area of focus (no pun intended).

camera girl.

Since I'm happily extending my internship with the magazine, I've decided to take it for all its worth and treat it like a real job. That means I'll be there every day (almost) from 9:15-5:15 (probably), making myself indispensable and stuffing as much knowledge about writing in the editorial world as I can fit into my head.
Although those thoughts were already twirling about in my head, it was verbalized and confirmed as the best way to go about things by my dear kindred spirit—Meredith. Props to her.
Not that I wasn't already taking my editorial intern position seriously, but I'll own up to leaving early on certain days without telling anyone. Well, that won't be happening anymore. I'm making my serious schedule and sticking to it.
I also promise to take my camera with me EVERYWHERE, even if my only photo of the day turns out to be a shot of the gulfstream communications sign. Or a mailbox. Or the sidewalk. And this post continues on its way... a little lost due to a lack of direction.

I'm beginning to rely on other sources for photos, and while that's fine and dandy, I do enjoy spending time editing my own, and sifting through them to find the right ones to post.
But here's a picture of puppy Augustus! Even though he was only 6 months old, he still has his wise old soul look to him...

Gianluca Gentilini

These are images are by a photographer named Gianluca Gentilini

and I'm pretty much obsessed with his pictures at the moment.

This is my favorite.

more of his portfolio is on this website...

i was meant for daniel island.

Someone who had a part in planning Daniel Island must have had me in mind

without knowing it. I'm in love with this place.

Augustus and I went strolling around Smythe Park yesterday

and then I went out later on the Belleville to take some more photos.

before he tuckered out from the sun.

my attempt at being artsy with a reflection.

the rest of these were taken from the seat of the belleville.

that brick walkway goes almost all the way around the water. it's gorgeous...
and risky if you're anything like me and you tend to fall over unexpectedly.

this was perfect timing for them to be playing.

dancing in the garden.

this kid was practicing his golf swing the ENTIRE time I was there.

dedication.

This house just says "home" to me. 

epitome of whimsy. in my opinion.

"When I think about it, photographs, to me are really a kind of dream state.

It's not about a good dream, or a bad dream...

it's more that your day hazes and your mind drifts towards only 

being concerned by your imaginings...

and, as you tour your imagination you want to photograph

what you are seeing... BUT...

the only way you can do this is by BELIEF...

really, really, utterly, absolutely, passionately, firmly believing...

you see, you are SO very keen to be able to show

what you've seen that somehow it becomes true, 

and, the picture you end up taking becomes a souvenir,

a piece of proof brought back from the daydream."

-Tim Walker, London, 2008

The quote is from the foreward in Tim Walker's photography book, Pictures.

He has a way with words, what can I say?

my favorite photo subject.

Poor Auggy... he just can't escape from my camera. No matter what he's doing, 

I always find a reason to take a picture of him.

It's the same as a new mom documenting her toddler.

He always looks directly at the camera. He secretly loves it. I'm certain.

He's saying, "why must you incessantly take my picture?! just. let. me. sleep."
He's so adorable. I can't help myself.

where the sidewalk ends. literally.

There's a point where this sidewalk just ends. It's funny to me. There isn't another sidewalk that starts a little bit ahead or anything... it simply stops in the middle of a field. This afternoon I took my camera and rode the belleville out there so I could have something in the picture other than a plain sidewalk. 

It makes me think of Shel Silverstein poems. 

We used to always check those books out in 3rd grade, 

and Where the Sidewalk Ends is the obvious one that comes to mind.

There is a place where the sidewalk ends

And before the street begins,

And there the grass grows soft and white,

And there the sun burns crimson bright,

And there the moon-bird rests from his fight

To cool in the peppermint wind.

Let us leave this place where the smoke blows

And the dark street winds and bends.

Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow

We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow

And watch where the chalk-white arrows go

To the place where the sidewalk ends.

Yes we'll walk with a walk that is measured and slow

And we'll go where the chalk-white arrows go,

For the children, they mark, and the children, they know

The place where the sidewalk ends.

-Shel Silverstein

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momentarily away from avalon.

I'm the girl walking along the shoreline reading a book of e.e. cummings poems.

Despite my lack of grace and inability to get through a single day without falling, tripping, spilling, or dropping something, I manage to have a talent for walking and reading without any clumsiness interfering.

This poem reminds me of the beach. And I read it there. How appropriate.

xlvi

open your heart:

i’ll give you a treasure

of tiniest world

a piece of forever with

summitless younger than

angels are mountains

rivery forests

towerful towns(queen

poet king float

sprout heroes of moonstar

flutter to and

swim blossoms of person) through

musical shadows while hunted

by daemons

seethe luminous

leopards(on wingfeet of thingfear)

come ships go

snowily sailing

perfect silence.

Absolute ocean

augustus had a spill. so did the belleville.

and I caused it.

I put him in my bike basket so I could take a picture and I KNEW the bike was going to tip over (it was already leaning while propped on the kickstand), but I backed up with my camera anyway and...

BOOM! down went the bicycle and out jumped Augustus. He really demonstrated some impressive agility though, I must say.

(But my mother did the same thing with my sister when she was a toddler and was riding in a kid-carrier on the back of her bike. Only she wasn't trying to take a picture... so...there.)

He doesn't look so sure about being in the basket.

He would much prefer a good itch. safe on the ground.

I took these pictures about an hour after the incident.

The bike was locked and leaning SECURELY against this post.

I promise. I tried knocking it over.

oh to be a child of the beach...

When I'm at the beach by myself (and by "beach", I mean the actual sand and water aspect),

I can't lounge in a beach chair and be still...

I try to get the most minimal amount of sand on me, so building a sand castle is out of the picture.

I don't venture into the waves because I never get farther than my ankles (unless it's by accident).

So, I've taken to walking up and down the shore with my camera in hand.

I feel really conspicuous with the huge lens on it,

and I try not to look sketchy when I'm taking photos of kids I don't know.

Parents want their kids to look cute at the beach anyway, right?

I'm sure they're flattered that I'm using my camera's battery power

to catch moments of seaside discovery.

(I'm telling myself that anyway)

cooler by a mile...

I have a week up in Avalon where I plan to make up for my incredibly unproductive past few days...

I am now promising myself to get to work on my most developed story

and make impressive progress on some artwork to go along with it.

Augustus is here too, serving as an accountability partner.

I'm positive that I can find endless inspiration while I'm up here.

Avalon's one of my favorite places to take pictures. Today I took 55 pictures of the beach house.

And there really isn't a large amount of square footage here.

I was taking creativity to the next level, let me tell you.

skipping away

monica rich kosann photography

It took me forever to learn how to skip when I was a kid. I could only hitch up one leg for some reason,

so I probably looked pretty peculiar, determinedly trying to move quickly, but just not getting it right.

Last night, I used my now fairly adequate skipping as a defense mechanism against mosquitos while I was letting the dogs out before bed. It was a way to swiftly dodge those vicious insects, and I was actually really enjoying myself. So now I'm going to remind myself to skip daily... it creates a smile.

The pups were riled up by it too... which is always amusing.

But skipping always reminds me of childhood and my favorite form of movement when I was little.

To me, these photos represent the carefree days when skipping was almost always appropriate.

(this one could be my brother and his two best friends. the puppy's a perfect touch)

these photos are by monica rich kosann. she's amazing.