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Posts Tagged ‘nature’

Pink is not my favorite color, but this July pink flowers kept catching my attention, as did blooms in white,

and in gold.

I love photographing trees reflected in water. But sometimes I was so focused on shooting such images, that I nearly missed the ducks for the trees, like these little fellows sitting silently in the bottom of my frame.

Spiders — yes, spiders! — continued to woo me with their wondrous webs. As imperfect as they are, I cannot help but share these images of spider webs I saw one July night in Maine. Layers upon layers of fog-covered webs illuminated by night lights.

Guest contributors added visual and culinary spice to our lives by sharing recipes and photographs. Links below will take you to recent posts. Expect many more tasty selections in the coming months.

Tell Me About the Petunia Wall

Sunflowers

And what does August hold? Hmmm.

* New submissions to writing and photography contests, magazines and other Call for Artists.

* Putting better business practices into place around my creative life, from fun stuff like new business cards to better systems for cataloging and tracking images and articles.

* Following up on recent opportunities to tell other peoples’ amazing life stories.

* Pulling together all my camera gear and giving everything a good cleaning!

* Writing. Writing. Writing.

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I received an e-update today from poets.org that included news about W. S. Merwin, one of my favorite poets. He is succeeding Kay Ryan as the 2010-2011 U.S. Poet Laureate.  His is a poetry that makes one pause.  Maybe all poetry does that. 😉  In any case, in the bookstore where I work, in the quiet moments, I pull Merwin’s Shadow of Sirius from the shelf.  I recently discovered that he’d written a famous poem about mushrooms. As someone who has habitually avoided mushrooms I am amazed at how often mushrooms are appearing in my life this summer!

Looking for Mushrooms at Sunrise

When it is not yet day
I am walking on centuries of dead chestnut leaves
In a place without grief
Though the oriole
Out of another life warns me
That I am awake

In the dark while the rain fell
The gold chanterelles pushed through a sleep that was not mine
Waking me
So that I came up the mountain to find them

Where they appear it seems I have been before
I recognize their haunts as though remembering
Another life

Where else am I walking even now
Looking for me

— W. S. Merwin

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It’s been a long while. What to share? Well, mostly I wanted to share the above picture of a dandelion gone to seed. Allergies have hit me hard this season leaving me a bit blurry-eyed and forcing me to be more creative in my photography. To be sure of what I am seeing, I find that I am getting up close and personal with my photographic subjects resulting in pictures like this dandelion. The little motes remind me of stars.

In Other News …

Because I keep walking into the webs, I ‘m getting a lot of nice spider shots.

Local Treks

Recent treks included familiar spots like the Boston Public Gardens, and along the Charles River. Lime Quarry Reservation (map) presented new vistas.  Future treks include the Arnold Arboretum and Boston Harbor.

At the Edges

While at work, where a park ended and a parking lot began, I found life on display from fresh beginning to untimely end.

At the edge where a stretch of farmland intersected with a stretch of city road, a friend and I found a farm stand with fresh picked produce.

Unexpected Opportunities

I’m being interviewed by Molly J. Anderson-Childers for the Creativity-Portal.com.  Imagine that! More information available in July.

Unexpected Inspirations

Inspired by Family Always!

My brother recently sent me this picture of his son. Brings a smile to my face every time.

And on the horizon?

Working to meet the deadlines for several upcoming art shows. Following up on leads from friends and family about various contests and publication opportunities (keep ’em coming!). Learning more about photographic techniques. Identifying the next photos to submit for donation to the Art Connection. And just trying to keep my eyes open to the beauty around me.


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The other day I was walking through the woods.  Spider web filaments brushed my cheeks.  There was the crackle of dead leaves and branches beneath my feet.  The aroma of detritus and dog droppings lightly scented the air.  I was keenly aware of birdsong drifting down from the canopy above me.  I wished that I could capture with my camera the songs and the birds who sang them — the red-winged blackbirds, the tangerine orioles, the iridescent grackles and the omipresent orange-breasted robins.  I knew they were around me.  Some were right in front of me.  But I could not see them. I could not see much of anything.  I was not blind but I felt as if I walked through a Monet watercolor or a Turner oil painting.  I moved through an impressionistic world without defined edges, where colors melded in the shifting sunlight.  You see, with the onset of spring, I have been having issues with my eyes.  Mostly allergies with a healthy dose of eye strain.  During this period, not only have I been reminded to slow down, I have also been reminded of my other senses. And tapping into those senses has been a creative trigger.  I cannot photograph birdsong, but I can write about what I am hearing.  And the birdsong has motivated me to listen to other music in a deeper way than I have in a very long time.  Who knows I may write about those experiences as well one day.  The photography continues too.

For the present, I find that I am particularly drawn toward abstracts and stark contrasts between colors and between light and dark.  I’m not so concerned with sharp edges.  Is there such a thing as impressionistic photography?  If so, perhaps that is what I am currently exploring.

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