A still life can be a lot of work, but at the end you get to eat everything and that kinda makes it all worthwhile.
12.12.11
Day 102
A still life can be a lot of work, but at the end you get to eat everything and that kinda makes it all worthwhile.
A still life can be a lot of work, but at the end you get to eat everything and that kinda makes it all worthwhile.
6.12.11
Day 101
I suppose I should tell you how this got here.
It started months after our poor little Nix's body failed to keep up with his heart. We missed him so much that it felt like little pieces of our hearts had gone with him.
I suppose I should tell you how this got here.
So Steve decided to take a trip into the woods to clear his head.
While in the woods, he came across a filthy wild beastie feasting on deer poop and leaves.
He tried to be quiet so the wild beastie wouldn't hear him, but it was too late! The beastie had seen him! With the poor, ravaged leaves still falling from his frothing mouth...
He attacked!
But the beastie didn't know that in a past life, Steve had been a lion tamer and one wild beastie was small potatoes. The wild beastie realized that he had only become such a bad little wild beastie to protect himself from the scary things in woods because there was no one else who would love and protect him. As he was having this epiphany, Steve patted him on the head and got up to leave.
But the wild beastie ran after Steve and tried to follow him home.
Steve realized that the wild beastie had claimed him as part of his family and as he had no one else, agreed to let him come home. When the wild beastie (heretofore know as Rocky) heard this, he jumped for joy!
And I think he kinda likes it here.
4.12.11
Day 100
And building closets...
And rescuing puppies stuck under beds...
And eating cookies...
And baking bread...
And much more that wasn't quite as exciting as puppies and new closets and fresh baked bread, but just as important.
1.12.11
Day 98
Ah, my dears, life has been busy. Busy doing this...
Ah, my dears, life has been busy. Busy doing this...
In October, Blo- Blow Dry Bar invited us to their First Street Launch Party and asked us to donate a shoot to help raise money for the Wings of Hope Breast Cancer Foundation. Since helping to support those affected by cancer is something we believe in so strongly, we decided to do one better and donate our Shoot & Style package. Our stylist hand picks a blend of vintage and designer clothing tailored to your body, personality and style followed by an on-location shoot at two of your favourite places.
When we met with Nicole, our winner, we felt like John Lennon was behind us singing Instant Karma. She's is easy-going, funny and absolutely gorgeous!
So, thank you Blo for inviting us to be part of your event and thank you Nicole for being you!
5.8.11
Day 94
Earlier this week I promised you stories of rebellion and dissent. Now keep in mind that I am a huge wimp and the most defiant thing I've ever done in my life is smuggle my camera into lectures at university and record bootlegged videos so I didn't have to write notes during class. Bad ass, huh? But I think on this particular day the sun had addled our brains a little and made us do things we (read: I) wouldn't normally do.
Things like scale chain link fences in skinny jeans and wedges to take pictures in abandoned warehouses.
Of course, since I suck at being rebellious, I was constantly looking over my shoulder for rabid guard dogs or gun-toting mercenaries. Laelia took great pleasure in warning me of the phantom dogs and laughed as I jumped around and freaked out.
It's ok though. I plan on taking her hiking in the mountains soon, and I know how she feels about bears.
Have a wonderful weekend :)
Love,
Hearts & Photos
Things like scale chain link fences in skinny jeans and wedges to take pictures in abandoned warehouses.
Of course, since I suck at being rebellious, I was constantly looking over my shoulder for rabid guard dogs or gun-toting mercenaries. Laelia took great pleasure in warning me of the phantom dogs and laughed as I jumped around and freaked out.
It's ok though. I plan on taking her hiking in the mountains soon, and I know how she feels about bears.
Have a wonderful weekend :)
Love,
Hearts & Photos
4.8.11
Day 93
The other night Laelia and I started talking about those defining experiences in your life when everything in the universe seems to have clicked just for you.
It's pretty mind-blowing to consider all the events that led up to that one moment. Like dominoes, everything had to happen in the right place at the right time for any of us to be born, to have met great loves, or even to have heard a song we like on the radio just because we're stuck in traffic. At times like that, I can't help but feel that the universe is coaxing us in the right direction; whispering in our ear to do exactly what it is we need to do to get where we're supposed to be.
In Laelia's case, that little nudge from fate happened at a bookstore. She was going to art school and a little lost (I can attest this feeling. I think most art students are!), trying to figure out who she was and how to express that through her painting.
