Stevie Deale Photography

​Stevie Deale is a photographer whose work focuses on the ephemeral moments of life and celebrating that through photography. She focuses on the every day and images that represent that. 

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December, 2016.

December was a rediscovery of the meaning of home.

December was falling snow, hitting each other with snowballs, peaceful moments in the car. It was a brother loudly singing annoying songs at you multiple times. It was a winter ale shared with family while making dinner. It was dog sitting a pup that made you want to adventure.

December was realizing that the little moments at home are often filled with magic. December was a Christmas tree that filled the whole apartment with its glorious smell. It was turning on the Christmas tree lights at the end of a long day and letting those be the only source of illumination. December was a beautiful sunset two days after a heavy snowfall. It was a quiet morning filled with coffee, it was a bustling day with a sunny afternoon.

December was wishing I could be home and then realizing that I already was. December was pastels being the most beautiful and recognizing that not everything incredible in life is bright. December was a ripple effect. A calming motion. A reminder of peacefulness. It was the loss of leaves making room for snow. One beauty exchanged for another.

December was a stubborn dog. It was a reminder that even when it’s good for you, sometimes you just don’t want to do things, but you have to, and that’s okay. December was a peaceful plane ride that made you forget all of your troubles. December was landing in California without sunglasses and being blind for 3 days. It was acceptance. It was growth.

December was a coughing fit and laughter filling an otherwise quiet moment. December was realizing that not everything is perfect and that’s what makes life so imperfectly beautiful. December was the desire to travel growing stronger and stronger. It was reflecting on a year of change. It was listening to Beach House while being near the beach and wanting to be in Europe.

December was a rediscovery of the meaning of home.

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November. November was a month of settlement. A mix of fun, sadness, growth, and learning. November was a month where I relearned the art of being alone. November was a flow of love in small moments. I am by no means settled yet, but, November was a step. It was a shift. It was a progression from seclusion to an emergence (which, is ironic, considering it’s about the time most animals begin to hibernate). November was small adventures, short walks alone, shorter drives with others. It was a beautiful sunset, an occasional sunny day, a date with myself. It was a concert with friends who are also family. It was a step from a calm, rather empty existence, to a more upbeat life with an adventure every now and again. November was both suffering from crippling loneliness and overcoming it in underwhelming style. It was learning to navigate dating someone in another country. It was realizing that I am allowed to be lonely and it was also realizing that I don’t have to be lonely. November was joy, it was love, it was raw, unfiltered emotion. November taught me about what love is and about what it isn’t. November taught me to find peace in the way the wind blows my hair as I walk down the street. November taught me that there is little better than coming home to a warm living room on a cold day. November was moments that were strung together by a feeling of settling finally happening. November was all me, all you, together.

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I wrote this as a letter to my friends in the UK. It was important for me that they know everything in this letter. It was my way of closure in the grief of losing them, in a sense. I lost them to the distance. Not, really, but kind of, I needed them to know how I felt about them and about the changes that were coming. So, in the 311 days of this year that I got to be with them, I needed them to know that those were some of the best days of my life. It’s been a pleasure to know them and grow with them and live with them. I’m exceptionally sad that those 311 days are over and I cannot wait until I get to see them again. 

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This is from the same Fairfield loop hike in Ambleside in the Lake District. I mean, I don’t have anything more to say about this image except that it was a beautiful day and it made me feel warm and fuzzy inside and I miss days like this with my wonderful friends. 

Also! Today is the last day of this project! I’m planning on making a video of my book, but my tripod is currently broken, so, if I can find a friend with a tripod, it will appear this week! Thank you for bearing with me through this and my crazy rambling. 

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Alice and Brontë and I, three musketeers, friends fo lyfe. I’ve spoken about them so much. I could say more, but I’m sure everyone is tired of me ranting about how much I love them and celebrate them, so, I’ll try to keep this short. This picture is from a rooftop study hang that we all had on a really warm sunny day. After we decided we were done studying, we went and got food and then after Brontë went home to nap and I went to go hang with my bf, we all met up later that night at the pub. It’s just one of those memories that is so fond to me and this image represents that for me. I miss those two cutie pies WAY too much. 

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This image is a reflection of the Birmingham train station. It is an entirely reflective surface. The New Street train station was a frequent stop because it was the quickest and easiest way to get to Birmingham. So, this was a hub of sorts for us. We often travelled through here and sometimes lingered in here waiting for trains. I really don’t know what to say about this, other than I miss it. A lot. It is one of those small things you don’t really think about when it’s around you, when it’s always there, but as soon as it’s gone, you can’t help but remember it fondly. 

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This is from the very first roll I ever shot for this project. It’s my window, very close up, with the curtains mostly drawn. It is part of my experimentation for this project and figuring out what I wanted from it. I really don’t have a lot to say about this picture because it was actually from 10 months ago and taken in a moment that I don’t remember. However, I know it is my window and I guess all I can say about it is that I looked out of this window a lot. It filtered light in the most beautiful way. It filled the room with light that invigorated my soul, just like my friends did. I adored my friends and I adored this window. I think that’s why I took it. It was a way for me to show how they were a light through the dark for me in a really subtle way. 

