Autumn Calvert

Category: Uncategorized

  • Bad Sheep: The Story Behind The Story

    Bad Sheep: The Story Behind The Story

    First of all, I want to give a big internet hug to all of those who supported the “bad sheep” Kickstarter campaign! We made it to the goal! Hooray!

    For those who are cheering the book on to success, I give you a big shout out of thanks!!

    We are now in the post-Kickstarter stage. Preparations are being made daily for the release of the book. This post is for all of you following the journey from idea to actualization.

    HOW “BAD SHEEP” WAS BORN

    I awoke with the story. It came to me in a dream. I outlined the story to my groggy husband who was pouring his morning coffee, and he said, “Let’s do it!”

    This same morning, I contacted one of my favorite cartoonist’s, David Hayward. After working out the details, he jumped on board.

    While awaiting the sketches from David, I spent hours researching children’s books and publishing. I spent hours in my mind going over each detail of the story. I did not give up on finishing, and I did not give in to doubt. *Side note: for those of you starting a children’s book, I suggest doing tons of research on all things children’s books. The time I spent researching the different aspects of self-publishing paid off. However, you will make mistakes. I made a bunch of them. As mistakes go, I learned, and the next book will be smoother sailing.

    A couple of months later, I got the email from David. It sent me flying! I saw him: my sweet little bad sheep! I was over the moon!!!

    For the most part, the initial sketches are the same as in the book. This is a remarkable accomplishment for 2 artists, whom have never met in person and who live hundreds of miles apart. We were able to find a wavelength and a vision with very few tweaks. Here are some absolutely awful photographs of me showing David the expressions I wanted for the sheep.

     

    Images sent to David Hayward to show facial expressions and the final product.

     

    Then, the process took the turn towards graphic design. With the characters in hand, I spent a couple of months playing with the graphic design. Finally, after consulting my son for direction, the book began to have a fluid appearance. The color schemes worked, the font worked, and the overall design worked.

    LEARNING

    The fun part of art is conception to actualization. The not so fun part is what to do with the creation once it’s in your hands.

    Though I had read about it, I am an artist…not a marketer. Want me to paint you a picture, write you a song, blog, story, novel, or make you a necklace? I’m your girl. It’s covered.

    I looked in my hands at the pages of the book, and I asked the question, “What now?”.

    So…I researched and found out. Even so, the “ah ha” moment didn’t come easily. I decided to just go with what I knew, and I did.

    I needed the funds to get it published.

    After asking lots of questions (the best way to learn), I discovered Kickstarter to be the safest bet for all involved: me and the people pledging to the book.

    It took me a couple of months to research, layout, design,plan and organize the photo shoot, by Julie McCullough(hair and makeup by Janae Burnside, and assisted by Rachel Harchanko,) write the script for the video practice this script, and create the Kickstarter campaign.

     

     

    Then, the hardest part for me and most artists, came promotions. Facebook, Instagram, Facebook, Instagram, Facebook, Instagram…………

    The pledges came rolling in, and by the end of the 30 days, the Kickstarter was FUNDED!!

    WHAT is NEXT?

    Now, we are in the planning stages of the launch. Kickstarter has a 2 week hold on the funds. This has put us on an early 2018 launch date. I was hoping for Christmas. Oh well. Life goes on.

    Until then, I am marketing my writing through blogs, engagement on social media, website updates, and email list building. The more engagement online, the better the book will sell. It is a simple process, but, it takes a ton of work.

     THE ARTIST’S DISCOMFORT

    There are days I want to run and hide from the world. There are days I wish I could be invisible online.

    Here’s the thing: I want to create stuff and make money doing it. To do this, I cannot be invisible. Yes. There are days I can be quiet online and post an “oldie but a goodie,” but, for the most part, I have to kick my anxiety aside and show up.

    Showing up also means book signings, book readings, lectures, stories, and new books. For me, this is fun! I love meeting folks. I love to make kids laugh (the best sound in the world). I love singing silly songs and smiling and listening. I also, like my grandfather, love the stage. I haven’t been on stage for a while, unless you count my dancing and singing in the car, so, it will be welcomed with open arms.

    However, there is a level of discomfort in making your art, and yourself, known. Balancing on the tight rope of confidence and comfort has proven to be tricky, yet, it is not impossible.

