7 Random Objects, One Nikon Lens

As a hobby, I love photography. But I often feel shy (and actually kind of afraid) to talk about about it because I just don't have the technical know-how to call myself a "true photographer." It's not from lack of trying either...my Nikon D300 for Dummies book has seen more action than my stack of "vintage" Domino Magazines (and we know that is saying a lot).

Even with technicalities slipping through my mind like a sieve, I still I find so much simple joy in snapping photos, that for today I'm going to brave the critical voice in my head telling me that you all will laugh me out of blogland (please don't), and just show you some of the photos that I took with a new lens that I got the other day.

photo taken with my phone

The lens is an AF-S DX Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G (I had to look up what that means exactly, too). Isn't she a beauty? Even though I take photos all the time, before buying it (my first lens purchase other than the one I bought with my camera body 5 years ago) I still spent hours googling photography terms to make sure that I was getting the right thing. I really wanted something that worked well in low-light situations and would also allow me to get beautiful close-up shots with a milky soft and shallow depth of field. Oh...and I needed to be able to pay for it using the gift cards I received for Christmas (thank you family)...so it had to be somewhat affordable.

Even after all my googling, when my package arrived I was afraid to open the box for fear that my lack of knowledge would land me with something only vaguely lens-related (like maybe a $200 lens cap or a cleaning pad). Luckily (what a relief) I managed to purchase the perfect lens, and got to snapping photos of random things immediately.

I'm obsessed with it! But since I can't really tell you all the technical how's and whys of the lens, I'll let the photos speak for themselves (if you would like more technical details you can read about it here). The only editing done to these photos was a few slight tweaks in the Levels setting in Photoshop.

I have so much to discover about my new lens' capabilities (I can't wait for a good low light scenario...and to snap photos at my sister's wedding later this year), but I can tell that it's going to be a lot of fun to figure out. xo Ez

Life Lately

Hi friends! I hope you had a wonderful holiday and that your year is off to a beautiful start.

Usually when I'm away on break I am flooded with ideas to share upon my return, but for the first time ever, that isn't the case. To be honest I am having a bout of bloggers block, and the more I've tried just get over it the more it persists. I'm hoping that just the acknowledgment of it and what life has been like for me over the past few weeks will clear things up, and I'll be back on track again soon. But until that happens, I apologize if posts here are a little sparse or a bit more on the nitty-gritty and not the pretty-pretty side that I'm sure most of us would prefer. Thanks for hanging in there with me.

So I left you back in December with a hasty mention of a "family crisis," and while I won't go into every detail for the sake of privacy, I do want to share a little bit with you about what has been going on.

To keep it brief…my daughter was once again the target of bullying. Unfortunately this time it was far more serious and came very close to having deadly repercussions. This time around social media was used to spread the pain far more quickly and involve many more people than "traditional" bullying that she's dealt with in the past. Being a teenager is difficult enough, and my daughter and I were already working on building up her self-esteem and facing her struggles with depression when this whole thing exploded. It seemed like things went from day to night in a split second. A former trusted friend of my daughter's created rumors to infest the internet with, they caught like wildfire, and my daughter's mental health plummeted. 

The details of what happened are all very personal and painful, so I won't elaborate on the specifics more right now other than to say that I have never been more terrified in my entire life. I thought that dealing with my own past depression would be the worst thing I would ever have to deal with, but I was so horribly wrong. Facing and trying to figure out how to help a loved one survive it is so much worse.

I've been too busy worrying about my daughter (and not sleeping much either) to think of much else (hense the lack of cheery blog posts). The initial crisis has thankfully subsided (we've been doing a lot of things to distract away from the situation - see photo above), but the effects of what happened won't be so easily erased. Since the main perpetrators involved were the only friends my daughter felt safe with at her school (and I've since learned even more (sadistic) traits about one of those students that leaves me feeling that my daughter would not ever be safe around them), I have made the difficult decision (and she has begged me) to not send her back to her school. My daughter's mental health and safety needs will always trump any scholastic ones.

