December Photo Project, day three.

I ran to grab my camera and she ran to grab a prop, her almost-four-year-old son. I don’t know that I’ll have any friends left after this month of covert and not-so-covert portraits. ;)

I am pushing myself to shoot people this month. So far I’ve forgotten to take my camera with me and I’ve forgotten to ask someone for a shot when they came to my door. I ended up at Maralee’s doorstep today for a brief moment and, voila!, I had my moment. Good thing Maralee never leaves the house. When I run by and she’s not there I assume great tragedy has befallen her. Good thing for the DPP that I *do* leave the house as it’ll give me ample opportunity to fulfill my own challenge of photographing human beings over the next 21 days…

December Photo Project, day two.

I wonder how many times the HONY photographer gets told no? A lot, I bet!

Rebecca B. didn’t tell me no this morning because I didn’t ask her. And yes, I realize how annoying that is to have someone point their camera at you. I totally took advantage of her and I am 100% happy I did so. (She’ll forgive me—just look at her joyful face.) I couldn’t resist the light flowing in through one basement window, the way it washed right over Rebecca as she stood patiently making coffee for our women’s bible study at Redeemer. I love the grittiness of the scene around her. Something in me greatly delights in capturing life as it is, not being afraid of some peeling paint or exposed ductwork.

Thanks in advance to my name-twin for letting me post this (even though I didn’t ask). I hope you see here what we, your friends and admirers, see in you: a beautiful, open, friendly and generous heart.

Homework is always done with a smile around here.

Wait a minute. Not really. BUT TODAY IT WAS. Praise Jesus.

Day 1 of the December Photo Project is for all of you who have prayed with me over my child and prayed for my parenting. We all need people who care about our kids, and I’m so grateful of the people in our lives who love this amazing kid of mine.

For all you moms and dads who fight over homework, I wish for you days where smiles prevail. For all you teachers who hand out the homework, thanks for persevering—and also, thank you for homework-less weekends. And for all you students who work hard both during and after school—especially those of you who struggle with academics—know that we see your awesome selves and we’re proud of you.

Hello, friends! You can now sign up to join us for the 2015 December Photo Project or DPP as we affectionately call it.

First off, you should know that the ONLY reason I do this is because all of you like doing it with me. I’m 100% sure I would’ve ditched the project years ago if I was doing it alone, so THANK YOU for making it so fun for all of us.

Second, much thanks goes to the awesome Kaylee Koenig for aiding me in creating a design for this year’s DPP. She stepped in and handled it and I am so thankful! Lovely work, Kaylee! I also appreciate my husband who does All Things Web-related for me so I don’t have to. He’s always a good sport. (I love you, Jeremy Tredway!)

Final thing. Some of you are wondering why we do this thing called the DPP. Well, we do it because we like to capture the first 25 days of December in a unique way. Though photography is at our fingertips through phones these days, we all lead very different lives and have found it to be a particularly fun challenge to document what the month looks like for us. Some of us add a challenge to it all by, say, taking only photos in one location, or just photos of friends. Others have gotten creative with their DPP shots and have printed books after the project is complete. Whatever you do, take pictures each day, select one as your “image of the day” and post it to your blog, to Instagram or to a Facebook album. You can also share the images in a group pool on Facebook or Flickr. Get creative! And enjoy the wonderful month of December.

The DPP begins tomorrow! Sign up is here.

My 16 month old nephew stayed still at the window for .001 of a second and I caught him with my camera. What a joy and delight this boy is!

We had a wonderful crowd for Thanksgiving this year. My heart is full.

It was such a treat to spend several hours with Evangeline recently. I thoroughly enjoyed this senior’s laughter and struggle to keep a serious face. Not only is she a natural beauty, she’s smart and is a lot of fun. Thanks for letting me photograph you, Evangeline!

With further ado, more images from Evangeline’s senior photo shoot.

I woke up yesterday to a backyard maple that turned orange overnight. Oh fall, I’ve long resisted your charms since you’re a harbinger of winter, but I can’t resist your colors. Every year I think God outdid himself by creating this season. Trees that turn the colors of flames? Fantastic.

I found myself at Holmes Lake three times within 48 hours last week, with only an iPhone in my purse. I’m glad for that little camera! You can certainly capture a scene with it.

My relationship with the Wismer family began many years ago when I was a young babysitter watching my even younger charges. While those adorable baby girls grew up and are now leading lives of their own in another state, their youngest sister is wrapping up her high school career. What a joy it was to spend time with the lovely Evangeline on a perfect fall evening last weekend! More photos coming soon…