Now, even in art school there are mandatory text books. (In fact, the biggest, heaviest text I own is from art school- 8 lbs of deliciously opulent art history. Sigh... :) Laelia already had a copy of the textbook she needed but it had wandered away somewhere in her car or studio. It wasn't really a big deal that it was gone- the semester was nearly over and the book was for a studio class, which meant there was no final exam to study for, just a critique of her work. But buying paint in the university bookstore one afternoon, she walked past a copy of the misplaced book.
I think we've all had a moment like this- she walked three or four steps past the book but something convinced her to turn around and pick it up. Later that night, Laelia opened the textbook and noticed it was a newer edition than her old one. As she flipped through, she happened across a tiny little paragraph and in it, read a quote that changed how she painted, how she thought, and how she looked at the world.
A few days later Laelia found the original copy of the textbook (as most lost things usually show up right after we replace them) and looked for the quote that she had seen in the later edition. It wasn't there.
Sometimes the universe whispers to us. We just need to learn how to listen.
So there you have it, my dears. As promised- life, the universe, and everything.
Have a great day :)
Love,
Hearts & Photos
It's pretty mind-blowing to consider all the events that led up to that one moment. Like dominoes, everything had to happen in the right place at the right time for any of us to be born, to have met great loves, or even to have heard a song we like on the radio just because we're stuck in traffic. At times like that, I can't help but feel that the universe is coaxing us in the right direction; whispering in our ear to do exactly what it is we need to do to get where we're supposed to be.
In Laelia's case, that little nudge from fate happened at a bookstore. She was going to art school and a little lost (I can attest this feeling. I think most art students are!), trying to figure out who she was and how to express that through her painting.
Now, even in art school there are mandatory text books. (In fact, the biggest, heaviest text I own is from art school- 8 lbs of deliciously opulent art history. Sigh... :) Laelia already had a copy of the textbook she needed but it had wandered away somewhere in her car or studio. It wasn't really a big deal that it was gone- the semester was nearly over and the book was for a studio class, which meant there was no final exam to study for, just a critique of her work. But buying paint in the university bookstore one afternoon, she walked past a copy of the misplaced book.
I think we've all had a moment like this- she walked three or four steps past the book but something convinced her to turn around and pick it up. Later that night, Laelia opened the textbook and noticed it was a newer edition than her old one. As she flipped through, she happened across a tiny little paragraph and in it, read a quote that changed how she painted, how she thought, and how she looked at the world.
A few days later Laelia found the original copy of the textbook (as most lost things usually show up right after we replace them) and looked for the quote that she had seen in the later edition. It wasn't there.
Sometimes the universe whispers to us. We just need to learn how to listen.
So there you have it, my dears. As promised- life, the universe, and everything.
Have a great day :)
Love,
Hearts & Photos
3.8.11
Day 92
Tomorrow, dear friends, we'll have tales of life, the universe and everything. But today I!MUST!PAINT!THE!CEILING! Wish me luck!
Have a great day :)
Love,
Hearts & Photos
Have a great day :)
Love,
Hearts & Photos
2.8.11
Day 91
As we were shooting, we started to talk about clothes. I'm sure that I've mentioned this before, but it's so true that I'll say it again- Laelia has a wardrobe that would make Rachel Zoe green with envy. I told her how I stand in front of my closet every morning I ask myself "What would Laelia wear?" She started to laugh.
"I don't know where you end and I begin," she said. "I choose my outfits based on what you would wear."
Have a great day and tell a friend how much you love them :)
Love,
Hearts & Photos
This month Laelia and I have been bffs for 11 years. Wowza. Yesterday, all that time we've spent together became really apparent.
As we were shooting, we started to talk about clothes. I'm sure that I've mentioned this before, but it's so true that I'll say it again- Laelia has a wardrobe that would make Rachel Zoe green with envy. I told her how I stand in front of my closet every morning I ask myself "What would Laelia wear?" She started to laugh.
"I don't know where you end and I begin," she said. "I choose my outfits based on what you would wear."
Have a great day and tell a friend how much you love them :)
Love,
Hearts & Photos
1.8.11
Day 90
I was supposed to be painting my bedroom ceiling today but enjoying the sunshine with the bestie sounded so much more fun. Then the sun got to us and we turned into rebellious little miscreants. Stay tuned this week for (slightly exaggerated) tales of our fearless adventures.
