We sat on the hill and just watched it. Well, I did. Ruby laid down in the grass and snoozed.

When I got home, I grabbed my camera and went back. That day I took the first of what would become a collection of photos documenting this tree through the seasons. I’ve also photographed it on foggy mornings and after rainstorms. Today I share with you, its seasons . . . its year on Lakecrest.

One Nebraska family took a cookbook tradition started by their mom and expanded it to include their love of family photos. It’s called Mom’s Cookbook and it’s loaded with photographic memories. It’s updated every 5 years. And in 2020, I had the pleasure of restoring some damaged photos for inclusion in their latest edition.

We all have hundreds, if not thousands of images that we quickly snap on our phones, post on Instagram or maybe share in an album on Facebook. But this idea of family cookbook / photo album is uniquely beautiful. With each new edition, they change out the photos as the family grows. Each cookbook becomes well-loved with cooking stains and dog-eared corners . . . a true family keepsake.

The images were scanned by the client and sent to me via Dropbox and Goggle Drive. I edited them using Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom and sent them back. A few of the really old ones will be printed, framed and hung on the walls in their family galleries. This was a wonderful experience.

What do you do with your old family photos?

Photo Restoration by Bella Carolina CreativePhoto Restoration by Bella Carolina Creative

Photo Restoration by Bella Carolina CreativePhoto Restoration by Bella Carolina Creative Photo Restoration by Bella Carolina CreativePhoto Restoration by Bella Carolina Creative

What? Why? How? I keep asking myself. What is the mental process that creates such vile anger and deep hatred; that can make a person look to another for permission to commit heinous acts against individuals and our country, our history?

We were both in need of some healing, some community, so we drove to The Hill yesterday and walked around the entire area. It was a blustery cold and beautiful day. In a way soothing but covered in sharp edges. We thanked the National Guards and Capitol Police for being there. We watched the scary fencing go up. From a distance it looks like an ordinary fence but up close the edges of each loop are sharp, on top rough and pointed. We saw the flags at half staff for the murder of Capitol Police Officer Brian D. Sicknick. We saw a tribute to him of flowers and signage.

We saw a woman wrapped in rioter regalia waiting for provocation. We saw a family with 3 kids, one in a stroller, wearing that red hat, that, to me, is synonymous with hatred, destruction and racism. I chose to photographed none of them. I concentrated on that amazing building and place that has been a part of my life since I was little. I'm a proud native Washingtonian and a proud American who is worried that this is far from over. 

Whew, what a year, huh? My business year started off great with the smell of growth in the air. Then waves of anxiety and no small amount of fear at the unknown, began my every day.

In moments of obstinate positivity I “project’d” the heck out of my life. I painted our utility closet and rearranged it to peak efficiency (wink). I began learning French and relearning Piano. I organized my hard drive files! We volunteered to foster shelter animals. We sewed 250+ cotton face masks. We participated in online art challenges. We finished our 18^th Century costumes that were meant for a June event. I devoured YouTube videos of Marie Kondo helping people find items, in their homes, that “sparked joy”. Then I went through my clothes and purged everything that pissed me off! No joy, cuz it’ll never fit again? Then into the pile it went!

I ended up concentrating so hard on what I could “control” that I lost sight of my dear camera. I still took photos but they were more snaps and less art or work. Eventually I got back to it. Below, I offer you a glimpse of my last 12 months.

I send you each my best wishes for a joyful and productive 2021!

Love, Bella

I began the year with Personal and Small Business Branding for S/he Designed. I began the year with Personal and Small Business Branding for S/he Designed.
Product photography for a client supporting Voice Over actors in the DMV. Product photography for a client supporting Voice Over actors in the DMV.
A walk around my little town as Covid took over and a Pandemic was declared.

Masks for our Police force and townhome community.

Making the most of a day in May!

June at the Riversdale Mansion instead of at the Fetes Galantes at the Palace of Versailles, France.

Photos by Kristin Rutkowski Photography

A day on the water, returning a photography favor with a Sunset Session.

A Summer "Staying at Home" Portrait Session

First 2 fosters, Brody from Alabama and Ren "the Mushroom".

The foster experience of a lifetime - a momma and six pups. All have forever homes! Chloe is ours!

Back to work with a business staff headshot shoot!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Initially, I documented traffic and playgrounds and neighborhoods to witness how others were coping. I’ll share those images in another post. Then I focused at home. My fella and I got out our sewing machines and made 253 masks and gave them to our local police force, folks in our condo community and folks out and about who had a need. It felt really good. Then we signed up to be foster parents to homeless animals. That felt really good too!

We had some good luck and my fella went back to work. So I focused on all those home projects that filled my ToDo lists – painting, mending, gardening. I even began rummaging through my mom’s old dressmaking patterns and started an Etsy store to sell them – A Vintage Stash. This is ongoing and a blast!

