Easy Does It

I know I've been absent and I thank you for your patience.  We came back from our jammin' Jamaican vacay (more on that in another post), to my father-in-law entering the hospital two days later.  He lost his courageous battle with Cancer the following Wednesday.  Little by little we have been putting one foot in front of the other and getting our life back together.  I am glad he is at peace and not suffering, but I am supremely heart broken.  


He was the father I never had and one of the best men I have ever known.  He was also an unbelievable Papa to my son and I will be eternally grateful that we had the opportunity to know him.  You see, we moved from Hawaii to Louisiana on April 1st, 2009.  And though it felt like a bad joke at the time (leaving paradise on April Fool's Day), it couldn't have been more right.  Shortly there after Papa was diagnosed with Cancer.  And though he fought like a warrior, Papa didn't always feel like one.  But the moment he saw T, he would push all that aside and completely light up.  The two were inseparable. 


Once again I have been shown that if you trust in the universe and listen to what you know is right, you will be exactly where you need to be.  Patience has been a mantra of mine that I try to apply to nearly everything.  I even taught my son what it means: his definition for right now is "slow down and wait nicely".  So again I thank you for slowing down and waiting nicely as I ease back into blogging and sharing the things I love.

I took this with my IPhone on Papa's boat.  I was told later that he felt really horrible that day.  But I had no idea, for the moment T and I showed up to the boat he was grinning from ear to ear.  His courage and strength will continue to inspire me forever.

oxx Dion

The Hunt

It was too early for anyone to be up on a Sunday.  But that's the thing about kids, they can smell a special day ahead while they're sleeping.  As we rubbed the sleep out of our eyes and tried to get on the little man's energy level, he let out a shriek.  "I see eggs daddy," he giggled as he looked out our french doors to the backyard.  

And from that moment the hunt was on. 

He zoomed around the backyard on the most joyous mission I have ever seen.  I tried to remind myself to snap a few frames, because mainly I was in such awe of his wonder and excitement.   Moments like these make me thankful to be a mom, and want to freeze time forever.  

As he looked down a his bucket surveying the loot he beamed, "mama it's magic!"  And I melted into a puddle in the grass.

 Happy Easter to you and yours! 

 oxx Dion

2⅔

I have realized that there will be several poignant, watershed moments as T grows up.  Suddenly the first has smacked me in the face.  He is no longer a baby in any way... he is pure boy.  At exactly 2⅔ years old it has happened.  There hasn't been any bottles, diapers, or baby fat in a while.  This change is completely metaphysical.  Something has altered in his attitude, his speech, his grasp on the universe.  I am at once in awe and begging for it to please  s l o w  d o w n.  

I pulled out my Canon 5d and decided to experiment with using my in camera settings.  I went with monochrome (which is black & white) and +1 sharpness and +1 contrast.  I had never used this before and I loved it.  I've always loved b&w from my old shooting film and working in the darkroom days.  If I know this is the look I'm after it is so much faster than having to convert the pictures in post.  I want to spend as little time editing as possible, I love photography because I want to take pictures... not sit with photoshop for hours!  A very slight curve for contrast and these images were good to go, though the out of camera shots were very acceptable.  

T's hair is doing crazy things, but that's the norm so whatcha gonna do?

nature lover.  those lashes and cheeks kill me.

For the second half of the shoot I bumped my ISO up to 1600 to see if it would achieve an old film-like grain.  Again I know this can be done in post but wanted to see what I could get straight out of camera.  I love what it did to the grain in the wood fence, such texture!  I may try this same experiment with my old canon rebel soon (which is not nearly as good at handling noise and may look way more grainy/ old filmish)

So silly and so much boy energy!

oxx Dion

Build it

Over the weekend we also partook in some serious DIY.  Serious, by our standards at least.  We built a freakin' fence.  I'm pretty darn proud of my handy hubby... and his assistant.  In case your wondering what serious DIY looks like in these parts:

I'll share a shot of the final results soon.

oxx Dion

blogger's own photos

Beach

I mentioned here that I was making a pilgrimage to my Mecca over the weekend.  The destination was Perdido Key, Fl.  I had never been there before, but after three hours of driving I was graced with this:

Not too shabby.  Not the Caribbean, but still had powder white sand and clear blue water.

