Sunday, January 11, 2015

2014 Favorites: Photography

I have had the wonderful opportunity to travel quite a bit in the past year or so. I got to explore the streets of New York and of course Central Park, with my amazing boyfriend. This was our first time traveling together and it was an exciting and fast paced trip. If you have never been to Central Park in the fall I highly recommended it as I have never seen anything like the beauty of the juxtaposition the park is to this bustling city. I cannot wait to visit this one of a kind city again. I also had the opportunity to travel to Chicago twice this fall/winter. Once with my closest girlfriends Elise, Emily, and Alison then again for a quick trip with my main squeeze. 

However, the majority of the artistically inclined photography I captured this year was while I was exploring my own city, Minneapolis. As morbid as it sounds, I have always found cemetery's hauntingly beautiful and peaceful. My favorite cemetery in the Twin Cities is Lakewood Cemetery. It is one of the few that have large mausoleums and large memorials. It reminds me of what a centuries old cemetery might look like in Europe, likely because of the reminiscence of this to the frightening cemetery in The Phantom of the Opera. 

The final picture is of Temple Israel in Uptown, Minneapolis. I have never had the opportunity to go inside, but the building is stunning from the outside. 

It may be pretty obvious from this collection of favorites, but I am inspired by architecture and nature. Neither one on its own is typically enough for me but I love the two opposites together. The stark contrast of the heavily structured metal or stone opposing the unpredictable leaves or waves of a river or lake. I am quite obsessed with history and seeing a large city next to a park or an ocean or even a gorgeous tree adjacent to a statue peaks my interest. I begin to wonder about the origination of the structure and how the preexisting nature once was as it was undisturbed by industry. The older the monument or building the better. This leads me to ponder about the people of that era and the vast differences between this generation and that time. What I most enjoy about photography is that it can make you pause and be still, even if just for a moment. The chaos of life rarely allows for these moments and I so cherish the rare opportunity to be inspired simultaneously by what the Lord has created with his handiwork and has enlisted man to erect. 

For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. Romans 1:20 


"But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds of the air, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish of the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this? In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.  Job 12: 7-10

 






















In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.  In him was life, and that life was the light of men. John 1: 1-4 

Photography can be more than an artistic outlet, it can reveal the very nature of God. It can truly be an act of worship as we stand in awe of the one who gave us the ability to see, to think, and to feel the wonders he has made. It can truly bring us into the presence of God if we allow it to. So this year, along with my church I am believing for Greater and especially a greater presence of God and opportunities to worship him. 

Saturday, January 3, 2015

Minnehaha Falls

 Yesterday was pretty stressful for me. I spent the afternoon making cover letters, and sending them out with my newly spruced up resume to apply for internships. I will hopefully get hired by someone and start an internship this May! My anxiety was through the roof and I decided I needed to take today off and have some fun.My wonderful boyfriend and I decided to have a date day. 

So I bundled up (yes this includes my fleece lined leggings) and we headed to Minnehaha Falls. I grabbed my favorite Kate Spade bag, gold Fossil watch, and my roommates pearl necklace and earrings for accessories. My hair was quite a mess today. I worked out last night and showered at lifetime with their crappy shampoo and let my hair air dry. I don't do this often, especially in the winter but I braved to cold because I hate using a blow dryer on my hair because it is damaged enough already. 

I found one of my favorite sweaters (purchased from Target) from last year in the back of my closet and paired it with my new favorite plaid shirt from Old Navy and headed out to meet Geoff. The weather was a bit windy and chilly for my taste but we made it down to the falls with minimal difficulty. Be warned, if you plan to head over there the steps are extremely icy and you will want to wear shoes with some good grip and some mittens so you can hold on to the freezing cold railing without your fingers falling off. I think we each nearly died a few times on the steps but we made it down to the path. 

The creek was partially frozen over so it was a bit treacherous and if you stepped in the wrong place your foot would plunge through the snow and into the water. Geoff unfortunately found this out the hard way and was quite cold. There were many adventurous souls who climbed up behind the frozen falls but I wasn't feeling that brave and was incredibly hungry so we just snapped a few pics and headed back up the stairs. 

Not too far from the falls is one of my favorite burger places in the Twin Cities called the Blue Door Pub.  If you have never been before you should really try it out. They have the most amazing Juicy Lucy's or as the Blue Door Pub calls them "Blucy's" I have ever tried. My personal favorite is called "Cease & Desist" and aims to rival the Big Mac and of course is far more amazing than its McDonalds competitor. 

I left extremely full and satisfied and ready to slip into a food coma. Thankfully we had nothing else planned that night and were able to have a wonderful chill night full of blogging, reading, and watching movies. 



Photo Credit: Geoff Turgeon