Summer is upon us. Where has the 2015-2016 school year gone? The time has flown by, and we mothers are now juggling even more balls than we normally do. We are scrambling. In addition to our normal duties of grocery shopping, cooking meals, taxiing our children to whatever practice, we are trying to shift/transition into SUMMER!!!! We have to get our hands around graduations, buying teacher gifts, planing end-of-year parties and turning in school books, while pretending that we have it all together.
This year my daughter is graduating from Elementary School at the end of the month and headed to the Middle School next fall. This is a bitter sweet time. One pregnant with a myriad of emotions. Childhood is fleeting, and I want to relish every moment of this time in our lives. I want my daughter to enjoy her last summer as an elementary school kid. Summer is synonomous with camp, lightning bugs, smores, kick-the-can, baking cookies, and fishing and swimming at the lake.
I encourage you, as I do myself, to engage with adventure: to let go of the to-do list and the details that go with that. Don't get me wrong, you've got to have a plan. What I'm suggesting is to live in the moment: appreciate the snuggling, the splashing, the storytelling. Be unpredicable. Be creative. Be inspiring. Do something significant and meaningful. Treasure the gifts you've got. Celebrate love, life and relationship. Savor these precious times with your family and enjoy making memories that you will carry with you always. Now... go get your summer on!
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The South has come a long way... Teach, model and be effectual change
In reflection of Black History Month in February and with the 51st anniversary of Bloody Sunday coming up on March 7th, I wanted to post the dramatic difference of two scenes that took place 50 years apart.
We teach our children more than we know. We have broken down barriers and made great strides. 50 years ago in 1965, as seen in the Spider Martin photograph on top, whites and blacks are in a stand off. And what occured after that is horrific. Fast forward to 2015 - the photograph on the bottom is my daughter, Sadie, who asked if our new friends could walk the Edmund Pettus Bridge with us. Blacks and whites walked together, sang, prayed and celebrated without any racial filters. We were all healing from old wounds and celebrating and taking ownership of our humanity together moving forward into a New South.
As a single mom, I am always trying to teach my daughter right from wrong, to admit my shortcomings, to set a good example and have my words and actions align. That day my daughter stood tall and towered over cowardice, fear, and hatred and beamed with God's light as we walked hand in hand over that bridge singing "We Shall Overcome." Amen.
In 50 years time, our nation’s first black President, Barack Obama, stood at the base of the Edmund Pettus Bridge – a former symbol of brutality and hatred. Addressing a sea people, he movingly declared, “There are places and moments in America where this nation’s destiny has been decided. Many are sites of war… others are sites that symbolize the daring of America’s character – Selma is such a place.”
With my 10-year-old daughter in tow, we converged on Selma with 70,000 other people – black, white, young, old, famous and not so famous. We all came to Selma – on our own pilgrimage. We all came in peace – seeking healing, forgiveness, reconciliation, redemption, and truth. My daughter and I came to be a part of the future – a future of continued hope, change and freedom.
Because barriers of prejudices and narrow thinking were broken down that fateful day in 1965, we walked about on this Jubilee weekend without the fear of being arrested or beaten with billy clubs. We engaged, talked easily and freely. Everyone was courteous, kind, and… curious. We shared each other’s stories, our reasons for coming to... such a place. Where, in 2015, we came to honor the courageous heroes and celebrate America’s character that was forever changed 50 years ago on that bridge.
My daughter and I had the privilege of meeting many fellow pilgrims from all walks of life. Bobby Arrington, who in 1965 was a 16-year-old living in Montgomery, was never deterred by discrimination. He registered to vote in Montgomery two years after the Voting Rights Act was passed and graduated from Tuskegee University. He went on to graduate school and has enjoyed a successful engineering career with Dow, AT&T and several notable financial institutions.
Another gentleman we met, who stood 10 feet away, offered to snap a photo of my daughter and me. I graciously accepted and after chatting at length, I introduced myself and learned that I had been talking to Stephen Colbert, donning his new beard. He will be debuting as the new host of the Late Show on CBS in September. He, too, came to be a part of history.
