PAD FEB 27-4 2012I was playing around with my tripod, lighting, and taking selfies

It was pretty consistent in the beginning with me showing various challenges that I gave myself or that were suggested by a group that I was in on Flickr with weekly challenges.  That weekly group was inspired by Andre Gallant, a Canadian photographer and creative photographic workshop guru.  I learned a lot about various aspects of photography from him from Minimalism to Wabi Sabi to creating interesting composites.  All of this fueled my photography and my early blog postings.

In 2015, I started a group called Photography as a Spiritual Practice and my blog postings became fewer rather than greater.  I spent a lot of time putting monthly challenges together using a Prepare, Do, Reflect approach.  Most of my reflections were done not on a blog but in Pages.

But occasionally I would add blog postings and embed photos.  Especially when I was traveling or I had some learning from a photo workshop.  

This photo is part of a weekly challenge called....In Memory Of....and its memories of my piano lessons and teachers of the past.

PAD Nov 18 In memory of the lessons of the past

Lately, however, I've been only posting a couple of times a year.  And maybe, not at all.

Reviewing my blog postings, however, gave me another perspective on my photography and what I see, how I see, how I process, what I take into a more creative mode.

But then the pandemic and my travels changed.  Now it was to find the vaccine, somewhere close.

At the Kress Center after my vaccine and waiting my 30 minutes before heading home

It also revealed how the pandemic influenced my photography through my frequent walks around home or to parks that were within 90 minutes of where I live.  Or, walkways that are only a mile away and I can take pictures of the Eagles on a blue sky day!

 I didn't write much about my walks, but I have lots of wordless galleries devoted to my walks.  I just have to remember to restore any walk that is greater than 14 months and then view and remember and respond the next day!

These frequent walks were what I reviewed at breakfast each morning.  Or, I would go back and see when my extended family got together.  Or, review the galleries from a photo workshop.  As I think about this, my galleries in Zenfolio are really a part of my life, my visual memories.  Whether it be during the pandemic, vacation, work related travels, photo workshops, conferences, or just viewing the world around me.  

I do so enjoy reviewing my galleries of the past....

During the pandemic, one of my favorite things to do was to review family photos or vacations from previous years while I ate breakfast.  Sometimes I would pick a family event that I photographed to entertain me while I was drinking my coffee or enjoying my breakfast.  Other times, I would pick a year and look at the month's work of daily photos that I've taken.  That habit started in 2012 so I had a rich array of photos to look at.

So, I think it's quite plain that I am a hobbyist who enjoys taking photos and looks at my photos as a sort of visual diary since 2009.  This is 98% of what I use my Zenfolio galleries for.  I do photograph an occasional wedding or photograph events for my church.  But these are all done in a non-charging way.  Although I have to admit that this has become less and less of what I do in the past 4 years.  The emphasis in more on a visual daily diary of what I've done and experienced during the pandemic.  Especially the walks around my hometown.

Now, I just unarchived some family photos and walks from what I consider fairly recent years, 2020, 2021, and 2022.  Now, I have to think about what I want to look at so I can unarchive it the day before.  Most of the time lately, that's been OK.  But sometimes a request for a past photo takes time for me to think about when it was and what folder it might be in.  Even though I tried to create a gallery organizing structure that would be simple for me to use to find family, vacation, and special photos.  But sometimes that isn't an easy find.

Changing habits is sometimes a difficult thing to accept.  For the next few days, I am going to enjoy and appreciate photos that were taken in the recent past.  And try to remember what other fairly recent or in the past photos that I might want to unarchive for viewing later this month.

This photo was taken in Oshkosh Wisconsin along Lake Winnebago.  A change in wind and warmer weather caused the ice to shove towards shore.  I wasn't expected an ice shove on this day in early February, but it was a joy to photograph and an effort to stay warm as the winds blew inland.

Now I have to admit that to get to these 15, I started going through all of my galleries from 2023.  I narrowed it down initially to 429 in a gallery that I called My Possibilities for the Holiday Card.  It was a very nice walk down memory lane.  

From there, I got to 59 photos.  I enjoyed all of these photos, but realized that at the holiday time that it might make more sense to have 15.  I figured that most people would be OK with 15.  These are the ones that I am showing below:

Photos in these 15 include:

Ancient Roman Glass from Evora Portugal

Tunnels in Europe

Pinhao, Portugal

Prince Henry in Portugal

Murren, Switzerland

Clara Schumann in Vienna

Steps to the Champagne Tunnel at Madame Pomery's in Reims France

Swiss Alps

Hope you enjoy my 15 from 2023

Yesterday, I spent time reviewing my photos from this year and it was a delight to go through the year from ice and snow to sunny days to beautiful fall color.  Viewing the galleries as I think about all I've done during the year and all that I photographed was a delight.

I would have to say that the way that I photographed was mainly to document my every day life.  I would take a walk along the Fox River and photograph the icy water's edge during January.  In May, I would go to the local gardens and walk through taking photos of the various colorful blooms.  In the fall, I would just stay within my home and watch the colors unfold in my backyard.

Plus, I had a habit this year of getting up and looking outside in the early morning in the hopes of catching a nice sunrise-colored sky.  Even if it wasn't colorful, I would take a photo anyway.  As I look back, some of the more interesting morning shots were those that weren't colorful.

Yesterday, I went through my monthly galleries and picked out one picture per month, trying to emphasis the photos that I took where I live rather than the various travels during this year. I hope you enjoy the slideshow....

One lone shanty near show There were a few more close to shore.

Ice Shanty, Car, and Pop Up

I took a drive a little further north and discovered that there were numerous ice shoves along the shoreline.  I could hear the ice cracking as I walked along the narrow peninsula pathway.

Plus, I liked a few of the trees and how they framed the ice as I walked along the asphalt pathway.

I was walking along the river on one of the few blue sky days during this month and watched the steam from the river create a foggy like sensation.  The lone bench captured my attention.  As well as the few people who were walking the trail along the river.  

Lone Bench along the RiverI looked back and saw this foggy moment and the lone park bench by the Fox River

I do have to say that this year has been rich with photography and posting to my Zenfolio galleries.  I have successfully posted at least one photo per day over the past year.  Many days, I've had many photos to share.  I've enjoyed my walks around the area, shooting around my home, and taking lots of photos during my three European vacations this year.

Plus, I've enjoyed sharing photos using my galleries this year with family, friends, and those who I met on my trips.  

Perhaps, I will make more blog entries in 2023.  No promises based on my good intentions the past few years and fewer entries per year.

Well,

Good bye to 2022 and Looking forward to 2023, which is literally hours away.

Cheers,

Mary Ellyn

The other day I was at our local gardens.  I've been watching the flowers slowly evolve through their spring bloom.  And this image caught my eye.  To me, it seemed to capture the last week of April 2021 perfectly.

Near the end of AprilI love the colors represented here in various shades of red and pink and green.

Contrast this beautiful set of blooms with what I took at the same location on April 1, in a slightly different section of the garden.

There is beautiful color, but nothing has pushed through the soil in the garden bed in front of the birch tree.  Anticipatory, but not even a suggestion of green growth poking through.  A few weeks later and all has changed.

That is the beauty of SPRING!

The first photo was taken on Feb 1 showing the Historic Mills where Paper Making used to be King using the river power to provide the necessary hydroelectricity for the mills activity.

And there are Eagles and an Eagle Nest along this river.  Even though it was a cloudy day, you can see two white heads in the following photo.  Ironically while taking the photo, I only saw one.  And then sorting through my photo, I was able to see the tiny head of the second one.

The power of the river is evident in this dam.  Where you can see the difference between the where the river can run freely and the dammed portion.

And sometimes there were two levels of ice, based on regulating the water level via the dams.  These scene happened on one day during the bitter cold weather in February.  A few days later there was just one level of ice.

I've enjoyed my February walks along the river.  I tried to get out walking everyday.  Mainly along the river, but other places too.  Only the really, really bitter cold below zero days were a deterrent to a long walk.  Coldness of hands determined the length of walking on those days.

Starting the month out was a hike at Buboltz Nature Center.  Love the cabin on this start of January...  Even though it's 2021, the cabin has a timeless look.  It could have January 1 1950!

PAD Jan 1 Buboltz Hike

My next photo is right out of my family room window on a snowy day.  We haven't had a lot of cardinals this year, but this one was posed perfectly.  And I just enjoy watching the snow fall this winter.  And we've had a few snowfalls.  Enough to have a nice covering of snow on the ground and allow kids to do some heavy sledding on the hills around town.

PAD Jan 3 The Cardinal in our Backyard

And then there are walks along waterways.  This shot was along a frozen channel.  Loved the footprints in the channel.  And the snow that clung to the branches.  Interesting random patterns.

PAD Jan 1 Buboltz Hike--Frozen Channel

On another drive and walk, I went to Oshkosh WI and enjoyed the views along Lake Winnebago.  It was a beautiful drive, followed by a refreshing walk along the shores of Lake Winnebago.

I love the contrast of the grasses against Lake Winnebago shore.

And, lastly for the month.  A foggy morning resulted in a wonderful look to this winter view.  Just walking in my neighborhood, camera in hand, and just capturing what I could find.

PAD Jan 6 Another Frosty Walk in the Neighborhood

I appreciate going out on a Wisconsin winter day and walk and photograph what captures my eye.

Next year will be different

At first, I continued my walks outside.  It was March and there was still snow on the ground.  I could walk freely and not see very many people at all.  Schools were just starting to close in my hometown, but no State-wide orders, yet. I have at least two cameras in my family room that has lots of windows and a nice view of the outdoors.

 One March day, this little critter walked in our backyard.  This fox was walking fairly quickly so I had to grab my camera and take a few shots before he scampered down the hill into the ravine behind our home.

One of the places that we enjoyed hiking in March was High Cliff State Park.  It was still open during March and for the cold days, there weren't many people hiking.  The trails were still pretty muddy so we hiked around the closed campgrounds sticking to the asphalt roads that were clear of snow and ice.  Here I was able to catch a couple of the walkers way ahead of us on the campground road.

Beautiful hiking days at High Cliff with blue skies.  Cold winds, however, blowing off of the lake that still had some ice in spots.

During one of my walks, I saw an example of some sidewalk art.  This happened after the schools were closed and the days were a bit warmer.

Often, I would just stay indoors and photograph interesting things that were around me.

And, sometimes, I felt just like my cat.  Looking outside through our windows and seeing the cold, rainy weather.

One of the natural areas nearby has a broad walk over the marshy portion.  This is where we saw this deer on a cold day.  There was still snow on the ground and it looks like this poor deer was hunkering down to keep warm.

The prairie area at Heckrodt Nature Center has a wonderful grove of birch trees.  Often, we would take several walk throughs in this area.  On this day most of the hiking trail was free of snow.  Especially near the birch grove.

Near the nature preserve is a small park on the lake that has a small beach area.  When we walked there we weren't sure if it would be opened.  The gate was unlocked and my husband enjoyed eating some fruit while overlooking Lake Winnebago.  We were the only people there on this cold day.

Just a few ice chunks amidst the sand, pebbles, and rocks on the beach.

Closer to home, I enjoyed the various homes that decorate their lawn ornaments during the year.  This particular metal sculpture has a colorful hat and scarf that just made me smile as I walked pass.

I am glad that I am taking photos everyday whether it's associated with the pandemic or just capturing the beauty of the world around me.  I hope you enjoyed this little retrospective as I looked at my life during March from an end of April perspective.

It turns out, I took a lot of photos during February.

I took some indoors that were a bit of my photo challenge this month of motion/movement.

I took the long way home and saw the light fading on Lake Winnebago with lots of blues in the air.

I went searching for evidence of ice sculptures or snow sculptures and didn't find these until later in the day and several days after their origin.

I took some photos from our back deck near sunset  with a slow shutter speed and several types of camera movement.   Then dramatically altered them when processing in Lightroom.
 

I walked on some sunny days in our downtown area where the skies were blue and merchants's outdoor signs contrasted well against the sky..

Wildlife in my backyard was a consistent theme.  I heard this before I saw this owl.

Snow, plenty of snow.  Every time you turned around there was even more snow.

And I thought there wouldn't be much variety during February this year.  I was so wrong.

I don’t know why but I rarely looked at photos from the Hawaii trips in 2014 and 2015.  But going through the photos over the weekend, I found some stunning scenic photos from our helicopter trip.  I was amazed at how wonderful the photos were and also wondered why I hadn’t looked at them in years.  Going on a helicopter is a special experience and having great weather and an excellent views of the waterfalls is also a great experience.  Why I haven’t looked at those photos often is a wonder to me.

Here are a couple of examples:

Taking off.  You can see a bit of the airstrip on the far right.

Lone waterfall also showing the pool underneath

WD8A3540 viveza enhanced and cropped

Many waterfalls. so beautiful from the air!

WD8A3554 viveza 2

Close up of one waterfall.  Later that day we were parked in that parking lot. Odd to see it from the air, first.

Now, onto the coast...

One more coastal shot....

It was fun to re-discover these photos of our helicopter ride.  Now, I just have to find the photos on one of my external drives of our whale watching experience.  

The cloudiness posed a challenge with its flat light.  But I observed the light and took photos showing what beauty can actually happen on a cloudy day.

This first photo is of the footprints left behind by the critters that frequent our backyard deck.

Another deck photo.  Cloudy day and warmer temperatures is causing lots of melting and crunchy looking snow.  The lack of harsh shadows caused by the sun makes this lone leaf on our deck seem more interesting to me.

Lake Winnebago on a cloudy day.  Too warm to trust the ice this year so there aren't any snowmobiles on the ice today.

Our deck after a snowfall and a cloudy day.  Wind caused some interesting patterns in the snow.

Day after day of cloudiness did make for some interesting photos.  Photos I probably wouldn't have taken because I would wait for a sunny day or a day with more contrast.

When I was searching around for a topic for my small group at church called Photography as a Spiritual Practice and I thought back to the Solstice.  I was really fascinated by how the light changed during the day.  This became my inspiration for our January topic.

Usually we have some sort of preparation for our challenge. Sometimes it's looking at internet sites of photos or just spending time looking at other creative endeavors.  This month, I suggested that members just spend some time observing light during January. No taking of photos.  Just observe the light.  I was hoping that others would be as fascinating as I am by how much the light changes during the winter, even on cloudy days.  Observe and then take photos later.

As I was writing the "do" part of the challenge, I encouraged the group to think broadly about winter light and take a variety of photos on different days at different times of day and under different lighting conditions.  It could be indoors or outdoors. And even stretch when you mean by winter light.  What about light at night?

For me personally, I went out during the first part of January and just walked and appreciated the light as it changed around me.  I walked by the river that is near our home, I went to the lake, and I just walked around my neighbor.  I also watched the outside light while inside my home.  I enjoyed the long shadows and sometimes the very abstract expressions that I could see on walls or on our carpet.

I am still experiencing and taking photos around the challenge of winter light.  Here are three of my favorites that I shot thus far.

The first was taken early on during the month while walking along the Fox River.  It was one of the blue sky days and the blueness was reflected in the water and in the surrounding buildings.  I simply love the blue quality of the light.

PAD Jan 2 Hiking Along the River on a Blue Sky Day

My next photo was taken along the shores of Lake Winnebago.  We've had a lot of freeze/thaws this year and the snow and ice patterns in the water reflect that. Sometimes they even thrust up on the land or right next to the shoreline.  Usually this happens in the spring, but with the amount of freeze/thaw, we had the fairly unique experience of having this happen in January.  Numerous people were touring around the lake to see these ice shoves.

What I love about this photo is how the light interacted with the ice and created this nice diagonal.

PAD Jan 6 Ice Shove at Calumet County Park

And my last photo of this series was taken just a couple of days ago.  I was driving around to some of the spots where I enjoy taking photos.  Again, this is Lake Winnebago.  What I saw today was a combination of open water and snow.  The sky is so much different than the other days where there was sun.  Here the light is flat, but there is a moodiness that permeates the entire scene.  Ironically, just down a bit from this site, the lake was frozen hard.  But not here.  This is a place where conditions change hourly.  Which all adds to the feeling of moodiness.

Often, we don't appreciate the array of colors and the way that light changes during the winter months.  This year I am appreciating how beautiful the light is all through this month..  I am looking forward to taking even more photos while thinking about winter light.  It's only January 18; there is a lot of January to explore!

A Cold Walk Outside

So even on a cold day like today, I was able to see something that really caught my eye, those wonderful shadows.

I did have a little reprieve when we went to Death Valley in January.  Beautiful scenery everywhere and quite the contrast from the cold weather back home.

Train Station/Casino at the Rhyolite Mine

A couple of months later, I was able to take a trip to see my daughter and I was treated to a blooming sensation.  I went from 30 degrees and snow everywhere home to blossoms everywhere by our daughters.

First, the snow by us.

PAD March 25 Jefferson Park

Then the blossoms by my daughter's.

Pad March 29 Flowering in McMinnville

And then to Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, one of my favorite places to photograph.  This photo was taken close by at Blue Rocks as the two fishermen were rowing their dory out to their boat to start their day of fishing.

Then off to Ireland with many stories and lots of photos.  There is something about the Irish Countryside and the dogs who take care of the sheep.  First the Irish coastline.

And now the dog minding the sheep.

And then travels to the Netherlands.

And then off to Provence.  First, lots of sunflowers.

And then the lavender.

And lovely hill towns.

My last trip was to Canada of this year.  A phone booth that actually worked in Toronto (it was connected to a museum/fun house)

And at the camp itself where the sunsets can be quite dramatic.

And the rest of the time was at home.  Walking and finding all sorts of fun things to photograph.

Or driving to my destinations with my little green Miata.

And sometimes I was on the hunt for Fall Color.  Sometimes the color brought an amazing response.

And sometimes it just happened to be located near a water fountain.

And now it's the end of the year.  A great year of doing photos everyday and now lots of great memories.

Each person was asked to finish the statement...."Photography Is...." .  Each interview had a short quotation, a portrait of the person, the person's credentials, and often a longer version of the quotation.  It was always started with....Photography Is....

So, this is my take on what Photography Is....from a very personal perspective....

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And this is the result after playing in PicsArt

I spotted this wonderful rough sculpture while walking on the beach south of Lincoln City

And the animals know when to feast before the weather comes.

One day I was on a walk with friends on a new trail in our area.  I was struck by the reflection in the window of an old paper mill.  When I saw the image at home it was kind of plain and ordinary.  I had just got a notice to update my Topaz Studio 2 and I thought this might be a great time to experiment with this photo.  So, I tried a couple of different "looks" and decided that a neon type look fit with my vision of the walk.  The look totally transformed the old mill building and then I had a bit of fun with the pedestrian signs.  All in all, a fine project.

I remembered an image that I took a few years ago that was an old lady mannikin in a store close by.  I took a photo because I was intrigued by the sign pinned to her as well as her fragile nature.

So, I played around with it a little.  First in Topaz Studio 2.  I wanted just a little of a cartoon like approach with a color shift.  But I wanted to keep her face the same, so used a mask to get rid of the look on her face.

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{"source":"editor","effects_tried":0,"photos_added":0,"origin":"unknown","total_effects_actions":0,"remix_data":["add_photo_directory"],"tools_used":{"tilt_shift":0,"resize":0,"adjust":0,"curves":0,"motion":0,"perspective":0,"clone":0,"crop":0,"enhance":0,"selection":0,"free_crop":0,"flip_rotate":0,"shape_crop":0,"stretch":0},"total_draw_actions":0,"total_editor_actions":{"border":0,"frame":0,"mask":0,"lensflare":0,"clipart":0,"text":0,"square_fit":0,"shape_mask":0,"callout":0},"source_sid":"9F79ACB9-24F7-4A22-9AF2-959DA83C9335_1573693780785","total_editor_time":578,"total_draw_time":0,"effects_applied":0,"uid":"9F79ACB9-24F7-4A22-9AF2-959DA83C9335_1573693780778","total_effects_time":0,"brushes_used":0,"height":2048,"layers_used":0,"width":2048,"subsource":"done_button"} All in all, I am having fun with creating "Really Fake Images".  It allows me an outlet for creative expression and often provides a few laughs from my friends.

