Pizza, Beer, and History | BOSTON PHOTOGRAPHY

It's hard to visit cities like Boston, Massachusetts and not be in awe of the amount of history and culture embedded into every day life. I have only visited Boston once and it definitely stuck with me (and I plan on going back again - many times).

My husband is an excellent planner and whenever we visit new places, he always manages to find really good things to do and places to eat. We made it a point to go on the Samuel Adams Brewery Tour and had a great time sampling the beers (BIG thumbs up). Afterward, we needed some solid food (and possibly more beer) in our stomachs, so we visited The Original Regina Pizzeria in the North End of Boston. It was awesome to sit there in this old building, smell the amazing fresh cooking, and drink some Sam Adams Seasonal Beer (I think it was their Summer Ale). I also could not take my eyes off the photo on the wall of the restaurant's participation in one of the many Boston festivals and the fact that it looked like the same streamers/money from the image were hanging in the bar just beyond our table.

I didn't know until later that this restaurant has been open since 1926 and is considered one of the original pizza chains. We were also incredibly lucky as there was no wait, when typically it can be up to an hour waiting for a seat. The pizza was insanely good and the fresh from the local brewery Samual Adams beer was excellent. It was also nice to add a slice of history to the meal.

Dreaming Of London | LONDON PHOTOGRAPHY

I know that technically I am supposed to love all my photos equally, like parents do with children (ha!) and not have favorites, but I have to be honest, I have favorites all the time. There are some images where I look at them and I cannot believe I took that photo. I know that doesn't necessarily mean it will be everyone else's favorite image because art does strike everyone so very differently but I couldn't wait to share this image. It is definitely my latest favorite.

When I first looked at it, all I saw was the sun flare and didn't even attempt to edit it with the mindset it was a lost cause. I didn't delete it (I never ever delete my images although I know I should do some house cleaning, urgh) so recently I went scrolling back through my files and came upon this one again. I very clearly remember taking this photo. It wasn't super cold, the wind was kicking up a bit, and everyone was rushing on with their lives while my husband and I were strolling the area near St. Paul's Cathedral being tourists. We were walking up to the Millennium Bridge to take a look at the Thames river and the Tate Modern museum across the river. The sun was finally peeking out from a cloudy day and I happened to be standing at the edge of the bridge when it did. The light caught the girl's hair and all I saw was a halo around her while I had my camera up to my eye. I prayed my settings were good and went for it, taking 5 photos back to back.

Now, I know not everyone will love this or find it equally as enthralling, but for some reason this image makes me stop and really look at it. I see new details each time. I love when art does that.

It is also in one of my favorite places ever: London. I can't ever get enough of that city and cannot wait to go back. I dream of London often - rain and all.

The Clouds Are Real, I Swear

I showed this to someone recently & the first thing they said was "Cool sky. Is that a stock image or did you Photoshop it in yourself?"

Huh? What?

Until that moment, the idea that the sky looked so nice that I couldn't have possibly captured it that way had not occurred to me but I promise you, I did. It was incredibly hot that day (of course it was, it's Florida) and there were storms coming later which meant the preceding weather was an oppressive heat that made me question my sanity for being anywhere outside that day. There were soooooooo many people at the Animal Kingdom park in Walt Disney World and I really didn't want to spend a lot of time in the park. My mom was willing to be my partner in crime while I wandered around looking for ideal photo opportunities with the promise we would ride Expedition Everest (excellent roller coaster) and also have lunch at Tusker House (it was delish). I know this isn't the most original photo and many people before me have taken this shot but I HAD to do it when I saw these amazing clouds floating by. They were moving quickly so I just stood there waiting for the right "grouping" and took my moment.

Plus, if you look in the water you can see the reflection of the sky. I may be getting better at Photoshop these days but there is NO WAY I am that good, haha!

P.S. In my opinion, Animal Kingdom is my least favorite of all the parks at Walt Disney World. When I think of going there, images of oppressive heat, overwhelmingly crowded walkways, and battles with double-wide plastic strollers invade my mind. Maybe I haven't given it an honest chance but I've been approximately 10 times now and I only look forward to Asia & Expedition Everest. Anyone else feel this way? Willing to convince me otherwise?

A Change Of Style | NYC PHOTOGRAPHY

So, I've been wrestling a debate in my own mind for months now & I think I've finally come to an understanding. (Note: Debating yourself is not a pastime I would encourage. It's exhausting, to say the least.) What was my debate? Well, I know there's this conversation going on all the time in photography of things being overly edited & processed versus the more realistic and natural image conveying reality. I have worked very hard to get my technical skills up to par to where I can minimally edit my photos afterward (some adjusting of exposure, bumping contrast/brightness, and tweaking levels of saturation - less than 5 minutes & BOOM - photo is done). That's been great, I've learned so much, I still have so much more technical learning to do BUT (& you knew this was coming) the artist inside me is suffering.

I don't see things in reality. I have a fairly fantastical mind that adores fairytales, fantasy, science fiction, & pretty much anything that is incredibly far from reality (Harry Potter fan? Uhhhh, yup!). I am also a HUGE fan of color. Bright, bold, shining, sweeping levels of color. So, I needed to decide what I wanted & what I want is to paint more. That is, I want to manipulate, colorize, switch the colors, step awaaaayyyyyyy from reality, stretch the boundaries, & have more fun. I do this (photography) entirely for my inner joy. I have a full time job & photography is where my right brain gets to spin, jump, and dance with artistic creativity. I haven't had enough of that lately. I was locking myself into my own cubicle rules of photography etiquette.

So what does this mean? You will be there to see my style evolve, my vision become more assured, me push my mind's eye boundaries, probably some mistakes, possible over-edits, and a rotation of visual styles. In other words, the adventure that is my life. I am super excited to see how this evolves & I look forward to all of your feedback & comments!