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So far this year, I have done a bit of this, and a bit of that. If you’ve been reading my blogs/articles here, I’m sure you already know what I’ve been up to. So, I shan’t bore you with the details. Just go back and read if you’re interested

Between tasks, I have taken a few pictures here and there. Below I have discussed a few of my favorite shots, and why they are my favorite shots. Honestly, I thought I’d have more than this. I was surprised at how few were actually my favorites! So, does this mean I’ve been lazy? Or, am I just ultra-picky when it comes to my own photography? I think, for my sanity’s sake, I will choose the latter.

This first shot is of my beautiful boy, War-N. I had seen these pictures in my head for months. A dark subject, light in the eyes and a slight feel of something not quite right. Kind of like an immigrant being shipped away for no particular reason other than him being foreign. Despite him being wronged, in this fictitious story in my head, he still has the glimmer of hope in his eyes and nothing will defeat him. I think this translates very well to War-N as a person right now. No matter what he goes through, nothing defeats him. And, he has the light of the entire universe in those eyes. I think he’s magick.

Technically, in these photos, I used something I’ve never used in this way before. We have a large projection screen for our live shows (when we do actually play live!) to display our videos. This screen is set up in the basement from where I played movies at Halloween. It dawned on me “huh… it’s a good light spreader, so why not use it as a backdrop?” It worked so well! Even lighting from behind with my cheap and cheerful hood lights makes for a smooth backdrop. You can use a small spot for a lovely vignette, or use a bright light for a soft, dreamy white. Amazing! Why had I never done this before?? I dunno. But, I’ll certainly do it again!

Back in March, I did a pretty massive photo shoot with/for my newest nephew, Micah. Shara, Chris and Micah all came up and we had a lovely day of shooting inside our house. Then, we took a trip up to Oxford where I got many favorite shots outside. Oh, and we all partook of some Starbucks. Hee hee! It was a great day with the three of them, and War-N, and I look back on it very fondly. We walked around the Oxford streets enjoying the unusually mild March weather together. I love the big, old trees up there, so I thought it may work for a good background for Micah. It most certainly did.

So, I had a lot going on at the time and I had to put off doing the printing and such until after another task was done. So, it built up on my shoulders as a heavy task (in my mind), but then, as I was doing it, I fell in love with these pictures all over again. When it came time to actually choose a favorite, it was very difficult. I loved them all. Mr. Micah is such a beautiful baby! All of my nieces and nephews are incredibly beautiful. It’s almost unnatural!

As I sat back to really look at the pictures, I got a true “picture” of what I had been doing. So often we get engulfed in tasks and lose sight of the outcome. I found it a huge help to take pictures of my progress, and that truly made me see that I had done a good job. The photographs were different, but went very well together when viewed in mass. I had taken a fair amount of color out of most of them, so to get them looking like a “set” or a certain “mood’ felt very good to me. Plus, Shara (my sister, Micah’s Mom) loved them. That was the most important thing. I think Chris (Micah’s Dad) did, too. I hope so!

So, this was my pick for favorite picture from his photo shoot. I had trouble with the shadows on his face in this set on a few, as I was shooting manually and forgot to adjust the shutter once or twice. Oops! But, I got most of the details to a good point. I chose sepia for a select few that gave me problems. Sepia seemed to smooth out some noise and really made the skin tone glow. Plus, I like the dark branches, old with age and wisdom, against the newness of Micah and all he was experiencing. He’s a bit of a silly boy and I had a hard time keeping his tongue out of most of the pics! This one was like a nod to the tongue. It’s there, but not enough to overshadow the rest of his personality. He’s so cute I can hardly stand it!

Then, we come to my favorite pet shot (you had to know a cat picture was coming!). I hate to say I have a favorite of our three boys, but I do. Don’t worry. Pullo and Sebastian all get plenty of love, too. We’re all a big, squishy family here! But, ever since we took in Peanut and Sebastian a couple of years ago, Peanut and I developed a special bond. As reluctant as I was to love another kitty so soon after my dear Chloe’s death, I eventually let Peanut in, and he’s definitely my favorite now. He kept on pushing to be loved by me. He sat at my side, even as I cried cursing the fact that he wasn’t Chloe, and he just wanted me to love him in return. Not long after, he was victorious. I love them all tremendously. But, I do have a special soft spot for my big, furry, fearsome kitty. The biggest baby in the house. My Peanut.

This shot was on a very sunny day. I tried to sneak up on them as the three were lying in the sun. I got down to their level and just started shooting. Peanut, and Pullo, got up and started posing for me. Sebastian couldn’t have cared less. He was sunning himself and wasn’t going to be bothered to move at all! I got this one of Peanut and it just does something interesting if you look for a little while. His eyes are so focused, yet not. You feel you could just climb into his fur and go to sleep. I often wish I could. I find the picture so hazy and so dreamy. I just love it. I didn’t adjust anything. I love it exactly the way it is. Blue cast and all. I rarely ever do that. I like it!

Then, we end with a cake shot. After the Harrison 40th Anniversary Party, I still had left-over ganache so I thought I’d make a cute little “Bird’s Nest” cake. I made it while Peter & Carol (the aforementioned Harrison’s) were here for a CND day (that stands for cuppa, natter, dinner, if you didn’t know. I highly recommend having one with close family and friends!). I had made the actual cakes before they got here, but hadn’t glazed it yet. I think part of why I remember this so fondly is because we all gathered around the cake as I glazed it and them we proceeded to take some cake scraps and dip it in the ganache and top it with a bit of left-over coconut and ate it up real nice. Part treat, part naughtiness. It was just fun to be messy together and enjoy a stolen treat! In all honesty, I think the scrap feast tasted better than the assembled cake. Funny that.

So, I have so many undiscovered favorite things to look forward to this year. I hope you find some favorite things in your daily life. Nothing beats a stolen treat, a hazy picture that takes you right back to a moment, or the way your special someone looks in a photograph. Though nothing beats the real thing, it’s nice to be able to look back at a moment in time.

Much Love and Fond Memories,

Christa Belle