minding my nest

practicing the art of an ordinary life

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recent blog posts

  • Learning to See | The Power of Perspective

    Learning to See | The Power of Perspective
  • Little Saturday Delights

    Little Saturday Delights
  • Learning to See | Keeping Hope Alive

    Learning to See | Keeping Hope Alive
  • Spring Is a Happiness

    Spring Is a Happiness
  • Learning to See | The Courage To Be Happy

    Learning to See | The Courage To Be Happy

Learning to See | The Power of Perspective

Perspective. Point of view. It's an important element of composition in a photograph. Simply stated, perspective in photography helps to convey a sense of depth or spatial relationship between objects in an image. And using it effectively can help a two-dimensional photograph feel a little more like ... read more

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Little Saturday Delights

One of the unexpected delights of my photography series has been taking a trip down memory lane (aka falling down the rabbit hole) with some of my older blog posts. Mixed in with the posts I shared about big life lessons I was learning or new insights into my photography practice, I also wrote a lot ... read more

Filed Under: life Leave a Comment

Learning to See | Keeping Hope Alive

Even though I gave up running several years ago, I still walk up this hill occasionally and along this sidewalk. And just like they were ten years ago when I shared this blog post, (ten years!!!) these little flowers are still growing up in the cracks…still blooming…still making me happy…still ... read more

Filed Under: Learning To See 8 Comments

Spring Is a Happiness

Spring is a happiness so beautiful, so unique, so unexpected, that I don't know what to do with my heart. Emily Dickinson I hope these spring blooms make you as happy as they do me. Love, Kelly ... read more

Filed Under: seasons 2 Comments

Learning to See | The Courage To Be Happy

The Courage To Be Happy

When I originally wrote this post in February 2014, I didn't realize that the fear of happiness was a real phenomenon. What I have learned since then is that fear is a powerful emotion that the brain uses to protect us from danger. And that is a really good thing. Sometimes though, when we ... read more

Filed Under: Learning To See Leave a Comment

Learning to See | A Still Lifestyle

Today's post in my photography series is an origin story of sorts. It's from March 2015 and is about discovering my style as a photographer and learning something about myself in the process. The main takeaway that I would like to leave you with here is, no matter where you are in your journey ... read more

Filed Under: Learning To See Leave a Comment

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About Me

Hi There! I’m Kelly. I am a wife, mom, light seeker, homemaker, and storyteller. From an empty nest to an abundant life, all it took was a little time, a lot of faith, and the courage to see my life differently.

You can read more about my story here.

So now, armed with my trusty Canon camera, here is where I share my journey to live an inspired and intentional life.

Welcome to my little corner of the interwebs!

Learning to See Photography Series

December Daily® 2022

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AROUND THE WEB

Regular Contributor to Focusing on Life.

Story Teller for Ali Edwards Design Team

Currently Teaching at Big Picture Classes.

My Portfolio - Kelly Ishmael Photography

Happy Monday! I’m celebrating the first day of S Happy Monday! I’m celebrating the first day of Spring with a vase full of daffodils I gathered from around the yard. We had a hard freeze a couple of nights ago and I was worried that it would damage all the blooms. Thankfully the rest of the blooms outside survived so it’s a basically win-win. I love it when that happens. And it hope these blooms make you as happy as they do me! 💛🌼
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#tv_flowers #ethereal_moods #still_life_nature #dofnature #dof_brilliance #bokeh_bliss #bokeh_and_blur #transfer_visions #tv_flowers #tv_fadingingbeauty #tv_depthoffield #tv_allnature #tv_closeup #jj_justnature #moody_tones #raw_allnature #moodforfloral #moodyflorals #inspirenaturenow #charming_nature_ #ihavethisthingwithflowers #nb_nature_brilliance #kaigarden2023
Living in mid-town Tulsa, there’s a phenomenon t Living in mid-town Tulsa, there’s a phenomenon that happens this time of year…when driving down Peoria, the traffic slows down to a crawl right in front of Woodward Park where drivers are taking in the glorious sight of the daffodils in bloom.

Or maybe that’s just me. 🙈

At any rate, seeing the entire hillside covered in happy, yellow blooms is a beautiful sight to behold. Especially after months of nothing to see but a bare, colorless landscape. And because I live close enough to walk to the park, I brought my camera and my best girl / walking companion along with me one evening this week to try to capture some of the beauty. 

While I was crouched down amongst the blooms, I saw a gal turn into the park and get out of her car to take a few photos. We smiled at each other and she told me she just had to stop to take a few photos of the blooms. It would appear that I’m not the only one who was overjoyed by this sight.

I think it’s fair to say that more than any other time of year, Spring is the season of hope. Or maybe, a little more accurately, the season of restored hope. We endured the cold and barren season and now here is life and joy that we were hoping for, right in our midst.

Spring in a park setting is an obvious place to find beauty, but today in my photography series, I am sharing a story about finding beauty in the most unlikeliest of places and finding a little hope in the process.

You can find all of the posts in my photography series via the link in my profile. As always, thank you for letting share my stories with you.
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#tv_flowers #ethereal_moods #still_life_nature #dofnature #dof_brilliance #bokeh_bliss #bokeh_and_blur #transfer_visions #tv_flowers #tv_fadingingbeauty #tv_depthoffield #tv_allnature #tv_closeup #jj_justnature #moody_tones #raw_allnature #moodforfloral #moodyflorals #inspirenaturenow #charming_nature_ #ihavethisthingwithflowers #nb_nature_brilliance
March is… 🌸 riding the spring weather roller March is…
🌸 riding the spring weather roller coaster
🌸 sleeping with the window cracked and throwing on another quilt
🌸 waking up to the morning songs of the cardinals, robins, and chickadees
🌸 resuming my morning walkabouts
🌸 the joy and delight of new blooms in the garden
🌸 enjoying that one extra hour of light after dinner
🌸 a feeling of lightness from the new season coming right around the corner
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#gatheredstyle #foreverfaffing #loveliest4 #astilllifestyle #floral_faffery #still_life_gallery #tv_stillife #jj_still_life #tv_living #global_ladies #transfer_visions #tv_neatly #tv_flowers #tv_retro #etherealmoods #moody_tones #moodforfloral #moodyflorals #curated_nature #ihavethisthingwithflowers #stylingtheseasons #petalsandprops #floralperfection #thefolkpr0ject #blissfulphotoart #creative_florals
Pretty in pink and currently making me ridiculousl Pretty in pink and currently making me ridiculously happy. 🌸
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#tv_flowers #ethereal_moods #still_life_nature #dofnature #dof_brilliance #bokeh_bliss #bokeh_and_blur #transfer_visions #tv_flowers #tv_fadingingbeauty #tv_depthoffield #tv_allnature #tv_closeup #jj_justnature #moody_tones #raw_allnature #moodforfloral #moodyflorals #inspirenaturenow #charming_nature_ #ihavethisthingwithflowers #nb_nature_brilliance #kaigarden2023
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