In July of 2006 I started a blog as a way of showcasing my images to family and friends. I was feeling very self-conscious about blogging (and still do - it's all a bit pretentious and self-promoting, don't you think?) and named the blog Overexposed because it played off a photography term and aptly described how I was feeling at the time.
Over the years, Overexposed has evolved into an online journal of sorts ... a place where I can showcase things both silly and serious and keep in touch with clients, family and friends alike.
Thank you (so very much) for stopping by.
xoxo,
Rebecca
*Image by the talented and all-around wonderful Anna Jones.
Because sometimes the best way to settle into a long night of tedious work is by doing something that doesn’t feel like work.
Can you believe how much he’s changed over the course of a year?
xoxo,
Reb
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December ‘08:
January ‘09:
February ‘09:
March ‘09:
April ‘09:
May ‘09:
June ‘09:
July ‘09:
August ‘09:
September ‘09:
October ‘09:
November ‘09:
December ‘09:
We had three extra monkeys with us this weekend. And guess what? My house feels quiet and empty now that we’re back to just our four. I’m not sure I ever thought I’d describe my 3-bedroom townhouse as being quiet or empty. But it’s all relative, isn’t it?
Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!
xoxo,
Reb
p.s. Dena emailed this picture a few weeks back with a note that said, “The realities of the child portrait photographer”. It’s so true!
p.p.s. Aren’t they all little?
p.p.p.s. I miss the striped rug. But I absolutely don’t miss the apartment. Or the mess.
Ever since baby-O was born, taking care of my family has become all consuming. Moments when I used to squeeze in a bit of work no longer exist. My child-care arrangements fell through and my monkey-free work hours are more limited then they’ve been in years. The few dedicated work hours I do have each week could easily (and often should be) spent staying caught up with household responsibilities. Despite these challenges there are - thankfully - exciting things happening with Darling Art and I have so so much to be grateful for. But for every success there are a hundred missed opportunities and I get frustrated. Very very very frustrated. And angry. And bitter. And resentful. Try as I might, I can’t figure out how to balance it all and yesterday I was in full meltdown mode. It was not pretty.
Last night I had a terrible dream. I was in Yemen (only in a dream, right?) for a photography conference and had brought Owen with me. I was walking along the beach with some photography friends and forgot all about my baby. Three days later we were at the airport, ready to board our plane back to the states and I realized I had forgotten Owen. All I could remember was taking him to the beach with me and I couldn’t remember anything after that. Had he drowned? Been kidnapped? Wandered off? How could I have forgotten about him for three whole days!?! In my panic I misplaced my purse and lost my passport, credit cards, everything. I was given a choice by the authorities: I could board the plane (without my ticket or passport) and go back to my family, or stay in Yemen and look for my baby. If I choose to stay they would never let me out of the country again.
I woke up at exactly 3:40 am completely terrified. I got out of bed, walked around for a bit, prayed, and tried to fall back to sleep. I don’t think I’ve had a nightmare this awful since I watched Ghost Busters in 2nd grade! The dream has stayed with me all day, and this afternoon I’ve started to wonder if it was sent to remind me of my priorities: the 5 amazing, wonderful, messy, stinky, disgusting, hilarious, handsome boys in my life. As long as they are okay, I should be okay too.
I’m still not sure how to untangle the rest of my life … but I’ll be loving on this silly monkey and counting my blessings while I figure it out.
Look! I really didn’t lose him in Yemen. He’s right here. It was all just a bad, bad dream … Thank goodness!
xoxo,
Rebecca
p.s. pictures by dena, who photographs my kids more then I do these days.
I’ve read a few posted letters recently and thought I would write some of my own:
Dear School Officials,
You canceled school for 2 and 1/2 days due to a bit of slush left from the weekend snowstorm. In return I sent three sugared-up, crazed monkeys back to school today. I’d say we’re pretty much even now, don’t you think?
