Emma J Photo

I have been reinventing a lot of stuff in my photo world, so check back for updates.. but for now, you get pithy posts.

The lighting in the hotel room this week was lovely.

So I took pictures of it.

<3

Happy fourth of July from a hotel room in Houston and an iphone camera that has been much too used during the past 48 hours.

<3

emma

ps.. be happy to be an American. I know I am, because it allows me to be free to explore and be me.. as is.

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!

Looking out the window at the sea side restaurant.

during our trip to Grand Cayman we went to Casanova restaurant.. and it was documented.

There are many reasons I haven’t posted in so long… and I will state them as if anybody cares.

For one, I live in a mind bubble. I have an attention span problem. I’m always in a day dream of some sort… And the worst part of it is, the dream changes every other day or so. This leaves me an extremely off and on person in everything I do.  And as you may have guessed my dreams have been far and wide the past few months and I have left this thing in the dust as a result of it.

For B, I’m kind of extremely fake when it comes to ‘blogging’  (is it weird that that term makes me cringe? Blogging blogging blogging) and I get sick of being fake real quick. Again, its my attention span problem. The only reason why I keep writing (good alternative word eh?) is because I have a strong desire to spread truth. It’s part of the passion I have in all of this, but besides my hopefully insightful writings it gets buttery and gross… mainly because I copy other bloggers. I’m not doing that anymore.

Finally, tres: I learn not to care. This shouldn’t be an obligation. I write when God inspires me too. Besides then all my imaginary readers can go do something else with your day.  I’m not that exciting anyway.

at a Restaurant in the Cayman Islands. non edited.

River on yellowstone

I was looking through my pictures this morning and found these.. The dragonfly made my day

Have a lovely day!

PS more of this family to come in the next couple of days!

Marian and I have got this thing going to where we will play phone tag for a couple of days talk on the phone for a couple of hours then repeat this a few months later… and the beauty of it is that we never change. We never grow any farther apart, we stay the same even as two totally different people.

I think everyone could use someone like this.

To me these pictures express Marian… her quorky-ness… her unique personality and her loving heart.

See more Marian  here and here

~emma~

these are some pictures I took on my Summer trip, don’t relate at all to what this post is about but i thought i would share them anyway !

At the beginning of the year I was exhausted. All I wanted to do was make a STRICT routine and be by myself all the time… I was sick of being surrounded by stuff that didn’t let me express myself and I felt like I couldn’t get away from it at all. The truth is, that I can’t get away from it, but I can learn to be content with wherever I am. Although I still wouldn’t choose the life I’m living for myself I know there are plans in it all and I need to not only endure but also enjoy where I am, and be a tool of God while doing so.

I’m not exactly happy about the idea that I live in Midland, TX (where nobody seems to give a rats butt about art), or that I am not as respected as a photographer as an adult would be. I’m not happy that I am in high school living this life as apposed to living a life somewhere else learning what I want learn, where I want to learn it. But I know through this all God is going to use me here. And in order to fully fulfill God’s plans for me (or at least attempt to) I came to think that I should come up with a list  (yes, I’m a list maker, If don’t make lists and I go haywire, then become a big pile of worthless lazy mush) of guidelines and priorities to separate what I need to do in order to keep this boat (me, being who I’m supposed to be) afloat, and the things a normal highschooler takes part. And after writing them I came to realize that they may be relevant to more than just me and my circumstances.

1. Do your best for the good of mankind.
2. Keep things balanced and in proportion and moderation
3. Enjoy your life and the people, places and things placed in it.
4. Know your limits and your heart
5. Act as an advocate of support for all things good by as least being actively appreciative and respectful to people and their good effort
6. Always know where your joy comes from, and never let it go.

have a good evening!

~emma~

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!