thought progressions

janet brehm taylor: soprano

2010-02-09T15:52:00.001-08:00

Yes, this is the Janet from my previous post. We had a lovely time taking pictures outside the music department in the snow last week; I just love the way she's so natural at posing! Must be a soprano thing. ;)

okay. i give up.

2010-01-05T12:28:00.000-08:00

No more 365. That was a complete failure. So... I'm just going back to normal photo blogging. Hah.

This is my good friend Janet and her fiancé, Ryan. Janet and I go to school together (we're both music majors) and she is by far one of my favorite grad students there. Our relationship is a rather comical one, as I'm a lowly underclassman and she's about to graduate and be married. I love her to death! Aren't she and Ryan just adorable together?? :)

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2009-12-22T10:53:00.000-08:00

Oh noes! Yes, I have taken over a month to post on here. =S Oops. Well. Enjoy these photos. Hopefully more soon to come... I am on winter break, after all. But Christmas is in... *gasp*... three days!! Ahhhh!

I've seen the paths that your eyes wander down,

I want to come, too.

-Landon Pigg (Falling in Love at a Coffee Shop)

39:365

2009-11-15T15:51:00.000-08:00

...I'm still convinced it will take me 365 weeks, not days, to finish this 365 thing. But alas, such is the life of an insane music major, I'm afraid.

Anyhow... here are a few shots of my friend Sarah, a fantastic singer/songwriter who I am convinced is going to make it big in Nashville someday. (And she still needs to get her MySpace up... *cough cough*).

And fyi... these shots were obtained nearly at the cost of our lives -- no joke!

38:365

2009-11-11T14:37:00.001-08:00

This is my gorgeous friend Christina. She and I are both music majors and harpists, so that right there alone should tell you that we've ended up become super close this semester. I absolutely love her and I am so envious of her long, super curly hair... and her natural poses! :)

37:365

2009-11-07T16:21:00.000-08:00

Wow... okay, so yes, it has been a month since I lasted posted. Whoops. I guess school will do that to you. I've had a bevy of concerts, rehearsals, mid-terms, photo shoots, studying binges, practice sessions, masterclasses, and socializing going on in my life, and it has shown no signs of settling down until I get past finals in December. BUT... I promise I will try to post more regularly, for the 3-5 people who actually visit this blog. :P

Anyhow. Here are a few photos from some of the recent shoots I've done in the past month.

Oh, and for my 20th birthday, my parents very generously decided to give me a brand new, gorgeous, amazing Canon EOS Rebel T1i. I named him Sydney Carton, after one of my favorite literary characters (Dickens fans will understand...). I think I'm in love. :)

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2009-10-03T06:54:00.000-07:00

I love autumn... it's by far my favorite season. So you can imagine how thrilled I was to be able to spend an afternoon doing three of my favorite things: taking pictures, hanging out with two of my best friends, and drinking apple cider. :) It was the perfect end to a perfect day... and I'm on fall break for the next four days!

Here's some of the shots from Jess's photo session. I love her striking features and huge blue eyes. :)

35:365

2009-09-24T16:30:00.000-07:00

Took some pictures of my favorite trombonist and one of my best friends today. Sam was definitely a good sport for putting up with me. :)

Oh, and I got a new lens- 50 mm 1.8/f. It's amazing. :)

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2009-09-19T16:43:00.000-07:00

I love my backyard.

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2009-09-17T16:53:00.001-07:00

Autumn is beginning its descent. So I've been taking my camera to school and snapping pictures of those who'll let me while the weather is brilliant and lovely outside.

32:365

2009-09-14T14:13:00.001-07:00

I cross these tracks every morning, but they never fail to bring back memories each time I see them.

we’re caught up in a thousand spider webs and lies /

so let it go, let the pages turn on their own.

-All the Day Holiday

31:365

2009-09-13T05:36:00.000-07:00

Senior pictures taken last night in d-town Perrysburg for my friend Tessa. Doesn't she have the most gorgeous smile? I love the way her eyes pop in these pictures. :)

30:365

2009-09-07T10:19:00.001-07:00

Oh, academia, please stop infiltrating my day off. Thank you.

