inspired by ... part II

So in part I i introduced you to one of my favourite photographers ... miss elle moss photography ... she really is an exceptionally talented woman. Anyways today i want to share a much more recent source of inspiration. Photographically i knew her gorgeous work (i mean how could you not it's stunning) but personally it was only this past summer i got to know her & i am so incredible glad i did. 

Introducing the one & only Joy St.Claire ... picture taker of all things pretty & gorgeous & whimsical & dreamy. In the time i have know Joy i have watch her explode onto the fine art scene ... & i mean literally explode. You know how sometimes it takes just one thing, well Joy got to experience that one thing & now she's flying. It really doesn't take a genius to see why, the question is more why it took so long?

You ever look into a picture & feel like there's a journey you are waiting to take? Every time i look at one of Joy's photographs i feel like i've stepped into something special, a journey back to childhood or fairy tale adventure. It's like Narnia except it is on the pages of a book, this is real life. I am constantly inspired by Joy's nature photography, her exceptional use of colours & textures in creating stunning works of art constantly amazes me as again she opens the door to her reality.

Through Joy i have found my belief that i can succeed in achieving my dreams, she is full of words of wisdom (even if them come in the form of a you tube video), advice & her work lives up to her name & fills me with joy. Yes i went there but then you knew i would. & honestly what's left to say but who knew asparagus could be so inspiring?

Check out more of Joy's work on Etsy!

inspired by ... part I

So i want to share some people with you ... not that they're my own secret people or anything but people who inspire me photographically & to be the best that i can. People who support me, who i can turn to for advice & well putting it mildly give a whole new meaning to the word talent. 

Part I is dedicated to an incredible talented artist ... she's one of those ladies who can rock all photographic genres. In the beginning i knew her solely for her portraits, amazing surreal (sometimes self) portraits. I can't even begin to understand how she sees the things she does, it astounds me when i see new work appearing. Her ideas would seem so out there on paper, but she puts them together in a way that everything works like it's meant to be. Ok yes you've guessed who this fabulous lady is ... the exceptionally talented Elle Moss Photography. 

I admit it, I'm going to town on the adjectives, delving deep into the depths of my vocabulary to come up with new words worthy of such a wonderful lady. & maybe i am gushing a little but i can't help myself. You see the thing about Elle isn't just that she knows how to take pretty pictures but the time she's willing to put back into helping others. I am incredible lucky to have gotten to know the lady behind Elle Moss over the past couple of years, through Etsy & the internet. She has become someone i can turn to for advice with my photography, pushing me to achieve my dreams. 

& her photography doesn't stop at portraits, the whimsical & dream like feel continues into other genres such as her portrayal of nature & her incredible still life's. It's no surprise that her work has been featured in a large number of publications, exhibitions across the globe & is displayed in the homes of various celebrities. Her dreamy, whimsical, breath taking photography & her own fabulous self inspire me daily in my quest (yes i said quest) to sell my fine art full time. She is where i home to be one day & i thank her for being someone i can turn to for help through my own photographic journey. 

You can view more work by Elle Moss Photography in her Etsy shops:

Elle Moss 

Alice B. Gardens

raining umbrellas ...

A wonderful photographer i know (she really is wonderful i promise) ... also runs an online creative e-course. & i figured i would share it with you ... because it's january & i know we all get the post christmas blues, maybe a little inspirational slump. So anyways take a look at it ... it's all kinds of fun, not to mention you meet some great artists. 

So if you're interested in learning more about this course ... head over to Simply Hue & click on the Raining Umbrellas creative e-course tab (don't you just love the name) & sign up. Plus this coming session is over 25% off. 

be who you are ... not someone else!

In recent months i have dealt copying in my own life & watched as it effects the lives of other incredible talented artists. I've talked about inspiration, about learning from others & about being the best you can be. But there's a fine line between that & just stealing ideas from others. My friend Laura, incredible talented photographer/artists/jewelry maker/fashion designer & well wonderful individual designed the above flier to get the word out that i guess this is simple not cool (excuse the old school cliche). To view Laura's original post head over to her wonderful blog. 

spring fever ...