Here, the focus is on "fakeness".  Or is it something else, something deeper?

Personally, I have struggled in the past with using too much "photoshopping" to create an image.  Especially  when digital camera and easy Photoshop came available not only for the professional graphic artists, but for anyone.  I've gone to many photo workshops over the years and I have had many personal interpretations of what is "fakeness" and what is going beyond.

In the beginning, I was OK with straightening horizons, adding slight color corrections, and increasing sharpness.  I was dealing with a digital image and knew that softness could be an issue.  And I wanted to make sure that my horizons were straight.

I was also uncomfortable in the world of landscape photography of altering the composition in front of me.  I felt uncomfortable finding a red leaf and placing it strategically in the composition.  I believed, in the beginning, of finding delightful landscapes and taking it as much "as is" as possible.

But my view of the world changed over time.  I started experimenting with different filters.  Nik filters at first.  I loved the variety of Nik filters from Color Efex to Silver Efex to the HDR filter.  I had them all.  And I found them to be great at enhancing images, especially landscapes.

Then I stumbled upon Topaz products, took a few webinars, and started really altering my images.  Transforming them from landscapes to something more dramatic or dreamy or whatever creative expression that I might have.

I also changed the type of photographic workshop that I would attend.  I went from going a workshop expeditions where we would concentrate solely on landscape photography and macro photography to exploring the world of creative expression.  I did composites, dreamscapes, multiple exposures, etc all inspired by Freeman Patterson and Andre Gallant.  I started attended their workshops in 2008 and have been a frequent workshop attendee since that time.  This coupled with exploring different filters on my laptop and exploring the variety of different apps on my iPads.

I started doing work on personal mission/vision using creative expression.  I found that using creative expression while creating an artistic piece that depicted your vision of your personal future to be extremely rewarding to those who took my workshops.  Not only in the States but in Italy and South America.  I found that the creative part was extremely liberating and resulting in many, many personal insights.

So, I've changed my mind about "fakeness".  I don't really view it as being "fake" rather than being a means of creatively expressing yourself.

And, I discovered that I really enjoy both aspects of photography....depicting what I see before me as well as creating something that is an artistic expression of what I envision.

At first, I thought it would be easy to think of places that are sacred.  Many people think of cathedrals like Notre Dame as sacred and special.  Other think of Canterbury and the famous pilgrims that trekked there in Chaucer's book.

But to me, Sacred Places go beyond churches and pilgrimage sites.  To me, any place that fills me with wonder and awe is a sacred place.  Perhaps you've only had a moment there.  Or perhaps you've had years of experience at this particular place and the memories and the experiences lived there are the sacred moments.

One place that I've gone to many times and photographed every single time that I've gone there are the gardens that are in my town.  I feel a sense of peace when I visit.  Often, the grounds are empty.  And there are all sorts of blooms greeting me or the foliage has unique coloring that catches my eye.

Here, I liked the mix of color.  I walked around and see the yellows and the pinks.....but I walked a few more times around this flower bed in order to take it all in.

On that same day, there was a huge flower, red in color and big on attitude.  I wonder if my camera would capture what a wondrous shade of red!

In Fall, I saw some exquisite foliage.  The colors were explosive and fiery.

So, this is one of my Sacred Places.  I walk there.  I contemplate.  I take photos.  I look at these photos again and again.  I relish each moment.

To me, this place is truly sacred.

Going out is an important component to the photography and the connection to spirituality.  When I am outside and happening about those wonderful pieces of serendipity that catch my eye and then my camera, there are times when I do indeed feel a spiritual connection.  There is a sense of wonder and awe and a feeling of how magnificent the world around me is.

On this day in early September, I didn't expect to see any color.  But the stunning reds of these leaves caught me in their tracks.  I knew I had to take a photo today, because soon these colorful leaves will be gone.  An ephemeral moment which causes you to look long and hard because the moment won't last.

Often, it's finding those little things.  Going out and looking for expression of minimalism can cause me to think deeply about simplicity and beauty.  On another occasion I might try to find things that represent chaos in some way; some pattern in nature that is broken.  Like the insect damage on these leaves, where typical vein patterns are broken or distorted; not perfect anymore.

And sometimes I don't even have to go out.  It's right in front of me, on my bedroom window.  Looking intently at me.  And there is my special discovery of the day.

We just attended the last game of the year.  Enjoyed ourselves immensely during the game.  Really enjoyed the fireworks display afterwards.

I am using my new Canon PowerShot G-7 Mark 3 and the Fireworks setting.  Handheld.

I liked the wonderful trails that was created with this firework display.  It arches away from the center and there are a little bit of little colored squiggles at the tips.

I enjoy the two blast of color that this fireworks display shows.  Lots of reds and whites and some blues.

And sometimes the subtle fireworks are special.

A special night and the end of the season.  I probably won't see any more fireworks until New Year's Eve and that will be on TV rather than in person.

Thanks for visiting my blog and seeing a display of light.

This year like previous years I was a presenter and my topic this year was Extreme Exploration.  The overall conference theme was "Postcards from the Edge" and that is what this post is all about.

The idea is to create postcards that reflect what you experience during our morning sessions together prompted by the videos and thinking about the edge, discovery, and exploration.

The idea originated when I was in Death Valley earlier this year and thinking about hiking in extreme conditions.  And being alone or virtually alone in a desert environment as you hike along the shifting sands with the heat of the sun bearing down on you because there is little to no shade.

But this type of extreme situation also allows for plenty of creative thoughts and connections.  This postcard in particular reminded me about the loneliness of exploring even though there are lots of footprints in the sand.

I view making postcards as a way to reflect further about a particular situation.  You think and internalize as you use various filters and adjustments to transform the image from reality to what you see in your mind's eye to reflect your situation.  The AHA moments are not in making the postcard, but also in creating the message that you might send to a muse, confident, or a significant other (not necessarily spouse) about your realizations and discoveries as you explored.

I have to say that the workshop was an overwhelming success for those who were there and for myself as well.  Deep insights spurred by Postcards while thinking about Edges, Discoveries, and Exploration.

Last year in May, I found this barn with the field yet to be tended to for spring planting.

PAD May 4 First Ride with my Miata, Barn Scene Two

Probably because the earth was so wet that it was not a good idea to start bringing big equipment.  Just down the road a bit, a field looked like this.

PAD May 4 First Ride with my Miata, Menomonee County Park

Later in the month, we were traveling in Germany and was able to see colorful farmland.

PAD May 21 German Countryside Three Pad May 21 German Countryside Five PAD May 21 German Countryside TWO

And now the farm implements...

And the very capable dog herding sheep.

The hard part is now for me.  To go through my photos and to select which ones have special memories.  Or even look a bit artistic.  Or speak to me in some way.

My trip to Oregon was to see my daughter.  I was delighted to see everything in bloom and to have surprisingly sunny days.  I went from a very difficult and long Wisconsin winter to blooms everywhere in Oregon.  It was such a delight to walk down the street and to be greeted by loads of color.

Pad March 29 Flowering in McMinnville And I was able to see a wonderful Tulip Farm in the glory of spring color.

PAD April 1 Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm

And sometimes you have to just emphasize the color.

 In various ways:

PAD April 1 Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm

PAD April 1 Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm

My next trip was with my husband to Ireland.  My grandparents came from Dublin so it was a special treat to be in a land where my ancestors hailed from.  To listen to Irish music and to walk the streets in Dublin that my Grandparents walked down.  This bridge over the River Liffey is very , very close to where my Grandparents lived.

There was something about the Aran islands that really spoke to me.  Perhaps it was the ruggedness and horse-drawn carts that take you back a few centuries.

Next stop is to Nova Scotia, one of my favorite places.  I was at a photographic workshop with Andre Gallant in the wonderful UNESCO site of Lunenburg.  This is a special place for me.  I feel grounded here.  I love the people, the historic towns and the scallops surrounded in bacon and dipped in Maple Syrup.

Of course, I also loved the community of Lunenburg.

And nearby Blue Rocks is a special morning experience.

And sometimes in Blue Rocks, the sunrises are exceptionally red.

On my trip back, I spent a few days with family in Atlanta. Then had a few days before my husband and I went to Belgium and Holland.  We spent a week in Ghent, which I loved.

And then Holland.

And Amsterdam

My next trip was to Provence.  Lots of lavender.  Lots of people enjoying the Lavender.

And now home.  With lots of great memories and many photos to sort through.

Ironically, I almost didn't pack my large camera.  I find when traveling that this type of camera actually becomes more of a burden than an asset, even though the quality of photos that I take with it are incredibly awesome.  But it's big and bulky and seems to suggest that I know what I am doing as a photographer and sometimes you just don't want people to know.  You rather just be anonymous.

But we spent a lot of time in the countryside and had some beautiful blue sky days which is what I wasn't expecting for Ireland, especially when we were on the Aran islands.  Blues skies and no rain was a very pleasant surprise.

I tend to use my Canon G7 when I am in the city and need to take quick pics when we are with out tour guide.  it's small and I have it set to silence so there isn't a lot of noise when I shoot.  I can be more anonymous.  And people don't necessarily think I know how to take photos as I amble down the street with our tour guide.  But I am always looking for a possible shot or possible better angle or better light as the tour guide explains the historical or cultural significance of a spot.

And now there is my new iPhone, with its dual camera capability with its wide and telephoto means.  I tend to only use the camera sparingly because I find you just have to be too close to your subjects in order to get a good shot.  It's more for people portraits and big scenes rather than zooming in to get detail of a scene.  Becomes too pixilated.  But I am liking the panoramic feature and on this trip, I just didn't think enough of using this feature when I was taking a photo. It does an excellent job at this and it's quite easy to crop away the bad parts afterwards.

I would show some photos of my adventure, but I am still working through culling and editing.  I probably took more photos on this trip than any other.  I think the great weather was an incentive.  Plus there were others in the tour group that were also taking lots of photos so I was spurred on to take even more photos. Not to be competitive, but just to have the experience of shooting with others.  There is something about watching others take in a scene and it prompts me to spend a little more time looking a scene over and seeing what types of perspectives I might want to include.

I liked the blend of digital sir, P&S, and iPhone camera.  It causes me to see the world differently and to capture the world in different ways.

I spent some time in the past month looking for Evidence of Spring where I live in Wisconsin and then where my daughter lives in Oregon.  Naturally, the stories were quite different depending on where you are.

I started my explorations in Wisconsin by driving to various locations along lake Winnebago, a very large inland lake.  One of my first stops was at Jefferson Park.  The wind was howling off of the lake.  There were a few cars parked along the waterfront, with cars running and people preferring to sit within their heated cars.  Me, I ventured out and walked along the waterfront, a paved path that still had snow. I did question my sanity a bit as I walked and the wind chilled me to my bones, but I was glad that I had on my warm hat, a layer of down, and a wind-resistant outer layer.  Dressed fairly smartly for the occasion.

As I walked, I noticed that the ice was starting to break up.  It's layered grip on top on the lake starting to lessen.  And to me, this was one of my first signals that Spring was arriving in our area.  Open water on the lake.

Open Water on Lake Winnebago

I decided to continue my explorations along Lake Winnebago.  This time at High Cliff State Park.  The snow on the walking trails was minimal.  The ranger when I checked the trails at the visitors's center said that skiing is now over and the trails are open to hiking.  He wasn't sure how muddy they were.

Believe it or not, I only found a few sections were the trails were muddy.  I had put on my tall, rubber boots, just in case.  But I could have easily walked with just plain hiking shoes.  As I hiked along, I decided to visit the statue of Red Chief and it's tribute to the lake.  Here the lake was still partially frozen, but all of the ice fishing shanties are gone since it's not safe to be on the ice.  Another big evidence that spring is coming.

Overlooking Lake Winnebago Around this time there was other evidence that Spring was just emerging.

Melting Snow on paved walking trails.

Road Construction Starting.

And buds just forming on the trees.

That was in Wisconsin.  Then I made the trek to visit my daughter in Oregon.  Her spring was much further along.

I saw my first trillium, which to me, is a symbol of spring emerging.

PAD April 3 Miller Woods

And blossoms, blossoms everywhere...

PAD April 3 Around McMinnville

PAD April 3 Around McMinnville

PAD April 3 Around McMinnville

Spring was everywhere.  I just had to walk outside to see and smell the overwhelming and totally welcome burst of spring in Oregon.

This posting is an explanation of the weeklong Sand Painting experience, taken from the posters that surrounded the room where the sand painting occurred.

The sign outside the museum advertising the event.

Day One:  Opening Ceremony

Day One:  After the Opening Ceremony

Days Two through Six

In Closing:

In closing, sweeping up the colored sand showing impermanence.

Dispersion.  The last part of the weeklong celebration, further emphasizing impermanence while sending healing energies.

A very inspirational week.

After an opening ceremony, the painting begins.  The outline of the mandala is carefully drawn.  And then the monks start to fill in this amazing mandala, with pieces of colorful sand so carefully added.  My first experience is on Day two as the monks added sand to the outline.  As you can see the monks are in the early stages of filling in the mandala.

Careful attention to detail.

And you can see the individual grains of sand pour onto the Mandala's canvas.

The colors are so intense and the mandala continues to grow during the week.  You can see the individual pieces of sand and the attention to detail in the later part of the week of sand painting.  First a close up of the sand painting:

Then a view of the progress that they had made two days after my initial visit.

It was truly inspiring to see this and to hear the lectures given by the monks about Tibet, about sand painting, and about their emphasis on compassion.

One of the small groups that I led is focused on Contemplative Photography.  And the challenge for February for this small group is to take at least one photo of a subject for a week.

I expanded upon that and took a photo of my subject for a little over a month.  The inspiration for the challenge is Mark Hirsch's work for over a year about "That Tree" where he photographed a tree and then published a book, "One Year in the Life of a Tree".

His photos over that timespan are incredible.  In our small group and with me, the results were insightful, but probably not the kind of photos that would make it into a book, unless it's self-published.

But the learning was vast.

Part of my dilemma was picking a subject knowing that I was going to be gone for 10 days.   So, having props around the house or in my immediate vicinity weren't going to work.

And then I put on the self-defined constraint.....I was going to do this at least from Jan 19 to the Feb 19.  At least a month of photos.

So, I needed something that would always be with me.  And I already knew that my bag was completely filled to the brim for my January adventure into Death Valley, with hiking boots and poles and all of the other stuff that you bring on a hiking vacation.

I tried to pick something as a subject that would always be with me.  I thought about my face....but that was a bit much for me.  Too much revealing.  So, then I thought about my left hand.  It's always with me.  It's not my dominant hand.  Its something that actually could be a stretch and then some.  I also considered that this might be a great time for me to get to know the different photo apps that I have on my relatively new iPhone XS.

My first shots were kind of boring.....but I kind of liked the shadows of my left hand.

Jan 20 Shadow Play Three

And then they involved music....playing songs and having music that shows how the left hand is involved.

Jan 21 Just touching the keys

I suddenly realized on my trip to Death Valley that I always use my left hand to indicate the start of a panoramic.  Why not make it a bit more interesting and have the subject mean something rather than a mere placeholder?  Zabriisky Point and don't notice that I could really use a professional manicure.

Jan 31 Zabriski's Point ThreeThis id my third entry into my fingers of my left hand series.

This is totally not planned. I use my fingers to indicate the start of a panoramic series. And this was just to get that started.

But I like the very, very out of focus Zabriski's point.

And then I played around with cameras and taking photos.

Feb 10 Playing with the old camera

Food photos are a natural.  But who really cares about my high cholesterol diet?

Feb 16 Breakfast One, Portion Potato

It wasn't until near the end of my month long experience that I became more experimental and thought about very, very creative ways to include my left hand.

But my absolute favor is a take on "Hear no Evil, See No Evil, Speak No Evil".

I have to say that I enjoyed my little exploration of one subject matter.  I mainly used my iPhone and the app, Procamera.  I like many of the features of this app.  But its just a means to an end.  Having an interesting subject matter and a little creativity always helps.

Today is my last day of me focusing on my left hand.  I have to say that I look at it in a different way.  It's not the ignored hand anymore.  And, perhaps, in the future, I will think about featuring my left hand again while traveling and when I want an interesting and provocative subject.

Overall, my biggest complaint about my iPhone is that it really a camera that encourages "snaps".  It's almost like the days of the Brownie camera, long ago. Create a situation and an associated technology that allows everyone to become a great photographer.  The iPhone and other Smartphones provide that opportunity.  Smartphones do a great job of capturing moments that are close to you and involving people.  They weren't designed for having the reach of a true SLR with a telephoto lens..  But not everyone aspires to be a National Geographic photographer.  They want to capture the moment in a way that creates great memories that they can show friends and family easily in the future.

So, I explored different modes on my iPhone and different camera apps.  I was wondering what works and what doesn't.  My standard, however, is a digital SLR.  Difficult comparison,I know.  And probably unfair.

Macro capability, I love the app, Camera+.  I could capture the fissures of my hand close up easily.

Feb 3 The Macro Shot of my Left Hand

The spirit of this photo is to show what the app can do.  I appreciate the level of detail and it's ability to show all the wrinkles of my hand.  Needless to say, this is not something that I would make a print of and hang in my home.  It was proving a concept....the ability of the app, Camera+2, to create a macro image.

The other app and probably the app that I use the most on my iPhone XS is ProCamera.  I like the layout.  I like that I can create settings that I can use again and again.  

Here are a couple of examples of photos created by ProCamera.  Keep in mind that my challenge during the month of February is to focus on my left hand.

Feb 3 Playing my Piano

And then I just used a few apps for creative expression using my left hand.    A combination of Snapseed and Pixelmator.  Probably a bit more in Pixelmator.  

So,

I appreciate what I can do in capturing images in the native iPhone app, but I prefer ProCamera and Camera + .  These two apps provides me the creative freedom that I enjoy with my digital SLT.

And for post processing, Snapseed, Enlight, and Pixelmator are my go to apps for creative expression.

More to come on this as I spend more time with my iPhone apps from the future.

I've had an iPhone for years.  I choose an iPhone because it fits with my ecosystem of iPads and MAC computers.  I wanted everything in my personal and work life to sync easily and when I made a change from the PC environment to the MAC environment in 2009, I changed my thinking to the IOS way of life.

Except for my image capture.  I am so tied to aperture priority that I find myself very frustrated with using my phone as an image capture means.  In fact, last year I was due for a new phone and was interested in the new iPhone X, but backed away and bought a wonderful P&S in the Canon G7M2.  And to me that was a very important decision because my new little P&S was my "go to" image capture device during many trips last year.  And I was very satisfied with my photos and very glad that I didn't have to carry the weight around of my Canon DSLR.  There are times now that I travel with just my Canon G7M2 and leave my Canon DSLR at home.

But this year, I desperately needed a new phone.  I looked at various choices and then decided the iPhone XS was the phone for me.

Since my purchase a few days before Christmas, I've been experimenting.  I've read camera tips on various websites, watched YouTube videos and just experimented with capturing images.  I found that I like the new Portrait feature and am glad that I decided on the iPhone XS.  I am continuing to play around with the different controls on the provided camera app and I am also exploring some alternative camera apps.

What I discovered along the way is that there are three camera apps that I seem to be favoring:  Camera+2, Obscura, and ProCamera.  ProCamera, in particular, has become my camera app of choice.  For me, it provides a user experience that I feel comfortable with and allows me to easily change settings and get the types of photos that I like within the limits of the iPhone.  I consider them limits because my DSLR and my P&S represent the ideal of my image capture world.

