Be My Valentine

. One of the many reasons I love Valentine’s Day is that it is the perfect excuse to wear all shades of pink and red for the month of February. On Instagram, I am posting only these shades for a full week before this Wednesday the 14th. This year, I seem to have a lot of pieces that say Valentine’s Day with their rosy hues. In this post, I have rounded up four of my favorite looks to wear for the holiday. All of the main pieces I am wearing are from Ann Taylor. This is a store I recently rediscovered. I am loving them not only for their fashion forward selection, but also their fit and quality for the price. They often have sales even on new styles, so I recommend getting on their email list.

You may not know that I actually shoot most of my own pictures for this blog with a tripod. I don’t normally have someone help take my picture, and coordinating a time to meet with a photographer is not easy. I am starting to get the self photography thing down, and am even enjoying it as a creative outlet. It is an added challenge to blogging when you are also your own photographer. Many of my blog shoots happen in my yard. This is not only convenient for changing clothes, but also because I can shoot when A. C. is napping. However, now that it is beginning to stay light outside a little longer, I am finding that the most optimal light for photography is happening well after A.C.’s nap time.

For this shoot, I decided to involve A.C. in the process, so I put him in the stoller, and we walked down the street to our local park. Although not as easy as my yard, we found some great new spots for pictures. In the public park, life is happening. In various pictures of this shoot I had to edit out the guy who sat down on a bench to read a book behind me, the dog that got loose and walked in my picture, the child who lost his shoe and the frantic mother trying to find it, and the nanny walking the stroller right between me and my tripod. These things were frustrating at the time. However, when I got home and began to look at the pictures, I couldn’t help but find humor in all of this life happening around us. Some of the expressions on A.C.’s face are a direct result of him being interested in all the distractions. In the end, it just added another dimension to the wonderful creativity of blogging and photography.

I hope you enjoy not only the clothes in these photos, but the life in these pictures from our shoot in the park. A.C. and I want to wish you a Happy Valentine’s Day with your loved ones, your significant others, and your best friends!