Brunch at Indaco

I recently went to brunch at Indaco, with the always lovely Andrea from Charleston Shop Curator, and her adorable family for a special feature on her blog. To say that the food was tremendous would be an understatement. To say that we ate like kings for a day would be more than a grand understatement as well. It was, without a doubt, one of the best meals I have had in a while.

Charleston is brimming with restaurant options these days, so brunch can be a hard choice in a city filled with delicious options. But this gem did not disappoint in any way. Not only were we seated immediately, but the service was perfectly timed. And the food....AAAGGGHHH!!! The FOOD! So good! We powered through Patatas Bravas (the best thing we ate), Milk and Honey (perhaps the best ricotta I have ever tasted), Breakfast Pizza (eggs on pizza for the WIN), Nutella Pizza, the Chorizo dish and Eggs Al Forno (I die), washed down with a slow gin fizz and a bloody mary (spicy and delicious). Not a bad way to end the weekend.

If you are in Charleston, don't walk... RUN to this brunch. The food was incredible, and the staff could not have been more accommodating to our eccentric group of diners - not to mention me snapping photos of every dish that came out. It couldn't have been a better experience.

Indaco is on Upper King Street and is open for brunch on Sundays.

Patatas Bravas

One of my favorite adventures to date. A fashion/food shoot with my favorite fashionista - Charleston Shop Curator and Indaco Restaurant in Charleston. I can't wait to share the rest of this delicious bounty. But for now, you can feast on these Patatas Bravas from Sunday brunch....highly recommend!

Happy New Year

Step by step. Mile by mile. We will find our way... together.

Looking forward to a Happy New Year.

A Collection of My Favorites, 2015 - Commercial Work Edition

Bad Bitches, Body Image Campaign

Ashley Hall School, spring magazine shoot

Beth, Founder of Bendy Brewski

City Paper, Hurling article

Workbench, City Paper Article

Charleston Shop Curator, blog shoot

Charleston Shop Curator, Scout Guide

Bad Bitches, Body Image Campaign

The Farmer & The Chef, promotional portrait

Benji, portrait for Charleston City Paper

Above is by far some of my favorite work from 2015. There were a few times over the course of this year I literally wanted to pinch myself when I realized more than once I was doing exactly what it was I set out to do originally.

Next year I can only hope to further this endeavor I set out on years ago, camera in hand, hopes as high as the mountains. I can hardly wait to see what 2016 brings!

Special thanks to all those who believe in me, support me, and encourage me every step of the way. I love this job of mine.

The Bad Bitches

I recently got a phone call from an amazing group of women here in town called the Bad Bitches. This all-female organization is tied together by their love of all things food. Not only are they hosting exciting and highly sought-after pop-up events around the city, but 100% of their ticket sales go to women in need of assistance to establish themselves in the culinary field. So it's food + feel good! Two of my very favorite things!

As they started on their mission this past year to host events around the city and through all their interviews and discussions, conversations began to pop up that never seemed to get asked of their male counterparts. Questions like "How do you keep your figure?" "Do you eat everything you make?" or "Do you ever feel guilty about eating so much?" began creeping into the conversation. So they decided to answer these questions with an EPIC social media campaign on Instagram: Bad Bitches Talk Body.

When I got the email asking if I'd be interested in supporting them on this storytelling mission, I almost jumped into my car to hug founder of Bad Bitched founder, Sarah Adams, immediately. It was like everything I had ever wanted, worked for, loved and desired came into focus all of a sudden. All the things I love and people I admire were coming together to talk about something near and dear to my heart - body image.

We photographed and interviewed 17 women in one day. Seventeen. All of them came and brought something to the table that was uniquely them and unique to their story about body image. Some of them had struggles. Some of them kicked worry to the curb. But the one thing they share - they are all beautiful in all the ways they should be. Every one of them.

Each story is as uniquely inspiring as each of these women, stripped bare and speaking of the issues they face as women in the food industry. They are all interesting. They are all worth reading. Mostly though, they are all worth getting to know.

"People who love to eat are always the best people!" -Julia Child
 

Give Thanks. Show Gratitude.

This is the season of gratitude. It's a celebration of all the things we have in our lives to be grateful for - big and small, bad and good, easy and difficult. 

As much as I try to show and celebrate thankfulness and gratitude every day, I count Thanksgiving week as the reset on this essential part of living a whole and fulfilling life. It's a good time to sit back and reflect on all the things that have happened, regardless of their nature - both bad and good, happy and sad. It's like an emotional hip-check on thankfulness and a gentle reminder that things we have to be grateful for come in all different shapes and sizes.