29:365

2009-09-06T09:17:00.001-07:00

Well, at this point I think it's going to take me 365 weeks instead of 365 days to get through this challenge. But despite the burden of 21 credit hours (oh yes), I think I can do it.

Labor Day weekend: spent several hours up at the Lake with my family. I love them all so much, especially when they put up with my camera victimizing. :)

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2009-08-30T14:18:00.001-07:00

Well, this isn't actually my photography. But... yesterday my amazing professional photographer friend Kristin and I spent a lovely afternoon in Plymouth, Michigan, having a super fun photoshoot. So here's a shout-out for her amazing skills. I love her to death. :)

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2009-08-23T15:09:00.000-07:00

Does school really begin tomorrow?

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2009-08-22T13:02:00.000-07:00

Baby sister. 13 is too old.

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2009-08-21T14:47:00.001-07:00

24:365

2009-08-15T21:14:00.000-07:00

I've been attempting to branch out into more artistic, indie (if you will) photography for musicians and artists lately... in developing my style, this is the brand of photography I've been leaning towards lately. I love people and I love photographing them, and if I start a part-time business, I would garner more towards that side of the industry. So... thanks to the patience and amazing modeling skills of my good friend Sarah Guy, here's a few results from a photoshoot I had with this amazing singer/songwriter. Mark my words: she'll be famous someday. Let's hope she gets her MySpace up and running soon. ;)

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2009-08-14T21:49:00.000-07:00

I haven't seen her in three months. But allow me to introduce one of my best, closest, craziest friends. :)

22:365

2009-08-11T15:29:00.001-07:00

Summer is simmering to a boil here in Northwest Ohio... and with its peak in temperatures and humidity has come a sparse amount of thunderstorms. While the air was cool after the rain this afternoon, I grabbed a few shots.

And then... and orchestral excerpt I'm attempting to master in preparation for an upcoming audition. *crosses fingers* I do love Debussy, though. :)

21:365

2009-08-08T11:28:00.000-07:00

Music theory geekiness meets artistic inspiration.

20:365

2009-08-07T15:25:00.001-07:00

Fall fashion recipe for success: plaid + skinny jeans (or a short grey knit skirt with leggings).

19:365

2009-08-06T15:11:00.001-07:00

Whoops. I think I must have fallen behind somehow...

But my camera and I made up today whilst bonding on the campus of my school, where I took a quick trip to grab some book titles with my best friend this afternoon. It was an absolutely beautiful day, and I was able to grab a few shots. My school may not be Princeton or Juilliard, but it is quite lovely to roam on... I will give it that. ;)

18:365

2009-07-31T15:00:00.000-07:00

3 harpists + 1 violinist = one very entertaining coffee outing. ;)

17:365

2009-07-18T16:36:00.001-07:00

I am behind... but whatever. ;) Here's some (slightly) random photos of two of my mother's recent culinary escapades... yum.

16:365

2009-07-15T14:27:00.000-07:00

Okay, I guess it's time for a life post of sorts. The accompanying photo has no comparative value, just fyi.

So... yesterday I was forced, by the misunderstanding powers that be, to attend orientation at my school, which I have been attending part-time (practically full-time, to be honest) for the past year or so, as I'm "officially" going full-time this fall to complete my degree. And, so, as a result, I woke early and drove to school and walked across campus only to be surrounded by a hoard of bloodthirsty fresh-out-of-high-schoolers and their sleep-deprived, possessive parents. It undoubtedly goes without saying that I, on the brink of sophomore-ism, felt out of place among them.

Thankfully, I was able to register for all of my classes and managed to sneak out of the day's remaining activities thanks to an understanding student employee who agreed with me that it was ridiculous to attend an orientation session underlying rules and ideas I was already quite familiar with. Okay. I'll stop now. I promise.

