The Cherry Blossom Festival

April 10, 2011April 10, 2011
by Victoria J

The other day, I went with my little sister (through Big Brothers Big Sisters) to the Cherry Blossom Festival in our nation’s capital. This event is one of those mainstays in DC that folks look forward to attending every year. We chose a decent day to go, though I was surprised by how cold it was that Saturday. Thankfully, I’ve been delivered from worrying about what people think about how I look, so I walked down the pathways with my head completely wrapped in my scarf (and stayed warm). I think the subsequent weekends were filled with rain, so again, we really did pick a great weekend to go and see the blossoms. And I guess you can say it was my first time really attending the festival, although a couple of years ago, my mom and I went at the end of the celebration and saw the remnants of the blossoms on a few trees. All in all, it was a beautiful sight to see pink and white cherry blossoms hanging on trees and being carried by wind.

My PSA: If you ever in town for the festival, I suggest you come and see it! But don’t be like me and forget your hat, earmuffs and gloves! It’s still cold in April in DC!

See select photographs from this trip below, and if you see something you like, don’t hesitate to leave me a comment!

Relax, Relate, Release!

October 14, 2010October 17, 2010
by Victoria J

If you’ve been around for a while now, you may be familiar with the Different World episode where the psychiatrist told Whitley to “Relax, relate, and release!” as it concerned her ex-boyfriend, who had moved on to someone else. A year later, there was an episode on Family Matters where Carl picked up a pamphlet for lowering his blood pressure, which contained the following chant: “3-2-1… 1-2-3… what the heck is bothering me.” Though I don’t feel that either of these strategies effectively helped their intendeds bring their emotions under control, I do feel that there is value in being able to get rid of stress (I am still trying to perfect this in my own life). Some people use vacations, others can make due with a nice quiet bath, and others meditate or participate in yoga. Whatever you choose, please, don’t sweat the small stuff, and steer as clear from stress as possible (believe me, this will add years to your life)!

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to photograph a woman during and after her yoga class in Washington, DC (select images below). I was excited to see many of the poses as this was the first yoga I’d ever witnessed, yet many of the poses reminded of things I’d seen in church. I hope you all enjoy, and if you see something you like, PLEASE don’t hesitate to leave your feedback! Thanks!

Historical Perspectives…

September 20, 2010September 11, 2011
by Victoria J

If you went to Oglethorpe University, you will recognize this project title from the Junior Year Core Classes. For whatever reason back then, I did not have an appreciation for the historical perspectives that were shared with the exception of one of the books we read (I did like the other Core classes though). At the time, we read ancient texts, like Aeschylus’ Oresteia, which wasn’t entirely bad, it just wasn’t something that I was going to pick up on my own. Perhaps that is one of the goals of higher education – to expose people to other perspectives, other literature, and other cultures.

Well being in the Nation’s Capital, I am constantly reminded of our early beginnings as a country. This happens when I’m downtown and I see the Washington Monument standing high and proud in the sky or when a newly formed political party decides to have a “Restoring Honor” rally at a historic site… Regardless, I have made several trips to really see the DC area landmarks during the past year, and its exciting because almost everywhere you go, you will be a part of the masses from US citizens to people from Asian countries to the citizens African, European, and other Eastern nations. You will hear different languages spoken. You will see an abundance of cameras (I think you’ll see more Nikons than Canons, and I am not biased). You will attempt to catch a clear view of one of the monuments, and then people will walk right in front of you and your camera, so much so that you will then decide to make the people the subjects of your images, and just let the monuments be the backdrops. Perhaps that was just my approach, but I think I have painted you a vivid enough picture. Now allow me to show you what my Nikon and I captured in Downtown DC!

Images below are from the Lincoln Memorial, the Reflection Pool, the Washington Monument, the Jefferson Memorial, the National Mall, the Potomac River, the World War II Memorial, and all of the places in between!

My Old Stomping Grounds… of Higher Learning

August 3, 2010August 3, 2010
by Victoria J

I recently had an opportunity to visit my alma mater in Atlanta, GA where not so long I earned my Bachelors of Science. Oglethorpe University is a great, small 4-year University founded in 1835 and then moved later from Savannah, GA to Atlanta, GA. They have churned out many a political science major, accounting major, and biology/pre-med majors, but most memorably, in 2004, they allowed a little thin-framed Business Major to walk across the stage and make a little speech… If you have not guessed yet, I was referring to myself at the end there. Well, in addition to learning the skills needed for success in business, I took my first photography class here. It was in that class that Professor West told me that I had a “good eye.” Don’t y’all know, I ran with that! But truth be told, I believed that I had a knack for photography even before Professor West’s encouraging words. Back in my Freshman year, I had a short stint as a photographer and column editor for “Word on the Street” in the school’s newspaper, and then by Senior year, my peer Bernard Moore convinced me to join him and few others on revitalizing the school’s yearbook, which had not created a new publication the entire time we were there. On the yearbook staff, I was one of the photographers and I spent my fair share of time working on page layouts, which all meant long hours in the Yamacraw office in the basement of Emerson Hall (not that exciting). Anyway, I never knew then that I would be using some of these same skills now in my own business venture (thankfully my skills in both areas have improved dramatically). My advice to you is to not despise the day of small beginnings, and be open to your future because MANY are the PLANS of a MAN’S heart, but it’s only GOD’S PURPOSE that PREVAILS! I wholeheartedly believe this, and I feel my life is a testament of this!

