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baby turtle

Our house abuts a conservation area that mostly consists of a largely manmade, yet long out-of-use, body of water called the Mill Pond. Every Spring the mama turtles come up from the water and lay eggs, which hatch sometime near the end of summer. I was so surprised to see a baby painted turtle this past weekend, since it seemed to be the wrong time of year. It turns out, some painted turtles overwinter in their nests after they hatch, and then make their journey back to the water in the Spring! I can’t believe this little one survived the winter we had this year — it was so brutally cold and long. But, here he or she is, against the odds!

baby turtle 1
baby turtle 2
baby turtle 3
baby turtle 4 // explored 10 may 2014 // my first explore - thank you!!!

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lakebreeze village

Last weekend my daughter, Lillia, and my mom built a little fairy village in our backyard. Strategically placed just beyond the fence (possibly to keep little brothers out?), it sits atop an embankment that provides a lovely vista over the Mill Pond. Aptly named “Lakebreeze Village,” it is a gloriously colorful and bustling fairy haven. It is also very tiny, which gave me an excellent opportunity to do some practicing with my new 105mm macro lens. I love how the little plastic characters actually seem to come alive when you see them larger than life. Let’s meet some of them, shall we?

lakebreeze village 1
lakebreeze village 3
lakebreeze village 9
lakebreeze village 4
lakebreeze village 2
lakebreeze village 5
lakebreeze village 6
lakebreee village 7
lakebreeze village 8
P.S. I still believe in fairies, do you?

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19 // 52

the eyes have it
zane b&w

“A portrait of my children once a week, every week, in 2014.”

Lillia: This week at school was riddled with drama — mean girls and mean teachers. You are so hard on yourself when you cry at school, but your big heart is one of your best qualities. I know this situation well, as I was once the little girl who cried a lot at school (now I’m the adult who still cries more than most other adults, but I’m okay with it). The good news is that most people are unlikely to remember much of anything about their elementary years, let alone whether or not you happened to cry often. It will get easier to contain as you get older, but you’ll probably always have very strong feelings, and that’s not a bad thing. The world needs compassion and empathy more than it needs anything else.

Zane: This week you got to come with me to the car dealership to have my car inspected. That was a pretty exciting adventure for someone who loves anything that has a motor. We got to see a tow truck really close-up and you were surprised to learn that they weren’t moving a car, but a very big tool box! When you’re a little bigger, I bet your uncle (who works there) will let you come and look around the shop.

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prisming

I know I’m super-late to the prisming party, but I just learned about it this week! Prisming is exactly what it sounds like: using a prism to create reflections & interesting images in photos. You can see some great examples here, or read about it on Sam Hurd’s website. Sometimes it’s really nice to work on something that you don’t have a lot invested in, emotionally. I don’t care if I’m terrible at prisming because I’m just doing it for fun. As with most things photography-related, practice is required. Here are just a few of my first attempts (these were all taken indoors on a cloudy day):

prisming 1
prisming 2
prisming 3

The cool thing about this technique is that it doesn’t require fancy or expensive equipment. You could easily do it with your phone or a point-and-shoot camera, too, so give it a shot (pun intended)! This photo was taken with my Galaxy S4, the VSCO app, and a prism:

prisming phone

I would like to get a longer prism so that I don’t have to worry about getting my fingers in the photo. Sam Hurd recommends this one. I can’t wait to try it outside on a sunny day. Here is my lovely model & assistant holding our prism:

zane with the prism

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18 // 52

lillia // b&w

the best little face :)

“A portrait of my children once a week, every week, in 2014.”

Lillia: This week you had a big field trip to our state capital, Concord. You got to meet some politicians and learn about their jobs. You told me that our local representatives only make $200 a year which, you quipped, “Makes their jobs really intense volunteer work!” I think you would make an excellent politician: you are very passionate about your ideas; you love to argue; and you have a very well-developed sense of justice.

Zane: You are getting to be such a big boy! This week I decided that it was finally time to start getting serious about potty training. You’ve been able to go on command for awhile now, but you were having trouble realizing you had to go until it was too late. Yesterday, you stayed dry ALL DAY, including during a short nap in the car! Most of me is so excited for you (and happy not to have to buy so many diapers!), but part of me is also really sad. It’s hard to believe that you’re going to be three years-old in just a few months…you’re really not a baby anymore.

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