St. John USVI

Film from our January five-year anniversary trip to St. John is here! Ben's parents were married on the U.S. Virgin Island 30 years ago and now spend a portion of their Winter there so we scoot down for a visit and some Vitamin D when we can. This was Ruthie-girl's first island adventure and it was such a treat to experience the ocean and sand and rocks and waves and shells through the eyes of her little wonder-filled spirit. Also a giant bonus to vacation with grandparents -- we got to slip away for brunch or an afternoon beach visit several days. Happy Five Years, BG. Here's 5x12 more.

The island is only 8 miles long but we find new things to do each trip -- this time Ben and I hiked Ram's Head Trail by full moonlight and I took one roll of 3200 BW film, skeptical than anything would turn out but so pleased to have a few images to remember such a sweet night. 

Three minutes into her first beach visit she was digging in the sand and running fearless into the ocean. She's an adventurer and it makes her Mama proud (and terrified of upcoming teenage years).

Images shot with Kodak Portra. Thanks to Richard Photo Lab for the always lovely processing. Want more sunshine?! Visit St. John via Instagram. Want sunshine in real life? We're pretty partial but Sea Turtle Villa is the place to stay on St. John.

#lifeat214

Folks! As of 2:14pm today, I've taken 365 iPhone images for my personal instagram project #lifeat214. I began late Fall of 2012, so obviously I missed a few days -- either I was photographing a wedding and it was an inappropriate time to whip out my phone or let's be honest, napping when my baby napped.  

It was a little embarrassing when I realized that as a professional photographer I wasn't shooting everyday. And so I committed to taking a daily image at 2:14pm -- a time random enough that I assumed I'd be doing something different each day and I simply liked the numbers. The only self-assigned rule being that it had to be a "creative image of whatever I was doing." It didn't begin as a 365-day project but it's exciting to me that I've hit this milestone! Below is a sampling of some of my favorite snippets of time along with a few things I've learned throughout the process and tips on starting your own.

1. It's a lovely way to document life. Talk to any mother and you'll hear how she wishes she could remember every tiny moment. While I certainly don't, this project has helped me hold on to seemingly insignificant but treasured pieces of time throughout Ruthie's first 18 months.

2. It challenged me to truly document. While not completely photojournalistic in nature (I'd move things around or find better light), I did have an unspoken rule that things couldn't look perfect. So many images on social media often leave the viewer assuming that life for everyone else is picture-perfectly-professionally-styled-and-happy at every moment. That's just not true. And so the collection intentionally includes toddler tantrums, dirty dishes and clothes spilling out of dresser drawers. The challenge was to document life in a lovely way whether the context of my life was "lovely" or not at 2:14pm.

3. It encouraged me to use my time wisely. Taking an image every day starts to make one more aware of time itself. I like to think the project has helped me become more intentional about my afternoons especially. 

Looking to start your own photo project? Here's a few things to keep in mind:
1. Pick something you enjoy. If you're not a foodie, don't resolve to take an image of your breakfast every day. 

2. Be realistic. The purpose of a yearly photo commitment is to push yourself creatively whether that commitment is one of time, subject, medium, or theme. I knew if I took an image with my DSLR every day that I would spend too much time with settings and it was only a matter of weeks before they piled up on my computer, unedited. It wasn't difficult to have my iPhone with me out and about and ensured that I had less to be "in control of," making it a quick task that I enjoyed rather than another item on my to-do list.

3. Set reminders. My phone alarm sounded every day at 2:14pm. Sometimes I excitedly anticipated it and other times it caught me completely off-guard or while I was doing my best to calm a toddler fit... the important thing is to be consistent.

I took all but 2 of the 365 images. The first was early on in the project and I was consoling a very sad baby when my alarm went off and Ben captured the moment. The second, as you can see, I was clearly enjoying myself far too much to get out of the pool (thanks for the image @reikakadlec).

You can see all 365 images on instagram @lilyglass via the hashtag #lifeat214
My favorite apps to use alongside Instagram : VSCOcam and Whitagram

St. John via Instagram

According to the Traditional Anniversary Gifts by Year, "wood" is the gift theme assigned to help commemorate five years of wedded bliss. We'd been throwing around ideas for our fifth anniversary (January 10th), for a few months and had yet to make a decision until I came home late one December evening to a cuba libre and a stack of papers with witty one-liners ending with "driftwood." Happy Anniversary to me. I mean us. Ben had booked a mid-Winter trip to the lovely St. John.
We've had the treat of visiting this U.S. Virgin Island before with Ben's folks (they own a fabulous villa there) -- gorgeous beaches, beautiful hiking, novels upon novels by the ocean and endless rum -- but this round would be accompanied by a little one who isn't much into novels (or rum, for that matter). Though it was a much different experience (more chasing, less reading) it was so much fun to see Ruthie-girl fall in love with the ocean. My film is on it's way to sunny California for processing but in the meantime, here's a peek at our Vitamin-D-filled trip via Instagram photos.

Keep up with more instagram adventures (including my 365project #lifeat214) @lilyglass