This sweet pause this week is something I don't take for granted as we swiftly slide into the season of abundance and love. I think Thanksgiving fits nicely with the the coming Holidays, becoming a reminder to not give without love or receive without gratitude.

So today I give thanks, for all the things in my life - the lessons, the life and the love. I am thankful for family and friends, the work I get to do, and the life I get to live. It's all part of what makes me who I am and all part of what has put me on the path to what I want to do with this one sweet life.

And to all of you who support, love and motivate me in all parts of my life...Thank you. I am forever grateful.

Happy Thanksgiving!

The support of the crowd

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Acrobatics at the Charleston Parks Conservancy's Party for the Parks.

If you really think about it, life is a lot like a series of strung together circus acts. Juggling, twirling, death-defying and the center ring are all parts of everyday life. The only thing missing is the cheering, gasping crowd. After I perform acts of life-changing kindness or jaw-dropping stunts in my life, I think the support of a crowd, cheering behind me would be enough to motivate me to move on to the next impossible act.

Hands full

A handful of shells.

There are moments that I feel like my hands and life are full. So full, that I stop to appreciate all the little nuances I have picked up along the way. All I am concerned about are the other things I still have coming my way that I have to hold precariously in the pile that I struggle to fit in my hands already. What if I drop something? What if I forget something? How will I manage it all?

But I believe if you pay attention, you quickly come to find while sorting through that excessive handful of items that there are certain things that are junk and others that are valuable and worth holding on to for a while - if for nothing more than the experience of it all. Maybe what you are holding is teaching you a lesson. Maybe it's there to show you a different way of seeing something. Whatever the reason, there are lessons in all the nuances and things - large and small.

Look closely next time your hands are full. What can you drop – a relationship or a task? What will you have room for – a new experience or some free time? There is almost always something you can let go of. And there is always something you can learn from.

Breaking down

There is a remarkable beauty in the breaking down.

Rising Waters

iPhone photo. Taken during one of the biggest rain storms I have ever seen in Charleston.

I am under water. Flooded out. Sinking into the rising waters that are slowly inching their way up around me.

Some days, I feel like I have been here forever - ankle deep in rising waters. I never noticed it before. The waters rise so slowly sometimes, you just get used to wading around in them. Other times, the rains come in fast - like a hurricane leaving you with nothing to cling to except the overwhelming notion that you are here and the only choices are to sink or swim.

Sink or swim. Sink or swim. Sink or swim.

This is the soundtrack in my head right now. But I am not sure how to get to dry land. I only know how to swim. I don't know which direction to go. And I can't possibly carry this load with me. Something has to give. Some things have to go. Survival mode doesn't let you carry dead weight. It only lets you save yourself.

Thankfully, I am a strong swimmer. And prepared for the long haul ahead.

The lesson of the mandala

Nature mandala by Faith Evans Sills for the Cooper School. Photo by me.

Sometimes in life, we need to be reminded of things.

We need to be reminded on occasion that we are not the center of it all.

We need to be reminded that we are a piece in a whole fragile, precious balance and most of the time that is out of our power. It resides in the power of the universe.

Some days we need to know that this world and universe has bigger plans for us than this day... this hour... this minute.

And we need to remember that we are complete and whole in our imperfect selves.

Mostly, we need to remember that life is meant to be ever changing. Don't cling to hard on the things you have or the possessions you hold with such truth. Because tomorrow, they will be gone. Blown away with the wind. Taken out with the tides of life that change in every moment.

There are no accidents. Lean into the beauty and the hardships. Lean into the joy and the pain. It is all part of one big lesson that we are simply here to learn from and add to the collection of the image of our lives.
 

Puzzles and life

An iPhone photo of the worlds most impossible puzzle.

Those that know me know that I am a huge fan of puzzles. I enjoy the challenge of a big puzzle and the gratification of the seeing all the pieces come together in harmony to create the final picture.

One thing I have learned from puzzling is that sometimes you just have to leave a parts of a puzzle alone - walk away from it. Or work on a different corner while scouring those pieces for the solution. They are always there, but often you aren't seeing them as they need to be seen. You need a different perspective. Its only after that shift - that moment away - that the picture takes shape, coming into focus, fitting the image you wanted to create in the first place.

If you think about it, that's a lot like life. Often, we force pieces that don't belong in next to each other, searching for answers in places they really aren't. All the while, all it is we need is a little rest, perspective and change of view. Or perhaps some time to work on a different corner of our world in order for it all to come together how it's supposed to.

Just remember, its the middle part that is always the hardest.

