Sand Dunes and a Ghost Town • NV post 3/3

Here we are, on post 3/3. I saved the best for last. Just kidding - when I was planning out the order of these posts, I realized I could say that “I saved the best for last” about any of them!

Nevada Series #1 • Nevada Series #2

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This was a truly magical day, the type of day (my) dreams are made of. On December 28th, some of my siblings, my husband and I woke up while it was still dark and hopped in the car to drive about 2 hours away to these massive sand dunes, followed by the ghost town of Rhyolite and the Goldwell Open Air Museum.

We pulled up to the sand dunes as the sky was just starting to light around the edges. After a short delay (with the van [that I definitely wasn’t driving…] getting stuck in some sand….) we parked and were headed off toward the dunes. By this point, the moon was still visible but the mountains in the distance were the most beautiful pink.

I absolutely love how drastically the lighting changes as the sun rises and sets.

My husband posed me and took the photo on the left - he has completed his “Instagram Husband” training ;)

My brother looking like a young Clint Eastwood

A couple of cell phone pics :)

While I was researching the location, several internet comments suggested getting to the dunes early to avoid the ATV crowds. I was dreading the prospect of an early morning wake-up, but it was well worth it.

After we climbed the sand dunes we headed north to Rhyolite, which has a very interesting history. It was a short-lived town but grew to a massive size during its brief life. Check this website for more info and for interesting pictures of Rhyolite in its heyday.

Looking at Rhyolite Main Street from the west

Rhyolite Jail

Rhyolite Bank

Rhyolite from a mountainside (cell phone picture)

Being in desolate places like these really does something in my heart. It makes me feel so so small but also so incredibly alive at the same time. These wide open spaces are just one of the things that I love best about the American West, and one of the reasons that I will continue to travel back any chance that I get.

‘Til next time, Nevada.

A Quick Before/After - Home Style!

Hello friends!

It’s been only a month-and-a-half since my last post - a new record in consistent posting!

I’ve been busy lately, but not with photo sessions. 2 weeks ago, my husband and I bought a new house! So today I’m bringing you a short before and after of my kids’ rooms in our new home, since they are the rooms that we focused on painting first.

So this post isn’t technically photography related, but I myself LOVE a good before & after and thought I would share for others who like them as well!

The rooms aren’t completely styled yet, as I have some furniture to refinish and more things to hang on the walls. Without further ado:

Before move in / process photo

G’s room - photos taken during different times of day. In the early morning her room just GLOWS with peachy/golden light.

It’s probably my favorite room in the house so far!

For both kid’s rooms I wanted to do a fun accent with paint. For G’s room I lightly marked the corners and the highest point of each scallop, but I painted them freehand. Same with T’s yellow below. I wanted the accents to have a whimsical feel, and I think that if I had taped and stenciled, the lines would have been too sharp and stuffy.

Before (Listing photo) - these walls took so. much. paint.

Progress! I wanted a very happy/sunny room and I think I achieved that.

T’s room - western/desert themed

On a philosophical note, why do so many people love before & afters? What makes them so satisfying to our inner psyche? I think for a lot of them, no matter what type they are (appearance, home, clothing, furniture, etc) they show that things CAN be changed, oftentimes even easier then we think. It is interesting to see how what you have can be made totally brand new. Please let me know your thoughts on this topic! I’ve been thinking about it a lot the past weeks as we have been working on our home. Join the conversation below!

Best of 2019

Well, here we are again. Not only at the end of a year, but at the end of a decade. It is also time for one of my favorite types of blog posts, “Best Photographs of 2019”! These are my own personal favorite photos that I took during the year.

In May I photographed my sister Katie’s wedding in Colorado. I don’t usually shoot weddings, but doing Katie and Jesse’s intimate family-only wedding has made me consider adding elopements and intimate weddings to my offerings. Look forward to a full blog post from this wedding sometime in the new year!

Also in May, I took some prom pictures for the classy Malorie.

Summer was the time for lush outdoor family sessions.

Winter has seen new babies arriving into the world - I’ll also be blogging about this sweet baby sometime next month.

A few more favorites from the year:

Unfortunately, 2019 was not a big year for personal projects.

Besides taking pictures of my siblings and working at a photography studio in the mall (oh boooy), shooting self-portraits was how I learned about photography. I really got to work on lighting, posing, creative ideas, and photo editing. I basically lived in my bedroom, listening to music and scrolling Flickr for inspiration. I don’t have nearly the same amount of free time as I did in my high school/college days, but I still plan to make time in 2020 to make some concepts a reality.