Two days before my birthday- our home suffered an incredible loss. My beautiful calico Skijit became too sick to continue caring for. We knew she was in devastating pain and the best choice was to take that pain away. The loss of her beautiful face in this house has been almost too much to handle mentally and physically for me. She was mine for 18 years. When I rescued her from a cardboard box outside of a pet store in a January blizzard- she was improperly weened from her mother and the size of a 12 ounces can of soda. She nursed on my shirt or blankets for the first 5 years of her life. She grew into an amazing animal- so full of love (on her time table).
She helped raise Lola thru puppyhood. and of course was the mentoring mother figure in Franklin's life. It has been a process to grieve and work through missing a big part of our home. 

Late summer here in the Mitten brings us Goldenrod (not to blame for allergies, that's Ragweed). And Goldenrod brings us gorgeous golden hour sunsets with their blooms lit up beautifully, alive with the hum of honeybees scurrying for their last sip of nectar for the summer.

Goldenrod, thru my newly found love of foraging and all natural medicine, is the flower equivalent of vitamin C. It's good for everything. So naturally I have a huge jar of it downstairs steeping for tincture making later in October. I've also made a besom to hang by my back door- a traditional blessing to the goddess of the Harvest and foragers- Demeter.

As we wrap up the month of September- which just seems crazy to me- I'm furiously working on Creep Show photo sessions for 2024. And soon will be taking way too many pictures and walking through way too many cemeteries as the colors change across the countryside. Plus- there's all that house prep to be done for the cold weather months.

Sometimes it is slightly unplanned adventures with friends in familiar territory. It’s bad jokes, commentary on human existence, seeing things thru other’s creative eye that makes a place you thought you knew so well completely new and worthy of shooting too many images! It’s a lack of pressure to create something new and just have fun being yourself and wandering along the sidewalks and hidden corridors.

I love shooting in GR. Taking my own adventures into the dark alleys and making my own photo walk adventure. It’s bright, and dirty, and artsy, and urban. I can get in my truck, drive 20 minutes and suddenly be surrounded by concrete and plate glass and people and murals rather than the open blue sky and agricultural fields that surround my peaceful home. And when I’ve had enough of the city, I can speed down the highway with music blasting back out into the countryside and enjoy the quiet of home.

Odd? Probably. But that’s me. And when I can share those urban adventures with photo friends- it’s even better. They see things and shoot things that maybe I haven’t. Or know places I never knew about. Even if it was 92 degrees with little to no wind on street level. Even if one of us had to have a glass cut tended to on a corner sidewalk after crawling hands and knees in a parking lot to "get the shot"... Even if we were severely underdressed for places we ended up wandering. 

It was amazing. It was fun. It was just what I needed to break a mental health funk- even if for just a little bit.

Wow... The "last month of summer"... I assure you I've been shooting, planning sessions, making artwork... But I've also been deep into winter prepping the homestead, making plans for next year, cleaning, decluttering.... It's been insane. I don't know how very many times I've tried to sit down and catch up the website, my social media... And just- life, gets in the way. I expect once the weather turns cold and I'm not outside working almost every day- I will have time to settle in and get to work here... Until then, fingers crossed I will keep dipping my toes in once every week here- but life it a tad wild right now. Lots of sessions getting booked, planning for a possible Creepshow 2024.... AND the arrival of a very pregnant stray cat that soon will have babies for me to help tend to until we can adopt them out.

Here we are, starting the final week of June... Week after next is Lola's "Gotcha Day" on the 4th of July. How have we gotten this far into Summer already?? I've been busy around the house, working on projects a plenty, and shooting when I can.  I've been harvesting lavender a few times a week since it's started coming on. Making homemade salves, sunscreen bars and such has proven to be more fun then anticipated, and a handful of things in this house come out of my little metal tins rather then the drugstore in town. I'm keeping myself away from the news as much as possible- I check headlines during breakfast then dinner and leave it at that. Gardening has been my stress relief, lots of ripping and tearing- making new gardens, cleaning up old ones, and according to a few pages in my notebook and a new shared Pinterest board with my hubby we are planning on a medicinal herbs garden for new year!

I just wrapped up retouching a session I did a couple weeks ago, so those should be going up here soon. Probably on my Facebook Page first, because that usually easier and faster :) Stay tuned and wander over there, give me a like and follow if ya want to... I think that would be swell!

Earlier this month- we on earth had an amazing ability to be graced with a Northern Lights show that only happens every 30 years (ballpark). This was the 3rd of such displays I've seen in my life (no, I'm not 90)- but the first that I could photograph.

After cursing, swearing, chasing cats thru the house to get my gear together, more swearing whilst trying to get my camera to do what I wanted it to in my cold damp yard holding a flashlight between my teeth- I managed to get these mind blowing pictures. This wasn't a dark park, this is out in the country where I live. More often then not- I keep finding more perks to be living out here!

Since night two was supposed to be just as amazing- it completely wasn't until about 1am, and then they only lasted 20 minutes, I had a group of friends over with their cameras. Like I said, it was pretty much a bust, and only two stayed long enough for the 1am show. But we still had a lot of fun and literally burned through my entire firewood stash.

