Let Go of What Holds You Back
I am Lucky as a Photographer
- I am lucky because I have been involved in this young woman’s life for over 4 years.
- I am lucky because she allows me to know her — the real her.
- I am lucky to be able to point my lens in her direction almost anytime … she doesn’t mind. And she knows how to drop the mask and be herself. And she lets me see that. And record that part of her.
- I am lucky to have been able to photograph her belly three times now. And the babies. And toddlers.
- And finally I am lucky to watch healing happen in the heart a girl who was so wounded … and to see her find a partner who cherishes her, who is a good papa, who is gentle and funny and real.
Here’s a peek at some of the images my lens captured today. Check back for more. We’re still in the stage of choosing which ones we like best.
My Hometown: Looking for Light
On my photo walk this week I found myself in such glorious beauty that at times it felt transcendent. It was my birthday today. Charlie and I spent a couple of hours at Cox Lake and on the ridgeline above the lake. Trying to take in the beauty. Trying to take in the light — the incredible crisp, clear, morning light just five minutes from our house.
I could not make myself post just one photo today. Though these are not my best photos ever, still I love the quality of light in these images. So, here are a few, for your viewing pleasure. I hope these images lift your heart as the place did mine.
thank you God for most this amazing day
One of my all time favorite poems is by e.e.cummings, a poem I first read when I was 14 years old, living in Virginia. My dad introduced me to e.e.cummings. Throughout my spiritual journey, from Catholicism to Buddhism, to exploring other Christian faith communities and finally finding my spiritual home in Huichol Shamanism, e.e.cumming’s poet-mystic vision rings true to my heart.
We are all climbing to the top of the same mountain on different trails.
May all Beings be Blessed. May all Beings be Loved.
Here is the poem:
i thank You God for most this amazing
day:for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky;and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes
(i who have died am alive again today,
and this is the sun’s birthday;this is the birth
day of life and love and wings:and of the gay
great happening illimitably earth)
how should tasting touching hearing seeing
breathing any-lifted from the no
of all nothing-human merely being
doubt unimaginable You?
(now the ears of my ears awake and
now the eyes of my eyes are opened)– e e cummings
My Hometown: Color Hunt in the Rain
Have you ever stayed indoors because it’s just too uncomfortable to go outside? Sometimes we all do that: hide from the elements — wind, rain, heat, snow, ice, sun. When I choose to stay inside and not head out into nature, I often regret it later. Yesterday was one of those days. I seriously thought about not going out in the rain, but Charlie needed his walk and I needed my nature-fix. So, I bundled up, put on a hat, grabbed the umbrella and my camera and took off with my favorite walking buddy.
Rain. Have you ever noticed when it’s raining, that in spite of overcast skies and gray air, the rain has an amazing effect on the colors all around you? I decided to turn our soggy outing into a hunt for awesome colors. This time of year in Montana, the colors of the land appear to fade but they don’t, really. Prairie grasses morph to tan, gray, brown. Wildflowers seed. Yes, aspens, larch and other trees will soon put on a color show, and the ground shrubs are still colorful, but mostly, when our eyes look out at the prairie, our brains see “gray/tan.”
But. When the rain comes, all you have to do is look a little closer and you’ll see a tapestry of brilliant colors. Here’s one, above — a community of lichens.
Click the photo to see it large — you’ll see the colors better. It’s like getting down on the ground up close to your subject. 🙂
My Hometown: Coil
My Hometown: Blue Chevy Map of Earth
Mother-Baby: seeing the connection through a camera lens
Elijah’s first birthday is coming up soon and his mom, Shayla, wanted some photos to celebrate and mark the occasion. We went down to Reeder’s Alley and played around on the brick alley and in the grass to get these cute photos. Elijah obliged me by being super cute — and totally not shy of the camera. May he always be this way, even when he’s in his teen years! Here are a handful from our photo shoot last week.
Shayla gained a great foundation in attachment parenting through the Florence Crittenton’s Parenting Classes. I have used concepts from the Circle of Security to caption these photos. If you want to know more about attachment parenting and the Circle of Security, check out the handouts at Circle of Security International or sign up for a parenting class through the community outreach center at Florence Crittenton.
If you live in the Helena area and would like to have a child or family photo shoot, or photos of yourself, please get in touch with me through email. You can find my email on my contact page. I would love to play, explore, delight and enjoy an hour or two with you, your children and my camera.
From September 2nd through October 20th, I am offering discounts to former residents of Florence Crittenton, single moms with kids living at home, and teen parents. Here is a link to my sitting and photo processing fees.