Simmons Family Portraits- Kelvingrove Park, Glasgow

I met Sarah at the playground last spring. My daughter was running around playing on the equipment as was her son, while she tended to her baby girl and chatted with another parent. I couldn't help but overhear that she was new to Glasgow, but it was the non-British accent that I honed in on first. I'm not ashamed to admit that I gravitate towards North American voices as I (usually correctly) guess that they are like me and an ex-pat. I jumped into the friendly conversation about being new and basically told her that I had been in her place the year before and completely understood what it was like to have landed in a new place with your family and not know how to get involved and meet people.

I didn't hear from her for a little while, but when we connected again we ended up really getting to know each other and her son and my daughter soon became really good friends. It didn't hurt that they lived next to the park and Kiona got to go play with all of Oliver's different toys!

They moved back to the States in the fall and while it was only a short time they were in Glasgow, I know they really came to it enjoy it here as I have. When she asked me to take some portraits of them so they could remember their time here I was really excited! I just knew that we had to take them at Kelvingrove Park, which had figured into their lives so much while they were here.

We did the session in the morning and boy was it chilly! It was October and I was worried we'd all freeze, but it turned out to be a bright and sunny day and we were glad for the warmth of the sun.

I arrived early at their flat while they were finishing getting ready and then we headed out. One of the special things they wanted was a picture in front of the door of their building. They lived in these gorgeous Victorian tenement flats and the oversized black door was such a lovely back drop!

We basically wandered the park, stopping at favourite places and it was a very relaxed session, even with little Oliver running excitedly all over the place! Having a small child of my own, I knew exactly how it was so we just went with it.

Some of my favourite moments were when Oliver spotted a cat on the other side of a wrought iron fence and when Emma was getting upset and Sarah was swinging her into the air to get her to laugh. It's all the little things parents do for their kids and it gave me warm fuzzies to capture those moments.

Normally I would have blogged about this way earlier, but they wanted to give away pictures to their families for Christmas and I didn't want to spoil the surprise for them! It was such a great experience for me and I'm really grateful for the internet so we can still keep in touch! The world really does get smaller and smaller, doesn't it?

Thank you Sarah and Johnny for letting me be a part of a little farewell to Glasgow. I had a great time!

And now some of my favourite images:

Summer Gardens

There are a few folks in my neighbourhood with definite green thumbs and a love of beautiful plants and flowers. One of the interesting things I love doing is really just observing how my neighbourhood changes through the seasons. With my camera of course!

With our late spring and even later start to summer (it may have come and gone, but hard to say for sure yet), it took awhile for even the basic spring flowers to show themselves. But now that it's June and the warm days arrived for a spell, the gardens are bursting with colour! Don't believe me? Check this out:

A Photographic Walkabout in Glasgow's West End

Summer seems to have graced us here in Scotland. Or at least we're hoping it intends to stick around a little while. It's been warm and dry most days and that means lots of time spent outside. Of course I have my camera with me!

In fact, I recently was able to upgrade my camera and boy am I glad I made the move! For most photographers, it's usually best to invest in lenses first and upgrade camera bodies in certain situations, like mine where my camera was entry level and several years old. My skills have progressed so much in this time and knowing where I want to be able to go allowed me to see that, yes, it was time to move on.

Enter my Nikon D7000 and brand new Tamron lens (a 28-75mm, 2.8 for those of you who are familiar with lens lingo). We're really getting to know each other and I think it was the best decision I could have made. The new equipment will allow me to actively pursue portrait photography, which I am so excited about and can't wait to share more about with you! It's weather sealed and the image are able to be enlarged a great deal without losing quality, which is very important to me.

I love living in the west end of Glasgow. It's a vibrant place full of people and parks and lots of interesting things to do. I'm often walking various parts of it as part of my daily routines and it's not uncommon that I'd have my camera with me.

Taking advantage of a beautiful evening on the weekend, my daughter and I went out to the shops to run some errands. But I paused frequently to document some lovely things that caught my eye:

All the trees are leafy and in bloom right now.

Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery

University of Glasgow as seen from Partick Bridge

Cheers! ~Lindsay

Photo of the Day: Vintage Bike

I love documenting my own neighbourhood. There's something wonderful about coming across things you've never seen, or watching gardens bloom and die. Simple things really, but it requires active observation, participation really, in the world around you.

Something new appeared the other week:

Photo of the Day: Unfolding

Oh the photo editing! It certainly takes time to wade through my images, edit and convert, but it's a process I actually quite enjoy.

Especially when you get things like this:

I prefer it much better in black and white than in colour.

Photo of the Day: Simple Loves

I'm a coffee addict.

Yes, it's very true. I love the smell of it and the warmth of the mug in my hands. I prefer mine with a very small amount of sugar (like 1/4 of a teaspoon in a large latte mug) and some milk. More than brewed coffee though, I love espresso drinks and the mix of the bitter, rich espresso and the slightly sweet milk. I make my lattes vanilla ones, and drink my mochas with a small amount of whipped cream. From my favourite Seattle-based chain, I love a good caramel macchiatto.

Really though, I love the atmosphere of coffee shops and watching the people come and go. One of my dear friends and I had coffee dates where we chose our seats specifically to be able to look out over the street or out windows and observe the world go by as we caught up on our lives and enjoyed the company of someone who would always be there for you.

It's In the Details...

A somewhat sunny weekend allowed us to escape the city for a bit and explore the area around us. It was a reminder that not only do I really like Glasgow as a city, but that Scotland is truly a beautiful place as well.

Here are some images for architectural and man made details from out trip to Dumbarton and Dumbarton Castle.