life as of late || entry one

Currently…

+ Learning how to shoot with film. It's challenging and I don't quite have it down yet (like, the haven't-gotten-to-take-a-picture-yet kind of 'don't quite have it down'), but I'm so excited to learn about the process. 

+ Listening to Family and Friends and The Oh Hello's new album. They're both so delightfully folk and they make the perfect soundtrack for my mundane days. 

+ Inspired by Nicole Mason's photography, especially her self-portrait series. Her mood and aesthetic is so unique.
+ Putting up our tree and donning cold-weather garb.
+ Getting my nightly dose of Blue Bloods, because after you've watched something so religiously for the last month or two, the characters start to become family.
+ Missing little pieces of home, halfway around the world. I don't think I'll ever stop missing them.
+ Drinking one of those little pieces of home: Ugandan tea & Masaba coffee.

what has life been like for you lately?

staples

currently loving:

unkempt hair

intense eyeliner

wedges (who cares if they make me six feet tall?)

moto jackets

dressing up because i can.

b & w

(dylann + hagen + shooting through a hazy lens.)

bits of virginia

This week, my family is in Virginia for a conference. We've gotten to do some exploring before the conference actually starts, and it's been a blast. Our last couple days have consisted of a crisp morning in Shenandoah National Park; hours roaming the rainy, leaf-littered streets of Colonial Williamsburg and Yorktown; and countless hours in the car, driving across the country. 

I've been snapshotting moments with my camera and iPhone along the way, but honestly, there's a lot that I didn't capture. My dad recently reminded me of a quote from The Secret Life of Walter Mitty that has always resonated with me, but I sometimes find difficult to remember: "Sometimes I don't [take a picture]. If I like a moment, for me, personally, I don't like to have the distraction of the camera. I just want to stay in it." I absolutely love taking photos and capturing beautiful moments, but I'm learning to walk the line between snapping a picture to remember a moment and getting caught up in documenting life too much to live it. I still haven't quite found the perfect balance yet, but I suppose that's alright. We're all still learning, right? 

Anyways, here's some bits of our explorations in VA. Enjoy!

 

portrait | kylee grace

This morning was spent learning about portrait composition from my photography mentor and taking portraits of my dear friend, Kylee. It was frigidly chilly, windy, and fantastic. 

I can't think of a better way to spend the day.

distorted portraits | vol. 1

I've started working on a series of distorted portraits. These are pictures I've taken before at various different times, but I've re-edited them. I've found that obscuring the centerpiece of traditional portraits, the face, creates a completely different aesthetic in a photo, and I'm really intrigued by the way it turns out. This is volume one of my "distorted portraits" series; more to come. 

Enjoy!

roaring river, mo

today:

climbing,

hiking,

breathing in

crisp air;

ringing in

autumn 

by

exploring in

nature.