& once again i must apologize for my lack of blogging ... i can't lie there's been a lack of inspiration going on in my life when it comes to photography. I'm 9 months pregnant ... the lil dude is due on Saturday (with no signs of showing up) & i have some serious impatience kicking in. I have been trying to do a million & one things to stay busy, to keep my mind of it & well i haven't really been shooting for me. & it sucks, i hate it. 

I hate that i don't see things that take my breath away, that speak to me. Spring is finally kicking in around here & yes i know sometimes you need to go search for it but my desire to search has been limited by ever increasing belly, "cankles" & various other "issues' that arise from the watermelon that is my belly. I see green but the trees round me have yet to flourish & the thought of climbing my favourite hill for nothing to be there leaves me tired just thinking about it. 

But today that all changed ... i am no longer bartending (i must admit that isn't mu choice) & this morning i was teaching, the student's choice was the "Japanese gardens" in Kaiserslautern. Well i can't lie i found my inspiration. I got out, the sun shone, i was able to wear flip flops, i slept well & most of all the colours were calling my name. Flowers were blooming, pinks & greens & blue blue skies. I loved it. I felt wonderful & not only was i getting inspired but i was doing one of my favourite things ... sharing my love for photography. I mean honestly can a morning get any more perfect? I felt like me again, like the something that was missing these past few weeks as i packed my life with everything & anything just so i wouldn't think about the impending arrival of my was back & i could smile & enjoy things. Not that i wasn't because i love being busy but sometimes you need some time to "smell the roses" so to speak & be you & wander aimlessly with camera in hand. 

& so i got to do just that & here are the results of my morning's "work" (i call it that but we all know it really wasn't). Sometimes we need to be forced to do something we don't necessarily want to so we realize what was missing. I'm going to miss my friends at work, i have some amazing customers & i love my life but now it's time to focus on me & my family. & honestly i think i may just be ready to do that! 

It's spring fever.  That is what the name of it is.  And when you've got it, you want - oh, you don't quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!  

         ~ Mark Twain

through the keyhole ...

So about a month ago i was asked to write a guest blog for the wonderful Heather of Gathering Spriggs but here’s the thing, I'm not a writer i take pictures, i like to think they’re pretty but that’s about it. So when Heather asked me if i would be interested in writing a guest post of course i said yes, did a little whoop whoop dance & then freaked a little as i had absolutely no clue what to write & a total brain fart going on. I wanted to go out & shoot something new & wonderful but the changes of seasons & icky weather has left me uninspired. But there was another idea i’ve been working on, something i’ve thought about for a while to do with my home a chance to explore the things i love i guess & get to know me a little more. In the end though my friend's departure to California provided me with a different kind of  inspiration & i wrote a different blog for Gathering Spriggs deciding that this one would be kept for my own.

I can look at Gathering Spriggs & similar blogs for hours, staring in wonder at the amazing homes on display & gradually watch my skin turn a rather bright shade of green as i wish my house could look the same. So please don’t judge as i show you around my world but listen as i explain a few things to you: 

1. I’m a military wife currently living in Germany, this has been our home for the past 3 years & in 12 months time we will be packing up to move somewhere new. Right now i have no clue where (it could literally be anywhere in the world), all i know is uncle Sam will decide & then show up to pack my life into boxes & unpack it at the other end. 
2. As a military wife moving every 3 to 4 years i worry about investing in too much so my home is a mixture of ikea & the rest. The rest because one day i want to be able to pass down the wonderful items i’ve collected over the years to my grand kids & so on, & Ikea because it’s functional, it’s cheap, & if it breaks in one of the many moves it doesn’t cost a whole lot to replace. 
3. Every time we move i throw out some of the furniture i don’t like, the functional stuff that i wish i could turn into something special but unfortunately my brain doesn’t work that way. So slowly I'm turning our house into a home although sometimes i think it won’t officially become a home until my husband retires & we settle somewhere i can choose the colours on the walls. 
4. Somewhere along the way i’ve become a collector. I can’t think of any other way of describing it but it’s like things call out to me & i have to buy them over & over. My newest “collection” is old school alarm clocks, but my husband would argue why someone would need so many bowls!