A teacher from Norfolk, VA, Buffy Meador Driskill whose parents were both born in Selma came to experience a once-in-a-lifetime event to share with her students. For over 20 years her passion has been teaching about the Civil Rights movement. Inspired by this 50th anniversary, she developed a simulated march for her students to experience first hand the black American struggles prior to the Voting Rights Act. She met Civil Right's Activist Ralph Abernathy’s widow, Juanita, as well as Amelia Boynton who had been knocked unconscious by a state trooper in 1965, but was amazingly pushed in her wheelchair (age 103) by President Barack Obama across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in 2015. Driskill got a great story to share with her students.
We discovered that Selma is indeed such a place. It is a place where its people are keeping its painful past in the past and looking forward, focusing on the positive change and growing the good. Operating in downtown Selma off Water Avenue, Ryan Bergeron, founder of Revival Coffee Company felt the Lord leading him “to stop asking for change and start being the change.” Bergeron’s passionate vision for the fledgling company is “to bring a physical revival to everyone each morning through coffee and to bring a spiritual revival locally and abroad.” By donating 10 percent of all coffee purchases to local and global non-profits, Bergeron shared, “We are investing in and sowing back into the lives and minds of the youth – into the next generation."
Perhaps the most meaningful and heart changing encounter was meeting Christina Freeman and her family who came from Atlanta. We met in the middle of Water Avenue at the intersection of the Edmund Pettus Bridge. I eagerly learned of her story of how and why she and her husband felt so strongly about their children experiencing history -- not just reading about it. Freeman shared, "All my life my parents stressed the importance of the vote because Daddy, who was from a town run by the Ku Klux Klan in Mitchell County, Georgia learned that freedom was not free. In order to obtain his right to vote, he and his brother were forced to hide in a crawl space for 48 hours before being transported at night in a wagon to the next county where they found safe passage to Atlanta. He never returned to his hometown." For the Freeman family, the price of freedom was returned 100 fold 50 years later.
In this historic time – full of such raw, intense emotion, the most humbling moment for me was on Sunday, when my daughter asked, “Mom would it be okay if our new friends (the Freemans) walk the bridge with us?” With both our eyes welling up with tears, Christina and I both agreed that we would. We met back at the same intersection, and with our children, we walked hand-in-hand – black and white – across that bridge together singing, “We Shall Overcome.” As Spider Martin, renowned Civil Rights photojournalist, said, “United we stand; divided we fall.” He was right. They did fall in 1965; and because of the sacrifice and bravery of those who went before us, in 2015 we stood united and marched once again over a bridge in such a place… called Selma.
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It's officially summer now! I dropped my daughter off at camp this past weekend. She was so excited, nervous and curious all at the same time. And so was Mama. Mother-daughter relationships are both poignant and painful and getting her ready for camp for the first time was indeed one of those moments.
So many emotions involved -- in the preparation, the packing, the drive up there, the night before and finally the drop-off. With this being her first time to go to camp, it caused me to reflect on my own camp experiences. I absolutely loved it, and I know she will too. For little girls, camp is just about the greatest gift because it is where they get their souls fed and where they find their song. They are learning far more than archery, canoeing, and ceramics, they are learning more about themselves – in relation to nature, God and others.
Each day I check the camp website to view the photos of the day… I’m addicted because I want to be connected, to share in the newness and most of all, in the joy. It’s comforting to this Mama to see her daughter smile and having fun. Yet at the same time she is becoming more independent and responsible, and growing up in the way God has planned for her. She is coming into her own.
So in her camp world she moves to the rhythm of bells – in her waking, in her moving throughout the day, and in her resting. As a mother, I know that camp is helping shape who she will become in ways that I cannot. Even though I am missing her way more than she is me, I trust God is changing and strengthening our relationship this summer. I look forward to seeing her bright smile, and the light that already beams from her will be all the brighter. #summer #summercamp #summerlovin #mothersanddaughters #relationships
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For me fall has always been about change and transition... It’s about “freshness” and renewal. When we were kids, we started school after Labor Day (I still think we should). It was time to return to learning after a long summer of play... just as it is now. It's a time to get back to and settled into a routine. As kids, fall was definitely a time for fall festivals and bake sales, for decorating and planning what you wanted to be for Halloween. It was all about the food at Thanksgiving – dressing and pumpkin pie were definitely my favorites. And of course, we were continuously updating our Christmas lists for Santa Claus and working on any faults as not to get switches and ashes under the tree.