    FINAL THOUGHT

    This last year has been a real world education in how to be good at what you do, and how to be loud about it. As I have said…the first part is easy. The second part is not. I am still learning.

    The good news is I know more today than I did yesterday.

    “Bad Sheep” has been a lesson in endurance, myself, accepting critical advice, measuring excitement in portions to last for days, taking steps daily, and giving up the expectations of others. The biggest lesson I have learned this year is this:

    Not everyone will love my work, and it is ok.

    I have a several mottos. This is one I wrote for myself:

    Put the work out there for the world to see.
    Whether they like it or not
    IS NOT
    Up to me.

    Enough people will like what I do to make my work successful. I am certain of it.

    *Side note: if you are an artist, whether with the word, paintbrush, pencil, musical instrument, or otherwise, read the motto again…and again…and again. Your work has value not in the acceptance of it but in the essence of it. If one person’s life is touched by what you do, you have done well. Remember, to touch people’s hearts with your art, they must first be able to see (or hear) it. If you are afraid, release it anyway.

    There will be more “Bad Sheep” news starting in January, 2018! Also, stay tuned for more projects to be released in 2018! I will be adding photos and blogs to keep everyone up to date!

    Until then…

    Wow. What an amazing ride.

     

     

    To read more about Autumn and her work, click HERE!

    To read more about “Bad Sheep”, click HERE!

    To sign up for exclusive deals and hot off the press news, click HERE!

    Thanks for stopping by and taking a read!

     

  • Death and the Empty Chair

    Death and the Empty Chair

    Juneko.

    She was an acquaintance of mine. We were once friends, but time and distance separated us from building our close friendship. Even so, knowing she was on this earth, walking around and smiling, gave me great peace. 

    When she died, the emptiness I felt was curious to me. She was not a part of my everyday life. We barely spoke, except through facebook. But, there I was, crying my eyes out.

    It was then I knew I had to make sense of these feelings. I needed a story to tell. I needed a visual to explain it.

    If you have endured the loss of someone dear to you or someone you barely knew, I hope this story will aid your ability to cope with death and the sorrow of an empty chair.

    THE BANQUET TABLE

    Imagine your life as a banquet table. All of the people you know or have ever known have a place setting.

    You are the host.

    Your banquet hall may look like a royal room with golden chandeliers, exquisite plates and silver. It may look like a long picnic table in the woods. It is your room to create.

    At your table, there is a chair for each of those people you have known. Sitting the closest to you are your most valued of loves: your spouse, child, parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends. Those sitting further down the table are acquaintances. The one girl you worked with in your 20’s. The guy you knew from church. The lady who always had the peppermint candy…and shared. There are those whom have hurt you sitting at this table, too. The guy or girl who cheated on you, the person who stole your money, the person who was mean to you…everyone you have ever known sits at this table.

    The table is longer than you first thought.

    Some of those sitting at the other end cannot even be seen anymore. They are part of your banquet, and, if you pull out your telescope, you can see them there. You may feel the emotions tied to the memory of this person: good or bad. It doesn’t matter. They sit at your table.

    Each place setting has a tiny card with the name of the person who is to sit in the chair. It will always be there. Though, they may be moved down the table, their chair, and their setting, follow them.

    At my table is a place setting for my Granny and Pawpaw. They no longer sit at my table, but their place setting and name remains. When I gaze upon their empty chair, I remember the joy and the sorrow. These people sat so close to me for so long. I remember their laughter, their shortcomings, their love.

    They have moved on to a bigger and better banquet table. But, somehow, they are still with me. Their absence leaves an empty chair in my life, but the fact they once sat at my table brings me great joy.

    Their empty chair is not empty. It is full of memories.

    No matter how one feels about the afterlife, what we all know for certain is how death affects us in this life. It leaves space…a void.

    Death is unavoidable. We will all have empty chairs at our tables, and, at some point, we will be the empty chair at someone else’s table.

    The experience of loosing Juneko helped me see. I did not know her well, but I was thankful she sat at my table. I was thankful for her life.

    I was also thankful I had a table to share.

    Now, when I look at those chairs filled with those I love most, I embrace the moment. I make more memories. I appreciate the gift of being able to share the meal of life with beautiful people.

