misty & we

This is Misty: the gorgeous, the sweetheart, the possessor of a velvet nose. No, she isn't mine--I wish. I absolutely love horses, if you didn't already know, and I just discovered yesterday how much fun it is to photograph them. Future equine photographer? Oh, wait. Make that equine/wedding/children/family/senior...cough. 

Anyways. 

Misty was a dear, and so were the lovely young ladies I spent yesterday evening with. It was golden hour just as we tramped down to the barn, and hazy sunlight filtered through spring foliage. I knew it had been a good idea to bring the Nik. 

This is Andrea: the beautiful, the lovely, the sweet.  I've known Andrea for a very long time, but over the past few years have enjoyed getting to know her better. She is a very wonderful and encouraging person whom I am blessed to call a friend! Andrea loves beading and makes lovely jewelry.  

This is Anna: a lovely lady who is an avid reader, avid hat-wearer, and has a pretty smile. I've known Anna for a few years, since her family moved to Oregon from the South, and she is genuinely fun to be around. Anna loves music, and plays the flute with excellence!

This is Sarah: the cheerful, the pretty, the animal-lover. She is Andrea's sister, and is also a dear friend of mine. She is always ready to laugh and to give a hug. Sarah is also a pretty amazing soccer-player, and I love her shade of red hair to death. :) 

Oh--and this is apple crunch pie: summer days and cinnamon sugar all rolled together. And which is now in the state of "gone-ness." 

Like this Indian Summer weather soon will be. I love it like I love apple crunch pie, but I'm afraid even that honor will not keep it.

In any case: here's to friendship, horses, and sunlight! 

xo,

lucia 

ps- photographers! never fear, the winner of the march photo challenge will soon be announced. in the meantime, enter your sunlit portraits in april's challenge linky while you can! 

lately + giveaway winners

Yesterday and today have been absolute bliss weather-wise. Blue skies, balmy breezes, southern temperatures. After the rainiest March on record, it is certainly a pleasant change. 

On Saturday my sister, our friend Shelbe and I sang/played for a funeral. We sang "It is Well" in three part harmony, which went well, but--do any of you get stage fright when up front? I don't exactly get stage fright, but my hands were shaking like leaves the entire time! I wasn't even super-ooper nervous. 

So there you have it: my random confession of the day. My hands shake while I sing. Now, your turn--what's something utterly silly or amazingly embarrassing that you can confess to me? ;)  

Currently, I have been enjoying my new camera strap [c/o iMo Shop -- review coming soon!], this beautiful 81 degree summer weather, faster internet as of yesterday, sun-dappled porch swings, southern company for dinner last night [accents are amazing, y'all. just sayin'.], birthday parties, photo shoots on the horizon, anticipated skype calls with a lovely lady, and the pleasant surprise of reading"The Adventures of Huck Finn" for school. I love Mark Twain to death.   

...And another thing I love to death: announcing giveaway winners!

If you are The Geek's Wife, then you are the winner of this!

If you are Shelley, then you are the winner of this! 

If you are Jessica, then you are the winner of this! 

If you are Cristyle, then you are the winner of this! 

If you are Rubia, then you are the winner of this!

If you are Rachel Lee H., then you are the winner of this and this!   

If you are Mary Meyers, then you are the winner of this! 

If you are Diana, then you are the winner of this! 

If you are Marjo B., then you are the winner of this!

If you are Ashley Brooke, then you are the winner of this!  [$25 gift card]

If you are Blackasphodel, you are the winner of this! 

Congratulations, winners! Please e-mail me within 48 hours with your home address so we can get your prize to you. Thank you uber-muchly to all of my sponsors and participants!  Love all y'all! 

xo,

lucia 

ps- Question-geeks! I am now on Formspring! Come follow me and ask me any question you like--within reason. ;) 

sometimes it's okay.

Sometimes it's okay to eat your chocolate chip cookies before dinner. They're just better that way--oohey, gooey, chocolaty and altogether lovely in a guilty way. 

Sometimes it's okay to eat Strawberries in mid-April. They're summer berries; thus somewhat sour, but atop waffles and dusted with powdered sugar they equal luscious. 

Sometimes it's okay to alarm your cat with a camera and let her sit wistfully outside the window for a few more minutes. Woops. Animal cruelty admitted. 

Sometime's it's okay to paint your windows purple, just like the sunset. 

Sometimes it's okay to wear polka dot rain boots.

Sometime's it's okay to be yourself, even if being yourself means being completely ridiculous.

..No, make that always. It's always okay. 

xo,

lucia 

about & around.

