last breath of autumn

Before November came with winter I captured some glimpses of autumn as it breathed its last.

LISTENING: 'funnel of love (feat. madeline follin)' by sqürl from the 'only lovers left alive' soundtrack

welcome to november

October sucked.
Normally, October is the pivotal month of my favorite season.

A lot has happened since my last post. More in fact than I feel inclined to post about, more than I feel I have words for.

But I'll recap some of October for you.

September 28th was a night tragedy struck our small community. September 29th was the day it rung through our little towns, across Facebook and inexorably into all our lives.
September 28th a girl just shy of 19, just having graduated and moved away earlier this year, finally on to college and her future, a girl who I've known for practically 15 years, died.

Two days later I turned 20.

After that I was sick. A lot. Causing me to cancel comic convention volunteering plans I've been looking forward to and planning for weeks.

October 20th my first cat who has been a part of our family for nearly 17 years, died.

Since then I've been sick some more, but am currently on a healthy streak.

I've gone on a few photography expeditions before Winter came with the later days of November.

I started a new journal.

I applied for two jobs.

I've been wanting, wishing, waiting to put my wool locs back in, and have yet to because of how they could influence my chances at a job.

I've started reading again. Well, I'm making myself read again. I've barely finished a handful of books in...well, longer than I can remember. I find myself losing interest, not finding anything I feel is worth reading, or even if something good, just not finishing. But I'm working on that. I'm rereading the 'Inheritance Cycle', and I'm reading books on history, archaeology, language.

I've been editing pictures, catching up with far away friends.
Trying to figure out my life.

Here's to an already better November.

WATCHING: vampire diaries LISTENING: 'too close' by alex clare & 'fear inside our bones' by the almost

spring has taken the breeze

Back about a month, I went on a fantastic snowshoeing excursion with my friend Savanah.
I took a lot of pictures, which I've had difficulty getting up due to our internet and a myriad of issues.

But the colors had started changing, the snow just barely receding, though in a manner that could betray it's viewers as being the beginnings of spring, all the while still boding winter.
But these colors, these still darkened shades of greens, the very beginnings of spring coming from winter, inspired me for my next blog color scheme.

So here we are, my ever changing blog, the end of a college quarter, things happening, heralding in spring, with just a bit of new photography.

WATCHING: independent films LISTENING: 'just one yesterday' fall out boy

Today, or rather for the sake of technicality, yesterday, I had the privilege of going snowshoeing with one of my best friends.
With the opportunity for photography in front of me, she successfully lured me from the house and not only just out of the house, but outside.

I had an amazing time, and now at 1:30 am on Tuesday, much later than I had wanted to stay up - lacking enough sleep as it is already - I couldn't help posting but one picture.
Not only because I feel it rather sums up the adventure, but also is a good preview for the photos to come.

No edits, no corrections, straight from my camera, to Lightroom to be watermarked, to your screens.

Hope you're all having a splendiferous week, I myself am off now to get some sleep.

-Siriana

WATCHING: brooklyn nine-nine LISTENING: '+' (album) by ed sheeran READING:'girl in the arena' by lise haines

this is home

Not all of these pictures are the best, many aren't quite focused.
But this is a post I've been thinking about, and working on for quite a while. I don't even want to get into how long it took blogger to upload them.

Nonetheless, it's a post that has manifested an inspiration, and even been started, a few times before.
And here it is now, as seen through my 35mm lens one of the first nights I had it. I spent that evening taking pictures of just about anything, and everything.
I started developing how to shoot manually, and after everyone else was gone to bed, I was still awake, with my camera; taking pictures of the only thing I had left to take pictures of in the waning hours of that day. My room.
This is bits and pieces of my room, of the things I keep and display, this is little pieces of me and who I have been, who I am, who I am becoming.
This is home.

carpe diem // patientia // memento mori // memento vivre

WATCHING: much ado about nothing LISTENING: 'once upon a dream' by lana del ray

merry christmas

Christmas was a quiet day for us, hanging out, enjoying special foods we don't get the rest of the year, listening to Christmas movies.

I spent some time over the Eve and Day of Christmas learning to shoot manually with my camera, it's something I enjoyed immensely, and many of the pictures above are posted as I shot them, edit-less (except for my watermark, of course).

From my family to yours, wishing you a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year.

LISTENING: songs for christmas (ep) by branches WATCHING: doctor who christmas special

35mm's

I made a decision the other night.
A decision I personally look at as being rather adult.
I was concise, logical, I thought it through, and asked for advice.

You see, every month, I make a payment on my computer I bought last year.
I'm really very happy that as of a few months ago, I have it more than half paid off.

I worked again this fall cleaning, and made several more payments ahead. After that job was done for the season, I had a couple of payments that have been sitting on my desk yet unsent.

I had meant to send them sooner, get them off in the mail and be paid up until February.
But something kind of held me back.
I wasn't sure what, and figured there must be some reason to hold off on sending these until I had to.

Well, Friday of last week there was a 24 hour sale on refurbished items in the Nikon store.

For those of you who don't know, I rather enjoy photography, have a knack for it too I've been told.
I've shot a couple weddings of friends and family, done some senior pictures, but I've had to actually turn down job opportunities.
The reason being, I haven't had a lens small enough to achieve many shots and settings.

The lens I have is a rather large, 55-200 mm. I love it, and it's so perfect in it's wide range of uses. I really couldn't be happier with it. Except when I'm indoors, in a confined space.
For the uninitiated, this is because due to it's specs I have to be a minimum of 4-5 feet away from the subject of my photo. And in close quarters, low light situations, or just plain inside most places, things can get blurry, difficult, and downright unachievable.

Because of this I've been striving for a 35mm lens for over a year. Good for landscapes, beautiful background blur, all around photographical situations, and, of course, good for close quarters, indoors, and low light situations.

So, back to last Friday.
Nikon's refurbished lenses are already slightly more affordable due to the fact that they did, at some point, have to be repaired.
My family has always had good luck with refurbished items, and in many cases it's almost a better buy because kinks have been worked out in advance (not to mention the price cut).
On top of that advantage, all the refurbished items were marked down further for the holiday season and for that 24 hours there was an additional 10% off.

I know, 10% really doesn't sound like all that much, and it usually isn't.
But for someone like me, with limited job opportunities in my area, and computer payments, every little bit helps.
And: refurbished + holiday season + 10% off = about $50 cheaper than buying it new.

A deal I could't turn down.

I decided to use my Christmas gift money from my parents, and some of my Jan-Feb payment for my computer, and purchase the lens.
I figure this way, I can get some senior shoots in, finish some other jobs, and with any luck be able to have all the funds back for the next payment in January.

It hasn't shipped just yet, but I'm hoping that it will be here by the end of the week!

In the mean time, I've started to offer a senior photography package in my area, am hoping to be getting some bookings; and all of you can go and check out my flickr.

LISTENING: i see fire by ed sheeran (re)READING: fellowship of the ring by j.r.r. tolkien WATCHING: 2 broke girls