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Sunday, May 13, 2012

Lexi Mire and St. Simons Island, spring edition

I got into St. Simons Island, GA on Friday for a much-needed 6 day vacation over Mother's Day weekend to heal and recuperate after a stressful (but successful!) few weeks at work, and be by my mom's grave for mother's day. My aunt, uncle, and cousins were here for the weekend and it was wonderful to see them. And to make it even better, Lexi came up yesterday to spend the day exploring and taking pictures :) See Lexi's gorgeous photographs and blogpost from the day here.

We started out by getting brunch at one of my favorite places, Cafe Fredrica. I would post instagram photos, but I'm lazy... so if you want to see my grams from the day follow me! (@emilytebbetts) :) we chatted and enjoyed a variety of sides... their famous cinnamon rolls, bacon, my 1 pancake, lexi's homefries and sausage. We were close to the cemetery, and we recently had a bench put in in front of my mom's grave that I wanted to see, so we headed that way. First, we stopped at my favorite outdoor flower place, where I always like to get flowers for my mom's grave. It's the most beautiful, magical, lovely place, and after picking up flowers, we asked if they'd mind us shooting around a bit. They didn't :) Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket
then we headed to the cemetery, where we took a moment to put the flowers by mom's grave and then explored. I'll never get over how grateful I am that my mom gets to rest in such a peaceful, beautiful, historical place. I'll never do it justice with photos (and these don't even show much of the cemetery). Lexi had her Mamiya and took beautiful pictures with ghostly light leaks. it was perfect.
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Then we headed back to the condo quickly before going to the pier, where we stopped at Dairy Queen for a shake and a blizzard. I showed Lexi one of the Tree Spirits on the island (faces carved into trees), and we walked in and out of the shops on the pier. We bumped into my family at the sweet shop (I should have taken pictures!) and bought ourselves some rock candy. We weaved in and out of the shops, picking out things here and there. Then we walked around more, a little past the lighthouse to the public beach access point right next to my Gran's lifelong best friend's house that's right on the beach. Woodie wasn't there, but the water was beautiful and I took a photo of Lexi and the water crashing in beneath her on the steps with my film camera. It hasn't been developed yet though. We took a different way back, past little houses in various states of newness and grandness and disrepair. Then we hopped back in the car and went to St. Simons's sister, Jekyll Island. We went to the hotel which used to be a Millionaire's Club and walked around the houses they used to have there. There, we unknowingly found the biggest and oldest (over 350 years old) oak tree on Jekyll Island, and I photographed Lexi in it as the sun caught the light on the Spanish Moss. Still, no picture can do these trees justice.

Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket Then we drove to the fisherman's pier, where the driftwood beach is, and we explored farther than I'd ever been before. There was so much beauty. Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket As the sun started to set, we headed back to St. Simons for some dinner and goodbyes. I feel like the day was full of beauty and a quiet sort of magic. I feel like Lexi understands the essence of this place and why it's so special. It was nice to share the day exploring with someone like that, you know? I feel so lucky to have met her, because I feel such a soul connection to her.. that we can talk and explore and none of it is forced, and all of it feels full and good. I can't wait until I move down here for the summer and we can go on even more adventures...AND I'll be able to use my large format and medium format cameras, which will be lovely :)

Somehow it felt like I got to appreciate all the beauty of this place even more than usual. I'm so grateful for photography and lovely people like Lexi to help me do that. It was a day so well spent.

27 comments:

  1. What a beautiful place! And a fantastic set of photos too Emily! A day well spent indeed. :)

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  2. ahh jekyll island! it's on my to-visit list before I graduate. I actually had a shoot planned there that had to be moved, so hopefully I get a chance. wish I could have made it! the photos are beautiful. especially: http://i955.photobucket.com/albums/ae38/EmilyTebbetts/CW4C7094e1.jpg

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  3. http://i955.photobucket.com/albums/ae38/EmilyTebbetts/CW4C6786e1.jpg

    favorite, so beautiful

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  4. these are so wonderfully sweet. i love all of them great job!!! <3

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  5. SUCH a beautiful collection of photographs, both of you!
    If there's one non extremely popular place in America (places not like NY, LA etc) that I would LOVE to visit, it would certainly be here!

    Very well captured Emily, as usual! I adore each and every one of your captures.

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  6. you two are a dream, love this post too much.

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  7. Emily, I believe this may be my very favorite series of photos you've ever done. Absolutely magical! <3 (I'll think have to visit St. Simon's Island, someday, as a child I lived in GA for four years, but we've always vacationed on Pawleys Island, SC ... St. Simon's reminds me a little of it.)

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  8. Wow Emily, these photos are simply beautiful. The place is amazing, but you make it magical.

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  9. the ones from the beach are so marvelous. I am loving this set of photographs!

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  10. really impressive! i love them all!!!! may i ask what lens did you used?

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  11. mmmh don't worry, i got it. I guess 35mm....

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  12. I'm in awe. No it's even more than that. This series is just so beautiful, even beautiful is weak, but I'm pretty sure you'll know what I mean.
    Every single picture is a treasure to the eye! There's such beauty, such passion in each of them... You really picture with your heart.

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  13. These are all so beautiful and inspiring.

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  14. these are breathtaking, Emily! <3 i am so envious that you got to go to places with such beauty, history, wonder and age. that 350-year-old tree is beyond amazing. the shells at the beach were lovely too! i am so inspired right now. i ache to go on shoots like this xxxx

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  15. these are all so soft and endearing, I love them all!

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  16. Love this Emily! St. Simons Island looks so amazing. I hope one day I can visit there.

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  17. i LOVE all these photos! so beautiful. :')

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  18. this place looks like a piece of heaven! i shall visit you there one day :))

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  19. i don't think any amount of words can ever sum this up, but emily, you have such a natural talent. the photos ooze in beauty, lexi is completely gorgeous and the way you captured the essence of everything so beautifully together is awe-inspiring.

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  20. The places you chose to take these pictures are really amazing, and the pictures too : perfect combination, congratulations !

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  21. These are so great. You make me want to go there!

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  22. Love all of these. Gorgeous colors everywhere!

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  23. crying at how beautiful these are. must go here. must.

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  24. ah the ones in the trees are so incredibly spectacular!

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  25. The places are wonderfull, very very beautiful serie ♥

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  26. I love your photographs ♥ I have the impression to travel in another dimension !

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