Anyway, I wanted to share with you some pictures of my recent trip so that you too can see where it all got started…. By the way, OU always had the most beautiful campus in my humble opinion… I never wondered where all of those fees were going (until they got the new food service company our Senior year)!

Now I am ALWAYS a fan of portraying one’s self in the BEST possible light, but today, I am willing to show you some of my very humble beginnings. Here are some throw back pictures from 2000 and 2001 during my freshman year of college. Back in those days, I shot with a nice little Pentax point and shoot camera. It did the job for me! But you can still see that I’ve come a LONG way (thank God for digital SLR’s)!

Vacation… Who has time for that?

July 14, 2010October 24, 2010
by Victoria J

One of the things I loved most about being on payroll for another company was the opportunity for paid vacations. Back in those days, I would plan out my vacation time, get what I could get done before that, and then go and have a wonderful, care-free time… Now that I’m in business for myself, there is always something to do, and for this reason, I have to think twice about taking a vacation (though I do know they are extremely important, I don’t want to be a workaholic). Nonetheless, earlier this month, I had an opportunity that I could not pass up to spend a few days on the sun-kissed beaches of Scrubb Island in the British Virgin Islands. Now this was my first time on anybody’s island, and what a treat it was! Just about every direction you turned, there was a beautiful view… I think I was only in a car 3 or 4 times the entire trip… The other times, I was transported either by my own 2 feet or on a boat with the wind wisping across my face. It’s in moments like these that you want to share the experience with family and close friends, and I was blessed with this opportunity as well.

While vacationing, there were plenty of moments that I just sat down and took in the scenes and finished 2 books… and then there were those moments that I pulled out my DSLR camera and “captured art and beauty in everyday life.” See my images below…

Let’s Take a Long Walk…

June 10, 2010June 10, 2010
by Victoria J

The other day, it occurred to me that I only have one living grandparent, and with this revelation came an urgency to maximize my time with her! It’s not that I think she’s going anywhere any time soon; it’s just that I want to make sure that I am available for the memories that I will be able to look back on later in life. All this to say, since Grandma was recently in town for a few weeks, I made it a point to clear some time on my schedule to go and hang out with her. Well, besides watching television and fielding questions about future plans and prospects, one of our activities was taking a walk down the street and then sitting down for a “breather” when it was all done. Now y’all, my Grandma can be really candid sometimes, and she surely had me cracking up more than a little bit… I’m hope that one day – many, many, many years down the road – I too can get on the road and just spend time with my family and enjoy the simple pleasures in life, like a nice, easy and breezy walk down the street.

I have included pictures from our walk below, but first, I wanted to include a throw back picture from one of our country walks to the mailbox back in Texas. Grandma still reminds me of these “loooong” walks that we had two and half years ago. I truly love my Grandma and thank God for her presence in my life, for she points me back to Him and never, ever, ever, ever (Outkast throwback) stops believing in and supporting me!

A THROW-BACK PHOTOGRAPH (December 2007)

AND NOW TO OUR EASY, BREEZY WALKS DOWN THE STREET:

Budding and Waiting

May 6, 2010May 6, 2010
by Victoria J

“Budding and Waiting”

by Victoria J. Payne

Equal seeds planted at the same time –
One buds before the others – no reason, no rhyme
Days go by, and new plants bud
Except for this one… perhaps it’s a dud,
Perhaps the seeds weren’t fertile, or it was the ground, or not enough light –
But I really won’t know until a bud is in sight –
Or when the time of germination has run its full course…
But like so many other aspects of life, it’s something I just can’t force –
I mean, it’s something that I can’t make happen on my own…
Can’t even make it grow if I continue to wine, cry, or moan…
I just have to wait…

It really doesn’t make sense why the ones have started to grow and this one still has shown no signs…
But I guess I don’t even know what’s going on below the surface at the root level, on the inside…
Perhaps the seed has opened up deep down, and it’s right below the facade of the dirt,
And if I dig a little, and see the seeds trying to bud, and mess up all progress – man, my feelings would be so hurt…
Again, y’all I just have to wait…
And believe that I’ve done all that I can do to this date…
And as the Sun has its perfect work on the ground, the plants, and the seeds,
I know the soil was good – handpicked, a little costly, and without weeds –
My seeds will eventually grow, and among Rosemary plants, be the best…
And the only reason I thought two things about this bud was because I was looking around at the rest…
But if I only remembered what the packet said, that it will take 6 weeks to germinate, I wouldn’t be fretting after 2…
I would be care-free and content as a child that just got ice cream from an ice cream truck, excited that the others were going through…

Truthfully, when I compare Parsley, Oregano, Basil, Cilantro, and Rosemary, Rosemary has the most aromatic smell and distinct flavor…
Could this be why it takes the longest?
More importantly, will the elapsed time even matter, when in elaborate dishes, the rosemary, I savor?