Adventures on a road less traveled.

Last night Bridge and I went in search of a backroad to adventure and take photos on. We saw a "Rustic Road" sign and decided to give it a try. It was a fairly narrow road, and parts of it ran along (what I think was) the Kickapoo river. It was a beautiful little valley! We found an old abandoned barn in a field that we stopped to take some photos at.

I shot some film, but I won't be sending all my film in to get developed until I get back from Chicago and New York City in August.






























And of course, last but not least, the two of us goons. :)

California 2013

I've had the following photos sitting around, waiting to be edited and posted for the last month and a half, and I haven't been very good about shooting and blogging on a regular basis. I love it, and I miss it, but each year that passes seems to go by a little faster than the last. I remember how in my teens it felt like I had all the time in the world, and now most days I don't feel like I have enough. I think in order for me to continue shooting regularly I need to just mount that darn camera of mine to my hand and take it with me everywhere I go. I don't have the time that I used to, doing a shoot on a whim when I've got a streak of inspiration. Days are too full now.
I've booked a trip to New York City for August 1st through the 6th. I'm going to be visiting a friend, as well as making it into a photographing adventure. My plan is to shoot as much as possible and sink back into the pool of love for taking pictures that I've managed to dry up, simply by not making my photography a priority in my life. I also just plain and simple need an adventure in a far away place to fulfill my wanderlust wishes. ;)

Back in May I flew to California for my cousin's wedding. I've visited the Santa Maria/Santa Barbara area a few times in the last few years, but this was the first time I'd been to a more northern part of the state in a long time. I spent most of my days in Sacramento, seeing as that's where my family was, but I took a short trip to San Francisco for Mother's Day with my mamma, aunt, and her grandson.

Begin again.

Sometimes I forget how much I love having a camera in my hands - capturing small, but beautiful moments of life with a weighty piece of metal+plastic that is embraced by my fingers and palms. I especially love when the moments I've captured are ones that usually go unnoticed, or are easily forgotten. Those are my favorite. I often find myself absorbed by those moments, even when I'm not shooting. It's the little things that sometimes mean the most.
I loved this shoot that I did with Beth because it was unplanned, and I didn't really have much of a vision for what I wanted until we pulled off the side of the road and I looked around at my surroundings. It had been a long time since I'd shot, and it took me a while to really get the feel of things again. It was a beautiful evening - a warm wind was blowing, clouds were fighting to take over the sky, and the sun fought back, shining it's beams through the cracks in between, and sometimes losing and becoming blocked all together. It made for some fantastic lighting.
Below are my favorite shots.

Bits and pieces of the last few weeks...

This song, "Promise" by Ben Howard, is currently my favorite. It has fit my mood perfectly the last couple days - with the rain and the spring-ish feeling in the air. Mmmm... so good. <3

The first three photos I took in Madison a few weeks ago. I finally got the chance to eat at Graze, which is right on the square. I LOVE that place! Fantastic food, great atmosphere, and the lighting is terrific, thanks to all of the windows. Pictured below is the sweet potato soup that I got - heavenly! I will most definitely be going back.
All of the other photos (aside from the one of the wood pile) I took at my neighbors farm a week ago.

That's all I have time for today.
Spring, come quick!

sweet disposition

"Sweet Disposition" by The Temper Trap is probably one of my most favorite songs.
It's one of those that I love to listen to when I'm driving on back roads, windows down.
It's one that kind of just makes me feel alive.
Yesterday's beautiful weather provided the perfect opportunity to go out for a drive, and I brought my camera with.




Sweet disposition. Never too soon.
Oh, reckless abandon. Like no one's watching you.
A moment of love
A dream
A laugh
A kiss
A cry
Our rights, our wrongs
A moment of love...














This whole weekend has been so wonderful! I spent a lot of time talking with God, catching up with friends and family, exploring the beautiful part of Wisconsin I live in (trying to capture it with my camera), and baking/dancing with a lovely girl who makes me laugh.
All of these moments were small, but they are now memories stored up in my heart.
After hearing some sad and discouraging news, I am reminded of the importance of these small joys that fill our world with love and fulfillment. I'm not guaranteed another second of life here on Earth, so I need to remember to live in each moment, love people extraordinarily, and never forget the One who is the reason and purpose for it all.
I think moments are what I love most about taking pictures. Each of our lives tells a story, and a camera can capture small parts of those stories.
I'm so very thankful for all of the ones I've been able to experience and capture! There's many more that I hope and dream about, like falling in love & having a family, exploring places I've never been to before, and so much more! Only the Lord knows when.