along the tracks and stop and look back to see how far you've come. But then you have to turn around and look ahead and see how much you have left to go. You can't see the end of the tracks. You don't know what are are gonna find. Rust, broken ties, grime, glass. And you don't know if you are going to stay on the same tracks, or end up on a different path. And you, you're kind like the train. You pick up some people, drop some off along the way. Have all kinds of baggage on board. Chuggin' on along, sometimes not sure where you are going, just hoping not to derail.

That train ride is so crazy sometimes. Sometimes it goes way too fast and you look out the window and everything is a blur. And then other times it seems like you are barely making any ground. Just inching along. Sometimes you lose your way and sometimes you know exactly where you are headed, but you don't like it and no matter how many times you switch tracks, it's still not the right way. But you keep going. Because you have to. Wondering if you will ever feel like you found the right track.

There are times when your burden is too great. You've got too many freight cars. You have to let them go and strike out on your own again. Some people won't let you go. They'll try to stop you. Break your engine down. But you are the conductor. You say where'll go, but remember those who help you.
And when the time comes and you stop again and you look at all you have ahead of you. Still a long way to go. When you look back to see where you've come from, through all the dirt, and rust, and wrong turns, going too fast, and too slow...

Don't miss the ones that are still behind you.


Blow your whistle and keep on rollin'.

fix it friday #81

Original SOOC image:

My fixes:

Head over to iheartfaces.com to see more beautiful fixes! :)

fix it friday #80

Love this weeks photo! I could have edited forever!

Original:

My fixes:

Don't forget to check out iheartfaces.com for more sunny entries! :) Happy editing!

Project 365 - Day 86

“So show a little inspiration

show a little spark

show the world a little act when you show it your heart

we've got two lives--one we're given,

and the other one we make

and the world won't stop

and actions speak louder

listen to your heart.”

-Mary-Chapin Carpenter

IHF: Self Portrait

I was thinking about skipping this challenge. I think I may enjoy sinking hot needles into my eyeballs more than taking pictures of myself. Or being in them at all. It's not because I am afraid of what people may think of me, I'm not that kind of person. I am an emotion driven person. I feel things deeply. When I do something, I put everything into making it. I have to do it right. That's a reason why I haven't really pursued my photography any further than I have. It's a reflection of me. And I'm putting it out there for everyone to see. It leaves me a little raw, a little bare. My soul feels exposed. Photographs are made to be looked at. And people are looking at little parts of who I am. I need to do it right. Not for anyone else. I have to do it right for me. No one else can be a bigger critic of my work than me. Here I am.

Project 365 - Day 85

"Beauty, to me, is about being comfortable in your own skin. That, or a kick-ass red lipstick." -Gwyneth Paltrow

Project 365 - Day 84

"I prefer winter and fall, when you feel the bone structure of the landscape - the loneliness of it, the dead feeling of winter. Something waits beneath it, the whole story doesn't show." -Andrew Wyeth

Me and the little man went out scouting in the backyard this afternoon! It's been a while since we did that. Eek! I'm so ashamed! And now that it's almost December, I noticed today how much the earth has changed. When you enjoy photography, you come to see everything in terms of how you'd photograph it. This is my first year seeing things in this way. At first with all the green and flowers of summer gone I was feeling a little uninspired. But the more I looked, the more interesting things came. Just because things were different, doesn't mean they weren't beautiful.

Project 365 - Day 83

"All that is gold does not glitter, not all who wander are lost; the old that is strong does not wither, deep roots are not reached by the frost. From the ashes a fire shall be woken, a light form the shadows shall spring; renewed shall be blade that was broken, the crownless again shall be king." -J.R.R. Tolkien

This is Florida snow. As close as we usually come to snow here. It's cold here on and off. This day was frosty, the next day was 72 degrees. Typical Florida weather!

I have quite missed blogging... I have been so busy with school and life in general and I've been slacking a little. Graduation is on the 14th though! Guess who is super excited?! ;) I should have more time to devote to my photography and blog for the time being. I have however gotten a lot more comfortable using Nikki. I am really amazed and the difference in the quality of SLRs vs point and shoot digital cameras. I really believe that I am able to grow more as a photographer now that I have a DSLR, which is also very exciting. I have been contacted by more people about "jobs." It's all just by word of mouth or people who know me or see my photos on facebook. It's a start!

I have gotten some more followers on my blog! Totally awesome and unexpected to have people who I don't know follow my blog! I am a very appreciative and blessed girl. ;)

Until next time...

IHF: Scenic b&w

I am really excited about this photo challenge this week! I haven't been able to participate in the last few challenges so I am happy to be able in to the swing of things. :)
Hope you enjoy my entry! Head on over to iheartfaces.com to see more beautiful b&w scenery.

Project 365 - Day 82

"Christmas is forever, not for just one day,
for loving, sharing, giving, are not to put away
like bells and lights and tinsel, in some box upon a shelf.
The good you do for others is good you do yourself..."
-Norman Wesley Brooks, "Let Every Day Be Christmas," 1976

We went and picked out our Christmas tree and put it up. I love Christmas time!

r & k - engagement shoot

Oh my! It's been a while! Lately there just hasn't been enough time in the day! But I wanted to take the time to blog about my first photography "job". I did some engagement photos for a friend that I went to high school with and I am photographing her wedding in January. I'll be posting my favorites along the way. :)


The location was really nice. I rode by the day before and the light was really beautiful and I was hopeful that it would be nice for our shoot. But, alas, it was kinda cloudy so it wasn't quite ideal, but we worked with what we had. Living more than three hours away, rescheduling wasn't really an option.
I had so much fun. And had some more fun looking through all the photos and editing them to their maximum beauty. I know that I am still a beginner and I still have loads to learn about composition and lines and editing... I actually am quite proud of myself and of how the photos turned out. I feel like I have already learned some things by doing this shoot. And that's what it's about right? How else to learn then to get out there and do it?

Renee and Kurt were really great to work. I got to catch up and find out how they met and how he proposed. They seemed very happy about the way the photos turned out. I appreciate them recognizing my talent and trusting me to capture these memories for them. (No pressure, right?)

When I snapped this I heard Kurt ask Renee, " What is she shooting?!" ;)

That was my experience in a nutshell! I'll leave you for the night with a few more gorgeous photos to look at!

Until next time... ;)