welcome

I set out this month to un-addict myself from my phone. A small update: I’m failing miserably in certain regards (still checking social media and the Voxer app too much and sometimes reading my phone in bed) but doing really well about keeping my phone out of sight with my husband and friends. Regardless, I’m talking about it to everyone and I’ve found some others who are also seeking some change.

My friend Rachael wrote two weeks ago about how she’s unplugging. And today, I asked another dear friend to write about how she giving her life more attention. Let me introduce you to the beautiful Abigail Mary Green. She is thoughtful and kind and introspective and her words are always so full of emotion. Follow her on Facebook and Instagram and you won’t regret it.

The Davis family invited me over to photograph my very favorite kind of session. They let me be a fly on the wall while they made breakfast one morning, allowing me to snap shots of a very typical day in their life. The kids fought and giggled and tried to help with the eggs, bacon, and pancakes. They threw food, asked for more chocolate milk and said a family prayer.

These kinds of sessions are such an honor for me to shoot. I feel so privileged to show people little glimpses of their own lives and just how spectacular the ordinary days look. These captured moments will remind them of this exact season and hopefully bring back many memories.

I left my full-time job at a local nonprofit last September. I went straight into full-time freelancing, which meant working from home. There were so many adjustments and though I still haven’t perfected it, I’ve learned a little something in the past nine months.

If you follow me over on Instagram, you’ll notice that every once in a while I write haikus in the comments of my photos. I’m not super emo, but it’s just a little reminder to my husband that I’m thinking of him.

Travis and I met 6 years ago in Africa. I was instantly smitten with him, but he took his time “warming up” to me. (Can you imagine?!) Our time there only overlapped for four months, and we formed a strong friendship, emailing quite frequently as we traveled separately all over the continent and then sharing meals with a group of friends when we were both at our home base in Kampala. He handed me a letter when I left, telling me to open it on the plane ride home.

I’ve been 28 years old for an entire six days. And let me tell you … I’ve learned some stuff.

Using Photographs as an instrument of memory is probably a mistake because I think that photographs actually sort of impoverish your memory in certain ways, sort of take away all the other senses—the sense of smell and taste and texture, that kind of stuff. … Sally Mann, Photographer

I was recently introduced to the legendary work of Sally Mann (which is beautiful, evocative, and warning: full of nudity in case you Google.) And I was utterly intrigued as to why someone so gifted at the art of photography would say these things about essentially, her own work. On first reading, it seemed like a put-down to me and my defenses rose up. ‘No! We take pictures to remember! That’s the whole point!’