Print Shop is Open

Thanks for all of your support with this project, I am overwhelmed with the response! I've been working on this site for such a long time that it is a little intimidating to realize that now my words aren't just buried in a series of hidden pages anymore. On the other hand, it's a relief to have it launched. :)

This week felt undeniably like autumn for us. While I adore the golden colors we are seeing, lately I've been inspired by denim blues. Damian & I picked up some plums at Monnin Fruit Farm last weekend, and spent one afternoon pretending they were dinosaur eggs.

He knew they weren't real, but he was a good sport. He has become more interested in dinosaurs, requesting I read his big brother's old books on his prehistoric fascinations. The shame continues as I mush up the same ole' pronunciations I did four years ago. You try to say, "MICROPACHYCEPHALOSAURUS."

If I read over them quickly, he doesn't notice I have no idea what I'm talking about. 

"We pretended they were eggs that belonged to dinosaurs that I can't pronounce."

Print Available by Tether & Fly on Society 6.com

This morning I've added two autumn prints to my Society6 shop.

Shop Tether & Fly | Society 6

Hope your weekend involves coffee, naps, and rain.

-Andrea 

Thank you for joining me here. I am a wedding & commercial photographer, writer, and mama. All content & photographs are my own. The images from this post were taken with my Nikon D800 and edited in Lightroom. © Andrea Bell of Tether & Fly.

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Broken Mum

Cool mornings and shorter evenings have a way of catching me off guard in the bustle of breaking in a new school year's momentum. Before pumpkins are fully ready to catch my attention, I have a quiet tradition of carefully selecting a few bundles of mums for my little porch. Each year I anticipate the moment I will dress up my shopping cart with their color, because they make that routine grocery trip a fancy little occasion for me. 

Soon after I put them on my front step, I noticed one mum bush was leaning. On closer inspection I realized that a large chunk of the plant had been knocked over, presumably by a familiar soccer ball. It was suspiciously re-planted, as only as 8 year old can attempt to cover an accident. I discarded the broken stems and turned the plant so that the living petals faced toward the sun.

Over the course of a few days, the brave remaining buds delicately opened without any sign of regret for the pieces that died. They did not dull their colour as a curtesy for the clusters that would not have the chance to bloom. They did not seem to mind the void so clearly obvious in their misshapen remnants. They absorbed light & transformed into their potential.

This morning I continued the quarrel in my thoughts about the way I share bits of my life. How can I possibly focus on what is beautiful when destruction exists next to every curated photograph? It is a topic I have discussed often, (ask my friends), and one that will likely always persist in order for me to pursue balance. This morning I inched closer to clarity on this subject while I admired these berry hues.  

"I can spend my time mourning what is broken and my energy consumed by events I can not change. Or I can celebrate what courageously still blooms & revel in the beauty of the season I live in. " -Andrea Bell | Tether & Fly

These mums gave me more than I paid for them. They illustrated the attitude I need to embrace.

I could spend my time mourning what is broken and my energy consumed by events I can not change.
Or I can celebrate what courageously still blooms & revel in the beauty of the season I live in. 

It seems to be the only logic that could possibly spare me from fits of madness.

-Andrea

Thank you for joining me here. I am a wedding & commercial photographer, writer, and mama. All content & photographs are my own. The image from this post taken with my Nikon D800 and edited with Lightroom. © Andrea Bell of Tether & Fly.

Welcome to Tether & Fly

"This year I didn't make resolutions.
Just plunging forward with a sensitivity to act on the things I've been putting off."

-Andrea Bell

View from a hospital where I worked as a newborn photographer for six months.

There is a haunted beauty in being the first one here.

It reminds me of spending the night in an empty house before the movers come to fill it. I am nervous and excited for that day, hoping I gave this my best. For now, I'm enjoying how my voice echoes in the halls and the adventure of eating pizza on the floor. 

It is the splendid moment between imagining a dream & being close enough to touch it. 

-Andrea

Thank you for joining me here. I am a wedding & commercial photographer, writer, and mama. All content & photographs are my own. Images from this post taken with my iPhone4 and edited with Afterlight. © Andrea Bell of Tether & Fly.