This fall is no different than any other necessarily, but I love where I am in my life. It is celebratory; it is intentional; it has significance, meaning and a newfound purpose. So perhaps this fall is a little different…. I am under a new sky (as told to me by a priest), and my daughter and I are making our own memories. My hope is that she, too, will remember all the wonderful things about fall – how her five senses were engaged… with the intoxicating smells and tastes the fall harvest, the vibrant colors of the leaves, hearing the wind whistle in the trees and feeling the fresh, crisp air on her skin.
We will be picking out our pumpkins today at the farmer’s market on Finley Ave – just as I did as a little girl. Doing so brings back such magical memories of not just pumpkins but sugar cane, pomegranates, pansies and cinnamon brooms… I know today will bring loads of fun, and I hope that we will be in sensory overload… I want my daughter to enjoy this time in her life. As parents we can’t prevent and shield our children from all the bad experiences this life deals us. But it is my prayerful intention for her to grow up with happy memories, a thankful heart, an eager spirit and to know where she came from… I pray that the fall will evoke for her lots of joy, laughter and smiles when she is raising children of her own one day just as it has for me. Happy fall….
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I just recently travelled down I-65 to Rosemary Beach, FL to photograph a client’s home for their own Custom Coffee Table Book. It was such fun and at the same time, a lot of hard work. Thank goodness for decent weather, good wine, outstanding snacks and for greenery (inside joke).
This is truly a house that love built. My clients have had this fabulous beach home for over 13 years. The husband purchased the lot for his wife for Mother's Day after baby #4. They thoughtfully built it, decorated it beautifully and since have logged countless hours of genuine, happy, family time there.
The home is so attractive and inviting, but it's more than that. There is so much love that is seen and felt in each and every room. There was so much thought put into every detail – from the window treatments, to each piece of furniture, to the linens and china, to the artwork (mostly done by the 4 children), to the fun and quirky accessories, and yes, to even the snacks in the fridge. What became evident to me was that everything was planned with such intention, purpose and meaning… where the focus would always be on the family – no matter what stage of life they would be in.
They are a busy family but the parents have always made their children and the time they spend together a priority. After a half-day of shooting, I realized that there wasn’t a lot of background noise – they intentionally only have 3 TVs in the whole house. I love it!!! Their time together as a family is something they treasure, that they value and covet. Their time has been spent playing Scrabble or Monopoly, cooking meals together, sharing stories and taking naps on the porch, walking on and combing the beach for shells. (They have a great collection in the upstairs hallway.)
They have created a house and made it a home that is imprinted and sealed with love, substance and wonderful memories…and a simplicity that is so refreshing that when you leave, you are always saying, just “one more day...”
]]>Over two years ago, I began to take notice of how fast-paced our world has become – where everything is in the “cloud” and technology is constantly changing before our eyes… I looked at how we communicate, how we relate to one another. Everything is at our fingertips... we text, take pictures and videos post them on FB, Instagram or Pinterest in seconds and we can also delete them in a Nano second.
What I observed was a need to slow down, to enjoy, to savor, to relish, to treasure, to celebrate… to inspire. I loved what I did but I had discovered that I wanted to do something more… something different. I wanted to be purposeful… to do something intentional, to do something with significance and real meaning.
As a professional and a mother, I am sensitive to the details that matter in life, and I am passionate about photographing people and their relationships, the beautiful places and things that make up their lives.
So in 2011, I re-niched my photography business by adding another venue – Art{Full} Creations… where I photograph, design & layout beautiful, custom coffee table books. These exquisite books are truly works of art. The elements that have always been important to me like capturing the essence, personality and relationship of my subjects, composition, lighting, colors, textures and patterns have naturally pointed to and evolved into Art-Focused Storytelling.
These books are a reflection or extension of who you are and what’s important to you… they tell your story. By coming alongside you, I am able to document your life together in an artful and creative manner by capturing different vignettes of your family (multi-generational photos), pets, beautiful home, garden or lake, beach or mountain homes. Each book is custom done – so it’s what you want; it’s your story. The possibilities are endless!