Anyhow... I'm SO SO SO excited for fall. I think my friends and family are by this time sick of hearing about my plans and goals, but I can't stop gushing about everything. Earlier this year my close friend Emily and I, who were both previously home-schooled, were discussing how much we love the college atmosphere and environment while other classmates complain about their workloads and schedules. But I love school- I thrive in a learning environment and soak everything in like a sponge. I love the social activity and challenges, the studying requirements, the musical assignments, the emotional roller coasters involved in developing relationships and maintaining them.

Well, I'm off to go practice and eat dinner and attend Bible study and then come home and organize a ton of music programs I've accumulated over the years. I like going through them... some more recent ones bring back memories. Memories I'm looking forward to revisiting this fall.

15:365

2009-07-13T17:30:00.000-07:00

"Write it on your heart that every day is the best of the year." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

14:365

2009-07-12T11:13:00.001-07:00

coffee + dickens + sunshine = one happy me. :)

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2009-07-11T07:12:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I visited the Toledo Zoo with my good friends Jess and Brian, who have recently

started dating. They're both really cool people and are quite the attractive couple. ;)

12:365

2009-07-09T14:53:00.000-07:00

Okay, don't kill me, but I am so obsessed with my guitar, so that's all I've been taking pictures of lately (in the few minutes that I am able to call spare time). I did name her, however. Only Copeland fans will understand, however, that her name is Marsh. 'Nough said.

11:365

2009-07-08T07:41:00.001-07:00

My guitar, again. Still haven't found a name. I'm silly, yes, I'll admit it. :)

Today while on the computer at work between burning cds, I found this poem in my notes on facebook. (um, yes, I am back on... several reasons why, but it's all good. :P) I still really like it, and have set it to a song, but maybe I'll try again. I didn't really like the music. Anyhow, here 'tis:

(keeping in sync with the wind)

my mind is often torn,

battling with my heart,

forging victories that last

only minutes instead of a lifetime.

reaching out to emptiness,

keeping in sync with the wind,

following a blank map,

crying for more pain.

i want to follow the light,

but i’m blinded by darkness,

focused on the ground,

staring at my faults.

i make mistakes, cause heartache,

trip and spill my dreams,

ask for too much, give too little,

and then repeat it all again.

but through the blighted past

i can trace and redefine,

forgive and not forget,

breathe deeper and freer.

because not all is lost:

it happened for a reason.

that reason doesn’t lie in me.

it lies in You.

10:365

2009-07-07T17:30:00.000-07:00

I've always wanted to learn guitar, and today I bought my first guitar. I love it already, but still need to name her. At least I've determined a specific gender. That's good progress. :P

(shirt courtesy of grace through bloodshed)

9:365

2009-07-06T19:06:00.000-07:00

I miss a lot of people right now. That doesn't explain why I was taking pictures of my lamp tonight, however.

8:365

2009-07-05T17:45:00.001-07:00

For lack of anything better to post, a dorky self-portrait will have to suffice for now.

7:365

2009-07-04T13:11:00.001-07:00

6:365

2009-07-03T11:38:00.001-07:00

Coffee + two of my best friends = a fantastic morning.

I love my friends. And... I don't know what I'd do without them. :)

5:365

2009-07-02T10:28:00.000-07:00

I didn't post the day before (or the day before) because I was busy recovering from Cedar Point. But... here's a photo with the friends (minus the photographer, one of my best friends) I went with.

4:365

2009-06-29T10:33:00.001-07:00

Mischeivous.

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2009-06-28T11:58:00.000-07:00

Glass art.

2:365

2009-06-27T12:19:00.001-07:00

Inside an oriental willow:

Some of my favorite colors:

And then... a self-portrait. :P

1:365

2009-06-26T16:13:00.001-07:00

Thanks to Kristin's suggestion of participating in a photo-a-day post idea, here's the first day.

Summer = fresh strawberries. These are from my town's farmers' market. Mmmm...

And this is Bethany, my gorgeous best friend who modeled for me earlier this week. Isn't her smile amazingly beautiful??