    Until their chair is empty, I will smile and be glad they they accepted the invitation to my life. And, when their chair is empty, I will have memories to fill their seats. The image of their presence will not fade as long as I have a banquet to host.

  • I AM A SNOWFLAKE

    I am a snowflake.

I am not the sky.
I am not the ground.
I am frozen water 
Carved out of a cloud.

I am tender and fragile.
I am translucent and strong.
I am falling piece of time past
And a future life source for all.

As a single snowflake,
My presence still has worth,
But when those like me gather together,
A wonderland is earth.

The future for me is simple.
Again, I’ll be a drop of water.

Maybe I’ll be raging with the river
Or part of a rolling sea,
Or possibly part of a cloud again
But I will always be me.

Maybe I will help the beautiful to grow,
For this is my favorite task!
To see a life find hope in my gift
And all of their worries cast.

I am not just one thing.
I've known life in all of its stages.
I’ve seen the world and felt its pain
And written novels worth of pages.

To discount my validity is folly
Because I am part of you.
You can despise my existence or wish me away,
But I will continue to move.

I am a snowflake.

     

  • One Small Step

    About 3 weeks ago, I started film acting school. This marks the second time this year I stepped out of my comfort zone and stepped into something scary.

    The first time was a casting call by a photographer friend.  She was wanting a model to help her realize a vision.  Why would this be so frightening? It’s simple. She wanted the final image to appear as a “nude”. In other words, I was to wear very little.

    I called my husband to ask if he was cool with this, and surprisingly, he said, “Sure! Go for it!”.  Honestly, I was hoping he would be a bit more oppositional to the idea. I needed an out. He did not give me the excuse, so I courageously messaged the photographer and said I was in.

    When I say it was as if I were up in an airplane, standing at the door, parachute attached, and hearing the instructor scream, “IT”S A GO! GO!”, I am not exaggerating.

    On the way to the shoot, I turned on and turned up “Uptown Funk”. I needed the strength of some funky music. I needed funk courage.

    Amanda Campbell is one of those photographers whose work I admire greatly. She is a true artist. I had been wanting to work with her since the moment I saw her work. She is also quite the cool chick.

    I met her on location, and we dragged all of our gear down to the site. I was to position myself on a rock at the bottom of a waterfall as a wilderness goddess. It was cold. It was seriously cold. The water was ice. I was so nervous the cold barely even touched me.

    I watched her set up the equipment.

    “What in the hell have I gotten myself into? Too late to back out now! What if I’m not pretty enough? Holy cow, what have I gotten myself into?????”

    “Ok, Autumn. I’m ready when you are.” Amanda had just yelled, “ITS A GO! GO GO GO!”

    She was so cool about the whole thing.  I disrobed my nearly naked self and listened to her instruction on positioning.

    It was done. I had jumped out of the airplane. The last step was the hardest.

    Then…it happened. I was flying. I was free. The more instruction she gave, the more comfortable I was in the situation.  I enjoyed it! It was exhilarating! I found myself shocked at how comfortable I was in these cold woods with very little clothing. I truly felt free.

    The shoot did not last long. As we collected our gear and made our way back to our cars, somehow, deep inside myself, I knew this must be how it feels when you pull the cord to release the parachute. The exhilaration had turned to a calm and simple decent back to earth. It, too, was freedom. Freedom from fear. Freedom to relax. Freedom to be present and comfortable and proud.

    Of course, I expected nothing but fabulous, but when I saw the photos, I was STUNNED! She made me look and feel like a woodland goddess! She had kindly edited all of those things I did not like about my body, even to the point that my butt was like that of an avid fitness queen. I will forever love her photoshop skills.

    I did it! I stepped out of my comfort zone, did something scary, and I did not regret it!

    Three weeks ago, I found myself, again, taking off in an airplane with parachute attached and ready to be deployed.

    Film acting has always been something I found interesting. For about 5 years now, I have worked as a photographer for Hollywood Huntsville. I kept looking at all those faces I was photographing. “This could be me!” I thought.

    “No, Autumn. This cannot be you. You can’t act. Do you really want to see yourself on film? Really? You can’t…”

    On and on my excuses flew like fear flying in the face of dreams and possibility.

