There is nothing like following up a long overdue post with another one. Funny how sometimes when we make the "never again" vow, we find ourselves distinctively in the same situation. Let's be honest-it's a blog eat blog world (wide web). Can I make that promise that I'll be faithful to post on a regular basis for better or for worse, richer or poorer, in sickness and in health? I could, but I might not follow through. Yes, the commitment to blog is not to be entered into lightly or unadvisedly. The "I have a blog" honeymoon is over eventually, and then we have to remind ourselves that the word blog is both a noun and a verb. So here is my desperate attempt to reclaim my blog from a post-honeymoon slump. Will I be successful? Perhaps. Maybe the key is to remember that commitment is only half of the battle. Promising to act, and actually acting are two different things.





I had the privilege of meeting my new friends from The First Coast Wind Ensemble at October's Art Walk.
They are such a talented group of guys. It was a pleasure meeting them and spending some time with their group to capture a few photos!












I loved the "fedora"ish hats these guys wore as part of their uniforms! So classy!!








Thanks to The First Coast Wind Ensemble for allowing me to hang out with them at October's Art Walk. Hope to see you again soon!

Labels: freelance

I'm not one for personal blog entries. On occasion, however, I have the urge and find the need to publish non-photographic posts. Even now, as I visit my page in its "under construction" state, I realize that so too am I. The last year has been no party. Perhaps, more accurately, the last few years I have become increasingly discontent; increasingly impatient. It's the hardest thing in the world to know that "something" is going to happen, but never know when or if that "something" is going to be what you want, what you've been working towards. In no uncertain terms maybe it is simply that I don't "know" something is going to happen, but rather think that there is nothing else but for something to happen. It's the old "something's got to give." It's the quintessential: keep the coins, I just want change. It's funny the things you imagine happening in your life. This marks the year in which I had a specific set of things I wanted to have already accomplished; things several years ago I envisioned myself taking part in and becoming. None of them have happened; no far from it. And by no means in the foreseeable future (which, in itself, is oxymoronic) do I expect them to happen. That is just life. You plan and things don't work out, and you don't plan and realize you should have. It's the paradox of life. Yet at the same time life is simply the culmination of things going wrong and plans not working out as we envision them and what we do with the pieces our daily tragedies and earth shattering disasters leave us. Life is the tapestry of many random threads only if we weave it. It's knowing when to walk away from closed doors instead of trying to pick locks and break windows. It's knowing that all we need is what we have, and that everything else is just a blessing. And while knowing these things it is just as much to know them as it is, to quote, to be "completely, perfectly, and incandescently happy."

Labels: freelance

Last week I had the pleasure of visiting the Fountain of Youth In St. Augustine with my fabulous new photo friend Kate Gardiner of Kate Gardiner Photo. It was really nice to have a little photo field trip with another photographer who has fresh, creative ideas and a unique perspective! So not only was it a trip to the Fountain of Youth, but likewise a visit with the Fountain of Knowledge that is Kate! Here are a few photos I shot during our adventure:



Kate's rambunctious dog, summer

Labels: freelance

During my trip to Cincinnati, after a battle with one way streets and Google Maps, I spent some time at Eden Park and the Krohn Conservatory for the Krohn Butterfly Show. The Silk Road exhibit was fabulous and fascinating and in between being a butterfly taxi via my shirt, I found a few minutes to take a few pictures!

Labels: freelance

Growth is essential to life. And in growing there are always things we must leave behind in order to make it to the next plateau; in order to achieve our full potential as individuals. Perhaps in some ways, we will find ourselves grieving the loss of the things we must leave behind so much that we miss they glorious feat of looking forward to the things we might soon experience. While we will deny it at the time we are about to step into unfamiliar territory, hindsight is always 20/20. The things we leave behind prepare us for that which we are soon to meet, and in retrospect all that we have met undoubtedly becomes a part of us; intrinsically linked. As I prepare for and look forward to my trip back home this coming week, I am saturated by the desire to reconnect and reacquaint with just a small handful of individuals to whom I am very close. I am overwhelmed by the need to visit all of the places from my early childhood...the parks, the nature shows, the shopping centers, and even the grocery. I feel as though in some ways I will be stepping into an entirely new city that I have never seen before. I find myself forgetting how to navigate to certain locations, and undoubtedly seeking comfort and solace with the likes of mapquest and GoogleMaps. And just the same I feel as though I know every back road and "best kept secret" there is to know; as if I have only been on an extended vacation. I feel as though it will be the coalescence of the best city ever and a new me. "I have changed," comes the forewarning to my close friends. "I'm just different...you will see," I told them. "I'm a little more this, and a little less of that." Sometimes a change of scenery is all it takes. Even still, a part of me can't help but wonder what it will be like. Will seeing old faces be an awkward moment of silence followed by an, "It's so nice to see you." Or will it be an affectionate reception followed by lots of laughs, great food, wonderful conversation, and amazing photo ops? I'm not sure. I know what I hope it will be. Then again, hindsight is always 20/20.

Labels: freelance

I've been excited for the Butterfly Festival at Tree Hill since a friend told me about it last year. I remember frequenting the Krohn Conservatory for the butterfly show and garden expo growing up. It was something I always looked forward to and enjoyed immensely. I was definitely excited to attend something similar in the 'Ville! One thing that still continues to fascinate me is that butterflies have a great sensitivity to touch. It is either good or bad. Certain kinds of touch will make them spread their wings, and move closer to the object or person touching them. Other kinds of touch will cause them to close up, make them very still, or even make them fly away. It's so similar to our natural reaction as humans! As I continue my study in psychology it is something of which I consciously make myself more and more aware. In preparing for my upcoming trip back to Cincinnati, I am beyond words excited to visit the Butterfly Show at the Krohn Conservatory. It is the 75th Anniversary of the Krohn Conservatory and I know The SIlk Road is going to be absolutely amazing. So perhaps here is just a prelude of more pictures to come!

Labels: freelance

One of the really wonderful things about moving from Cincinnati to the 'Ville is having the beach in my backyard! Since I was five years old I have wanted to move to Florida. Leaving a place I love was very difficult but new experiences, new scenery, and meeting new people is something for which to be entirely grateful. As I continue to get to explore unfamiliar territory, in many ways, and find the best kept secrets, I find that I am very often inclined to drive east, in bare feet and rolled up jeans, until the road ends and the water begins. But not without my canon, of course!

Labels: freelance

As I drove out of the parking lot of the mechanic's shop on Saturday after getting my oil changed, I literally pulled into a car show. Unintentional, of course, as I really had no idea what was going on over there. But it was a great chance for an impromptu photo shoot of cars (and a fire truck). Here are a few of my favorite images from my random adventure!

Labels: freelance