Scavenger Hunt Sunday: October 30th

1. Macro/close up

2. Found Texture

3. Home

I'm attending college right now, and the college dorm I'm in just doesn't feel like a home to me. Neither does the house where my family is currently living in Northern Ohio. Our house in Ukarumpa, PNG is home to me in every function of the word. I miss this place so much!

4. Cover

My mouth is covering the hole in the piccolo (at least to some extent). That's the best interpretation I can come up with for this prompt.

5. Tree

Right outside my dorm, Willetts, there are several trees turned bright red. Do you see the pumpkins sitting outside the dorm in a line in the right hand corner? They add to the overall feeling of fall.

First Vlog!

Hey! I decided to do a short vlog about the weekend. =)

Ignore the red dot. I used my little Canon Powershot A2000IS and it's not the best quality. Hope you don't mind!

I Clicked it Up a Notch - October

Cedarville is so beautiful in the fall!

Coffee, Piccolo, and Hymns.

I know I blog about coffee probably more than I should, but that's because I'm addicted and I drink coffee almost every day because it's so good. The frozen latte has got to be one of my favorites!

If it's not coffee, it's a smoothie or milkshake. Yum! My friends and I get coffee together more often than we should at Rinnova and Stoney Creek. I think we're all pretty much addicted to coffee. O.o. From now on, I'm going to try to drink coffee less often.

The last time I walked down to Stoney Creek on Wednesday with Natalie I brought the piccolo I'm borrowing along with me because I'm silly and I like to carry lots of things with me in my bilum. Do you ever do that?

Playing piccolo is so sweet, but sometimes I'd just rather play flute. That's when I pull out my lovely silver Gemeinhardt flute and play old hymns like How Firm A Foundation. I did that this afternoon with Mia and Amy. They played piano and I played flute and it sounded beautiful.

Sorry I haven't been around much. The reason for my absence is that it's been the busiest week of the semester so far. I'm hoping to post more often next week so stay tuned.

Who's having a great Friday night?

Photo Essay

"A good photo essay tells a story through pictures instead of words."

My latest project in photography class was to create a photo essay with 20-25 images. I thought about what I could do, and I didn't come up with anything amazing, so I finally decided to do something simple, since the assignment's due today. Since I've been studying for two exams tomorrow I haven't had time to edit all the images, but I put these four together. Can you tell what the story is?

And because I love this so much, here's one of my favorites from the quick shoot. =)

Scripture and a Snapshot: October 23rd

Life isn't easy. Every day countless suffer and die. This past week my dear friend Donna passed away. I thank the LORD that she made a commitment to follow Christ and she's with him in glory at this very moment, but my heart is sad that she's no longer here on this earth.

In my own life, I've been suffering with a relentless cold, cough, and voice loss. This could make me angry and upset because it seems unfair, but I'm trusting that God is using it to produce perseverance in my life, which will lead to character and hope. Our circumstances should not determine our view of God - rather, God's should determine how we think and act, as Romans 12:2 says:

Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

This also correlates to the life of Job, who my Old Testament Literature class just studied on Friday. He had all of his possessions taken away from him and terrible sores broke out on the surface of his body. Yet, despite his great suffering, Job praised God and did not sin. What a great example for us to follow!

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. -Romans 5:1-5

More On the Plate.

As if I didn't already have enough on my plate, I added something else: I joined Cedarville's Pep Band!

The music department is letting me borrow a piccolo for free. I could play my flute, but I prefer to play piccolo, at least in a band setting.

We had our first practice on Thursday night where we played through The Star Spangled Banner, Hang On, Sloopy, The Fight Song, and a few other well known tunes. Our first performance is next Saturday at Cedarville's Fall Back event. I'm really looking forward to it!

No Snow...yet...

It's raining and I'm sick with a cold/sore throat/cough/aches.

While the weather's miserable, at least it's NOT snowing, which makes me happy. Winter and I don't get along at all.

Do I look sick? I took this last night while I was trying to study for my Politics exam and suffering from a dreadful headache and other aches. That was when I was finally starting to feel better.

I'm so thankful and grateful for everyone who is praying for me to get well. Thank you so much! God is answering your prayers!

Prize! And Sore Throat...

Phew. Fall break's over and school's back in full force. Not that I got much of a break since I was busy doing homework for much of the time, but at least I got to see my family and that was a blessing.

I meant to learn a few more guitar chords while I was home, but there wasn't time.

Homework took up almost all of my free time. Ugh.

My throat was sore when I woke up this morning, and it still is, so after lunch I decided to hit up Rinnova for a Frozen Zebra Mocha. Again. Then I worked on my Spanish essay for a while.

Guess what?! The Katie Lloyd Photography prints I won from Gracie's contest arrived! Thank you both!!

