i took these two pictures on my first real photo walk with my new camera. i think i squealed when i saw them, and i knew in that moment that my new camera and i would be the best of friends. i don’t know what it is about them, possibly that they are slightly more in focus than is my wont and yet i still feel a sense of delight and magic. regardless of the specifics, i am a happy girl.

i am newly addicted to modern family. i am late to the party, i know, since apparently it started in 2009. i find it heartwarming and inspiring and every single episode makes me laugh out loud.

i am also addicted to these delectable rosemary crackers topped with brie and sliced cucumber (and sea salt, of course). i can eat them for lunch and dinner – and sometimes breakfast. at the rate i go through a wedge of brie, i should really buy an entire round of it.

what are you loving today?

“For what is it to die but to stand naked in the wind and to melt into the sun? .. And when the earth shall claim your limbs, then shall you truly dance.”

– from On Death, by Khalil Gibran

beauty is as soft as a butterfly wing and as fierce as the truth.

beauty is in a single tear and in a burst of uncontrollable laughter.

beauty is as hard as a diamond and as supple as a blade of grass.

beauty is in a shy glance and in a powerful stride.

beauty is a prayer, a sigh, a whisper.

i feel like a kid on christmas morning.

“Admit something: Everyone you see, you say to them, “Love me.”

Of course you do not do this out loud, otherwise someone would call the cops.

Still, though, think about this, this great pull in us to connect. Why not become the one who lives with a full moon in each eye that is always saying, with that sweet moon language, What every other eye in this world is dying to hear.”

– Hafiz, With That Moon Language

i had an idea!

if you are the parent or close relative of a child who will be in the hospital for a while, and you want them to receive more mail while they’re there, i invite you to send me their information and address. i would be happy to send them a little note and one of my stories.

i was in the hospital for a long time when i was little, so i know what it’s like, and i am very good at sending random mail. if my experience means i now have the opportunity to make another child’s hospital stay just a little bit brighter, then i will count it a blessing.

consider this an open invitation.

please feel free to share it with anyone you think would benefit.

(that being said, may you never need it.)

p.s. just for fun, i used the healing brush on this photo, to clean up some of the lens flare on the left. it seemed so appropriate!

i have a very long list of livelihood-related things that i want to spend time on. and yet, lately, i haven’t.

sadly, i have been giving myself grief for this. either i tell myself that i’m horribly lazy and unmotivated or else i tell myself that clearly there is something in the way and what on earth is wrong with me that i don’t want to figure out what it is and work through it.

what have i been doing instead? i’ve been creating a style lookbook, writing cards/letters, eating ice cream, watching shows on netflix, and spending time by the pool.

do you know what i just realized? of course this is what i’m doing. it’s hot here! most of the things i want to do involve time at the computer and it’s just too hot for me to do my best work.

sheesh. i think the heat is sapping my brain.

on the up side, i bought myself an ice cream cake. it came up in a conversation and sounded really good and i said, “i should buy one!” that’s normally the sort of thing i would say and then dismiss. an ice cream cake seems special – something to buy for other people, not just for me. then, i decided that was actually the perfect reason to buy it – it would be a good way of showing myself that i am special too. it’s very tasty! if you live nearby, there’s still some in the freezer.

when people ask for photography advice or suggestions, i always shy away from answering. it feels like i am the least qualified person ever to answer that question and have nothing useful to offer – because i don’t know so much more than i do know and because mostly i just play and have fun and see what happens.

except of course i have thoughts. (ha. of course i do. i have thoughts on lots of things, including things that i practice much less often – or never – than i practice photography.)

so, in this moment, here are my photography tips. i may have more later.

(use at your own risk. what i mean by that is, if there is something that appeals to you, use that and discard the rest. you are the best authority on you. this applies to everything, including photography tips.)

take pictures. a lot of pictures.

this is easier with digital cameras. yay, digital cameras! when i was young, i would often use an entire roll of film on a breaking wave. i liked waves, and every forward movement of the wave seemed even more photogenic than the last. i am very used to deleting (or discarding) pictures.

it’s partially the law of averages – the more photos you take, the more likely you are to take a photo (or photos) that you really love.

it’s also practice. the more photos you take, the more photos you see, and the more quickly you learn the compositions and subjects and and and that you prefer. this is how i learned about the rule of thirds. i took so many photos of nature that i noticed that if the main thing i wanted to capture wasn’t precisely in the center, i was more inclined to like the result. when i learned about the rule years later, it all made sense.

of course, the opposite is also true. there is something to be said for limiting yourself to a single photo and taking time to find just the right subject and to compose the photo in the way that feels just right and then experiencing the result. if you’re in need of a challenge, maybe this is it.

take pictures of things that you love.

you’re drawn to things. follow that!

it seems silly to try to force yourself to take pictures of things that other people take pictures of, or to capture things in ways that other people capture them, or to take pictures that you think other people want to see, if it’s not something you’re drawn to.

if you’re drawn to people, take pictures of them! if you’re drawn to flowers and birds and bees, take pictures of them! if you’re drawn to buildings, take pictures of them! if you’re drawn to light and shadow, take pictures of them! if you’re drawn to ice cream cones, take pictures of them!

your pictures are another reflection of you. it might feel vulnerable to share that piece of you, so you have total permission to never share anything with anyone ever.

i love atlas, the natural world (particularly flowers and trees and water), details, daily life, art, and lines/angles/color/pattern. can you tell?

again, the opposite is also true. there is something to be said for stepping out of your comfort zone. you might not need to take pictures of things that you don’t love, but it might be a good challenge to take pictures of things that you don’t normally capture. say, people instead of scenery or details instead of the entire scene.

play.

play!

hold your camera above your head or at water level or put it underneath a flower. snap a photo from your hip while you’re running with your dog or your child. put your camera on a new setting and take some pictures and see what happens. sit or lie down or twist at an odd angle. close your eyes.

use a slow shutter speed and press the shutter while you’re moving the camera. shoot through a sheer colorful fabric. hold a toilet paper tube or a kaleidoscope in front of the lens. shoot directly into the sun. cut off the top of someone’s head. stand too close to your subject. take a blurry picture.

ignore all the rules. break all the rules. don’t listen to anyone’s advice. do whatever you want.

in this case, i don’t think there is an opposite. when it comes to photography, play is work and work is play.

on that note, be your own expert.

you get to like your photos, whether anyone else does or not.

now it’s your turn!

feel free to agree or disagree or discuss or add your own.

oh, mary oliver, we really should collaborate on a book of poetry and photography, you and i.

i am popping in to remind you that there is still time to take advantage of my midsummer special on the pause. it might be the perfect way for you to rest and recharge and renew – all in the comfort of your own home.

in case you’re wondering what the experience might be like, the lovely maryann devine wrote the most beautiful description of her experience, and she gave me permission to share it with you.

The first time I experienced Elizabeth’s Pause, it felt like it was unlocking that part of me that actually could relax. It was like opening up a door to a room I didn’t know was there. Which was huge.

if you’ve been wanting a way to put down your to-do lists and take some time for yourself, do check it out. the special is good through the end of july.