I knew exactly what I wanted to do for the light photography project. I have seen beautiful images that others have taken of sparklers and I wanted to create an image of my own.
Ever since I was a little child, I have loved the glittery glow that sparklers give off. I can remember my parents giving me sparklers and the joy I had running around, waving them in trailing arcs, trying to make an M for Melissa or making stars or circles. I can remember being burned by the hot end and learning quickly to be careful, even after the light had gone out.
Cupcake, Mr. Awesome, and Princess joined me outside for this project. I lit sparklers for them as I snapped away at my own. After I was satisfied with my work, I continued to light them for the children and enjoyed watching them run happily around the yard. Even after being warned, poor Princess learned the hard way, just as I had, to be careful of the hot end after the light went out.
After all of the sparklers had been spent, we gathered up our mess and went in for bedtime. Hopefully, the children had smiles on their faces as they drifted off to sleep, imagining glowing sparkles and running through the warm summer air. I sat happily at my computer, editing my images and feeling content. I love that two dollars can easily buy a night of joy for our family.
This multiple image has been something I have wanted to try for a long time. Creating a double exposure effect of a person and trees has always held a strange appeal for me. I’ve seen a lot of variations, but I wanted something that was unique and a bit different than what I had seen.
I feel that there is always something that is occupying our minds. We are longing for that hope which our future holds, whether near or far. We have little hopes and big hopes. Dreams don’t need to be rational to be longed for. Simply holding on to an idea of something that brings us joy is how we continue to move forward each day.
My daughter always says, whenever we see a particularly beautiful, deep grove of trees, “I want to live there.” My sweet Cupcake has heard me mention dreamily often that I want to move up north and live in the woods. Using her for this project was perfect. She’s dreaming of the deep woods.
I don’t know when our dream of living in the woods will come true. In my head, I have this beautiful image of paradise earth with trees that stretch on for miles. Till that day comes, we’ll happily enjoy camping up north and soaking in the fresh air of the many pines.
A Park With Beautiful Rolling Hills and River Views
5 Week Workout Challenge: Week 4, Day 4 Afton State Park
It was early on Saturday morning when Nate playfully tried to wake me up. He told me he’d already gotten the kids out of bed and they were getting breakfast. We were going for a walk! He had picked the spot and did all of the work to get everyone ready. He even made my morning tea. What a wonderful way to start the day!
It was a beautiful day for hiking. The high was 81 with a cool breeze. When we started out, it was still in the lower 70’s. The drive there was scenic and peaceful. The park was packed with people.
This was my first time to the park, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was a little worried seeing how packed all of the parking lots were. I didn’t realize it was such a popular destination. Thankfully, we were able to find a spot to park.
Heading down the trail, we encountered some beautiful views of the hills surrounding the river valley. I was easily able to see why this was such a popular park.
Unfortunately, I had forgotten our bug spray. The mosquitos were huge and the lower we descended into the valley, the more gnats and mosquitoes there were. We tried to walk fast and mostly kept to the center of the trail to avoid them.
Once we got down to the beach, the breeze kept the insects away and we were able to relax. The kids enjoyed checking out the dock and then searching for agates and rocks to skip. We watched the boats zoom past and we thought about how fun it must be to tour the river from the water.
Heading back, the bugs weren’t as bad. Maybe it was because it was a little later in the day and a bit warmer. Heading up the trail was a bit more difficult for me, but the rest of the family wasn’t fazed. They jumped up the steps like mountain goats. I lagged behind, tired and struggling to keep up.
Later that night, I ended up in bed sick. Perhaps Princess’ fever wasn’t allergy related after all, and she had passed a virus to me. I spent the next week bedridden.
For some reason, I always get the sickest in our family. Over the years, I’ve learned holistic remedies to heal faster and keep from getting as ill as I used to. I also don’t get sick as often as I used to, thankfully.
Have you been to Afton State Park? What is your favorite area?
