Emma J Photo

as i’m rumaging through this session (i dont know if going out of town for 4 days on spring break to spend time with some of your favorite people and taking some pictures is actually considered a session) and I decided to give another sneak peak at this one. It was too perfect in my mind. because it is them.. as is.

as i mentioned, I was gone this weekend. And this little trip to Austin didn’t break this fever I have.. but instead it fueled it.

first, let me explain my fever: I am having the hardest time being here… in nowhere, west Texas, while everyone else thats doing what I do is off traveling and taking pictures of it. SO my fever is this desire I have to leave. To leave and take pictures of what I see on my journey to the destination I choose.

I. Want. Out. And being a fifteen year old who doesnt even have her permit yet really puts a holt on that pipe dream.

you see a lot of Midland is just a shelter. And, as I read in Baron Batch’s blog this week “every fortress is a prison.” I feel like that speaks to a wide range of situations but I felt it speaking to me in this way: I feel like i’m in prison. Not just Midland, but feeling like I don’t belong where I am altogether.

And this weekend, while great, only put more ragey green fire in me.  It was like a teaser… like spring break before summer… or like the chips and salsa before a meal. It just leaves you wanting more.

I have been reading a lot of Wrecklessgirl’s interviews on the Vagabond blog. And as you can imagine the green fire comes rolling back in. I began to read. And dream. And then realize: while these photographers are off making art, I’m here sitting in front of my computer screen in Midland, texas WANTING to be them. Or wanting to join them in their adventures. Or, even better, wanting to be on my own adventures.

I want to be interviewed and share what I have found to be beautiful. I want to be part of that.

It’s part of this weird thing I got going in my head to  be united. I think it is so beautiful to see peoples expressions as part of a story… and I think while appreciating being inspired by there story we take part in an overall unity. But I feel like i’m all talk no walk. I don’t feel like I’m capable to inspire. I will try to the death but I don’t feel much feedback, and the little that I do I thank God for because I love knowing that I’m expressing some sort of glory and unity by inspiring.

And while reading one of these interviews with Sarah Rhoads, she asked:

“Define: away

‘un-plugging. turning off the things that don’t matter and re-connecting with those things that do.’“

I want to “re-connect”. But I guess for now I can just dream about it and attempt to do it here for the next 3 years.  I only get little glimpses of that on yearly family trips. Which I take much advantage of. But It still leaves me wanting more.

and p.s. thank you Vagabound and everyone else who lets me see what there is to see. It’s secretly my dream to make the “11 explorers” be 12.

quote by Rylee Machen

a friend wrote this. I got to put it on a picture to share.

Now I’m off to another place more to share next week. have a lovely weekend!

I thought I would share some thoughts.  But before i start please know, I have been praying that this inparticular piece of thought be of truth and one that opens doors to relate to more that the average 2 from LA, 4 from NYC, 3 from Austin, 20 from Dallas and 180 from the grand ol’ Midland texas (yes, i know who you are and where you live;). Know that i want to reach out to you and I want to know your there and listening. I want your feedback. So here it goes…

I say this a lot, but i’m going to say it again… My goal in this world is to have a contagious passion for what I do and inspire people to share that passion; that passion ultimately being Jesus and my relationship with him.

In this world there is a cycle: We live off of each other. We succeed because of one another and we fail because of one another. We have passion because of someone and we have hate because of someone. Wether or not we know it, our society functions off of what each individual succeeds or fails to put on the table, wether it be through personality, art, financial or political circumstances. Yet we tend to live our lives the way we believe it to be led, and very rarely are we intertwined with the ‘alternative’ way of another. Everyone lives for something, and if we don’t we hit that point of ‘rock bottom’ until we find something else to define our identity. We live for ourselves and our fellow people who live in the same way. In this way, there are differences in this world, unimaginable and they are inevitably the primary reason for destruction, pain, and all other bad things.

When groups of different types of groups join in one similar emotion simultaneously, it is one of the most respected, pure and lovely things on this earth. It is usually because of some epic outcry in society. The biggest thing that comes to mind when on this topic is 9/11: After 9.11 people instantly stopped and mourned with each other for the same reason and out of the same respect. For that short amount of time all people of different races, beliefs, and lifestyles came together and were still. And although terribly sad, it was, in this sense, beautiful.

