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Poetic & bleak

Here are a handful of photos I took around my parents' place in Michigan, today.

Also, my childhood home is for sale and I want to buy it. I won't. But I want to.

Distraction

This week I did an informal photo shoot for the salon where I get my hair foiled and cut. The owner, Jamie, is fantastic. I have difficult hair–-tons of it, very fine and dry, but she can whip it into shape. At least temporarily. And I have these highlights right now that are blonde, caramel, and red. I love them. LOVE.

If you live in Seattle and need a great stylist, check out the Jamie O'Neill Salon on Queen Anne.

Anyway, here are some of the fruits of my labor. I'm not thrilled with the outcome. I somehow could not get the lighting right.

This is the woman herself.

If you look closely at this one, you can see me in the corner with my camera. What a dork. I'll Photoshop that out before I burn the disk.

Too bad none of these ladies are very pretty. So sad. :0(

This shot of Jamie turned out a little blurrier than I would have liked. Especially since I like my photos TO NOT BE BLURRY AT ALL. But I love her expression here. This is a woman who is excited about what she does.

I've decided I need to take a photography class. I feel like I've gone as far as I can on my own and need some real instruction on lighting and exposure. Something to look forward to. Particularly since my writing is sitting in a pool of its own muck, festering and pissing me off.

Just, you know, a pretty tree

Washington Park Arboretum, Seattle

Shabby Apple

As you may have noticed, I recently became a Shabby Apple affiliate (you'll see their little badge in my left sidebar), mainly because I dig their clothes, but also because, a couple months ago, they sent me this cotton, nightshirt-comfy, and flattering dress.

And then, remember the cute little abandoned cabin I wrote about in my last post? One day when the sun was angled low and my kids were watching Spongebob, I packed up my camera gear, my dad's tripod, and my very favorite beer on Earth and hiked down to the cabin wearing this dress.

Yeah, I guess you could consider this post a sell-out. Except that I truly love this dress and my self-photo shoot was a little, creative jewel nestled in the midst of a family-centered visit. It was fun. And I got the tiniest buzz.

Check out Shabby Apple here (summer sale going on now).

I hate combined words like Palmstravaganza

I couldn't stop taking photos of palm trees when we were in San Diego. Maybe because at home in Seattle I knew the temperatures had dipped and snow was on its way. Maybe because winter has seemed so so long this year. Maybe it's just because palms are fantastically enticing, like a firework that shoots straight up and lets loose with an explosion of spiky green fronds.

I just know that, to me, palm trees are exotic and mean vacation. As much as you can vacation while staying in an old folks home with two kids and a bottle of red wine hidden in your dresser. Yeah. But there was a pool!

Except that I actually kind of like it

I'm in query hell right now.

Except that I kind of like querying. I think I'm good at it. Also, it means the project is squared away for the moment and ready to be seen.

While I'm busy, please enjoy this photo I took of Max.

And if you want to see more of my photographic fumbling around, I'm doing Project 365 on Flickr. A photo a day for a year. Love it!

Here it comes

Belltown, Seattle, December 30, 2010

I worry about January. Especially at three o'clock. Here it comes. The dark.

I take advantage of the wan light to take photos anyway. My fingers are stiff with cold, but I don't care. Exhilaration. Say it with me. Exhilaration!

I'm reading Elizabeth Flock novels right now, swallowing them whole, convulsing with admiration and happiness. So good yet unsettling.

What is it that makes us want to scare ourselves? Like little kids begging for ghost stories or a roller coaster ride.

Because really, I don't like to feel fear.

Project 365

I've decided to challenge myself photographically this year. I'll be contributing to Project 365. That's one photo a day for 2011. Because I haven't spread myself quite thin enough.

Here's my first post. If you're interested, I hope you'll follow along.

Merry Holidays

Hope you have many sweet moments.

Pioneer Square, Seattle