Hey friends! Long time no see! I haven’t been posting on here very often because of an exciting new development: I’m attempting to simplify my digital presence (wow that sounds fancy) by combining most of my social media and WordPress content into one Substack account.

That means, going forward, I may not be very active on this blog. I know that sounds sad and like the end of an era, but really it’s just a continuation of this blog, but on a new platform. Nowadays Substack seems to be the place for long-form written content, while WordPress… well, the blogging community here just isn’t what it was 5-10 years ago. And I miss that. 

If you’ve been a long time reader, thank you from the bottom of my heart for supporting a blog that has literally changed my life for the better. I hope you’ll subscribe (for free!) to the new version of this blog right here on Substack, where I can not only share my photography and writing, but shorter notes, small poems, and chats with you guys in the comments. And I may still pop back on here once in a while, as WordPress is still a great place to share certain types of informational posts.

Anyway! I thought I would close this chapter of my blog with a crowd favorite: a massive miscellaneous photo dump collected over many months. Enjoy! 🙂

rainy days

Sophia and I are still enjoying our walks around the neighborhood most mornings. I brought my camera along to capture the serenity of the world after rain. Even the bus stop windows look picturesque adorned with raindrops.

I’ve been waiting and waiting to get some fall photos for you guys, but dear me, autumn is surely taking its time this year. It’s the middle of October and I still look outside and see mostly green! I did find these warm-toned leaves on the ground during our walk.

If you’re just starting out with photography, going out after a rain is a great way to get some interesting nature shots even if there’s not a lot of grand and glorious subjects around you.

Even humble houseplants and holly bushes look dazzling dripping with silvery dew.

I LOVE fog and sadly haven’t seen too much of it this autumn. I did catch a small cloud nestling in this little hollow of trees.

sophia compilation

And you thought we were done with Sophia photoshoots… 😉 I’ll be taking pictures of her for many years to come! 

The window lighting by our bed is just perfect for portraits, don’t you agree? Pretty model baby. 🙂

She LOVES exploring outside whenever I go out to, say, hang the laundry out to dry on our deck railing. It’s funny how much different she looks in these two pictures because of how fluffy her hair is on the left.

The other day I decided it was time to start her art education and made a little batch of taste-safe finger paint for her to play with. It was only a mild success because she was more interesting in feeling the paint than painting with it, but I did end up with some ADORABLE pictures (and a huge mess, haha).

Do not disturb the artist at work. She seems to be seriously contemplating her next brushstroke.

I love this photoshoot so much ahh it’s adorable! Her little studious expression!

CHUB FRIEND. She’s definitely getting into the toddler stage now (including toddling around by herself!), but these pictures still bring out the cute li’l baby in her.

Speaking of babies, I found this photo I don’t think I’ve shared from back when she was like five months old. I dressed her up like this for a talent show at my church, and we put her on the display table for a bit to show off her talent of being adorable. 😀 And of looking like a real-life baby doll – I mean, seriously!

nature

Another rare fall photo! Even though the trees as a whole aren’t vivid, you can find some gorgeous individual leaves.

This is NOT a fall photo: it was taken on vacation with Sully’s family in Florida during a beautiful sunset.

I did a family photoshoot for some friends a few weeks ago and took this as a test shot for a photo location. It turned out to be the perfect, glowy nook! 

This is what I mean when I say fall is late. :’) I took this photo going over the mountains last Saturday. So green…

One of my favorite recent photos of one of my favorite (not recent) trees! Such a mighty green giant.

I usually prefer nature uninterrupted by manmade things, but the dark asphalt actually highlighted the dainty intricacy of these fallen leaves.

I have seen multiple small turtles on our walks, including this brilliant little guy. 

portraits

I visited a local dairy with some mom friends and also got to hang out with my friend pictured below who works there. I love this picture of her in her happy place. 🙂

Two (rather old) sister shots from larger family photoshoots. I have such beautiful sisters and sisters-in-law. ❤

Sully wanted me to take a headshot for his Spotify account since he has been experimenting with creating his own songs! You can listen to his music here.

Another very outdated photo from when Sophia was a wee child. We found such a beautiful abundance of fluffy pink flowers. I’ll probably use them in a Substack post one day, so I decided not to share the whole photoshoot here.

Hehe, babies with glasses are just too cute. This is one of my little nieces who is very close to Sophia’s age.

Megan snapped this family photo of us when I was taking a Christmas card photo for all of Sully’s family. It’s my lockscreen currently.

etcetera

Earlier in the season I went to a local produce auction with my mom and sisters and got amazing deals on lots of yummy produce – including okra, Sully’s favorite.

I sliced and breaded it before freezing, so I can quickly whip up a delicious side. It has worked surprisingly well. I couldn’t resist a shot of the unique interior structure of okra. 

Hahaha so random. I took this during my church’s talent show. Some of the kids dressed up in dark clothes adorned with glow sticks and performed a very entertaining dance. So fun.

I have been enjoying collecting mini wildflower bouquets during our morning walks and displaying them on my kitchen windowsill. 

A cute little bunny some friends’ own. I love the colors in this shot.

Recently I have had not one, but two different houseplants sprout mushrooms out of nowhere. Being a mushroom-lover, I was thrilled, if somewhat bewildered. I also found some fluffy grass heads on a walk and brought them in for a nice fall display.

I used more of the grass heads along with other foraged finds and dried flowers to create a pretty dried wreath for the autumn/winter season. I love how it turned out!

Alright, we have finally “caught up” I suppose. I’m going to miss sharing regularly on this comfortably worn-in spot of the internet. But I’ve been ready for a change for a while now, and I’m excited for this new chapter. I’ve already made several posts (and am working on one about my hobbies which I think you guys will enjoy), so click the button below to check them out. If you like what you see, I’d be honored if you stick around. ❤

Thanks so much for reading, my friends, and have a lovely day!

***Allison***

P. S. Photos taken with my Nikon D7200. Edited with Lightroom.