So you look at my home & you learn everything you could ever need to know about me ... the things i love, the places i’ve been & really what makes me tick (oh yeah & there’s some hubby thrown in there for good measure). & i wanted to be able to share that with you because i love looking inside people’s home & discovering the things that make them who they are. 

In England there was this tv show called “Through the Keyhole” where they would explore the home of a famous person & get clues on who the person was based on what was seen, & try & figure out who it was. Well i guess this is my version of “Through the Keyhole” except you already know the answer ... this is my home!

it's the simple things in life that make us happy ...

inspiration being found in the weirdest of ways & the strangest of places ... 

i want this market tote (in green) ... 

making vacation plans with the in-laws ... 

i learnt how to use my sewing machine, let the fun commence ... 

8 days closer! 

what's going on ...

So it's been crazy busy here ... plus there was that whole vacation thing going on! Right now i am in the midst of playing catch up with shoots, plus all my photos from provence & a bunch of other things i want to get done this week. But it's wonderful knowing i have a week off work & i'm staying in town so expect a few blogs, & lots of new photos ... maybe some other interesting posts along the way. Here's a little something from a wedding i shot before my vacation. I was super nervous about this, as it was my first "all day" thing but fingers crossed the couple will be happy with the outcome. 

My vacation was fabulous (go figure) ... & in some ways i feel like i've come back a new person. Or maybe i just got some new insight into who i am & i love it. Sometimes all it takes is some time away to open your eyes & the realization that my 30s are going to be awesome. Of course it helps having a wonderful husband, a great family & some wonderful friends alongside me. 

But whilst i was gone you all got to read some blogs on "inspiration" posted by the very people who inspire me ... friends, artists, mothers, daughters, wives & all the rest. These individuals opened themselves up to discuss the things that make their world tick & i love that i got to share this with you. So if you haven't skip back over the past week on my blog & check out what these amazing ladies have to say. 

& now i'm going to leave you with a vacation photo ... me & the 2 exceptionally lovely ladies i spent the past week with ... there was food & laughter & exploration & talking & so much more. So thank you to miss Hannah banana, you're my sister, my confident, my friend & oh my god (yes i used the lords name in vain ... sorry) am i going to miss you. & miss Cassie, you are simple a rock star & having the chance to get to know you was an eye opening experience ... my new styalist, i just hope i can live up to your expectations! 

Guest Post - Jen Kiaba

Hello everyone! I'm so thrilled that Laura asked me to guest post and share my inspirations with you!

Laura and I "met" through the Female Photographers of Etsy (FPoE), which is an incredible group of women who offer support and advice to one another. Before finals rolled around last semester I was interviewing one talented woman a week and sharing her story on the FPoE blog. Laura was the first brave soul to volunteer, and that process helped to create a friendship of sharing and support.

My story is pretty simple: I struggled with photography for years, feeling frustrated and artistically unsatisfied. There were days where I was literally huddled in a closet, sobbing, trying to load film into a camera - little did I know that the camera was actually broken!!

Then one day it clicked. Haha, camera pun much?

Everyone finds inspiration in different ways. Luckily I live in the gorgeous Hudson Valley in New York, and so inspiration is around every corner. It can actually be a challenge to take a step back and not take the vistas, the old buildings and the quaint towns for granted.

Because I run a business and work full-time in trying to get it off the ground, sometimes it can be difficult to indulge in the things that are inspiring. So there are days that I have to take off, go for a walk in the woods, and let the beauty of the world wash over me.

There are so many things that can stress you out, break your heart, and overwhelm you that I think it is incredibly important to find those places, whether internal or external, that you can be inspired in.