Like I mentioned earlier, my goal is to be intentional about these books… it's important to me that they depict your heart, your soul… that they capture what you treasure, what is meaningful to you, what has purpose, what is worth celebrating, what really matters….
And the good news is… they are tactile… you can touch them, curl up in the bed with them or have them on your coffee table…they are to be enjoyed and shared with those whom you love and for generations to come. These books are timeless and they continually give and bless….
I know that I’ve said this before, but here I go again…. I’m really blessed to do what I do. I love photographing people… and capturing someone or something significant, something meaningful, something that has real purpose…. I was reminded tonight, as I was photographing Village Dermatology’s Open House to celebrate their five-year anniversary and their wonderful new office space, that I love capturing “relationship.
And photographing “relationship” allows me to interact with people, as well as observe and capture their interactions with each other….with those whom they know and those they don’t – whether they are family, old friends or new or even perfect strangers…. God created us to be “in relationship” and that is indeed a gift, a blessing… and it is a job. To be in relationship, we must grow and change – be humble, gracious and try to see things from the other side of the fence… or walk a mile in someone else’s shoes…. We must reach out. We must share. We must not be afraid to make an effort to connect, to relate with one another. God gave us voices with which to speak and ears with which to hear…and minds to choose, hearts to feel and hands to touch.
Tonight, I, too, ran into old friends and made some new ones… and I really like that about my job as a photographer… I’m not shy and can carry on a conversation with a wall if the occasion arises, but photographing people celebrating, having fun and enjoying one another is a good thing. As a matter of fact, I ran into one of my summer brides and got to catch up with her and her family. She always brings such joy with her… she lights up and spreads life, light and happiness to those who have the pleasure of knowing or being around her. Thanks Margot for making me smile and to remember why I love what I do!!!
]]>Having visited Beaufort for the first time in 2011, I instantly fell in love with it. I’m still not quite sure exactly what “it” is that made me fall so hard and so easily – kind of like that first crush – but my impression was and remains that it is a collection of things. Beaufort is a rare gem that collectively, with its sea islands, emanates gentleness, kindness, hospitality, intentionality, humility and grace. You immediately feel at home…as though you have always belonged there.
Being a so-called victim of the magical Beaufort “draw and lure,” I wanted to package it and take it home with me. With that not being an option, I began to research the possibilities of publishing a coffee table book the very next year. I had no idea how much fun it would and where it would take me. It largely started out as just a photographic coffee table book but has morphed and changed into much more. It has indeed taken on quite a personality…
So I begin the final stages of putting this book together – talking with publishers and editors, culling through photographs, finishing interviews and turning them into stories. My mission is to tell a story about Beaufort – a collection of stories that are carefully and thoughtfully woven in with images that I’ve photographed.
This book will reflect the true nature and essence of Beaufort and will tell of the people’s love affair with it – what hooked them, what has brought them back, or why they remain faithfully there? My goal is to be intentional about creating, designing and telling an art-focused story that is imprinted with texture, substance, beauty and simplicity. I want these stories and photographs to find homes in the hearts of all those who love and have fallen in love with Beaufort and anyone else in between.
Being back in Beaufort is always wonderful. On this Labor Day Weekend as I sit on the porch overlooking the river and salt marsh... seeing downtown across the river, I find myself thinking of the 10,000 reasons why I love it so much. What is it about Beaufort that casts its nets on me and so many others?
One thing is... that there is a familiarity about Beaufort… it’s as though I’ve always belonged here. It’s a “Front-Porch” town. The people of Beaufort are not just hospitable... they welcome you; they hug you; they befriend you; they invite you on their front porch to visit, to get to know you and to tell you stories... They love their town and love for you to love it too. I’m hooked.... no need to convince me anymore.
