patience – keep opening doors

The Eagle Card

Posted on February 18, 2014 by Keep Opening Doors

At our elementary school, the students earn Eagle Cards for academic achievement, good behavior, and for going above and beyond. The kids collect these cards throughout the school year and are acknowledged for their hard work.

In the image below, our youngest (at the time in kindergarten) received her first Eagle Card; she had been waiting patiently all day to share the news with her big sister and finally it was her turn!

Although many, many Eagle Cards have been earned since this photo, this first achievement is the most special one. I feel fortunate that I chose to capture this moment in time.

Fall morning silhouette

Posted on October 14, 2013 by Keep Opening Doors

On this morning, as I set my camera to take a photo of the light streaming in through our back windows, our daughter walked up and waited for me to finish. She was just outside of the frame of the photo and I asked her to take a few steps forward and stand in the sunlight. While waiting for me, she looked down at the little pumpkin in her hands and I captured this image.

Counting down the days

Posted on June 19, 2013June 23, 2013 by Keep Opening Doors

The excitement builds; a special day is almost here! A paper chain helps count down the days.

Not what I had planned…

Posted on June 12, 2013 by Keep Opening Doors

With a great photo idea in mind, I arrived at school early for pick-up, found the perfect parking spot, set my camera, and waited for the girls to walk into my viewfinder. I was ready to capture the excitement of the end of a school day on a Friday afternoon.

While I waited, I began to think about how I wanted to send this yet-to-be-taken-photo to my husband, as he misses these moments while he’s at work. Then, SURPRISE! Our youngest suddenly appeared in my viewfinder, ahead of schedule and was almost out of the frame when I captured this image. With all of my preparation, I didn’t even have the time to focus properly!

This was not the image I had planned, yet it is one of my favorites from the school year; I laugh when I see this photo and remember how happy the girls were to be starting the weekend.

Some of my best planned moments often turn into something different, and altogether wonderful!

A small change

Posted on June 8, 2013 by Keep Opening Doors

Today, I am fortunate to be able to sit in my favorite bakery, sip my favorite tea, and have some time to myself. I know that I need to capture my photo of the day, but, since it has been my experience that photos/moments/perfect lighting present themselves to me if I’m just patient and observant, I am not worried at all. I am waiting, patiently.

As I started editing photos, this little dog sat at the table just outside of the bakery window. I smiled when I realized that he and I were both being patient, although for completely different reasons. His owner returned to the table and I decided that this dog was the perfect subject for my photo of the day today.

Normally, when I capture street photography, I prefer to remain anonymous. But, today, I decided to make a change; I decided to stop being anonymous and instead introduced myself to the dog’s owner. I let him know that I enjoyed watching his dog, took a photo of him, and wanted to share the image. He gave me his email address and I sent the photo to him right away.

What a difference a small change can make; I was so energized after sharing my work!

As it turns out, this little dog’s name is Happy and happy is how I truly feel this morning!