Nantucket

These are some snipets from our night in Nantucket, MA. Anthony had a show with the talented Eve Costarelli (flamenco dancer/youth teacher) for art week. I was able to come along and spend a night/afternoon there. We had a great time with Eve and her husband the first day attending the show and then getting dinner afterwards. The next morning we had breakfast and visited the different shops around.

I wasn't really expecing much from it but I was pleasantly surprised that I did actually like our little stay on the island. The people were friendly, the place we stayed in had so much character, and we enjoyed the different art studios that were exhibiting work. I was so excited to find a photo exhibit happening with images by Steve McCurry, who is well known for the "Aphgan girl" image he did for national geographic. I just googled him and saw this quote which I wanted to share, “If you wait,” he realized, “people will forget your camera and the soul will drift up into view.” How beautiful, right?!

There weren't many options for food, and most of it was wayyy overpriced but we did find a gem of a place for breakfast! It's called Black Eyed Susan's and I would say if you're visiting that is a must eat at place! It was packed and a bit of a wait but it was worth it. We had a Thai omelet  and some cheese-y pancakes. The stuff will put you in the hospital if you eat it everyday but it was a nice vacation meal.

There happened to be a huge sale going on where everything was half off and we found some cute thrift stores and a Tibetan shop where I picked up some goodies for really cheap! The scarf was thrifted and the sandals and necklace were from the Tibetan shop. Anthony was sweet to get them for me :) The necklace is my favveee, I just love ethnic jewelry!!

I know this is sooo late to post but hopefully it brings some sunshine during this yuck winter weather!
<3

It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.

It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light. Aristotle Onassis

When I did this series I was in a defiant mood. I was feeling down about a lot of things at the same time. I happened to be missing a project life image for the theme black so I decided to play around and see what I came up with. I draped a cloth backdrop on a shelf, stuck a chair in the middle of my living room, brought out a speed light and a small umbrella, put some black eyeliner on my lips and had it out with the camera. It was the greatest feeling when i finished. I edited these with a really old Incubus cd playing in the background which added to the whole kick ass mood. I felt like I took a bunch of crap emotions and turned them into gold! GOOD TIMES! Moral of the story, if you're feeling down, create, write, paint, draw, go hiking, take a walk, take some pictures, do something where you can let that energy out in a positive way. I think that when you DO, you FEEL, in that moment, and not any other. The doing helps to clear your mind and make room for some light. More light is always a good thing in my eyes.

Much love,

Feda

Hello 2014! Sparkle. You were meant to shine!

Hello 2014!

I can't believe another year has passed. I'm so grateful for 2013, and all of it's personal struggles and successes that I've experienced. I have learned so much about myself, about what I love, and what it's like to create art that I'm so proud of. In 2013 I started and completed project life 365, a photo a day project where I explored the world around me and the world within me. I took 365 photos exploring different themes, from nature, to the people and places around me, as well as plenty of self portraits! I will be sharing a small video with some of my favorites from the series later on this week with some reflections on the project as a whole. This image was sparkle for day 364 and one of my favorites of the year!

Throughout project life I realized how much I loved looking into my own emotions and creating images from them. I collected these images in a series that I called Project Introspection. You can see the collection on my website here. Through these self portraits, and the connections I made throughout the year, I gained quite a following on instagram. By the end of the year I had over 1,000 people following my instagram. That may be a small number for some but it was sooo HUGE for me. So huge that for a week I had anxiety everytime I uploaded an image onto my feed. I was overwhelmed that THAT many people found something interesting about me. I never imagined people would like what I do and even be inspired to pursue their own dreams because of my images and words. Thank you to everyone who has liked, commented and supported my journey in one way or another. It has meant the world to me and I'm truly grateful to all of you!!

For 2014 I want to continue this exploration of self through style, fashion photography, self- portraits and personal projects. My focus is on growing my creative spirit and vision and sharing it with all of you. I'm choosing this year to follow my intuition and trust that the wind that flows beneath my wings will guide me. I'm not sure where it will all take me, but I'm really feeling the "I don't have a plan" thing. Plans always have a way of changing and I don't want to have any expectations. I just want to do and create, NO THINKING, just more doing! I believe we're all meant to shine in our own unique ways. I'm done doing things because of what society or people think of it. I ditched the voice in my head that says I can't, that says you're not good enough, or you don't have what you need, the voice that has nothing to do with me. We all have potential that far surpasses what are brains can comprehend. At the end of the day I have my own moral compass to answer to, and that's the voice I want to hear more from. So I'll be listening, creating, and taking in the beautiful view along the way.

Much love, Feda

P.S. I will be doing more photography posts, adventures, and reflections throughout the week that I have not blogged about from 2013. Hoping to catch up with all of 2013 by the end of January!

Also, if you don't follow me on instagram, please do! I share little tidbits of my life, things i'm inspired by, things I'm currently reading, and lots of photos :) My profile: @fedfooda

Idris Senior Photography Session

I did this senior session in the fall. Idris is a senior in high school and I've known his mom forever. He's a cool mix of Moroccan and Irish heritage! He wanted a sort of hippie outdoor shoot so we did some shooting in a park and some behind some local buildings I spotted on the way there. I thought it would add in some texture and give him some variety to choose from. As you can see he also loves to play guitar so we incorporated it throughout the shoot. Loved this session and love how they came out! Wish him all the best in his future. :)

It's a Dull Life: Neutral Love

I've been wearing a lot of neutrals lately. I'm not sure what's wrong with me as it's out of my norm. I tend to wear brighter colors more often. I've been enjoying exploring neutral hues and finding ones that suit me. Even in makeup I'm reaching for brown and reddish eyeshadows and even brown lipsticks! Don't ask what this lipstick it because it's a mish mash of things including an eyebrow pencil! I tend to lean more towards the cooler neutral tones. I wear this scarf allll the time. I just love it. It goes with everything and blends with my eyebrows so it tends to be my go to scarf when I don't know what else to wear.

This is my favorite outfit post to date. When I got finished with this shoot, (Which took me a few hours in the freezing cold! It's not easy running back and forth making sure things are in focus while pressing a remote and posing.) I had a big sigh of satisfaction. I love how it came together with the editing and the mood. I was so proud of myself for pushing this one out. One of my new year goals is to do more fashion posts and give this blog more love. A custom blog makeover is on the list too by the talented pink and lola whom I've been stalking!

Much love,
Feda

Outfit Details:
Jacket: thrifted- TCEC
Flowy under cardigan: TJ Maxx
Crop turtleneck: charlotte Russe
Skirt: thrifted- vintage
Necklace: chain replaced with longer one from Michaels, pendant from burlington coat factory
Boots: TJ-Maxx -Madden Girl
Scarf: Tj-Maxx
Claw ring: House of Cach
Leaf band ring: H&M- gift

First Snow