It's been a minute...a lot has changed.

I feel safe posting here because I'm relatively sure no one checks this website. It's been two or three years since I've posted. But I miss blogging. I miss being in charge of my projects and driven to share. I'm thinking of changing the flavor of this blog. Literally the flavor. I'm thinking about writing about food. I'm thinking about covering local restaurants and developing recipes. And maybe gnomes and decor and other doodads I'm interested in can fit but I'm not sure yet. I feel like I've been drifting. I do photography. It's great but I want a creative outlet outside of instagram and my portfolio website. I feel limited by needing everything to be perfect all the time. 

So give me a minute, I might be back with a new vibe....

I'm moving.

Hello friends,
Some things start and some things end.
It's time for an ending and a beginning.
As you know I started this blog to talk about fashion.
But as interests change and life priorities shuffle, we grow out of certain boots and grow into others.
Joyful Zest/Outfit Zest is coming to an end now.
My true joy is in creating beautiful and interesting photographs (It was never really about the fashion for me.) You can now find me at:

Joyfulcapture.com

I've made a photography portfolio website for myself which also carries a blog function. I can keep blogging but the shade of my blog has shifted. Here is to creative portrait photography! Thanks for sticking with me through all the changes. I hope you enjoy what I've been working on.

Love,
Joy

Autumn Moodboard

Ben and Amy's Wedding

I've been meaning to post these photos for a while and somehow they slipped beneath my radar. Congratulations to Ben and Amy who have been married for two months! Their wedding was incredibly beautiful, though the weather kept us all on our toes! While it rained during the ceremony, we were greeted by a misty golden hour and full rainbow as the couple left the church. Dancing, feasting, plenty of wine ensued. It was an epic day for an epic couple.

Ben is from the United States and Amy is from Australia. They spent long stretches of their relationship long distance, spending thousands of dollars to fly the thousands of miles to bridge the time zones and stay together. They met in college and started dating in 2011. Seven years later, they've tied the knot. Their wedding was an absolute honor to photograph.

Little Red Riding Hood

I've wanted to do a Little Red Riding Hood themed photo shoot for well over a year now. In my original vision, I thought of doing a modern take on the story by wearing a red hoodie and chucks but then I discovered the little red dress-up cape in the preschool where I work and decided to borrow it to recreate Trina Schart Hyman's illustration style. And I really think that my friend Brandy is the best little red model I could ask for. She has such a sweet and brave demeanor that makes her seem like a real-life storybook character.

There's something so alluring about these fairy tales don't you think?

Daily Vibes: Awake in the Garden.

I work as a part-time gardener during the summer and I wanted to share some of the beauties I spend my mornings with. Up until now I have been watering gardens on nearby properties but recently I've been asked to take care of weeding and primping as well. And let me tell you, the whole process wakes me up inside. Similar to photography, gardening taps into a creative flow that I can't get enough of. It's so satisfying to make something look the way you want it to don't you think?

I'm inclined to believe in fairies.

I'm inclined to believe in fairies.
Whether or not we can see it, I believe that there is magic in the world. Today the forest was buzzing with life. Spiderwebs clung to the underbrush, birds flitted through the branches, and the air hung heavy around my face. Sometimes summer air feels so thick you could cut it with a knife. I used to hate it. When I was a child summer air felt suffocating. But today I relish the humidity. I love how summer air extracts the mossy scent of earth and blows it through the trees. I catch whiffs of it in the garden. It smells like ice cream, river swims, and summer romance. And when the moisture gets too much to bear, the whole sky swells and bursts with a downpour and evening thunderstorm. It's enough to break the heat, however briefly, and we can all breathe easy for a time. This changing of seasons brings life to the raspberries, the fireflies, and the cicada song. I find it undeniably magical. Out of all the places there are to live in the world, I often marvel at the chance that I happened to be born exactly where I want to be.

The outfit I'm wearing has a bit of a theme. My skirt is covered in good luck motifs and my shirt depicts a sleeping woman entranced by fairies. They seemed to fit together nicely as I was getting dressed so I went with it. I guess it's just a day for luck and magic. So yes, I'm inclined to believe in fairies. There's too much magic in the world to dismiss them, don't you think?

Outfit Details
Skirt: Book of Deer
Shirt: Found it a few years ago at an independent shop that I forget the name of (Sorry!).

Summer Moodboard: Onward to Adventure

I'm feeling called to the outdoors. Time to get off of the computer!