and April slipped into May

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curves and colour balance adjustments

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black & white

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black & white

May is a lovely month, don't you think? It's when flowers show off their bright colours and sweet aromas. When soft lilac-scented breezes caress your face and play with your hair. When the weather warms up, and when snowflakes don't suddenly appear and settle themselves in your hair. May is that single month of the year when the weather is perfect - not too cold or too hot, but right in-between.
And this particular May? Changes will be hitting the blog! Nothing too big, like a name change or anything, but I am in the process of putting together a new blog design, so keep an eye out for that. ;)
As for April, I want to apologize for not posting that much, it was quite a busy month for me. Many thanks to Emily Grace, for her lovely guest post on my blog! :) And since we're talking April, I might as well mention that I made cookies for the first time ever last week... and burned them... a little (I've done cupcakes, and normal cakes, and six layer birthday cakes before, but never cookies :P). This April, I also had my first ever Skype call with a bloggy friend & I guest-posted over at Nela's blog. Those were three major achievements that I simply had to mention.
Also, if you're interested in guest-posting on Essence of Eve during May, please e-mail me at swordmaidenforchrist(at)gmail(dot)com. I'm planning on posting at least two times every week, but with the design and all the work I have to do, guest-posters are welcome and much appreciated. :)
I'm going to bed now. It's 11:30 and I'm so tired - which is mainly why this post is not that very organized. That first paragraph has nothing in common with the other two... but I really can't think straight right now. Please ignore this messy post, enjoy these April photos, and goodnight.

The Extraordinary Beauty of Ordinary Days

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"I believe the nicest and sweetest days are not those on which anything very splendid or wonderful or exciting happens, but just those that bring simple little pleasures, following one another softly, like pearls slipping off a string."

~Anne of Green Gables~ 

There are can't-wait-for days, there are summer days & holidays, and then there are ordinary days. Beauty can be found in all of them, but with ordinary days, it's the hardest. We tend to rush through them, maybe because we're so excited about one of those hurry-up-and-arrive-I-know-you'll-be-amazing days, or maybe because we can't wait for summer. It takes looking, really looking, to see the extraordinary beauty of ordinary days. It's there, but sometimes it takes a walk to the park or a peek through a shutter button to unlock it. And when you do unlock it, realize just what you've been missing, & if you're also a photographer, like me, the only thing you can think to do is run outside with a camera. Because the beauty of the ordinary things in God's creation is swoon-worthy; more so than any actor, movie, or book character you've met/seen/read about.

Update

Sorry for dropping off the face of the earth... again! I've decided (and trust me, I went back and forth between 'yes' and 'no' several times) to go ahead with the combining of my blogs! Many thanks to everyone who voted on the poll! :)
Just to clarify, THIS blog will be turning into my main blog. I'm KEEPING:

http://essenceofevephotography.blogspot.com

...as my blog address. I don't want to change it and confuse everyone, besides - I like it. I'll still mainly be posting photos anyway, so it's really not going to be that big a change.

Also, I'm still having my blogoversary in March! I have tons on fun things planned for you guys! ;) I was wondering if anyone would be interested in getting interviewed/guest posting (photography related) on my blog during that time? I'm planning on e-mailing and asking a few bloggers, but if you're interested, please let me know!
I'll be coming up with a new design for this blog (mainly because of the name change) and plan to have everything in order by the end of February. Since I have a few projects and things I want to finish before my blogoversary comes around though, I may not be posting as often as I normally would. Rest assured, I'll definitely be making up for it during March! ;)

Oh, and I also wanted to let you guys know... I got an iPod Touch last Saturday! It's amazing!

My music library :)

And here's a really awkward picture of me taken with my iPod.

So, look out! A flood of Instagram edited photos may very well be coming your way soon! ;)

Have a lovely weekend (and please excuse this rather random update post)!

In Which You Ignore Awkward Expressions

Most of you know that I don't often post selfies on here... or anywhere for that matter. I'm super scared of the other side of my lens. Yup. It's weird, but it's true. I'm not a photogenic person. Here, see for yourself...

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That's a tripod shot. And yes, that snowball is actually directed at you. And no, I don't often wear that expression.

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Still awkward... but not that much.

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Ummm... yeah...

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This is a fail at a tuck jump shot. Someone pointed out that I look like I'm dying... which I don't deny. 

I can't even believe I'm posting these on my blog. Extremely humiliating. I don't normally look like this guys... really.

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These are from last Saturday. Snow is all gone now though.

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Awww! Just look at how cute he is! :)

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I love Christine in this shot! That's her genuine smile... which is really hard to capture. :)

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Random unfocused shot.

Currently listening to...

Only the Beginning ~ Downhere

The Altar of Love ~ Downhere

For the Heartbreak ~ Downhere

If you buy Downhere's newest album (The Altar of Love) from their website, you can get one of their older ones for $5. Seriously, you need to get it. It's awesomely amazing!

p.s. I sold three of my prints today! It was pretty exciting!

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

I finally found the time to join Scavenger Hunt Sunday! I've been wanting and planning to join this for months!

1. Stairs

My uhh... "book stair". :)

2. Macro 

 3. Clouds 

Jellyfish. They're as puffy as a cloud could ever get! (But don't touch them... :P)

 4. Abstract

5. Smile

Yeah, yeah, I know, I'm definitely NOT photogenic. This is one of the few photos of me that I actually like, though I'm still not 100% satisfied with it. I like pointing my lens at things, just not at myself! :D