"And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." -Anais Nin


Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old things have passed away; and behold, new things have come. 1 Corinthians 5:17

I am thankful for new seasons, new beginnings, new creations. But with those new seasons come excitement and fear...excitement for the future, but fear of the unknown. But in every season one thing will always be true.....

......You, O Lord are good.

Be blessed.

Hannah

This is my wonderful friend Hannah. I had the privilege of taking some senior pictures for her today. I was happy with the way they turned out, i think they really express Hannah and her personality. Which is my goal as a photographer...so mission accomplished there! The greatest part though is that she was so so so happy with them. Which is another one of my goals. So it was a very successful day.

Be blessed.

To all my fellow bloggers...i have failed. I set a challenge to post a picture every week and didnt get one done last week. But, i do have some good excuses if you want to hear them. But you probably dont, so i'll spare you. But needless to say, im running out of subjects around my house and inspiration is running dry. Im so ready for a change of scenery, and a change in climate would be nice as well. I need to find new places to explore outside of Phila. But until it gets warmer im afraid i'll just have to deal. But i've been told that when you dont have a subject, use yourself. So this week is a self portrait. Up until now i have been picking words and then looking for something to describe the word. This might change as i go, im not sure. Because the week i skipped was simply due to lack of being able to find a word. So i might just start posting pictures...we will see.

Week: #4

Word: Intricate.

Intricate: "very complicated or detailed".

This may be a funny word to use for a self portrait, but i think it fits perfectly. I am complicated. Half the time i cant even figure myself out, or how my body, soul, and mind all function. Detailed? Check out your hands. I picture God up in heaven with a smile on His face as He holds a little tool in His hand and says to the angels, "watch how i design this hand print, it will be like nothing I've ever created before".

I truly am "fearfully and wonderfully made".

Be blessed.

Photo: #3

Word of the week: Exquisite.

Exquisite: "extremely beautiful and, typically, delicate.

I've been watching these wonderful icicles grow along the back of our house and oh how i love them. As each new water drop runs down over it, it grows. I cant remember a year where we've had so many and so big. I just want to break one off and lick it like a pop-icicle. But i fear where that water has been, and also breaking one off might bring down all our spouting considering there's some that are so big. I know everyones getting tired of winter and all this snow, but simple things like icicles bring me joy.

If you look close in the drop you'll see little black things, there actually a reflection of our pine tress in our backyard. And there upside down cause your looking through water. I was pretty excited about this.

Be blessed.

Photo: #2

Word: Mesmerizing.

mesmerizing: "hold the attention of (someone) to the exclusion of all else or so as to transfix them."

Considering all the snow we got, finding something that was mesmerizing wasnt all that hard. When you look at all the snow, its easy to forget about the millions of little snow flakes making up the piles we see. But yet, each one is different. Each one unique. Hand designed by a Creator that loves us more then we can imagine. As i stand in wonder of it all, i am...mesmerized.

Be blessed.

Devalued

Photo: #1

Word of the week: Devalued.

devalued: "reduce or underestimate the worth or importance of".

I came across this word, and it caught my eye. And so i started thinking...what have i devalued in my life? What do i underestimate the worth of? My mind went to Haiti, and the thousands of people who are without water, food, homes, clothes, the list can go on and on. So as i was exploring and deciding what i would use as my subject, and all the different ways i could express this verb, i thought of my legs. Something i dont think of often. Something i dont understand the importance of. But what if i didnt have them? How life would change. Simple day to day tasks would no longer be possible as they are now. Legs, valuable, but devalued. Im sure someone who is without them could teach me a lesson or two. So today as you read this, i hope it reminds you not to take the little (and big) things in life for granite. But be thankful for everything the Lord has given you....even your legs.

Be blessed.

*I will be doing new posts every saturday for the word that was that week. Sorry this one didnt get posted till today, my weekend had some unexpected changes.

A New Beginning...

Hello to anyone who is reading this. Thank you for checking out my blog. I hope you enjoy your visit and stop back soon.

I decided to make a blog to use it as a motivation to keep taking and sharing my pictures. After spending 5 days at IPS surrounded by photography, it was easy to be inspired and creative. But when you come back to the real world (real world being where not everyone speaks in f-stops and fractions describing their exposure), its easy for me to get distracted and forget about the amazing digital SLR I once only dreamt about. So with a new year, and a cup over flowing with inspiration, paired up with a desire to capture images that tell of the beauty of my Jesus....I've created a blog. And with this blog comes a challenge: To take and post one picture a week. Of what you ask? Well, at the beginning of each week I'll pick a word and my goal will be to capture that word with my camera. This will keep me exploring and challenge me to try new things, and hopefully make me a better photographer and artist. But I also want to hear from you out there...if anyone is out there. If you think of a word that I could use, please share it with me. How long this will go on I dont really know, maybe 6 months, maybe a year. Either way, I'm up for the challenge and hope you stick around for the ride! I'll start next week so feel free to share your thoughts and ideas for topics. Be blessed.

I chose the above picture for this post because it describes where I'm at right now. On a path, not sure where it leads to yet, but either way my eyes are looking upward. Focused on my Jesus...."Where you go, I go. What You say, I say. What You pray, I pray."-Kim Walker