This is the time of year I tend to get swept away in an emotional cocktail of anxiety, joy, self-doubt, and excitement.
Time goes by at lightning speed, too. Just like that, the holiday season is over, and it’s back to the daily grind. Harumph. This year, things are going to be different, I can feel it in my bones. I will do a better job of savoring moments. I’ll pay better attention to small details, instead of letting them go unnoticed. I won’t let things just wash over me.
A new slow season
I’m going to have a Slow Season a la William Powers’ New Slow City: Living Simply in the World’s Fastest City. I’m nearly at the end of this book and I’ve enjoyed it. There are plenty of thoughtful takeaways for leading a life that is balanced in today’s workaholic consumerist culture. This might be the perfect time to recommend reading such a book, in fact.
So I say read it, and make sure you relax while you do, with a cup of ginger tea and a cozy blanket.
By the way, if you’d like to follow along with the books I’m reading on a regular basis, I’d love to connect with you on Goodreads.com: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/30239137-lauren-fox.
Haven’t heard of Goodreads? It’s like Yelp for books. It’s great for tracking what you’ve read (if you’re into that) and also for finding new books to read based on the ones you’ve already read. Plus there are user reviews so you can get a sense of how good a certain book is (if you’re into that). I highly recommend.
Kale + Compass on Insta
On a different note: I’ve finally decided to start a Kale + Compass Instagram account. Previously I’d been using my personal one and mixing in some K+C photos with regular life photos. As I get more serious about my food photography, I wanted to have a place to display some of my favorite shots in a cohesive format. I hope you’ll follow me 🙂
https://www.instagram.com/kaleandcompass/
Moody carrots
This photo took me by surprise this past weekend as I was photographing some of the produce I brought home from our farmers market.
It was dark and stormy outside and I started photographing really late in the day so I was losing light fast. With some exposure adjustments and an unplanned angle, I was able to get a pretty neat shot!
The old baking sheet background contrasted nicely with the beautiful bright carrots, too!
I love food photography, and photography in general, because it forces me to notice the tiniest details. Like how the light hits each wrinkle on the skin of the carrot. Like the blue-tinted glow of the cloudy day reflecting off of the metal baking sheet. The scratches on the baking sheet from years of use.
There is so much beauty in the world, often overlooked, that it’s always refreshing to focus in on these details.
xo Lauren