I was feeling ok but also felt an empty space – ah, my camera! Where was my camera? And what could I do for others? So I decided to go back to documenting but this time families at home, from a socially acceptable distance, of course! Knowing that I wasn’t the only person who was squeezing their wallet, I decided to offer “staying at home portraits” for free.

I’ve just begun to sink my teeth into this project and I hope that these mini sessions will be a fun way to commemorate this eye opening time in our lives. The autumn air and sun make this the perfect time.  

So, if you are reading this, live in the DC / MD area and think your family or co-workers want to play & pose outside for 15 or 20 minutes, drop me a line or book a session on my website! I’d love to take your picture!  Bella Carolina

  Rose Green Colby Campaign 2019

My 9 to 5 job was always in the marketing industry. And the more I learned, the more I wanted to combine them into one focused business, my business.

After being let go from a 9 to 5 job, I decided I’d take the plunge and commit to building my own business – Bella Carolina Creative. It has been a year of lessons. Here are the top three:

It's OK to say “no”
In order not to appear inflexible and with the mindset that I never wanted to lose a client, I wasn’t as good at guiding client behavior. And maybe I wasn’t really sure of what was truly unacceptable to me until I was in a situation that I didn’t like.

I found myself in this situation when getting paid and while working for friends. You can’t expect a person to respect you and your time, if you don’t. I believe that most people genuinely try to be good but if advantage can be taken, it will be.

So, be true to what you want. Express yourself firmly and kindly. And be comfortable with your decisions.

Keep Practicing
It is so easy to get bogged down in the day to day of managing money, paying bills and marketing the new business. Without meaning to, I set my craft aside.

It was sitting in the corner watching me pull my hair to make things happen. Patiently it waited till I remembered it was my joy. If there’s no practicing, there’s no progress . . . nothing new is learned.

Practice your craft. Use your tools with the goal of not working but exploring! Each time I do this, I light my fire again.

Take time for yourself
My 9 to 5 was a 9 hour day with commute. My days now are easily 12 hours with weekends thrown in more often than not. Dang! I enjoy it more, for sure. But now, instead of multiple things happening simultaneously, there is just me doing one thing at a time. Ha!

So my time has disappeared – walking with the dog, pilates class, dinner with my guy . . . the list is surprisingly long.

But I’ve taken my days back. And only I can keep it up. It’s hard to let go of work and relax into free time. But it’s so important. Because without it, the stress has nowhere to go.

Year 2, here I come!

Today and YesterdayLucia is my dear friend and the little girl in the photos she's holding. On left with her mom and on right with her Grandfather a week before he passed. Lucia is my dear friend and the little girl in the photos she's holding. On left with her mom and on right with her Grandfather a week before he passed away.

On a spontaneous visit to a dear friend, I was introduced to 13 amazing images from her childhood. Her memory is so sharp about who’s in the photo, the event and moments of the day. It was wonderful!

I’ve never seen images so small. They were about 2 inches square to slightly smaller than a business card. I wondered about the camera that was used? Did it belong to a rich person? Was photography really so available to the folks in a small rural village or was it only for special occasions?

Original Size Folks in FieldThis original and all others were about 2 inches square and covered in tape residue and torn. This photo was taken in 1942 or 1943.

This original and all others were about 2 inches square and covered in tape residue and torn. This photo was taken in 1942 or 1943. 

This is an enlarged version and the final that was printed and framed as a 5x5.

I asked my friend to entrust me with her tiny treasures because I wanted to make them larger for her. She loves to frame photos. She was so excited; so was I!  I was also super nervous because I really believe these images are treasures. Connecting to our past informs our present and even future.

Mom and GrandpaOriginals at about 3.5 inches tall. Image with Grandpa was taken in 1936. Image with mom was taken in 1938. Originals at about 3.5 inches tall. Image with Grandpa was taken in 1936. Image with mom was taken in 1938.
 

So, not only did this become a restoration project but it became a research project on the old tools used in that time. I’ll share that info in the next post!

When I returned the photos and the prints she was beside herself with joy, pride and gratitude. I’ve never felt so fulfilled. I’ve never had my work so completely appreciated. It was a heady experience.

We sat for another hour with cups of Italian coffee and made our way through more memories sparked by the details we could now both see and explore.

Photo restoration! It’s more than just filling in the cracks ;-)

So much happens in one year! Don’t we all say, “Damn, that went fast!” Just writing that makes me sigh, “whew!”

My year was full of personal and professional triumphs and set-backs. When things are rough I’ve noticed I don’t take as many personally artistic photos. Instead I take the quick snaps we all do with our cell phones. And those are sweet moments with their own special meaning but I rarely pick up my big and gorgeous Canon and work on my art. 

