seeing the everyday

[september 2006]

I'm sharing this photo with you today because it was this moment I started seeing life from behind my lens. We were walking to the car after an afternoon of fun at the school carnival and I urged my girls to sit on the hillside so I could take their picture. My objective was to get a lovely picture of the three of them, together, smiling, and what I got was this -- Bella sitting austere, seemingly unaware of the other two who were busy freaking out about a fly (Tess is attempting to swat at it, not trying to hit Megan).

After going through my contact sheet of the photographs I took that afternoon the photo above is what stood out to me. It depicted so perfectly the story of what our life was like on a regular basis. It was REAL and I loved it. It was then I realized I want to capture life as it's happening. I want the good and the ugly. I want the crazy hair and the mismatched clothes. I want the family games, evening with friends, and the unbridled laughter. I want the snuggles and the quiet moments. I want the morning light streaming in from my window and our faces first thing in the morning. I want the messy house and what it's like inside our car on the way to get ice-cream. I wanted to capture us.

And it was all of that, that lead me here.

Next year, 2012, I'm going to be teaching a photography class at Squam Art Workshops.

pause :: do a little dance

It's called Seeing the Everyday. I'll be teaching in New Hampshire in June and September, and in Outer Banks North Carolina in October.

I don't even have the words to try and explain what this means to me. I've wanted this. I've been working toward this, to be able to share with you my passion for really seeing life, and to finally have it within reach, I am speechless.

All I have in my heart this morning is gratitude. Gratitude for those who got me and saw my vision. Gratitude for those who helped me get to where I am today. Gratitude for God's hand in my life. Gratitude for my family for inspiring me. Gratitude to be given the opportunity to share something important to me. Gratitude for my three girls (Hannah, Jenica, and Amy) who got my ball rolling. Gratitude for those who saw in me what I could not see in myself. Gratitude for the support and encouragement from people like you.

Thank you.

I would love more than anything to see you there. Come. Let's play with our cameras together. Squam is a life changing experience you will take with you for the rest of your life. I know. It has changed mine forever.

xoxo
amy gretchen

fallness | artist date

I stood in my kitchen with my todo list staring back at me, my mind wrestling with the thought of getting it done. I promptly turned away and grabbed for my camera--there would be time enough for that later. I decided getting out and enjoying the fall for a few hours was the option I needed today.











What more can I say then it was a delightful hour and well worth my time. When I returned home my list was waiting for me exactly where I left it, but this time more doable then before. I'm finally learning that some days you just need a moment or two to get yourself balanced before jumping in. I remember when I had babies at home how much I relied on nap time for that brief moment of clarity. I don't know why now it feels more like I'm getting away with something when I know it's still important to quiet the mind. After all, life is still just as busy, it's just a different kind of busy. Since coming home from squam I've been trying to do more yoga in the mornings, even if just for a few minutes. It seems to really help the quality of my day and now I'm wondering how I got along without it.

--what do you do when you need a moment to regroup?
--do you practice yoga?

Have a great weekend!

what I learned at squam

-Photography is my form of meditation.


-Vermont apples are delicious.
-I could live in New Hampshire.


-A heating pad makes all the difference on a chilly eve. Some of the nights in the cabin got to be 35 degrees, with a heating pad warming my feet all through the night I slept cozy.
-In the cold humid weather towels do not dry. Ever.


-I learned to juggle and found out it's the perfect activity to help you get out of your head. Thanks Amy. I need to practice practice so I don't loose it.
-I can still start a fire.


-Sea salt and chocolate are an awesome combination.
-I want to show people how to see their everyday.


-Details are important to me.


-It pays to wake up early in the morning.


-A chef is on my must have list. We ate well. The photos below are from my food photography class. I guess you could say I need some practice.


-It takes courage to grow. Open mic night.


-I love getting lost.


-Mushrooms are cool subjects to photograph. They were all over the woods.


-Don't let opportunities pass you by.


-It's ok to keep trying.
-It's ok to never get it.


-Together we can make something extraordinary.
-We each have a part to play.


-I need to incorporate yoga into my daily routine.




-Anyone can be an artist.


-She continues to inspires me.


-Staying up til almost 2am with a bunch of woman is very revealing. Our evenings were spent in front of the fire chatting. Wouldn't have wanted to do anything else.


-Friendships can happen over night. I love these woman.



-Mornings and nights are magical here. I miss it.



I had such a magnificent time and met some amazing individuals.
I simply can't imagine not going again.

Thank you ladies for making my world that much brighter.

sunday quotes

Just wanted to share two quotes I heard while in church today, quotes I've heard before, but stood out to me more today than in the past.

"...those who diligently seek to learn of Christ eventually will come to know Him. They will personally receive a divine portrait of the Master, although it most often comes in the form of a puzzle--one piece at a time. Each individual piece may not be easily recognizable by itself; it may not be clear how it relates to the whole. Each piece helps us to see the big picture a little more clearly. Eventually, after enough pieces have been put together, we recognize the grand beauty of it all. Then, looking back on our experience, we see that the Savior had indeed come to be with us--not all at once but quietly, gently, almost unnoticed.
-Elder Uchtdorf

"that which we persist in doing becomes easier to do, not that the nature of the thing has changed, but our power to do is increased."
-Heber J Grant

good things

--It's finally getting back to normal around here, or I should say, today was the first day it was summer as usual. Seriously, going out of town takes it out of you. Sure felt good to be back on track with not only my sleep, but exercise as well.

