My 17th Birthday| The Gifts

I never do this. Ever.

Until today.

This is a ‘what I got’ post. What I got for my birthday. My birthday is today by the way… 😀

First off…the photography stuff.

Patchwork Quilt| A Life Update

 

And what does that lovely header for this post mean? Why is there a roadway? Well…friends, I went somewhere. But that will come later. I will start with a semi-comprehensive look at the past…two or three weeks? Here we go.

We had a very random snowfall that was very tiny, and melted almost immediately. I did take a photo of a plant in it though…

And then a day or two after that, I got the opportunity to try out slow sync flash. You basically set a slow shutter speed (I mostly did 2 seconds or 2″) and spin in a circle while the flash fires. It makes for VERY weird photos but is nonetheless quite fun to do. And it’s especially cool if you’re outside at night.

This is not edited. This type of photography just results in looking this way. Cool, huh? Ignore how dumb I look 😉 .

You can also use objects. I did this one in my studio/office.

I love how the flash freezes the water.

And then after a few days it was time to go to a conference! This is photo from in the car.

Then we got to the hotel…which wasn’t awful. But I still don’t really like it.

And this is a room at the conference building that I like hanging out in. It’s sort of become a cliche for me, since we’ve gone for three years now.

And snacks and drinks were provided at the break times.

And outside the building there is this lovely bed of pansies.

And then there was this trip home. And we were all exhausted.

More Recently…

On Saturday, we were at the YMCA–when mom told us we were going on vacation NOW. We hadn’t packed. We didn’t even know where we were going…and our family of eight had two hours to pack. And one of those hours we would have people over. But…those people happen to be the family I am getting to do a newborn photo session with. So this was my first opportunity to get a peek at baby Eva Marie. And she’s adorable! I think the session is on Friday. I’m going for a studio look.

Look, she has hair! 

Our 1 and a 1/4 day ‘vacation’ was to our grandparents house. One night my grandpa showed me his father’s old film camera a bunch of other cool stuff that went with it. Sometime, I want to try film.

The I decided to try an interesting technique using a tiny fisheye lens.

No photoshop required!

Then we were home. And I took some pictures of our red bud tree.

Then some photos of unnamed one 🙂

 

And that’s pretty much all that I’ve been up to for fun.

What have y’all been doing?

Have you ever gone on unexpected vacations?

Thoughtful| “Once Upon a Birthday”

“Growing up is never straight forward. There are moments when everything is fine, and other moments where you realize that there are certain memories that you’ll never get back, and certain people that are going to change, and the hardest part is knowing that there’s nothing you can do except watch them.”     

~Alden Nowlan (no idea who this is 😉 )

From the above quote…you may guess what this post is about. Growing up. Getting older, and leaving behind the days of littlehood. This has been put on my mind a lot lately. I have to admit, I’ve been thinking about it for years. I think the first time was when I was six years old. The world was big, the grownups were so very…grown up. I look back and can’t help but blush at some of the things I thought as a really little girl. One thing that I think is funny is that I thought I would have a ‘special someone’ when I turned sixteen. Then it was all the story of Sindersoot (aka-Ascenputtel, Cinderella) and all those other beautiful fairytales. Well…I turned sixteen and um- yeah. I had figured out long before then that my childish thoughts were just not the way things actually normally happen. I blame the Little House on the Prairie tv series with Melissa Gilbert playing Laura. Do any of y’all remember how Mary had a ‘special friend’ when she was maybe fourteen? 🙂 Anyways…yes. The more people I meet the more funny little kid stories I come across.

The reason it’s come to my mind RIGHT NOW is my big sis, Hannah- just turned eighteen. And I will be eighteen next year. We’ve been pretty close for a pretty long time now, and I’ve always felt left behind whenever she crosses into another season in her life. We really do grow at a different rate. Everyone is just so different.

There’s one thing I’ve decided about this tricky business called ‘growing up’. I don’t want to forget all my memories. And I don’t want to be sad, depressed, or bitter about being left behind. Because I’m a unique person, who God is shaping day-by-day into the image of His Son. And I can enjoy where He’s placed me. All to soon, I’ll probably be wondering where the years went. I’ll be one of the older and (hopefully) wiser people who’re always telling us teenagers to be content. To just enjoy where we are right now. Here’s another quote about growing up:

“One of the oddest things about being grown-up was looking back at something you thought you knew and finding out the truth of it was completely different from what you had always believed.”

~Patricia Briggs

That’s something I can identify with. As I get older…things I thought are torn down and replaced with reality. And that doesn’t have to be a bad thing. It is often a very painful thing (depending what it is), but not always something that will devastate you. Read this Bible verse for a very telling thing about growing up.