ProCamera allows me to have a simple interface during any of the shooting modes and with a simple click, I can get to a more advanced menu and quickly change options.  I can shoot RAW if I want to.  I can manually determine my shutter speed and ISO.  I can have different advanced settings.  And, I can easily check the metadata, something that I always find frustrating with the iPhone camera app and IOS's photos.  Histograms can be shown while taking photos.  And I can easily use exposure compensation.

The only thing that I am missing from ProCamera is the macro feature that I find very easy to use in Camera+2.  If I am going to take any macros, I find this camera app extremely easy to use.

And I will continue to experiment and use the Portrait feature on the native camera.  I love being able to change the lighting configuration.  And I want to see if I can simulate an aperture type experience with this new feature realizing that it's meant for portraits rather than landscapes.  It will be interesting to do some table top work and see what the portrait feature can do.

These are my musings about my new iPhone and my initial experimenting and use of other image capture apps.  Next post, I will add some photos that I've taken with the native camera, ProCamera, and Camera+.

And it also gives a great excuse to get out each and everyday, especially in the winter time.

I wanted to share with you, a picture per quarter.  Selecting rather randomly to show the 4 seasons.

A January Walk

PAD Jan 8 Simplicity

Wildlife on our Deck after an April Snowfall

PAD April 18 Deer and a Black Squirrel in our Backyard sharing Bird Seed

July and a Road Trip to the home of the hamburger, Seymour Wisconsin

Pad July 5 Mr Hamburgers

October and the Castle at Lake Bled in Slovenia

PAD Oct 3 Lake Bled

Looking forward to another year of Photo-A-Day.  2019 should be another year rich in photos and rich in travels.

One of the pleasures that I have in my family is to be the archivist of my childhood.  I scan in photos and slides from my childhood showing all events.  Christmas is one time of year that we never missed a shot, starting when my mom got her first Brownie Hawkeye camera in the late 50's.  She got it as a Christmas present and usually brought out the camera for Christmas, birthdays, and First Communions.  It was a rare event in those days to take photos, but these photos taken are very special memories.  And I was the one that was able to archive them by scanning in prints.

A few years later my Uncle who had the nice Nikon camera and took slides gave me a shoebox of slides from my early childhood.  Pictures that I hadn't seen since we would get together at my Grandparents house when I was much, much younger.  I scanned those slides and they have become a staple at my Dad's birthday party when we all get together and review our past.

I associate Christmas with memorable family photos.  And today I continue that tradition.

Here I am having a Christmas Hot Chocolate.

Our annual trek to the Pittock Mansion and one of the various decorated trees in one of the Mansions rooms.

Our new Christmas table decoration.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays

I have to say that I've been very happy with my Canon G7X.  I've taken it on numerous trips and its small size and excellent low light capability and easy to change exposure makes it a perfect camera for me.  Plus I can easily shift it to Aperture priority which is my preferred shooting mode.

But this year, I really need a new phone.  I hemmed and hawed about buying one knowing how expensive these things have become.  It took me a while to come around.  But finally I got my new iPhone XS a little over a week ago.

What I wasn't ready for is the new HEIF format.  I tried to upload my brand new photos and found out that I wasn't successful until I transformed them into jpegs.  

At the same time, I am happy with my new iPhone and its camera.  Will it replace my Canon G7?  No.  I like the ease of using the P&S and my ability to adjust the aperture.  But it will be a nice supplement to what I have.  And I am determined to learn how to take better photos using the capabilities that it has.  

Here are a few examples of some Christmas related snapshots that I took this past week:

Close up View

View including the Christmas Tree

Now onto finding more things to photograph!

After looking at lots of photos, I have to say that my favorite expression of this year is to concentrate on my travels and what I discovered along the way.

In the beginning it was a modest gallery.  Just a few family images.

And then it expanded.  It went from a joint gallery to two galleries:  the one of my photos from the past year and the official holiday letter showing family and travel photos.

And then it expanded even further as I went to Photo-A-Day, my way.  that means taking at least one photo a day.  Lately, it seems like I take G's of photos per day and have to select amongst those that I find are memorable or have some reason why I want to share with others.

Last year I decided to focus on my trip to Sicily and an exhibit that I saw that featured the Grand Tour as seen through the eyes of a French watercolorist.  I took this approach using Topaz apps and transformed my photos into more of a watercolor like feel.

Palermo: San Giovanni Degli Eremiti: The Garden

It was a smashing success.  I got lots of positive feedback and interest in these photos.

So, what do I do this year?  The Grand Tour approach applies to my travels this year.  But I wanted to do something different.  We've taken a lot of different tours and had the experience of being in different locales other than home.  So, this year I am concentrating on those memorable travel experiences and the story behind them.

I haven't sent it out yet so I don't know the response, but it was a pleasure to put it together.  An experience of thinking of what I experienced with my travels and then finding the photos to support my thoughts.

Here is a small sampling of the photos that I decided to include.

Barcelona...

March 5 Placa de CatalunyaWe arrived at this placa in Barcelona getting off the train that transported us from the airport. It was a beautiful site after being in a plane for hours.

A couple of days later, we walked through the placa on the way to our hotel and they just finished planting the spring flowers. This made this special place even more special.

My special moment was getting off of the train and seeing this beautiful placa.

A scenic view in Germany...

May 22 Bridge in Hann Munden, GermanyEarly morning walk before breakfast in this quaint town.

My special moment was the great reflection without any bustling traffic or big trucks on the bridge.

A Foggy Day along the Oregon Coast.

Sept 9 Fishing on the Pacific at Lincoln City, OregonMarie and I almost didn't go to this beach. It appeared while we were driving into Lincoln City that the beach was going to be totally socked in by fog. We decided to park, anyway. We actually got a great parking spot since no one was at the beach today, except for a few fisher persons.

My special moment is making the decision to walk the beach anyhow and I was delighted by the foggy shots that I was getting.

Enjoying the wall in Motovun Croatia in the early morning.

Oct 6 Early Light after Sunrise in MotovunEarly morning light. I had the whole fortified wall to myself with early morning light. What a delight!

Kotor, Montenegro

Oct 13 Walking around Kotor, MontenegroI loved the "threes" aspect of this photo. The mountains, the castle fortifications, and the lovely reflecting pond.

And sometimes walking around in your own town can have it's rewards as well.

Nov 2 Expect Goodness and Kindness in Appleton WisconsinSometimes you can simply walk in your neighborhood and see amazing and poignant things.

Great message on a fall day.

But that changed two years ago.  We discovered that taking a tour is a very social way to travel and it takes away much of the planning.  So, we can concentrate on enjoying whatever country we are in and not have to worry about logistics or driving or getting lost.  I think you get the picture.

But it also means that we spend a lot of time on a bus.  And there are times when we pass by some great great things to photograph.

So, what do you do?

I discovered if I use my P&S camera, shutter priority, with a high shutter speed that I am often able to capture some interesting shots.  Not all the time.  There are many failed attempts because of reflections.  I wanted to share a few of them.  The first few are taken from a bus.

This first shot, I could see the waterway coming up as I sat next to the window.  The reflections were at a minimum at this time. I was extremely lucky since reflections of white and the red from the bus seats ruined many other photos that I had taken that day.  But here I was able to get the water and the reflections that I wanted....the reflections of buildings, boats, and foliage.

I tried to get many of the winding roads that we were on while traveling through Croatia.  Often the reflection of the bus driver would subtly be in the window, almost acting as a ghost.  Fortunately, the trees blocked the sun which prevented the ghostly reflection.  And I was able to capture an aspect of the curvy roads that we experienced.

And then there are times when you are just plain lucky.  Lots of blue water.  Sun over the island.  I clicked and hope it would turn out!

I try the same approach when moving by ferry and on this trip to Croatia, we had a couple of ferry experiences.

I love this shot because it shows the ruggedness of the coast and a sense of scale with the boat.  The clouds above increases the drama.

Scenes While Taking Ferry to Trpanj

Another rugged shoreline shot, with a small boat close to shore.

Scenes While Taking Ferry to Trpanj

And sometimes when you are just about to land on an island, you can capture an interesting perspective.  Just have to be fast enough and lucky enough to be in the right position.

Hope you enjoyed my "moving" photography whether the movement is on a bus or in the water.

The first shot that I took for me is in Ljubljana Slovenia.  This is one of the last projects that the famous Slovenian architect, Jose Plecnik, designed.  Formerly a monastery, now a venue for theater and music.  

I am in the courtyard and had noticed the statue with the figure playing the flute.  The reason why this shot is for me is I also noticed the wonderful pavement and the lone leaf.  The pavement makes a great leading line and I wanted an image that captured the leaf, the pavement, and the flute players silhouetted in the window.

Monastery near City Museum, Plecnik's Late Work now for summer theater

Another image that is totally for me.  A night time image of Preseren Square in Ljubljana.  I walked by and then double backed.  Usually the square is filled with people, but we ate an early dinner and were walking when others were settled down for their evening meal.  The square was basically empty, although I am glad that there are a few people there to give it perspective.  I actually like the three figures that are sitting on the steps of the cathedral and the silhouetted figure of a man near the end of the square.  Initially, the play of darkness and lights were what caught my eye.  The lights of the triangular building, in particular, were attention-grabbing. As well as the lights that are embedded in the pavement of the square.  

Night Views of Ljubljana, Preseren Square

Another image that is just for me is this photo of the bicycle against the wall.  I have two versions of this:  one that doesn't include the cat and one that does.  The image that is just for me includes the cat as part of the overall look. It was common in Slovenia, Croatia, and Montenegro to see feeding stations for cats at various parts of the city.  In Montenegro, there was a cat museum whose proceeds go to feeding the cats in the city.

PAD Oct 13 Walking around Perast
 

And, for reference, here is the photo without the cat.

PAD Oct 13 Walking around Perast

And here is another bicycle photo.  This time from Rovinj.

Bike outside a cafe in Rovinj

We were coming to our hotel home in Dubrovnik on one of the last days of our vacation and the light was very dramatic with the lone sailboat in the Adriatic close to Dubrovnik and lots of golden color.

PAD Oct 13 Yellow Waters at Sunset, TWO, Dubrovnik

Its not that I don't take the typical shots.  I take those as well.  While walking around Lake Bled, I found these two shots with differing reflections and a slightly different vantage point during the walk.

I was attracted to the first image because of the clouds and how they reflected in the water.  The clouds in my mind "framed" the famous castle.  Plus the blue skies made for a great background and made the castle seem all the more remote as it sits on its rocky site high over the water.

Castle at Lake Bled while Walking Around the Lake

The second image was also influenced by clouds and reflections.  This time it included the castle and the church spire.  Plus a little color.

Castle at Lake Bled while Walking Around the Lake

For me, it's great to take a blend of photos that you want to show others of your travels.  And then there is the special moments that perhaps only I would understand and appreciate.  Those photos are for me.

It takes a while.

The last couple of travel trips, I've been traveling without a computer.  Just an iPad and my cameras.  I am trying to keep it simpler that way.  And then I don't really look at photos until I get home.  This trip I had one day when I downloaded photos and made some adjustments while on the bus using Snapseed, but I find that the thumbnails are too small for me to get a good sense of whether I like the photo or not.

And I also find that on these tours, I tend to take a lot of photos.  Especially photos that are experimental or "I'll take it because I will probably never be back here again.".  I've also taken to try some photos while moving on a bus or a boat, when it's a part of the tour.  Again, there might be a moment or two that I want to capture and I know that we won't be stopping.  And there are a few photos that I absolutely love that I've taken in this manner.

But I realize now that I've added my galleries to Zenfolio that I have way to many photos.  These photos are for me to review and relish over time.  Part of what I will be doing this week is putting shorter galleries together.  The galleries that I am envisioning are:

1. My top photo of the day.  
2. A small savoring of my favorites throughout the trip
3. Best photos of my husband and I during the trip

This might all seem backwards.  Why not simply go through and select the top photo and a small savoring and just let the rest alone?  I've asked myself that question and I've been enjoying going through my trips at various times over the past two years that we've been doing organized tours and I just like to have my own personal set of photos that capture the entire experience.  I like to relax by going over these past travels and recollect what happened and the photos are a great way to trigger great memories.  It's a personal thing.  And I think the personal aspect of all of this went into my selection process over the past two weeks.  What I am doing this week is skinnying that down even further so that friends and family will get a sense of our trip, but not be overrun with lots of details.  These galleries are not for me but for showing others the highlights of the trips, not every single memory.

PAD Sept 9 Wave Action on the Pacific at Lincoln City

The ominous sky over the Pacific and a slow shutter speed combined to create this image. love the range of colors and the blurriness.

PAD Sept 9 Wave Action on the Pacific at Lincoln City

I am experimenting with slow shutter speeds and slight intentional Camera movement. I love the sense of motion that the blurriness suggests.

I play around with all of them.  It comes in waves.  There are months when I just use Lightroom to simple edit my photos.  Then there are other times when I use a whole repertoire of possible programs ranging from simple apps on my phone to much more complex programs like OnOne Raw and Photoshop various forms.

Today I played around with Topaz Studio.  I've been a Topaz fan for many years and have most of the the apps before they introduced Topaz Studio.  I have to be honest, I haven't been using Topaz lately.  I am more in a minimalist, more Wabi Sabi mood, in the past year or so.  So today, I decided to experiment with Topaz Studio.

Here's my starting image....

PAD Sept 25 Leave on our deck, the original

Just a little bit of fall when the acorns are falling and leaves fall when the winds are blowing.

Now, it's time to play.

PAD Sept 25 Leaves on our deck and variations

This photo is a slight use of a filter within Topaz.  Opacity is about 20%.  Subtle, yes; Effective for me, yes.

And then I played with more obvious filters.  Not depicting reality really.

PAD Sept 25 Leaves on our deck and variations

And then I played a bit more...Reality, distorted.

PAD Sept 25 Leaves on our deck and variations

Lots of fun to play around with filter and Topaz has a wonderful array on the computer.  I actually love to play with them and appreciate that there are apps out there that allows lots of creative expression.

Start with Quieting your mind.  Let you mind be still as you study that photos that you created.

Seek Understanding.  Allow yourself to understand "how you might enhance" your photo so that it's closer to your mind's eye when you capture the image.

Acceptance.  While editing accept any new changes that add to your understand of what the photo might mean to you.

And, lastly, appreciate. Let your edited photo speak to you and appreciate what it is saying to you, including any new insights or realizations that you might discover.

That being said, editing is a subtle art in the Wabi Sabi tradition.  It's enhancing and enriching the image without trying to achieve perfection.  

Here are a few examples of photos that were lightly edited in the Wabi Sabi spirit.

I was walking along the street in Bacharach Germany and there was one lone blossom on the street.  I am always attracted to red and I loved the pattern of the brickwork.  Lightly editing means some clarity and maybe a bit of saturation in Lightroom.  Nothing more.

Another early morning walk in Germany and I spied these two wooden geese.  I loved the harsh shadow.  The photo is pretty much as is although I intensified the black shadow in Lightroom.  Simple edit but it goes more with my mind's eye of the image.  

I loved the way the light hit the grasses.  This is also on a walk and I had to turn around a couple of times before I decided to stop and take a shot.  I loved the light.  Editing was extremely minor.  Just clarity in LR and just a touch.

Who would think slime would look so interesting?  A sludge that created interesting lines.  Just a bit of clarity in Lightroom.  The rest is the sludge itself.  Love the pattern and the textures.

This is St John New Brunswick. I love the brickwork of the buildings here and the intricate details.  Plus seeing the paper in the early morning.  The soft colors of a New Brunswick day greeted me as I walked along.  There was a fog that just lifted.  And the colors were more brilliant.  I barely increased saturation in LR and then increased the clarity.  Not much.  Just a touch.

And who can resist a cemetery on a foggy day.  Perfect for conjuring ghouls and goblins.  Just a bit of editing; not much; it's pretty much as is.

So, you can see that Wabi Sabi editing is very light.  It lets "what is" speak for itself.  Just seeing what's in front of you is and appreciating it is what is important.

When Tim sent out the theme for this year, he also sent out a very interesting post by Mike Sturm about Wabi Sabi.  As I put things together I discovered a model that Mike proposed:  Quieting Your Mind, Understanding, Accepting, and Appreciating is what he put forward based upon the history of both Wabi and Sabi

As I was working with the group at Mindcamp, I put together some elaboration on how taking photos in a Wabi Sabi ways might be approached:

First:

Quiet Your Mind

I find this to be extremely important.  Do whatever it takes for you to truly have nothing on your mind except the present.  No preconceived notions.  No desire to get shots that you've seen others take in a similar situation.  This is all about being in the present and letting your mind be still as you observe the world around you.

Second:

Understand

Allow yourself to understand "what is" before you take a photograph.  This is all about truly seeing what is in front of you and not trying to perfect it.  Understanding might take a nanosecond OR it might take a long dwell time to really see what is there.  Resist the temptation to click right away.  Slow down.  Observe.  Try different approaches to see if you get a different understanding.

Third:

Accept

Accepting your understanding before you "click".  This might take some discipline since we love to click.  But resist temptation and take some time to understand and to accept it as is.  Notice what is not totally perfect and accept it "as is".

Understanding and accepting might happen in a fraction of a second.  Synapsis happen and connections are made.  Which leads to the next step.

Fourth:

Appreciate

Let your image speak to you.  Give yourself time for your image to speak.  And appreciate what your photo is saying to you.  About you.  About the situation.  About how you felt in the moment.  About your photography.  About yourself, in many different ways.

In Summary,

There is something special about Contemplative Photography.  There is something that is overlooked when you approach photograph with clicking away without looking, really looking at your world.  Wabi Sabi is all about seeing and observing and appreciating what is in front of you.  I find this to be extremely satisfying.  Especially when life is busy and balance seems to be out rather than in.  

Appendix:

I've read a number of articles about Wabi Sabi and also purchased a couple of books.  Two books that I would recommend are:

Adventures in Seeing:  How the Camera Teaches You to Pause, Focus, and Connect with Life by Kim Manley Ort

The Practice of Contemplative Photography:  Seeing the World with Fresh Eyes by Andy Kart and Michael Wood

I was in St Martins, New Brunswick.  It's a small village on the Bay of Fundy.  What caused me to get out and take some photos was hearing the mournful cry of the foghorn overnight.  I looked out my window and thought it would be a good day to experience Wabi Sabi photography.

The fog was coming in.  The coolness on my skin felt good in the early morning.  There was dew on the grass.

Quietly. I enjoyed the moment through all of my senses.

Then I continued to walk and watch the scenery transform as the fog moved from the Bay of Fundy to where I was walking.   You can barely see the shoreline as the wave breaks, with the fog muting anything that you can see in the background.

PAD August 4 Fog at the Beach

Or just the beach and a wall of fog over the water.

Near the harbor area, the entryway to the Bay also had a light fog.

PAD August 4 Fog in the St Martins Harbor

My walk continued and I was able to see the currents coloring the bay.

The fog was lifting somewhat so you could see further out into the Bay.

And on my return, I was able to see that the Kayak adventure was setting up for the day.

I appreciate the ability to start the day with the mournful cry of the foghorn and the appreciate of scenes that I don't have a chance to see in my everyday life.  What a delightful experience at St Martins on the Bay of Fundy in New Brunswick.

I wanted to share with you a number of images that I've had the privilege of taking in the Wabi Sabi tradition.

This first image was taken earlier this spring while traveling on the Pacific Coast in Oregon.  I loved the whimsical display of Owls and birds on a tanks that travels along the diagonal.  What I appreciate about this image is the three pieces of bird artwork and how they are displayed on the tree.  It catches your attention and makes you smile.