This trip has been more pleasure than work.... My little girl and I have been been kayaking, beaching at Hunting Island - swimming in the surf and looking for shark's teeth! (I found my first one ever - she found 10!). We painted T-shirts at the Nature Center, played at Waterfront Park, and had some girl time shopping downtown, eaten at Dockside and enjoyed great seafood. We've had a great time visiting with friends... Wendy Pollitzer and her girls came over to swim, and they had a ball. It's so nice to have friends here who share the same faith and values. We visitited with John Trask, III at his office and Bernie Schein in his living room - as he gave me some great editorial advice for my book. We visited Billy Keyserling, Beaufort's Mayor, at his new store "The Clothesline," and we heard ghost stories on Scott & Gwen Myers' front porch on Bay Street. We are having breakfast with Jean Norton Torjussen at Low Country Produce later this morning.
Sadie and I are blessed and are so thankful to be in Beaufort and to have such nice friends who always welcome us with open arms. I hope everyone has a happy and safe Labor Day!!!
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I had the honor and privilege of photographing two weddings this summer! The love was so contagious...they were all so happy... so excited... so in love with each other... and so in love with God. In the midst of the depraved world in which we live there was joy - true joy! These holy celebrations gave me a renewed sense of hope and faith in the covenant of marriage -- by their witness, love and vows -- how they truly honored one another. Photographing a wedding isn't just a job, it is a holy invitation into the intimacy of the relationship between a bride and groom and the covenant they are making to each other and to God. And they sure know how to celebrate... dancing and toasting with all those whom they love. Thanks for allowing me to capture such a precious time in your lives. Abundant blessings to Annabell & Ryan and Margot & Patrick!!!!
This summer I was commissioned by two different families to photograph their plantation homes and farms in Alabama's Black Belt. The first one I began shooting in Faunsdale in June where the family plantation, dating back to the 1840s, had been restored by and remains in the family. There is so much history there... so many memories... so many stories... so much love. I not only photographed the plantation home and its gardens, but was able to creatively document the beautiful land that surrounds it and has supported it. We drove a little... walked a little... as I was given a "propa" tour of both Faunsdale and Union Town. I photographed the downtown main streets, other family homes, the churches they grew up in, married in and still worship in, as well as a graveyard and the family cemetery... just down the road. (Everything is... just down the road.)
Spending time with this family was so much fun... "When yur down thaye"... everything seems to slow down, including your step, your pace and your drawl. They love ending their days by spendin' time on the porch... with "sand-pile friends," watching a colorful sunset over a field of wildflowers... peppered with great story-telling, good southern digs, and the usual cocktail or two. And most importantly... What happens on the porch, stays on the porch!!!
The second book I've been commissioned to photograph won't start until October and will conclude next spring. It's just down the road from Faunsdale.... and the infamous, Faunsdale Cafe. I am so thrilled and honored to be the creative director in telling their story through the lens of my camera -- of their home and farm which is steeped in rich, family history with a long-time connection to and love of the land.
I'll be posting photos to share with you.... Let me tell your story... where ever it may be -- at home, the lake, the beach or just down the road....(LOL).
Well as the summer draws to a close, it proves to be a bittersweet time... For me, I'm thankful for the time spent with my daughter, a working vacation in Beaufort, play dates with her friends and mine, swim team practice and meets (and lots of ribbons & medals)... oh, the carefree days of summer. Yet at the same time, I have to admit, I'm excited about getting back into a routine... it's time for structure, schedules and school.
Wishing you all a blessed remainder of summer as you prepare for the school year.
Catherine Pittman Smith
Art{Full} Creations
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The home owner is a master gardner and his yard is one of a kind... I photographed the different seasons and it really turned out so well. I'm blessed to have had the opportunity to document and capture something that has meaning and purpose to this family.
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Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow....in the country
When it snowed on January 17th, my client & I hit the road..... we went to finish a year's worth of work. I have been working on this book for over a year... photographing the four seasons of the year on his beautiful working farm. Last year we accomplished a lot but never did get a snow. He reminded me that I had prayed for a really quick snow... well the Lord provided.... Thank you. We are almost through shooting and I will be laying the book out soon... looking for a March or April publication. Enjoy....
Oh what fun.... The leaves are starting to change, and I'll be heading out the next couple of weeks to photograph a client' lake house and two farms.....and then photographing some families and children.
Take a look at my new website.... I've been working on it for the last few weeks and glad to have it go live!!! Yea. I welcome your comments. Have a great day. Look for the surprises, and let your light shine!
Matthew 5:14 "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid."
Catherine Pittman Smith
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