Some things are bitter sweet...

I think you all understand....

but 

I am taken by surprise 

by 

the

 intensity

 sometimes....

Dear Pam

at Frippery

had a giveaway....

I won.

Sweet!

But in the same post 

she stated that she might not be able to continue

with this wonderful blog

whose quote states

Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Sigh.....

now I know that daily posting is 

an incredible commitment.

I don't blame Pam a bit 

for feeling overwhelmed,

or over tasked,

or over committed,

That's easy to understand.

But,

I also want to say that 

I have learned so much....

merely, from reading her blog

that the thought of doing without.

Well, it makes me feel a little like 

a child who is at the end of the school

year with a favorite teacher.....

A little freaked out.....

I love sarcasm....

I love irony....

I love a well turned phrase....

Pam does all of this well.

LIke I said...

bittersweet....

believe me,

each time I look at my prize,

I will think of how her writing has made me laugh,

think, respond, and return.

Big Smiles Pam!

Green thursday

Green thursday, originally uploaded by ellenmr.

Isn't it funny.....

how you can be in a rush to do one thing....

and something totally out of left field...

distracts you?

Mainemomma-Kristen started a fun group on Flickr 

a week long color exercise....

I loved the idea, and wanted to participate...

but this was a week filled with dozens of tasks

LARGE & small...

I had very little time for fun....

But Green Thursday rolled around,

and I was determined to get something posted.

So as I sat at my desk and thought....

what is interesting and green?

There is was right in front of me....

I love unique pencils....

I love jars, bottles, pitchers, containers of pencils.

So there you are....

Made my day that anyone else thought 

that this spur of the moment shot 

had merit.....

smiles.

Shadows....

This is how memories work for me....

they look like shadows...

they are never detailed and clear.

Sometimes my memories can be triggered by

smell, 

or a song,

or a child's squeal,

or a breeze....

But mostly my memories

 are like a vague shadow that has 

highlights all over it....

that is how

I remember this wedding.

The lights were a photographer's 

nightmare.

DARK!

It was great for ambiance,

but absolutely 

horrendous for 

capturing images.

Especially as this was a time

 when I was still using film.

Even high-speed film

struggles with low light situations.

Well,

I captured many moments

 that were much better than this one, 

but I like this one,

because of the way the 

overhead light bounces off her dress...

and veil...

and his close cropped hair...

splendid memories.

What do your memories look like?

Are they mostly shadows like mine?

Or, are they refined bits of crystal clarity?

Tell me, please.....smiles.

Mom and kid bonding

Mom and kid bonding, originally uploaded by Michelle Fabio.

Michelle Fabio is known to many of you from her blog

Bleeding Espresso.

Well, she is also a wonderful photographer.

I just love the series of photos and video that she has 

posted lately featuring these goats.

Sweet baby with the waggly tail! 

smiles.

Isn't she lovely....

Well, not only is she lovely,

she is way so talented!!!

This is Amanda,

she was one of my special brides...

One of the brides

 that I actually enjoyed

 every minute of their day.

She was so easy to photograph,

comfortable in her own skin,

assured that this day

was meant to be....

splendid....

NOW...

well, let me just tell you,

she is one of the up and coming photographers

in the biz...

She has the "eye".

no doubt.

She is a people person 

in the truest sense of the word.

She shines...

and 

she can make the most mundane 

seem spectacular....really.

She has a new site,

http://www.amandachurchill.com/

a new camera,

a new outlook,

a new project....

let me tell you,

I could not be more proud that I know her,

and have been a part of her 

journey.

This is the reason for 

BIG SMILES 

today.

You know that feeling...

when you are so happy to have someone in your arms....

and you really don't want to let go?

Well,

that feeling is coming on strong...

In approximately 90 minutes

(not that I'm counting...)

I will get in the car,

drive to he airport,

sit in the "cell phone lot"

(where you wait for your someone to call and say they are ready)

and wait for my sweetie....

Yeah!

Don't get me wrong...

I have not been sitting around 

pining for some company...

or even wishing the days away...

nope,

I've been busy as a bee...

doing the things

 that you simply cannot do

 when there is someone else

in the house.

But now that the 12 days are

coming to a close....

I am ready to see my baby...

sweetie...

honey-pie...

(sweet enough for you?)

The Bradford pear trees out front 

are full of blooms...

The daffodils are past their peak,

the hydrangeas are budding out like crazy.

And

my sweetie is on a plane..

heading south.

smiles.

Making me laugh....

I look back at wedding photos....

and sometimes,

I just bust out laughing....

Mostly,

 for the things that I overlooked when 

I was snapping away....

Like here,

I didn't notice that the groom had 

an extraordinary amount of 

RED lip gloss all over his 

mouth....

(glad it matched her's)

And I hadn't noticed

 that my sweetie

(the one that should be buying me pearls in Shanghai right now)

is in the photo, 

right over the grooms shoulder.

Oh well,

that is what photojournalism is all about.

"On the fly"

"spur of the moment"

"spontaneous"

"not posed"

"un-controlled chaos"

mostly....

smiles.