Comfy jeans

50 mm, f/2.0 at 1/125, ISO 500

46. Comfy jeans

Magic blanket

50 mm, f/2.0 at 1200, ISO 1000

45. Magic blanket (aptly named due to the sleep it induced for my girls at nap time when they were young)

Hot tea

50 mm, f/1.6 at 1/125, ISO 1000

44. Hot tea

A bit of catching up ...

(#41) 50 mm, f/2.8 at 1/200, ISO 800, deliberately out of focus ;)

36. Nap time
40. Family time
41. Handmade gifts (scattered over the counter)
42. Laughter

50 mm, f/3.5 at 1/250, ISO 640

Puppies and travel and news

50 mm, f/2.8 at 1/160, ISO 640

{It's been a while, I know ... I'm still writing my gifts and blessings down, and taking photos - I've just been swamped so haven't posted! Here are several for me to share ...}

25. [Eldest] brushing hair without being asked - and fixing it!
26. Soft fur
28. Dog tags with contact info

(#25), 50 mm, f/1.8 at 1/640, ISO 100

200 mm, f/5.6 at 1/250, ISO 100

29. [Youngest's] laughter on trip to follow-up [with surgeon]
30. Travel pillows
31. Good news from surgeon
33. Safe trip home 

28 mm, f/3.5 at 1/160, ISO 1,000

Art and color

50 mm, f/2.5 at 1/160, ISO 800

20. Beautiful art by little hands
24. Blue highlighter

50 mm, f/1.8 at 1/200, ISO 250

Many To Add Up ...

50 mm, f/1.4 at 1/200, ISO 100

11. [Husband's] laughter at [old] Looney Tunes
12. Working from home
13. Giggling sisters
14. Two baby deer following their mother in moonlight (didn't have camera in hand!)
16. First responders in ambulances
17. That we don't hear ambulances that often
19. Licorice!

Making life easier ...

28 mm, f/3.5 at 1/100, ISO 2500

10. Crockpot

Accidents happen

50 mm, f/2.5 at 1/160, ISO 500

9. Invention of the dust pan

Cozy

50 mm, f/2.8 at 1/125, ISO 500

8. Waking to a big, crackling fire in fireplace

Little voice

50 mm, f/2.0 at 1/125, ISO 1000

6. The sound of [youngest daughter's] voice as she reads

7. The way she says the word "pull"

Hats ...

50 mm, f/1/4 at 1/160, ISO 640

5. Warm, cozy hats

50 mm, f/1.4 at 1/160, ISO 640

Frozen Bubble Dreaming

50 mm, f/1.4 at 1/160, ISO 640, purposely overexposed, shot through beveled glass

4. Blowing bubbles in freezing temps

(Trying to see if they would freeze)

Bubble Wand

50 mm, f/2.0 at 1/250, ISO 100

3. Creative mind to make homemade bubble wand ...

My daughter wanted to try to make her own bubble wand one day, using aluminum foil and twist ties.

Welcome to My 1,000 - A Photographer's Personal Adventure in Finding Joy & Beauty in Every Day Gifts ...

(50 mm, f/1.6 at 1/160 ISO 640)

1. Warm hug from enthusiastic daughter of joy ....


Hi. I'm Caneel, a portrait photographer based in Alpine, Texas. I'm the wife of an incredible man, and mother to two precious, loving and very spirited daughters.

I'm also a classic Type A personality who, in spite of being blessed beyond measure, has let life bog me down a lot, struggling to find beauty and joy in daily living. On more than one occasion I have kept a "grateful journal," or tried to capture beauty around me through my lens. It's been wonderfully therapeutic, but I've ended up not continuing it after a while.

Those of you who know me, or who have been following my work for a while, most likely know that 2013 was a very difficult year for me. I lost my best friend - a mother of four young children - to a sudden illness. (This is the inspiration behind my #CaptureMomBeautyCampaign running through next month.) My youngest daughter sustained a traumatic injury that required reconstructive surgery and three days in the hospital. I had a really, really hard time finding beauty and being joyful in 2013.

As a Christmas gift, I was given "One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are" by Ann Voskamp. A couple of chapters into the book, I started keeping my own "My 1,000" journal and I've also been trying to capture some of the entries in photographs. I'm trying to keep my journal with me so that I can write every little gift down when I notice it, but I'll admit some days are harder than others. Like yesterday, the one-year anniversary of my friend's passing.

In hopes that this might help others who are also struggling to find joy and live the fullest life, I'm sharing my personal adventure and journey with you. I won't have every entry captured on camera, and I won't share every entry. I probably won't be posting every day. Some entries might just be one word, and some might be redundant, but they are the gifts that I am noticing in my life each day, however small or meaningless they might seem to someone else, or however big they may seem to anyone.

Some of these photographs are probably going to seem boring to you, and they might not be the greatest quality. They might even be photos from my phone sometimes. If I take them with my camera, I'll try to include the settings for you in case you also have an interest in photography.

I hope this inspires you to notice the gifts in your life, as well. If you want to learn more about my photography, you are welcome to visit my CTC Photography website. Thank you for visiting this personal adventure! Many blessings to you.

(50 mm, f/1.4 at 1/500 ISO 160)

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