Flora and Fauna

I scoped out the MSU horticultural gardens with my mom over Memorial Day weekend for my new business venture that is slowly coming to life. I am planning on launching Taylor Hayden Photography by July 1st online and I already have families and couples booked for portraits and engagement sessions and I am in the process of booking my first wedding. I am really excited to start this next chapter in my photo life, I think it will be a fun way to use my talents and to get to know more people. Here are a few photos from MSU and some more from the yard at my house in DeWitt.

Both sides now

When I was a kid children's books were my favorite thing, and the art in them really impacted me and I would be willing to say they shaped me as a photographer. Case in point, I used to have this book called Both Sides Now and it was the lyrics to Joni Mitchell's song illustrated by Alan Baker and it had pictures of a butterfly in it, which as anyone reading this that knows me knows that I love butterflies. Anyway I took pictures of a swallowtail butterfly this weekend and one of the pictures I got really reminded me an illustration in the book. So, here is my picture and here are the lyrics/story from that book.

Rows and floes of angel hair
And ice cream castles in the air
And feather canyons evrywhere
Ive looked at clouds that way

But now they only block the sun
They rain and snow on evryone
So many things I would have done
But clouds got in my way
Ive looked at clouds from both sides now
From up and down, and still somehow
Its cloud illusions I recall
I really dont know clouds at all

Moons and junes and ferris wheels
The dizzy dancing way you feel
As evry fairy tale comes real
Ive looked at love that way

But now its just another show
You leave em laughing when you go
And if you care, dont let them know
Dont give yourself away

Ive looked at love from both sides now
From give and take, and still somehow
Its loves illusions I recall
I really dont know love at all

Tears and fears and feeling proud
To say I love you right out loud
Dreams and schemes and circus crowds
Ive looked at life that way

But now old friends are acting strange
They shake their heads, they say Ive changed
Well somethings lost, but somethings gained
In living evry day

Ive looked at life from both sides now
From win and lose and still somehow
Its lifes illusions I recall
I really dont know life at all
Ive looked at life from both sides now
From up and down, and still somehow
Its lifes illusions I recall
I really dont know life at all

Memorial Day weekend

I spent most of memorial day weekend helping my mom around the house, we finished the mosaic pot that we started on Mother's day. It turned out to be so cool, I cannot wait for our next undertaking which will be a table that needs a new mosaic top! We also went around to a bunch of different green houses buying flowers to plant on the deck and in the new mosaic pot. I love helping her plant flowers so I was especially glad that she waited for me to go. These are some pictures of one of the little greenhouses we stopped at in our travels.

Backyard at home

While I was home for mother's day weekend, I snapped some pictures in my backyard. I love nature pictures (feel free to pass judgement all you Photoj's out there) because it is how I first became interested in photography about ten years ago. I used to head out to my neighborhood in Lansing armed my Grandfather's Canon tlb, which I still have and should throw some film in for old times sake.