We had a very heavy snowfall in mid-April, unusual for us.  Our street wasn't plugged for a couple of days.  I finally got some cabin fever and just had to go out and take a walk.  The snow was deep.  The roads weren't plowed.  The sidewalks were brimming with lots of snow.  At this time of year, this little statue would be sitting with early spring flowers.  What struck me when I spent time observing this before taking the photo was imagining that the little creature is spitting out snow.  Either out of disgust.  Or in revelry of snow.

There is a wonderful tulip farm in Oregon.  And I had the privilege of visiting it this spring.  A definite Wabi Sabi moment.  I spent hours there looking over the various patterns, textures, colors, and light.  There was a storm brewing.  I was worried that I would get my camera wet, but I had enough plastic bags for protection that I felt safe and could enjoy the changing scene and sky in front of me.

And here is another , with the sky being ominous while the tulips are still very, very colorful.

More to come on Wabi Sabi.  I spent time observing and understanding before I took each photo.  The pause before shooting is incredibly important, allowing me to really appreciating the scene or object or person that stands in front of me.

My vision was to go after color.  It's July and the gardens are full of various colors.  So, I went so far as the pansies that are by our front door.  I set the shutter speed as low as possible and also the ISO.  And then I tried a couple of shots.  One of the nicest ones of the series is a shot that I took early on, when I was still in the experimental phase.  It's a slow pan of our planter.  What I like about the results is that it's such a nice blend of color.  I can imagine the planter with the brown dirt and the three different colors of pansies, but that gets overwhelmed the the wonderful display of vibrant colors.

Pad July 23 ICM of Pansies

Later on in this photo shoot, I decided to pan using a sine wave motion and I love the energy that is the final image.  A little criss-crossing and a lot of fun is suggested.  I imagine that the whole scene is dancing, reveling in the color.

Pad July 23 ICM of Pansies

The Flower Box attached to the garage is a different approach.  The Pansies are stacked up there and overflow the flower box.  I tried a slight sine wave pan and achieved this affect.

Pad July 23 ICM of Pansies

And my final photo of the series is the two distinct clusters of color, white and red.

Pad July 23 ICM of Pansies

It was a fun and exhilarating series to shoot and process.  I am enjoying the abstract results.  Love the color.  All in my front yard.

A few years ago I was at a camera workshop and some folks had equipment that allowed them to take multiple exposures and then process them "in camera".  I loved this feature and was waiting patiently for Canon to provide this same feature.  As soon as they announced that they were going to debut a new Canon 5D model with multiple exposure and HDR, I immediately ordered the camera and waited for it to be released in the US.

I was not disappointed.  Both features are things that I really appreciate about my camera.  And I use these features to enhance my creative expression.

Today was all about color and making fun, abstract images.  I tried conventional multiple exposure, with 9 exposures.  

Here are some of the results.

I spied a couple of pink blossoms with a whole lot of greenery.  I knew that the pink would do a nice bit of blending with the green and provide a colorful splash of green tones with some pink.  Swirling my camera around created the affect, with 9 exposures.

PAD July 16 ICM Because it's FUN

This next shot was more experimental.  I saw lots of color and wondered what it would be like all blended together.  Movement wasn't a circle but more downward in nature.

PAD July 16 ICM Because it's FUN

I returned to a swirling approach with 9 exposures with one lily in the frame and some greenery and some brown earth.  This time I slightly moved the camera in a clockwise position.

PAD July 16 ICM Because it's FUN

Slightly different part of the garden more of a traditional clockwise rotation with a center focus and 9 exposures.  I can feel the thrill of the movement.

PAD July 16 ICM Because it's FUN

Then I changed my approach completely and took multiples by changing the zoom of my lens.  A little more like a horror-movie than a celebration of color.

PAD July 16 ICM Because it's FUN

Tried changing the zoom lens again, this time just focused on flowers and 3 multiple exposures.  A more subtle approach, but not the type of celebration of color that I was hoping for.  

PAD July 16 Flowers Shaking

I liked the following affect a whole lot more.  White color with a little green background.  3-Shot multiple exposure with just a slight twist on the zoom lens.  In the future, I might play with a 2-Shot multiple exposure with just a little twist of the zoom to give it a slight ghost affect.  And I might change the whiteness to a purer white by overexposing a bit.

Pad July 16 Multiples

I have to admit that it was great fun to play with color and creative expression.  Some really work well for me; others were a nice experiment.  But often, it's the experiments that I really like.  So, I will continue to play around and use the features of my camera and my ability to move and shake in order to create!.

I wasn't the only car parked there.  Others were enjoying the lower temperature day after having a string of two weeks with temperatures uncharacteristically warm.  It was around lunch time and there are a few benches here overlooking the water.

I got out my camera and surveyed the area.  To my eye, it looked like the reflections weren't all that apparent.  I thought I might as well try to capture some aspect of reflection.  The clouds were so cool.

When I got home, I was very pleased with my photos.

The dark cloud made an interesting contrast to the rest of the puffy clouds.  I liked the way the reflection of the clouds created a faint white line in the lake.  I also liked the tiny clouds, like three dots (....) form a connection between the big, dark cloud and the rest of the smaller ones.

PAD July 17 Reflection on Lake Winnebago

Since I wasn't completely sure if I was getting the reflections that I wanted, I took a few more shots.

I shot both vertically and horizontally.  I waited for the breeze to subside a bit and was so pleased to see a slightly rippled reflection in the lake.

PAD July 17 Reflection on Lake Winnebago

Changing my camera to vertical orientation and then I let the breeze create a slightly different version of the reflection.  I really liked the ripples of the reflection in this particular version.  The water and the breeze are playing with this reflection and each breeze, each ripple creates a different effect.

PAD July 17 Reflection on Lake Winnebago

I probably stopped for only 10 minutes.  5 minutes to photograph; 5 minutes to pause and appreciate the clouds, the water, and the reflections on a summer day.

So, I got home and fetched my tripod, my shutter release, and my 180 mm macro lens.  I went next door and concentrated on taking photos of our neighbor's garden using manual exposure, my shutter release, my tripod, and the cool ability to magnify the focusing area when in live view on my Canon 5DM4.

It took me a while to remember how to use my camera in this mode.  The set up in a little different in the 5DM4 vs my tried and true 5DM3.  I was amazed that these differences had an affect of slowing me down and really thinking about what I was doing.

While fumbling in the beginning, I didn't realize that I accidentally took a short video of the yellow lily gently blowing in the breeze.  Must have accidental hit "start" while in "movie mode" rather than "still mode".    Once I got my act together, I proceeded on slowing composing my photos and taking my shots.  

Slowly, I would turn on live view.  Compose my scene with my tripod head a bit loose so that I could move my camera every so slightly.  Then I would tighten the various knobs on the tripod head to make sure that all was what I expected.  It took a little getting used to since the 180mm lens is a bit heavier than the 100mm macro that I usually hand hold.  But I started to get a feel for it.  Feel is the right word because it was all about "feeling" the knobs on my tripod and camera to get the camera situated in just the right position.  It's a different way of thinking than if you just point and shoot your camera.  Your mind and your hands are engaged at all times, feeling your way through as you check your composition and then make sure that all knobs are secure before you gently remove our hands from the camera and let it sit securely on the tripod aimed at the subject.

The Canon 5DM4 has touchscreen features that are perfect for macro work.  I can magnify the focus area and really fine tune my focusing.  A slight breeze was in the air and the magnified image blew in the wind a bit.  But at the same time I was amazed at how precisely I could focus.

With cable release in hand, I snapped the photo when the conditions seemed right.  

Here are just a couple of the images that I took during this slow photography session.

The first image is what really took the most time.  I was fumbling a bit getting familiar with the camera, but I really like the resulting image.

PAD July 17 Perfect Bloom

Another image that I liked I took later in my slow photography shoot.  I was intentional about having a narrower depth-of-field.  And then when I was reviewing photos in LR, I was pleased to see the shadows of on the flower.  Something that I didn't see when I was composing.

PAD July 17 Pollen study

I did have a few that were OK, but not exactly what I was hoping for.  The bee was a nice touch, but the overall flora was not the picture that I had in my mind's eye.  I think I was hoping that the the whole image was a bit more macro but the bee flew away as I was trying to move my camera even closer.

PAD July 17 The Bee

Then there was the entire "miss".  I saw this budding flower and wanted to capture it with its green leaves in an interesting way.  I tried and tried and this one was the closest to my vision.  But still not exactly what I was trying to achieve.  15 minutes of patience for a composition that I am not really liking.  I think it's all of the black areas between the leaves that takes my eye away from the lovely blossom, in my opinion.  Sometimes even slow photography doesn't achieve what's in your mind's eye.  What attracted me was the light on the budding blossom; what I don't like is the consequence of having bright sunlight which caused dark shadows.  

Pad July 17 Bloom Look Two

My last photo was a quicker shot.  I was more familiar with what depth-of-field I wanted for a particular composition.  I zeroed in on the pollen and wanted the background to be a colorful blur.  And, a quick peek at the resulting photo and its histogram reassured me that I captured what was in my mind's eye.

PAD July 17 Pollen study

After my 45 minutes of slow photography, I anxiously loaded my photos into my computer and previewed all of them.  I laughed at the short video that I hadn't intended to take.  I quickly accepted that the breeze affected the focus of a couple of my shots.  Not enough patience to wait for the right moment?  But I was pleased that I spent the time to use manual mode, my shutter release, the magnification feature, and my tripod.  I was pleased to spend time with "slow" photography rather than a quick snap.  

Slow photography is a bit like meditation.  You are present in the moment.  And with photography, you capture that moment forever.

Bucky in all of it's glory on campus by the Student Union overlooking the lake at UW Madison.

An inked version on State Street in Madison.

Contemplative in front of the famous Red Gym at the UW Madison Campus

One Leg Up while on Campus

As if you were sending a vintage postcard from Madison Wisconsin, showing key sites.

A Mosaic version of Bucky!

A dreamy, night time vision of Bucky with a lit up State Capital in the background.

This is just a small sampling.  There are 85 in total in all parts of Madison.  It was fun to explore those that I did see at various times of the day.

We went to Germany for almost three weeks on this trip.  We started in Hamburg and we totally were in luck because the gardens were in perfect bloom.  I am glad that I took photos on our first day because by the third day, the petals were starting to fall.  I think that is when I realized that taking photos often is a great thing because the “moment” can change very quickly.

We took a couple of river cruises during our time there.  One cruise where taking lots of photos was the right thing to do was when we were in Berlin.  It was very clear that we were not to stand up and take photos….too many low bridges.  There were a few very interesting photo opportunities on the other side of the cruise boat, but we were sitting 4 people deep on each side and I snapped a possible photo, but we happened to turn around and take the exact same route back.  When I was back on the other side, I was able to anticipate my shot and get exactly what I wanted to capture the first time around.

And I played around with some of the features on my camera.  I discovered that I have a built in neutral density filter that I just had to use when I saw some water fountains in the Hamburg park area and wanted to slow the water for a more feathery look.

Pad May 20 Water Action in Hamburg

I also didnt bring a computer along, just an iPad.  And I didn’t want to spend time downloading and being tempted to edit photos while travelling.  We had a busy agenda each day from morning until night and downloading and editing wasn’t a part of our travel agenda.  I think I took more shots, just in case-wise, because I wanted to make sure that the lighting was good or depth of field worked, etc, etc.  So, a casual observer might look over my array of downloads in Lightroom and think that a lot of the shots were exactly the same thing….and they were “sort of”.  Just different settings or a slightly different composition or somebody accidentally crossed into my compositioin or the lighting in the museum was casting all sorts of nasty shadows.  All of these things did happen and I have lots of extra shots to prove it.

Although sometimes it was the first shot, like this one at Brandenburg Gate.  5 minutes later and the square was filled with people since the tour buses arrived.

Brandenburg Gate in Berlin

One shot that I took over and over again was a jeweled statue of St George slaying the dragon.  I took so many photos because the lighting caused all sorts of reflections.  When I got home and downloaded, I discovered one image that really captured what I saw in all of its jeweled glory.

And, now I have finally gone through and edited photos and uploaded to my photo sharing gallery.  Still lots of captioning to do.  But the sorting process is over for now.  The rough edits are over.  Now, I can enjoy reviewing and I can invite others to view my vacation photos.

I put my tall boots on and my down snowsuit.  The winds were still brisk.  My first surprise was getting to our corner and finding out that many people had plowed the sidewalk, but not the portion of the sidewalk where the snowplow dumps the snow.  Huge drifts to walk over.  

My walk considered where things were plowed and where things weren't.  Part of the walk was to discover what got plowed first.  We live fairly close to a hospital so I figure the roads leading to the hospital and the sidewalks around there would be nicely plowed.  Although I discovered just because you were on a main street, don't assume that the sidewalk would be plowed.  Or if it was on a bridge, that the city would have had the time to plow the sidewalk over the bridge.

Memorial Street BridgeThe street is nicely plowed but the sidewalks on both sides hadn't been attended to yet. There was a pretty significant drift where the plow had dumped snow. Closer to the side of the bridge, it was passable but up to the top of my boot in spots. I never used the handrail before, but found it was handy as I walked over the bridge.

One of the side streets was nicely plowed so I started walking towards Pierce Park.  I was amazed at how nicely plowed the street was within the park.  Must have had something going on later that day.  The sidewalk along the park was also nicely plowed.  Figures, it was on a main street.

The Pavilion at Pierce ParkThe Road was nicely plowed here and not a sole around except for the workers finishing up cleaning the road.

I continued my walk and appreciated those who plowed their sidewalk along the busy street.  Made walking a whole lot easier.

Clean Sidewalk , Easy WalkingI appreciated when the sidewalk was pretty clear. Made for easy walking.

There were also interesting moments while walking.  Ephemeral moments that you realize would be gone later in the day when the snow would melt.  Time to enjoy them now and appreciate their beauty.  

Snow on Trees, an Ephemeral MomentIt looks like the trees are dancing with a little bit of snow on the trunks. Fun to walk by and also to realize that a few hours later this scene would look much different.

The winds were so strong that there was snow plastered along the side of the bridge.

Clinging SnowThe winds were so stiff that snow clung to the wall underneath the bridge. Although it probably melted later in the day.

Snow blocked by stone occurred often.

Stone Wall Blocks the SnowThe wall provided a barrier to the snow, but with the winds there were drifts on both sides.

This road surprised me since the sidewalk was perfectly clear.  It was along the river and a walking path for some.  It's nice that the city took the time to make sure that it was clean.  More a haven for geese than for regular folks today.  I was the only person walking.  Just me and the Geese that congregate by the river and were having fun waddling through the snow.

Geese Waddling throughThere is a huge flock of geese close to the river. Today they were waddling in the snow. Kind of fun to watch them!

My next part of the trip was to walk on the Fox Trot Trail.  My plans were changed, however, when I discovered that the bridge in the Flats area was full of snow and that the trail itself was also full of snow.  I came just a little too early because the sidewalk cleaner and the plow were right behind me.  I could walk faster than they could clean the sidewalk and get rid of the overabundance of snow.  Bridges seem to take a long time to clean.

Look Behind YouI had just crossed this bridge where the sidewalk was covered with snow. The sidewalk cleaner and the snowplow were behind me. I discovered that it takes a long time to clear a bridge.

This particular building always look so nice with a snow covering on the ground.  I like the white trim as well.  Don't know what it's being used for these days.

White Trim, White SnowI was attracted to the white trim on this red brick building and the layers of snow. Looks like this building is being used since the parking lot was plowed.

Over the bridge I went on Olde Oneida Street and saw this timeless photo.   

The Red Brick Building in the BackgroundI had just crossed the bridge over the Fox River and saw a nice shot of the river, the river bank, and the red brick building way in the background. Timeless.

My next destination is to start walking to the hospital.  I figured that the roads would be cleaner and the sidewalks pristine.  And I was right.  The only little problem was getting across the intersection.  The plow must have gone though after the worker bees of the hospital had cleared the area.  But I was happily pleased that there was plenty of salt and plenty of walking space on the sidewalk.  No shortcuts taken here.  This will make it easy for me to get home.

Lion and SnowEven the Lion signaling the entrance to the Breast Center at the hospital was full of snow. The pathways around the hospital, however, were completely cleared, with salt to make sure that no one slipped.

Now, I am almost home and this little gnome says it all about a Blizzard in mid-April.

Knowing GnomeThis Gnome says it all about having so much snow in mid-April.

Birds Enjoying our Feeder

It started with a whimper.  First there was as bit of rain.  Thunder too.  Big Flakes mingled with the raindrops.

Early SnowfallRain, sleet, and snow as seen through our family room window.

Then there was a long pause.  The forecasteres continued to talk about the huge accumulations and we were in the Big Red Storm Watch areas.

The snow falling resumed.  When we went to bed on the first night, barely a just a few inches had accumulated.  Overnight, we picked up a few more inches.  I was a little disappointed, actually.   But the snow started again in the early morning hours and this time was accompanied by high winds.  Sometimes you were hear the pelting of sleet on the roof.  The type of snow changed over time; sometimes the little small flakes that would make the sky white; sometimes extremely large flakes that seemed to be over 2 inches in diameter as they slowly floated to the ground.

In the Midst of the StormBig Puffy Snowflakes caused a rapid accumulation of snow.

Seeing the Blizzard in our BackyardI spent the afternoon watching the blizzard in our backyard. Heavy snow at this point.

At about the half foot mark, my husband started to rev up the snowblower and clean the driveway.  My job was to make sure that the snow was cleared around all doors and the loosen the snow that had accumulated in big drifts in the driveway.  

Plowing Out Our DrivewayMy husband is fighting against the blizzard conditions as he tries to clean the driveways at about the 6 inch accumulation mark.

The winds were still howling.  As we worked outside, the snow was pelting against our faces.  There were areas in our yard where the drifts were huge.  Our back deck was one of those areas.  The wind was such that the snow whipped around and settled very close to the picture window.

Drifting outside of our picture windowThere was a huge drift outside of our picture window. The winds were such that about 3 feet accumulated right there. The birds are trying to still feed with the birdseed that fell to the top of the snow from the feeder.

It’s spring and the birds were trying to get to our feeder.  The wind made it tough, but there were time that the bird feeder was a welcome respite from the blowing winds.  All of the possible feeding positions were occupied.  My husband went out numerous times to refill the feeder or to throw birdseed on top of the newly formed drifts on our deck.  The birds and squirrels responded by visiting often.

Enjoying the Bird SeedMy husband threw birdseed on top of the snow drifts on our back deck. The various birds were grateful.

Bird at our FeederThe birds would congregate at our feeder. to feed and to stay away from the howling winds.

Even Cardinals came to feed.

A Whole Array of Birds Enjoyed Our Bird SeedWhen the drifts became too huge to fill the bird feeder, my husband would just throw some bird seed onto the deck.

And it still continued to snow.  Again, we went out to clear the snow.  We watched the weather on TV and noticed that practically everything was closed.  Wind gusts were over 40 miles per hour.  They finally announced that it was a bllizzard.

And still the snow continued.  One foot.  Two feet.  Drifts becoming even higher.  Our street wasn’t plowed.  I went on a short scouting walk to see what the main road was like.  Snow covered is an understatement when trying to describe what the road conditions were like.  Forget about sidewalks being plowed.  Tall boots were a necessary item to have when walking around.

Our RoadOur Road wasn't completely plowed. Just a once through so cars might be able to get through the blowing and drifting snow and make it from our road to the main road without getting stuck.

After two days, the snow finally ended.  Additional clean up was necessary.  Schools were cancelled on Monday, the day after the blizzard finally ended.  Too much snow had accumulated and there were layers of ice underneath.  The roads were very rough in the morning, but by noon,  the scene had changed significantly so I went on a walk.

Cleaning Up the Snow Once AgainOur street finally got a proper plow through and my husband is cleaning up the curtain of our driveway.

I wanted to play with time a bit more after Wabi Sabi challenge for my small group.  I am especially interested in depicting time in music.  There arre several ways to think about musically-inspired time.

