“Destiny itself is like a wonderful wide tapestry in which every thread is guided by an unspeakably tender hand, placed beside another thread and held and carried by a hundred others.”

Rainer Maria Rilke

It is our experiences that shape and change us. Until this summer, I had little faith in the idea of “destiny”, but since then, I’ve had so many incidents of fate that I’ve found, how could I not believe that certain things that were meant to be? This is a friend from the Santa Fe Workshop I attended this summer. His faith in destiny along with all that has happened has opened a new perspective for me.

I’ve promised to cataloge my adventures and my experiences from the Santa Fe Workshops this August. After a badly sprained ankle, horrific storms, terrible directions, hours of speeding like never before, I stumbled late into Santa Fe. I barely made it to the dinner and welcome and hobbled out to find a Walmart to get an extra hard drive.  While asking for directions, I came across a beautiful group of young men, and when I say beautiful, they WERE,  they just stood out. They did not know they way to Walmart, they barely spoke English,  but yes, they would love to have their photo taken in front on their mini bus they bought on ebay for $1600. They have had been touring the U.S. for the last two months, like some rock band making groupie fans everywhere they went. and of course, I was on of them. They day was an omen for what was to come in the following days.

Come back of Friday for a free texture or action. Which will be it be? Who knows, come on by to find out!

I was shopping with my mother when she leaned over and picked up a huge pair of sunglasses. My daughter was mortified, “You’re really not going to wear those are you?”.  My response was, “They’ll make a great shot someday and until then, I think they look fabulous. So during the holidays when my little cousin picked up the glasses and put them on was, “Oh, here’s the moment.” I love this shot. A huge shout out to goes to Andrea Rascaglia(Rome – Italy) creating and sharing such fun free borders to use. This is a Poloroid Transfer. My friend Dana Ohlsen encouraged me to participate in the I Heart Faces Weekly challenges and I thank her for inspring me to process a photo that will make me laugh for a longtime to come.  

Be sure to come back Wednesday to hear about my adventures in Santa Fe photographing my legendary hero,the most beautiful man alive, and an African healer. I also ran naked in the desert for a self portrait. Of course, I could have done that if I had the best teacher and classmates possible, and I did.

Yes, I really did meet and photograph David Michael Kennedy. It was kind of like meeting Oprah. not that I’ve met her but if I ever do, I’ll be prepared for that surreal type of experience. I’m out the door for now so I’ll save the story for another time!

There’s no denying it. I ♥  Faces. There is even a website I Heart Faces/ by that name that is dedicated just to sharing photos of faces. My photographer friend  Dana Ohlsen/ loves the site and I’ve seen her grow so much as a photographer so I think it’s site that is definitely worth checking out. It offers tips for photo lovers of all levels.

This is the original.

This is what the shot looks like after applying Vintage Postcard.

This is what the shot can look like after I took out the color with the channel mixer in Adobe. I prefer a heavier feel to my photos, but the shot can also look like this.

And 9 out of 10 people are going to prefer the lighter look, it just depends on your personal taste. There is a texture in the action so run it before you resize your images. Click here to get your free Vintage Postcard Action and then once you arrive to Media Fire, just click on the “Download Here” on the right side. Good Luck!

Today I’m writing on Today’s Mama with some info a great local deals you won’t want to miss.

I love photographing children with red hair. The red hair and blue eyes on this young girl with her fair skin is almost magical. She seems a bit “Fey” or fairy touched. I photographed her along with her extended family, a group of 18 (nine of which were under 9), which I almost never do. Even though it was tricky trying to get all the shots, the family was so lovely to work with and fabulously patient. Of course my favorite shots were the kids shots, so be looking for more next week.

If you’re a blogger, even a small timer like myself, you can get really wonderful opportunities. I had one of these opportunities Tuesday evening when I was invited to a cooking class by Sara Voortmeyer, at Thanksgiving Point. If you think you know anything at all about baking, just wait until you attend a class with Sara. Her expertise comes from at one time being the head pastry chef at Tuscany and now a private caterer for many years.

Utah Mama bloggers, invited by Rachael Herrscher Today’s Mama, were treated to a three hour class where Sara featured five of her favorite dreamy cupcake recipesfrom start to finish. Each Recipe had a fabulously unique taste and texture. It was a wonderful night with other great bloggers like the gals from the The Crafting Chicks , Allison from Petit Elefant, Utah Mama Jen Utah Mama Jen, and Camille from Make It Work Mom to name a few.

Thanksgiving Pointgraciously has given the bloggers who attended a free cooking class to give away, a huge thank you to them as well for hosting such a fabulous evening. So as I figure out the details for the giveaway, keep your eyes open for more details, more dreamy cupcake shots and my favorite recipe of the night.