If you got a chance to read Hannah's guest post, you know that she reminded us the world has a darker side. Maybe it's not the butterflies and rainbows in the world that inspire you. Personally, I think that's ok. If the suffering in the world, whether global or personal, is what inspires you to pick up a camera (or a paint brush, or a guitar, or your pen) then follow that inspiration.

I really do believe that we can effect change with our art. My work isn't the kind that will be plastered all over international news publications, but I hope that someday my photos make people feel understood or less alone.

What is it that inspires you, and how do you hope to inspire others with your work?

inspiration ... guest post by miss hannah banana

My name is Hannah, and I’m a friend of Laura’s. When she asked me to do this guest blog post, and told me I would be writing about inspiration, I was admittedly worried.  My inspirational motivation does not come from the same source as Laura’s.  She finds her inspiration in the world around her.  She is able to see the elegance of a streetlamp, or capture the innocence of a child’s face.  As a photographer she is completely engaged with the universe. I am in awe of this personality. The one who is part of the world, who walks within it, completely immersed in the wonder and beauty of life.   

My inspirational source and personality are opposite to that of the photographer’s. I am lucky to remember my $78 point and shoot camera, I walk past the streetlamp without noticing it, and I’m often too busy contemplating the innocence of children to notice its presence.   I can usually be found buried somewhere deep inside the recesses of my own head, struggling to understand the complexities of life, and striving to uncover solutions to the problems in the world. Until something strong enough from the outside pulls me, reluctantly, into the frenzy of the present, I am most content to stay there.  Occasionally, my inner world is disrupted by something inspirational. For me, it usually comes in the form of words: quotes, lyrics, speeches.  Words have the power to encourage me to keep striving to uncover the many mysteries of the human condition, in my own way. They speak to me in ways that images speak to Laura, yet we both achieve inspiration for the life we want to lead.

Where Laura sees the beauty in the world, I see the pain.  And both are necessary in our quest to understand our place in this world.  I need her to remind me of the beauty, to see the wonder and simplicity of life.  And she needs me to remind her of the suffering, to not let her forget the complexities and unfairness in the world. 

We need each other. Laura and I. You and I. The entire world with its myriad of elements and ideas depends on the boundless inspirational potential that abides in each of us.  Laura is not here simply to see the beauty of the world, but to share it with others.  I am not here to retreat into my thoughts and hoard them, I am obliged to use them to understand and help those around me.  Even though we may perceive our existence on this planet differently, we are all here, together, uniquely suited to our environment and inspired in our own way. It is each person’s responsibility as an inhabitant of this earth, to inspire others. If we simply determine to live in our own truth using the abilities and talents available to us, and treating others with respect and dignity, imagine what kind of inspirational world we could create. 

Guest Post - Tali Schiffer

Hi! I'm Tali Schiffer from the Imperfectly Perfect blog. Laura kindly asked me to be a guest blogger here on Love Laugh Believe, and I couldn't be more thrilled!

If you already follow my blog you know that like Laura, I am an artist, a photographer to be exact. Photography is a huge part of my life and it is ever influenced by the things that inspire me. From simple every day visions that become engraved in my subconscious mind, to seeking inspiration in books, movies, and fellows of the trade. It's a bit difficult to try and sum up everything that inspires me in to a list, but here's a little glimpse...

Blogs... I am in love with so many blogs, and am so thankful that so many of them inspire me, and my vision, and my art... Laura, Happiness Is , Darling Dexter , City of Dionne , Stacey Winters , nie nie ... Just to name a few (and that's really just a tiny few of many MANY more...)

My Peeps... There are a few people in my life that are a great inspiration to me... My mom & my dad each in their own way have inspired me to desire greatness and happiness , My uncle Mendu who inspires me every day to just keep on trying and never to give up , My grandpa who inspires me to enjoy life and do what makes me happy , and my someone- my partner in crime- Shay who inspires me to create and reinvent myself all the time!

Nature... The blue of the see, the warmth of the yellow sun, the shapes of the clouds, the green in the fields of grass, the leaves that provide shades under trees, the pink and purple and orange strokes of sunsets, the breeze on my neck, the humming of a bird, the quiet of the top of the mountain.

