Autumn Nostalgia

My heart never seems to be content with the short autumns here in the west. If I'm lucky, the colorful leaves and mild weather will last 3 or 4 weeks but commonly, an early snow storm knocks all of the leaves off of the trees during the second week of the season. So here I am, already nostalgic for fall and it is only November.  Enjoy taking a look at the few quiet moments I spent surrounded by radiant color!

Sail

It's not a happy tune . . . but it sure does make me swoon.

There is something so dark, yet catchy and intriguing about this song. Hope it moves you as much as it moves me.

Whisked Away

 

Channeling a little Bob Ross. We've had such happy little clouds lately.

Lovely

There is nothing better for the soul than an afternoon spent in a field of wildflowers. I wish something so beautiful could last forever.



A Wee Bit Scottish

It seems a bit strange to write about something that happened two months ago but this is something that deserves a blog post. Every July, for the past 17 years, my family has attended the Payson Scottish Festival. My mother's side of the family have decendants from Scotland and it has always been a part of my heritage that I love to celebrate. Well, this year was no different from the rest and my family made the hour drive to Payson to partake in Haggis, wear our family tartan, listen to sweet bagpipe music, and watch the barbaric atheltic competitions.

One of the most enjoyable aspects of the Scottish festival . . . sitting under the shade of a tree, on cool grass, listening to bagpipes.

By far the best part about attending a Scottish festival is getting home, laying down in bed, and still hearing the bagpipes playing in your ear. The sounds just seems to follow you home.

Current Happenings

Although it seems the blog has been quiet, my life most certainly is not! I apologize for the few and far between blog posts but life has been moving so fast I don't seem to have time to write. My experience at the Scottish Festival still needs it's time in the spotlight as well as the 200 foot slip'n'slide I helped make on the 24th of July. I also need to update you on the photographing adventures as of late as well as post pictures from my 5 year high school reunion coming up this Saturday. And in-between all of the chaos, I managed to sneak in a camping trip.

But for now, I will leave you with a sneak peak of the book that currently fills my down-time. For work, I am reading a book called "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell and every page, paragraph and sentence leaves my in awe. This man is not only brilliant but he is so good at putting into words the thoughts that pass through our minds on a daily basis. If anyone out there is looking for a book to read and wants to learn about the "Story of Success" please look into "Outliers."

Once I am finished with the book, I'll make sure to give it a full review :)

Spirit in the Sky

I am a suck for oldies! I don't know what it is about music made before the 1980's, but there seems to be more meaning, soul, and emotion put into every song. I absolutely love the more "raw" sound when computers and synthesized sound was less common. Enjoy one of my many oldies favorites!

Belated 4th

I celebrated the 4th of July in the usual kind of way with outdoor fun, BBQ, and fireworks. Although the 4th turned out to be a gloomy, rainy day . . . we did not let the drizzle stop us!

45 year old firecrackers. When they did light, boy were they loud! Guess it goes to show that they just don't make things the way they used to.

Copyright JFowler Photography

Home Depot can sometimes provide the best toys! A Wham-O brand slip-n-slide just wasn't long enough, so we opted for a 50 foot slip-n-slide made out of painters plastic.

Copyright JFowler Photography

Can the 4th of July really be the 4th without some sparkler fights?!

Copyright JFowler Photography

Copyright JFowler Photography

And last but not least, we watched a fireworks show in the park. Most definitely the perfect end to Independence Day!

Copyright JFowler Photography

Happy Monday

Happy Monday everyone! Sorry I have been a bit MIA, it just seems like summer has taken over and I find myself enjoying the outdoors rather than sitting in front of a computer screen. Despite my sparse presence, I am here and loving life.

This Monday marks the beginning of a busy photo season. I have had a bit of a slow start the last few months but in the coming weeks I will be shooting engagements, bridals, weddings, babies, and commercial photos for a local doll maker. I am also getting ready for my five year high school reunion-it is my job to gather photos from high school and put them in a slide show!

I am a little bit behind on posting photos because I have been hard at work launching my photography Facebook page. If you want to become a follower, click here. Now that the Facebook page is all in order, you can expect to see some posts about the 4th of July and the Scottish Festival from this past weekend.

Just so I am not leaving you without some visual goodies, here is Monday's melody.

Summer Lovin

Summer is finally here! What more can I say . . .

Creative Progress

Two photos from my most recent photo shoots. I definitely feel like I am heading down the creative path I have been imaging. Enjoy!

Also, accidently came across this beautiful cover of one of the greatest love songs ever written.

New Season, New Ideas

My head has been in creative high gear lately! I find myself daydreaming more than occassionally and my mind keeps wandering out the window into the beautiful weather. My mind is teaming with ideas, emotions, feelings, and lovely story telling--and all I want to do is capture those imaginings on "film," through a sketch drawing, or with words! This lovely weather is getting the better of me and I feel as though I am wasting precious time when I am not creating! I am determined to benefit from this newfound daydreaming and expand my photography. This summer is going to be all about new poses, new edits, and new photos! Prepare yourself for some major changes. And just to give you all a teaser, here is the latest photo.

Also, enjoy my latest music obsession and this summer's Jen theme song. How can you not love "Foster the People!"

Day Nine-My Blanket

31 Day Photo Challenge-Day Nine

A picture of the person who has gotten you through the most

It's not a person but it has been there for me though thick and thin, my blanket. My blanket has been there for me when I had scraped knees, upsets with friends, and boyfriend break-ups and I can't imagine going through any hardship without it.

