You Gotta Have Faith

Christina, originally uploaded by lucienphoto.

I really enjoyed working with this subject. We talked about things other than photography. She had depth and a serious side to her. She is a 3-D being. Here is just one of the many images we were able to capture of her. More to follow.

Wouldn't it be great if everybody you have incidental contact with were so pleasant? How many opportunities do we miss within our own family? Sets of friends? Are we as define and genuine as we could be? Might we have less strife? And pain? I guess I have to ask the person who knows all - My sister who has POA.

Red Petals

Red Petals, originally uploaded by lucienphoto.

Compassion fatigue....that is what I have. I am emotionally drained. I don't feel like I can give anymore or care anymore. My life is filled with caring for others; often times more than they care for themselves. I am not sure a vacation can fix the problem. I wake up refreshed but somewhere in the process of getting the kids out the door I lose all interest in interacting with others. It drags me back into the hole that I feel I am constantly being forced back into. Thinking about what my work and my life means for others does not give me enough to pull me through the molasses of emotion and despair. It is not winter. It is thinking about this election and preparing for another trial or getting another case (with the same individuals). It is all the driving between here and there and the lack of personal responsibility for everything going haywire in somebody's life somewhere. It is the push towards the next round of emotionally draining court experiences about my mother. The lame sister who claims self-righteousness. It is the parenting of an adolescent. The thanklessness of so many daily things. It is the taking for grantedness that we all share.

I wish that a new job or the lottery would come to save me from this, but I know in reality that I will have to dig deep and find the source for true fulfillment inside of me. Swallow hard and take a deep breath and wait for my wisdom to surface.

Teenagers

My daughter decided she could put a couple more holes in her ears. She conveniently "forgot" about the agreement from just earlier this year. She has not been honest about all that is going on in her "risky secretive" life...of boys and girls and sexual trysts. She thinks that she is the only person to have ever had these hormonal urges and compulsions. Watching her ride the emotional roller coaster of adolescence. It is scary being a parent these days.

Teens

Teens, originally uploaded by lucienphoto.

Creative use of lighting and shadow. This worked well for this reluctant teen. The conversion to b/w came later. She is the daughter of a co-worker. We spent a considerable amount of time in the studio laughing and letting her know that she would be safe and that nothing harmful would come of the photo. Teens are so very sensitive and concerned about how they present to the world. This fascinates me because so many have a brash and defensive posture that pushes adults away. In reality so many of them are cream puffs just trying to figure out how to get their emotional and quickly changing physical needs met. I think she will enjoy this photograph.