texture tuesday ~ the lens of my heart

good morning my friends.  happy tuesday!  i am over at focusing on life today sharing my year in photos as i wrap up my first photo 365 project.

as i stated there, i am in complete denial that today is the last day of 2013.

you probably know by now how sentimental i am.  so looking through a year’s worth of photos is a bit of a time-suck.  i’m not all that great at objectively going through my catalog and selecting a handful of random photos for a blog post.  rather, as i looked through each month, i could immediately find myself transported back in time.  remembering my thoughts and feelings at the time i took the photo.  not just a scrapbook, but a photo diary.

reason number 1,427 why i love photography.

since my brain has officially turned to mush, i had kelsey proof-read my blog post to check for grammar and flow.  and once she finished, she shared with me that this photo was her favorite photo of mine from the year.

it’s one of mine too.  it was taken the night my friends pam and kim came over for dinner.  i cooked salmon on the grill and kim brought this delightful rose wine.  it’s one of her very favorites and she buys a case every year  just to enjoy during the summer months.  and i was so thrilled that she shared it with us that night.

anyway, one of the things that kelsey said she loved about the photo was the ‘imperfectness’ of it.  how it wasn’t staged or set up.  how you could see the unfinished plates in the foreground.  the crumbs on the table in the background.  the empty salad bowl on the left.  the wine opener and cork just lying there. 

this is the thing with photography.  the joy of the actual moment.  the dinner with my friends.  the snapshot in time.  but then there is the joy of coming across this summer memory on a cold december night.  being transported back to that night.  because to me, this photo captures that night.  this photo captures how it felt to be sitting at the table with my friends.

as kelsey and i were sitting there, talking, she asked me, “did you ever think you would be able to take pictures like this?” 

did i ever think. 

my response to question. was that i had hoped so.  this was my goal…to take photos that accurately portray my life.  what i see in my mind’s eye.  through the lens of my heart.

so as i bid farewell to 2013, i am also looking forward to 2014.  looking forward to capturing my life in all it’s ordinary wonderfulness. 

so happy new year friends.  wishing you every joy and blessing in 2014.

love, kelly