Choosing one hobby for this project was no easy task! I have many, many hobbies and interests. I love learning, I love being busy and creative. Ultimately, at the base of that, has always been reading
I love to read. I have always loved reading. I can remember my Father teaching me to read my first books, The Fox and the Box and Green Eggs and Ham. As a child, I was teased for being the girl who always had a book in her hand. I could read 7 books in a day at one point. My elementary school librarian told me that I read too much and I needed to get out there and live a little. There was more to life than books! I still laugh remembering the shock I felt. If a librarian tells me that I read too much, it might be a wakeup call.
There is no limit to the type of book I like to enjoy. I love learning about many different topics, so the non-fiction section is where I spend most of my time in the library. I do love fiction, but I usually listen to those as audiobooks while I work. With 4 small children, sitting down to enjoy a great novel can be difficult.
When it comes to learning new subjects, I love to have my children join me. I took an anatomy course online earlier this year and I really loved it, but going through the textbook and pouring over the pages was such a thrill for me. I read and reread so many sections, took notes and I probably drove my family crazy with my exclamations. Everyone got a chance to learn along with me as I described the wonders of cell structure, the fascination of a neuron, The complexity of all of our systems, working together in harmony. It’s beautiful and awe-inspiring. I felt closer to God, marveling in how he created us with such intricacy and detail.
Personally, I love the feel of a real book in my hands. I love to look at them and feel their weight in my hands. I enjoy feeling the surface of the cover, smooth on newer books and soft and bumpy on older ones. I love turning pages. If there are diagrams and images to enjoy, or words to mull over, I can pause and take it in. I love hugging a book to my heart, or a stack cradled in my arms.
Overall, whether a real book or an audiobook, there is always great excitement in something new. A new book is a whole adventure contained in one small package. The thoughts and works of the author, which maybe took months or even years to gather and put together for our benefit is such a gift. A book is a doorway to another place, a guide to a new curiosity, a page away from changing the rest of your life.
For this project, I photographed my daughter Cat, holding an old copy of Shakespeare. Since my children share my love of reading, I thought it was appropriate to use one of them for my hobby project.
Cat chose to photograph her piano for her hobby project.
What is one of your hobbies? What do you love about it? Do you love to read? What books are you reading right now?
This is my first chalkboard creation! My daughter Cat usually makes me beautiful art on the chalkboard that Nate made for me. Since this was my challenge, I thought I had better give it a try myself. I didn’t think it was fair to give Cat such a complicated project. (She insists she could have handled it.)
Drawing with chalk is a lot harder than it appears! Chalk is thick and flattens with each use, The edges are unpredictable with swirls and curves, unlike using a pen or pencil. I have to give Cat credit, she makes it look so easy!
Choosing my number one favorite scripture isn’t an easy task. I have a variety of favorite scriptures. Actually, I have a book of favorite scriptures! Narrowing it down to my top two was a little easier.
When I was studying the bible with my mentor, she often helped me find scriptures for life’s problems or questions I had. As we read through different topics, Isaiah 48:17 occasionally came up. Karen always mentioned that it was her favorite scripture and it’s not hard to see why. It’s a great reminder of what’s important in life.
Jehovah is teaching us to help ourselves through his inspired word in the Bible. The Bible is our guide to life and it can help us with every situation in life. With daily study and personal, heartfelt prayer, we’re developing a relationship with God and training our consciousness in the way we should walk.
I love that scripture, but I also love the one that follows.
17 This is what Jehovah says, your Repurchaser, the Holy One of Israel: “I, Jehovah, am your God, The One teaching you to benefit yourself, The One guiding you in the way you should walk. 18 If only you would pay attention to my commandments! Then your peace would become just like a river And your righteousness like the waves of the sea.
I love the visual of peace and righteousness. It soothes and comforts me. By listening to God and applying his word, peace will be our reward.
Psalms 91:4 is my current favorite. The wording is a little different, depending on which Bible you use. My Bible has a more literal translation in an attempt for accuracy. With his pinions, he will cover you, And under his wings, you will take refuge. His faithfulness will be a large shield and a protective wall.
