When I was little I remember driving through the dark and searching out the lighted windows in homes we passed. What were people doing? Where the walls a pretty color? Is growing pains on the t.v? AM I MISSING GROWING PAINS RIGHT NOW?

Our home has a window over the kitchen sink which looks out onto the backyard. I’ve watched snow fall, my children play, the dogs run, birds at the feeder and measured summer days by the height of sunflowers in the garden. I’ve left windows open in summer storms. Coming home to puddles and screens filled with drops of water then fallen asleep to the soft whirring blades of a fan in the window on a warm summer night. So yeah I’m a fan of windows. I’d have a beer with windows. Well, if I drank beer. Which I don’t. Wine…..I’d have a glass- no- scratch that. I’d share a bottle of wine with windows.

Also windows and I go way back. One of the MANY adorable stories about me my mom could tell you is that once, when I was little, I was standing up in my crib looking out the window at the snow yelling “nose!” over and over.  That’s frickin’ adorable. Even the window was like “awwww”. Now as an adult I see how useful windows are. As well as being an aesthetic addition to the home they are an effective means of communication. For example: My son is in the back yard doing something he shouldn’t be doing. I am inside yet I see this and wish to express my displeasure. (This is where windows come in). A quick BANG! BANG! BANG! on the window and stern head shake means “oh crap mom saw me.” Wild hand gestures (from mom) and silently mouthing words means “oh crap she’s really mad. I’m going to release this raccoon back into the wild NOW.” Thanks windows, is there anything you can’t do? Oh yeah…wash yourself.

In the center of things
between the pressing of the window and air
— a small space —
there is a meeting that defines
nothing, everything.
— from “Windows” by Rachel Sherwood

I spent a lot of time looking out the window this winter. As the snow piled up, I pined away for Spring and imagined the glorious moment when I would finally feel the warmth of the sun on my face and hear the birds singing, and maybe even get a glimpse of my tulip bulbs sending up shoots. And, finally, that moment has arrived! It’s time to open the windows wide and let in the fresh air of the new season. — Kelli

Lately I don’t know where my head has been. I have been negligent in my photo blogging and it’s NOT COOL- There are at least three people who read this blog and I am letting them down. This morning I woke up determined to spend the day focused solely on this blog and my photo mission. Litter-box be damned! Those cats will just have to wait. We had beautiful fluffy snow overnight and it was brilliantly bright and sunny which made driving out to the farm store an absolute joy! I took the long way and enjoyed the drive. I love Reber Rock farm. Reber Rock Farm is an 88-acre draft powered farm on the southern edge of the Reber Valley in Essex, NY and everything I have ever brought home from there has been top notch. Since this post was all about “eat” or “eating” I thought it would be fun to see what was in the store and put together dinner from the farm. We had a hearty stew with farm carrots, adirondack blue potatoes and garlic to compliment some some beef broth I made and it was topped off with dumplings. It was perfect. I’m also really looking forward to making the kids a special breakfast of pancakes with Reber Rock maple syrup! — Tarah

kelli ann wilson

This was the one assignment that I didn’t find difficult — I guess I like taking closeup pictures of food! I am very frustrated, though, because I had some other photos I wanted to use, but they’re on a camera card that is currently missing. When one lives with young children, things tend to “disappear” and then suddenly reappear in the most unlikely of places. Case in point: my daughter just found the missing baby Jesus from our nativity in a box full of video game paraphernalia in her room. (I am very confident that she is not responsible for this — she was framed!) I’m really hoping my card turns up, and the whole situation reminds me that I need to take better care of my camera equipment (and perhaps put tracking devices on everything I own?)! — Kelli

I feel like if you encounter a woman on the shoreline of lake Champlain in winter singing let it go (loudly) and pretending to form an ice palace you just turn around and walk away. — Tarah

tarah d’elia

I was all set to take these pictures last weekend, and then it rained. A lot. Not exactly the right environment to take images that evoke “cold.” But, luckily for me (?) it actually did get cold this week. My photos were taken at the pond behind my house. I had originally planned to visit our usual trail, but it was so icy that I abandoned that effort in favor of something, well, flatter. I wasn’t worried so much about getting hurt as I was about falling and breaking my camera — priorities!

You’ll probably all hate me for saying this, but I’d love to get one more big snowstorm before winter is over. I’m not such a huge fan of ice encrusted everything, and I know at least one three-year old who is very sad that he can’t build a snowman! — Kelli

From Wikipedia: In photography, bokeh (Originally /ˈboʊkɛ/, /ˈboʊkeɪ/ BOH-kay — also sometimes pronounced as /ˈboʊkə/ BOH-kə, Japanese: [boke]) is the aesthetic quality of the blur produced in the out-of-focus parts of an image produced by a lens. Bokeh has been defined as “the way the lens renders out-of-focus points of light.”

