at a neighborhood cafe...

i'm not sure when my fascination with strangers started

but

it's grown immensely over the past few years

and

i thank my camera for that

::

i talk to strangers often. just ask my hubby.

if he turns his head for a moment while we're out

let's say standing in line to buy movie tickets

it's pretty much a guarantee that i have already started a conversation with the people

behind us

by the time he turns to look at me again

saturday we took our daughter out for lunch

{cute isn't she}

to a cafe she hadn't been to and i couldn't help but snap a few photos

~

it's that warm kind of place

where i just have to believe that everyone who eats there

has a fascinating story behind them

these three girls were sweet

and

at one point the blonde in the window seat was laying on her back

soaking up the sun

because

it's that kind of a cafe

~

i asked if i could take their photo for the cafe series i was shooting

and

they said of course

{for those of you who lovingly leave your comments for me saying you could never take the stranger photos i take or even approach a stranger. all you have to do is ask}

when we were leaving

the street scene above

~even if my loved ones hadn't been in it~

jumped out me like something from a movie

~

it was a great saturday

and

there's even more photos to come

from later in the day

*

for fun and some unexplained reason, i shot all my photos on saturday in black and white. on my camera there are options for color and one of them is monochrome and to say i fell in love with this option is an understatement. the photos to me almost look like they are from a film camera and to not have to edit them is like a dream come true.

sometimes...

sometimes

I want to fly away into the soft blue sky for a day or two

and

come back only when I'm ready

sometimes

I want to spin around in circles fast enough to dislodge all those bad thoughts that for whatever reason

want to live in my mind

in order to make room for all the good ones trying to visit

sometimes

I want to hang upside down so I can see the world with a new set of eyes

while laughing until my stomach hurts

and

then fall to the ground and do it all over again

and

sometimes when there's a chill in the air

I just want to wrap myself up

and

sit and wonder

and

appreciate the life that I'm living

while telling myself

"you're okay"

*
{these are some of the other photos from the impromptu photo shoot I did in the park...remember the post of wanting to be six years old again...yep, that one...anyhow, recently on shutter sisters there was a discussion about "what's your style" and I hated that I didn't have one....I mean who doesn't want to have "a style" right ?

I love to shoot people, nature, houses...it doesn't really matter as I like a little bit of everything for right now...BUT it was pointed out to me by one of my most favorite people in the world that I make my photos soft in the middle and blurry around the edges and I was like...

"that's it...she's right...that's my style"

and

then I kissed my daughter and thanked her for noticing}

part four....it just happened

I know you didn't ask

to see a little nakedness

of me

so I'm only going to show you one of the photos

I gave to john on valentines day

{unless you beg for more}

~

and

as far as

continuing here

with the photo editing

"before and after shots"

ummm

well

let's just say

that with my clothes off

and

nothing but my pale and white and dried skinned body

running around the room with the self timer on my camera beeping

at me

while

I was jumping into blankets

and

trying to look seductive

well

let's just say there is no way

you will ever see the colored before shots

ever

ever

ever

~

and

now I know why I still love black and white

and

blurriness

~