I want groups of people to relate to me and my work. I want different types of people to read and see what I have to say (which, I hope is purely truth from Jesus) and understand it, and be inspired by it. The only way we can help one another is to inspire one another (see: explosions here) . Inspiration, I believe, is one of Gods tools to install a bigger unity in His people as a whole. It, and empathy is fellowship. (see here: So feel)

Ultimately by relating to people and respecting them, their stories and beliefs, we grow a connection and a bond with them (fellowship).  I don’t think my photography is just about equipment, pictures, blog hits, other photographers or the whole photographer network, to me it is what God is calling me to do. And how else to be in Him if not by sharing what I have found to be truth and living in the light (see here).

And one thing I know brings us together: we all search for the truth that will set us free. We are all striving together for one glorious hope for the future.

So this is me sharing what I believe to be the little bit of truth God has to share through me on this Monday evening. And these are my thoughts, inspired by God’s word, to relate to more than the average.

Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. ² Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. ³ Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. ⁴ For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. – ephesians 4

P.S.- more of them to come!

If any of you don’t follow me on twitter (then you should and..) then you haven’t seen my scrapbooked wall.  But even if you do you have only seen a crappy picture of it taken from photobooth.

The other day i decided to scrapbook my wall.

I started by looking through 5 or 6 Real Simple magazines.  I pulled out random articles that I thought were unique.

Then i printed off some of my favorite blog posts.

I put up some song lyrics.

Articles i found on stumble. Like: How to Tick People Off

I put up some instant pictures and some from the big camera.

I dont know why i like the idea of my whole wall being filled with things that caught my eye in random places.  I love it.  and i cant wait to let it grow!

Let me know if you have any ideas for it!

I will update more about things on this wall (is it weird how giddy i am about it? yes.) because i have some fun ideas for it!

have a lovely day!

~emma~

PS- lots of new posts of PEOPLE coming soon. because its been a while. ha.

I really like summer hair…

it’s not the same as any other kind of Season….. because in the summer time it’s allowed to be messy.

I got these pictures when the sassy post nap six year troudled (is that a word?  lets go ahead and say it is) out of her bed to get a juice.  She whipped her head away to avoid the camera.  snap snap.  caught the hair.

have a lovely day!

~emma~

im introducing a new category… elements.

This new category of elements needs some explaining.

Elements are the result of explosions, which to me are the result of somebody’s identity being expressed to set in stone themselves, their emotions, their intentions, or their heart.  Explosions are the act of putting something out there for other people to see.  In my mind it’s vulnerability.  Beautiful vulnerability.

to be cliché… people obviously have to express themselves in a unique way  “Each heart knows its own bitterness and no one else can fully understand it’s Joy” If we don’t find a way to explode in a way that compliments our personalities we will eventually drive ourselves insane while trying to be sane.

the explosions aren’t necessarily the way of expression it’s the result of the attempt to express:

Writers: books/articles/papers ect…

Painters: the painted canvas

Photographers: the picture

When somebody expresses himself I believe it’s an internal act of swallowing any fear or pride for the mere purpose of changing the society in any way.  It’s putting the God given identity out there for people to see.  But only a few people actually see it as the something it was intended. You really have to set your mind to see everything as the story that it was and is… It could be just a good song, just a pretty picture, just a good book, just a pretty painting Or it could be an amazing and inspiring story.  When you allow yourself to dig deeper and to be inspired it creates a gorgeous process: it repeats itself for whoever allows it to work through them. unity.  If we don’t accept and respect these explosions we don’t become what God intended us to be in the world.  When we change our perspectives and see them as what someone intended them to be seen as we come closer to seeing what God sees: The person and the intention not the element as an object with a worth tagged on it depending on the surface quality.

“Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the spirit, binding yourselves together with peace for there is one body and one spirit, just as we have been called for one glorious hope for the future.”

explosions lead to Inspiration, inspiration leads to emotions, emotions lead to ideas, and ideas lead to explosions: the cycle of  forming bonds.

It is so beautiful that this little act of compassion can be so eventful to the soul.  In this way passion is recognized, pain is identified and a bond is made.  Fellowship as a whole.

Explosions are what allow us to enjoy things, it’s what allows us to thirst for growth, its what allows us to grow, its what gives us the option of learning.

pictures…

cooking… kind of;)

have a beautiful evening

(and tell me what you think)

~emma~

there was this weekend….

so i took pictures of it.

~emma~