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Dear To-Do List,
You are long neglected. Forgive me?
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Dear Gym,
You are even more neglected then the to-do list. Let’s be friends again.
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Dear World,
Please stop turning just long enough for me to reacquaint myself with both my to-do list and my gym? Pretty please?
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Dear Prospective Medical School Student,
Think twice about what you’re signing up for. Not only will you spend the prime of your life slaving away under florescents, but your unpredictable-constantly-changing-completely-ridiculous work schedule will drive your spouse completely nuts.
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Dear M&M’s,
You’re no mini-eggs. But today you’ll have to do.
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Dear Laundry,
Go fold yourself.
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Dear Owen,
Your fever is gone but now you have a rash all over your tummy. It would be lovely if you decided not to be allergic to your penicillin and we could avoid another trip to the pediatrician. And what’s this talk of a heart murmur?
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Dear Trader Joes,
Thank you for stocking inexpensive, brightly colored tulips, daffodils and tuberoses to chase away my winter blues. I love you I love you I love you.
Hey look - my “Framed” essay was posted on A Delightful Blog today!
Thanks to my friend Kelli for inviting me to participate. If you aren’t familiar with Kelli or her gorgeous creations (she started Tangled and True and now is the blogger behind Delightful) then you should get to know her. Delightful is definitely worth a daily click.
xoxo,
Reb
A clean kitchen and freshly stocked cupboards and fridge.
Yellow tulips on a January day.
And an old phone book that kept my baby monkey busy during the witching hour.
I love being able to read or listen to something that directs my thoughts throughout the day. These days, it’s usually NPR or something lovely I read online. Here are a few recent blog posts that have left my heart full and my mind busy:
I loved what Kristin Armstrong has to say about being confident on the inside. I’m not a runner (bad knees, darn it) but Kristin is smart, thoughtful, and has so much heart. I’d really love to meet her someday … maybe she needs a photographer?
Jefra’s thoughts on finding your creative voice were absolutely lovely, inspiring, and true. You can read her thoughts (and participate in her develop lessons) here.
Kathryn Soper posted about taming “the beast” (or simply burning it) right as I was feeling overwhelmed by mine. Have no idea what I’m talking about? Good. Read about it all here. Any parent will be able to relate to Kathryn’s essay. And if you can’t, I hate you. 
And last, Natalie Norton’s recent blog posts about her infant’s January 7th death from pertussis (whooping cough) are amazing. Her blog posts about hope, faith and prayer brought to mind many sad yet sweet memories of when we had two back-to-back deaths in our own family 5 years ago. Prepare to shed a few tears, but to also come away with a full heart. I don’t know Natalie (I just read her blog for the first time today), but am confident she will inspire you.
Here’s to hoping for a thoughtful, wonderful week!
xoxo,
Rebecca
Just posted some macro shots of my baby monster, er, I mean monkey on the Darling Art blog.
He still hates me, by the way. And yes - I did feed him a tiny bit of chocolate. But shhhhhh … you didn’t hear me just say that. I’ll deny everything if you ask.
Maybe he’s suddenly turned into a Daddy’s boy? If so, boo! hiss! Dr. Dan isn’t around to change his diapers all day. Or clean up all the food he throws on the floor at meal time. Or wrestle with him at the grocery store when he won’t stay in the cart even with the extra 5-point harness safety strap I bought hoping it would keep him from climbing out of the cart. I don’t know if he’s ever thrown up on Dr. Dan, but he’s vomited all over me at least 15 times. And when I say vomit I do not mean spit up. I mean vomit. Gosh darn it, life is not fair!
I will win him over again. In the mean time, I’ll oooh and awe over his sweet little fingers and toes and reminisce about the good old days when I was his favorite. You can see the pictures here.
xoxo,
Reb
Images and Text © 2009 Rebecca Mudrick ProPhoto Photo Theme by NetRivet
by Rebecca
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