searchingtoseeblackberry treats
Posted on October 28, 2015
“Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.”
-F. Scott Fitzgerald
I love this quote, and try to remember it every year when the leaves tumble into crunchy piles of a thousands shades of amber. Every new season always feels like an opportunity for renewal, but especially autumn, when the cooling, crisp winds which make us reach for our jumpers and hats breathe a haze of rich, gold-infused light over the heavens. And especially this year. Maybe because it came at the end of a wonderfully long, heady summer, or maybe because I have taken on new challenges and my brain is whirring as it learns new things. Or maybe it is because, as I head into my own autumnal years, I feel more of an affinity with this season which I have previously always approached with a sense of loss and longing, and am finding it can energise me as much as the sprightly newness of spring, or the carefree, lazy days of summer.
The children always love this time of year because for them it signals the start of the season of treats, fun and indulgence which starts around Halloween and peaks with Christmas, of course. They find the chilly days and dark nights exciting in a way which I, as one who worships light, have never really understood before. Even bonfire night usually fails to ignite a spark of excitement. However this year, the quiet, mellow joys of this mature season have infused my heart and pooled into its chambers with a surprising, juicy burst of delight – just like that first taste of freshly plucked sweet-sharp blackberries.
© images and words by Emily Hughes, 2015
the little things
Posted on March 25, 2015
I love macro photography. It forces you to slow down, and take notice of what is around you. There is something really so wonderfully involved about focussing in on the minutiae of life. It’s a bit like discovering a secret world – the more you delve into it, the more you want to explore.
And suddenly something as small and insignificant as a blade of grass can take centre stage, and become, well, a thing of pure wonder.
© words and images Emily Hughes, 2015
frangipani flower
Posted on January 25, 2015
… a little burst of sunshine.
© words and image Emily Hughes, 2015
breathe
Posted on January 1, 2015
When I push the shutter release, I close my eyes.
(Annelies Strba, from Shades of Time)
I have done a lot of reflecting during this holiday period. I’ve read a lot of blog posts and facebook updates about fresh starts and being thankful and realising what’s important, and all that. I’m not knocking any of it. It’s all good and true, of course. It’s been refreshing, and liberating, to have some time to just be without the pressures of work and the day-to-day (of course I know this is only a temporary state, so I’m bracing myself for the full onslaught which comes with immersing myself back into the deep end of life). One thing which has struck me head on, though, throughout all the great stuff (and there is lots of great stuff!) is just how busy 2014 has been. And not entirely in a good way. I always like being busy. I need busy. But I have learned it is definitely not good to busy yourself to the point that you find yourself collapsing in a crumpled heap over the finish line on your hands and knees with a white flag between your teeth. It ends, usually, in tears, frustration and wounds, the kind of which you can’t slap a plaster on; the kind which take much time and effort to heal. It benefits no-one in the end, least of all you.
So at the start of this year. This shiny, brand spanking new clean sheet of a year, I am going to gift myself some much needed advice.
Just give yourself a moment.
Just breathe.
Breathe in
and out.
Look.
Close your eyes
and
see.
Happy New Year to all, and I wish you a peaceful, fulfilling and inspiring year ahead.
© images and words Emily Hughes, 2015
seed head study
Posted on October 30, 2014
I love shooting macros at this time of year. Autumn is such a rewarding subject, just as nature is settling, cocooning; turning inwards for the long winter ahead. I never tire of photographing seed heads either. Endlessly captivating, they offer forth their generous, basin-like heads, sheltering a bounty of tiny jewels secreted within. These ones looked still young to me, and they stood out, green and proud amongst a scene of quiet decline around them.
© images and content Emily Hughes, 2014
one, two
Posted on August 7, 2014
I’m off for a little summer blogging break. See you on the other side!
© images and content Emily Hughes, 2014
beach days #6
Posted on August 2, 2014
beach days #6
This one was tricky to perfect, and I almost gave up on it altogether. Alex didn’t like the hibiscus, but I thought it worked, so I went with it anyhow. It’s actually been the most popular of the whole series, I would say, so I’m glad I stuck to my instincts. It is set in Cancun, Mexico.
© images and content Emily Hughes, 2014
the colour of summer
Posted on July 28, 2014
There’s so much colour out there right now, it seems a shame to be posting in black and white. This summer is all about fluorescents pops and neon brights. Unfortunately, I do remember the first round of this craze from the 80’s (think eye-watering rather than eye-catching), and, more unfortunately, I did participate – from head to toe (in my defence I was very young!). This time around it’s a little more tastefully done, for the most part, but at a festival, well, anything goes. So here is some vibrant, colourful, and slightly surreal festival fun for you (with more than a nod to the decade that taste forgot).
© images and content Emily Hughes, 2014
Tangled
Posted on June 18, 2013
Maybe it’s a reflection of my current state of mind, but give me an unkempt tangle of grasses and wild flowers over a neatly cultivated border any day.
searchingtosee 