Soggy

Looking forward to drying out after these past few days. My yard is still under water and doesn't look great, but we are much better off than most folks in this city and state. My heart aches for those in Columbia. There is some serious flooding there. People are in real crisis all over the state.

This storm has reminded me of the fragile balance of life. We are at the mercy of so many things that even in the most solid circumstances, life as we know it could be ripped from our reality to something much worse.

I was lucky this time. Really lucky. And that's not something I take for granted. But at the same time, I am certain that things could change drastically for me somewhere else at any given moment. War. Financial ruin. Death. Natural Disaster. These are all things that can change the course of our lives in an instant. And no amount of planning, money or control can stop it.

So today, I move forward humbly with grace, gratitude and hope for some sunnier days ahead. For all of us.

The tides of change

A Full moon high tide at Shem Creek. Taken with my iPhone 6.

There are things I know for certain.

One of the things I know is that change will come, regardless of whether I want it to or not. And no matter how predictable that change, it still can catch me a little off guard. I know the seasons change, but when that happens is never determined perfectly on a calendar or clock. I know, too, that the tides will come and go, but the size of those tides is sometimes a little unpredictable and leaves behind flood waters so deep, I am not quite sure how to navigate them.

I find the best way to get through change - whether wanted or not - is be fluid. Change always seems to happen on its own terms. When I am anticipating it and wishing for it, it takes it's time getting to me. And when I begrudge it, it seems to happen more swiftly than I would have hoped for, ignorant to my pleas of mercy.

I find that the more I fight change, the less energy I have for the important things - like puzzles and beach walks and sunset chats. So now when change comes my way, I just try take a deep breath and close my eyes and remember - This, too, shall pass.

I have been here before...standing in these flood waters. So now, when the change comes again, I will be more prepared to breathe into those heavy currents.

Getting lost in the Books.

"Anyone who said they have only one life to live must not know how to read a book." -Unknown

I could wander aimlessly around old bookstores and libraries. The musty smells, the lofty dreams, the vast knowledge. They are all reason for me to take to meandering through the aisles and getting lost between pages for hours on end, never to pick my head up out of the possibility of life.. 

The Farmer and the Chef

The Farmer and the Chef - aka Jim & David - are 2 of my favorite people on this earth. Not only are they some of the best humans, but they deal with 2 of my most favorite things on this earth: farming and food. They are at both amazing at what they do - no detail is ever overlooked. The care and artistry of their individual crafts always yields some incredible magic.

I can't wait to see the next part of this duo unfold - right before my very eyes! In the meantime, I will just keep yielding the fruits of their labor. Literally.

This is depression.

I recently got to shoot some very special portraits for a music feature in the Charleston City Paper on local comeback musician, Benji Lee. The weird part, however, was the shoot and the article really weren't focused at all on his music, his drumming, or even his comeback to the local music scene. The article focused acutely and specifically on his depression.

In my all-too-short time with Benji, we were on a fast track to get to know each other (shooting editorial will do that to you). I don't think there would have been any other way for either of us, though. We became immediate friends. I picked Benji up north on the peninsula of Charleston and we took as short drive to some old, rusty storage shed for the horse drawn carriages near the waterfront. I needed a spot that was a little imperfect. Not the "South of Broad" facade my typical clients request. I needed something real and honest and gritty. I needed something to reflect what I was about to see spilled open in front of my very eyes.

In so many ways, I feel more connected to this shoot I did with Benji than any other shoot I have done in a while. His pure candor and sheer honesty made me want to show more. His humility and gentle spirit made me want to linger all afternoon - asking questions and picking his brain.  I wanted to photograph his insides. His heart and soul. I wanted to show his truth.

So on that steamy afternoon, I found a shady spot to spend a short time with my new hero. He would most likely shun that label, but I think Benji is a brave soldier - fighting the battle every day with depression...slugging it out with himself and still standing strong in the face of one of the worst diseases of all.

If you care to ready about Benji and his battle, check out the Charleston City Paper this week.

In the mean time, warrior on, brave souls. Warrior on.

Recent muse-ings

A sneak peek at a collaboration with Andrea from Charleston Shop Curator and Scout Magazine in Charleston - 2 of my most favorite things . 

We have a great and rapidly growing fashion scene here in Charleston. Having spent the better part of my life surrounded by the cobblestone streets, quaintly colored buildings, and sandy beaches of the area, it's refreshing to see fashion has evolved right alongside this beautiful and rapidly growing city.  I attribute this to nothing less than people like Andrea who are at the forefront of the Charleston fashion scene. determined to make our liveable and loveable city more than the bow ties and seersucker it seems to be known for. Andrea spends her time painting this place with a palette of color and style that matches the scene here - progressive, beautiful and timeless. It's a refreshing change and modern view of everything good about our city.

