What are Highlightings?
High·light·ing (verb) /hī-līt-ing/: to shine a spotlight on something worth your attention (preferably something cool)
High·light·ings (plural noun) /hī-līt-ings/: things that are standing out in my life right now (could be life-changing or just something that made me smile)
Welcome to Highlightings! I’m so excited you’re here. And yes, I know “Highlightings” isn’t technically a word, but we’re going with it.
I’m Paula, a photographer based in Charleston, South Carolina. After a career in interior design, I switched gears to photography. As both a photographer and a designer, I believe your home and your art should tell your story… and I’m a sucker for a good story!
I started this newsletter to shine a light on the things that are lighting up my life and work right now. My goal? To inspire you to find beauty in your everyday life—especially the art that surrounds you.
Today's Highlightings...
Photographing... cyanotypes! You remember those Sunprint papers we used as kids, right?
(I assume I’m not alone in this one, do you remember them?) You’d gather leaves, flowers, or just handful of grass clippings, arrange them on the paper, and then press an acrylic sheet on top. After carefully hustling it to the sun, you’d rinse it off, and magically you’d have a beautiful blue-and-white print of your little composition.
As a kid, I thought I was just having fun with sunlight, flowers, leaves and water, making what I’m sure were masterpieces. Turns out, I was dabbling in early photographic printing—later used for making blueprints.
The cyanotype print has this gorgeous shade of blue that I’m drawn to. (The word “cyan” actually comes from the Greek word for “dark-blue impression.”) It’s rich, elegant, and has a softness that black just can’t achieve. To kick off 2025, I’m diving into a new collection of cyanotype and cyanotype-inspired prints. Keep your eyes peeled—I’m working with both digital edits and old-school handmade prints developed (by me!) with transparent negatives and sunlight—just like the good old days of Sunprint magic.
And the recent snow and ice here in Charleston? Perfect for capturing some stunning cyan moments.
Thank you for being here! I’d love to know what’s lighting up your life right now—leave a comment and share your own highlights with me! I hope you’ll stick around for more.
With lots of gratitude,
Paula