I am so happy to introduce you to Michelle GD today. I can’t even remember now where I first “met” Michelle–be it on flickr, our blogs or some other social media hotspot. Regardless, I’ve been a fan of her work from the beginning. Her photography is gorgeous and real, and the words she writes flow beautifully off the page and always take me to another place. (be sure to check out her new e-course offering at the end of this post!) Michelle…take it away…

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the camera has been in my hands off and on since i was a child, a love affair of peaks and valleys. in recent years, the camera has settled itself abidingly into my hands and heart. it has become a constant, a daily tool aiding me in my practice of life. i can’t tell you the exact moment when i realized photography was with me to stay. i can only tell you that it is, now.

photography is my meditation.

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landscapes, architecture, newborn babes…i’ve shot quantities of these, and am glad for every single shot. but a shift occurred at some point…a shift which had me peeking through my lens in a different way. i am interested in composition and light and form, most definitely. and i want to capture the everyday beauty, which so many of us do. but as i hold my camera in my hands, there is – more and more – deep intention. i continue to take pictures when obvious beauty catches my eye. but as i determine to live life more fully and more consciously, i find myself looking through my lens with a gentle earnestness to capture the tiny moments of my life.

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sometimes these tiny moments are filled with gratitude. sometimes they are filled with doubt or frustration. whatever the moment holds for me, it touches me. and i find myself reaching for my camera. it is my way of noting, of remembering, of meditating. words often follow, and this is an extension of my meditation. but, so frequently, it begins with the visual reminder of that blip in time. i felt it, tasted it, smelt it, saw it. knew it.

i’ve spent much of my life second-guessing myself and listening to what other people think i should do. as i get older and as i settle into rhythm with myself, i’m learning to trust myself. i’m learning what it is i can do, what it is i want to do.

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photography is my red thread. it is the string which perhaps got a bit tangled along the way, but never disconnected. it has brought me back to myself…does so daily. it helps me navigate the facets of my life – wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, creative.

and so i circle back to the lens and the heart each and every day.
photography. red thread. me.

meditation.

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Michelle GD believes in the beauty of tiny moments and in the healing power of images and words. She can be found at her blog (www.michellegd.com), on Instagram (@michelle_gd), VSCO grid ( http://michellegd.vsco.co ), and flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/michellegd), and on her collaborative blog (http://www.makingsofmotherhood.com) where she and two other lovely ladies explore motherhood through photography.

I’m also happy to share with you that Michelle will be offering an online photography course called 28 Moments.

“Life is made up of points in time strung together. These points in time, these moments, shape and mold us as individuals.  In this course, you will celebrate tiny moments.  Using writing and photography as tools, you will gift yourself an opportunity to look closely at how you move through your days.”

More information on the course can be found in this video here and on this page here. It will run from September 16 – October 13 and registration is now open! Register by September 3 by clicking here.

Michelle, thanks again for being with us on Mortal Muses today!

~Christy | Urban Muser