Iceland
meet Halldóra and Hobie. the sweetest and kindest spirits in the most beautiful landscape.
they gave me such a wonderful experience and introduction to Iceland, i loved seeing the country through their eyes and their stories.
Iceland.
a place full of wander and wonder.
i'm finally going through the many photos i took in that ethereal place, and here are the ones from visiting the Grotta Lighthouse my first day there. jet lagged, cold, most likely hungry (because i'm always hungry) but so, incredibly, alive and happy.
Brittanny sent me with some of her lovely jewels earlier this year for me to photograph during my trip to Iceland.
Her Naked Bangles pretty much haven’t left my arm since then, with the exception of when I have to take them off for airport security (which has been a frequent occurance these days…#thetravelingphotographer). They are definitely my favorite to say the least.
Her work is so beautiful so if you’re in the market for some timeless pieces to add to your jewelry wardrobe you should definitely check her out.
Pictured here:
The Naked Bangle
Selene
The Naked Midi
/////
This post was sponsored by Brittanny Chanel Jewelry.
You can shop through her online store as well as connect with her on Instagram and Facebook.
If you're interested in sponsoring a post or collaborating, shoot me an email: agirlnamedleney@gmail.com
The black sand beaches of Iceland are what inspired this cowl.
The varying shades of dark to light of the sand as the tide went out.
A place unlike any other.
As soon as I came home and found this yarn, I knew exactly what I was going to make with it.
Yarn origin: Richmond, VA
If you'd like to invest in this piece and be the owner of it's unique story you can do so by heading to the shop listing for it below
You can also see other OOAK Knits and there stories here.
Why one-of-a-kind?
These pieces are inspired by...
the places i’ve been,
the people i’ve met,
the words i’ve read,
the images i’ve created.
All of which are unique, to themselves, their own, one-of-a-kind.
Much like you are.
I believe that your clothing, what you wear, says a lot about you.
It adds to your story, your make-up, who you are as an individual.
And so, shouldn’t those pieces in and of themselves hold a story all their own?
I think so.
That’s why my knitwear is one-of-a-kind.
Each design is a piece of art.
Each piece tells a story.
Of a person. A place. An experience. An idea.
When you own one of these pieces you are the only one to own it.
Aside from me, the creator, you hold it’s story.
You are now the caretaker of it’s story.
And it, in turn, becomes a part of yours.
The Stories The Things We Own Tell.
I think they're terribly important, though often overlooked.
I find that the things we invest in are the things we cherish and value most. Which in turn speaks to what kind of individual we are. What we put stock in. Who we want to be.
You can also read more about why here.
// Photos by Meagan Abell //
So something that I've been introducing here on the blog lately is Travel Dates!
These posts will be little announcements of when I have travel dates set for places other than Richmond, VA and depending on my availability you can contact me and hire me for a photoshoot during my travels!
Because while, yes, I totally can and will come to you for a session wherever you're located, if you see that I'm already going to be near you during a certain time it'd be more cost efficient to go ahead and book a shoot then while I'm already planning on being in your area!
Make sense?
Plus, I've decided to, at least for the remainder of this year, offer my photo sessions booked during travel dates at a discounted rate!
What's not to love right?
There will actually be a section of the site specifically for Travel Dates, but I'm still working on that so until then you can check them out under the tag!
Currently I will be in New York City August 28th-30th
Feel free to comment below or shoot me an email to talk about booking a session!
agirlnamedleney@gmail.com
We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect. || Anaïs Nin
////
I'm an avid journaler, but especially so when I travel.
I think part of the reason is because when I travel things can often be a blur. A new place here and new place there, a new thought in this moment, meeting a different person with a cool story in that one, going going going. Documenting such things, sometimes as they happen, is a way for me to live them more fully in the moment. To examine and see them a little bit outside of their original context helps me to not take them for granted and appreciate these moments and experiences for what they are.
But of course I also do it so that I can look back and reminisce once I'm back home.
I not only do this when I'm traveling but in my day to day life as well actually. I have several different notebooks and journals each with their own respective purpose. I'm constantly scribbling notes and sentences and thoughts and new words and clever lines I hear people say that I want to remember.
I don't really remember a time when I wasn't doing this to some capacity to be honest.
It's one of those things that's engrained into who I am.
The Rootless Spruce sent some their handcrafted leather goods with me on my trip to Iceland, which included this incredibly beautiful handmade journal. It's pages have since been filled with quite a few memories which I already love looking back on.
If you need a travel journal (or the perfect home for your passport) I highly recommend visiting their shop.
I also highly recommend this Air BnB place we stayed in for our first few nights in Reykjavik.
Don't know what Air BnB is? Learn more and sign up here for $25 towards your first booked trip!
It's my favorite way to travel.
/////
This post was sponsored by The Rootless Spruce.
You can find them in their shop as well as on Instagram.