More tomorrow, as I'm heading off early in the morning to the Toledo Botanical Gardens for their annual art show. :)

of college towns and amateur photography.

2009-06-22T15:24:00.000-07:00

I love college towns. At least, I love the ones I've visited. I live just outside of Bowling Green, Ohio, which has always struck me as being a funny little town (it's the home of the regionally populous Bowling Green State University). The downtown is gorgeous- art deco and gothic architecture everywhere, a thriving arts scene, unique shops, etc. But it's surrounded by flat farmland and dull machinery once you're past the campus borders. Flat, flat, flat... and yet the downtown is so striking and energetic. Strange.

Anyhow, I'm going to rummage through the different lighting and shadows of the town tomorrow on a shooting outing with one of my best friends, who kindly agreed to allow me to test my amateur photography skills on her good looks. We'll see if my results mar her natural beauty or not... hopefully a few will turn out.

I love pink. And jewelry, though I don't wear much that often.

And roses (how cliché).

I feel as if I should say something edifying and spiritually mature, but I lack the words and the depth that I know should exist. To be honest, lately I've felt so dry and emotionless... and that's not how God needs me to feel and exist. So I'll try harder and pray harder and seek harder. I know He's waiting for me to discover some important truth. Many exist; I just need to grasp them.

Maybe writing some music will help. Hmm. I think I'll try that.

life without facebook?

2009-06-21T09:32:00.000-07:00

Well, it's actually quite nice. A close friend and I are beginning what we've deemed to be a feat of strength and self-control: a Facebook hiatus contest. I know, it sounds like something completely unnecessary, but the fact remains that Facebook is a major life-controller.

I have several things listed in the "life-controller" category for myself, and most of them aren't beneficial in any respects: coffee, social networking, and shopping are the main three. So, I'm attacking Facebook first. It just takes up too much time out of my already-tight schedule, and now that I'm working an office job and maintaining a performance major's practice routine, I can't let other important things slide. Things like sitting outside on my screened-in porch and talking about gardening with my mom. Like reading an engrossing chapter in Little Dorrit by Dickens. Like wrestling with my Wacom tablet on my Macbook. Things that build you up, and don't tear you down... like watching for status updates from frustrating people who don't care if you're looking, anyways. Things like that don't matter in the long run; they only tear you down and keep you from focusing on reality, which can actually be quite blissful.

Yesterday I played for a wedding, which also happened to simultaneously occurr during my brother's graduation party (thanks to my mother's absent-minded announcement that she had ordered my brother's invites, and would I please remember to be free on the 20th? Um... no, Mom, I'm booked for a wedding on that morning...). It was simple and slightly disorganized (a few things were different than the ceremony had been rehearsed the night before), but it went well and brought to mind the fact that I am a very, very sentimental female. 'Nough said.

I'm looking forward to autumn. My classes are all ones I know I'll enjoy immensely; all but one revolving around music. Being a performance major (on harp) is wonderful because I can completely immerse myself in music. I love academics, but honestly, music is my first love. I'll have plenty of core classes to complete during the summer, anyhow. I'm hoping to take European history this fall, but as far as academics, that's it.

But for now, I can sip my iced caramel macciatto and read Dickens and enjoy the sun. Because it's summer, and school doesn't start for another 2 months. 2 months of friends, work, practicing, reading, and more work. And then I can finally sink into reality.

another blogging beginning.

2009-06-18T16:38:00.000-07:00

I have a bad habit of leaving things incomplete, which includes my previous blog. Perhaps the problem was that my posts were mainly expositional in topic, rather than more personal and private. That's why I created this blog... I guess I just felt the need to write from inside my heart versus solely my mind. And I wasn't getting the journal "vibe"... it was as if I were writing for an audience, which took the necessary fun out of blogging. So, let's begin anew, shall we?

If you don't know me already, check out my bio on the sidebar. But for now, let's just say that I'm a musician, artist, and writer in need of a means of verbal expression.

More to come soon...