riverside

there's just something about this song today.

(maybe it has something to do with the horrifying nightmare 

i had of me and my friend being hunted down by conrad and victoria grayson)

on being the best you

i've been hearing a lot of talk lately about being yourself. and it seems that mostly what's said is, "i'm not going to change who i am just for another person." i am a large believer in being yourself and loving yourself the way God intended you to be, deriving joy from the thrilling happiness of it.  but i've began to look at it both ways.  because i've been on the other side of it, and i think that there's more to our stories than that.  what i mean to say, is that I think there is a difference between "changing who you are" and not living to be the absolute best version of yourself.  no matter and no amount of standard changing situations and moral dilemmas that happen because of people or because of life's circumstances, should dictate that we change the way we live, for worse.  but i think that when it comes to our own shortcomings, there is no reason that we shouldn't try our hardest to turn them into strengths.  from the girl that lost herself in the excuse of of being an introvert and blamed her short comings on "just the way she was", there came an incredible amount of pure joy from learning to turn weaknesses into strengths and realizing that while she still might have had a certain personality, that was no pretense for hiding behind it.  and that girl could not have been more terrified of pushing the mold and reshaping it into something new, but that was no excuse.  it took time and it took tears, but there is no more greater satisfaction and delight than having done it all and triumphed. and she can gladly say that she is who she is, and she became better than she thought she was.

Candice and Ian

I was so excited when Candice asked if I would take her and Ian's engagements.

I've known them since the beginning of their relationship, 

and I was so glad that I could take their pictures. 

The sun was glorious, and they were so lovely in love. 

on traveling and me

I did a throwback the other day, for Thursday. It’s been a long time since I really thought long and hard about my trip to Africa and exactly how much I loved it.  Ironically and also a little bit pathetically, I cried when I went through those pictures.  I thought, “How can I live in this world now, but was once in a completely different universe, and forget about it?”  I was a little ashamed at how easily I had forgotten the things that I had learned and put aside the way that it changed me into a new person with a new perspective.  As a person who was absolutely enthralled with the stories but also didn’t want to risk the persona of looking like a brag that wanted to force her more interesting life on top of someone else’s, I hid it all away because of embarrassment of looking prideful.  But that wasn’t how I wanted to remember it.  So I decided that I should remember it and share it. Because there is something about traveling that sets me on fire like nothing else.  I don’t know how its possible, but I find myself completely comfortable and at home in a foreign world that I had never seen.  I feel a fresh sense of life and its passion to learn and experience every single person in this world and every single thing that I could learn.  It’s an ironic thing, but there is nothing that brings me out of my shell and makes me feel more myself than being abroad. And I forgot that about myself. Between the expenses, the jet lag, and incredible amount of time that it takes, I got mixed up in the problems, and put away the passion.  But I would rather live a penniless life with an unconventional sleeping pattern so that I could travel than put aside the one thing that I remembered is my thing. WIth all the places I've been and the things I've seen, I don't think I could ever say that traveling is not for me. And I find comfort in that. 

22/52

139. when i'm sick i watch revenge all night.

140. i always wear toms when i shoot

141. babysitting daily

142. camp crafting 

143. today i thought about africa

144. late night editing snack

145. sunday

little brother graduates

i took my little brother's graduation pictures yesterday. 

i guess he's not really my little brother 

because he is a substantial amount taller than i am.

he's a total goof and he's all grown up and out of high school.

he doesn't call me sissy-sassa anymore, but i'll still keep him.

because some days, i really miss them. a lot.

when i look back at that semester, 

THE semester, 

i know that it was that semester that will be the one i always remember.

i knew it when it was happening, 

and i couldn't help but think that things 

were never gonna be as great as they were right then.

And sometimes i don't think i can even ever try to have that great of a time again, 

because so much has changed and there are so many new things, 

but i think its the fact that i still have these great and wonderful girls in my life

that makes all the difference to me. 

because they mean enough to me to always be talking to them.

and thats what really defines it all for me.

ps. does anyone else think its a little creepy/cool that we all felt the same way about this yesterday?

cause we're cheetah girls, cheetah sisters. ;)

also, you're welcome for the incredibly sentimental and corny ode to my friends and winter semester. 

but i figure you can put up with it one of these few times ;)

whoa elsa, who are you becoming?

today i thought to myself, 

'dang it, i'm totally a grown up'.

yep. thats right. 

a real live grown up. 

