still.

 Ice has a funny way of not only freezing everything it touches, but seeming to freeze time as well. My last three days have been spent trying to stay warm. literally. Our house, along with all the other houses and businesses in town, lost electricity. I finished 2 books by candlelight (both ironically memoirs about girls who love to cook.) I slept a lot. Cuddled with my dog (she made for an amazing foot warmer!) Laughed with my mom at the ridiculousness of the situation. Took a walk with my camera, and thought. I thought a lot. 

I don't recommend spending three days in a 20 to 30 degree house, but I do recommend the adventure, 

and the peace of mind. 

From my journal, Jan 30 twenty ten :

There's something about the sound of the trees that speaks to me.
On my walk yesterday they creaked and moaned as if they ached, and were tired. Heavy with ice, they could hold no more weight. Many of them had already lost a limb, or split entirely in half from all the pressure. The entire world around them was quiet. Abnormally quiet. It wasn't until the wind moved and the branches swayed that their voices could be heard.

happy winter.

warm thoughts to you all.

he said. she said.

I recently got my hands on a whole stack of images of me from my summer in Missoula. Looking through them was so much fun because it was like a scrapbook of 6 key months of my life seen through the eyes of a camera other than mine. They were moments I experienced but also photographed as well. It took me back to a time when my camera was an appendage of myself.  I was entranced to capture the light, the moment, at all times- night and day. I feel ashamed to say that I have fallen away from that habit lately. I don't know if it's the weather, the lack of contagious energy from my other 80 classmates, or if the other trillion things on my mind and to-do lists (yes, I said lists) have taken over my photographic creativity. I haven't put my camera down by all means. I just feel like I've been chewing gum that finally lost it's flavor. And it's about time for a new piece.

So, I've been open to letting my creativity flow in other ways, knowing that sometimes my photography gets sparked by something totally unrelated. I took up knitting recently, and spent days crafting fabric flower hair pieces for all of my girlfriends at Christmas (more photos on that later!) I've been digging through all my recipes to find new foods I've never cooked before. I started finding life in old photographs. And I've done some traveling, putting my camera down, just enjoying the experience without feeling the pressure of capturing it.


So here's a tribute to Missoula, whom I miss terribly lately. And to my third eye, the camera. Each photo is me, paired with the shot I was taking at that moment. Pretty self explanatory, and pretty fun I think.


p.s. this is a good example that the beauty of an image does not reflect the beauty behind the camera. Excuse my appearance. ahem.

special thanks to my boyfriend Chad, for all the shots of me.
chadneufeld.blogspot.com