If you're interested in collaborating, shoot me an email: agirlnamedleney@gmail.com
So to tide you over until I can get to the many many many photos I have to share from Iceland, here are some iPhone snaps.
Just a few of my favorites.
(Of course if you follow me on Instagram a few of these will be repeats... Sorry!)
They're sorta-kinda-mostly in chronological order.
My favorite house in Reykjavik via Instagram
Iceland.
A land full of myths and mystery and wonder. Oh how my heart almost burst at the thrill of being in that magical country.
It's so bittersweet to be home, as is always the case after any venture of mine.
But I feel especially so after this one. Iceland captured my heart in a way that it hasn't been captured before and I'm not sure it's ever going to fully be freed.
I told more than one person that if it weren't for the people I loved waiting at home for me, I just might have stayed and not come back.
I'm sitting here at home on this dreary and gray Monday (weather I actually am quite fond of and something I missed while in Iceland, as we didn't see much of it during our stay) and listening to some of the Icelandic music I picked up during my trip. It feels so crazy that I was in such a different environment and space just a day or two ago. I always have a little bit of culture shock, if you will, when I return home from my travels. It's a little jarring to all of a sudden be back home and pushed back into your normal day to day after being in such a different time and place (jet lag aside), experiencing otherworldly things so outside of your norm mere hours before. I sometimes wonder though if that's just the affect of 21st century travel. The ability to be on the other side of the world, in a place completely different than your normal surroundings, is possible within just a few hours by hopping on a plane and flying there. I wonder if, back in the day, when you had to travel by ship or train or even horse and buggy, if your culture shock was lessened by the gradual transition back into your normal surroundings. The switch from cultures and experiences not as drastic in their slow reversal.
Maybe that's a rabbit trail for a different day...
Anyway.
The dream of visiting Iceland being realized gave me nothing short of that pinch-me-is-this-really-happening feeling pretty much the whole time I was there. I frequently found myself setting aside my phone, or my camera and just taking in my surroundings and trying to experience them as fully as I could without the help of technology or any documentation.
It took me off guard in so many wonderful ways. The varying landscapes, the people, the food, the language, the wool...
I filled up about 70gbs of memory cards documenting my wonder and adoration (I mean I didn't set my camera aside the whole time). So there will be lots of photos coming your way as well as a video (if I can get my act together to edit the footage).
However, in the meantime, I have some work to catch up on.
But I'm surrounded by lots of new Icelandic wool, some pretty magazine and newspaper clippings and post cards on my walls, a few snacks still left from Bonus, photos awaiting editing on my desk top, and some new music to fill my ears.
So going back to my normal routine and work day today isn't quite so bad after all.
I very much feel as if I'm achieving this dream currently actually.
And so I feel pretty content right now.
Calling all creatives/makers/designers/business owners!
I'm going to be taking some different artist's pieces with me to Iceland to photograph and promote and do some styled shoots with while I'm on my travels!
I'll be giving some Instagram shout outs and you'll be included in some blog posts when I return. Plus, you'll be able to use the photos as you like afterwards (and, I mean... you'll be able to say your work has been to Iceland ;) )!
If you'd like to collaborate, shoot me an email: agirlnamedleney@gmail.com
I'll be taking submissions and inquires until the 27th because I'll be leaving the 29th!
xo
Shot with 35mm film // Minolta x-700
So something that I'm going to be introducing here on the blog is Travel Dates posts!
These posts will be little announcements of when I have travel dates set for places other than Richmond, VA and depending on my availability you can contact me and hire me for a photoshoot during my travels!
Because while, yes, I totally can and will come to you for a session wherever you're located, if you see that I'm already going to be near you during a certain time it'd be more cost efficient to go ahead and book a shoot then while I'm already planning on being in your area!
Make sense?
Plus, I've decided to, at least for the remainder of this year, offer my photo sessions booked during travel dates at a discounted rate!
What's not to love right?
There will actually be a section of the site specifically for Travel Dates, but I'm still working on that so until then you can check them out under the tag!
So without further ado, here's the first and biggest Travel Dates announcement for 2015 so far!
I announced a while ago that I will be venturing to ICELAND at the end of this month and I can't even begin to express how excited I am about this trip!!
*Insert the whole being a little kid on the night before Christmas analogy here.*
This trip has been in the works, at least as far as dreaming and wishing go, for the past two years or so now. I can't wait to get a new stamp in my passport and new photos on my memory cards documenting the beauty and mystery that is Iceland.
SO I wanted to let you know if you live in Iceland, or are traveling there at the same time as I am, and would like to meet up and/or book a shoot please contact me because I would so love to meet you and/or work with you!
Currently I will be in Iceland from April 30th-May 8th
Or, if you have suggestions of things to do and places to go, I'm all ears for that too!
Feel free to comment below or shoot me an email to talk about it!
agirlnamedleney@gmail.com