And really, it’s in those rough moments when that’s exactly what I should be doing; making my art. Creating a beautiful photograph fills me with a joy that satisfies and fills my soul unlike any other thing. Luckily, there is a good deal of satisfaction in my photo work. And so I’m blessed because even when I’m not able to create for my own pleasure, I am able to create beauty for my clients. And that is a great feeling, too.

I’m happy to share these 12 images that explore my 2018. I wish everyone a personally and professionally fulfilling 2019.  Cheers! Bella  

January was the 2^nd Women’s March on the National Mall. It was a bright and cool day filled with the joy of being American!  

February and March were about love and family. My fella loves to be in the kitchen creating and I love him for it, even if my waistline struggles! Family visiting and a day exploring Philadelphia was a winner!

April, May and July were strong client months. Shooting the beautiful creations of talented chefs and event planners are jobs I truly love. I hope to do more in 2019.

June was a surprise childhood re-connection. We’ve known each other since I was three. We are very different women but share a strong unifying kinship with each other and the past.  

August was more girlie bonding. This time over drinks, white sand and humidity in Mexico!

September found my guy in the kitchen again - canning spicy/sweet relish and cranking out homemade pasta! OMGoodness! Fall is a favorite time; we love camping and donning costumes for a day at the Renaissance Festival.

October, November and December were about exploring; local treasures like Arlington Cemetery and the Patuxent National Refuge. We ended the year with a blast of a trip to glorious Venezia! Even with its difficulties, 2018 was a pretty wonderful year!

Planning began, as usual, months before the big day. But this wedding prep included visiting the local Maryland farms where their wedding reception food was being grown. It included visiting their gorgeous Chevy Chase, MD venue to lay out how the day would go. And it included a year’s worth of wine drinking by friends and family so Betsy could collect the bottles to use in the table décor!

As a long-time fan of the style of the 1930s and 1940s, Betsy’s dress was form fitting satin in a bias cut. The draping of fabric and the bling in her up-do along with Jay’s dapper look in a full tuxedo and elegant patent leather Oxfords were some details that really embraced the age.

It was a pretty special event and I’m so thrilled that I was allowed to share their joy, leading up to the day and on that lovely autumn afternoon in the meadow at Woodend Sanctuary. Betsy & Jay visit the farm growing all the products to be used in their wedding meal.

Vendors

• Venue: Woodend Sanctuary
• Caterer: Catering by Seasons 
• Linens: Perfect Settings
• Tablesetting: A family friend with DIY skills
• Food Grower: Open Book Farm and Groundworks Farm 

Her clients come to her with ideas; some nascent and others fully developed. Her experience and ability to add structure to a vision is the guiding process that results in a quilt so beautiful you’ll want to hang it on a wall as tapestry.

This craft, which is steeped in tradition has so many modern bits to it now – the room filling long arm sewing machine being one of them! The studio is colorful with fabric samples all around. It is a methodically organized work space and yet exudes warmth; a quality that is all Marina.  

I grew up with a dressmaker mom, so I get the pull that textiles can have on the psyche – the colors, the textures and the weave. Collecting a variety of fabrics can be addicting. Photographing Marina was a joy, not only because I respect her art and passion. It was a joy being in the middle of this fascinating collection of textiles and watching an artist create.

PG Community College PG Community College Back to our VIP section on the entrance wing I shot these photos. On his way out . . . I got to shake his hand!

PG Community College It was such an incredible moment for me. Also speaking were Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley, Senator Ben Cardin and House Minority Whip, Congressman Steny Hoyer and Congresswoman Donna F. Edwards.

Congressman Steny Hoyer

Congresswoman Donna Edwards

PG Community College

Smiles in Sun!
A young lady who was a blast of fun!  She brought her energy and excitement.  She brought giggles and a work ethic surprisingly adult in one so young.  She has the perfect personality to go far in the local performing arts here. And I believe, all the way if she chooses.

Best of luck Brynne!  Or, I guess, I should say - Break a leg!

Brynne

Born and raised in Washington, D.C. I knew my town. Then I moved back after a 15 year absence. Geez, had things changed.   ~ Rotunda Ceiling

Inauguration January 20, 1997

The events of September 11, 2001 changed much of where I could go, how I could get there and what I was allowed to bring. The new realities sit juxtaposed with my memories.

Walking the grounds last week.

I love being a tourist and I’m truly lucky to live in a town that caters to that part of me. I started a collection of current photos of my D.C. explorations. And after a recent tour of the U.S. Capitol I decided to call the collection E Pluribus Unum. Inauguration January 20, 1997 - #33 is Union Station in my driver side mirror

Each time I enter a D.C. institution I’m struck by what this city means and wants to mean, by how it began and how it is developing. The collection will grow on Flickr but I wanted to introduce it here with a few recent pix and some from a while ago. Until you get a chance to visit this beautiful town I hope you’ll drop by and see it this way.

Wandering "the Hill" last winter.