macro beauty

I subscribe to several photography blogs and forums. One of them is Rock the Shot - they are notorious for having great resources and tips for photographers. They are doing a challenge this month to capture anything using macro photography.

www.rocktheshotforum.com

For the challenge, I wanted to find something completely ordinary and detail its beauty, in-keeping with my 1,000 gifts challenge. The most ordinary thing I could think of was the common dandelion. Considered a weed, they are everywhere. The closer I got the cooler the patterns looked! Here is my submission:

sakura

The wait is finally over! After months of waiting, spring has sprung, the snow is GONE, and the sakura have arrived! The Tohoku region of Japan has been waiting with bated breath as reports have been coming in, documenting the sakura's journey north. We were able to see the first blossoms in Tokyo while we were there last month and have been waiting ever since then for Misawa to get these amazing little flowers.

I love so many things about Japan, and one of my favorites is how organized they are. They actually have websites and publications dedicated to the sakura's arrival in each region. Everywhere we checked, the sakura were due to arrive in Misawa April 30, just in time for Golden Week. At first, I laughed, because I found it amusing that the people of Japan were telling the blossoms when they could arrive.

Little did I know they'd be right on the money. The morning of April 30, the sun rose and the blossoms started blooming. One by one, the trees started turning pink and white. By May 3, the entire base and all the parks around town seemed to have turned pink. All the sakura-themed festivals planned for that weekend would have the sakura decorate the areas. Once again, the Japanese efficiency paid off in a glorious way!

kihi wedding

Last weekend, I shot my first Japanese wedding. I feel incredibly lucky to have had this experience. Though it was incredibly stressful, it was a beautiful event that I will remember forever. The bride and groom, Aiko and Steven, were amazing. They were married at Kihi Shrine, which is about ten minutes from our house. This shrine has been featured in television shows aimed at showing what life is like around Misawa.

The ceremony was small and intimate, with 20 or so family members and close friends. There were many ceremonial events that happened at the ceremony, including the drinking of sake and the reading of scrolls. I wish I knew more Japanese so I could have understood what was being said!

After the ceremony, we took photos. The sakura started to bloom the day of the wedding and we were able to spot a few buds on the trees at the shrine.

After pictures, we headed to Kizan Misawa, which is basically a building with meeting rooms and ballrooms for events such as these. The ceremony was bigger, with nearly 60 guests in attendance. The party went late into the night and the bride and groom (and photographer) were exhausted once it was over!

While I enjoyed every part of this wedding, the part that amazed me the most was the amount of intricate detail that went into the bridal outfits. During the ceremony, Steve and Aiko wore traditional kimonos. Aiko's was made up of about 10 unique layers and it took several people to get it on her! She also wore a traditional Japanese head piece that weighed about 15 pounds. She looked absolutely stunning after the artists completed their work.

After the ceremony, Aiko returned to the Kizan dressing room, where her assistants helped her to change out her headdress. The bright, colorful hair ornaments were swapped out for sparkling silver ones. The effect was stunning.

Halfway through the reception, both bride and groom returned once more to the dressing rooms to change into their last outfit of the evening. Steve wore his Navy uniform while Aiko wore a beautiful red, ruffled wedding reception dress. I was amazed at how quickly the artists took of the 10 kimono layers and headdress, completely redid her hair and makeup, and got her dressed in the gown. She was in and out of there in 20 minutes flat, which was an amazing feat in itself.

As I've gone through photos of the event, I have had trouble pinning down my favorites. There are so many beautiful photos of this beautiful event, and I am so glad I was able to take part in this very special day!

nothingness

So I just realized that I haven't written in this thing since October. Seven months! Seven months full of nothing and everything at the same time.

Well, here is what the last seven months have held.

I still don't have a job, and that fact is growing more and more difficult as each month rolls by. Somehow by the grace of God we are still making it financially, but the prospects are ever dwindling as more and more money is taken from our state (and country's) educational budget. We are looking for teaching positions across the country, and it is very possible that we'll be moving to North Carolina in the next few months.

On that same note, I started a photography business. It's been a lot of fun and we've met some great people. I'm hoping that it builds up enough that I can put teaching on hold until the recession is over, so we'll see. It's a popular thing now for photogs to have their own portraiture blogs, with a few portraits and quick spiel about their clients...so that's where I've been doing my writing for the past few months. The link is here if you are interested in checking it out!

Other than that, things are moving right along, I supposed. We've been in Tahoe off and on for Ben's work. It's nice getting to stay in a hotel for free in one of the world's most beautiful bodies of water for several days on end!

That's about it...see you in another seven months (hopefully it won't be that long!)