Joy Cherie Photography Blog

Alecia Houston, May 2011

This year I started offering sessions I called “Life Journal” or “Finding Joy” sessions. I settled on the latter title :) These sessions are when you or your family or your friends get together and make a visible mark in the invisible stone of time and chisel an “I was here” memorandum to the world.

We go through a letter that you write to future you where youdocument the most significant events and feelings in your life and we photograph you in a very personal space according to the tone of your letter.

Alecia’s letter was very emotive and spiritual. She enjoys being in nature so we found a little enclave that we both enjoyed and photographed her with her letter and without. These are only a few of the photographs we took but they are some of my favorites.

As you can see it was quite lovely.

Here’s to life and remembering it all.

If you are interested in a life session or a finding joy session please e-mail me at hello@joycherie.com

xoxo,

Joy

“They slipped briskly into an intimacy from which they never recovered.” 
― F. Scott Fitzgerald, This Side of Paradise

I have been missing from this blog for quite some time. In short… life. One thing life has taught me this year though is even through adversity, through pain, through difficulty and confusion there is always love. Always something to love. Someone to love. Something to be grateful for. It’s the pushing through that gets you there.

That gets you to really live.

Te adoro my love.

Candace and Duane Samuels. Oct 8th, 2011. Richmond, VA

“But if you love and must needs have desires, let these be your desires: 
To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night. 
To know the pain of too much tenderness. 
To be wounded by your own understanding of love; 
And to bleed willingly and joyfully. 
To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving; 
To rest at noon hour and meditate love’s ecstasy; 
To return home at eventide with gratitude; 
And then to sleep with a prayer for the beloved in your heart and a song of praise on your lips.” 
— Khalil Gibran

“The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the greatest intention.” 
— Khalil Gibran (The Essential Kahlil Gibran)

Sweet Alice giving Sugar Sadie a taste of a tickling feather :), 2011

I am off the rest of this week for a little R&R sooooo….I’ll just leave you with a little romance.

xoxo

Dan & Allie, www.joycherie.com

“When the first baby laughed for the first time, its laugh broke into a thousand pieces, and they all went skipping about, and that was the beginning of fairies.” 
— J.M. Barrie (Peter Pan)

Baby Belen. Child of a darling friend.

When love beckons to you, follow him,
Though his ways are hard and steep.
And when his wings enfold you yield to him,
Though the sword hidden among his pinions may wound you.
And when he speaks to you believe in him,
Though his voice may shatter your dreams
as the north wind lays waste the garden.

- Kahlil Gibran

poem via http://www.katsandogz.com/onlove.html

friend Ashley via God.

“By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.” 
— Confucius

Joel Ventura. Singer/Songwriter. 19.

“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” 
— Albert Einstein

Alecia H. Journal Session ending graduate school/before starting law school.

Here’s a small reminder to make art and beauty wherever you are. And if you are just a little bit scared, find your strength in collaboration.

xoxo,

joy

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“We shall not cease from exploration / And the end of all our exploring / Will be to arrive where we started / And know the place for the first time.” 
— T.S. Eliot (Four Quartets)

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How adorable are they??? Just looking at their photographs make me smile. 

ah. love.

have a great day :)

(Source: joycherie.com)

(Source: joycherie.com)

(Source: joycherie.com)

(Source: joycherie.com)