“When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.”

~1 Corinthians 13:11 

 

Have you had any similar thoughts?

Do you have any favorite childhood memories?

What is ONE memory that you never want to forget?

~Emmaline

p.s The cake for the post is the one I made for Hannah’s birthday. It was a two layer cake, one layer raspberry- the other vanilla. With chocolate cream cheese frosting, and strawberries on top.

Thoughtful| “Forgiveness”

This post is one that’s been set rather immediately on my mind because of some things that have been going on in my life.

This isn’t a post of self-pity.

This isn’t a post telling you it’s all someone else’s fault.

This isn’t a post to tell you if you forgive someone they’ll be automatically changed.

Sometimes life seems like those broken pieces of glass. Getting broken is painful. Being sinned against (and sinning against someone else) hurts. There isn’t an easy fix all the time. Not every relationship can be fixed by simply setting up a day, meeting,

and

T A L K I N G   IT  OUT.

People will probably be bitter, have scars, and just be hurt in general. Forgiving someone isn’t just saying you’re sorry something happened. It’s much more difficult than that. If it was that easy, probably no one would have any problem with saying it. True forgiveness is HARD and takes a big dose of grace and humility. Asking forgiveness takes a pride-smashin’ session. And forgiving someone? It takes exactly the same.

For a while, I was feeling pretty comfortable with life (probably a bad sign). There were maybe a few small arguments once in a while…nothing major though. Then, out of the blue to me (also probably a bad sign) things starting coming up. I ended up hurt. There was a lot of emotional taxation. There still is. I was also angry. I didn’t understand why it was happening to me, or what I has done wrong in the particular situation. But I can already see it being used for good. It hurts, it’s maybe very inconvenient, and it makes me sad–but God has been drawing me nearer to Him through it.

Motivation for forgiving others…

“Why should I forgive someone (especially if they don’t even ASK forgiveness) ?” that question was going around in my head.  At one point, someone asked me if I hated them and if I didn’t, why didn’t I? I was so tempted to just run off feeling even more hurt. But in that moment someone else told me to ‘start with the obvious’. Now, that probably doesn’t make much sense, but thankfully- I knew just what was meant. The person I was dealing with was a ______ in Christ. Christ had forgiven them with His blood- just the same as He’d saved me. I had no right, absolutely none- to hate the person. Yes, I was hurt. But I have been commanded to love, not to hate.

“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

~Ephesians 4:32, ESV.

You have every reason to love, and NO REASON to hate. Especially someone who is your brother or sister in Christ. If I could remember that every time I wronged someone or was wronged- there would be a huge forgiveness party! We would all be asking forgiveness.

WE HAVE EVERY MOTIVATION IN CHRIST.

~Emmaline

Thoughtful| “The Future”

This begins a new series of posts! They’re called Thoughtful mostly because they will focus on different things I’ve been thinking on lately. This first post is being started because I have been thinking a lot on the future- and specifically on what it holds.

Mainly, I have been thinking more on the future of this blog. I don’t want to quit writing here-ever. I just think it’s about time to think of new things to do on it. Here are some thoughts I’ve been jumping around with:

1. Perhaps start a new series (check! This is the newest blog series.)
2. Perhaps do a drawing tutorial in pictures?
3. Perhaps do a craft tutorial? I love crafting…and am thinking of starting back up now that I’ve cleaned up my ‘studio’. (more on that later)

 

Those are my thoughts on it thus far.

Another thing that’s had me all excited about the future is the acquiring of a new lens! A kind friend gave it to me, and it has changed my photography experience. Why? Because it goes to the minimum f-stop # of 1.8!!!! That makes for a great popped subject and a way more blurred background. I love it, and believe it will help with all my portraits from now on. Bonus? It’s a small lens, not at all heavy and it goes to 52mm max. Here are some sample photos:

This is my beautiful mother. I really love how this lens brings everything out so nicely. I also like my background. Something about the books makes me all happy. 🙂

Here is an object! I love spices, because they are just so useful for cooking. Mostly, I just love the bokehed background the 50mm gives this photo. Thanks to the counter top for this shot 🙂 . 

Another thing that has me thinking is school. I have a lot and not a lot left. It still feels like so much and yet I only have a few courses left now. I always like watching my siblings do their school…mostly because I can take photos of them being studious.

This was also taken on the 50mm. I think I am in love ❤ 🙂 . 

Then I am so excited about the future crafting possibilities now that my studio is all the way clean for the very first time (I never finished unpacking at all).

