SWEET ABANDON

wishing you lingering summer days,

light that glows on the inside & out, 

memories to treasure.

more life on here in a few weeks! 

x

thank you to my model
Anastasiia Lokkila

THE UNSPOKEN

the way the heart moves.

faded & grainy daguerreotype

on a faded & dilapidating porch

with model Anastasiia Lokkila.

MIDSUMMER

summer came 

in her robe of light

and sprinkled the earth

with flowers.

we've found ourselves

in a deserted city,

with most people headed 

to their summer cottages 

for midsummer.

I think we'll pack the car

with picnic stuff

& take a little road trip.

I'm yearning to see 

the sparkling sea

& pick (at least) those seven flowers

to slip under the pillow.

it's warm,

nature's bursting at its seams,

and in summer, 

the song sings itself,

as Mr William Carlos Williams says. 

Happy Midsummer!

x

(my gorgeous model: Anastasiia Lokkila)

BUTTERFLY

"A power of Butterfly must be ~

The Aptitude to fly

Meadows of Majesty concedes

And easy Sweeps of Sky –"

Emily Dickinson

a lovely weekend to you!

(image inspired by artist Amy Judd)

LOST IN WONDER

a lovely weekend to you!

'lost in wonder'

portrait of Ani Pinchuk

muah Stephanie Korhonen

© Rebecca Watson Photography

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM

"I know a bank where the wild thyme blows,

where oxlips & the nodding violet grows,

quite over-canopied with luscious woodbine,

with sweet musk-roses & white eglantine:

There sleeps Titania sometime of the night,

lulled in these flowers with dances & delight."

Wishing you a magical midsummer.

words: William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream

garden images taken at midsummer time in Provence

portraits of Ani, loveliness inside & out.)

SKY CIRCLES

Spring burst through the door

& painted everything blush, cotton and neon.

The warmer breeze

has released an air of ease.

The mind drifts to summer holidays

in a heat that soars to 

near-African temperatures.

I'm ready for the adventure. 

Until then,

the days continue to be filled

with words & photography & editing for others.

And then I reward myself

by rummaging through the  hard drive

for one or two just for me,

for you,

like these ones.

I add my thing to them slowly,

smiling,

feeling the love,

wanting nothing but tenderness

& dreaminess,

as music fills the room.
There's freedom right there,
in that small moment.

It's freedom that always beckons,
and makes the thought of a total break
shine like a beacon.

To feel it rushing through the body,

leading by the hand to play (= to create), 

while I leave all expectations behind
(mine & others')
in a heap in the hallway.

And then,

at summer's end,

begin again,

with a clearer mind,

and a heart that's aligned.

(And I sit here writing this, thinking,

"but you've mulled on these same things before". 

 I look calmly in the eye and say,

"but darling, even if it's two steps back sometimes,

that, too, constitutes a journey.")

Let's make some sweeping sky circles this summer,
shall we?




x

THE JOURNEY

"One day you finally knew

what you had to do, 

& began,

though the voices around you 

kept shouting their bad advice ~"

"though the whole house

began to tremble

& you felt the old tug

at your ankles."

"Mend my life"

each voice cried.

But you didn't stop.

"You knew what you had to do,

though the wind pried

with its stiff fingers

at the very foundations,

though their melancholy was terrible." 

"It was already late enough,

& a wild night,

& the road full of fallen branches and stones."

"But little by little,

as you left their voices behind,

the stars began to burn

through the sheets of clouds,

& there was a new voice 

which you slowly recognized as your own,"

"that kept you company

as you strode deeper & deeper

into the world,

determined to do

the only thing you could do ~"

"determined to save 

the only life you could save."

Words: Mary Oliver

Model: Ani Pinchuk

Muah: Stephanie Korhonen

© Rebecca Watson Photography

WHAT DREAMS ARE MADE OF

... well, take an entire Sunday

and a light-filled space,

... a husband,

who's willing to help clear up

said space,

and take charge of the home while it all happens,

yet again,

... two photographers with a shared secret pinterest board

filled with powder-hued eye candy 

to set the backdrop

for each of us doing our own thing,

and props, 

some handmade at the last minute,

... one lovely, patient model,

the epitome of elegance 

on the inside and out,

fed with strawberries and bubbly

(well, lunch, too :)),

willing to take part in the dream,

... a makeup artist

who immediately got the gist 

of what we were after,

creating her magic 

that remained flawless

all through the day.

(and yes, 

there's a Facebook group for that!

we were strangers,

but no longer.

there's more magic in store together, i'm sure...)

... music,

love & excitement

that bubble over. 

afterwards,

a feeling that you've given your all,

run a marathon.

achy neck, dizzy head,

feeling totally disoriented.

i have a thing for seeing glimpses

of what has gone into a final image,

and wanted to share some here, too.

& something of the joy

of getting one's act together

to pull this off.

gathering forces

and finally getting on with it.

i find that photography for me

is a constant battle 

between feeling satisfied 

and hungry,

never ever one without the other.

right now i feel like i've been fed

at least for a little while.
that, my friends,
is an unfamiliar sensation for me :) 

x

model: Ani Pinchuk
muah: Stephanie Korhonen

SILENTLY DRAWN

“Let yourself be silently drawn 

by the strange pull of what you really love. 

It will not lead you astray.” 

- Rumi

model: Ani Pinchuk

muah: Meghna Mukherjee  

taken at a workshop by Dasha Pears

M. K. SADLER

I recently came across the work

of California-based photographer Meghan Kay Sadler

& fell head over heels! 

So I was overjoyed when she kindly agreed

 I could share some of her images

over here. 

D i v i n e. 

This is just scratching the surface

- there's a whole lot more beauty

to be found over on her portfolio. 

And I loved reading this interview

on oncewed,

where she shares 

some nuggets of advice

for keeping the creative juices flowing.

I think you just might come away

with an encouraged heart, too. 

x

All images with the kind permission

of Meghan Kay Sadler.