Personally, I prefer the new international version, with the word feathers instead of pinions. A Pinion is the outer section of a bird’s wings. Although a pinion is very specific to what part of God’s wings will cover, pinion is not a regular part of my vocabulary.
I love this scripture, because of the thought of being protected by God. I love the visual of being safe, tucked under his wing, like a baby chick. Conjuring this image in my mind brings tears to my eyes. It’s like getting a hug from Jehovah.
5 Week Workout Challenge: Week 1, Day 5
Spring Lake Park, Schaar’s Bluff
Spring Lake Park is one of my favorite places to take walks with the family. The views are breathtaking, the trails are very well maintained and there are bonfire pits at several locations throughout the park.
Spring Lake Park has an interesting history. There are native american artifacts that show evidence of villages and campsites dating from 1000 B.C to A.D. 1400! In the 1930’s, a dam was built, flooding the river basin and spring lake merged to join the Mississippi. In more recent history, Schaar’s Bluff was a family farm that was eventually sold to Dakota County.
We had originally planned on hiking a hidden trail we hadn’t previously explored. Upon arrival, we saw that the new trail had been completed. We were really excited to check it out.
We enjoyed seeing the beautiful prairie, full of wildflowers. As we progressed on the trail, we could see several newly planted oak trees and strips of wheat bordering the path. We took time to rest at the picnic tables overlooking the river and planned a future picnic. The kids enjoyed climbing the rocks in the newly carved limestone wall. The huge bridge crossing a ravine was an interesting design of plain lumber and rusted metal that made the kids question it’s age and safety. I assured them that it was new and probably quite safe.
I have a feeling that we’ll love visiting and walking the new trail just as much as we love the old ones. I really recommend this park for anyone interested. It’s great for biking, hiking, picnics, outdoor gatherings, photo shoots, weddings, playing at the park, and watching the sun set.
Have you ever visited Schaar’s Bluff? What is your favorite spot?
5 Week Workout Challenge: Week 1, Day 4 Minnehaha Creek Trail
I haven’t been to Minnehaha Falls for a while, so I was really looking forward to our hike. Minnehaha Falls feels like home. My Maternal Grandparents used to live not too far from the park, so we frequently enjoyed walks along the river’s edge, flying kites in the fields, family gatherings at the pavilion, family reunions, outdoor concerts and events, picnics, playing at the park and so much more.
I can remember being little and looking up at the huge oak trees with wonder. I love oak trees, maybe because they live in so many of my happy memories. I remember going on walks with my parents or grandparents and taking in the beautiful marvels that are everywhere. I love being able to share its beauty with my children and allowing them to make their own memories.
As I walked the paths, I mulled over the memories of a lifetime at this park. I saw myself grow up. I saw my Mother, and my Grandmother, who also grew up here. My great-grandmother would have seen the park when it was new. I wondered about the Native Americans who lived here before us and the history of the park. I hope someday my children will pass on the legacy of love of Minnehaha Falls and bring their own children here.
I found that that the park had more history than I could have imagined! There is a great blog about the history of the falls here. It was once the location to a zoo! I knew about the mill that once was a bit further away from the falls because I had climbed down the remains once. The dog park was once a limestone quarry, which ended up supplying much of the park with limestone for steps and walls. I loved learning about the different bridges at the bottom of the falls and seeing images of how the falls have looked over the years.
For day three, we drove to Red Wing to check out the Hay Creek Cross Country Trail. The kids loved playing with the tongue twister of a name after I accidentally mispronounced it Cross Crunchy Trail. None of us had been there before, so we weren’t sure what kind of a trail we’d find.
As it turns out, there isn’t an exact address for the parking lot, or at least, it’s not easy to find. Instead, we followed the directions on the state’s website. On the way there, we hit some major road construction. The entire road was closed to through traffic. Thankfully, we were able to get through on a scenic dirt road which led to the park.