Have a great day :)
Love,
Hearts & Photos
Have a great day :)
Love,
Hearts & Photos
27.7.11
Day 88
When we were kids my parents used to take us on these seemingly endless road trips- hauling us along narrowly winding back roads, over plunging precipices with roaring cataracts hundreds of feet down, through forests arching close overhead. It didn't seem unusual then, but almost every day that drive included at least one ferry boat ride.
It really didn't bother us. In fact, it was usually the best part of the day. We were thrilled to be out of the vehicle- an old suburban with open windows for air conditioning and metal seat-belts that scorched your legs. I've got sepia-coloured memories of my little brother and I playing on the sandy beach, waiting for the ferry to come in, of building rafts from driftwood, lips blue from the glacier fed water. Getting back into the hot vehicle as the ferry docked, laughing as we watched the goosebumps on our arms disappear.
My dad would drive onto the boat and as soon as he put the suburban into park we were out the door again, begging our parents to let us watch the metal gates screech and slam shut. Then the boat would shudder as the motors started up and we'd race to the front, my parents walking unhurriedly behind us, hand in hand and smiling.
Have a great day :)
Love,
Hearts & Photos
23.7.11
Day 85
The last of the barnyard series. I think we're all going to miss their furry faces. HOWEVER!! Next week, we have some colour block portraits of the stunning Jenn (evidently colour blocking is in this season), a story of how I tried to give Jenn a heart attack, and some wonderfully nautical ferry boat photos.
Have a great weekend :)
Love,
Hearts & Photos
The last of the barnyard series. I think we're all going to miss their furry faces. HOWEVER!! Next week, we have some colour block portraits of the stunning Jenn (evidently colour blocking is in this season), a story of how I tried to give Jenn a heart attack, and some wonderfully nautical ferry boat photos.
Have a great weekend :)
Love,
Hearts & Photos
22.7.11
Day 84
Just between you and me, this one is my favourite of this series. That sad little calf face gets me right in the heart strings. The rooster, however, just makes me nervous. Like break-out-in-a-cold-sweat kinda nervous. Growing up my mom had chickens and when she had children of her own, she wanted to impart those lessons learned from raising livestock to them.
She's a smart lady, though. She knew her daughter too well to tell her that raising chickens was a chore invented to teach her the values of responsibility and hard work. Oh no. She knew that I would fight tooth and nail against that. Instead she did what any smart mother would do- take me to "visit" some baby chicks then act all wishy-washy when I begged her to let me take them all home (never mind the fact that the chicken coop was already built and waiting at this point).
Yes, my gullible 5-year-old self promised to love and care for those sweet, cuddly baby chicks forever, to feed them and water them every day if only she would let me take them home. She had me hook, line and sinker. She's very clever, that mother o' mine.
It isn't hard for a 5-year-old to fall in love with a fluffy yellow cotton-ball on legs, to spend most of the day ensuring they have water and food, that their heat lamp is on and they are warm and cozy, to make sure that their bed is clean and dry. But soon those cotton-balls grow up into moulting, pecking, egg laying beasties whose sole goal seems to be attacking the girl assigned to collecting said eggs. It didn't take long before the love between the chickens and I was long gone and opening the chicken coop door felt like walking into a lion's den.
The chickens seemed like they were built for war! Poke-y, bite-y beaks, razor sharp talons, and surprisingly hard, whip-like wings with which they defended their stronghold. Never mind that they couldn't actually hurt you with any of these weapons- it was just the idea that they were using them against you! They had every advantage- including flight! But I had the clever mind of a child (and a dog, who was definitely more effective than I had ever been, but I digress) and realized that I needed armour. Lots of it. Oddly enough, armour is not readily available on most farms so I came up with the next best thing- my snowsuit.
Never mind that it was August and probably 45 degrees in that chicken coop. I could finally defend myself against the chickens! The Reign of Terror had ended!
Later that fall, both the chickens and I found out about the guillotine, but that is an upsetting story for another time.
Vive la revolution! Vive la poule!
UPDATE: The dear mama read this and sent a couple pre-snowsuit chicken outfits, just to give a little context. Please enjoy my embarrassment :)
Love,
Hearts & Photos
Just between you and me, this one is my favourite of this series. That sad little calf face gets me right in the heart strings. The rooster, however, just makes me nervous. Like break-out-in-a-cold-sweat kinda nervous. Growing up my mom had chickens and when she had children of her own, she wanted to impart those lessons learned from raising livestock to them.