Check out Andrea and her site when you get the chance. You won't be disappointed! And keep your eyes peeled for our collaboration with The Scout Guide! Coming soon!

Cheers!

Remember this...

Happy 1st Birthday, Baby Sam!

Remember this.

Every day is important. Each and every moment is significant - the small ones and the big ones. Don't forget that. Document what you can. And print your memories. Save them. Treasure them and keep them close. Because in a blink of an eye those babies are celebrating their first birthday. Or in 3rd grade. Or thirteen going on thirty. And you have no idea how you got here. You have no concept of how to keep up with them and stop time from slipping through your fingers. It's like holding water in your open hands.

If you asked me - even before I was a professional photographer - I would have told you the same thing I would tell you today: take those photos, print them out, save them, and honor them like the priceless treasures they are. That way, when you can't remember what silly face they made when they were 2 or the way their sweet lips looked curiously, the photos will at least give you some way of finding that memory you tucked away for all those years ago.

So capture it all. Those precious first days of school. Homework in February. Celebratory swim meets. Ordinary afternoons. They are all significant.

They are all worth remembering.

45/45

1. Don't take the little things for granted. They are what weave the fabric of your life.
2. Don't sweat the small stuff.
3. 90% of the things we worry about happening never even come to pass. So stop the worrying. It's wasting precious hours you could be doing something else like sleeping or doing a puzzle.
4. Do a puzzle.
5. Take special and gentle care of yourself. There is only one you.
6. Work hard and stay focused on a goal. You will get there. It just may not be as easy as you think.
7. Walk. It's the easiest form of exercise. Don't overthink it. Just move.
8. Engage with everything. Your family. Your friends. Your pets. But especially your children. Give them 100% of your focus at the moment. Nothing else matters but them. If it does, then pardon yourself until you can engage. Nothing feels worse than to be half-important enough to someone. 
9. Don't be afraid to love. Take the risk.
10. Follow your heart and listen closely to your head.
11. Learn the difference between the voice of fear in your head and that of caution. They are very different. Fear wants to hold you back. Caution wants you to be careful moving forward. Those are very different things.
12. Put down the screens. Engage. Talk. Look at the world. It's way more interesting.
13. Follow your own beat. Dance to your own rhythm.
14. Floss. Seriously. It's important.
15. Stop telling yourself you can't.
16. Indulge yourself.
17. Travel. Far and wide. Nothing stifles a human more than the ignorance of one place. See the world.
18. Sing. Loud and in your car. Quietly at church. Softly to your baby. Nobody cares what you sound like. Just do it.
19. See as many sunsets as you can. They are all different. They are all worth it.
20. Slow. Down.
21. Don't trust people who don't value the lives of other sentient beings. People who "hate" cats or dogs or children need to be approached cautiously.
22. Take a risk in life. A huge one.
23. Don't worry about failing or falling. It's how you learn.
24. Do the work - emotional, mental, & physical. Do it as early as you can.
25. Don't be lazy. Time is too precious.
26. Smell the roses.
27. Find a signature dish. And a signature drink. Own it. Make it for anyone important in your life. You have to practice something to be good at it. So find some willing taste testers.
28. Trust yourself. You know what you are doing as well as anyone else does.
29. Do not place yourself around people who make you feel bad about who you are. They are not worth your time.
30. Volunteer for something you believe in.
31. Things are not black and white in this world. There are a million shades of grey in between those 2 colors. A spectrum of ideas and thoughts and beliefs and people. We are all different in some ways and yet we are all the same.
32. Eat consciously. Be mindful of what you choose. Food as close to nature as you can get it and as close to your home as you can find it are always a good idea.
33. We are all fighting some battle. We all have a story. Stop judging everyone. Including yourself.
34. Second chances are a special gift. Treat them as such.
35. Stop carrying around that which doesn't belong to you. Right now. Just put it down and walk away.
36. Laugh as often as you can.
37. Find blind faith in something. The power of believing in something is real.
38. Stop worrying about what you look like right now. Take that cover-up off and dive in. The water is warm and very forgiving.
39. Always know when to say goodbye.
40. Celebrate yourself each year. In whatever way seems to fit you.
41. Always sparkle - but like a diamond, not a disco ball.
42. Less is always more. Get rid of the junk.
43. Learn how to edit everything - your life, your writing, your space. It will serve you well.
44. Fresh cut flowers are always a good idea.
45. So is a good bottle of wine.