Now that the immediate crisis has been contained to a manageable level we have begun making plans for what the future will look like. A lot of it is unknown. For the time being my daughter will be schooling at home with me. I was home schooled quite a bit during my formative years, and while it wasn't always the best solution for me, and may not be for my daughter (that is yet to be determined)…at least I know that she will be safe. To fill the remainder of the year, I've started looking into online programs and in-person tutoring options as well, so if any of you have recommendations (or places I should steer clear of) I would greatly appreciate anything you have to share.

A few weeks out of this crisis I am feeling anxious but tentatively hopeful. I am trying not blame myself…it's always so easy to find blame in oneself if you start to look for it. I keep asking myself, why my kid? Why is she so often the victim of bullying? Is it me? Am I doing something wrong? The questions keep coming with few answers…so I am trying not to ask them. I am instead trying to focus on the positive and keep moving forward in a direction that is healthy for both my daughter and myself. It won't be simple or easy, but I know it's the right thing.

If you made it to the bottom of this post, thank you for reading. I promise to be back to sharing more traditional Creature Comforts content soon. Until then...xox Ez

P.S. The photo above was taken by my daughter during the distractionary (that's a word, right) road trip we took to Dallas, TX a little over a week ago. It captures us at our goofy best, makes me feel hopeful, and might be my favorite photo of all time (regardless of how dorky I look).

Photo Friday: The Charm of Imperfection

Lately I haven't had nearly as much time to wander around photographing the world around me as I would like. A recent plague of migraine headaches (that take my vision with them) have been keeping me indoors and away from too much light. So even though they are not so "perfect" or fancy as those taken with my Nikon, I'm still pretty happy if I can get a shot or two with my phone here and there.

I actually find that there is something reassuring about iPhoneography...that the self-imposed demand of perfection that tends to creep in when shooting with a DSLR (thinking about, focus, exposure, dof, etc.) tends to fall by the wayside when you have less control over the final outcome.

Of course post-editing is available on your phone (which can be fun)...but still the imperfection has its charm. I'm learning to embrace it!

P.S. In case anyone is wondering, these photos were taken and processed with the VSCO CAM app.

Wise Words: Live Anyway

I discovered these inspiring words via pinterest last week and they have stuck with me since. Rereading them this morning has put me in the right frame of mind for the new week. I hope you'll feel the same after reading them too! See more words of wisdom as shared by Jess of Somebody Say Something, right here. xo Ez

Weekend Link Love: 08. 10. 12

Apologies for my late post today friends. Our sweet dog Stella has been very sick and we've been back and forth to the vet's office trying to help get her on the mend (she's there for observation now). Anyhow, I've been a bit distracted, but I didn't want to leave for the weekend without sharing a few great links that I've been saving for you. Enjoy your weekend lovelies! xo Ez

1. The Mayan Muse color story in Issue #6 of online magazine Est, blew me away. I don't know if I've seen a feature quite like it before with such a beautiful combination of found patterns and objects, paired with gorgeous fashion inspiration!

2. Are Hollyhocks the flower that are most nostalgic of your childhood? They are for me (I mentioned this once before), and after repinning this photo (via Lylo) from Better Homes & Gardens, I have reason to believe that a lot of people feel the same. Immediately pinners began relating stories from their childhood that the hollyhocks evoked. So fun!

3. I'm all thumbs when it comes to hair styling, but this Rope Bun Tutorial from Cup of Jo actually looks like something I just might be able to achieve! Want more? See the full series with 14 Hair Styling Tutorials here.

4. What do your children really want? This eye-opening article from April Perry for Power of Moms is one that I'll be printing out to read over and over again (discovered via this equally lovely post by Frecklewonder). Not a parent? The wisdom in April's words applies to relationships in general. You could just as easily replace "children" in the article for "spouse," "partner," or "friend." A quick but powerful read! (image found here)

5. I found Busting the Numbers Myth, and article by Anne the Adventurer to be incredibly thought-provoking and inspiring. As someone (like Anne) who struggled in the past with an eating disorder it really opened my eyes to the way in which we can so easily become a slave to the numbers game...both on the scale and as blog writers (a very clever comparison). Highly recommended reading! (image from Red Bird Ink)