According to Space weather watchers, the same thing could happen this weekend- Friday into Saturday, Saturday into Sunday. Of course this time, my gear will be set up and collected, ready to go. I'll replace flash light batteries so I don't have to navigate doggy piles in the yard by foot touch. But, that may mean we will have cloudy skies to the point of not seeing them- this is Michigan after all. Fingers, toes, and hopes crossed!

Whilst building and finding images for my Alphabet Life photography project, I happened upon on of my external hard drives and a  folder of previously un-retouched images from a trip to Ontario, Canada I took what feels like forever ago. It was certainly a lifetime ago in my photography career which boils down to 10 years and some change I believe. So, since I wasn't actively shooting at the time and had no actual new work to sit and re-touch- I worked on these. Since I have a slew of newer technology as far as computer, editing programs, and workflow methods. It was really fun going back through these and seeing what life I could bring to them again.

Now that I am back from hiatus and actively shooting again, I'm going to force myself into a new pattern- for every 1 or 2 human photography sessions, I'm going to do a nature session of some sort. Bring a balance to my life. So to speak. Honestly I don't think life on this end will be balanced for a good while as we've been thrown another set of hurdles and roadblocks to existing peacefully. We shall get thru it, we always do.

In November, I was burnt on how badly my annual Creepshow didn't pan out like it usually does. So I put myself on a hiatus of sorts thru the first of this new year. At the end of November- life went sideways. Lots of stress, drama, complications- long story short- as of right now, I don't have the mental clarity to even attempt getting back into photography at this point. 

That being said- hopefully mid February I will be able to have things more sorted out, settled and can get back into it. I'm still way open to discuss concepts, but just not scheduling in the immediate future. But, I am certainly working on a game plan for the this year. Fingers crossed, a couple will come true.

Plans for 2024:
Connect with nature. Explore more.
Prioritize my health and my boundaries.
Embrace my natural beauty.
Drink more water. Start doing more yoga.
Remind myself a slow, uncomplicated day or two, now and then, isn’t being lazy.
Surrender to what happens, knowing I will make it through.
Eat better, take vitamins.
Shoot more than last year (which was hardly anything).
Make more art, use it to release emotions.
Photograph more nature.
Pace myself (life, art, photography…)
Empty days on the calendar aren’t a bad thing.
Breathe- it’s tattooed on your arm, so look at it.
Maybe shoot things on the photography bucket list, but don’t add pressure on myself.

This was a post I made on my FB page earlier this week. Admittedly it's a little salty of a post. And probably a tad bit woe is me, but honestly things need to change- my business, my focus... Something. And this is my first step in creating the change. This year, my portrait photography has been lacking. Not because of lack of trying but what seems like a mountain of complications, road bumps, and honestly a little BS thrown here and there.

As of November 1, 2023- I'm changing how I do things. For the better of myself, my art, my business. Photography is one of my creative outlets and I pour a piece of myself into every image I retouch and send back to models and clients. Covid and the pandemic changed the landscape for professional photographers- and gave life to “photographers” that took a couple side hustle Youtube tutorials. They bought themselves a fist full of Photoshop presets and a big fancy camera and charged mere fractions of what actual professionals charge- sucking all the business their way. As high and mighty as it sounds- I will not lessen the quality of my work to fit into the cheap budgets. You get what you pay for.. Add to that a generation of people reaching adulthood that prefer the instantaneous satisfaction of smartphones, filters, and not having to wait or pay for professional retouching of images.

I’ve watched over a dozen professionals like myself cave under the “Insta-photo” pressures and shut down their studios/ photography careers in the past year. Not being able or willing to compete with the new generational disrespect of the newer “models” looking for work, expecting way too much for absolutely no effort. And actually pay someone? Yeah, no, they have smart phones for that. And it's across the board- photographers that pay money for studio spaces and others, like myself, without studios just trying to cover the costs of my equipment and make a few bucks here and there.
The model community at current- expects too much for little and common sense with manners are severely lacking- no longer making it worth my time. I will no longer be tolerating people who prefer ghosting when details are discussed. I've been doing this long enough that I'm tired of the time wasted on people that were never going thru with it. I'm no longer going to actively search and pursue connections to be made with models. If I get contacted by someone based on a referral, great! Let’s chat and see what we can come up with- but new connections and actively looking for models outside of my collection of faithful few- is really not going to be a priority.

I will be stepping away from portrait photography until January. Exceptions being paid clients, or deposits made on booked sessions. Non refundable deposits will now be a requirement for 90% of my sessions. Deposits will show me you are serious about the session, and leaves less room for flaking, ghosting, and last minute cancellations. Paying clients will take priority in my bookings and trades will no longer be a staple, but a convenience according to my schedule. Trade sessions or TFP can be negotiated, but will be getting seriously limited. To be clear, by no means do I want to stop portrait photography- it's one my my genre staples, but hitting the pause button for a while is needed.

I'm going to reevaluate what it is that makes me happy when I hold my camera. Nature... architecture... whatever possible new genres that may be. Maybe the downtime will help me refresh the brain cells and get me motivated again. But the lack of respect lately and the stress brought on by that is making it harder and harder for me to want to pick up my camera. I’m going to a one strike policy for everything if I’ve spent time working on concepts, props, set up… I’m not going to be near as lenient as I have been years past.
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Thanks for getting thru to the end of this! Changes have to happen sometimes and this is one of them that couldn't wait until January.​