Once at the park, we could not figure out where the correct trail for the cross country trail was. There were several trails all in the same area, all crisscrossing and none were clearly marked. Several were not well maintained and looked overgrown. We ended up finding faded hand-painted signs in the overgrown brush for a couple of the trails, but none of them was the cross country trail. Eventually, we gave up and followed the clearest path.
The Goodhue Pioneer State Trail is a wide, paved walking path. We encountered several bikers and a couple of other walkers, but it was relatively quiet and peaceful. There did happen to be a lot of gnats, but that’s pretty typical for this time of year. The trail was strangely covered with dead snails, perhaps from the recent rain storms.
At one point, we found a wooden bridge with a path leading down to the creek. We took off our shoes and waded into the clear, shallow water. It was ice cold and felt great on such a hot and humid day.
We walked a little further past the bridge till we had walked a mile. We stopped in the shade and let the kids have a snack. Then we turned around to head back.
At one point, the kids found a live snail. They gave it some fresh water to drink before putting it in the woods. I had no idea snails lived out of the water.
Although the cross country trail might not be good for summertime hikes, maybe it’s a good trail to check out for cross-country skiing. I recommend the Goodhue Trail if you’re in the area and looking for a relaxing walk or bike ride.
I spent a lot of time reflecting on kindness. It ended up leading me to do a few other kindness projects too. For my challenge, I had a lot of ideas for what I could do, but ultimately decided on something that has really impacted my life.
I have always loved photography. As a child, I would set up elaborate photo shoots with the neighborhood kids. After we moved, I didn’t have any friends, so I set up photo shoots with my barbies. As I got older, I eventually did make friends. Sometimes I would pose them for portraits or take fun candids of life.
My first beautiful daughter was born, and she changed my life.
I loved her more than I had ever loved anyone.
It wasn’t until I gave birth to my first daughter that I finally pursued a career in photography. I took the plunge and got a job at a local portrait studio. There, I was thrown in the camera room without any training. This was at the beginning of digital cameras and my studio was the first within that branch of the company and the country to transfer from film to digital. All of the camera settings were exactly the same, so I didn’t have to worry about learning to master a digital pro camera yet. The lighting consisted of lowering and raising a light attached to the ceiling, depending on the height of the subject. The editing was a bit laughable and dated today, but it was also easy to use. My daughter loves to joke with me about the garish vignettes, one of my pet peeves. I also had the fun of working with different backgrounds and props.
My primary job was posing subjects and getting them to smile. This was no small task. I had to jump around, crawl on the floor, make crazy faces and silly noises. I had to go from my usual quiet, shy self to someone bold.
I used Cat as my little model for practice. As the years passed, not only did Cat grow, but so did my skills as a photographer. I became confident in working with people. I experimented with my own camera at home, learning settings and lighting.
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2 Weeks Till She Becomes A Big Sister!
Eventually, I quit working for someone else and started working for myself. I started photographing sessions in my home and I loved it. Picking up a camera is like stepping into a different world for me. Everything else turns off, all of the worry and frustrations of the world, all of life’s anxieties melt away, the noise drowns out and my focus narrows down to me, my subject and my camera. We make the three letter word “art” into a symphony of light, color, and emotion.
Once the session is over, I float on a satisfied high. I load my images into my computer and edit them. I love editing images. True, sometimes editing can lag into the mundane and I need a bit of Netflix binging on the side to keep me going. But there are times where I fall in love with an image or a session and I could get lost in it, working for hours before I come up for air.
Photography is so many things, composing an image, using appropriate lighting, knowing the settings on a camera and how to use them in different conditions, different lenses, varying heights, interacting with your subject, posing your subject, background, props, storytelling. Behind the scenes, one must learn the business, photo editing software, image organizing, networking, social media, website creation, and management, staying up to date in education by learning new techniques in all of these areas. It can take up a lot of time and it is a lot of work.
It’s hard to not become obsessed and spend all of my time doing this. I have 5 other people in my life that I’m responsible for. They need my time, love and attention. This doesn’t mean they are a distraction from my work. They are the important work. I think if I were single, I would lose myself to work and I would end up hating it.