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MATT. This is my friend Matt Sinclair (don’t even bother trying to look him up, he once made a fb chat with all of them and there were over 20, it was hilarious). We are such kindred souls, it’s ridiculous. He is basically the British guy version of me. So, as you can imagine, we got along quite well. This picture is from a trip we went on trying to find some way into the air museum at night. It involved climbing over a fence, hiding in the weeds to avoid being seen by cars, lots of laughter, and the realization that we were nowhere close and that we were not prepared for the weather. I miss this bearded kid so darn much. We used to climb together every week, go on adventures on the weekend and right before I left, he got this sweet VW van that I never got to go adventuring in and I’m v jealous of it. I would love to run around again with him in the forest and camp with all of our friends and drink a beer. It’s a shame that I found my twin in another country. 

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Fairfield Horseshoe. March, 2016. Medium format. 

(part of 311 Days)

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Both this image and the next (which I’m not going to caption, it’s fairly similar to this one in back story) are from my trip to the Lake District with my friend’s family, which I’ve mentioned before. Both are from hikes that I did with my friend, Sam, and his dad. The three of us bonded a lot on those. We did a total of about 16 miles together and as someone who had not done a lot of exercise in recent months, I struggled. My feet kept going numb and it was the worst. Luckily, these two guys were nice enough to stay with me for most of the hikes. I’m sure I was a very annoying hiking buddy because it was so beautiful that I kept stopping to take pictures and I’m slow going uphill! I’m sure I was awful to hike with, but they stuck with me and I really appreciated it every step of the way. 

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This little babe. This is Brontë on a train from a trip we took to London with our other friend Alice. We spent the day looking at art and eating food and doing too much walking. This trip bonded the three of us so well that we went to Paris together for 4 days (five? somewhere around that, you get the picture). Alice ended up in the hospital the morning we were supposed to leave because of a kidney stone, so she didn’t end up going with us, but the point still stands. We are so close. To this day, we text almost every day. I am constantly being taught by them about art and authorship and what it means to be an artist in your twenties in this day and age. I’m shown beautiful art pieces, adorable puppy videos that make me cry because they’re so cute, and we discuss the toxic nature of social media in our lives. I am challenged, loved on, encouraged, ranted at, and distracted by these two girls almost every single day of my life. All of that, started with this trip. It made us real friends and not just acquaintances. 

Also! She’s super talented! If you want to see some of her work, check this out: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwCfKZx2-tK5DqScNlGqh4A 

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So, my favorite pub had BOARD GAMES. I love board games, if you can’t tell from my unnecessary capitalization. I whooped everyone at scrabble. In this picture, I won by 200 points. I love scrabble, I think because I’m such a nerd. I think board games are an amazing way to bond with friends, especially with social lubricant (that means alcohol, friends). We would hang out for hours playing board games, at my request, granted. But! It was great and we all had a great time. 

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This is a table. From a random place. Somewhere in England. I went out for food with some friends (don’t know which ones) and took a picture of this table. I have found that one of my favorite ways to spend time with people is to eat. Or drink coffee. But, mostly eat. I LOVE food and so does basically everyone else ever. So, we eat together. We talk about life and the food and hang out and just enjoy things together. I love it. It’s so beautiful to me. I can’t really explain what makes it so special, but, it is so nice! My greatest love language is quality time, so, to me, eating food with people is the BEST. It’s eating and spending time with people. Like, literally, can it get better? I don’t think so. 

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This note is one that I found in my suitcase from my dad when I moved over to Coventry. I don’t know how my mom always manages to do this and how after 21 years of being alive, she still has these exact same notes. It’s amazing. I included this in the project because it was something that I really wanted to tell my friends. I found this to be incredibly empowering and loving and I wanted to share that feeling with the people who were seeing this project. I think that they are special, they have a great heart and are SO MUCH FUN. I want them all to enjoy their adventure of life, whatever it may be and I’ll definitely miss them along the way. I included this to empower my friends to know that they are amazing and that they deserve the world and to encourage them to know that they are loved no matter what and are missed. If by no one else, by me. 

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This image was from a trip to Birmingham with a couple of my friends. I don’t remember the specific time because this used to be a frequent occurrence. We’d go get coffee, run around the Bullring, eat too much food, develop film, look at vintage clothes and cry because we were poor and couldn’t afford them. It was the best way to bond and it was fantastic. I loved going to Birmingham with my friends. It was da best. 

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I celebrate the little things a lot. They’re kind of my favorite moments. This note is a reflection of that. I wrote this in the midst of this project and then spilled coffee on it, which is so classic me it’s hilarious. I really don’t have a ton to say about this one, it kind of speaks for itself. This is how I felt about this project, fully and completely. 

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This image holds a few different memories. One is that I once chased my friend through here because they were trying to (jokingly) escape my presence and I wanted to continue to hang out with them. Another is that this is the way I took to church every Sunday. It was the only way to get there from my house (walking) and it brought me community. This pedestrian underpass (or subway), led me to people who loved me and cherished me and I did in return. This subway held a lot of significance for me and really allowed me to find a place where I could flourish and for that, I will always be grateful.