penny & the dandelion

The Dandelion Wish

I stand amidst a field of dreams-
I look at the collection, some appearing weak, others strong.
Searching for the right one to wish upon, to make my dreams come true.
I see her, among all the others, far from my reach.
I walk over, pull her from her bed, and close my eyes tightly bearing my wish.
With one strong, deep breath I blow and as I open my eyes i see that I have left her bare,
and there before me floats my wish, off to that special place where wishes go.

I gently walk back from where I have come, trying not to crush what may be someone else's dreams to be.

sally gupton, 1999

welcome to spring

Out of the 365 days per year, there is a small window of season that reveals itself with fresh, new blooms and shades of color. This comes with a wave of warm weather that follows with a green blanket covering our surroundings. We then know for sure, spring is here. I love this time of year; bare feet, cookouts with family & friends, playing in the water, feeling the warmth of the sun on our face, sleeping with the windows open, waking to the symphony of birds singing and of course, the beautiful flowers and trees that reveal it's best and thrives in the season.

whitney & ryan

a sneak peek of just a few right off the card, more to come...

a small bit of heaven in the dentist office??

there i was this morning, lounged in the waiting room, sipping my coffee while my son was having his teeth cleaned. I was relaxed and had absolutely nothing on my mind. All of a sudden,it hit me, I was in heaven. It was the first time in a long time I have been able to sit and just...breathe! There were no children climbing up my legs, tugging on me to play, asking me questions, talking my ear off, there was no silly children's song stuck in my head, no laundry or dishes, no data analysis, no editing, no traffic & driving, no "to do" list, nothing but my coffee and I. I relished in every moment of it and it was pure heaven. Don't the kids need their teeth cleaned more than every 6 months? I didn't realized how long it had been and how bad I needed it until I found myself there. And to make it even better tonight is date night for my husband and I. WOO HOO!

easter dress and spring flowers

Cuba Collection

All photographs appearing in this blog are by Sally Gupton and under the protection of The United States and International copyright laws. No photograph may be reproduced, copied, stored, manipulated or used in whole or in part of a derivative work, without the written permission of Sally Gupton.

The above prints from the Cuba Collection can be purchased.

To purchase a print contact me by email or phone @ 336-692-6516.

(please put cuba collection in the subject line)

______________________________________________

Liz & I have been friends for years. Her & I discussed how a trip like this can either make or break a friendship. Not only am I a better person because of Liz's friendship, but it was an honor to share this experience with her. Despite the intense moments, we definitely know one another much better, only strengthening our bond!

Congratulations!

I have a good friend, Rebecca Rush, who has been working as a producer on the film, Indestructible. A documentary inspired by her brother, Ben, who is fighting ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease). I was excited to hear that they won the best feature documentary at the Cinequest Film Festival , San Jose, California. I know a great deal of work, heart & soul went into this project. Congrats guys!

baby hailey

monday morning thoughts

this is way too much thinking for a monday?!

• Our morning communte to school each day is usually quite interesting. Kyler almost always requests the song Sammy to be played. In the song there is a mention of flying like a bird in a verse. My rear view mirror is always adjusted where I can look back at anytime and see my silly boys. I look back through my rear view mirror and there they are, Kyler & Brady pretending to be birds. Kyler flapping his arms gracefully and with the perfect arch of his wrist, and then Brady who quickly flaps his little hands in front of him like a bird trying to learn to fly and leave the nest.
• My husband & I have been together for eight years now. It's a wonderful feeling to know that no matter how long you have been together there is still something new to be discovered together, different ways to show our affection for one another, and the feeling that we both love each other more today than we did yesterday.
• On Sunday night I took my older son Jake to see his first concert, the Blue Man Group. A little mom & son time. We had a blast! Jake even took photos with his little cell phone. He insists that I share... (photos to come) I have a habit of carrying around a moleskine (journal) and make notes on life when I am inspired or want to remember something. Jake noticed as I made a comment in my little book. He asked why i did that. I told him that there are messages coming from everything in life, you have to listen and take with you what makes sense. While I love being able to give him that type of insight, I know he hates when he walks into it. I hope one day though, It will make sense to him!
• I'm not a big TV fan, nor do I rarely have time to watch movies. With three kids, two jobs and the daily errands & chores that come with being a mom & wife I am very selective with what I do with my time. I did however see an amazing movie recently and I wanted to share, The Prestige. If you take my recommendation, I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did.

and the winner is...

Heather Kirkman!

She guessed Cuba, which was the right answer to the Destination Contest!
Heather has won a free photo session.
She has two precious little girls that I look forward to photographing this spring.
Thank you to all who participated. Be looking for more contests in the future to win a free photo session with me!



Cuba?

How did I end up getting an opportunity to go to such a place as Cuba? I have a good friend who is adventurous as I am, in addition to being a journalist. We decided to go together and document the country before things change drastically following Fidel and American tourism opens up freely. It was an amazing experience & opportunity to go to a "forbidden" place as well as practice my photojournalism skills (not to mention good girl time as a bonus). I came back from Cuba with 650 photos as well as an enlightened heart & mind. I'm working hard to go through all these and edit them on top of all the sessions I have been doing for my clients. I kept a detailed journal throughout the trip and I will share with you my experiences & thoughts when I can get it all in my blog. Good things to come!!