October 21, 2016 by Cynthia

Focusing my camera on rocks and water and sand on the shores of Revere Beach. There’s a story in their interaction but I just don’t know how to read it yet. That’s why yesterday I picked up Tristan Gooley’s How to Read Water. It’s subtitle – Clues and Patterns from Puddles to the Sea – captured me. If I don’t post for a while, it’ll be because I’m lost a darn good book. Meanwhile, have a good weekend, folks. 🙂

Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes | Tagged books, Inspiration, nature, Photography, physics, Revere Beach, water | 2 Comments »
October 20, 2016 by Cynthia

… light, wind, and water in action at the Copley Square fountain in Boston. It was a breezy day with bright sun. I sat by the water’s edge with my camera tucked away, intent upon eating a late lunch. I’m glad I had no expectation because I may not have seen what I did see just by sitting quietly by the water. After a while I could not ignore what I was seeing and so I had to put away my lunch, dig out my camera, and begin to photograph the motion before me.

Autumn leaves floating on the water’s surface first caught my attention, but the brightest of the leaves lay on the bottom. I’m not sure what forces kept them there even as the fountain’s mechanics and nature’s wind erratically churned the water. The sun was bright too, low angled. It dispersed in the waters producing rainbows.

Nearby buildings and surrounding trees were reflected so they appeared to float above the sunken leaves. A friend came over and sat next to me, and while I listened intently, yes I did, my eyes kept sliding back to the water to see what a friend describes as the accidental and casual things water does to light.

Accept for playing around with my ISO settings on the spot, there is minimal post processing of these images. If you chance by the fountain and sit by its side, if the day is sunny and the wind is rippling the water’s surface, this is what you might see too. Or maybe something different. But I think it will all be beautiful.

Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes | Tagged beauty, colors, Copley Square fountain, Inspiration, light, Photography, physics, science, urban landscape, water, wind | 1 Comment »
October 19, 2016 by Cynthia

I finally found the leaf, curled but not crumbled, at the bottom of a bag. It survived the trip from South Carolina through three states before returning to Massachusetts. It came from a tree in my uncle’s yard originally planted by his wife. One day at the kitchen table she mentioned making a cup of fig tea. I’d never heard of such a thing.

She pointed to the tree outside, wide canopied with dark flat leaves, and said it was too bad we hadn’t been visiting when the branches had been weighted down with fruit and the birds were all about. She sometimes made a jam, she said, but this year she just pulled off some leaves to dry and make tea. As I snapped off my leaf, I promised to photograph it as it dried and then its final journey into tea. She laughed.

I think this leaf has a bit more drying to do and until then makes a fun photographic subject.
Posted in Branches, Inspiration, Nature Notes | Tagged family, figs, green, Inspiration, leaves, nature, Photography, tea, trees | 1 Comment »
October 19, 2016 by Cynthia

Trinity Church in the City of Boston has produced a new guidebook that highlights and explores the art and architectural features of this historic gem. The 48-pages feature information about the principal makers of the building, its design and construction which primarily took place between 1872-1877, interior and exterior decorations, and much more. It is a visual treat with reproductions of original sketches, early watercolor paintings, as well as interior and exterior images by many fine local photographers. I am honored to have two photos in this book including this detail from John La Farge’s Purity stained glass window.

As noted at the end of the publication, the guidebook is dedicated to Edward Earl Duffy (1960-2012), a Trinity Church parishioner and tour guide who loved the building’s art and architectural legacy. The book is available for $11.95 in the church gift shop. Enjoy!
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Posted in Inspiration, Photography, Publication Updates | Tagged architecture, art, churches, Inspiration, John La Farge, Photography, Purity, stained glass windows | 1 Comment »
October 17, 2016 by Cynthia

and the sand shapes the water. A view while crouching in the sand at Revere Beach. Available as blank notecard here.
Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes | Tagged beauty, Inspiration, nature, Photography, physics, Revere Beach, sand, stationery, urban landscape, water | 3 Comments »
October 17, 2016 by Cynthia

Walking through Belle Isle Marsh is not a traditional escape into the wild. Logan Airport is nearby so passenger planes fly overhead continuously. Stare into the distance and in one direction, over the marshy land, you see the glittering cityscape of downtown Boston skycrapers. In another direction you see the candy colored houses of residents who live nearby. It is a well-attended, and well-tended, state park located in East Boston. I tend to visit late in the day on a Sunday for about an hour which once led to the creation of this book, One Hour in Belle Isle. After the recent long journey it was a treat to return to this familiar place. To see autumn unfolding in the salt marsh. And yes once again for about an hour.




Posted in Branches, Inspiration, Nature Notes | Tagged autumn colors, beauty, Belle Isle Marsh, Inspiration, nature, Photography, salt marsh, urban landscape | 4 Comments »
October 16, 2016 by Cynthia
Posted in Branches, Inspiration, Nature Notes, On the Road | Tagged beauty, birds, colors, Inspiration, landscape, nature, Photography, South Carolina, Sumter, Swan Lake Iris Garden, travel, water | 1 Comment »
October 10, 2016 by Cynthia

When in Sumter, South Carolina, I missed the irises in bloom but the swans were in full force. The city’s Swan Lake Iris Gardens is the only public park in the U.S. to feature all eight swan species. The sun shone bright this particular day as this trio floated by.



Learn more about the park via this link: http://www.sumtersc.gov/swan-lake-iris-gardens
Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, On the Road | Tagged beauty, birds, colors, Inspiration, nature, Photography, Swan Lake Iris Gardens, swans, travel, water, waterfowl | 2 Comments »
October 9, 2016 by Cynthia

reflections of the changing leaves


Posted in Branches, Inspiration, Nature Notes, On the Road | Tagged autumn, beauty, Inspiration, landscape, leaves, nature, Photography, reflections, Swan Lake, travel, trees, water | 2 Comments »
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