not just because i'm legally and literally 21 years old 

(which still can be really bizarre when i remember it), 

but also because i work at a grown up job, with grown up people. 

and also because there are people out there, 

(mainly a large group of 12-17 year old girls) 

that look to me for direction and examples of how to be when they hit my age, 

which is grown up. 

and because i'm 21. 

and then i thought, 

should i be acting 21? how do normal 21 year olds act? am i way off base?

and after that i thought, 

what if i'm not doing this whole grown up thing right??

but then i realized, maybe i am just a little bit more grown up.

i know that there are definitely things about me that are. 

but i am always with myself and i will always think that i am the same elsa.

because in some ways, i totally am.

why the season finale of revenge left me wishing i hadn't just watched it (no spoils, i promise)

darn that emily throne.  she's an oxy-moronic icon from one of my most addicting tv shows out there, and is both a saint and sinner in the same moves. and darn those darn writers of that darn show.  i might enlist on a breathy and obsessive rant for the next paragraph or so, but i assure you that i will absolutely keep my tongue when it comes to the secrets and plot within season two. but i mean, really, how can i not constantly think about why just happened after a gripping two-part season finale that made me cry for all sad, happy, confused, and angry reasons alike. is it not enough to now wish that it was only fall when i could continue with the next season that i can only imagine will be full of so much more drama and plot twist that the last. i mean, my little tiny heart that is affected by stress so easily, can only take so much people. so please excuse me for the next few days while i flinch at the faintest drop of book and stare into the abyss while i continue to replay the mind boggling events of what just happened. and then watch it all again.

21/52

132. this kid makes me laugh

133. My bed has a hard time staying made

134. i love chicken salad.

but i'm not good at making it. 

135. Here comes girls camp.

136.  The organized life

137. I saw a movie. Fourth one in the week.

138. i love summer skirts. 

especially when they match my toenails. 

nows

i like this and the hope it conveys. 

and the message of being a great person

not just in the future, but in the tiny nows. 

the tiny nows are all great 

and make a great big great someday. 

just for fun...

What Downton Abbey Taught Me

Ah the marvelous world of Downton Abbey.  While it helps me through the dating dry spells with its wonderful romance and drama, it also leaves me with a want for dignity, refinement, and an amusingly uptight butler like Mr. Carson. It leaves me thinking my thoughts in a British accent, wishing I had a reason to dress up for dinner nightly, and finding myself frequently asking myself, "What would Lady Mary do?" Amongst all the things I have learned from network television I would have to say that the most of what I have learned can be derived in a few simple lines...

Sisters play mean games, but i guess all is fair in love and war...? I'm never really quite sure on that one, but all I'm saying is I would never want to have a sister with a match for rivalry like those Crawley girls.

There really are attractive blonde haired blue eyed men out there and his name is Matthew Crawley. Nuff said.

When in doubt, pinkies out. Their ability to keep poise and grace through periods of trial astounds me. There is no greater show than the one they put on and I don't mean that in a bad way-think happy, be happy, right?

Wearing your best outfit and taking time to get ready should always be of utmost importance.  Maybe I just like dressing for an office job or dinner in the city on a regular basis, but come on, don't you think it'd be fun?

"Don't be so defeatist dear, its middle class." Listen to Granny. She has the wittiest lines.

Conniving scheming friendships are toxic. Really though. Did anything good ever come from that slimy wimpy Thomas and the man faced O'Brien?

And above all else, wait for that Matthew. You'll find him eventually. (But my goodness, let's hope things don't end the same way they did for him).

20/52

my week in black and white

125. her name is penny. 

126. photo shoot in fields

127. rainy shoots

128. first day at work

129. designing for days

130. iron man

131. stripes and glasses kind of day

just remember!

for pricing on family, couples, and other shoots, 

e-mail elsatakespictures@gmail.com

have a happy weekend!

Cortney

i went on a little photo adventure the other day

and it was quite the adventure. 

it was the first time with my brand new camera, 

(i named her penny)

and it started to pour half way in. 

it wouldn't have been as fun as it was if cort wasn't the person i was shooting.

we've been friends for a while now and i always love how confident and friendly she is.

i'm counting down the days until we finish this shoot. 

isn't she lovely?

Adding more to my creative repertoire

I did this (watch the video!) over the weekend and had an incredible time learning. 

They are such a great creative team and I loved learning and working with them.

Looking forward to doing more on my own and with them.