It was a little chilly but the sun was shinning and the sea air was as divine as always.

We spent the afternoon chasing seagulls and building castles.  This little guy is such a beach baby he was literally rolling in the sand making "sand angels" and even tried to take an impromptu swim.

A piece of my soul feels restored!

oxx Dion

blogger's own photos

LOVE.

If ever I need a reminder of what pure, unconditional love looks like, my dude and his furry little brother Smalls are there.

All you need is love.  

- John Lennon

Wishing everyone a lovely love day! 

oxx- Dion

Sea

"All of us have in our veins the exact same percentage of salt in our blood that exists in the ocean, and, therefore, we have salt in our blood, in our sweat, in our tears. We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea -- whether it is to sail or to watch it -- we are going back from whence we came." -JFK

Tomorrow we take a family road trip to the beach.  I am so frickin' excited.  You see I need the beach about as much as I need air.  Sounds dramatic I know, but apparently one of our great former presidents agrees with me.

oxx Dion

photo blogger's own

Blogcation

This past weekend I was lucky enough to have a semi-last minute blogcation.  As in I got on a plane by myself and took a break from internet and computers for a few days.  I took my first step into the airport and was reminded that I am born to travel.  It was definitely nice, but I missed my boys like crazy and am happy to be back writing.  For those of you following, I blog three days a week, and will try to pre-blog in the future if I go away.  Journeying super light, I had only my trusty IPhone to capture a few shots.

Remember payphones?  I thought this mostly closed off phone bank was so nostalgic.  

On my first morning, I peered out of the fabulous vintage windows at this winter wonderland.  This island girl could hardly believe it was real.

One of the big highlights was visiting the MoMA NYC, which is free on Friday evenings.  View from the second level.

Because Pollock and Love make me happy.

It felt like an honor to see one of my mom's favorite Matisse paintings.

I would like to live in this painting.  Forever.

The MoMA gift shop is ah-mazing, and one can even order online here.  I am particularly smitten with the unique home and kitchen departments and the shop is a perfect place to find a great gift too.  I thought this cute elephant mobile might even be a fun diy project.  

How cute are these sparrow clips?

And these Russian nesting doll inspired measuring cups.

This invisible conceal bookshelf feels very Willy Wonka-ish to me and three of more would make a fabulous office series.

While the MoMA shop does have some pricey items, the last three pictured are all $15 or less!

At David Burke's Fishtail Restaurant I saw these cheeky pendant lamps that said things like "good things come to those who bait" and "get reel".  I thought they could be a fun custom diy project for a little boy's room.  Stencil some inexpensive white lamp shades with designs and sayings of your choice.

I'll leave you with a shot of my nugget in his new Yankees hat.

Even though I wasn't looking for it, inspiration always abounds.  Guess I have a few more projects for my diy list!

oxx Dion

The L Family

There are times when I can't possibly envision our tight little family trio expanding beyond just us three.  Ok four if you count Smalls but I'm not referring to four legged and furry children right now, he will get his own post at some point.  Then I visit the L family.  And I love every minute of the joyful chaos.  Three kids (and two fur babies) is definitely more than I'm used to.  But every time I'm around them I love the energy.  It's never lonely.  There's always something happening.  And as full as their plate is, they are so full of life.  I had the honor of taking their portraits at the end of last year, with the intention of yielding something holiday card worthy.  Since they are so busy and it was fah-reezing out we were short on time, but the kids were amazing and the light was simply gorgeous.  

The two that made the card.

Love the light and the kid's candid faces.

So awesome the way G was able to sneak holding her older bro's finger.  Not an easy feat to get a young teenage boy to agree to.

This is by far my favorite shot of the day.  These lovely people are amazing friends and phenomenal parents.  Their marriage is inspiring.  They are the kind of people you feel blessed to have in your circle.

