Time keeps on slippin', slippin', slippin'...

Into the future.

Photoshop in my free time.

Used to dabble a lot in 'macabre' post-edit. Thought I'd give it a whirl again for old time's sake.

Nathaniel says, "Here's a completely random scary thing to frighten people."

I will add the happy version so you aren't too freaked out.

Ok, bedtime! Real blog post to follow at some point. Happy Easter, all!

Design - for Journalists.

I took some family portraits just outside of Philly last week. It was a beautiful day - a barefoot in the grass kind of day. I've missed those so much.

Right now I'm working on a new business card and web design for a solar paneling company. Definitely different from my usual work but it's nice to use my Multimedia training! What do you know, I'm grateful to have taken Design for Journalists, after-all.

Every day I wake up in love with our beautiful little home. It's got its quirks but it is the most inspiring, lovely place I have ever lived. We have an incredible life!

I'm an Irish woman.

"I used to be a feminist. Now I'm just proud to be a woman." ~ Sister Sarah Elisabeth, (Orthodox nun running the Martha & Mary House in California for crisis pregnancies and adoption)

Belly Beauty

            Growing up, I had some really interesting and enriching experiences that helped shape the work I do today. For many years, I would take the bus to East Oak Lane and study fine art in the home of a family from church.

            I loved my art teacher. I argued with her all the time but I learned a lot. When I was in high school, I got there early and cleaned in exchange for lessons. Walking through that perpetually cold and dark house, where every surface had a permanent fine dust and every breath was filtered through a haze of charcoal, I felt like I was in a magical haven. I loved being there early, steam-cleaning floors, vacuuming up debris from the walls that were falling into disrepair. My teacher was eccentric and strange and reclusive but her love for art, her students and teaching was undeniable.

            I remember the day she showed us a documentary on the work of a famous artist who painted nude women during the Renaissance. Again, a member of our church, our teacher had to proceed with trepidation. I feel I owe a great deal of thanks to her for the way she honored the beauty of God's creation in the human body and taught us to do so as well.

            In many ways, that is what appeals to me about mother-centric photography. Pregnancy, birth, motherhood are all part of a celebration of feminine beauty. Our culture is pervaded with an overly-sexualized image of femininity. We've forgotten how to honor bodies as God's beautiful creations without treating them with a measure of shame or perversion.

            It's a question I've had long discussions about. When we admire the great works of DaVinci or Michelangelo, surely we know that they weren't painting from their imaginations. There is a debate of ends justifying means and honestly, I don't know who is right. I know that I am not offended when I look at those paintings. To me, they are beautiful. And that leads me to believe that it is not wrong to use photography to capture that same innate graceful beauty.

            Becoming a mother has made me appreciate this so much more. How our bodies are designed to carry, develop, deliver and sustain life. We are these incredible works of art at every stage. We are fearfully and wonderfully made. And I believe that that is worth celebrating.

What a wonderful week!

Last Tuesday, I had planned to collaborate with a long-time friend on some photos that I've been putting together in my mind for months now. But Tuesday morning I got the text that the birth I had been hired to photograph was in full swing! So I rescheduled with my friend and rushed to the house.

It was such an honor to photograph the birth of Violet Love, a beautiful little girl who was greeted by her parents and her ten siblings! It was the most amazing thing to see this big family welcoming Baby #11 - everyone was helping, encouraging, waiting for the moment of her arrival. I feel blessed to have been able to document the experience for them. What a wonderful Valentine's Day!

SO - yesterday, we went back to shooting these photos for the upcoming gallery at Max Crema's. The photos turned out so fantastically, I can't wait to share them! Here is a sneak peak, but if you'd like to see more of my work, please come to the gallery opening on March

3rd, from 10 am to 1 pm!