Day Eight-Jasper

31 Day Photo Challenge-Day Eight

A picture that makes you laugh

Me, Jackson Rathbone (Jasper), and Kayla--enough said.

Day 7-My Camera

31 Day Photo Challenge-Day 7

A picture of your most treasured item

My camera is my most treasured item. It is my creative outlet, a source of income, and the way I understand and translate the world I live in. I am someone who understands images and sees the importance in recording the world in images. Without my camera, I would feel at a loss to record my life and the lives around me.

Day Six-My Night

31 Day Photo Challenge-Day Six

A picture of your night

Birthday Party! For the first time in 13 years, Kayla and I had a joint party to celebrate our 23rd birthday. We had a Star Wars themed party at a local laser tag center.

Day Five-Historic Figures

31 Day Photo Challenge-Day Five

A picture of a person you'd love to trade places with for a day

Cleopatra-Historically, she is seen as a woman of power and intrigue but so much of her life is unknown or debated. If I could spend one day as Cleopatra I could help clear up the mystery, and the best part is I could experience what it was like to live during the height of Egyptian empire.

Elizabeth I-Also a woman of power, I would love to trade places with Elizabeth I of England and better understand her mind, the thoughts within, and whether or not she was a true visionary.

Day Four-Stargazing

31 Day Photo Challenge-Day Four

A picture of your favorite memory

I don't actually have a picture of my favorie memory but I can definitely write about it! I love stargazing but living in the city does not allow many opportunity to do so. The city lights drown the glow of the stars but believe it or not, my favorite memory happens to be stargazing in the city. When I first started dating my boyfriend, we often went stargazing. One particualr night, while in the city, we saw the most amazing sky. Although the night sky was not covered in twinkling lights as it would be in the mountains or camping, we witnessed the most incredible shooting stars, one right after the other! My guy, a warm summer night, and shooting stars-this memory is as close to perfect as you can get!

Day Three-The Doctor

31 Day Photo Challenge-Day Three

A picture of the cast from your favorite show

This is a tough one to answer because I am continually finding new shows that I love! Currently, I love "Larkrise to Candleford," "Glee," "Raising Hope," and "Bones" but if I had to pick one my favorite TV show it would be "Doctor Who." It's quarky, cheesy, intellectual, and a guilty pleasure all at the same time! It is also the longest running TV show of all time (the first episode aired in the mid 1960's). If you haven't had the opportunity to see "Doctor Who" and you are someone who understands British humor and doesn't mind a little sci-fi, you should definitely join the cult following of "Doctor Who."

Day Two-Kayla

31 Day Photo Challenge-Day 2

A picture of you and the person you have been closest with the longest

We're only 2 minutes apart in age and we've shared nearly 20 years of friendship (That's 7,240 days or 10,512,000 minutes!). Kayla has been my best friend since preschool, we've spent almost every birthday together, and we have shared a lot of memories. I think she definitely qualifes for the person who I've been closest with the longest!

31 Day Photo Challenge-Day One-Me!

31 Day Photo Challenge-Day 1

A photo of you with ten facts about yourself.

1. I am 5 foot nothing

2. I have my own photography business

3. I've torn my ACL and miniscus

4. I went to the National History Fair in Washington D.C. when I was in 7th grade

5. My middle name is Nichelle

6. I wish I had red hair

7. I golf

8. I was in gymnastics for most of my young life

9. My favorite season is Autumn

10. I have Scottish heritage



Spring!

Whether you celebrate Easter or just Spring, what a beautiful day! The sun was shining and there wasn't a drop of rain. I am so so glad spring is finally here!

Wedding Gift in an Envelope

I am the type of person who likes to put a lot of thought and care into gift giving but when the situation calls for no gifts . . . I usually run into a problem. I recently was invited to a wedding where guests were asked not to bring gifts because the bride and groom would be moving and did not want to "lug" a large amount of gifts to their new home. I was being forced out of my comfort zone, what do I get someone who does not want a gift? Money, a gift card? Boring!

Just giving cash or a gift card does not let the recipient know that you put extra time and effort into their gift. When you give a gift that shows meaning, thought, and makes the recipient remember your efforts, you have succeeded! So how was I supposed to make cash and a gift card meaningful? Just add some flair!

I wanted to give the bride and groom some cash they could spend on their honeymoon to Hawaii and instead of slipping some dallar bills into a card, I "dressed" up some currency. I found origami tutorials online and spent some time folding three dollar bills into a Hawaiin shirt, a dress, and a suitcase--all very "suiting" for a beach get-a-way!

Next, I created a boarding pass folder and added some tropical scrapbook cut-outs as well as a cute saying--"Cash, to get you through the honeymoon . . ."

I slipped the money origami into the boarding pass and had a creative way to give a cash gift!

I also wanted to send the bride and groom off with something to help set-up their home. I took the classic route and bought a gift card to Sears but added a ribbon and a gift-tag.

To complete the wedding gift in an envelope, I created a hand-made card (it just didn't seem right to hand-make everything and ultimately stick it in a store bought card).

The card was nothing too special but I hope it will stand out from the rest of the cards the bride and groom will open. The most difficult part of designing the card was coming up with a quote or saying to include inside. When it came down to it, the only quote I loved was from a line in the movie "Moulin Rouge."

"The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return."

And finally, some snapshots from the beautiful wedding!