I hung these paper chalkboards on the wall of my studio. When my mom was around 20 (before she married dad) she taught kindergarten. These were the chalkboards they used in the class. I water colored the sides of them so they wouldn’t look too old, but other than that- they’re still in great shape.  

The future of cooking. It’s no secret that I really like cooking. I enjoy it…but I would actually prefer to cook for a smaller bunch for a while. One thing I look forward to in the future is the possibility of someday cooking for my own family.

I cooked dinner tonight. I was happy with the way I seasoned it this time. 🙂 

The rice was ‘wild’ rice with a Spanish rice twist to it. 

Writing! Maybe I’ll actually get something published someday?

 

Hope you didn’t find my thought ramblings too dull, or weird…

~Emmaline

 

 

“Snow Day”| A Life Update

 

Last y’all heard I was pining away for a good snowfall to play in. This post is to tell you…I got one! Now I want a better one though. Several inches this time? Please?…. 🙂 .

But this post will also be giving you some other updates on my life currently.

1. SNOW!!!!

I already did a post on Lucillian Photography called Snow Portraits which you can take a look at if you haven’t already. Here are some random ones that I’m pretty sure are NOT on my other blog.

p.s These are blissfully unedited 🙂 . 

And this is a ‘beautiful’ underexposed photo. Oh well. It’s funny anyways. 🙂

2. The ‘Horrors’ of High School.

I am balancing a fairly big workload right now in school. Thankfully, I have deadlines so I’m not stuck on one thing for forever.

 

Not pictured: several other things, the most notable of which is my math course for this year. I am NOT posting a picture of that 🙂 . 

 

3. Taking Silhouette Photos.

One thing I am semi-obsessed with right now in photography- silhouettes. They’re not those impressive sunset silhouettes. They’re just window silhouettes. I’m only posting one of them because I want the rest for another post later on.

 

 

 

4. Blowing Things Up.

Now, lest you think I am secretly an atomic bomb keeper–I am speaking of accidentally blowing up a half-boiled egg in the microwave and having to clean up the colossal mess that ensued. 🙂

 

5. Shooting People While They Shoot Others.

This is another heading which could get me into ‘trouble’. But y’all know about the fun kids have shooting each other with Nerf guns?

Sorry about the graininess of the photo. Our house has really bad lighting late at night (aka- after the sun sets). I had to compromise with the ISO and the shutter speed. The result? The above photo 😦 🙂 😉 . 

6. My Mild Obsession With Photographing These Roses.

When our friends were over Mr. H bought his wife some roses. I was so thrilled as I love roses (yeah, they weren’t for me, lol.) because now I could take some photos. They actually lasted pretty long. The very last photo is the last photo I got to take of them before they met their demise 😦  .

 

7. Everyday Life 🙂 .

 

And that’s a wrap!

 

What have y’all been up to?

What little things do you do during the week?

Do you like this type of post?

~Emmaline

 

Life Right Now

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We’re in December!

I am just taking a break from taking a break from blogging. Just for one blog post. This is an update on my Life Right Now.

 

// Christmas spirit. The tree is actually up now! We put it up shortly after thanksgiving–because that’s sort of our family tradition.

And then I have been scrambling to get my original seven gifts done (one for each member of my family) and also two extra gifts for friends. So I have only four gifts done part way, although that’s definitely a step up from zero. You can find my new Christmas photography post here. Before I get into my obsession with taking photos of bokeh lights–I’d better make a leetle announcement (for those not following Lucillian Photography).

// My new DSLR camera. That’s right! I now have something so much better than a point-and-shoot. I am so thankful for this provision. It has been so much fun already. My exact model is the Canon Eos Rebel t6.

What does it mean for this blog? Well, not too much. Although I have dwindled in drawing. I still love to draw. Wait, what does drawing have to do with photography? Um– I had to stop art class to get this camera. Yep. Who’d have thought I’d do that? But I did. And I am even glad now that I did. Pretty much all my relatives pitched in. Now it’s just up to me to pay the difference (what’s left). 🙂

I have been taking many random photos–many of which have included bokeh lights.

 

//Dropping stuff off at the postal office. Sounds boring, right? But this trip has been procrastinated for a few months now. I dropped off another drawing for a competition again.

My three youngest siblings in the car right before dropping off the package. 

Ellie dramatically pretending to talk on the phone. 

 

//Going to a friend’s art exhibition. A friend of ours is graduating this December. He is a woodworker and has made some pretty incredible things.

Custom clock our friend designed. 

More detailed shot of the front of the clock. 

 

//Taking photos of a kitten. You can check out this post for the rest of the pictures.

 

And that’s a catch-up post for this December.

~Emmaline