I've got to go to Spanish class at 4 and then I have a meeting for a spring break mission trip to Mexico plus working out and hanging out with a friend tonight! Lots to do...hope it doesn't get too overwhelming.

Falling Into Break

Hi y'all! Just wanted to let you know that I'm having a splendid fall break!

Last night my family went to see Jon perform in a marching band show. Nine bands performed and it was an excellent show! I only wish that it wouldn't have rained the entire time we were there. The people sitting in front of us had a huge umbrella which was hard to see around so I only could see 1/3 or less of each band performing, but nevertheless the music was really loud and sounded great!

It's been good to hang out with Christopher this weekend. We've talked, played Boggle, and laughed A LOT. He's so silly!

Proof.

Remember when I mentioned going to see the new movie Courageous here? Well, here's proof that we were actually there from Anh Thu's iPhone...

I have a feeling that cooler weather's coming soon, but the past couple of days have been amazing; so much in fact, that I went for a walk tonight after working out and running in the gym!

Tomorrow afternoon I'll be heading "home" to spend a few days with my family. Looking forward to it!

Scavenger Hunt Sunday: October 11th

1. Landscape

2. Complementary or Triadic Color

I'm not sure if this qualifies as an example of complementary colors, but I really tried. On Tuesday my photography class went to a farm for about an hour and I snapped over 150 pictures.

3. Black and White

4. Food

Warm October days + a picnic by the lake = amazing.

5. Blank Space

Fall Break: T-minus 3.

Instead of sleeping in on Saturday morning like I almost always do, I got up at 7:20 to go to breakfast with Victoria and then go for a run. Trees and buildings everywhere lay coated in glorious rays of sunshine and it was surprisingly warm.

The afternoon's photo shoot with Mia, Anh Thu and Bethany could not have been any more splendid than it was. It was a tad bit toasty in the brilliant sunshine, but under the trees we felt fine.

Sunday was cooler, although still pleasant. My family called while I was at dinner and it was great to hear Dad, Mom, and Christopher's voices! I still can hardly believe that fall break starts in 3 days!!! Bring it on! I'm ready to see my family and go to my home church Grace this coming Sunday.

Have you 'liked' my photography page yet?

Have a super duper Monday!

Snapshot Saturday: Anything

Look at all of those beautiful big brown eyes!

Scripture and a Snapshot: October 9th

The past four weeks or so I struggled with feeling God's presence and I was constantly consumed by doubts about my salvation. Instead of giving up and letting go, I have continued to read the Word, pray, and seek God wholeheartedly. On Tuesday my devotional was about David and how he decided to awaken from the darkness surrounding him in a very dark moment. He felt distant from God but instead of letting that drive him further from God, he cried out to him and proclaimed God's love, faith and goodness. The words stuck out to me and I realized that God won't abandon me - I just need to trust and obey him. You can read more of my thoughts here.

My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music.
Awake, my soul! Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn. -Psalm 57:7-8

Where to Shoot: 5 Hot Spots For Your Next Session

Hi ya'all!

Today I'm going to share with you some hot spots around Cedarville and the surrounding area for your next photo session! Around Cedarville University's campus there are a number of places that work wonderfully for quick sessions or for students without cars; you just have to know where they are.

1. The lake/Biblical and Theological Studies building/Dixon Ministry Chapel. 

Often debris lies scattered around in the water, so make sure your background's free of all that before you take the picture.

Buildings in the background can be distracting, but don't let them! Try shooting from different angles and minimizing the depth of field so that the buildings compliment the photo instead of ruining it.

Tell a joke and get your subject(s) to laugh. The more comfortable the models are, the more natural the photo will end up looking.

2. Playground

Located near the center of town, the playground is easy to find and the walk isn't bad; give or take 7-10 minutes and you'll be there.

From swings to monkey bars to see-saws I guarantee you'll find a suitable place to shoot!

3. Old, Abandoned Factory

This factory lies on the outskirts of Cedarville, but it's close enough that you and your models can walk there if you'd like to.

One wall is whitish-grey with bricks showing through in places.

I love the authentic feel this spot has.

4. Gazebo

Keep walking past the factory, cross the street, and you'll come across a little white gazebo surrounded by overgrown greenery and luscious pink floral bushes.

From a distance it doesn't look like much, but if you go in the late afternoon, the lighting is absolutely gorgeous.

Don't just capture the 'big picture'. Remember to look for interesting details to photograph, too.

5. Clifton Mill

The little town of Clifton Mill is located just a few miles down the road from Cedarville, about a 6-minute drive.

Most of the public buildings are made of brick which makes for an excellent background as long as it doesn't distract the viewer's attention away from the subject.

If you go down the streets, you'll come across lovely fences and enormous trees bursting with leaves of all colours in the fall.

So the next time you have a free Saturday afternoon, grab a few friends and head out for hours of fun in the sun with a camera in hand!