She's a smart lady, though. She knew her daughter too well to tell her that raising chickens was a chore invented to teach her the values of responsibility and hard work. Oh no. She knew that I would fight tooth and nail against that. Instead she did what any smart mother would do- take me to "visit" some baby chicks then act all wishy-washy when I begged her to let me take them all home (never mind the fact that the chicken coop was already built and waiting at this point).
Yes, my gullible 5-year-old self promised to love and care for those sweet, cuddly baby chicks forever, to feed them and water them every day if only she would let me take them home. She had me hook, line and sinker. She's very clever, that mother o' mine.
It isn't hard for a 5-year-old to fall in love with a fluffy yellow cotton-ball on legs, to spend most of the day ensuring they have water and food, that their heat lamp is on and they are warm and cozy, to make sure that their bed is clean and dry. But soon those cotton-balls grow up into moulting, pecking, egg laying beasties whose sole goal seems to be attacking the girl assigned to collecting said eggs. It didn't take long before the love between the chickens and I was long gone and opening the chicken coop door felt like walking into a lion's den.
The chickens seemed like they were built for war! Poke-y, bite-y beaks, razor sharp talons, and surprisingly hard, whip-like wings with which they defended their stronghold. Never mind that they couldn't actually hurt you with any of these weapons- it was just the idea that they were using them against you! They had every advantage- including flight! But I had the clever mind of a child (and a dog, who was definitely more effective than I had ever been, but I digress) and realized that I needed armour. Lots of it. Oddly enough, armour is not readily available on most farms so I came up with the next best thing- my snowsuit.
Never mind that it was August and probably 45 degrees in that chicken coop. I could finally defend myself against the chickens! The Reign of Terror had ended!
Later that fall, both the chickens and I found out about the guillotine, but that is an upsetting story for another time.
Vive la revolution! Vive la poule!
UPDATE: The dear mama read this and sent a couple pre-snowsuit chicken outfits, just to give a little context. Please enjoy my embarrassment :)
 |
| See what I mean? Baby chick love! |
 |
| Trying to use my brother as a diversion. I thought it was brilliant as he couldn't run. Mom kiboshed that idea pretty quickly. But you can see by my mittens that my plan for resistance was starting to take shape. |
Love,
Hearts & Photos
21.7.11
Day 83
You didn't think I'd go on holiday without bringing you back a little present, did you? Well, in this case that present might have been a little large- cows, horses and chickens (oh my!)- so I packaged them up into three neat little series and I'll post a new one each day. Delayed gratification, my friends, is the definition of maturity.
I must admit to you two things though:
1. I grew up on a farm and this is actually the first farm study I've ever done. Weird, right?
2. I shot these with digital. I'll wait for the gasps to subside. I know. It's terrible, but I've been playing with the idea of transitioning to digital photography for a little while and I wanted to use this trip to see if I'd actually be happy with the results. Ultimately I'm pretty darn satisfied, but I wouldn't use it for everything- there are still formats where film is far superior. It's just that the advantages for shooting digital are starting to outweigh my pocket book. Shooting film is expensive. Between the camera equipment, film, developing and scanning the negatives on top of the cost of making prints it can be really hard to work financially. Also, the quick turn around time with digital is pretty sweet. It's nice to not have to wait to finish a dozen rolls of film before I send them off to save money on shipping, which means you guys get to see my summer holiday photos in the ACTUAL SUMMER! Unheard of, I know.
And tomorrow, you'll get to see some more of them!
Have a great day :)
Love,
Hearts & Photos
22.6.11
Day 82
It seems the earth realized that the first official day of summer meant that the rain and thunderstorms had to come to an abrupt halt and the sun needed a chance to shine. Who else is just a teensy bit thrilled that we get to trade in our umbrellas for straw hats and sunscreen?
Have a great (sunny!) day :)
Love,
Hearts & Photos
It seems the earth realized that the first official day of summer meant that the rain and thunderstorms had to come to an abrupt halt and the sun needed a chance to shine. Who else is just a teensy bit thrilled that we get to trade in our umbrellas for straw hats and sunscreen?
Have a great (sunny!) day :)
Love,
Hearts & Photos
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