    “What if the parachute malfunctions? What if you make a fool of yourself? What if…? what if…?”

    Then, the question of all questions revealed itself to me as a call to action.

    “What if you succeed?”

    I began to ponder the question in depth.

    “What if you learn something about yourself? What if you learn something meaningful? What if you do this and find acting work? What if, in this experience, you find freedom?”

    I stepped on to the platform. I stepped out of the plane. I fell into the air and allowed the freedom to encapsulate me. I allowed myself to experience the path to success. The final step is difficult but necessary if you want to experience something exquisite in life. It is of utmost importance. It is not about fear. It is about courage. Courage is the path to freedom and success.  Fear is a vital element in the success formula. Without it, courage ceases to exist.

    Understanding I will find myself on this platform many times in my life, I am now aware that it does not have to be so frightening. It can be just a step. It can be just another opportunity to fly.

    Today, I am choosing to fly. Today, I post the images from the day I found myself with a choice: be courageous or be imprisoned by fear. Again, I stand on the platform of the plane with my mouse hovering over the “publish” button. As you can see, I pushed that button. I jumped out of the plane.

    It feels a whole lot better than choosing to stay in the plane with the pilot. No longer do I have to look back and say, “Why didn’t I just jump?”

    Now, I can say, “I jumped, and no matter what anyone says, it was a fantastic!”

    This is my fabulous film acting class. We all chose to jump!
    This is my fabulous film acting class. We all chose to jump!
    Image by Amanda Campbell
    Image by Amanda Campbell

  • Snappy Snapshots

    Recently, I got the urge to look back through the photos taken of my son throughout his 3 years.  It was interesting to me that not only was I watching my son grow up, but I was also watching my photography skills refine.  When I first started taking photos, it was for the soul purpose of capturing my son’s moments in time.  However, because I am a Type-A personality, I could not just pick up the camera and go.  I began searching the internet for any and everything I could learn about photography techniques and about editing software.  Little did I know that once I learned one thing, I wanted to learn another, then another, and then yet another.  For 3 years now, this has been my life.  But, when I look back at those first photos, I find myself wishing someone had a list of things for me to consider.  Some of those first photos are beautiful, but I missed out on so much because I just didn’t know any better.  It was then I decided to help out new parents and new to photography parents with a list to help you get “Snappy Snapshots” of your kids.  SO, here we go!

     

    1.  TURN OFF THE FLASH!

    No matter whether you have a basic digital camera or a more expensive DSLR, learn to use the light to your advantage and do not use the flash.  On-camera flashes (the ones that pop up or go off at will) add an ugly hue to your photos and do weird things to your eyes.  Learning to use your available light will INSTANTLY make your photos better.  WARNING:  Learning to use available light is an area of study that will take you years to master.  Even then, there are new things to learn about light.  I will touch on this subject later.  For now, though, TURN OFF YOUR FLASH!!  😉  (For advanced photographers, this does not include bouncing flash 😉  )

     

    If I had used a flash with this, it would not have been nearly as inviting.  Ain’t he a doll 😉

    2.  TAKE TONS OF PHOTOS!

    If you think taking 4 or 5 images is taking a lot of photos, let me ask you to consider taking 200-300.  I know, this sounds crazy, but the only way to get those pictures you see on facebook that make you go, “Awwww” is by taking enough to catch the shot.  I have been photographing kids for 3 years now, and I am amazed at the number of expressions I will get in a 10 second period of time!  Take more pictures that you thought you should, and stop taking pictures when your kid is tired of the current activity.

    We were just hanging out in our jammies while he played with a container.

    3.  PREPARE!  PREPARE!!

    Seriously…PREPARE!  Not only should your batteries be charged, your cards empty and ready to go, and your location scouted out, but prepare your child!  If your child is an infant or toddler, you know those times of the day when they are just NOT in their “happy place”.  NEVER plan a shoot during those times unless you want punishment!  It’s not fun for them, and you will not want to pull your camera out again for a long time.  Pick a time of the day when everyone is happy!  Make sure the kid is fully fed and rested.  Then again, if you DO decide to take that picture because your schedule includes taking a boat ride during nap time, you can always smile when looking back at a photo like the one below. 🙂

    Yes. It was that loud.

