Seven on Sunday | volume 1: gratitude

Thanks to my sweet and talented friend, Ali, I've been inspired to pick up my real camera again in the everyday.  For too long, my iPhone has been my family's camera and I've neglected the love of photography in the pursuit of making it a business.  I'm wanting to find more of a balance in that again...remembering to love the art while still building it as a career.  Ali has started a blog series called "Seven on Sunday" and I (along with some other beautiful ladies) have decided this is a perfect way for me to push myself to more creativity, and honestly, to just take more pictures of the people and moments I love most.  So for a time I'll be blogging seven personal photos each Sunday based on a specific theme. This week's is gratitude.

I read "One Thousand Gifts" by Ann Voskamp about 2 years ago.  Since then I've filled pages with moments, people, and things that I've named as gifts.  I felt this quote from the book was appropriate for this week's challenge...

"Giving thanks for one thousand things is ultimately an invitation to slow time down with weight of full attention.  In this space of time and sphere, I am attentive, aware, accepting the whole of the moment, weighing it down with me all here."

And don't we all want to slow down time?  And so when I pick up my camera and take a photo, that is what I'm doing...capturing that very moment in time and naming it as a gift.  The following 7 photos are some of the moments from the past week that made the list.

1/ Her confidence and determination.

2/ Brothers.

3/ Morning {or afternoon} coffee.

4/ His belly laughs

5/ Eyelashes for days.

6/ Him.

7/ This relationship.

Thanks for reading.  I hope you'll also be inspired to give thanks today for the simple things that make your own life beautiful.  And if you would like more inspiration, be sure to stop by the blogs of some of my talented friends participating in Ali's blog series...
Ali Caudill Photography
Megan Ann Photography
Katie Smith Photography