Author Archives:The only reason I don’t have seventeen children by now is that I get to snuggle babies like this every few weeks. Seriously? Are little ones allowed to be this sweet?!? I get a little obsessed with the details…
After we did the detail work, we took him up to his room. I LOVE babies’ rooms!!! The way the light hit their beautiful, family heirloom rocking chair just took my breath away. I knew that chair needed a sleeping baby in it!
I am SUCH a lucky photographer!!! : ) I love meeting new families… so many little personalities to discover. : ) These guys were especially fun:
Love!!! To say that I was impressed by the students in this week’s Camera Camp would be an understatement…
They learned so much more than even I had expected of them. I think that their work speaks for itself, although as I show you I will probably be chiming in a bit to point out their brilliance!
If you don’t know what panning is, note how crystal clear the cars are and how blurred the backgrounds are… NO PHOTOSHOP APPLIED!!!
and the value of pattern and repetition in photography… but I couldn’t be prouder or more honored to post them on my blog!!! Kids… you were truly amazing and I cannot WAIT to see what the rest of the summer holds for you and your cameras! Don’t forget to send me your favorite images!!! : ) Yesterday afternoon I had an incredibly special opportunity: my beloved second grade teacher, Mrs. Reiland, was given a surprise retirement party which I was able to attend alongside her many friends and family. This amazing woman, who embodies strength, steadfastness, and gentleness, taught for 28 years at the elementary school I attended as a little girl. Seeing her yesterday brought back so many memories and I’ve been reminiscing about them since I left.
The day I stepped into her classroom in August of 1987, my seven-year-old heart knew that she would be my ray of light. Up until that fall, I wore the badge of a child with severe separation anxiety. Every single day, from the beginning of preschool through the end of first grade, I was nearly paralyzed with fear and grief as I left my house for school. One might think that those early, tough years would be quickly forgotten over time, but to this day I vividly remember the emotional stress and heartache I experienced walking out the door on those terrifying mornings. My parents did absolutely everything that they could comfort me and give me strength for each day, but despite their truly amazing efforts, I was a lost and broken little girl when it came to attending school.
I don’t remember much about the first day of second grade. I don’t remember what outfit I wore or what colors my binders were or what brand of watercolors I’d chosen. I really only remember one thing: the kind, gentle face of my teacher. She had a welcoming smile that seemed to say, “It’s safe here and you will be ok.” No other teacher had offered me that kind of hope before, and before I knew it I had surrendered my homesick little heart to the redheaded woman with sparkling hazel-green eyes at the front of the classroom.
As the months of second grade passed, I grew in emotional strength and confidence… two qualities that had previously been elusive at best. Mrs. Reiland enthusiastically taught our class about so many things; through our studies, we traveled to England & wrote real pen pals, read lovely stories about Paddington Bear and his many adventures, learned addition and subtraction… my eyes were opened that year to the enchantment of education. Mrs. Reiland taught me to be a writer, and I’ve loved putting my thoughts to paper ever since.
Sometimes, just when you need it most, a person enters your life and offers you the grace you’ve so desperately needed. Mrs. Reiland was that person for me, and yesterday afternoon I was able to give her a long, grateful hug and say thank you. She couldn’t have possibly known just how much that thank you meant, but today as I write this, my eyes are filled with grateful tears for the many ways that her presence that year gave my life a foothold to rise above the struggles I was facing.
Yesterday was a tangible reminder that we don’t always know when or how our lives will cross others’ at their moments of greatest need. Whether it’s extending a warm smile, engaging in a meaningful conversation, or offering a leg-up when the rest of the world stands above looking down, I will choose to be a person who looks for the opportunities to be a light into others’ dark places, however great or small my efforts may seem.
And I will never forget the woman who was that light for me.
 So…. I graduated in 1998. The year 2012 was not even on my radar at the time. It’s not that I somehow didn’t think I’d make it to 2012, it’s that I didn’t even have the year 2012 on the spectrum of possibility. I was thinking a lot about that as I drove home from the city the other night after taking this amazing young man’s senior pictures. As an 18 year old, what could I have possibly been able to predict about my life 14 years later? Nothing. Seriously… nothing. Because the life of an 18 year old is so centered on the “here and now”, and why shouldn’t it be? 18 year olds have the world at their fingertips. They’re blasting out the doors of their high schools for the very last time, running full-speed into the promising unknown. There’s an undeniable energy that radiates from any 18 year old who’s about to fly out of the nest, and it’s downright inspiring. This session was an experience a bit off the beaten path for me, but it reminded me of what it felt like to be teetering on the fence between past and future. and I loved every minute of it…
Good luck Jordan!!! : )
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