     

    4.  GET CLOSER!

    Not always, but pick a session to get up really close you your child’s face.  Detail their eyes, hands, feet, ears, and eye lashes.  When taking these photos, make sure you are at eye level or just above eye level.  If photographing a baby, it is very easy to take the “up the nose” shot.  One way to alleviate this tendency is to remember:  Eye level or a bit above.  Sit on the floor…kneel…whatever you have to do to get on their level.  If you are a new parent, you will be AMAZED at how much your child changes.  Years down the road, you will look back at these photos and smile.

    I love this up close because you can see the few little teeth he had. So sweet!

    6.  GET CLOSER ANYWAY!

    We NEED those photos that show how much they have grown.  But taking a photo of your child in a room can be a tricky endeavor.  Make sure you get all of the child in the picture, but it isn’t always great to get the rest of the room in the picture.  What happens to most parents when taking their child’s photo is that they end up with a “Where’s Waldo” photo.  “Can you find little Johnny in this picture?”  One way to combat this is…wait for it…here it comes….GET CLOSER!  A trick we photographers use, and almost all visual artists use, is the rule of thirds.  Imagine, while looking through the camera viewfinder, a tic tac toe board on what you see.  Though most have the first instinct to put the main character of the picture smack dab in the middle, resist the urge and venture out!  Put little Johnny in the lower left corner!  Try off to the side a bit, or in the upper corner where the lines meet.  Play with this!   You can find LOTS of information on the web about the rule of thirds.  You will thank me later. 🙂

    Positioning your subject through your viewfinder can do great things for a photograph!

     

    6.   CHOSE A GREAT LOCATION!

    There are several factors to consider when choosing a great location, but the two most important are light and background.  If shooting inside, pick a room with a south facing window.  ***NOTE:  ALWAYS try to avoid harsh bright light!**  Photographers Trick:  Look at your child’s eyes.  A reflection of the light will show on their eyes.  This is extremely helpful when picking a good location.  You want this “Catch Light” to be on their iris and maybe touching the pupil…NOT covering the entire pupil.  2:00 or 10:00 position is optimal.  Sometimes you have to click off a few shots to make sure you have it just right.  Don’t stress yourself over the catch light, though.  Just make sure it is there.  When you to this, not only do you catch that  “sparkle” in the eyes, but you help yourself to some nice light.

    My baby doll. Check out the catch lights in his eyes. They are not perfect, but it sets off the whole image beautifully!  I just sat him in front of a window!

     

    Choosing a location background does not have to be that hard.  When I first started out, I threw a white sheet over the back of the couch and laid my son on the couch.  Of course, it was in front of a south facing window.  I was just learning to play with light, and I was tickled pink when I saw the photos!  However, there have been so many times I have taken a photo and thought, “This would have been PERFECT if I had just moved his (insert item:  toy, dirty bowl, etc.)”.  When shooting outside,  watch out for tree branches.  They will make your child look like he/she has antlers or some sort of tree or light pole or electrical wire growing out of their head. Take a second and consider the scene!  AND…As always, consider the light!  Outside expecially!!  Avoid harsh light, and instead, move into a shaded area.  BE AWARE of hot spots.  Hot spots are those little harsh light places that flow through the trees.  One way to make yourself really mad is to get this great picture of your kid, look at it, and then realize the “hot spots” made he/she look like they are polka dotted.  Even light.  Just think….EVEN LIGHT!

    With no fancy camera or no fancy lens, I managed to capture this beautiful photo of my sweet little boy.

     

    Being that I am a photographer, I positioned my son’s bed in his room in the best place I could find for light. This is what happened: I go to get him up from a nap with my trusty camera at my side, and, SNAP! I adore this photo.  And, did I say I was Type-A yet?  😉

     

     

    **One more trick:  Use a reflector.  You can cover a piece of cardboard with aluminum foil or just buy a white piece of foam board.  This is a more advanced technique, but you can use said reflector to “Bounce” light back on to your subject.  Just a fun little thing to try if you are interested.