--It was the craziest surprise this morning when I turned on the Today Show for background noise and the first thing I saw was my friend Jordan being interview with her daughter & husband (her daughter was bit by a shark last week) and a couple of the photos I took of her family last fall were used in the news story. I must admit, it was more than a little thrilling to see a photo of mine on TV. Wahoo!! Of course more than anything I'm so so glad to see her daughter is alright. It's such a frightening story considering we were just at the beach.

--It was delightful to taste the fruits of my labor tonight as my dinner included basil that I'm growing in my backyard. I know that sounds pretty lame to most of you, but I'm not a gardener and considering that I have a black thumb I'm more than a little pleased I'm keeping this plant alive. Especially since I accidentally broke the stem of my tomato plant while trying to replant it and it's barely hanging on.

--I've been on jury duty all week, but so far have not been needed. Thinking I might get off this week without having to go in. :D


--Nothing like a cool thunderstorm on a warm summer eve. It was exactly what I was looking for to cool off. We opened all the windows/doors and listened as the heavy rain beat down against the earth. I actually considered going out in it to take pictures until I saw the lightening--i'm not that crazy.

lucky enough to lose

I don't know how long I can do this, he said. I think the universe has different plans for me & we sat there in silence & I thought to myself that this is the thing we all come to & this is the thing we all fight & if we are lucky enough to lose, our lives become beautiful with mystery again & I sat there silent because that is not something that can be said.
~storypeople

The weight of this storypeople hit me like a ton of bricks and sat with me for a long while after. I love it when quotes, talks, movies, and books make me pause and give me reason to sit in the quiet for as long as I need. I have a million thoughts filling up my head right now that I long to share and no time to share them. Instead I'll let storypeople do the heavy lifting and say good night for now.

good night.
xo

52 photo project | week 11 | in the garden

this weeks prompt gave me the perfect excuse to step away from all my "have tos" and find much needed peace and clarity in my surroundings. i don't know why i don't think to go explore more often--does the trick every time.

52 photo project | week 05 | water

52photosproject

rainy days

i love...
the smell
the rich colors
the feel on my face
dancing in
the pitter patter against my window
the drops on my windshield
the misty mountains
the way the drops gently linger on the grass & trees

The secret is not in your hand or your eye or your voice, he told me once. The secret is in your heart. Of course, he said, knowing that doesn't make it any easier.
-storypeople

52 photo project | week 01 | nourish

My friend Bella has started a photo challenge that I'm looking forward to doing for the next 52 weeks.



It's called 52 photo project and it begins this week. I'm sorry I'm a little slow in sharing this new project, I have been gone and busy catching up that I've failed to mention it until now. If you go to the link you will find all the details, but basically Bella will give a prompt at the beginning of each week and then we share our photo on Wednesdays. I, for one, am quite fond of photo prompts so I'm looking forward to playing along. It always helps get my mind thinking more creatively as I consider what each word means to me.

This week prompt is nourish. There were a lot of things that came to my mind and I actually had thought about doing something completely different, but the last two days as I've been out and also reflected back on the week I just had and how needed it felt, right now I'd have to say being outside, having my windows open, hearing the birds, seeing the bunnies running around from house to house, and watching the new life take growth in the trees nourishes my spirit tremendously.



I don't think I realized how much the warmth, the color, fills me up until this season as I've watched the winter linger on. I've had a little bit of the winter blues as spring attempts to come and then gets squashed time and again by yet another snow storm. Although cold is still in our forecast, I am grateful the leaves are unfolding and the blossoms are blooming and the world outdoors is coming alive again. It's filling me up.

march in photos

I know I probably say this every month, but literally I don't know where March went. This month was full of Adam being out of town (3 trips in all), girls being sick, birthdays (adam, Bella, & Pops), parties, classroom pets, no sugar, violin recitals, piano & violin federation, projects, a newborn, & friends in town.

here is just a few from the last couple weeks...


We've had a lot of big snow storms this month.


A favorite of mine this month that I didn't include in my 12of12 collection.


Our friend Jolie came to visit from OR to audition for Jeopardy. She got in and will be on the show sometime in the next year. Congrats Jolie!


This was our first sick day of the year (I should never have told my hair dresser how sick free we'd been this winter). Bella is in the background watching TV, Megan, who I thought had pink eye, was busy working on her spelling (her idea not mine). Not quite she actually did.


All of us watching wipeout together.


Bella and Meg after their violin recitals. Poor Bella was still not 100% but did it anyway.


A highlight of my month was to witness this little guy's entrance into the world. So honored to have been able to document and be apart of this event in my friend's life.


Admits the craziness that this month held we also brought home Brownie, Tess' classroom pet.


Bella and I at the UofU after her Federation recital where she also got a superior rating.


Last night while the other girls slept Bella spent some time with Adam browsing for books.

happy photos | february

As a way of saying goodbye to February I thought I'd share a few photos taken in the last few weeks that make me smile in one way or another.