exit - {austin area photographer}

SPC has me working this month, truly. Of course I am not sinless, I won't pretend that.. still this theme of "Seven Deadly Sins" is tricky for me. I'm very modest, yet I want to dive deeper creatively than I did last week. I want to try and capture something a little more outside my comfort zone.

Today I exited my place of security, I chose to try and shoot "lust."




I don't have anything clever to say, I'm still reeling from actually sharing this photo. However, I do have a gorgeous version of "She Is Love" by Parachute on my playlist for this shot.

the dark side of self portrait

It's SPC time..... here I go again with the narcissism. Not really, this time it's all about someone else.

The theme for July is "The Seven Deadly Sins." Kind of dark and creepy, not my style so much, but I can roll with it. I gave it some thought and what I came up with was "envy."



Not that I sit around wishing to be someone else, but given the chance to switch faces and/or bodies with someone else, it would certainly be Kate Beckinsale. There really isn't a single thing about her that isn't exactly perfect (her nose especially causes the green to rise in me a bit).

On to a more personal note. I'm DRIVING again!!!! My back is still stiff and sore at times, but I have made huge improvements and I can drive (sometimes it requires a Tylenol), I am narcotic-free, the physical therapist has added weights to my workout, I am able to lean back in chairs now, and a few other boring things that are milestones for me. :o) I'm quite excited about this and I will most likely be moving back to my favorite city at the end of this week! Austin, I miss you!

I have a music musing to share as well. I just purchased this song on iTunes and love it. The song is "I Don't Believe You" by Pink. She really has a strong voice, this song compliments it perfectly.

and so we drench

It's how it has to be when you live in Texas and it's over 100 degrees every single day... swimming is a must. So here are some pictures of our little poolside spectacle.



Snow cones are pretty much a necessity in the summer. However, this was the first time Masyn and Evelyn had ever had one!
*Masyn would like to add a note here.... "All our tongues match our swim suits."
She is soooooo OCD.



So, we have this little game in the pool...basically I throw this wet ball and everyone else tries to catch it... (so much fun for me, let me tell you). Occasionally though, I get a helper who throws too, and this is Masyn's "throw face" that I just LOVE!! She is so intense and honestly, she has a darn good arm for a 5 year old.



Yeah, yeah, I tried to take one of myself too, to prove that I was there during this time in the girl's life. I seriously think that they will question my existence one day because there are so few pictures of us together.....because I am always taking the pictures. *Note to self: Invest in a remote for The Beast.



Avery was soaking up some serious sun here. Everything about this is reflective, I swear my lens was screaming in pain when I took this picture. "Too bright Amelia, too bright!!" And I politely answered back "SHUT IT!"



My darling little Evelyn Blair! She wears out pretty quick in the sun, so it's imperative that I snap her before she gets in the pool. If I miss that precious moment before she is submerged...all hope of a happy picture is lost, because either 1. her eyes are closed, or 2. she is crying to go get food.



Another picture of Avery (who, the little narcissist that she is since her P-word post, will be thrilled to see herself again).... looking way too grown up. I love this new phase in her life, but oh boy does it ever make me feel old!!!

Music musing selection is "Juicy" by Better Than Ezra.

a log roll

Yes, that's what they call it when I lay down in bed. So it seems very fitting that my mom lost a tree last week to wind and I snapped a picture because it reminded me of my own back laying on the bed. I tried to capture my back for you all with my timer and it didn't work out that well. I will try again another time.

Here is my last diptych for May's SPC theme.



I am improving little by little. Now I am able to sit up for 30 minutes or so. Currently I am most annoyed by some congestion causing my ears to sound like I am wearing ear plugs. My headaches are still present, but they do take longer to build so I am able to get up and around a little more. I haven't had internet access since the tree fell because it landed on my mom's water well, so we moved to my grandma's house which is not set up for internet. :o(

I'm posting from my mom's today as we have come to get more clothes and a few other things we needed. I am shamefully addicted to my computer because this is what I went to do first when we got here.

So if you want to get in touch with me texting is the only way really. :o( I don't know when we will be back here again and have wireless. I miss you all and I look forward to answering emails and comments as soon as we move back here!

high key spc - {austin area photographer}

Another week of self portrait challenge. It's such a good way for me to push myself a little each week creatively as well as forcing me to try and take my own picture, which I admittedly stink at.

The theme for April is High Key/Low Key. Last week I explored low key me, and not too artistically... mostly metaphorically. So for round #2, I chose to go high key because I love to over expose pictures and have blown out spots. I know it's really baaad technically speaking, but my artsy side loves the faded and washed out look.



That's me, up close, blown out, being utterly silly (which I do love a good hearty dose of silliness), and experimenting with my own portrait. I love these challenges, even though I always feel a little narcissistic when posting them.