There are

three pears on a windowsill, creating their own still life portrait.
A handful of cheese-its awaiting consumption.
Garden tools, lying ready on wet dirt.
New life; green, dripping, lovely.

A familiar face.
A paper mustache; silly faces.
White roses,
pretty sisters,
double-exposures.

Forget glorious sunsets, stunning models, set-up perfection--these are my about and arounds. These are my everyday.

What else can I do but capture them? 

easter // portraits

On Easter Sunday I took advantage of pretty outfits +Spring-ish blue skies  and took some portraits of the kids & animals. We have a bundle of new little chicks here, peeping and calling and huddling cozily together under the heat lamp. 

Their downy yellow backs are soft to the touch and their eyes blink sleepily, but soon they will be growing feathers and hopping about with relish. I hate how fast babies get big, yet it's the way things are. Life passes so quickly. 

Nevertheless, I love watching these new little ones grow right in front of me. It reminds me how precious and fragile each creature is, great or small. And how much more valuable you and I are to God. 

Do you have new animals? 

xo,

lucia 

ps - 1000 followers? oh my word, friends...thank you! i am pretty honored to say the least. 

march photo challenge finalists + april challenge: sunlit portraits

I am so excited to announce the five finalists for last month's challenge, "night." It was a hard one--for as beautiful as the night is, it is indeed hard to capture!--but your photos were spectacular. I decided to go with five finalists this time, instead of ten. Thank you all for joining me and sharing your talent; I hope you'll scroll down to the bottom of this post to see what April's challenge is!

 by Alison
This is an utterly amazing shot. Some serious telephoto-lensing here, plus a quick capture--great work, Alison!

by Amanda
Wow. The colors, composition, lighting--this almost looks like the dusty red sunsets of Africa. Gorgeous.

by Cassandra
A beautiful, creative view of the fireworks in Disneyland! Stunning.

by Raquel

I like how Raquel captured the sun's last little peek above the black silhouette of the trees--and the fishermen, perfectly captured on the still golden waters. Lovely!

by Maya

This is hauntingly beautiful--I like how the trees frame the sky, yet almost seem as though they are leaning over you. 

Lovely work, ladies! The poll is up on the sidebar--vote for your favorite and we'll announce a winner next week! 

---

I am in love with natural lighting. Back-lit portraits are my favorites; there is just something about the golden-ess of the sun framing a person's face and hair that is stunningly gorgeous. 

Thus, for this month's photo challenge I thought I would run with that! 

April photo challenge: Sunlit Portraits 

So. Ready to take on the new challenge?

Grab your camera (or your computer's picture folders, whatever is most handy), take an amazing shot, and then come back here and link up your blog post, flickr photo, or whatever you want to use to link it up. Just fyi:

-"Linking up" means to copy & paste the link to your blog post containing your photo, or the link to your photo on flickr, into the linky box below. Just submit your name, and voila! You're all "linked up." 

-Please include the button in your post, or beneath your flickr (etc.) photo, give the link to this challenge. That way, others can join in, too!

-If you can, visit other entries and give them some support. :) Everyone likes a comment or two! 

Have fun--I can't wait to get started. :) This challenge ends on April 31st, 2012. Finalists will be announced soon afterwards, and we will all vote on a winner the following week. 

  

<center><a href="http://one-beloved.blogspot.com/2012/04/march-photo-challenge-finalists-april.html" target="_blank"><img alt="lucia, etc." src="http://img850.imageshack.us/img850/9465/photochallenge.png"/></a></center>

the miscellany & the lovely.

It's been a miscellaneous & beautiful week filled to the brim with sunlight, jelly donuts, camera clicks, Cadbury chocolate eggs, new chicks, fresh flowers and bike rides down quiet country back roads.  Easter weekend was all azure skies and balmy breezes, and my camera was out almost every second.

On Saturday I helped photograph the annual Megga Easter egg Hunt at our local county fairgrounds. The midday sun was bright and un-photogenic, but the kids were beyond adorable (dang, there were over 1,000 to choose from). It was my first shot at event photography, and I have to say I'm pretty smitten. I wandered around at my leisure into the petting zoo, the face painting and the egg fields taking pictures to my heart's content.  This is the type of thing I could get used to.

On Easter Sunday we had some family over for a full spread, and basked in the warm sunlight. Food + sun are my "one weaknesses," as Miss Lane of Lark Rise to Candleford would say (just FYI: favorite.show.evah.). We talked and laughed and played around in the glowing embers of dusk, just like we used to when we were little. That's the funny thing about family; you can always, always be yourself with them. Even if you change.

Maybe that's why the miscellany and even the mundane are always the loveliest.

What did your Easter look like?


ps- never fear, the march photo challenge finalists will be announced soon-ish!