Light

I am fascinated by the strength of this light.
It burns through the mirror,
Allowing no image to gather -
No data to align.
It's like fire through paper -
A flame that leaves me blind.

Hellllooooo

Summer has been jam packed with so much, I wouldn't know where to start if I wanted too.

The big one? I officially moved! Moving feels incredible.

I'm not sure what I am going to do next but I know I am learning how to relax now. It's funny how you have to remind yourself to relax. That's one of the best obligations you have to yourself. It's more efficient in the long run.

I hope everyone continues to enjoy their summer! Fall is just around the corner. =)

Gotta Keep Crossin' Them Bridges

Here are a few more pictures of the Brooklyn Bridge:

Work was hard today. I took this job at the hospital because I wanted the challenge of thriving in ridiculously stressful situations.

I got just what I asked for today.

There was a definite moment in the day when I wanted to throw down everything and leave.

Obviously, that is not an option. I simply had to keep going anyway.

However, there came a point -- and this is something I've been noticing a lot of in different areas of my life lately -- where the only option left was too accept what laid before me, no matter how difficult it was going to be. It was what had to be done.

Once there is acceptance, there is freedom.

A Tree Grows In Brooklyn

My New York trip has come and gone and I am now back in Austin for the time being. I had an amazing time seeing friends, exploring the city, riding trains and eating tons of great food.

This trip reaffirmed my soul that I am definitely in the right place right now. As much as I want to live there, this trip showed me that I shouldn't spend my time wishing to be somewhere else. New York is an amazing place with so many different experiences to offer. I am looking forward to seeing how it will present itself to me when the time arrives.

As for right now, my time is here in Austin and I couldn't be happier.

I took the photo above while I was waiting to see a friend in Brooklyn. I've never read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn but I think I will soon.

2011 Abridged

My friend Jackie always does a year recap in photos so I thought what the hell...I'll do one too.

Here's to 2011:

I started the year off listening to White Dress every Sunday at Hole In The Wall. I am lucky.

I was able to see Bright Eyes play twice this year. This spring, Janeffer and I drove over 1800 miles to Atlanta to see them play at the Tabernacle -- worth every penny of it.

I was a nanny for awhile and I got to hang out with some of the coolest kids on the block.

I learned a lot from this guy.

I starting painting again this year!

I moved back to Plano to finish shooting my Ocean Seafood and Grill project.

I got my first tattoo. =)

Jordan got married! I also shot my first wedding!

My childhood closet went from this...

...to this!

Bring it 2012!

I'm ready for the next year's adventures!

Airing That Clean Laundry

2011 was a year of cleaning. It was a year of letting go. It was a year of coming to terms with the past and moving on fearlessly into the future.

I laid it all out, one piece of junk at a time, and then I went through it all. I owned it. I put each piece of bullshit out on the table and then, I laid it to rest.

Now at the end of this year, I can honestly say, that my laundry is much cleaner than it's ever been.

Whoa

I have two free hours of time right now. What am I going to do with it?

I've been exploring the idea of controlling time -- mostly I've been trying to figure out how to slow it down so I can actually do everything I want to do and everything I need to do. One trick I've found is to make what I want and what I need be the same. It's more efficient.

However, it takes practice and it takes discipline. You also have to spend time thinking about what your time is worth, what time means to you, how time makes you feel, etc. I used to really get anxious about time. If I had to do something important that put pressure on me, I used to get terribly nervous and anxious. I realized though, that those feelings of anxiety and nervousness were the same physical feelings of excitement -- I just needed to change my mental label of the feeling.

It's helped tremendously.

In regards to time, it's helped me realize that the super important event that was coming would simply come and then go and it should be looked at no differently than any other typical/non-emotional event in my life. It would have a beginning, middle and then an end and I would be placed back into the life that I had been in before. What was the big deal? Why was this event causing me to be anxious? No reason. It was just in my head.

I've started to use my camera as a form of meditation. I'm taking film this semester and the art is all about the relationship of time and light. It's making me slow down and think. I highly suggest shooting in film and spending time in the darkroom. It keeps your mind calm.

I took this picture of the moon earlier this month. I used a telescope lens from my film camera and held it to my Canon. It did a pretty good job. I took it out in front of Mackie's house in Dublin, Texas. We all went camping out on her land. It was such a good experience. I'll be posting a few pictures from that sometime soon.

It's important to spend energy processing what happens in your life. Not only do you have to recognize and understand your own feelings, but it's important to be aware of how your actions affect other people. Photography is all about perspective. It's all about finding different perspectives and exploring ideas and feelings and intuition. For me, that's the most enjoyable part of the art.

Now, it's time to focus. =)

Guest Pic of the Week: Mackie Bays

Taken by Mackie Bays

I love this picture of me. I'm starting to realize that it is super important to look and have photos of yourself. As a photographer you spend so much time watching and observing other people that you forget the importance of looking at yourself. Taking the time to reflect on and appreciate your own soul is vital to being able to enjoy life. You must be comfortable looking at pictures of yourself.

If you can't then it's time to work on it.

Early Reflection

City Skating

Toronto, Ontario

1.8.07

I have been spending some time looking back into my past and reflecting. It is very clear to me that we are coming to an end of a cycle. We are at the end of a decade and things are very different from what they were 5 years ago -- let alone ten. I took this picture back in early January of 2007. I didn't have my nice camera or my nice lens. It was just a point and shoot that I had gotten for my 18th birthday. I loved that camera. It taught me how to look at the world differently. I didn't know it then but it was the beginning of a beautiful relationship with the world of photography.

I have been blessed in so many ways. I have a great family, great friends and all though we all have our battles we have to face and fight alone, I at least know I have a soft place to fall when times get rough. We're all fighting the good fight and that's all anyone could be asked to do.

I hope Christmas was nice for everyone this year. It's definitely been a different one than in the past, but change can be good. With change comes newness, and with newness comes the unique opportunity to choose a different path then the ones you've seen and experienced before.

I am trying my best to stick to my guns and do a pic of the day this month. I'm on day three...I need to shoot something tonight. I will post the December pic of the day hopefully in early January.

Enjoy the last week of the decade for what it is. Things will be different in 2011. There's no doubt about it.

=)