     

    7.  FAMILY GATHERING:  MISSION IMPOSSIBLE?

    No!  Difficult?  Yes.  When it is just you and your child, you can, somewhat, control the variables.  But when you are at a family gathering with Aunt Lulu, Uncle Harvey, Cousin Alice, etc., and you want to capture the scene, everyone is doing whatever THEY want.  My best advice in this situation is to scout out a good source of light in the room and hang out around there.  When Uncle Harvey makes his way into this light, shoot it.  If Aunt Lulu wants her picture taken with little Johnny, say, “AWESOME!  Come and sit RIGHT HERE!”.  Now a’days at my family gatherings, people know what I do and they listen (or run…lol!).  The main thing is to have fun, but keep in mind that good pictures require good light.  Nest near the good light!  If you have older kids, you have more freedom to do some surveillance.  Go around, outside and in, and find your friends or relatives who are in good light and shoot it!  Understand that these photos may not be the best of the best, but they can be SUBSTANTIALLY better than they were in years past!  Embrace the imperfect!

    My son and a few of his cousins.
    My son, nephew, and my mom

     

    8.  PLAY! PLAY! PLAY!

    No matter what type of scene you find yourself in, PLAY!  Stay light-hearted and fun!  SMILE!  When taking photos of your child, play!  There are times your kid is NOT going to want to cooperate with where you want them to sit or stand.  That is totally cool!  Let ‘um go!  Just follow, and when they do manage to stop in good light, SHOOT IT!  The very last thing you want (trust me) is for your kid to frown and pout when you pick up your camera.  Fortunately, I started out making “Camera time”  fun for my son.  Now, it is just another fun activity we do!  It is equivalent to going to the park, coloring time, TV time, etc.  It is just something we do that is fun!  Create this for your kids!  Show them the photos!  Get them involved!  It can be a really special experience.  Not just because you have these beautiful photos to remember how amazing your child was, but because you are creating these great memories of the experience.  One of the reasons I love the photos of my son so much is because I remember the events surrounding the capturing of the photo.  I cherish those memories, and you will, too!

     

    Sometimes you just have to catch them mid stride. I sat in one place in the middle of the yard and snapped the shot when he was in good light.
    We have FUN taking pictures!

    9.  KNOW YOUR EQUIPMENT and PRACTICE!

    Read the owner’s manual.  Seriously.  Learn the camera, and know it so well you can do whatever you need to do FAST.  I have learned my camera so well that I can change settings without looking half the time.  When I do look, I change them FAST.  I read the manual.  And I practiced, practiced, practiced!  Take out your camera and look at all the buttons and learn what they do.  You can have a point-and-shoot or a fancy pants DSLR, but either way, you need to learn how it works.  I have taken, literally, thousands and thousands of photos.  You need to do the same if you want snappy snapshots of your kids.  Depending on how good you want to become is dependent on how much you want to control your camera.  You do not have to know everything about how to control the settings of your camera, though.  There are many “modes” that allow you to control it as little or as much as you want.  WARNING:  being in complete control of your camera requires an enormous amount of learning and trial and error.  Learning these things does not happen overnight.  I am still learning the intricacies of control.  I am certain I will never stop learning.

     

    Deep Thinking. This is a direct result of me knowing my camera and catching the moment.

     

     

     

    10.  GET A DECENT EDITING SOFTWARE, AND USE IT SPARINGLY!

    One MAJOR mistake most photographers make (and I have been guilty) is overdoing it on the editing.  So, as I go through this tip, keep in mind that editing is as much of an art as taking a photo is.

    SO…pick out a good editing software.  I use Adobe Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop 6.  Lightroom is about $200.  It is somewhat easy to learn the basics, and you can find some nice presets for the software.  A preset are predesigned effects for images.  You can find hundreds of different colors and black and white presets for lightroom.

    Photoshop Elements is a great starter editing software.  It is relatively inexpensive (I think it is about $99 or so).  And, as far as actions go (which are sort of like presets for Lightroom), you can download TONS of free ones online.  The Coffee Shop Blog  has some very tasteful editing actions free.  She is also a great instructor.

    However, I will warn you, ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS ENHANCE THE LIGHT AND COLOR!  You don’t have to get all fancy dancy with this.  **Warning:  DO NOT over saturate your colors.  I see photographers out there who charge people good hard earned money, and the pictures are so over saturated that the subject looks like an Oopa-Loompa standing in a Willie Wonka field that was rained on with crack:  all orange and gross, and the background is, well…neon.  Please, use your editing software carefully.  If it looks way different from the original, then question it.

