So, without further ado, here is a sampling of our weekend.
Note: All photos seen here were taking by La Femme Rioux.
Tuesday, 29 November 2011
Portrait Practice
Oh poor blog, I have been neglecting you. Time goes by so quickly. C'est la vie n'est-ce pas? We spent a great weekend with my husband's family, and my wonderful sister-in-law (whose talents will be the subject of a future blog!) and I did a practice photo shoot. I just got some new lighting equipment, and I'm just learning how to use it, so it was great fun. Thanks to the patient couple who were our subjects!! And thanks to our husbands, too, who let us keep them up late. :) I was especially anxious to figure out some good lighting techniques because we have a real photo shoot next weekend for friends of ours who have two little girls and one itty bitty baby boy, and I want to make sure we make some good memories for them! I'm learning lighting is quite an art, and I have sooo much to learn. I just have to be patient and try try again.
So, without further ado, here is a sampling of our weekend.
Note: All photos seen here were taking by La Femme Rioux.
So, without further ado, here is a sampling of our weekend.
Note: All photos seen here were taking by La Femme Rioux.
Tuesday, 22 November 2011
Saturday, 19 November 2011
Wednesday, 16 November 2011
Una Vida Lejana
When I was 18, newly freed from academic constraints, my heart was full of romance, and my head full of...romance, in the purest sense of the word..and I longed for an adventure. I thought I was Queen of the universe, and I could take on anything! I was 18 after all, practically an expert on living. So, I began planning, with my best friend, to move to a country of spanish romance, the Dominican Republic. To this day, especially now that I have a daughter and am anticipating watching her grow up, I have absolutely no idea why my parents supported this. But they did, and they even flew down there with us to help us set up house and meet with our third roommate, who, thankfully, had some experience there already. I went looking for adventure and adventure I found. And, I fell madly inlove with a culture, a people, who were so hospitable despite extreme poverty. Warm and caring, accepting me into their families. And yes, romantic. Much to my parents chagrin. But that's another story...
At the end of my six months there I was heartbroken, and immediately wanted to go back. I thought of it literally every day. Well, I did go back...7 years later, with my husband. Better late than never. Now it was his turn to experience the Dominican way. Our plan was to stay for at least two years, and we sold everything. When we arrived, he saw what most people see when they arrive...the millions of cars crammed together with doors held on sometimes just by the Propriedor who's pulling passengers into the guagua. He heard the loud merengue and bachata coming from massive subwoofers strapped to Kcars and Land Rovers alike. He saw the garbage littered on the sides of the roads. He saw the crystal blue waters as we drove the highway to our new home. The chickens everywhere. Children playing everywhere. People selling fruit and vegetables on small roadside stands. It wasn't an easy adjustment, for either of us. I had changed. I hadn't realized how attached I'd become to all things familiar and comfortable. And this was completely new for B. But among all his wonderful qualities, his ability to push on even though he's uncomfortable is one I admire the most. Me...I get frustrated and then I get mad, and then I cry, and, well, it's a mess. But him, he's very good at hiding how difficult he finds something till it's all over and he's nailed it and everyone thinks it's been so easy for him. We got into a groove after awhile, though, and I think we would have made a really cozy life for ourselves there if we had had more time. They always say that the first year is the hardest, and we found it to be true, at least, for the five months we were there. Because then we found out we were pregnant, and came home within two weeks. :) But oh, do we have some fun stories.
Most people, when they think of Dominican, they think resorts, sandy beaches, and cheap rum. But that's only a small part of a small part. The real essence is in the people and in the unadulterated countryside. And they will always be a huge part of what moulded me in my tenderest years, and I will always love them for it.
Here's my Dominican...
Note: Almost all photos taken by La Femme Rioux and B, with the exception of the photo of family sitting in a circle outside with us (taken by a friend), and the last photo of B. and I(taken by a friend).
At the end of my six months there I was heartbroken, and immediately wanted to go back. I thought of it literally every day. Well, I did go back...7 years later, with my husband. Better late than never. Now it was his turn to experience the Dominican way. Our plan was to stay for at least two years, and we sold everything. When we arrived, he saw what most people see when they arrive...the millions of cars crammed together with doors held on sometimes just by the Propriedor who's pulling passengers into the guagua. He heard the loud merengue and bachata coming from massive subwoofers strapped to Kcars and Land Rovers alike. He saw the garbage littered on the sides of the roads. He saw the crystal blue waters as we drove the highway to our new home. The chickens everywhere. Children playing everywhere. People selling fruit and vegetables on small roadside stands. It wasn't an easy adjustment, for either of us. I had changed. I hadn't realized how attached I'd become to all things familiar and comfortable. And this was completely new for B. But among all his wonderful qualities, his ability to push on even though he's uncomfortable is one I admire the most. Me...I get frustrated and then I get mad, and then I cry, and, well, it's a mess. But him, he's very good at hiding how difficult he finds something till it's all over and he's nailed it and everyone thinks it's been so easy for him. We got into a groove after awhile, though, and I think we would have made a really cozy life for ourselves there if we had had more time. They always say that the first year is the hardest, and we found it to be true, at least, for the five months we were there. Because then we found out we were pregnant, and came home within two weeks. :) But oh, do we have some fun stories.
Most people, when they think of Dominican, they think resorts, sandy beaches, and cheap rum. But that's only a small part of a small part. The real essence is in the people and in the unadulterated countryside. And they will always be a huge part of what moulded me in my tenderest years, and I will always love them for it.
Here's my Dominican...
Note: Almost all photos taken by La Femme Rioux and B, with the exception of the photo of family sitting in a circle outside with us (taken by a friend), and the last photo of B. and I(taken by a friend).
