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June 16, 2014 by Anya Elise

counterbalance || happy weekending

It’s a little known fact of the universe that in order to catch a baseball thrown at such an angle that you have to reach three feet out of your immediate personal sphere to successfully catch it, you have to stick your opposing leg all the way out in the other direction to achieve the perfect counterbalance. Fact. Scientific fact. And yet, even with providing all this fabulous evidence, my family insisted I was being ridiculous and lacked any true athletic bone in my body. Moreover, I looked ridiculous while doing it. Bunch of naysayers is what I say.

Despite all these contrarian attitudes, we had a most wonderful weekend. We spent the last part of it gallivanting in the park, celebrating father’s day with picnics and baseballs and frisbees and footballs. Here’s another fact for you, when someone says “channel Peyton Manning” in an attempt to get me to put my whole body into throwing a football, that really does nothing but confuse matters more. It mostly just leads to me hopping three times forward in a sort of striding motion before releasing the football in a whirligig-type tumble through the air. Which is neither pretty nor effective.

But even despite that, I still consider the weekend a success.

fathers day weekend-1-2

While brunching at our most favorite tavern in Denver, despite the presence of really marvelous mimosas right at hand, we only had eyes for our coffees. You and me coffee, we’re going steady. My brother and I have our priorities straight.

fathers day weekend-1

Since moving into the cottage house this has become the de facto flower corner. Flowers may move a few times around the living room, but this is their ultimate destination. And as for the lamp, that lamp we intended to replace with something less college-dormy when we first moved in. And yet, it still lingers in the flower corner, all “nothing to see here.” This will likely turn out to be the one piece of household decor that will stick with me until I’m 83. Just you watch.

fathers day weekend-2

Baseball and root beer. Need I say more? I don’t have a picture of my counterbalancing technique at hand, but if there are any baseball scouts reading this, we can arrange a proper demonstration. We’ll change the game, my friends.

fathers day weekend-3

Over and out…rock this week.

Posted in fujifilm x100, personal · Tagged fuji x100, happy weekending, the cottage house, VSCO film · Leave a Reply ·

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June 15, 2014 by Anya Elise

on father’s day

Happy Father’s Day to this fellow.

Wedding - Anya and Dan

Here we are, discussing the appropriate pace one should walk down the aisle. He thought I was walking too fast. I thought we were secretly in a race to see who could get there first. (A competitive spirit runs deep in our family.)

Thank you, Dad, for not letting me trip and fall spread-eagle style onto the marble floor in front of all our friends, family and the many, many cameras they all had in hand. Thank you for googling “least cheesy father-daughter dance songs” so we could find a fitting and classy one to jive to, that was just the right style for us. And thanks for all your support as we planned the big day, but also as we — the Semenoff siblings — planned and navigated our lives thus far.

Happy Father’s Day. Love you.

*Photo by RJ Sangosti.

Posted in family · Tagged father's day, our wedding · Leave a Reply ·

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June 5, 2014 by Anya Elise

walkabout || the neighborhood

I haven’t gone on a good, old-fashioned walkabout in much too long. In college I used to walk around the town for hours and hours, taking pictures on a little point-and-shoot camera (this was before my D-SLR days…way back when). You always discover little pieces of your neighborhood that you might miss when you’re rolling by in your vehicle of choice.

So today after work, instead of sitting in my house for several more hours getting more done in front of a laptop, I donned a coat, grabbed an umbrella as I tut-tutted and it looked like rain, and hit the sidewalk. I took a film camera and my iPhone. It will take a little bit longer to get the film photos — has to get developed first, what is that? — but here are some fancy phone shots.

Processed with VSCOcam with c3 preset

This monstrous piece of architecture lives in our neighborhood. It’s quite the manor. Not exactly the stature of our beloved, cottage house. Our cottage house is more in the commoner range. This bad boy is like the duke of all the houses. But frankly, I’m more a fan of the cottage-sized homes. What do you do with all that space anyway?

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Processed with VSCOcam with c1 preset

Processed with VSCOcam with b6 preset

Processed with VSCOcam with c2 preset

Processed with VSCOcam with c2 preset

Good thing I brought the umbrella, huh? Sun and rain combos are my all time favorite. Gahgeous dahling.

So here’s something to share with the class — turns out, I am really bad at taking selfies. This is not false modesty. Following are my two first attempts.

Processed with VSCOcam with c1 preset

Processed with VSCOcam with c1 preset

That one there, super fantastic. Glad my feet got a blurry cameo. I don’t even know. Maybe one day I’ll be cool.

Once I got the hang of actually getting my face in the frame (what a concept), I looked one hundred percent awkward. The only way to combat that is by making faces. Scientific fact.

umbrella combo

So there’s a walkabout. Now your turn, dear ones.

Posted in fancy phone photo, personal · Tagged fancy phone photo, neighborhood walkabout, the cottage house, VSCO Cam · Leave a Reply ·

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December 23, 2013 by Anya Elise

have yourself a merry, little christmas

Dearest friends,

We pause this recapping of our grand adventure for a brief respite into the land of holiday cheer and merriment. I’ll be back in January to relate the second half of our trip through the wild lands of Paris and Berlin. But until then, I hope you all have a safe, warm, joyful Christmas celebration with loved ones near and far. I’ll be raising my glass of champagne, wine, water (hey, you have to stay hydrated) and of course, coffee, to you all this New Years.

Wishing you bliss,

-a.e.

Processed with VSCOcam with x3 preset

Posted in personal · Tagged merry christmas 2013 · Leave a Reply ·

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September 27, 2013 by Anya Elise

Will: 1921-2013 || in memoriam

I sat rather tenderly in a seat beside my grandmother’s bed at the hospice care facility. Words always escape you when it feels most critical to speak up. My grandfather had barely left her side since she arrived at the center, and continued to stare at her despite us entering the room. Despite me sitting next to him now. Sadness and concern draped the room.

“Look at her,” he said, as I asked how they were doing. I felt horrible seeing her in such a state, and failed again to say the right comforting thing as she declined every minute into a more delicate condition. But I didn’t have to.

“Doesn’t she look beautiful.” He said it with the most extraordinary, radiant love for this woman, his wife of 68 years. Even in the recent years of struggle as her health worsened and her memory faded, even in the pain of his upcoming loss, in that moment he saw through all of those outer symptoms of an aged life. He beheld only the beautiful wife he cherished.

She passed away not long after that, and today, after three years apart, he joined her once again. This time truly forever.

 

Rest in piece, Grandpa and Grandma. You will be missed.

Posted in family, personal · Tagged family, grandparents, in memoriam · 1 Reply ·
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hey, hi & hello

Photographer, writer, over-enthusiastic coffee drinker. Intrepid defender of Colorado's western status. I live in Denver, Colo., with my husband, Dan Petty. This blog is where I share our triumphs, troubles and everyday slivers of life.

Questions, comments, thoughts, concerns? Shoot me a message: hello@anyaelisephotography.com

(And if you say Colorado is in the "midwest," we are going to have some words.)

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