Visual Stories is an intimate gathering of photographs and words from my walks and wanderings. A place to slow down and breathe, away from all the noise.

I want to slow the morning.

To linger in the soft misty gray of it.

To watch the iridescent glass water, so full of sky.

To be still in the soft rain, like a small cabin on the shore.

I want to stay, and let the glass sky morning close around me.

It’s hard to believe we’re already nearing mid-July. Time seems to be slipping away incredibly fast these days, no matter how much I try to hold onto it.

The lilacs, lupines, and peonies have already come and gone. It’s always a little bittersweet to let go, but there’s still so much to look forward to. The garden is just getting started, really.

The roses have now come into full bloom. I’ve collected so many over the years.. Pale yellow, white, soft pink, deep mauve, and a lavender so soft it's almost grey. I find it impossible to pick a favorite, as it changes by the day.

Just beyond the roses, the zinnias are thriving. This year, I've planted over 150 of them across 2 different beds, using 2 different approaches as a small experiment.

In the first bed, I just sprinkled them right into the soil. Unfortunately, this bed has gotten away from me. I was kept out of the garden a few days too long due to the heat wave, which means the zinnias are now having to compete with weeds for their share of sunlight. We’ll have to wait and see how they do. If they pull through, they’ll bloom later than the others, meaning a longer zinnia season. Of course, I wouldn’t mind that too much :)

I started the second bed indoors in early spring, pinching back each seedling once it developed a few sets of true leaves. This second bed has been an absolute joy. The zinnias are just beginning to bloom now, and while most are still to come, I’ll share a few here.

Meanwhile, the rest of the garden is slowly filling in. The California poppies and the first sunflowers are just starting to open, as well as the cosmos, marigolds, cornflowers, yarrow, snapdragons, and pansies.

These are my favorite sunflowers. All those tiny yellow blooms against the dark center.. I could get lost in it.

The gourds have started to vine and flower, spreading out across the ground and climbing whatever they can find. The dahlias and coneflowers will come soon enough.

Along the garden entrance, the lavender is in bloom. We transplanted quite a few from the meadow this year and despite my initial uncertainty about their survival, they’ve settled in beautifully. The scent has been really lovely.

Out in the orchard, the blueberries, peaches, and apples are nearly ready to pick. We have about a dozen apple trees, all different varieties, some of them centuries old and still faithfully producing fruit.

We also have pear, plum, fig, and cherry trees, though they’re much younger and need a bit more time. The strawberries and blackberries are coming along too.

I’ve been spending most of my mornings in the gardens, photographing everything as it comes and goes, both the flowers and the birds. I find this process of documenting incredibly calming. It helps me step outside of my head and has really changed how I perceive things, even when I don’t have my camera with me.

This morning, I wandered a bit longer than usual before heading in as the heat settled. I sat down at my old desk to write, but if I’m being honest, I spent a good portion of that time watching the birds in the crabapple. While I could have happily watched them for much longer (and often do), I managed to get in some writing too :)

Mel

I’ve been a photographer since 2010 and for years I shared my work on Instagram. I joined in the early days, when it was simpler. No reels, no AI. More than twenty thousand people found their way to my art and words. It still amazes me and I’ll always be grateful for them.

But over time, the noise of it all became a distraction from the very thing I was there to do: share my work. It grew loud and fast. Post more, post faster, keep up, be the same as everyone else. Ads, algorithms, video.. and AI. More about "content" and "influence," and less about the photos, the sharing, the community.

I miss the old internet (I know, I know, but I do). I miss when photography was still photography, not “content creation,” and before everything got chopped into quick little clips too short to even remember.

I miss the patience. And the kindness. People took their time with their work and it showed.

Some people move quickly through the world. I am not one of them. I feel things deeply and I think about them for far too long.

I need time to process.
To think.
To create.

I am not built to perform. I need room to breathe.

My mom died in the summer of 2024 and nothing felt the same after.

I've always been a bit preoccupied with time and how finite it is (also a tad too much). But after she died, I felt it more than ever. I became very protective of my time, and Instagram, being what it's become, was the last place I wanted to spend it. So I stepped away.

I never did stop taking photos. If anything, I fell back in love with it.. picking up my camera just for the joy of it. To document. To get outside my head.

Which is the best way to remember why you picked up a camera in the first place.

These days, you’ll find me with my camera, walking the woods and the marshes, out on still water in my kayak, photographing all the moody, foggy glory that is Maine. Or at home, puttering around my gardens, meadows, and orchard, photographing birds and botanicals.

Birds, especially. What started as a curiosity after my mom died has become something I find myself returning to almost daily.

When I’m not out wandering, you’ll find me in my studio, painting or cozied up at my old desk, sorting through photos, editing, or writing.

This is where I’ll share the photos I take, the things that light up my soul, the stories I wish to tell, and in time, the work they’ve inspired.

It feels good to be sharing again :)

If you’ve found your way here, welcome.
Mel

This little space is where I'll be sharing my photography, art, writing, and my cozy little life in Midcoast Maine. A place for the photos I take, the things that light up my soul, the stories I wish to tell, and in time, the work they've inspired.

I hope to start sharing soon :)
Mel