The Horse Pull

We recently went to a horse pull competition.

These draft horses were really spectacular creatures - beautiful, large, and powerful.

They worked in two horse teams, with the winning team pulling 8,000 pounds!

With horses, handlers, and spectators - 

there was a lot of interesting subject matter for picture making.

I'll be working on this collection over time,

but here are a few edited images.

Happy creating to you!

Text Me!

We just got back from a trip to the city.

Have you ever noticed that everywhere you turn in the city,

 people are on their iPhones?

Well, except for this guy who seemed to have had an epiphany,

or maybe just saw a light bulb that was out :)

Happy creating to you!

People Watching

On my vacation to the city,

 I got to visit with my favorite gal -

that would be our smart, beautiful, and talented daughter.

We enjoyed long walks, and talks, and great food.

I also did some people watching with my camera, of course.

I saw Leggy Conversations,

Pollock's Inspiration,

Reflections on Reality,

Age and Infirmity

and 

Suits in Motion.

Gotta love vacations!

Speedy at Two!

It was fun and challenging photographing this little guy!

Two-year-olds can certainly move fast.

Throw changing sunlight and shadow patterns 

into the mix and manual camera mode was discarded in a jiffy.

The first and last images are my favs,

 but I took some conventionally cute images for his mom, also.

Looks like when you're two,

 you gotta smash your face against the screen...

because you can!

Hope your summer is rolling along with great times and 

interesting challenges.

Comments are off.

Summer Greetings!

Life has been busy -

a good kind of captivating busy.

The fact that I just edited these Mother's Day flower images pretty much confirms this!

I've mentioned that our daughter was going to be graduating from college.

Well, the day came and included a special honor for her,

as K was included in an additional "Evening of Distinction" ceremony.

What an amazing group of young adults! 

 I believe they are going to change the world, or at least make a stab at it.

Next came moving K into her first apartment, with the help of her friends.

Picture a charming old building with deep mahogany colored wood floors,

cream plaster walls, and beautiful light.

Gone are the days of college dorms and slum lord rental homes 

shared with friends.

A couple more trips for family get-togethers, my niece's HS graduation party, 

kayaking on the lake, biking, a studio bead project, photography in the garden, 

and watching thunderheads from the dock - 

that's how time has been rolling along.

I hope this finds you enjoying the good times of summer.

Take care and as always, happy creating!

Comments are off while I soak up more summertime fun :)

Books!

I've mentioned before that I love books.

My earliest booky memory is of the floor to ceiling bookcases 

that lined a living room wall in the Dutch Colonial house that I grew up in.

These built-ins were white painted wood and flanked a window that faced the back yard.

The expanse of jumbled colored spines read as a modern art painting 

with your eye seeking pattern within the chaotic exuberance.

Shelves were arranged like a chronology of life,

with little kid picture books on the bottom,

then story books, fiction, biographies, and art tomes,

all the way up to the ceiling where the most valuable,

 or least read, pieces languished.

Furniture sat in front of this wall of books, 

while the space behind the furniture became a kid's "book fort" of sorts,

 a place to secret off to and read.

Such pleasant memories!

Although I read some ebooks, there is nothing like a printed book -

the weight in your hand, the touch of paper, 

and the turning of pages.

Hopefully, future generations will enjoy the pleasures of printed books, too.

How about you... are you an ebook reader, library user, or book collector?

Or maybe, you embrace books in any form :)

Happy reading to you!

The Changeling

In my last post, I mentioned that while teaching at ISQSC

I had a free afternoon to walk around town with my camera.

I spent part of the time chasing reflections,

which is kind of like playing with a changeling ~

magical, elusive, dancing this way and that.

Should I shoot straight on or at an angle?

In full light or shadow?  Low POV or high?

High contrast or low?  

Look for vivid color harmonies or subdued?

Question after question arose, as I tried to find logic within the

light, angles, colors, and shifting shimmer.

Yes, indeed......like playing with a changeling!

City Folks

On my trip to the city, I did a lot of people watching.

I spied a cell phone using couple...

the revolving door man,

a ghostly apparition wearing white tennis,

a resting man,

a wavy couple,

great legs,

and speed walking Docs.

All in all, quite a variety of characters!

I hope you're enjoying the last days of summer.

Comments are off.

Lensbaby Alchemy

Alchemy ~ any seemingly magical power.

One part beauty + one part "Radiance" necklace + one part velvet cape + 

one part rainy day light + one part Lensbaby =

magic captured.

Lensbaby 2012 Photo Story Challenge

Focus

People talk about focus all the time -

we want to live focused lives, we focus on building healthy relationships, 

we tell our kids to focus on good grades, we focus on work project deadlines, 

and on... and on.

So, focus is a good thing - 

we're bringing elements of our lives into sharp perspective,

 improving them, or working toward positive outcomes.

But, what about photography?

Is sharp focus our ultimate goal?  

Do we want sharp focus throughout our images, selective focus,

 minimal focus, or dreamy impressionistic blur?

What type or amount of focus will best tell the story,

capture the mood, or make our viewers know how we feel about the subject?

I certainly don't have all the answers to these questions, 

but I do know I enjoy playing around with the possibilities!

Since I love to experiment, my guess is I'll be using all types of focus in my future captures.

How about you, what type or style of focus do you like to use in your photography?

Wishing you a wonderful week focused on creativity!

Linking at The Creative Exchange.