• The time signature
• Measures
• Notes whose coloring and stems indicate the length of a particular sound
• Metronome markings
• Timing indicators:  Adagio, Presto, Rubato.

I wanted to bring these various "measures of time" together in a photo.  I had several building blocks that I composited together.

First the metronome that started this quest.  I spent some time catching photos that would indicate motion.  One big learning is figuring out when to press the shutter to freeze the metronome "arm" in an interesting spot.  I had a lot of misses.  But here is one that I liked.

PAD April 13 Metronome Two

Then I wanted to grab some music.  Something that would have elements of time signature, timing descriptors, and measures.  I took photos of several different musical pieces, but this is the one that I selected to "composite".

PAD April 13 Time Signature But the page didn't really turn out the way I expected.  The lighting wasn't up to my usual standards.  What to do:

• Retake? 
• Play with filters?
• Explore new features in photo editing apps different than PhotoShop or Lightroom?

I decided to play around with Luminar, a photo editing app that was introduced last year and had a dramatic upgrade recently.  The company behind this app was MacPhun that created all sorts of MAC and IOS apps.  Last year they introduced several new computer apps and expanded their range to PCs as well as MACs.  They also changed their name to Skylum.  I had played around with Luminar a bit and really liked how they allow you to set up a customized workspace. It could be filter/effects driven or you could use what they call professional workspace fairly similar to Lightroom.  Or you can make up your own.  I really liked that.

Plus, there were layers and the layers were easy to use.  A necessary component when compositing.

Back to my thought process about creating my composition.

To me the mixture of the music, the metronome and the coloring all helped to give an impression of what music and time means to me.  In that vein, I wanted to create several looks. I started out with using a Google Nik Plug-in that I discovered "worked" with in Luminar.  Ah, I miss my Nik filters.  I purchased all of them long before they became free and used them often within my workflow of old.  One of my favorite filters is Solarization within the Color Efex bundle.

I tried several different ways of solarizing.  And then decided that a white note piece of music would be extremely impactful against the background of the dark metronome.  I moved the array around so that my metronome was the bottom layer and then the solarized music filter.

PAD April 13 Solarized Music and Metronome with Blending

I liked the look of the white notes and the dark metronome.  But I wanted to play a bit more with the filters within Luminar.  I tried a few one and like the vintage look below.  I think it represented the "oldness" that I wanted to convey.  I had the musical notation elements that I wanted to show:  time signature, metronome markings, various notes within the music, a metronome in action with its blurred arm.I was satisfied with the finished photo and I was extremely satisfied with my experience with Luminar.

PAD April 13 Solarized Music, Metronome, and Impression all within Luminar

One of the things that interested me in Wabi Sabi is the approach:

• Quieting your Mind
• Understanding
• Accepting (the Wabi Sabi that is in front of you)
• Appreciating

I discovered that when I had Wabi Sabi on my mind before I went photographing that thinking about imperfection and patterns that can be broken helped me to “see” differently.  I looked with a quiet mind, a peaceful mind.  And then the subject came to me.  And how I wanted to photograph it came to me.  

Often my thinking about photographing the object or the person, changed a bit once I spent time trying to “understand”.  Often I tried several approaches while being very thoughtful in between.  I also made some connections that were important to me…. The unicorn hand carved in Jamaica and the worn unicorn toy that Marie had when she was much younger.  Seeing connections about representing an object even made it more beautiful.

There are some connections that I made, but didn’t necessary decide to show as a part of my 5 selected photos.  One thing that really interested me was the aspect of time.  When I walked, I saw the sundial at Lawrence, the clock between Main Hall and the Library.  When I went around the house, I saw another aspect of “Time” and that was the metronome.  Mechanical, with its clicking back and forth and the spring that winds it up to work.  Now, we just use something digital and forget about the graceful arc of the metronome.  It caused me to think of time differently and to appreciate “time” in music as opposed to “keeping time” to make sure that you are there for appointments or not. 

The Carved Unicorn

My desire to even consider taking photos of the Unicorn was prompted about thinking about Easter and all the fun we used to have with gathering Easter Eggs.  Instead of trying to re-create that, I started digging around my daughter's room….the things that she left behind.

I didn’t realize that she left behind certain stuffed animals.  There were the animals that I insisted that she leave behind….Big Bear, The Red Bear, the Paddington Bear.  But she left behind some others as well.  And the one that really surprised me was her well-worn unicorn.

Well, that got me thinking.  The unicorn looked a little scruffy.  It could have been classified as “neglected” rather than the "well worn" characteristic of Wabi Sabi.  The white looked a little darker with the dirt of being dragged from place to place.  Probably a better way to describe it is that the unicorn was constantly with her:  when we were traveling in the car, watching TV at night, in her bed overnight, and next to her in the kitchen when she ate breakfast.  There was a long period of time when she was inseparable from her unicorn.  Her affinity with the unicorn stuffed animal went way beyond well worn.

I looked around her room a bit more to search for more treasures that she left behind and became re-acquainted with her carved unicorn.  It was sitting amidst all of her sporting trophies.  That would be a picture in and of itself.  Nothing "well worn" about the unicorn; it had stood the test of time.

As I looked at the unicorn, I realized how ugly it really is.  But there is a story behind it.  And going from understanding to appreciating is an aspect of Wabi Sabi that is important to me.  Going over the story helps me to understand and appreciate the significance of the carved Unicorn.

The Carved Unicorn Story

I was in Jamaica with my friends for a long weekend.  We were staying at a wonderful place called the Plantation Inn.  We had a wonderful place overlooking the beach.  And it provided a haven from the busyness of Jamaica.  A haven that one person in our friend group really appreciated; she preferred staying at the Inn and ordering pizza to eat in the room while enjoying the rhythm of the surf crashing outside of our balcony.

We did go to the market and while there all of the merchants were aggressive about selling their wares.  There was a wood carver that had some interesting items. I lingered at this booth, closely examining the items there, but not finding the exact thing I was looking for as a gift.   I guess I missed my daughter or I had promised her something special to bring home.  She loved unicorns so I thought I could get this woodcarver to make her something since nothing else seemed to suggest an appropriate gift for my daughter. 

I should have realized that wood carver didn’t know anything about unicorns when we were trying to describe it.  My friends and I tried desperately to draw or gesture or somehow show him what a unicorn was.  It caused other "shoppers" to join in the conversation and it seemed like he was understanding what we were talking about.  This whole scene lasted for about 15 minutes or so.  Finally, I handed over $25 for him to carve it and then to wrap it.  I wanted it wrapped so that I could carry it on board the plane, pop it in the overhead bin, and bring it home safely.  We picked up this item wrapped in newspaper, sight unseen, on our way to the airport.

"Sight unseen" should have been a big clue.

My daughter couldn’t help but see the package when I got home.  She unwrapped it.  There were layers of newspaper and bubble wrap to rip through.  And then she saw it.  In all of its ugliness.

She didn’t say much.  She put it in her bedroom on her chest of drawers.  She was glad that I brought something back, but she wasn’t happy about it’s look.

It has been in her room over 20 years.  It still sits on the chest of drawers with lots of trophies surrounding it.  When friends came over for sleepovers, they would comment about the wood carving and my daughter would tell the story.

When she moved to her new home, this is one article that stayed behind.  A reminder to Mom about her trip to Jamaica and the wood carving.  And having such an item paid for and given as a present, sight unseen.  And it is one of my treasured items and an example of an imperfect unicorn and appreciating a perfectly lovely story.

Other Photos Taken on Wabi Sabi theme and Their Connections

And, additionally, as I went through and took other photos in the spirit of Quieting my Mind, Understanding, Accepting, and Appreciating.

There are some connections that I made, but didn’t necessary decide to show as a part of my 5 Unicorn Story but was a part of the photos that I took during the month.  One thing that really interested me was the aspect of time.  When I walked, I saw the sundial at Lawrence, the clock between Main Hall and the Library.  When I went around the house, I saw another aspect of “Time” and that was the metronome.  Mechanical, with its clicking back and forth and the spring that winds it up to work.  Now, we just use something digital and forget about the graceful arc of the metronome.  It caused me to think of time differently and to appreciate “time” in music as opposed to “keeping time” to make sure that you are there for appointments or not. 

A couple of years ago, I started reading all sorts of memoirs to get ideas on how to craft such a story and to make it interesting to others besides myself.  I started downloading all sorts of books that had memoirs in their titles or in their descriptions.  A couple of examples from this background reading stood out to me.  One, in particular, involves photos.

Ever since I was a kid I was intrigued by the power of photos.  I can remember going to my Aunt's house and going through the drug store photo albums that she would carry around in her purse.  Today's equivalent of showing photos on your phone.  I would pour over these photos again and again.  I would ask her who the people were and the stories behind them.  That is how I got to know the relatives and family friends who lived in other places.  And the interesting stories about their lives and how their lives intertwined with my Aunt, my Grandparents, and my family.

One of the memoirs that I read during this time was the photo memoir by Sally Mann.  I was reminded about this earlier today because she has a new show opening and there was mention of her book, Still Life, in the description of her show.  I thought her approach of mixing photos and narrative was especially interesting and caused me to think about a similar approach, but done in my own way with my own story.

Since that time I've written many chapters to my memoir and discovered many cool photos.  Some of the photos were found at my Dad's house.  Some of the photos were taken at my Dad's house and made me recollect a story from my childhood.  One such story is suggested by this lone bicycle, still in the safety of my Dad's basement that I completely forgotten about but rode extensive 60 years ago.

The picture isn't much.  But the prettiness or the composition of the photograph isn't the point....it's the memories and the stories that it inspires in me.

This bike had a hard time.  It was my first bike and I rode it everywhere.  

In the beginning, I could only ride it to the corner, which is really only one house away.  I would sit for a long time on my bike and longingly look across the street at the playground that was in very much demand over the summer months.  One of the leaders saw my daily ritual and came over to my house to invite me to come to the park.  My Mom reluctantly agreed.  So, this leader would come over and pick me up in the morning and take me home at lunchtime and at the end of the day for a while.  Until I got the hang of crossing the street and coming over to the park by myself.

This was a freeing experience.  A whole new world opened up to me once I joined many others at the park and started becoming engaged in the games that went on there.  I changed my life.  I learned how to play, how to win at games, how to get picked on a softball teams, how to make craft projects, how to get along with others, how to get my way, and how to play all sorts of sports.  It opened up a big, big world of interactive fun.  Later, when I was in college, I worked at that same park as a playground leader for 2 summers.  I tried to return to other kids the advantages that Miss Melanie gave to me those long years ago.  I went to kids houses and invited them to the park.  I told parents about a field trip to the Brewer Game and told them I would take special care of their son and daughter.  All kindnesses to repay Miss Melanie when I was very young.

And that trike continued to be a source of transportation.  And a few other life lessons.  Like the time that I put it behind the car and it got very seriously injured.  You can see what happened to the seat in the picture.  The mangled front tire was replaced.  And I learned to never, ever put anything behind a parked car....a lesson that I adhere to to this very day.

There are many stories that are started by looking at photos of the past.  Now, I just have to read through those stories, edit them, make sure that I match the picture and the story, and just plain publish them.....

Sounds like a great way to write a memoir to me.  And in my own style.  With my own story.

First, let me start with some of the churches.  Places where you would expect Stained Glass to be present.  And the type of Stained Glass that you would expect to see; a rosette.  This window is at Santa Maria de Mar in Barcelona.

Church of Santa Maria del Mar, Barcelona

But I was also surprised by the variety of Stained Glass in this church.  I found another two that are extremely contemporary looking.

Church of Santa Maria del Mar, Barcelona Church of Santa Maria del Mar, Barcelona These two set the scene for later in the week when I saw some quite stunning stain glass pieces by Gaudi and other Modernistas.  But first the Opera House.  A lovely piece on the ceiling that I admired before we saw the Opera, Carmen.

Palace of Catalan Music, Barcelona

A slightly different look....

Palace of Catalan Music, Barcelona

Now, onto one of Gaudi's houses...where the colored glass and the pattern of the molding make for some interesting interplays between the interior and the exterior.

Glass and Stained Glass, Palau Guell

And something a little more typical for the stained glass, with a nicely designed lamp to go with the mood of the room...

Lantern with Stained Glass in background at Palau Guell

And a couple more from the Museum of Catalan Art showcasing the different Modernista Stained Glass that was used for screens and doors.  These first couple are Triptichs.

Modernista Style, Catalan Art Museum, Barcelona

Modernista Style, Catalan Art Museum, Barcelona

And here is a lovely, lovely door. More of a painted door that has a lovely, inviting look from the interior to the exterior. Modernista Style, Catalan Art Museum, Barcelona

And the last, a glass screen that I would love to have in my own home, separating portions of large rooms.

Modernista Style, Catalan Art Museum, Barcelona

Hopefully, you can see how I fell in love with Stained and Painted Glass in Barcelona.  There was a lot there besides what you saw at Gaudi's Sagrada Familia, which had an extremely lovely array of Stained Glass.  And it really does something to the mood of the room, filtering the light in all sorts of colorful arrays.  And, just plain makes you feel inspired.

We used to go to Spain often in the 90's and early 2000's.  We loved traveling around, especially in the North.  But, it's been a long time since I was in Barcelona or Madrid.  And at that time, I was shooting with film and taking a lot of videos.

It was a big surprise to visit Barcelona again.  The city is bustling and there are a lot of tourists.  That wasn't my experiences in the 90's.  We would usually go in September or October, near the end of Tourist season and we were usually the only Americans around.  

One of the reasons that I wanted to visit Barcelona again was to see the progress on the Sagrada Familia. Wow!  When I was there 20 years ago, there was just a facade and a display talking about Gaudi and the plans for the basilica.  Wow!  That really changed.  Cranes were everywhere.  People were everywhere, taking in all of the sights as the church rapidly moves towards being finished.  They even hold some services there.

Its actually hard for me to articulate the drastic change between 20 years ago and now.  It was a modest construction site 20 years ago.  Now, it's a tourist destination.  It's the tourist entry fees that are paying for the completion of the church, which is expected in 2026.  And what a transformation!  Let me show you a small sampling of the photos that I took while inside.  

This photo shows the cranes and the array of pigeons in the park across the street from the Basilica.  Cranes are a familiar site in Barcelona so it doesn't really suggest anything about the interior.  I did note that there was a lot of progress made.  Lots of carvings on the facades.

Exterior, Sagrada Familia, Barcelona Here is one example of the wonderful carvings on the external facade.  This is just one of many.  The stone is discolored so you can tell what parts are new and what parts are years or even decades old.

Exterior, Sagrada Familia, Barcelona But it wasn't until I was inside, that I really began to appreciate the difference between my experience 20 years ago and now.  When I first went inside, I just had to stare all around me.  There was so much to take in.  More than I imagined.  More than I could even comprehend, without spending about 10 minutes just looking and looking and taking it all in.  Slowly.

Then I started to take photos.  First of the beautiful stain glass windows on the inside.  We arrived on a very rainy day and the inside was a welcome interplay of colorful lights caused by the wonderful, large stained glass windows.  No drab, dimly lit church here.  It was aglow even on a dreary day.  Some with warm tones.

Stained Glass within Sagrada Familia And some with cool tones.

Stained Glass within Sagrada Familia

The light was just amazing.  Almost ethereal.  I could look over the columns and see almost a whole rainbow of light.

Columns of Light, Sagrada Famlia

I walked around a bit more.  The central crucifix above the altar is a wonderful piece of modern art and catches your attention immediately.

Altar Crucifix, Sagrada Familia And the ceiling, which wasn't there 20 years ago, took my breath away with its columns and unique white patterns..  The height of the ceiling is amazing.  It seems like the tallest church that I've ever been in (and I've been in a lot)

Another View: Looking Towards the Altar, Sagrada Familia And then you looked towards the front and saw a golden glow.  There is nothing dark and forbidding here; it's all about light and spaciousness and looking at a church with a modern, progressive look.

Behind the Altar, Sagrada Familia I walked around and around.  Then even sat for a few minutes in a central area, where hundreds of tourists were looking up and around trying to take the whole basilica in.  Then I slowly got up and went around the church again.  Noticing the statues and other things that aren't as obvious as the stained glass, the ceiling, and the central crucifix.

I walked the "Stations of the Cross".  Many of the statues depict the "Stations" in a whole new way.  Here is just one example as Judas betrays Jesus.

Way of the Cross, Sagrada Familia There is simpleness too.  As seen in these floor drawings for Palm Sunday.

Floor Drawing, Palm Sunday, Sagrada Familia

And, finally, a door that has the Our Father in multiple languages.

Our Father Door, Sagrada Familia

This is just a small sampling of the photos that I took. Sorting through is difficult because I want each one to work.  But in this piece, I just focused on showing a few examples of the things that WOWed me about my experience with Sagrada Familia in 2018.  And it is a WOW experience.

And perhaps that is a great way to sort through photos....what WOWed you that you can show in 10 photos or so....and still get that WOW experience across.

After reviewing my photos over the last two months, I have to say that I really, really appreciate the amount of water that is a part of my environment.  There are lakes, and channels, and rivers, and streams.  We don't have the waterfalls that you find in other areas that you can be awed by, but we do have lots and lots of water power.  That's the reason this area thrived because of the water power that supplied the flour mills and the paper mills.  And also provided a way to transport goods from one area to another, including being connected with the Great Lakes.  We have dams and locks to support the power of the water.  Now, the flour mills are gone and the paper mills are few in number.  The river area, in particular, is being revitalized with walking trails, new housing developments, and new hotels and eateries.  New services, like kayaking trips and bicycle rentals, are being provided so that more people can enjoy what the waterways have to offer.

In January, there were many cold days when I was the only person walking on the Fox Trot Trail.  In this image, you can see the historic mill area where paper making and woolen mills were popular.  This area was transformed into condos over 15 years ago, interspersed with a few businesses.  There is one mill left that is still owned and operated by the same family where you can get customized quilt batting.

PAD Jan 8 Open Water

This area of the river doesn't freeze over and the dams control the flow.  Often the dams had interesting frost patterns during the winter months.  With a little imagination, you can see that it's transformed into a face!

PAd Jan 18 Faces in the Dam

Sometimes the water suggest abstract images, especially when there is a mix of water and ice near its edges.  These patterns change daily and part of their appeal to me is their changing nature.  The walk on this particular day was extremely cold, but the patterns in the snow and ice were so incredibly rich that I kept on walking and kept warm by the enthusiasm when I would see and usually capture one ice abstract after another.

PAD Jan 27 Ice Abstract

And sometimes you just point you camera downward and see an interesting pattern. I was walking along then saw the interesting bird tracks in the snow next to the water's edge.

PAD Jan 21 Abstract Ice Two

I appreciate my winter walks along the river in particular.  It's a wonderful place to appreciate the wonders of nature and wonders of water.  All in my backyard, so to speak.

Now just a few more photos celebrating my winter walks along the Fox River....

PAD Jan 16 Water under the Bridge

PAD Jan 21 Ice Chunks at the Edge

PAD Jan 30 Close up of Eagle Crop 2

PAD Feb 8 Abstract Two

PAD Feb 21 Walking along the Fox Trot Trail

Yesterday was different.  I decided to spend the day exploring new editing tools that I could use on my computer.  Part of this provocation was because I wasn't satisfied with my "Self-Portrait" challenge that I gave myself for the month of February.  I took some shots, but they were more "selfie" than "self-portrait" and I felt that some of it was in the post processing.

One of the tools that I really enjoyed in the past for portraiture was OnOne's Perfect Portrait.  I really liked the quick ability to whiten eyes and teeth and to easily brush away facial imperfections.  It was my "go to" editing tool and I used it quite a lot when I was doing portraits for others.  But change happened and the simple tools that I had in Perfect Portrait aren't as easily achieved in OnOne's newer product Photo Raw 2018.  Not that I don't like Photo Raw.  I do.  It's just that I don't have the new workflow using this new product in my repertoire yet.