One of the things that made me want a DSLR camera (versus a point and shoot) is the versatility of lenses and the ability to create beautiful, blurred backgrounds. In short: bokeh. I find that the best way to achieve this is to use the widest aperture possible (my 50mm lens opens to 1.8), and then focus on a small area of detail in the foreground. Christmas is the perfect time of year to play with bokeh because there is an abundance of sparkly lights during the holiday season. When out of focus, lights on a tree or a house look really spectacular. — Kelli

kelli ann wilson

“I like bokeh. It’s nice and smells good. Most of the time.”

(Since it’s my 15th wedding anniversary this week I thought I’d share an excerpt from my vows.)

I’ve never been a huge fan of just making a laundry list of things for which I am “thankful,” even though I know that’s a popular activity this time of year. It has always seemed kind of artificial to me. My experience of genuine gratitude is visceral, which makes it hard to put into words. Still, I can see some value in listing off the things I am grateful for, at least occasionally, because it often turns out that my list consists of people and relationships that have been neglected or overlooked; or, the basic necessities of life that I so often take for granted because I have never had to experience life without them. Taking inventory helps me see just how blessed I truly am, but also inspires me to do more for others who have not had the same good fortune.

So, without further ado: I am thankful for my husband; my two beautiful children; my home; my cat; my friends & extended family; my husband’s good job that allows me to be home with my kids; my faith; my creative spirit; my good health; the jaw-dropping beauty of nature; the art, music, and literature that gives my life meaning; and many, many more things that are harder to pin down in writing.

— Kelli

tarah d’elia

There is no way to encompass all the intricacies of life down to a few precious bullet points. I am thankful for an infinite amount of things both seen and unseen. It is easy to forget however. A spirit of peace and thanksgiving isn’t always present in each of us 100% of the time. So if I were going to make an accurate list I would say-

These are the things I am thankful for. Sorry if you didn’t make the list. Better luck next time…  

• Myself. Well done self. You’ve seen some crazy shit.  You’re doing alright. Your confidence and determination has been a real asset to the team.
• Where I come from. (reference crazy shit)
• Sommerleigh, Josiah, Gideon and Natalie. More than anything in this world.
• My husband. You should all be jealous.
• my siblings. you are all nuts.
• our home. it’s safe and warm and perfect.
• our pets. OK…mostly my pets. Bunnies, frogs, cats and dogs.
• The cats. (they made me give them their own bullet point. they also want to remind me to be thankful they let us sleep on THEIR bed.)

— Tarah

……Next time is now. I have been informed I did not include my mother on this list. It doesn’t matter how I obtained this information. Just that I am now aware of it. So. Very.  Aware. In light of this egregious error on my part I would like to make the following statement.

• I am thankful for my mom. She makes me laugh and is a kick ass grandma   -Tarah 

This week’s theme was “spooky” and I love how it turned out. I knew exactly what I wanted to do, and the weather actually cooperated. Tarah usually finishes her assignment long before I do (she’s so dedicated!), but I intentionally do not look at her work until I finish mine. I was both shocked and amused by how perfectly our pictures coordinate this week — it’s almost hard to tell whose is whose! Great minds think alike (ours, too)! I’m looking forward to taking my kiddos trick-or-treating tonight. Happy Halloween! — Kelli

tarah d’elia

Standing on a dark road late at night, all alone. Who’s idea was this? The only time I was more scared was the Halloween that we ran out of candy and had a troop of kids on the front porch who would not give up and started looking in the windows because as one put it- “I KNOW YOU’RE IN THERE. I CAN SEE THE LIGHTS ON!” — Tarah

I first heard the term “golden hour” used by the photographer who did my engagement and wedding photos. This was at least a year before I became seriously interested in photography, but it was the first time I had noticed or considered how the light looked at different times of the day. Our engagement photos, taken just before sunset on a warm summer day, really did make us look as if we were bathed in golden light. Over the years I have learned that lighting is a huge part of what makes a photo “great” as opposed to “good” or just “okay.” Sometimes I get it right, and sometimes I don’t. This week I had a lot of fun playing with the theme of golden as both light and color.— Kelli

tarah d’elia

Light is an amazing subject matter and a powerful tool for conveying emotion in a photo. To me golden is more about a feeling than a color. When I think of golden it evokes warmth and contentment. This week in some beautiful locations and with amazingly cooperative weather I tried to pull these feelings into frame. *With the exception of the dog on the couch…that makes me feel like vacuuming. — Tarah