Well, February is nearly over (thank you, Lord!) and I’m dreaming of the beach daily. In honor of being hopeful in these last days of winter, I’m posting two images today. One is my reality right now and the other is a great memory of a Caribbean destination wedding (thanks to two great friends for making that choice).

I have a count down until my next beach getaway and it’s less than 4 months from now. 1 week, ~10 beach houses, 80+ family members, 4 generations, music, talks, and the most fun you can have in North Carolina. Bring it on!

Anyone else counting down the days until a sun filled vacation? Or  just daydreaming daily like I am?

From Playa del Carmen, Mexico to San Francisco, California, I have developed a fascination with street musicians. I started photographing them last spring and I hope to continue to do so. I have chosen to edit this series as black and white images to let the story be the focus, rather than the colors.

You’ll see many characters in this series, from a steel drum duo to a mariachi band. I love the personalities of the musicians, perhaps because I am drawn to music in general and musicians (like my husband).

Have you ever been fascinated by musicians in foreign cities and countries?

I’m not much of a ‘writer’ in the sense of being grammatically knowledgeable or having a vast vocabulary. However, I have learned that writing the way you think or speak is interesting enough in its own right. I write occasionally, but usually not outside of my day job. I am curious if this is something I want to explore this year and in the future.

Taking photographs is certainly a great creative outlet, but is it not more powerful with the addition of words? I’m going to explore this idea and see how it changes the way my mind works. Right now, I feel that my thoughts occur at all the wrong times, but I’m planning to make a concerted effort to still write down thoughts as they happen. Even if it’s inconvenient.

Here are some images from a recent trip to Southern California. There’s a little bit of everything, landscapes, portrait, narrative. What’s your favorite category to photograph?