Sunday, 13 November 2011
The Force Behind the Nature
As I sit here in my dimly lit livingroom, it's taking me a little while to compose my thoughts. So many things are whirling around my head, like what happened this weekend, or the things I should do tomorrow, or the infernal rattling sound coming from somewhere in this room. It takes me awhile to think about something other than things I need to think about. Give me a few minutes, though, and thoughts generally start to file together. It's so funny, you know, when I was 16 the words were practically spilling off the pages of my journal. Now it takes me a little longer. I guess when you're 16 drama comes a little more freely. Now, when I have a few moments to breathe, and I'm not trying to stuff in a sorely needed workout into my day, it's harder to find something to say to an anonymous audience. But I guess that's the point, if you don't use it, you lose it. So maybe the more I write, the more there will be to say.
As I mentioned in my first blog, I aspire to be a photographer. I'm a photographer wannabe. I'm trying, I'm reading the articles, I'm getting some of the equipment. I don't have the really ooh-la-la camera yet, but let's face it, I don't even know all the functions of my current camera, so I don't think I'm ready for the DSLR just yet. And neither is my bank account. What draws me to photography is not just plain old snapshots, although they make great memories, but being able to capture something special. Something unique. I think that's why I love taking pictures of people. People are always unique! There's the challenge of trying to capture how they feel, what they're thinking, who they are..the stuff they think they're hiding and yet inadvertantly let peek out when they think no one is looking. Like that extra goofy laugh. Or "that look" that is cast from the lovestruck eyes of newlyweds. Or the quiet knowing pride of parents with their children. And yet not make them feel like their posing. To me, an overly orchestrated pose is too cold, too mechanical. It says "cheese! this is my plastic face with a distorted and uncomfortable smile that is about to fall off. Oh and these are the perfectly groomed children I rented" Granted, I myself do not have extensive experience in this field, in fact I'm about one level above "Digital photography for Dummies". But I do know that the photographers I admire the most, have the ability to freeze-frame a totally candid situation and transform it into a beautiful work of art. That is my goal. My aspiration.
Which leads me to this...my total lack of confidence that I can ever dream of achieving that. And I probably would have given up even before I started if it wasn't for one person. The person that always believes I can do anything I set my mind to. The one who is willing to set aside his own pursuits to help me pursue my desires. The one who would spend whatever it took to get me started in whatever it is I wanted to do (although I would never let him). The one who works so hard every day for our family and never quits. My provider, my protector, my best and most honest critic, my truest friend and love for all eternity...my husband. Without him gently pushing me, I doubt I would even try. It is his confidence in me that motivates me, not my own. It's his realism and balance that keeps me from taking things too far. You know, from practically the moment we met, 10 1/2 years ago, he loved to challenge me. He would look at me with a spark in his eye and almost dare me to try something I was petrified of. I was only 19 when we met, and he was 21. He changed my life forever. And that's no cliché.
So, honey, this blog's for you. ;)
As I mentioned in my first blog, I aspire to be a photographer. I'm a photographer wannabe. I'm trying, I'm reading the articles, I'm getting some of the equipment. I don't have the really ooh-la-la camera yet, but let's face it, I don't even know all the functions of my current camera, so I don't think I'm ready for the DSLR just yet. And neither is my bank account. What draws me to photography is not just plain old snapshots, although they make great memories, but being able to capture something special. Something unique. I think that's why I love taking pictures of people. People are always unique! There's the challenge of trying to capture how they feel, what they're thinking, who they are..the stuff they think they're hiding and yet inadvertantly let peek out when they think no one is looking. Like that extra goofy laugh. Or "that look" that is cast from the lovestruck eyes of newlyweds. Or the quiet knowing pride of parents with their children. And yet not make them feel like their posing. To me, an overly orchestrated pose is too cold, too mechanical. It says "cheese! this is my plastic face with a distorted and uncomfortable smile that is about to fall off. Oh and these are the perfectly groomed children I rented" Granted, I myself do not have extensive experience in this field, in fact I'm about one level above "Digital photography for Dummies". But I do know that the photographers I admire the most, have the ability to freeze-frame a totally candid situation and transform it into a beautiful work of art. That is my goal. My aspiration.
Which leads me to this...my total lack of confidence that I can ever dream of achieving that. And I probably would have given up even before I started if it wasn't for one person. The person that always believes I can do anything I set my mind to. The one who is willing to set aside his own pursuits to help me pursue my desires. The one who would spend whatever it took to get me started in whatever it is I wanted to do (although I would never let him). The one who works so hard every day for our family and never quits. My provider, my protector, my best and most honest critic, my truest friend and love for all eternity...my husband. Without him gently pushing me, I doubt I would even try. It is his confidence in me that motivates me, not my own. It's his realism and balance that keeps me from taking things too far. You know, from practically the moment we met, 10 1/2 years ago, he loved to challenge me. He would look at me with a spark in his eye and almost dare me to try something I was petrified of. I was only 19 when we met, and he was 21. He changed my life forever. And that's no cliché.
So, honey, this blog's for you. ;)
Wednesday, 9 November 2011
The Adventure Begins
My goal in starting this blog is to get back to being me, not just as a mommy and wife, (although I adore being both), but just plain old me. Sometimes that can get lost, can't it? Sometimes you get so busy making sandwiches and doing laundry that you forget you once had interests other than the best brand of detergent. Of course, the day to day stuff is often good for a laugh, which is very important in maintaining your sanity!
My new passion is photography, and someday I hope to make a living at it. Until then, I will share with you my works in progress, and showcase talents of others who perhaps lack the confidence to showcase them themselves. I'd also like to show you this little town I live in, that has been all but forgotten by the rest of the world.
Well I think that's it for now. There's a little girl who wants to play. :) Thanks for reading!
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