…so i snuck a shot of her on the blog!
dang, isn’t she beautiful? this was taken yesterday while we were testing out a new lens we just received- yesterday was our 4 year wedding anniversary and i couldn’t be any luckier!
last weekend while we were shooting, someone stopped me and asked what my favorite thing is to photograph. the question caught me off guard at first but quickly my art school rhetoric kicked in and then, i stopped myself. because the answer to his question wasn’t some esoteric explanation full of vague ideas and overarching descriptives. my answer was, simply, people. people doing their own thing, being genuine, having fun, dancing, laughing- enjoying life. there are so many different types of photographers making beautiful images who are inspired by so many different aspects of the craft- there’s no right way to be a photographer and that’s what makes our field so diverse. a successful image looks different to everyone. even if we all agree it’s successful, we find ourselves appreciating different aspects of the image for different reasons, in different ways. photography is just so personal- we can’t help but create our own narrative around a compelling image and i love that about photography. i can do my very best to capture something i find beautiful and i know, and love, that when others look at the image they will spin their own version and see that same beauty so differently through their personal lens. but we’ve still connected through the image. it’s fascinating, intimate and, at times, even exhausting.
because of that last bit, it’s always so interesting to me to hear how other artists recharge creatively. for some it’s a personal project within their own professional craft. i’m constantly amazed by the personal images created by some great professional photographers- so poignant and bold. for others, like me, energy and inspiration comes from other creative outlets and i think that is ok. if you can imagine (i barely can, my todo list is insane right now.) waking up to a whole day set aside for creative exploration what would you most want to do? after a few minutes of silence (or of falling back asleep, i’ll be honest;)) what comes to my mind is a lingering trip to the farmer’s market and an afternoon tinkering around the kitchen. for me, personally, knowing what other outlets get my creativity flowing is a really important part of my energy as an artist. so i guess what i’m really trying to say is- there is no formula to creating. however you arrive at inspiration, however you view your craft, why you do what you do- it’s personal. the way i see it, as long as you are honest with yourself in your work, you’re successful.
just felt like throwing that out there this morning. :) i have a full day of editing ahead of me and i’m feeling energized and excited to get started! maybe because yesterday i spent my afternoon in the kitchen with stella- making sauces and marinades, and my evening with matt- grilling baby eggplants, artichokes and oysters- i’m ready for anything! :)
and just because, here is miss stella in the kitchen, being awkward and adorable, her usual:
’tis the season for early morning yardsales, brunch on a patio and afternoons on the back deck, cocktail in hand, enjoying the honey sweet breeze and golden sunlight. this is the time of year when all things are new and my outlook can’t help but reflect that. i want to try new things, visit new places and learn something completely unexpected. i want my photography to grow. i want my images to be more elevated, singular and imaginative. clearly, spring has gotten to me!
back to where i started- spring is such a beautiful time to sit back and love the world around us. lucky for us, we recently seeded our yard which means a few weeks of twilight watering. which REALLY means chatting in the back yard swing while moving our little sprinkler six times so that it waters every corner of the yard. so, for around an hour, we’re pulled out of our little world of email, podcasts and editing and we just sit and watch the sparkling water fall around us. we talk about everything, or sometimes nothing. it’s such a great time for us- we may just stick to it even when the grass starts to grow!
lately, some nights, just before swing/sprinkler time, i make us a cocktail. i am hardly a recipe follower so usually i just combine what i like and hope for the best. then, i split it and add a little more sugar to matt’s and a little more bitterness to mine and we just sit and sip. on a really good night i’ll take down a little snack too but, honestly, i think that’s only happened once so far. ;) anyway, because a post is always better with a picture (and a recipe?), here is my latest favorite, let’s call it a rosemary old fashioned soda?
the recipe:
2 oz bourbon
2 dashes bitters
1 oz rosemary simple syrup
(1c sugar, 1c water, 2 sprigs rosemary, crushed, simmer, let cool)
1/2 of a caramelized lemon, juiced
(place lemon in a pan cut side down, cook at medium until warmed through & browned, let cool)
3 cherries
orange peel
rosemary sprig
soda
fill a tall glass with ice. throw in first 7 ingredients and swirl. top with soda. go sit outside. ;)
do you have a favorite back porch beverage? i’d love to hear about it! happy spring! :)
