Ghost Shoot

When you are married to a guy like Eric you learn to expect the unexpected. Weird projects and opportunities often fall into his lap and sometimes I am included in the adventure.

Last week Eric was asked to do a photo shoot for the upcoming Ghost Tours that our town does this time of year, a way to get people to check out some of our amazing historic sites and homes. I was asked to be the ghostly model. We agreed.

When the night of the shoot came we realized we'd forgotten to arrange for a sitter, and my parents were busy, so we brought the girls along. When we arrived at the Bishop House I was given some period clothes that were a bit too big and some period shoes that were small (I have giant feet, for real), but we made it work. I put on a veiled hat. Eric and the others set up moody lighting and a few different shots.


Eric at the shoot

Since Eric and I have been working together for so many years we have it down. The photo shoot took almost no time at all and the end results were great!


Here I am at the shoot, please note that this is not the ghostly shot, just a standing around shot.


While I can't show you my finished images yet I can show you Cordelia's. She wanted to be made to look spooky too so Eric was happy to oblige her.

Budding Photographer

For Cordelia's birthday we got her a kid sized digital camera. We knew it was kind of a roll of the dice; she would love it or be totally indifferent to the gift. Thankfully she is really into it!


Photo by Eric


Photo by Cordelia

A quick lesson from her daddy and she has been taking pictures every day!



 
Photo by Eric 


Leaves. Photo by Cordelia

I am most excited to get a little bit of her perspective: how she sees her world, what is important to her, what she wants to capture. She seems focused on her family, toys, nature, and the kitchen floor. Here are a few more pictures that she has taken:


Picture of Elise. Photo by Cordelia


Picture of me, painting. Photo by Cordelia


Of course she has also had to take many, many, many photos of her toys

Slower Pace

The holidays always bring with them a slower pace, at least for us, although I did hear that there was a near stampede at the local Target yesterday as bargain hunters tried to grab the 50% off Christmas deals. We, thankfully, have managed to avoid any stampeding in our house, unless you count Bumblebee stampeding to grab food that Cordelia has dropped on the floor. Recovering from a minor outbreak of the common cold and the free schedule have really left us to savor the small moments in a day, even more than usual.









We have had coffee, cookies, naps, snuggles. We've been reading and creating. Talking to friends and family. I am really looking forward to the new year, but mostly I am just filled with gratitude for this time in my life.


How have you been enjoying the holidays?

Scenes From Lately

I have several odds and ends photos that haven't made their way into a blog yet. I am constantly taking photos and often thinking blogging thoughts as I do. These are a few photos that have been taken recently, but didn't make it into a blog all their own. Today is their moment to shine.

Napping Bumblebee

Bumblebee finds the weirdest places to snooze. Sometimes she'll wedge herself between the computer cabinet and the couch, other times she'll spread out across the center of the floor on her back with her toes pointed. Recently she decided that she would stick her head under the credenza. She had been eyeballing me as I was cooking dinner. I am not sure why because I [almost] never give her food whilst I am cooking.

Spring Storm

This is a photo from one of our recent spring snowstorms. I was inside, warm and cozy, looking out as the wind was blowing sideways. I love how blue it was outside. Just beautiful.

Ophelia in a Box

What is a move without Ophelia stealing a box? She loves to sleep in boxes. It's kind of her thing. She will go bolting through the house, making Bumblebee whine nervously, and then dive into her box. If you begin to wonder just which box she has laid claim to you need only take a look at the thick layer of cat hair in the bottom.

After Spring Storm

Finally, here is a photo from just after another recent spring storm. Our spring storm trend is one day of mild to moderate blizzarding followed by 50+ degree weather. This photo was taken on a warm day after the storm. The snow had yet to melt, but the shadow of this tree, thick with buds, looked so beautiful creeping across the white ground that I had to get a photo.

Sweeter than Sugar

Yesterday he arrived in the mail. Eric and I had been obsessively awaiting the arrival of Charlemagne. No, not the King of the Franks, Charlemagne is our handsome new camera. We have been struggling to make due with a point and shoot camera for the past year. My parents gifted us with a beautiful new camera for Christmas (thanks Mom and Dad).

Photo of Bumblebee taken with the old camera

Some of you may not be aware of the difference a good camera can make, so let me give you a little taste. Our old camera took the photo above. You can see it is a photo of Bumblebee in low light. Kind of fuzzy, definitely a poor quality photo!

Photo of Bumblebee taken with the new camera

Now, take a look at this photo (above). I took this photo in exactly the same light just a moment later. Can you believe that? I am beyond thrilled!

Ophelia

So, Eric and I did what comes naturally to us, we went overboard. We took photos all night. We ended up with 104 photos this morning.

Mia

Look at this photo of Mia! Also, please note how tiny her chin is. Eric and I find it very charming.


We didn't only take photos of our animals. We are also working on new art with our camera, but we spent most of our time just getting to know Charlemagne and test his limits.

Lest you think I am abandoning my old camera, Trixie, please know that she will be with me. I carry around a camera at all times. So, my tiny point and shoot will be the on-the-go camera.

Vintage Photos

Have you ever been to an antique store and taken a moment to browse through the old photos? Usually they are all stacked in a box with little to identify them beyond the people in the photograph. My husband, Eric, has taken it upon himself to rescue some of these lost photos . They usually cost no more than a few dollars, but for him they are so valuable. They are about the person, but also the artist/photographer involved. I love that about Eric, he will search and search and then fall in love with the detail or some other little secret within the photograph.

Above is one of his many rescued photos. A young dancer. The photograph has been hand tinted, meaning the artist took the time to color the photo and really create a beautiful and delicate mood, which probably reflects something about the girl herself.

The photo above is of a somewhat stern looking woman. What you can't tell from the scan is that the photo is actually printed on glass. When Eric realized that I was going to use this photo in a post he had to pull it out and show me the whole production. The glass photo is in a small velvet lined case. The velvet has a pressed floral motif. The image has been hand colored, notice her rosy cheeks and the flower. Her golden jewelry has been painted in as well. I can just imagine her special someone carrying around the photo in his pocket. For some reason I imagine him riding in a train, pulling out the photo, sighing and gazing out the window onto a winter landscape...but I am always inventing scenarios like that.


The photo(s) above is actually from a stereoscope (click here if you don't know what a stereoscope is). Eric is in love with the detailed background. Doesn't it look like it is from the artists studio?

Finally, we have this photo of a little girl holding a large bouquet of flowers. She looks a little uncertain about the whole thing. I wonder what she went on to do in her life, what kind of a person she was. Did she have children? Was she a happy person?

Anyway, my husband is amazing for rescuing these little treasures. He seems to feel obligated to appreciate them and preserve them. He also has photos of guys, but those weren't nearly as personal as the ladies.