jessica || winter portraits

This is my lovely friend Jessica, whom some of you might remember from this summer. She is also a blogger and an aspiring photographer whom I have known for several years now, and we share a love for Kinfolk, style (which she is better at than me), and pretty scenery. 

She was my second shooter for the wedding last Saturday, and on Friday we met at the church to scout out some photo places. Needless to say, it rained on the day of the wedding so we were unable to use those places, but we got some use out of them by ourselves. We had been planning to do a Fall photo shoot (just for fun), but things got busy, and so, it never happened. Thus we used the few minutes we had on Friday for an impromptu Winter shoot amidst the scarlet berries and leftover apples. 

She took some of me as well (and it felt insanely weird--I haven't been in front of the camera for so long!), which have been used in my new header. It was absolutely freezing, and I could barely click the shutter after just a few minutes, but photo shoots are always my thing. Friends, if any of you are ever up my way, be sure to let me know, okay? To me, there is nothing better. 

xo,

Lucia

es ist warm und gemütlich Saeson.

It is warm and cozy season. 

...Or, echoing my post title (auf Deutsch), "warm und gemütlich Saeson." That's what I like to call Winter. This is the time when you can sit by the fire and look out the window and be content with the crackle of the wood and a pile of wrapping paper + ribbon + tape + secret items in your lap. 

We got our Christmas tree last week--yes, a real live Douglas Fir, dropping needles on the carpet constantly but smelling oh so piney and authentic. Hanging lights and ornaments wasn't quite as exciting as it has been in recent years, but pulling out the old baubles--funny shell angels with chipped noses, a pair of wooden German dolls in their traditional attire, straw hearts on red ribbons, a fat blue bird with a quirky smile--holds a sentiment that will never fade.

Gingerbread men (or their crumbs) pile in the cookie jar for a few days (or moments), legless and armless as tends to happen with such treats. It doesn't take long for even the crumbs to vanish, nevertheless.

Es ist warm und gemütlich Saeson. // It is warm and cozy season. Let's go cozy in it. 

Happy First of Winter, on the 'morrow. 

Much Love,

L 

p.s. (I guest posted this week with a few more words to welcome Winter at Your's Truly. Just sayin.')

p.p.s. (Go make yourself some Hot Cocoa. Just because.) 
p.p.p.s. (Wow, I'm on a roll, aren't I? But just FYI, that ^ is not our tree. It is just a huge randomly lighted tree in the middle of a park. Yep yep.)

molly || senior portraits

I met Molly...the day of her senior pictures! No joke. She is one of my first "official" clients, and I was honored to capture her '13 senior shots. We went to a pretty park nearby, and took advantage of the gorgeous Fall colors before they left entirely. Molly was super fun to work with and has the cutest haircut + smile! Plus an adorable wardrobe. 

Enjoy these images--and for fellow photographers, this session was my first time shooting in RAW. Needless to say, I don't know why in the world I have never used it before. 

xo,

lucia 

winter is for curling up and cozying.

"For winter, friend, is that time of year

when the evergreen in the living room,
the fire in the hearth,
and you are everything I ask for."

I always like to think of Winter as a bare, yet deliciously comfy time of year. Summer is golden and carefree, Spring is delicate and green, Fall is scarlet and resplendent, but Winter is merely cozy and brown. Now, the wood is stacked in neat rows on the back porch, Hot Chocolate is crammed in the kitchen drawer, the Christmas CD's are out of their dusty boxes, and a space is being made for the tree that will soon leave its needles all about the house.

There are so many things that I love about this "brown and cozy" season.

-

Looking back on //

These past months have held so much for me. I feel blessed by new opportunities, new friends, new experiences, new places. I may have mentioned before that I run (that is, have run--I am a senior this year) Cross Country. For those of you unaware of what this sport is: it is, in essence, distance running. Well, I was blessed to make the varsity team this year and travel to the State competition amidst some of the best high school runners in Oregon, where our team won fourth place. I love my teammates like sisters, and though we didn't do as well as we hoped, we took home a trophy and some of the best memories of our lives. As one might expect, this sport took up a good deal of my time; thus the reason for being a little MIA around here. 

Now, I am on the swim team and am enjoying it tons. I have never swum competitively before--I just wanted to try something besides running, and I am glad I did. It is going fairly well, and I am loving meeting some new friends and working out in a different way. 

Looking forward to //

Photography-wise, I have again been blessed to have many opportunities arise almost out of the blue. I am shooting this lovely couple's wedding next weekend, and recently did several senior and family shoots. Previews will be up soon!

Reveling in //

This song, this verse, this aroma, this candle, this shop, this  photo. 

...And I suppose that is all for now. Blessings on your Thursday, friends! 

xo,

lucia