Everyday objects... I am inspired by the small things, the little details, the shapes, the feel. It could be a little hair clip or a huge piece of furniture, it doesn't matter, if it's got the right details it will attract and inspire me.

People around me... I always people watch. I look at what they wear, how they fix their hair, their makeup, their shoes, their body language, and all that could inspire me. I can pass by strangers and hear a glimpse of conversation that could spark up my next inspiration.

Books, Movies, Galleries... I've put those three together cause they are all connected- Art. Other people's art. I read, I watch, I observe, and I get inspired. 

It's not everything, but it's some. We live in a world with so many triggers that if we just let ourselves we could be inspired every day!

I'll leave you with this oh so very true quote by Johan Gottfried Von Herder:

"Without Inspiration the best powers of the mind remain dormant, they is a fuel in us which need to be ignited with sparks..."

By the way, quotes are yet one more thing that inspires me...  :)

Every day objects - my greatest inspiration

inspiration ...

As you read this i should be somewhere between my home in western Germany & Aix-en-Provence in the south of France. Am spending a week with one of my closest friends & her sister-in-law before she moves back to the states. This is a girls only, fun filled action packed vacation full of food, history & shopping. Oh & yes the camera came along too! 


To keep you occupied when i'm gone i have a series of posts lined up, by some wonderful people (more about them later) on the subject of "Inspiration", starting with me! 


& i have absolutly no clue where to start with this topic ... i mean to me it's just a thing that i get randomly (in the shower, driving the car, eating dinner & often at moments when the camera isn't handy). It's funny that i'm trying to find inspiration to write about inspiration! Anyways i did what i do when i get stuck ... search the internet (which we could possible add to my list of things that give me inspiration). I learnt that the word "inspiration" literally means "breathed upon" (how cool is that). Poets such as Shelley & Coleridge believe inspiration came to them in the wind or in visions ... I'll tell you Freud's ideas or Marxist theory but they are really not as pretty (& i am an "artist" after all). The internet also lets me look at pretty pictures which i am a big fan on (go figure).

So now we get down to the nitty gritty ... what inspires me?


1. Women such as Dickie Chapelle who was fearless, a one of a kind & incredible lady. She opened up doors for women in combat photography & she did it with guts & in style (pearl earrings in Vietnam ...). 


2. World renouned photographers such as William Eggleston & Martin Parr who introduced me to photographing the random things we see every day, bold colours, simple composition & interesting angles. Ansel Adams for the sheer beauty of his work, & Richard Avedon for putting the sole focus on the subject, no distracting from the people in front of his lens. 

3. & more recently the work i am seeing on etsy, fine art photography that flows over into all kinds of genres, pictures that don't stay in the box. & the people who go along side them who are kind, & smart & looking to succeed in a an unforgiving industry. You see a photograph & you know what you like or don't like & sometimes you walk away with an idea, maybe it was the angle they shot out or the way the light falls but it's calling out to you to try it & not copy but make it your own. 

4. i am also inspired by other artists around me working in different mediums ... graphics, screen printing, textiles ... the list in endless, & their skills amazing. Also a little envious of this one, taking classes is on my list of things to do.

5. Friends & family, movies & books, the landscape & my home.

So maybe the answer to the question is that everything around me inspires me. The small, simple, hidden, delicate & tourist inspire me ... random, unique & interesting things inspire me. Everything & anything inspires me to take pretty pictures, achieve my dreams & be the best i can (well try to). 

ps. this bowl of ice cream inspired me (not to mention tasting really really good)!

the story of a photo about love & marriage

Once upon a time in a far off land there lived a beautiful (well this is my fairy tale) photographer princess who liked to take photos of the things she'd see on her travels, random & unique, her images were bright & bold & colourful. But they were always "created" by someone else, mother nature, a shop keeper or home owner, she didn't explore or even understand conceptual photography ...

