The Meditations of My Heart

How unfathomably amazing is our God? I love it when he allows me to see glipses of his power! My most favorite thing to do in the summer is to drive through the country at sunset. The hilly route I usually travel is about 6 or 7 miles from beginning to end, and is absolutely stunning at about 8:00 pm. I love to see the rich pinks and purples and the huge, orange sinking sun over the distant mountian. One of these days, I hope to take my camera along and photograph it so I can remember it forever. That's pretty much why I photograph nature. To capture the glory of God through creation so I can share it with people. My pictures may be pretty ordinary to the regular eye, but to me there is just something so fascinating and beautiful about God's creation. Alot of times people don't realize the all-encompasing beauty of nature. It's kind of like that scene in "The Outsiders" when Johnny and Ponyboy run away and wake up early enough to see the sunrise. They were ama...

I am proud to announce that it is launch time for my new website! You all can check it out at ... http://danielleskilesphotography.webs.com Though it is launched, it is still under construction. So bare with me, as things change from time to time :) A few other updates: My first official photography job went very well last Saturday! I am very greatful that Mrs. Roddy though of me to come take pictures for them :) For privacy sake, I can't post any of the photos, but they turned out awesome! The FISH Teens project that I have been working on all summer was made public on Monday night at the first meeting! I am so encouraged that SO many people turned out and signed up to participate in it! So far, we have 26 official teenage members! School starts in 7 days. I'm not exactly sure if I'm excited, nervous, upset, or all of the above. My last first day is next Tuesday. I sat down this afternoon to start reading the literature book for AP English.... SHEESH! The book is...

Today I got my first taste of professional editing! For the ladies at the studio, what I did today was seriously no big deal, but to me... oh! It was so fun! All I did was resize and add a watermark so we could post pictures on Facebook, but I learned valuble things about Photoshop CS3. And hopefully, by all of these little tutorials for random office jobs, I will be able to learn how to use the program! So, it was just a little cookie in the jar, but hey! I still got to eat it :) I am currently beginning to build a website for my photography. Not exactly sure how that is going to fair, but hopefully it will be in full swing by the time school starts [9 days of freedom left!] If you have any favorite pictures that I have taken, please send it to me [I know it's odd that I am asking you to send me a picture that I have taken, but its so that I can know which precise one you are talking about.] If you want to, that is.

It has been one of those weeks. One that is quite unusual for me in late August. Normally, we are slowing life wayyy down and gearing up for school to begin. This summer has been unlike any other. It was so slow at the beginning and is zooming by at the end. Is this a warning of how life goes once you get into the adult world? If it is, I am surely out. Yet, there are so many good things that will come with being an adult. Actually, scratch that. Job, taxes, bills. Blehhhh. NO thank you! This evening has been rather relaxing. The smell of the rain is so delightful. It has to be one of my favorites. I got a pretty decent lightning shot tonight. It was my first, so it wasn't all that great, but decent. I also bought a new lens for my camera!!! I found it online at Abe's of Maine, and printed the sale price out, took it to Best Buy, and the price matched it! So I got it for the cheapest price available, and didn't even have to wait for shipping. I love my new...

... a great-fitting pair of blue jeans. I usually dread the day in the late summer when it's time for back-to-school shopping. In other words [since I'm home schooled] Fall shopping. A reason to buy some new clothes. I dread it not only because we always end up going on the day when everyone else does, but because it is so stinking hard to find clothes that fit right and look decent. But alas! Yesterday, I went by myself and actually found what I was looking for! A great fitting pair of blue jeans. Tomorrow we're going white-water rafting in celebration of Dilly's 16 years of life. Hopefully I will have some pictures to share with you all [not of rafting, but of of the other fun times].

After a few days of dissappointedly messing around with my 30-Day free trial of Lightroom 2, I finally created something worth posting. And as the nature of most free trials are, it made me want to buy the program :0) The lyrics to this song have been dancing around in my head for the past few months since I learned it at camp... Verse 1 I am frail, broken easily without fail, my strength keeps failing me all alone, I'm powerless to lift myself from the pit that I am in Chorus 1 I need You Jesus I need You Jesus Verse 2 from Your throne in heaven's light descended down into my broken life to right the wrong, to make a way to bear the load that I deserved to bear alone Chorus 2 I need You Jesus I need You Jesus I need clean hands I can't You can I need You Jesus Verse 3 on the cross on our behalf the Son of God bore the Father's wrath and by His blood, the scars and pain the perfect Son, took the fall and took our place Verse 4 in His grace and unfailing love the risen ...

I have the best job ever! My first week went very, very well. I love my co-workers and my boss, Maria. They are all so sweet, kind, and amazing to work for. Today was my most favorite day yet. One of my new "little tasks" is to maintain Studio M's Facebook page. I honestly can't believe that I'm getting paid to do one of my favorite things! In addition to that, I was very excited to hear that a perk of being an employee is a free photo shoot once a year. So, now all I have to do is make an appointment, and viola! My senior pics are done! I am still in amazement of God that He would bless me with this job. The more I think about it, the more I realize that He is totally orchestrating my life everyday. Both at work and in my personal life... I love it that He knows exactly what I need and when I need it. Whether it is as simple as an enlinghtening conversation with a wise person, or giving me a job that has great learning opportunities and advancement options. Right...

It has been so very long since I have posted... I appologize. Honestly, it's because I have had nothing worth writing until now. I finally got a job! I am an official employee of Studio M Photographic in Canonsburg. The long wait is over, and I am now a working gal! Woo hoo! The really cool thing about SM is that Maria, the owner, has only been doing photography for 5 years and is all self taught. Yet, when you walk into her huge studio (a refurbed bowling alley) you would never be able to tell. I got to meet the staff yesterday, and it's all girls. So hopefully nothing like what happened at Subway will happen here. :-P As for what I will be doing there... I get to frame and package orders, call clients, and meet them when they come in to pick up their order. I also will go to South Hills Village every week to restock the SM kiosk near Sears. After I get my training my pay will increase, and I will get to do a variety of other jobs around the studio, including learnin...