So, I started looking for other means to edit.  And there are a number of programs out there that are really trying to simplify the editing process.  

In the past, I was quite a fan of MacPhun's iPad and iPhone FX Photo Studio.  It was one of the first iPad photo apps that I really liked and used extensively.  But like most things app-wise, it eventually evolved to something else.  And I bought a number of products that MacPhun had, but never really got into using them like FX Photo Studio.  There was something about the simplicity of FX that I really liked.

MacPhun evolved recently into Skylum and introduced some new products.  At first I just slightly paid attention to Luminar.  Yesterday, I test drove it and really liked it's simplicity.  Many of the aspects that I liked about their earlier product, FX Photo Studio, is a part of this powerful editing software.  You scroll through a set of pre-sets that can be customized to suit your preferences.  And if you really like the look, you can save that as well.  Their mantra about being easy to use is exactly that.  And, they have layering capability that is easy to use.

And I was able to produce a "self portrait" that I really liked.  It fit in with what I was trying to achieve in the self-portraiture realm with using natural light.  The B&W treatment was a bonus as I went through various "presets" and appreciated the look of "Noble Beauty".

I tried other new programs as well.  I am a big fan of Topaz products and downloaded Topaz Studio when it first came out late last year.  I didn't play around with it much until earlier this week.  It's much, much easier to use than a former product.  Since I have all of the other Topaz products, I have a wealth of choices that I used to use either as a standalone product or with Adobe Photoshop. My only little quibble with this program is using layers.  I found it's layering capability a little more difficult to use, but I will continue to work with it to see if it's somehow there but I've overlooked it.  Good news is that there are plenty of tutorials to get you started.

The good thing about Topaz Studio is that you have lots of effects or pre-sets to play around with.  And play is a wonderful way to explore what is possible with Topaz products.  

One of the images that I rather liked is this one.  It provided the impressionistic look of me and my piano.  Ironically, the music that is opened is from the Impression period of music (which I didn't realize until just now)

I would have to say that both Luminar and Topaz Studio are similar in the sense that they give you lots of presets that you can customize.  And, if you like the look, you can save the preset.  Luminar also has the capability to create a workspace so that you have your typical workflow tools at your fingertips for quick edits.  In my mind that is an added bonus that I haven't seen in other desktop editors.  And something that I think I am really going to like in the future.

And the last editor that I played around with was on my iPad, Affinity.  I have the iPad version but haven't invested in the desktop version yet.  There are a lot of tutorials and the level of sophistication is on a par with Photoshop.  I wanted a pencil sensitive photo editor and that is what Affinity is.  I tried compositing yesterday and was able to do that fairly easily after watching the tutorial.

I would say that there is a lot of power in this app and it's fun to work solely on my iPad using my pencil.  There is a learning curve, however, and the tutorials are very great at explaining how to do things.  It's just going to take me a bit to get used to how best to use this interesting program.  

It was fun playing with different editors yesterday and I think I am going to have an edit day at least once a month to explore options and to look at things a bit differently.  Plus, I really, really want to learn how to do portraits in Photo Raw 2018 and I know that there is an exciting series sponsored by OnOne to do just that.

As I look over my photos taken since the beginning of the year, I am appalled by their sameness.  There doesn't seem to be anything special.  Then I made the mistake of looking over photos from last year or just previous years at around the same time and there just doesn't seem to be the same richness or diversity in the images.  

What's different?

The weather.  Instead of having consistent days of temperatures in the teens to twenties in Wisconsin, we've had erratic temperature variations.  We may have snow on the ground for a day or two, then the temperature rises to uncharacteristically warm amounts and the snow melts.  There just doesn't seem much inspiring about brown grass and brownish black tree trunks.  The zest for color and variety that is usually a part of Wisconsin's winter just doesn't seem to be there.

And then the temperature plummets.  It's cold and no snow on the ground.  It causes you to think twice about even venturing outside.

The Realization...

I decided to scan my photos one more time on an especially bleak day.  To my amazement, there is a whole host of wonderful photos.  I just have to be more open minded about the ones that have potential and represent something different and exciting to me.  Most importantly are the wonderful "moments" that I caught with my camera and can re-live as I review them often.

This first photo was on one of those warm days.  The ice sculpturing activities happened when the temperature was nearer to zero than I like.  I took note that there were some wonderful sculptures in the downtown area, but didn't take a walk to seriously photograph them until the temperature was a little above freezing.  On my walk, I discovered that the high temperatures had destroyed most of the sculptures that were in the sun.  They were just broken pieces or melting bases.

The ones in the shade, however, were still in good shape.  This particular sculpture of a woman was even enhanced by the presence of a red carnation.  I took several photos while across the street in-between the cars and then crossed the street to take even more.  I was amazed by the amount of detail and how much of the "ice" was still present.  And the rising temperature gave it a bit of a glow that was enhanced by the brownish building in the background.

PAD Feb 15 Ice Sculpture with a Rose

And then there were many walks along the Fox River trail that resulted in many beautiful views of the Eagles.  Eagles hovering and catching a draft in the skies.  Eagles roosting and munching down part of their catch from the river.  Eagles in their nest.  Always a thrill to see these wonderful, majestic birds, and to realize that they've made a comeback to our area.  

On this particular day, it was a wonderful experience to observe this Eagle watching for the right moment to swoop down to catch a fish on the Fox River.

PAD Jan 16 Eagle One

And then there is some serendipity that leads to interesting shots.  Fortunately I always have some sort of camera with me.   I was actually running an errand and saw the colors starting to form.  My vantage point wasn’t that great so I considered close-by locations.  There were a number of power lines that tainted the colorful display that was unfolding.

I realized that a pretty good vantage point was close by called Waverly Beach.  I had taken photos there just the other day and the way the sunset was lining up, it seemed like it would be perfect to capture the color without power lines or building structures in the way.

I quickly drove to Waverly Beach, hoping that the stop lights would be in my favor instead of causing me to miss the color.  I turned into the driveway and looked backwards to see if the light was still colorful and was pleased to see that it was but fading fast.  I had to quickly take these shots.  As I got out of my car, I love the way that the clouds reflected the color of the sunset.  And having the two cars with their headlights on while on the ice of Lake Winnebago really adds to the experience.  As quickly as I captured the couple of photos, then I watched the colors quickly fade.  Ephemeral, but the wonderful memory is captured in my mind's eye as well as in this photo below.

PAD Feb 13 Sunset on Lake Winnebago, Waverly Beach

There are many more.  I realized that this winter did have some photo gems.  Sometimes it just takes a review on a dismal day to really appreciate some of the wonderful photo moments that I've had this year thus far.

May 21 Getting Stuck by Detroit Lake

I was waiting on our way back from Bend, Oregon.  There was a huge traffic back-up that lasted for an hour and a half.  Most of the time our view of the Detroit Lake was blocked.  But at one stopping point, we had this beautiful mountain view.  My camera was packed up in the second row of my car.  My daughter who was sitting in the passenger seat couldn't easily get access.  Finally after a bit of squirming, I was able to reach my camera bag, grab my camera, and take a shot before we inched forward.  Quick reaction while stuck in traffic and a shot that was an unexpected and pleasant surprise.

The River is why the town is built where it is.  It was the transportation route for goods, products, and the paper industry.  There are locks and dams to facilitate its flow.  And the river was used to power the first hydroelectric house in the world.  Quite an astonishing history.

I became intrigued with walking on this river trail to see what catches my eye over the month.  There are a lot of things that you simply overlook as you hurry by or drive by.  I was intentionally slow so I could capture the area with all of my senses and take photos of things that struck me at the moment.  Little things.  Ordinary things.

Footsteps in fresh snow is one of those little things that people often overlook.  They are too busy creating their own footprints and often don't see the patterns that others make.  I saw this on the trail where one brave individual decided to venture out and explore off of the city maintained and "clear of snow" asphalt path.

PAD Jan 8 Footsteps

Other little things are the amount of color that you can see on a Wisconsin winter day.  There are whites, but there are also lots of other colors, if you just look.  This is right after a light snowfall, where the snow is hanging onto the red sumacs.  Light was such that the reds really stood out, especially against the barren trees in the backgrounds.

PAD Jan 16 Sumac with White Coating

And then there are days when you look up and see the unexpected.  Tucked away in a grove of trees close to the river, was an Eagle.  I think I tried to capture it in mid-flight while it was hunting on the river.  That capture wasn't successful.  But I just happened to look up and saw him perched.  He just sat there at first and I was able to maneuver around a bit more and take a few more photos.

PAD Jan 16 Eagle One The next photo is not an everyday experience, but one that you can capture if you look at the world around you and just explore and then make discoveries.  I was pleased to see that my Eagle friend had been successful on his hunt as he eats away.  Its prey was carefully guarded so it did take some walking around in order to see what he was up to.

PAD Jan 16 Eagle Four I wasn't looking for Eagles, I was just walking along and seeing what I could see.  And I kept walking to see what other discoveries I could make, this time really focusing on the little things.  And I smiled as I saw this park bench decorated for the holidays.  Great view of the river.  It could be that the benches benefactors decided to decorate the bench in memory of their relatives.  It could be that one of the frequent users of this bench wanted others to experience a little cheer over the holiday season.

PAD Jan 16 Memorial Bench

And sometimes the water itself delights.  Some parts are frozen.  Some parts are freely flowing.  What caught my eye was the reflection of some trees in the water that caused a very interesting abstract.  I only saw this once on this particular day.  That makes it especially special.

PAD Jan 16 Reflection One

And sometimes you see things that just make you laugh.  Here is the dam that on a very cold, cold day has wonderful icicles.  This reminded me of a face, perhaps Santa like.  It is those little things, with a bit of imagination.

PAd Jan 18 Faces in the Dam

I had such a day earlier in January.  I was walking along and was so pleased at the simplicity of the couple of very fragile,straw-colored grasses against a white background. It snowed just a bit so it was easy to move around without disrupting much of the snow around this image.  As I walked around, I noticed, that at a certain angle, that there was a subtle shadow. I really loved the way the grasses were bent as well as the shadows.  Plus the snow looks so crisp and so white.  It all enhanced the fragility and the simplicity of the scene.

PAD Jan 8 Simplicity But I also realized on a walk just a few days later that this simple composition was so very ephemeral.  The weather drastically changed from a typical snowy day to one that was uncharacteristically warm.  The beautiful snow melted just a bit and created a totally different look.  The little bit of snow that melted in my estimation takes away from the enchantment of the original scene.  Grasses are poking through that cause the scene to be more cluttered.  There are also sticks that weren't present before that also are distracting.  All of this proves that to me the ephemeral nature of photography and how you can capture a composition that sings to your soul, but seen on a different day, doesn't cause you to have the same response.

Do you agree?

PAD Jan 20 The Grass Seen Earlier the Month (See Jan 8)

• I tended to show landscapes, nature, and patterns that I find in nature.  Most are "real" depictions with a minimal of editing.  Although in 2017 I spent more time doing minor edits in LR than in the past.  I tended to crop, adjust lighting, and improve clarity more this year than in previous years.
  • As a corollary to that, I tended to use Photoshop and associated Plug-Ins a lot less this year.  I just relied on the simple editing capability of LR to get my photos to what I saw.
• I stuck to my rule of at least one photo per day.  In 2017, however, I had many days where I went on walks and included most of the walk in my "daily" column.
• I tended to shy away from taking pictures of people or at least posting photos with recognizable people in my Pad galleries.  This continues my emphasis on photos that I can take and alter and post without worries of irritating others.
• I rarely take photos of myself.  In 2017, I tried a bit more, but that urge quickly faded.  Although on my birthday, I set up my tripod and took but didn't post images of me.
• I used my P&S Canon and my Canon 5DM3 for most of my shots.  This year I also bought a new Canon, 5DM4 which I tend to "save" for macro work and using my other lenses.  My lens of choice on my 5DM3 continues to be a 28 to 300 lens.  Can be soft, but it's so darn convenient to walk around and take photos.
• I prefer taking photos while taking a walk.  And just find things that catch my eye.
• I rely on the monthly themes and challenges that I am involved in to provide a "focus" for my image making.  I hope to continue that trend in 2018.
• Selecting photos for me continues to be a difficult task.  What I select on one day might be different a month later.  This is especially true when I have lots of photos to review.

And now, what is different in 2017.  

• I took a lot of images while on vacation.  And sometimes I would find myself a little burnt out in the days and weeks following and take what I would consider images that are more snapshot quality.
• There was a period of time during the summer where I really focused on composition.  I found that pausing and thinking about how I would take the photo really improved the output.  I even spent some time exploring totally manual composition and exposure using my 180 macro lens and my tripod.  I would only take a few photos and that was actually a bit freeing since I didn't have hundreds of photos to review.
• I spent little time on editing images.  Most of the time I did simple edits in LR and that was it.  
• Spending time reflecting on my photos and contemplate their meaning was really important to me, even more so than last year.  Encountering the "Third Third" as a theme for the Mindcamp conference and putting together a program for that conference called the "Third Third" was extremely inspirational to me and my participants.  It forms the basis for future coursework and for future writings.  This was a big discovery for me.
• Related to the "Third Third" is the discovery that my photos really represent a visual memoir of my years.  Subconsciously, I probably "knew" that before, but this year really caused me to pay attention to the memoir aspect of my photo-a-day experience.  I know have a truly intentional looking of each day from 2012 onward.
• I share my galleries less and less with others.  I don't know why that is.  And I shy away from competitions.  It seems like my photography is becoming more and more personal and the photos are for me rather than to be gazed upon and "liked" by others.
• I rarely used my phone for taking photos.  I discovered that I rely on aperture priority too much to change my ways to iPhone culture.  My P&S gives me the capability to shot aperture priority and is the size of a iPhone.  Actually a little smaller than the current crop of phones.

I decided not to include any photos in this musing.  And now I am ready to start afresh for 2018.  Let's see what I explore and discover this year!

My husband and I declared 2017 as a year of vacations.  One important aspect of this is that I have lots of stories and lots of photos from a variety of locations.  This starts with my Chilean adventure in January to our Sicily Tour in November.  I really appreciated and am very grateful that I was able to travel so much during 2017.  And I brought along at least one camera to capture my impressions. And I have to admit that I enjoyed every single click of the shutter and all of the time that I took reviewing and editing my photos. 

Plus, there is something about travel photography that is fascinating .  I love to travel and having the photos evokes wonderful memories when they are reviewed with friends and family after the vacation.  Part 1 of this blog posting will cover the vacation musings.

Chile was special because I was able to attend and present at a conference in Chile as well as spend some time traveling around.  One of my favorite locales was Valparaiso and to see all of the wonderful murals that are treated and respected as important art to this city.  The muralist actually sign their artwork and there are maps to help the tourist (and local) identify where the murals are located.  This is just one of a huge array that I was able to capture during my short time there in January.

My next big trip was to Greece.  I have lots of photos that celebrate our tour around the country, but the one that is the most meaningful to me was having the chance to visit the site at Delphi.  It was beautiful and memorable to me, especially noteworthy is the ruggedness of the terrain.  I appreciated hearing about how the oracles were obtained and how the locale helped to stimulate the vague sayings that were opened to lots of interpretation.

Visiting my daughter for Mother's Day and my birthday was also a special treat.  It is tough to pick my favorite photo from this May adventure.  Well, here goes....it's a look behind North Falls at Silver Falls State Park near Salem.  Taken on my birthday as I walked through this impressive array of waterfalls, 10 in all.  I spent most of the day hiking around and then set up my tripod to take selfies and well as to capture the special moment of the thunderous falls.

WD8A4386

June, I was able to visit Niagara Falls for a day spending time on both the American and Canadian side.  I guess this shows how much I really enjoy waterfalls.  I spent a little more time on the American side, but had a chance to capture this rainbow while on the Canadian side.  Glad that I brought along my raincoat so I could keep dry with the mist that caused this rainbow and to keep my camera in my pocket away from the elements.

PAD June 11 Rainbow Two at Horseshoe Falls

July and August was as trip to Scandinavia.  There were lots of great moments while visiting Sweden, Copenhagen, and Norway.  Again, hard to pick just one photo.   One that sticks out to me is when I was riding my bike on the Aeros island.  It was a wonderful bike trail and I would periodically stop along the bike trail and take a shot or two of the rustic scenery that really reminded me of Wisconsin.

Bike Riding, Aero Island, Denmark

I spent some time in Canada during August in a place called Orillia, home to Gordon Lightfoot.  We stayed at the YMCA camp and I enjoyed walking each morning and evening, taking photos along the way.  Again, a hard choice to pick one.  Here's a misty part of the day, which is something that I hadn't experienced in the 5 or so years that I've been going to the YMCA camp.

PAD August 26 Sunrise at Mindcamp Five In September, we are off to Oregon again and travelled to some of my favorites Oregon destinations.  Here's a different look at one of the waterfalls at Silver Falls State Park.  

October brings another visit to Canada on a photo workshop, with visiting Nova Scotia and Lunenburg.  This year was incredible and special at Lunenburg because of the dramatic reflections in the water.  Absolutely the best reflections that I've ever seen at the waterfront.

PAD Oct 23 Lunenburg Perfect Reflection

And then our last tour of the year to Naples and Sicily.  Here is one of the photos from Naples from the Archeological museum.  I was really impressed with the various treasures from Pompeii, especially the frescoes that were portraits from that time.  Here is just one portrait that became all the more special when we visited Pompeii the next day.  The artwork at the museum was incredibly impressive.  Amazing how developed portraiture was at 79 AD. .

And I can't forget our unforgettable trip to Sicily.  Lots of memorable photos from this trip, but the photos that I modified to mimic either a watercolor or oil approach were the most meaningful.  Here is just one example, before and after.  Inspiration from this came from the exhibit at the Palatine Palace by Fabrice MoIreau.

Before

After

Our last trip of the year was to visit our daughter in Oregon for Christmas.  Here is just a small snippet from one of the windows displaying a bit of Christmas spirit.  Doesn't the Grinch say it all!

PAD Dec 25 Grinch Display One

Hope you enjoyed a brief visit of my tours.  I have lots of galleries from 2017 showcasing many more images.  But this review gives you a sense.

So, glad that my husband and I were able to tour various parts of the world, both domestically as well as Europe and South America.

I started my drive in March not knowing what to expect.  I could either go straight up the road, or I could turn left.  Heading towards Lake Winnebago was in the back of my mind.  Also, reading about fantastic ice shoves in yesterday’s Post Crescent local newspaper piqued my interest.  

I decided to go straight.  I had read that the ice shoves were most promenient on the east side of the lake and near Oshkosh.  I decided to drive through town and took a short detour to see how the ugly fence at Kimberly Point was holding up.  Too many Pokemon players and the city was trying to preserve the grass while totally ruining the view.  The fence was still there and most of the lake was open water; no ice shoves there.

I continued to drive to Oshkosh on Cty A.  There is a section where the road hugs the lake.  Way in the distance was a huge ice shove.  About the same size as a mature tree.  I enjoyed the view while driving slowly but continued to press on to Oshkosh.  Earlier in the week, I had viewed this mound as close as I could get and it was pretty impressive.  I wanted to see a different view in a different place, at least that is what I told myself.

PAD March 2 Ice Shove view from the Boat Landing on the way to Oshkosh

The roads were pretty quiet on my way to Oshkosh, but there were other Ice shove hunters.  You could tell because they were turning left towards the lake at the last moment in the hopes that they would see an wonderful ice shove formation.  I bypassed all of the little places that were mainly residential with little hope of seeing great shoves easily and pressed on to the Menomonee County Park.

At the end of 9th Street I was greeted by a huge ice shove.  It was on private property and there wasn’t an easy place to park.  I knew from prior visits to this area that the county park would have plenty of parking and a sidewalk that lined the shoreline.  I pressed on.