Music musing is Coldplay's song "Lost!" from the Viva La Vida album.

me for spc - {austin area photographer}

This is me.



The theme for April at SPC is "High Key/Low Key."

This is me, low key me.

Most of my photography is high key, I like bright whites and blown out spots. For myself though, I am a low key girl most of the time. For instance, this is a picture of me on a day off. I didn't fix my hair, it went into a ponytail and under a fedora. I like to get dressed up, but I love to be comfortable.

In recent talking with a friend I have discovered that the older I get, the more "okay" I get with me. I am extremely flawed, but somehow that just has to be okay. Flaws can add price to antiques, denim, furniture, and other things... why not to people as well. I think sometimes it's our "low" points that bring out the most beauty, so I'm just making a choice right now to accept my blemishes (and yes, I have several at the moment), shortcomings, failures, and other problems with me. I am a work in progress and these things are just making the finished product of "me" more lovely.

So cheers, to a more lovely me and hopefully this post will empower someone else to grab hold of this freeing concept too....here is to being "okay" as our rough edges are made smooth over time and accepting the imperfections that makes us unique and beautiful.

Music musing is by Lenka, the song is called "The Show."

{SPC} introductions - austin area photographer

Many of you remember the self portrait challenge group, well now it can be found on flickr.

I've joined ranks again... I miss it, and I fail at posting on time and regularly, but they are kind enough to allow me to participate despite my lacking.

This month the theme is "introductions." So here I am, this is me. Amelia. A semi-slob, loving her kids, who have their little imprint on this picture with their dirty hand prints on my mirror. This is me at the core and un-adorned.



I like to wear jeans and wife beaters, and no shoes. I like to have my hair all messy and on my shoulders, sometimes I even like it to hang in my face. I'm just me, just comfy, and totally okay with that now....after 27 years.

seeing me

After a few months of a break from SPC, I am going to join the fun again. I was weary of a theme one month so I took a little holiday... now it's time to get back in the game and sharpen my skills. Nothing like a self portrait to challenge a photographer's skill, it's not nearly as easy as some make it look. It's possible that if I purchased a remote, I might end up in focus sometime. LOL, such a brilliant idea, but something I will most likely shirk still for quite a long time. Maybe Christmas.... maybe. I have boots on the brain.

So, the theme for October is mirrors. Genius! Mirrors are about the only way I can get a picture of myself, so this works very nicely for me. I shot this picture Saturday, before I knew about the new theme. Lucky break because I didn't have any other good reason to share this picture, but I really like it, so now it has "purpose." *grin*



Easily you can see me in Adonis' sunglasses, but if you really try, you can also see Masyn, Evelyn, and my fabulous niece Taylor. 5 people in one extreme close up, I'm very pleased! It takes little to make me giddy, I'm crazy over the simple pleasures of life!

After many people requesting that I stop deleting songs (because they haven't had a chance to listen by the time I delete....oops) I am now going to add new songs to the top of the playlist, so you may skip to something else that is featured on a different post.

Today's music musing is "Mirror Mirror" by Whiskeytown. Perhaps a little too cliche, but still a fun song for this post.

xo~ Amelia

A Full Sigh

SPC week #4, The Body.


This picture is the last in The Body Challenge, to learn more click here.

I chose this to show my emotions and physical state right now.


It's been a weekend I will always remember fondly, but now that I am home, now that I have washed more laundry than I can even believe myself, all I can do is take a deep breath and let out a full sigh of contentment and exhaustion.



I will be posting details and pictures from the trip to Salt Lake City, Utah on here soon, but for now I have lots of catching up around my house to take care of first. Thanks for reading and I can't wait to chat with you all!

Amelia

Facing The Music

SPC "The Body" Week #3

Yeah this Self Portrait Challenge thing gets more terrifying each week! Ha-ha, actually I'm pushing myself a little more each time, trying to face the things I have always considered impossible to face.


This week, my nose. I don't abhor my nose, but I don't like it. I'm not contemplating surgery, but I do say mean things about the shape and size of my nose. That's not something I am proud of, I want to stop complaining about my nose (maybe when my purple bracelet gets here that will help)...


I placed a challenge on myself through this months "The Body" theme on SPC, to really put my camera in my face (yeah, pun intended) and share the good, the bad, and the ugly. All of this in hopes that I will see and become more comfortable in my own skin and even my not-so-button nose.


So about this photo...I really like it, I think my nose is actually better in this picture than in real life. LOL I love the light, it's almost "rock star" but still really natural. I wanted to show something very close and to feel like I have literally opened up to the camera without restraint or pose. Once again I've captured more of my freckles, I always like those, not sure why, but I do.

Amelia