Into the Mind of a Self-Diagnosed Crushaholic

Hi. My Name is Paula and I am a crushaholic. (Hi Paula) I am also a wife, mother, photographer, mixed-media artist, apple-loving, MINI-driving, techie-geek, shoe-obsessed lipgloss-hoarding gal.

12 Steps. I cannot understand my addiction until I admit that I am connected with the world on a greater level. I trust in the forces of nature. I don't believe in coincidences. I promise to dig deep within and follow my own honest and artistic heart. I cannot hide from my passion. I strive to feel whole as a human being. I know I am not perfect, nor will I ever be. I recognize that my beloved husband and son sacrifice for my love of the camera and I am truly humbled by their dedication and love for me.

How did I get here? The point of no return? The obsession with all things photographic. I think about Nikons and Apples 24/7. From one photo fix to another. I crush on my favorite photos with the same voracity I crushed on the boys at my Junior High School when I was in seventh grade. And, as fleeting as those crushes were in 1986, my photo crushes pass just as quickly as they come. From one photo fix to another. I think I may need an intervention.

Maybe I am not ready to stop. I don't think I am wrong. I don't believe in coincidences.

{3}

I do like the number three.

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{trees and sun. trees and sun}

trees.

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and sun.

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oh, and some blue sky for good measure….

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{One more stop in Richmond}

I have plenty of funky fun shots from Richmond to share…  but alas I must get back to Paris!  So today will be my last Richmond post…. for now….

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ok, now I must STOP…..

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{downtown drive-by}

the fun of shooting for sport.  photo hunting, you might say.

‘Anyone can just walk up and shoot the Rhino …..’

But can you get a good shot at 45 mph???

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{slight detour}

I took a fun photo safari this weekend with some friends in Richmond, so I will take a little detour from Paris and share some of those photos before going back to Europe…..

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{assiette du photographie}

If I must be honest, I believe my favorite part about traveling in Paris was the opportunity to sit in street side cafes and order assiette du fromage (plate of cheese) and bourdeaux.  Tres magnifique!

So along those lines, I will offer a plate of photos.  Apprecier!

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sante!

{no explanation necessary}

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{le Bourget}

It is true, once again, that I do not believe in coincidences.  I surely had no idea of the significance of this photo when I captured it.  I was post a four hour nap yet still intensely jet lagged.  This was the 6th photo I took with a mere 4100+ to follow in the next 5 days.  We were on the RER (the train) heading to Paris for the first time since my arrival and I was just snap-happy out the window as is my photographic M.O.  Snapping photos of anything and everything that catches my eye, I just happened to get this really *cool* shot of the Le Bourget RER train stop through scratched up glass with a hazy sheen.  I am sure I smiled at the ‘per-fec-sion’ of this photo and kept about my merry albeit groggy way.

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It was not until two days later that I realized that what lie at that Le Bourget stop is the very REASON I was in Paris at all.  The famous Paris Air Show, the current being its 48th biennial show and celebrating its 100th birthday, is the largest air show in the world and takes place at the Le Bourget airport just south of Charles De Gaulle and one of the early stops on our daily trip to Paris.  It is the place where jet manufacturers from all around the world gather in hopes of landing their biggest contracts of the year.  Boeing pays for our military equipment to head to the show and luckily this year my husband was one of the few lucky dogs who got to represent it.  OF COURSE I had to join him and take advantage of the per diem and hotel.

*Of course* such a significant event was the subject of Air and Cosmo’s cover story.

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If you paid attention, you could find a poster of said cover all over Paris.

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{Paris at 5000 feet}

Paris is *AMAZING*.  I don’t even know where to begin.

I guess the beginning is a good spot!

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to be continued and continued and continued.  Let’s just say I have a LOT of photos to sort and edit……

{OMG}

Oh My GOSH, Miss A, you are stunning………

What a fantastic model……

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I have been told a photo shoot with me after dusk is quite exciting – like an episode of COPS.  HEY, if I need the light, I need the light!  I can’t sacrifice the exposures.  We just need to work fast!  ((wink!))

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