Thanks L family, I always love documenting you!

oxx Dion

PS I changed the comment setting so now it should be easy for anyone to do so.  So one of the handful of you reading this, pipe up! ;o)

It's a beautiful day to escape

Gorgeous morning light streamed in through the room's massive windows on a lovely Saturday morning in December.  My camera melded into my arm and we became one.  What followed was one of the most exhilarating experiences I have ever had as a photographer.


I had learned about Help-Portrait through creativeLIVE.  The premise was simple, on the first Saturday in December photographers around the world would take portraits of people in need.  The photographers would then print the images when ready and present them to their subjects.  Portraiture,  the kind in which a piece of a person's soul is revealed and not the "cheese" kind, is what first got me hooked on photography in high school.  Trying to capture something about a person that can later be conveyed to the viewer is bliss to me.


I joined the Help-Portrait website and prayed that there were photographers in my area planning to participate.  Sure enough I connected with a photographer and a makeup artist that were planning an event at a local nursing home.  When I arrived the morning of the shoot I was given a less than appealing wall to shoot against, but not to worry the other photographer had an extra table cloth.  So we secured it with gaffers tape and set up a reflector and stand.  That coupled with the awesome morning light coming through the window, and my natural light studio was in business.  While the other photographer had fantastic studio lights set up, I couldn't have been happier with my ghetto fab studio.  I absolutely adore natural light.  I shot 28 portraits and in roughly two hours, I was changed.  

This is my friend Pearl.  I instantly fell in love with her and wanted to put her in my pocket and call her mine.  I carefully wheeled her into her position (well as carefully as I could, wheel chairs don't have the greatest turning radius so I began each maneuver with "careful I'm a crazy driver" which luckily garnered more chuckles than cries for help).  She turned, gazed out the window and sighed, "It's a beautiful day to escape."  It really was too pretty out to be inside stuck in a chair.  Yet Pearl handled her situation with poise and charm.  She began to chat with me and I tried to remember to check my camera settings as I hung on her every word.  I felt so lucky to be in her presence.  

"I'm 97 years old."  

"Wow that's quite a long time, you have seen and been through a lot."  Damn I thought, what wisdom in all those years.  

"That's right like the Great Depression, some things I don't really think I needed to go through... hope to never see again."

"I totally hear you!  Like, 'that was supposed to make me stronger but did I really need to be any stronger than I already was?!'  What was the single most important experience that you have been through?"

"My Children."

I was thinking about hardships that were good lessons, and there she lays on me the single most important thing in life!  I have felt this since my son was born, but to hear this from a near centenarian rattled me.  Ok universe I get it.  This ex-cynical girl is now fully converted to the romantic side of life.  

 This firecracker was the first to use the sweet blue wing back chair I had if anyone was able to sit in it.  I would have shown the awesomeness of the whole chair in one shot, but that ghetto fab backdrop of mine  was about four feet wide so close ups were a must.  

"How are you?"

"A little too sober but that's the way it is these days!"

"Oh honey if I could help you with that I sure would.  I'm your girl, next time I know!"  Damn no booze in nursing homes?  I would not do well there.  Note to self: always pack a flask in my camera bag for adult photo shoots, just in case.

In truth I am not the funniest girl, but something came over me when faced with the gloominess of the place.  Since I couldn't use my old bartending skills to pass out shots, I tried to make people laugh.  I wanted them to relax for at least a minute and trust me for half a second.  

How cute is she?

Well and him too!  I wanted him to take me for a trail ride and show me how to roll my own cigarettes (and no I don't smoke cigs but those are the cute things old cowboys like my grandfather did).

This is Janet on the left.  She was found after Katrina in her house with flood water all the way up to her neck. She has no family, but Sally met her when she was visiting her own mother at the home.  Sally's mother passed away and yet Sally still comes to visit Janet regularly.  This is love people.  

I was humbled by the dignity, grace, and humor that many of my subjects displayed in the face of their circumstances.  I ran home from the shoot and held my boys tighter than I ever have.  I was thankful for their love, for our health, and for my youth.  

oxx Dion