I arrived at the boat launch area and there was a huge ice shove off shore.  The sun was perfect and I was able to get a number of great shots with my polarizing lens.  Other cars would come and go, usually with no one stepping outside of their car.  I, on the other hand, spent about 20 minutes walking around and marvelling at the vast ice pile gleaming in the sun.

PAD March 7 Ice Shove at Menominee Park One

I decided to park my car in a slightly different spot.  When I parked i wasn’t sure if the ice shove was impressive or not.  There were a number of cars there including a number of families even though it was a school day.  Kids were just coming off of the ice shove when I was walking up to it.

It was impressive because it was easy to get to.  It kind of looked like a glacial formation like we had seen in Alaska and in the the Tierra de Fuego region of South America.  I took a number of photos not knowing if the detail of the ice would show up in the resulting pictures since the sun was really fairly intense and difficult to see my screen.  I tried to take as many angles and perspectives as possible, thinking that this was a once in a lifetime experience and the weather was in the low 50s so this ice was rapidly melting.  Ephermeral phenomenon at its best.

PAD March 7 Ice Shove at Menominee Park Two

PAD March 7 Ice Shove at Menominee Park Eight

There was a mother and daughter that were really examining the ice and taking pictures with their cell phone.  Their close examination prompted me to move my camera aside and to just look at the ice.  I saw different colors than just white.  I saw leaves that were caught within the ice formations.  And I saw thin needles of ice that were nearly transparent that glared in the sun and were exquistively beautiful.

PAD March 7 Ice Shove at Menominee Park Seventeen

 After marvelling at the beauty, I lifted my camera once again and carefully tried to capture the nearly transparent long needles of ice.  Again, I wasn’t sure if I was getting a good image because there was a lot of glare from the sun.  I tried twisting my polarizing filter to minimize the glare and just hoped that there would be something that would approximate this marvelous peek at nature’s exquisite design.

PAD March 7 Ice Shove at Menominee Park Sixteen

It wasn’t until I was home and loading the photos onto my computer that I really had a chance to see the beauty that I had captured.  The shots of the big shoves showing them in their environment were very interesting, but the little almost transparent needles of ice were absolutely exquisite and the joy that I had in capturing that moment put me in touch with a power of design to marvel at for the rest of my life.

But today's first blog entry is about saying good by to an old friend.  It's something that I've used daily since I first bought it from B&H 5 years ago.  It's been my constant companion, traveling with me on some great adventures.  And I will miss it.

Why did I decide to get a new camera?  Well, my old, trusted Canon 5DM3 is almost dead.  I was traveling in Utah and Colorado last fall and that's when I started to experience the first pieces that started to malfunction.  When I move the shutter, there was no resistance anymore and no more re-assuring click that the camera was on.  Instead I found that I put it in my bag and in the process I had accidentally rubbed against the "on" switch and my battery was dead.  

Now, I love to shoot outside and will shoot in almost any kind of weather.  Rainy outside, there is always a plastic bag to cover my camera.  Snowing outside, no problem, hand me my plastic bag.  Raining or Snowing hard, find a place to hang out for a few minutes until the weather improves.  Or just put the camera in my camera bag and put the weather resistant cover over my camera bag.  Should be no problem.

Going from cold conditions to warm conditions, put my camera inside a plastic bag and seal it until it comes to room temperature.  Same for extremely hot conditions.

So, I did take care of my camera during my treks.  But I did use it everyday.  And it finally just pooped out.  Or I should say limped along.  Finally, I got tired of saying that I really need a new camera.  It just took a while to get there because you just get attached.  It is your constant companion and it causes you to capture many great memories and occasions.

So, here is a glimpse of several photos taken during my 5 year engagement with my Canon 5DM3:

Arrival day:  April 9, 2012

PAD April 9: the 5DM3 arrives

Some early photos in 2012:

PAD April 9: Mittsey shots PAD April 12: Kiki one of the rescue catsKiki is one of those cats that is waiting at the animal rescue to be adopted. I take pictures that are added to their website in the hopes that they will be adopted. PAD April 10: Yellow Power

And some photos from 2013:

PAD January 28 Two Hoots PAD January 30 Triangles

PAD May 14 Up Close PAD Sept 28 Car Show Two And 2014:

PAD Feb 22 Art Deco Hood Ornament PAD Feb 21Packard Crowd-Two PAD March 29 Ice fishing near the end of the season 2015

2016:

View from the Farmer's Market in Halifax Close up look of the Gunnison River in the Black Canyon, North Rim Grand Junction near Main Street And now to this year, 2017

PAD Jan 1 The Trestle PAD Jan 16 Cardinal Two PAD Jan 18 Bench and Lake Winnebago PAD Jan 27 View of High Cliff Harbor 2 I will miss my old friend.  My daily companion.  My fun way of getting outside and experiencing the world around me.

I had attended a session earlier in the conference where the presenter did a magnificent job of using a photo deck and prompting questions to have us explore insights around ourselves.  The photo deck had magnificent photos that were photographic works of art and each one had a one-word title.  There was also a accompanying book that had stories about the photos and additional questions to ponder.  The presenter used the stories in the book and the prompting questions to further inspire our thinking.  My insight during the session is how simple and powerful the interplay of the cards, the book, and the simple prompting questions were.

After the session, someone asked me the question about why didn't I put together a photo deck.  I have some lovely photos and I have used them in various situations and exercises during creative sessions over the years. But, I been very resistant to creating a photo deck.  As I thought about this a bit more and had even further conversations with folks (during the debriefing sessions at Mindcamp, called Kaliedoscopes), I realized that having people use their own photos and transform them using a photo app provides a very different experience with lots of emotion, engagement, and the fodder for some pretty deep insights about self and others.  So, I proclaimed during my Kaliedoscope debriefing session that "I don't need a photo deck and I am letting go of that need to produce one.  Instead, I am going to further develop and explore the Dreamscape approach formally in a little booklet, video, and demonstration of how it might be used in your life and in creative sessions.  I am going to concentrate initially on simple insights about self and then using a visioning exercise to create insights about personal growth.

I will probably be sharing snippets of how to approach this using this blog, various galleries within my Zenfolio photo sharing site, and some videos on Vimeo.

Stay tuned for these developments

The day, the glorious day!  When I arrived, there was snow swirling around me when I was preparing to get ready for my hike.  At first, I thought I would “test” it out by just walking around with a plastic bag around my camera to protect it from the snow. I took a few shots of the snow clinging to the trees and the woodpile by the Sugar Shack.  And then headed back to the car to pick up my camera bag and my wallet.  No tripod, though.  The wind was too cold to stand around a set up a tripod shot, or so I said to myself.

So, I started to walk and I found I quickly had to remove the camera from my plastic bag and capture and freeze in time the moments around me.

PAD Jan 31 Leading to the River

I was greeted by a pathway that was snow covered with only one other set of tracks.  Fresh snow even though it was around lunch time.  The viewing area overlooking the river was all mine.  No footprints there yet.  The air was fresh.  The snow had stopped.  There wasn’t any ice underfoot at this point in the trail.  And there were photo possibilities everywhere.

PAD Jan 31 View of the Viewing Platform

One of my favorites along the way is the down tree limb that is white along the river when it hits a narrow portion.  The tree limb runs from the right to the center of the photo, with a wonderful display of white and dark colors.  When I took the photo, I felt a sense of jubilation since it was a shot that really typified the moment right after a snowfall and no one except me had experienced this, at least at this point in time.

PAD Jan 31 White Fallen Limb Treatment 2

I noticed the edges where the snow hit the river and there is intricate crust of ice where the shore meets the river.  It was cold here as the wind hits the river and then covers me with its icy breathe.  In spite of the cold air, I decided to press on since the snow was untrampled and I had the unique experience of seeing a fresh look at the snow and ice.  I looked around the shoreline for an icy look as the shoreline is extremely close to the water.

PAD Jan 31 Ice at the Fringe

And I found a couple of literally cool looks of the edge between shoreline and water where the ice formed some interesting patterns.  Cool patterns, literally.  Enjoy the following photos that give you a sense of the edges between snow and river.

PAD Jan 31 Close up of the Icy Fringe

And now even more close-up looks at some of the icy formations.

PAD Jan 31 Majestic Ice Sculpture

PAD Jan 31 White Lacy Edge

PAD Jan 31 White Lacy Edge 2

Usually I don't take photos of complicated shots with lots of stuff.  But I thought I would try a few shots that had a complex composition rather than simple simple.  First, the one with the limbs topped with snow.

PAD Jan 31 Tree Art

And then the one with lots of white with staves of branches peeking through.

PAD Jan 31 Complex but Simple Two One showing the creek surrounded by snow.

PAd Jan 31 Look of the River

And, lastly, the leading line formed by rocks in the river and lead to a fallen log with pristine snow on top.

PAD Jan 31 Leading to the Log Across the River

So, you experienced my walk and here's a short poem to celebrate the occasion.

Celebrating

Flurries surround me,

My Camera in hand,

Breathe leaves a noticeable trail,

I am ready for a walk.

My Footsteps are the First,

Leaving a trail,

White Inprint

Snow slowly fills in.

I wander on,

No particular trail in mind,

Following the beauty

of the Fresh Snow.

The river is roaring,

Rapids have little WhiteCaps,

Edges are Laced

With ICE.

Trees are holding

A Thin layer of white

Outlining patterns

Only I have

the Priviledge

To See.

At this creativity conference, I was able to present my approach to photography.  This is built upon the work that Andre Gallant has shared at his photoworkshops and his various books, including the book entitled, "Dreamscapes". (See more about Andre's approach and his various books at www.andregallant.com).

The theme at Mindcamp Canada a couple of years ago was Dreaming.  I had been to the conference before at this setting and was well aware of all of the photographic possibilities there.  And I believe that I was the first person to submit a proposal, which I called Dreamscapes.  It was immediately accepted for the conference and I got to work further exploring the approach pioneered by Andre.  And then I started to embellish it even further for the conference by using a variety of photo apps and my iPad.

First, some example of Dreamscapes that are based upon Andre's technique (that he describes step by step in his three books, Dreamscapes, Innovation, and Inspiration.

The first image is at our city's gardens.  It a composite of the original image blended with a blurred image.  This is also called the Orton effect.  In my opinion it creates a very dreamy feeling of this garden scene with ballerina statue and the red roses.  The pose of the ballerina, in particular, fits in with this mood.

The next image also used the approach of blending together two images, one original and the other blurred.  As you can see in this image that it creates a very dreamy effect and brightens the colors.

And the last image is an example of what Andre calls a Moonlight Dreamscape, where he uses a solarized B&W image and blends it with the blurred layer of the original colored image.  It gives a look that suggests that the photo was taken on a moonlight night.

At Mindcamp Canada when I first presented Dreamscapes, I initially built upon the approach that Andre outlined.  Then I decided to play around with photo apps on my iPad using the same general approach.  Here are a few examples of that.

This is more similar to Andre's approach, but all done using iPad apps.  This particular image was done using the app, Filterstorm, where I was able to create two layers similar to what I can do in Photoshop.  One layer was blurred and the second layer was brightened; blending was done using "multiply".  There was an additional layer that was solarized and then blended at a lower opacity

The next image was put together using FX studio HD, using a variety of filters and then some selectively coloring.  It just so happened that two people were looking at the window at the same time and both wearing a bit of red.

The final image of this series using a number of approaches inspired by Andre.  There is a sepia layer that is a mirror montage with the original colored image on top.  The bottom layer was blurred slightly.

Most recently, as I prepared for Mindcamp Chile 2017 I noticed that one of the photo apps that I've been using has dramatically changed it's filters and this happened right before the conference.  I played around with the filters and found a very easy way to create Dreamscapes that anyone with a phone or a tablet can do.  The most amazing thing is that I can easily explain how to use the app and the participants can easily use the tools to create wonderful, beautiful Dreamscapes.  Here are some examples that I created.

PicsArt has the ability to add sky features like lightning.  I took this photo while waiting for our plane to be de-iced and then enhanced it within PicsArt and then added the lightning.

Another feature in PicsArt is using the Magic Filter.  Here is one example of using a warm colored filter to create a totally different nostalgic look.

Plus I can easily shift colors using the Colorizing menu within PicsArt.  Plus do some selective coloring and opacity changes to create the "dream" that I was thinking of creating when I saw that chat.

And the ability to use a Magic Effect and then to distort some of the results.  First the image altered so there is a Mirror Effect.

Then, the image is further enhanced by using a Magic Filter and Distort.

So, you can see that there are a variety of ways to create Dreamscapes, using the technique championed by Andre Gallant and explained in his books and experienced during his workshops.  And, now you can go even further by using various apps on your iPad.  All creating dream-like images.

And then I had a few more preparatory things to do before the year ended.  

• I changed to a new external hard drive, which conveniently was almost full.  
• I started a new Lightroom catalog for 2017.  
• I made some minor changes to my Zenfolio website, changing the banner headline to reflect 2017 and changing my blog welcome.  I briefly went through and made sure that the picture galleries taken during 2016 were labelled correctly.  I created my monthly galleries for PAD 2017.
• I set up a new monthly challenge group on Flickr and posted my first photo taken on Jan 1 on that site.  
• I created a slideshow celebrating my memorable images of 2016 and posted the images on Zenfolio

Going through this contemplation and cleaning process was important for me.  It gave me a chance to review images.  It showed me some gaps that I had in my files.  Most importantly, it re-iterated that I had some very special moments during 2016.  And sometimes at unexpected times.  

It also re-itereated how important it is for me to have some sort of image capture device with me at all times.

So, what do I envision happening in 2017.

• New Photography Challenges with a new Flickr group.  We are taking a new approach this year with a broad monthly theme followed by self-identified weekly challenges.  The January broad challenge is an area of photography that you would like to improve.  Based on a recent visit to a photography gallery where college students were using old-fashioned darkroom techniques for their B&W photos, I decided to concentrate on B&W.  So far, with just a few days into it, this is an interesting and stretching approach.  It has already caused me to see things differently as I contemplate B&W composition considerations rather than relying on color.  I am hoping that this new monthly broad theme approach will stretch me as well as members of the group.
• Continuing with my approach to Photos-A-Day where I take at least one photo every single day and post these on Zenfolio.  As per previous years, the Photo Challenges in my group will influence a lot of my photo taking and photo making this year.
• Start a book based on either Photoautobiography or Photo Memoir.  I have just started to roughly outline what it will include and how I plan to create and organize this a bit differently from other Memoirs that are out there.
• Scan old family photos (which may be found within Photoautobiography or my Photo Memoir in some way)
• Continue to explore Contemplative Photography and just plain contemplation.
• Continue the Photography as a Spiritual Practice group and try to stretch the group to use contemplative practices with their photography
• Take at least one photography workshop this year!
• Yet to be defined, discover areas where I want to stretch my creative expression.  Try areas that I normally avoid, like night photography and portraiture.
• Find some photos that I want to print and explore different ways of printing like aluminum and fabric.

And let me re-visit this list six months from now and see how I am doing!

Once again, I am impressed with the number of photos that I decided to post this year.  It truly became a Photo Memoir of my year's experiences.  And I believe this year I managed to capture more images than any other year.  I had the time.  I used the weekly challenge things from my Flickr group as a daily guide.  It gave my photo taking a purpose and also caused me to stretch.  

So, coming back to this year.  I wanted to book end it.  Show some shots in the beginning of the year and also at the end.  See what's changed; see what is the same.

Here is one of my shots in early January at Stockbridge Harbor at the end of the Road.  Snowy from the road's end, but enough of the road cleared so I could get to the park.  It was a cold day and not many people there.  

PAD Jan 5 The fence

Here is the same shot in Autumn.  The irony is that I thought Fall was at the end, until I went to the end of the road.  I faced the fence differently because I wanted to capture the color as well as the blue skies and a bit of the boat launch site in the background.

PAD Nov 11 Two Yellow Trees at Stockbridge Park

Here are a few more photos from January 2016.

The first in this series is showing the tire tracks in the parking area.  I took this near the Stockbridge Boat Landing.

Pad Jan 5 Tracks

Another favorite photo subject is our cat.  Here she is perched on her tower in January and looking out over her domain.  She would watch the birds and squirrels for hours.  Always alert!

PAD Jan 2 Mittsey silhouette on her perch

In this next January shot, she is checking out her own shadow.  I love how the shadow is greatly exaggerated because of the sun's angle at this time of year.

Pad Jan 10 Shadows One

And one more shot of the cold January landscape.  Again at Lake Winnebago.  Just looking at it makes me shiver.

PAD Jan 16 At the edge of the waterfront One

Now, it's December.  Snow and ice are everywhere.   It was fiercely cold and windy when I took this shot.  No one else was walking around.  It was just me and the camera which I tried to keep warm.

PAD Dec 29 Lake Winnebago

I just happened to take a whole series of shots at Lake Winnebago before the end of the year.  Here are some examples to show how cold and isolated this particular day was (Dec 30).

PAD Dec 30 Lake Winnebago Scene Six

PAD Dec 30 Lake Winnebago Scene Nine

PAD Dec 30 Lake Winnebago Scene Ten

Have to include a December shot of Mittsey sitting on a red plastic bag.

PAD Dec 2 Mittsey on Red Jacob's Meat Bag

And, lastly, showing a bit of color during the month of December.  Some of the birds that Mittsey watches intently throughout the year. PAD Dec 1 Cardinal in our backyard

I've really enjoyed my year of going outside, traveling places, and just enjoying the thrill of taking photos.  I've completed another year of taking a photo a day and it gives me great pleasure to go over the photos from the various months.  I hope that you take a peek at my galleries.  What I shared with you is just a very, very small sample.

Happy New Year!

The first Gift:  An Appreciation of Water in our Area

The first gift happened earlier in the year.  My Dad was staying with us for a while during January through March.  His mobility has changed so instead of taking walks or riding our bikes, we took drives around my area.  My Dad lives over 2 hours away and has spent a few days here and there over the past in our area, but never three whole months.  During our almost daily drives, we were able to watch a number of things unfold.  

Many of our favorites spots during our drives was close to water.  We have Lake Winnebago, Lake Buttes des Morts, and the Fox River in our area.  Early on during our drives, my Dad commented about the amount of water in our area.  So, we not only explored these places while my Dad was staying with us, but I also continued this new tradition during the rest of the year.  The gift that my Dad gave me was an appreciation of the water and the historic significance in our area.

So, here is a little more detail with photos on that first gift:  An Appreciation of Water in our Area

One of the fascinations during our winter drives was the sturgeon fishing on lake Winnebago.  Here are a couple of the fishing shanties and the Christmas trees that the local ice fishing club would use to indicate the safe areas on this waterway.  If you really look closely, you can see the shanties on the right that are quite a distance from the shanties in the foreground.

PAD Feb 15 Christmas Trees near the Ice Shanties

We drove to Kimberly Point when the weather was getting a bit warmer.  There was a combination of open water in the foreground and a host of fishing shanties on the ice in the background.  My Dad was surprised at the number of shanties given the warmer temperatures.

PAD Feb 17 Sitting on a bench at Kimberly Point

Bringing the fishing shanties in.  There was a long warm spell and one of the winter events in the southern part of the State had cars go through the ice.  The local fishing club was helping to remove ice shanties from the melting ice on Lake Winnebago.  In the foreground, you can see the standing water.

PAD Feb 20 Sturgeon Fishing Sites on a warm day

I stopped the car to get this shot of the light between the lights.  Dad pointed it out and fortunately I was able to capture this ephemeral moment.