My family gives me inspiration. They give me a constant source of people to photograph. They give me a story to tell. They remind me to live and to get out in the world. They help me not just capture other people’s memories, but to make and capture my own.
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After I became pregnant with my youngest daughter, I started to have health problems. I cut back more and more in my work until I started to turn away sessions. I knew that I was not going to be able to photograph other people if I didn’t know if I was going to have a good day or a bad day. I had to make a decision to focus on the more important things.
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For me, my important things are God, family, and health. Those three things take a lot of time and commitment. For months, I mulled over closing my in-home studio. It sat empty, making me sad. Sure, I could use it just for my own children, but that’s a lot of space for a few family portraits. In a house full of 6 people, space is limited.
Then something happened that made me move on my decision. Cat became depressed. She has always struggled with being positive, but there was a noticeable difference in her appearance and behavior. She stopped caring about things that normally made her happy. She looked like the life had been drained from her. She lost all motivation to do anything. Worst of all, she admitted to me several times that she wanted to die and she had been seriously considering it.
I brought her in to be diagnosed with depression and to get a referral for a therapist. Nate and I talked it over and decided to convert my studio into a bedroom for Cat. We thought the extra space might give her a place of her own to create art and play her piano. Nate offered to let her paint it whatever color she wanted.
This last bit was hard for me. I loved the color of my studio. Painting it made it seem real and final, there was no turning back. I didn’t want to turn back, for so many reasons, but change is always difficult for me.
Having a project for Cat seemed like a great idea. Painting her room was something that would keep her occupied and looking forward to the future. However, as the weeks dragged on and turned into months, the painting became another burden for her.
So one week when she went to her Dad’s house, I chose an act of kindness and love. I picked up the paint brush and finished her room. I left only the top edges of the wall for her to finish. Cat would also like me to add that she had painted most of the room before I got to it. lol
As I painted and the walls changed from a deep turquoise blue to a pastel green, I could remember my own Mother’s act of kindness. She had helped me paint my house when I first moved in. So had my children and my sisters. My heart was warmed by the memory of their love, helping make our house a home.
After she finished her room, I felt such relief and happiness. My daughter was going to move out of her childhood room and into her own room as a teenager. Already I could see a spark of excitement in Cat at the idea of having her own room. It was real to her too.
Although getting her own room won’t solve all of her problems, it’s a step in the right direction. Learning to live with depression is something she’ll have to work on for the rest of her life. Hopefully, with the help of therapy, she’ll learn tools that will help her cope through the rough times.
As for having my own studio, maybe someday in the future, I’ll build my own studio. Photography isn’t about having controlled lighting and a controlled environment. The true test of a good photographer is if they can photograph in uncontrolled lighting and uncontrolled environments. I can take portraits anywhere in the world. The world is my studio and it is beautiful.
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52 Project, Week 5: Warmth
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This paint can changed my life. It also changed my daughter’s life. She is learning to become an independent person. She is learning to be an adult and slowly finding out how to survive in this world. I am no longer photographing other families, I’m photographing my own. I am fully immersed in my own story and that of my family.
Has anyone ever done something kind for you? How did it impact your life?
Originally, the weather forecast predicted thunderstorms. We delayed our hike due to some destructive storms we’ve had recently. I wouldn’t want to be halfway through a hike and have the children out in bad weather. The weather was partly cloudy but mostly sunny throughout the morning, and extremely humid from all of the rain. Since a storm seemed unlikely after all, we struck out for an afternoon hike.
Jensen Lake Trail is 2.1 miles. All trails rated it as an easy trail. (All Trails Info: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/minnesota/jensen-lake-trail) It took us about 2 hours to complete the loop. The more experienced hiker could easily finish it faster. There was a guy who passed us going the opposite direction three times!
The kids really enjoyed this trail and would love to go back another time. There was also a large park that we did not check out because it was too hot and we were exhausted. We were all proud of ourselves for pushing through and finishing the trail, despite the heat.