OK enough of the fairy tale ... my plan was originally to post this image with words from a poem or song but i decided the story behind me taking it was way more interesting. It just shows the weird & wonderful places we find our inspiration.

So there we were sitting in the beer tent at Bad Durkheim, the largest wine festival in the world (& yes were were in the beer tent ... go figure), & for some reason these moments are when i seem to end up messing around with my beloved macro lens. So anyways everyone's drinking except for yours truly the DD, & the token they had given me for my cola bottle (to get a euro back ... for those of your who don't know they're really big on recycling here in germ any) was a little wooden red heart. So I'm taking photos of that & then because i really wasn't paying attention to what they were saying wedding rings were coming off & well then the idea formed. Somewhere deep in the depths of my tiny little mind i built this photo (& another similar using my friends wedding rings) on a table in a beer tent.

I think photography like art doesn't have to be exactly as you see it, & this is what I'm learning about at the moment. Whilst i still go out & photograph things in their own environment so to speak, as someone else placed them I'm also learning to build images around an idea to create something equally as beautiful but in a different way. Call it artists interpretation if you like but we don't criticize painters or sculptors for doing it so then it's alright for me too.

Rock N Roll Bride

A couple of months back in my search for engagement photos to help with Monqiue & James's shoot i was introduced to the blog Rock N Roll Bride ... & wow is all i can say. I have become hooked on the wonderful images that the fabulous pink haired gorgeousness that is Kat blogs about on a daily basis.

I had all kinds of preconceptions about portrait, engagement & most of all wedding photography, & i never wanted to fall into the that group. I'm no Annie Lebovitz but i wanted to be able to photography people & not fall into the posed cliche that i see every day. I wanted something different, images that people can return to day in & day & love well into their 80s. Photos that sum up who they are, in a way that's unique & interesting but honestly i didn't know how to go about this. But Kat's wonderful blog showed me the way (so to speak), showcasing the great wedding, engagement & portrait photography out there. Further she writes wonderful blogs about how to blog so us newbees out there can get it right.

Kat has given me a whole new insight into a world i would love to be a part of, & hopefully one day my images will grace her blog.

inspired by another artist

I have talked a lot about inspiration within my blog, & belonging to a group on etsy known as "inspiration ave" it's natural to gain ideas from those around me. Well one of the most "inspiring" photographers for me on Etsy is Tali Schiffer who's photographs are stunning in every way. Recently she shot this gorgeous image of an umbrella, turning something completely normal into a work of art.

This past weekend when visiting the town of Bernkastel Kues in Germany, i used her umbrella idea for my inspiration & came away with my own version. This shows how we are all influenced by those around us, whether it be Ansel Adams or the kid next door, & how differently we all view the world, that two photographers can take the same subject matter & walk away with 2 completely different images.

Inspiration.

Recently i became a member of a small group of crafers, all of whom have shops on etsy called "Inspiration Avenue". The member of this group all work with different mediums & come together in essence to discuss their work, & inspire each other. Today they are having a blog party (which i still don't understand totally) but having only just joined i missed out this so instead i am just going to write a little about inspiration & what inspires me.

The dictionary defines inspiration as something that inspires an individual whether it be to write poetry, paint a picture or in my case take a photo. It can be something inspired, like an idea or an action that results in that inspiration or even another artist who's work inspires you.

So what inspires me ...? It can be as simple as the place i end up in, like the images in this blog. I would never have known about this place if it wasn't for a couple of guys i go running with, but seeing it i loved the abandoned feeling it had, it was new & interesting to me. Other times my inspiration will come from fellow photographers, greats like Ansel Adams & William Egglestone or just the photographers whose work i see everyday on Etsy such as Tali Schiffer-Oren, & Andrea Despot whose ideas & individual skills have left me wanting to break out of my safe little box & try new things.

All this being said the rest is up to me ... to explore new roads, change my direction & find new, interesting, unique & of course random things to gain inspiration from, photograph, show in a way they may never have been seen before & hopefully become the inspiration for others.