She's a Dancer

And a very beautiful dancer at that.

Camille Cecelia, Portraits

"'People always think that happiness is a faraway thing,' thought Frances, 'something complicated and hard to get.  Yet, what little things can make it up; a place of shelter when it rains- a cup of strong hot coffee when you're blue; for a man, a cigarette for contentment; a book to read when you're alone- just to be with someone you love.  Those things make happiness.'" A Tree Grows in Brooklynn.

(I have a really pretty sister.)

Camille

i.  Here are some shots I've taken the past few days of my mini me, Camille.  From a night of wearing fox ears and shivering while looking at Christmas lights, sitting on my desk, and taking pictures in the cold whilst waiting for our brother to get his hair cut.

ii.  It's interesting to try to manual focus every single picture because right now I have my dad's AF lens on a AF-S compatible camera.  It's difficult to focus farther away, but I like the challenge for now, until I can get my own lens.

iii.  Finally printed out all my pages of college apps, and have them all labeled in separate manila folders, all crisp on my desk.  I've got a lot of filling out my name and info to do, and essays to finish writing, but it's not as hectic now.

iv.  Dancing every night for several hours, in preparation for my last Nutcracker.  I've got four parts, and my sisters have a couple each too.  I'm very nervous, as I've got new shoes, which I hate, and it's not as perfect as I want yet, but I'm so happy to dance it all.

This is life, and it is good.

lil.

Memories

This is my last post from the pile of pictures on my desktop that are leftover from summer adventures.  I miss the lake, and the hammock and reading and falling asleep on the dock.  This mini shoot with my little sister was really fun.  I feel like I am beginning to grow as a photographer and I like that.  There are many of these pictures that I'll probably look back on and laugh, maybe glad that I've grown since then.  But for now, a couple of these make me smile.  I'm proud of some of the things I've done with a camera.

I really enjoy taking pictures.  Emily is a lovely little goof and I love her a lot.  She loves getting her picture taken, which is fun for me.  I was feeling very snap happy that afternoon, I asked emily if she had anything white because I had these colors in mind, she changed and we snapped away.  Sometimes she would get this funny little grimace on her face, so I would tell her to relax her face and *mime* blargablargablaa- shake her head back and forth so her cheeks made silly sounds.  She would do it, and laugh and flip her hair and it was funny to see.

The process of taking pictures and capturing moments is nice.  I like remembering that day, and how she suggested different things, and how her face lit up with the stories she told me.

I honestly have no idea what to tell people when they ask me what exactly I want to "do" with my life, I've been saying something with graphic design and photography, but I really don't know exactly.  I want to be able to capture moments and laughter and happiness and real emotion.  But I'm not sure where exactly I'm going.  It's kind of scary trying to find direction right at this moment.

I'm a senior and I feel like I need to make a lot of decisions right now about what will happen in my life.

But all I know is that I like people.  And I like pictures.  And I like memories.

Also, I like writing.  So I'll see where it takes me, but for now, I need to cherish more the time I have here.  and now.

lillian rachel