    This is an example I have for limited editing. All I did to this photo was to enhance the lighting and added a VERY SLIGHT bump to the colors. I can’t help my son’s eyes. They are just that blue! I know all my photog buddies think I do all this enhancement to them, but I do nothing to them. He just has some pretty peepers 🙂

     

     

    I hope this has been helpful to you.  Please understand that most of the skill you learn will be through trial and error.  You just have to do it.  A LOT!  Try new things.  Set yourself a goal of shooting something 2-3 times a week.  Most likely, this isn’t something you will want to do as a career.  However, you should be able to take beautiful photos of your child, and not have to wait until that photo shoot with a professional to see how much they have changed.  Do not go canceling all your sessions with your family photographer, but do try to make good pictures of your kids during the “in-between” time.

    I hope you enjoy this little Christmas gift of learning how to take snappy snapshots!  May your holidays be grand, and your photos be beautiful!

    Autumn

     

  • The Blueberry Bush

    Since childhood, I have always gravitated to movies with a wholesome flavor.  One of my all time favorites is “Anne of Green Gables” by Kevin Sullivan.  This movie in particular made me want to dive right into the scene and experience the sites and smells of the locations.  You could almost smell the fresh air, feel the cool breeze, taste the yummy pies, and feel yourself surrounded by indescribable beauty.  And, since my childhood, I have desired to be in that place:  searching for the place that creates a state of mind of utter and complete peace.  

     

    It wasn’t until I was at my mom’s house one year that I did.  It was the winter after Asher was born, and we were there visiting for the week.  The day before we were to leave, a giant snow storm covered the earth with several inches of snow.  The next morning, mom asked if I wanted to go on a walk with her.  I suited up in my flannel pajama pants, some tennis shoes,a coat, and some gloves and headed out the door to wonderland.  We had walked for a bit when she asked if I wanted to tackle the walking trail with her.  Hesitantly, I agreed (I am not known for my cat-like reflexes or balance).  As we entered the trailhead, she turned to me and said, “Now THIS is wholesome living!”.  I was there.  That peaceful place.  Totally engulfed in the surroundings and the moment.  Smelling the freshly littered ground of snow, feeling the prickly cold on my cheeks, hearing…well…nothing but the ice crunching under my feet.  Complete peace.  “This,” I thought, “is the way to live.  Completely present in the moment, and enjoying it all”.

     

    Although I have tried to remember to stay in the present and enjoy it for what it is so many times, it never fails that something is ever pressing on my mind.  It generally has to do with the future.  What is on the schedule for tomorrow?  How am I going to pay this bill?  What have I not done that needs to get done?

     

    It wasn’t until last week I found that place again.  My “Anne of Green Gables” place of peace.  Asher, my son, and I had taken a whole week to go to my Dad’s farm for a visit.  He told me that the blueberry bush in the yard was “covered up” in blueberries.  So, at dusk, me and my handy dandy bowl charged out into the yard for some fresh off the bush berries.  After scanning the area for snakes, I began the labor of picking blueberries.  For each blueberry that I put into the bucket, I ate at least 3.  The birds were chirping, the wind was blowing ever so slightly, and it was so hot I was sweating in places I forgot could sweat.  I was completely there.  Not concerned a bit with anything else but blueberries.  It was then I knew:  I am completely present, and I do not know if I have ever felt so alive.  There was no T.V., no cell phone, no computer, no camera, no person, nothing but the bugs, the birds, the sun, the earth, the site of green oak trees casting shadows over the green grass of home, and me and the blueberry bush.  Oh…and the bittersweet flavor of freshly picked blueberries overwhelming my tastebuds.  This was my place of indescribable beauty.

     

    Since this encounter with peace, I have come to realize that this place is readily available to me at anytime.   I just have to make a conscience effort to make the world stop and focus on the moment.  Focus on everything around me at that moment.  I must constantly remind myself that peace and beauty are flying past me at every turn.  I don’t have to go searching for something that is already there.  

     

    So, now, I am going outside with my son and my husband to stop and soak in my very own rendition of “Anne of Green Gables”.  However, this one is better because it is real…and its mine.