Live Free

Chasing Wildflowers with Kristie and Kate

Kristie and Kate -HD (720p) from Nichole Chigoy on Vimeo.

Kristie and I met in kindergarten but didn't become best pals until we were 10 years old.  We've been through so much together...training bras, Judy Blume, high school heartbreak, family loss, new beginnings, marriage, infertility, woes, adoption, and on and on. If any friend is like a sister to me, it's her. She IS my sister. She knows my story. She knows my entire family. She knows that certain scent of my childhood home. How many people in our lifetime can share such a bond? Not many...

Kate is her dear 6 year old daughter. She and Bea are the same age and are lucky that they are getting to grow up together.  It's so fun to share stories of our childhood with them.  Again, not many friends are connected in this way. 

I got to play with Kristie and Kate in the wildflowers deep in the heart of central Texas hill country. It was a splendid evening. The scenery was immaculate and picturesque. I was with two of my favorite people.  The only sounds to hear were that of bees gathering pollen and nectar, crickets, frogs, and birds. A big slice of heaven right there! 

What a fun, fun, inspiring, exhilarating evening. Oh my...nothing feels my cup up more than chasing wildflowers and taking photos of beautiful people.  

 

It was in February that I moseyed on over to my dear friend Molly's house to take some candid shots of her little clan in the late afternoon hours. Our winter has been dark and misty, so this sparkling sunny day was a treat for us all.  

With my technical skills in this photo session, I a was a bit disappointed. I forget to change out my ISO when we went outside, so the sharpness and quality was compromised. I was annoyed by my mistake. It took me over a month to edit through the photos because I knew I didn't do my best work and I think I subconsciously wanted to give up on the photo shoot. 

I stuck with it. I didn't really want to give up on those photos and I most certainly, didn't want to let Molly down. I am so glad I didn't. Time and love heals. No, my work isn't anything spectacular, but this family and their love, oh my goodness, they are! These four people are like family to me. I get teary eyed watching the slideshow because the love they share is so easy to capture. It's right there -- just waiting!! 

And yes, if you follow Joy Prouty's blog, I sure did copy her brilliance in the song choice for the slideshow. I hope she doesn't mind. Imitation is a form a flattery, right? Does this adage apply to blogging and photography. I hope so.  I mean, can any other family photo documentary ever not be done to "The Only Walls For Me"? 

Thank sweet family for allowing me into your home, for being real, vulnerable, and beautiful. I love you!

the shift

The shift is upon us. The one that carries us from the glory, hazy daze of summer to the beginnings of a vibrant new school year. As if flipping the calendar page to August last week wasn't enough of a gentle nudge, I am finding (with giddiness and anticipation) that the light does not lie. Its glow is becoming warmer by the day. 

We've had a really good summer ride. So good. 

Just in the last couple of weeks...

The young one got swimming underwater. She's there. And now as if the flood gates have opened, there is an explosion of sorts into other little things she's long been on the cusp of. 

I've been staying up way too late geeking out on youtube and Clickinmoms as I attempt to learn more about the in's and out's of photography beyong, shutter speed, aperture, and ISO. 

Field trips are being planned and organized. 

New classroom materials suitable for kindergartners (my baby and her little friends are going to be kinders this year!!) are being created and laminated. 

School supplies are stacking up into pretty little piles of all things fresh and bright.

Backyard improvements are almost a reality. So close. 

Summertime to-do list are satisfyingly  and nearly all checked off. 

Fall camping trip plans are making there way into conversations at dinner time. 

Daydreams of crisp air, wood smoke, autumn gatherings, fields of goldenrod and gulf mulhy seed blooms tumble through my days. I can not fend them off. 

Cute conversations of a maybe baby at some point in our upcoming school year. Will we blessed during the autumn, winter, or spring? Any season will do!  

Is August a month of transition for you? In what ways are your days shifting?

XO,

Nichole

 

 

 

two friends of mine.

Last weekend, I met a dear friend of mine and her little one for a morning walk. With a new little one about to join the family, Molly was hoping I'd be able to capture a few precious moments of her and her first born. 

Though I take plenty of pictures around my home and at school, this was my first time ever intentionally photographing a family.  My first time out of my photography comfort zone! I was so nervous at first. 

But... what an honor and a delight it turned out to be. These two are like family to me. They are such special, special people and I love to watch them -- their relationship -- unfurl as they grow together as mama and daughter.  I had the most fun, simply tagging along with them on their nature walk and then quietly wondering around and snapping shots while they  hung out together and played on the bank of the pond. 

Being there for them, to document this small time and space of just the two of them, seemed like the most natural thing ever! 

The air was warm and fragrant with the sweet aroma of summer wafting all around, whispering secrets of the day's possibilities.