Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Spontaneity

I feel like I'm doing less personal work these days so every now and then I'll grab my Mark II and 35mm, get in the car, and go. This day I scarfed down my dinner and ran out the door right before the sun set so I could get up on the mountain in time. It was a last minute decision but the spontaneity is what made it special. 





Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Zhanna | Crozet, Virginia Senior Portrait Photographer

Zhanna and I spent the afternoon in Crozet on Sunday at Miller School, a boarding school, taking her senior pictures!! I had visited the campus to see if it would be a good spot and it ended up being perfect! I did a quick drive through a few days before the session but we ended up finding new spots everywhere that I had no idea about! I love that about a good location! Zhanna is such a sweet girl and I loved getting to know her! She was such a good sport laying in the grass for me and posing as lots of students walked by and stared. :) Zhanna, I hope the rest of your senior year isn't too stressful and that you love your photos!! I can't wait to hear about your plans for next year!






























Friday, September 6, 2013

Diamond In the Rough

I've been on a little blog hiatus but I don't ever think that's a bad thing. When I learned that I didn't have to blog everyday, blogging became less of a chore and more of a fun task. And speaking of fun, life has been just that lately. 

When I got back from the beach, I was so ready to be home, to have my room back together (we got hardwood floors), and to embrace fall. I've been trying to stay out of my house as much as possible lately, whether that means working at Starbucks or driving in the mountains, just because I want to see more. 

I worked really hard this week and one of the things on my to-do list was to go location scouting for my upcoming senior sessions. What I had intended for a couple hours of location scouting turned into three days of exploring and adventuring. Each day I am more grateful for the beautiful place that I live and life's bountiful blessings and through the little exploring I did this week, I learned something huge about myself that I should have realized by now: I love documenting life. And not just people, but places and things. 

My favorite adventure from this week happened today. I decided to take a trip up the Blue Ridge Parkway to an overlook called Raven's Roost. I had been wanting to do this for a couple months but today's fall weather inspired me to go. I grabbed my backpack, stuffed my Bible, journal, and phone in it, and set off to see what the overlook had to offer. I had been once before but I didn't remember it, which was why I wanted to go. I pulled up and I kid you not, I was overwhelmed, in a good way. It happens every time I stop at an overlook on the parkway. At Raven's Roost, there's a perfect set of rocks off to the left, overlooking the entire valley of lush green and blue. I stood, all alone, the only sound was the wind rushing the trees. Eventually, I sat, putting my feet on the rock below, and stared out for a good five minutes, thanking God for the day. I honestly can't put into words how seeing beautiful things makes me feel. It's indescribable. I felt so small sitting on that rock but I felt so alive. Creation is something I hope to always see God in and today is the perfect example of why. I know I say this so often but there's so much in your town that I'm sure you haven't seen. Go discover new places. You might just find a diamond in the rough.