newness...

Hi You,

So, i've got something to tell you.
I'm moving...blogs.

I know...this may be your first time here, or we could be old pals and what....you're moving?

You see, last spring i had a goal. That goal was to make a website to showcase my photographs, and that I did. But it was like pulling teeth. It brought up lots of stuff around worth, fear of success and putting myself out there. By the time I finished the site, well...truth be told, I wasn't that excited about it.

Jumping to this spring, it definitely felt like time to take the next step. Its one of those times where its really a matter of clarifying one's goal. With the last website my goal was simply "to have a website". This time my goal was to "make a website that is vibrant, shows my photos well, is affordable, and has me inspired to update it regularly". I also really wanted to have it feel like my online home, and to have everything in one space, including my blog. I've been in this space for a shocking 4 years now, so in my opinion I'm overdue for change!

And it happened. Once I found Squarespace and found out how easy it is to work with...there was no turning back. It took no emotional turmoul from me, just a whole lot of fun. So I've found a new home...one that feels whole, inspiring, and very me!

So here it is...

www.viviennemcmaster.com

I'd love it if you'd join me at my new blog there. I promise it'll be good old me, lots of photos, more photoshoots and i've been doing lots of writing about doing self-portraits that i'm excited to share.

Before I leave I have one more thing to tell you! I'm completely giddy and honored to have been a part of Liz Lamoreux's Interview series 'Nine'. It was such a great experience to answer her questions via images. Check it out here!

Okay...it actually feels a little tough to press 'publish' and let go of this blog, but its time for newness!
Hope to see you there!

Love,
~v

this day

loneliness did its best to commandeer me today.
hit me like a slap in the face,
followed me like a predatory stalker,
until i succumbed to it.

luckily, like the sun breaking through the cloud cover in todays sky
smiles, belly laughs, connecting, kindness
each in their own gentle way soothed the grumpy, lonely bits until they felt loved again.

i love that sometimes life has a way of reminding you of its beauty
exactly when you really need it.

my feline family

they are of frequent mention in this space, so i thought it was due time for a formal introduction.

miss ladybug, princess to the max, fierce meower, lap sitter, dreams of being a world traveller, big eyed feline of love.

and

elliot, fan of brushing, foods, treats and especially sitting in boxes, official household alarmclock, total sweet pea.

now, off for some cuddles and purring!

for the love of film

I just got my my first roll of film back from my california trip....and oh...my love for film deepened tenfold. There's such a sharpness and colour density to film that truly doesn't translate to digital. These pictures have me super excited because just before I went away I did a trade with a friend, a gigantic bag of yarn for more than a dozen rolls of expired film....so there's no need to hold back on shooting film at all.

Both my film and digital SLR's take the same lenses. I hadn't played around with using my macro on my film camera too much, but as the following photos attest to...I'm fairly addicted to it now! Its such a different experience taking pictures with film now, as opposed to when I was young. I'm not one of those people that can tell stories about being 8, picking up my first camera, and having my world view changed. Not that there weren't cameras around. I always had one at summer camp and so loved taking pictures of all my camp pals. But there was something about receiving that package of photos that was both exhilerating and frustrating. I'd only get a few good shots. I think way back then I was already a photographic perfectionist in a way that I'm not with any other creative endeavor. Sewing? Give me unfinished seams. Painting? Give me layers of messyness. Collage? Give me ripped pages. Guitar? I know a ton of cords, not by what they are called but by how they sound. But photography brings out the perfectionist in me. Big time!

I'm so glad I took so many pictures of this trip. Both film, digital and my self-portrait series can swiftly bring me back to the feelings of wholeness I felt there. Sigh. And so my photo~love grows....