PAD Feb 25 The sky is calling

The Second Gift:  An Appreciation for Beauty

This gift was prompted by several workshops that happened during the first half of the year.  The first workshop was my photography workshop in Lunenburg with Andre Gallant.  It was my birthday week and I flew into Halifax and was pampered by my stay at the Prince George Hotel.  I was impressed with the beauty of the lobby, the friendliness of the staff, and the delicious clam chowder that I had as my birthday dinner.  This set the scene for my couple of days in Halifax before the photo workshop.  The tulips were blooming in the public gardens, the wharf was bustling with people during the day yet strangely quiet in the early morning, and people were friendly.  So, I became open minded to the beauty of Halifax and Nova Scotia even before I got to my workshop.

I've been to this particular workshop a couple of times.  I love the Lunenburg area and Andre's workshops are always inspiring.  When I looked at his photographs that he shared with us during the workshop, I appreciated the exquisite beauty and simplicity of his photos.  I also realized that his photographic expression is not the same as my photographic expression.  I believe my photographic expression is my view of what is beautiful in the moment as I realize that beauty in my senses.  And, my photos are a special visual capture of that moment even though they can not totally capture many of the nuances of the experience.

Photos Related to An Appreciation for Beauty

One of the places that I felt most alive during the workshop is when I was greeting the sun in the Blue Rocks area.  Blue Rocks is about a 15 minute drive from Lunenburg and is a small port area.  Fishermen go out from here in the early morning.

This particular morning was fairly foggy.  When I first got up, I contemplated just rolling over and going back to bed.  Instead I quickly showered and drove the 15 minutes in dense fog questioning my sanity during the entire drive and wondering if I would make a wrong turn since I could barely see the road ahead of me.

I parked the car and started walking.  There was an unusual and cool light that was shining on the rocks which made them appear bluer than I remember from past experiences along this same area.  My gift that day was discovering the overwhelming beauty of the Blue Rocks, which in past years I just didn't fully see.  Perhaps it was the juxtaposition of the Rocks against the seaweed and the tide was just beginning to recede.  I was awe-struck by the beauty of the blue rocks.  And now I spend more time going back to places and seeing with new eyes.  Nature doesn't seem to disappoint since there are many times that I've seen things that I never noticed before.

The Third Gift:  A Long Autumn

I was fooled this year.  When I first started photographing fall colors in September, I thought it was going to be a very quick experience.  It seemed like the leaves were already falling off of the trees early.  I went out often because I wanted to capture a little fall color in our area before we took a family trip to Colorado and Utah.  I fully expected the color to be gone when we returned in mid-October.  But I was wrong.  The color was just starting to unfold.  What I observed this year different from other years is that there were waves of color....first the birch would change color and lose their leaves.  Then slowly, the maples would turn yellow each day a slightly different shade of yellow.  Then they would slowly fall off of the trees and create a golden ground cover that would provide even a different look to the fall. Finally the reds.  The reds of the ornamental trees in our area were especially glorious this year and they tended to stay on the trees for a long period of time and slowly, slowly fall to the ground.  Finally, the oaks would turn color and show off their color for days until a very nasty windstorm caused almost all of the oak leaves to fall.

Photos Associated with the Gift of a Long Autumn

Early Autumn along the Newberry River Trail fairly close to my house.  

Reds by Lutz Park taken using Multiple Exposure

Plamann Park at the Height of Color with leaves in the canopy and quite a few have fallen.

Along the fence at the Harbor near Stockbridge.

PAD Nov 11 Two Yellow Trees at Stockbridge Park

Ornamental Reds at Memorial Park

The Fourth Gift:  Photos taken with the Hiking Club

Occasionally this year I've had the pleasure or hiking with our churches hiking group.  Most of these events were in the late summer and fall of this year.  The longest hike was the day after the election, where I hiked 15 miles and saw much beauty and peace along the Wiowash trail.  Some of these hikes were more like walks or special events, but still involved taking many steps.  I appreciated the wide variety of the experiences.

It's great to hike with folks; rather reminds me of travelers of long ago like in the Canterbury Tales or along the Camino.  I appreciate the variety of experiences that we had during these hikes while visiting some places that I usually don't frequent,  and some of the different photos that I was able to capture.

Photos Taken during the Fourth Gift:  The Hiking Club

Long walk on Wiowash trail, the day after the election.  This is a walk along a conventional recreational trail that spans for over 20 miles.  I picked up the trail in Medina, which was the wrong meeting point, but that became an incentive for me to hike even longer that day.  I hiked from 9 to about 3 and covered 15 flat miles.

PAD Nov 9 Swaying, Colorful Trees One

Surfing in Sheboygan on Lake Michigan in November.  This was on one of our hiking excursions.  We were treated to seeing surfers on a very cold day in Wisconsin, but the surf was up.  We were wearing many layers, including down, and were inspired by these hardy souls in wet suits.

PAD Nov 17 Surfer Seven

SuperMoon.  We walked from our cars to Kimberly Point and took a number of shots of the moon.  We were treated to a beautiful moon as well as a gorgeous sunset.  I was positioned for the moon shot and only captured the sunset in my mind's eye.

The fifth Gift:  Appreciating The Beauty of the Moment Wherever I am

At times this is the hardest gift to appreciate:  accepting what is right in front of me and appreciating the beauty right there.  Sometimes, the beauty just overwhelms you, like when I was in Colorado along the Million Dollar Highway at the peak of color.  There, I had to drink in the beauty because it was overwhelming.  It took a while for me to appreciate it.  But often, the beauty isn't apparent and you just have to keep looking until you see it.  Sometimes it can just be how the light unfolds in that very moment and the specialness is that only you have seen this moment. These are the quiet special times when light and shadows can play a special dance.  Now, I try to stop whatever I am doing and just look with a heightened visual awareness.  Plus, I try to have a few more of my senses aware of my surroundings.

The light showing through the red leaf while hiking at Hartman Creek State Park.  I had to stoop down and then point my camera up to capture the backlighting.

PAD Nov 5 Red Study Three

I was walking near the Lawrence Academy and noticed that there was a curb that was barely visible amidst the yellow leaves.

PAD Nov 7 Curb Sighting

I don't know if the owner intentionally put up this white bed frame as an way to decorate the exterior of the home.  But the white bed frame, the red vines, and the red siding all caught my eye during one of my walks in the Appleton area.

PAD Nov 4 Bed Time Stories in Red

I had my long lens on my camera and noticed the odd angle that this woodpecker was at in our backyard.  (I also have some conventional shots of this colorful character)

PAD Dec 1 Woodpecker hanging out One

My husband was buying fish in Bandon Oregon and he was taking a while.  I stepped outside and saw this beautiful light on the Coquille River Lighthouse.  It had been raining quite a bit on this trip, so unexpected light especially at the golden hour wasn't something that I was anticipating.  I only had my P&S with me so I quickly grabbed the shot.  Just a few moments later, the light faded.  There literally was no chance for me to grab my DSLR from my car.

PAD Dec 15 Light on Coquille Lighthouse

A rainy and unpleasant day in Canada.  Glad that I brought a lot of rain gear with me, just in case.  I took one last walk along the pier of the summer camp where we were staying and this beautiful sunset exploded in front of our eyes.  I took the plastic bag off my bag, grabbed my camera, and watched a very colorful display.

PAD August 21 Sunset 2

And on that same trip, sunrise the next day!

PAD August 22 Sunrise 6

So, I have received many gifts this year and I hope that these gifts will see me into 2017 and even further discoveries.

And, then it came to me.  It's not about selecting one photo, but to create a photo memoir of the year.

It started in January when I was taking my Dad on drives and we would see the progress on Sturgeon Fishing in our area and my Dad noting how beautiful this area is.  I just shared these photos with my Dad and they truly do represent a special memory of our time together.  

One example of what we saw during our Sturgeon fishing drives is this photo:

PAD Feb 20 Sturgeon Fishing Sites on a warm day

We enjoyed watching the fishing club putting the Christmas trees along a safe path on the ice.  We appreciated how early in the season when the ice was pretty thick that the Christmas trees would extend outward quite a distance.  The above photo shows a thaw day when the club is quickly rounding up the fishing shanties and bringing them back to shore so they don't fall through the ice.  Ice was just too thin to hold much weight.

And then there was a day when deer visited us in our backyard.  We were just lounging a bit and a small group of deer passed through our yard looking for juicy shrubs to eat.

PAD Feb 17 Deer Visitor in our backyard One

And then a heavy snow day.  Quite a beautiful sight to watch from the comfort of our living room as the snow accumulated.

PAD Feb 2 Snowfall This is just a short sampling of what the two of us experienced that create special memories.  And these memories are prompted by the photos that I took.

One of the things that I was very thankful for this year was a very long and beautiful fall.  It gave me pause when I saw it on my list and then I realized that many of my activities since mid-Sept were centralized around capturing fall color and the beauty around me where I live.

But before I share a few of my photos, I have to share a few conversations, books and photo workshops that influenced my capturing of Fall Colors around my home.

The first influence was one of those things that just happened and the person who provided this gift probably will never realize it's impact.  As a Christmas present way back in 1998, I received a book called "Photographing the World Around You:  A Visual Design Workshop" by Freeman Patterson.  It literally changed the way I think about and approach photography.  I was thinking that nature photography was all about going to special spots and capturing a photo that would represent some sort of "trophy" of the moment.  And at that time, since it was still film, I wouldn't see the results of my nature journey until much later.  Often with disappointment since I didn't seem to capture the moment as adeptly as what I saw in National Geographic or Popular Photography.  I set those thoughts aside for a few years until I was able to take a workshop from Freeman Patterson in 2008, and my eyes were opened and I was given the gift of truly seeing the world around me.

Since that time, I've been able to take a number of workshops with Freeman Patterson and with Andre Gallant, his teaching partner.  Since 2012, I've been working on taking a at least one photo every day, usually capturing whatever there is around me whether near my home or while I was traveling for work.  Since 2012, I've been living the spirit of "Photographing the World Around ME".

And, at first, I wasn't mindfully capturing the world around me.  It was a subconscious force that compelled me to compose and then capture an image that gave me joy and interpreted what I saw in my world.  I used the visual elements of design that Freeman so graciously shared in his workshop and his many books (Photography and the Art of Seeing, editions 3 and 4, Photographing the World Around You, edition 1994,  Photography for the Joy of It, 30th anniversary edition, Photography of Natural Things, 4th edition).

Fast forward to this year....my Dad is temporarily living with us during the cold and snowy months of January to March.  Most days we took drives around my home town and my Dad pointed out how beautiful my area is.  I didn't realize how influential his observation was.  Subconsciously I've been experiencing that for years as I took photos around me, but it didn't really hit me until my Dad's observation.

So, I started my fall discovery journey on Sept 16 and ended just a few days ago when the first snow fell.  And now I share a few of the photos and a little bit of the story behind it.

One of my first photos was taken during a hike that I do often in High Cliff State Park in Wisconsin.  On Sept 20, the area was pretty green with just a few trees starting to change in color and the Sumacs was just starting to turn to red.  As I hiked with my husband, I noticed this wonderful set of trees, a small grove, that was just changing.  I was also thinking that in a couple of days, I would be in Colorado along the Million Dollar Highway between Ridgway and Durango and would expect to see lots and lots of Aspen that would have a magnificent yellow color.  But I wasn't sure if we would be in Colorado during peak color or whether the leaves had already fallen.  So, I thought I would take advantage of the colors, in the here and now.

Sept 20 Along Horse Trail at High Cliff State Park

What attracted me to this image was the yellow color of the leaves in the upper canopy.  Plus, I loved the triangle formed by the green evergreen and several of the trees,  It seemed like there was an archway over the green evergreen.  If you really look closely enough, then you will see another triangle at the left, with just the trees and yellow leave.  And the sky was a beautiful shade of blue, enhanced even further by my polarizing filter.  I felt truly in the moment and truly alive.  

Another part of the journey was to catch the water and the waterways in our area.  Our area, The Fox Cities, was built around the river.  First it was fur trading and then a long history of paper making (and associated industries).  All of this made possible by water.  There is a "stairway" of 17 locks that gradually take you from our area to Green Bay, and eventually to the Great Lakes.  I was taking a long walk right before Thanksgiving and was able to catch a "little bit of heaven" with the clouds reflected in the water by one of the Kaukauna Locks.

PAD Nov 15 Kaukauna Locks at Heesakker Park

I was standing by the bridge and overwhelmed by it's beauty.  I wasn't expecting it at all since the day was partly cloudy (with all of its clouds) and the wind was one of those biting winds that just went through you even if most wouldn't say it was a windy day.  I had bundled up for the walk and braced myself for the weather.  It turned out to be one of my fantastic walks of the Fall.  There were very few people on the trail and the silence was pleasingly welcome.  There were still a few leaves left on the trees and one of the channels was isolated from the wind and there were beautiful reflections.  Reflections that were in sync with the calmness that I felt during my walk.  Almost sublime.

PAD Nov 15 Gray Boat Two

And then there were days when I wrong turn (or an intentional "other" turn) caused me to drop my jaw as I looked at the marvelous color.  Here's one example from Plamann Park where I took a walk down the road which wasn't my intended destination.  I just loved how the fence rail hangs with the color surrounding it.

Another "wrong" turn resulted in this series of flaming maples trees.  I usually drive into Memorial Park using the other entrance.  For some reason, I turned left instead of going straight and was amazed at the "just right" red.  An unexpected delight.

And my last photo of this series is in Oshkosh near Menominee Park.  It's a boat launch, but you can't park there.  I saw the color and then just had to drive around the block to find a parking place.  The yellows and oranges were truly a sight to behold against the backdrop of Lake Winnebago.

This is just a peak of the many images that I took around where I live.  I am looking forward to continuing to pour over them and remember all of those special moments in time and the conversations with people that got me to look more closely to my world.

As I was scanning a few of these for my Dad's 90 birthday party coming up this weekend, I started to reminisce about the flood of memories that these photos brought back, especially when I was a young kid.  It was a big deal back in the 50's to take the camera out at family events or when visiting my two sets of grandparents.  Each moment was special even though most of the photos compositionally wouldn't win any prizes in photo contests.

Here is one example of a photo that I scanned and then added some sepia toning to give it an "older" nostalgic look.

As I scanned and worked in PS with sepia toning, I was astonished at the flood of memories 58 years after this photo was taken.  As I viewed this photo, I could re-create the whole scene in my mind of a Sunday afternoon at my Grandparents house.  I could smell my grandfather's garden, part of it is in behind the white fence and before the old car.  I can remember the stiffness of the skirt and how the "newness" of the fabric felt against my legs.  I could feel the light summer breeze from Lake Michigan that helped to cool a hot, humid day.  I can remember my mother fussing over how the skirt look on the white bench and how she wanted me to cross my hands.  I can remember the food that we had later in the day that my Grandmothers cooked from scratch, with vegetables and salad from the garden, and a chicken freshly harvested from the old chicken coop.  I remembered that I felt safe and loved surrounded by two older generations, some talking in English and when they didn't want me to understand in their native tongue.

Besides the multi-sensory memories, I also thought about how the photographic experienced changed over the years.  My mother only brought out the camera on special occasions, like a visit to Grandmas when relatives were coming in from out of town.  The adults would talk to one another and the kids would play, usually running around the yard and burning off lots of steam.  Then a couple of cameras would come out before dinner.  We would line up as a family, or sometimes take individual shots.  There were only 12 exposures on a roll of film so each shot was carefully choreographed.  The camera wasn't used often, so there was a constant re-learning of what worked and what didn't.  And because you couldn't see the result instantly, you trusted fate that one of the shots that you took turned out.

If it was a special event, we would try to use up the roll so we could see the results as soon as possible.  Hopefully, when we re-wound the film and opened up the camera back, everything worked well and the film rolled in such a way to not expose anything.  No handy film canister yet, just darkened paper at the end of the roll and a red sticky piece that you would secure on the other side of the re-wound film to guard against light leaking.  Sometimes that worked and sometimes there were light leaks.

Then off to the drug store to place it in an envelop, with our name and address.  Hopefully, the sales person at the drug store put down a complete and accurate date on the envelop....that helped in many cases to keep track of the months and years that the photos were taken long after the fact.  It took a few days to get it developed and prints made.  Nothing instantaneous about this process.

And then we were linger over the 12 prints, savoring the moment, talking about the photo and what went on during the family gathering or event.  We re-lived the event many times and each printed photo was looked at again and again.  Each photo represented a precious and unique set of memories.

Sometimes there were other emotions when we initially went through the photos, especially big disappointment when only a few of the photos actually "turned out".  Now that I look at the old negatives, there were some rolls of film when everything turned out great and each photo was printed.  Then there were the other times, when only 2 prints were made because the negatives just didn't have enough stuff to be printed or were just plain blank.  Unfortunately, there was no way to know until the initial opening of the drug store envelop.

Today, the surviving photos are poignant memories of the event and of my youth.  They are special.  They need to be looked at, stir memories, prompt conversation, and then preserved in their original form as well creating digital archives.

Reflecting on the differences between then and now is very striking.  Here are several that resonated with me as I scanned earlier this week.

• Photos in the 50's were rare events taken at special moments:  vacations, baptisms, big family gatherings, and Christmas.  
• Each photo was viewed many times and looked at for longer periods of time than today
• Each photo brings back many memories and even multi-sensory memories.
• The sheer number of photos are exponentially different:  Looking over the number of photos of me when I was a kid, I probably take that many digital photos in an average day
• There were many "missed" photos due to equipment or unfamiliarity with the proper handling of film and you didn't know until at least a week after the special event
• Family events were mainly snapshots, with formal posing and few other compositional considerations

So, next week I start a more comprehensive scanning of photos of negatives so that all good photos are copied digitally and all good negatives are digitally archival.  I am looking forward to the flood of memories as I start the journey.

So, I decided to create a few photos that use some of the principles of the Impressionistic painters.  Common subjects, looking at the light, dabs of color, and subjects that were taken out of doors rather than in a studio.  The following photo was taken at the Appleton Gardens.  It's a composite of two different photos done as in camera multiple exposures using Canon equipment.

Week 20: Multiple Exposure Two

I love how the tulips and the white blossoms interact, where the white blossoms gives the perception of brush strokes.

Another Impressionistic photo that I created was also an in camera multiple exposure.  This is the original where I took a photo of the flowers and then a photo of some nearby bricks.  I used the in camera processing of Canon.

And then I decided to change it up a bit.  Moving away from Impressionistic type images to something different.

So, I decided to selectively color this image.  Just a bit of red and the rest a grey shadow.  I love how the greenery stands out in a different way due to the B&W treatment and how the blossoms really give the sense of being at their perfect color.

As we move further away from Impressionism to more creative expression and the use of camera movement to create effects, I had fun creating this first image.  It features flowers at our local public gardens. It's a multiple exposure of 9 images, hand-held, and twisting the camera slightly to the right.

PAD May 17 Twirling

And then I decided to change it up a bit by using the selective color feature.  It changes the entire image where the grey might be a woven fabric, a piece of crystal, or something else.  I love how the color is balanced by the B&W.

Now to another genre of painting.....Surrealism.  I love the unreal quality of these images in the spirit of Dali, Man Ray, and others.  I've had the good pleasure of seeing many exhibits by Dali, including Figueres Spain and St Petersburg, Florida.  Here are a few photos that I transformed to be surrealistic using Pixelmator and PicsArt on my iPad.

This image is a combination of some artwork on the Halifax wharf and a painting I found in a Nova Scotia bathroom.  I love the way the sky emulates the frog, the martini glass, and the bending light structure.  Plus the colors are fantastic!

Next image is a multiple layer composite that uses the above image as the base and then piles on many different layers and blend modes.

Oh, If you want more distortion, this is the answer for you.  Wider eyes and more exaggerated features.  That martini glass is still there.

And then I went into a different bent.  Looking at fish rather than frogs.  Version one that uses a little bit of distortion to get the look that I was envisioning.

And the second is a composite that uses color in a different way.  It's the eye and the red lips that captures my attention.

Anyway, it's just fun to play with photos and to create images that are not necessarily based on reality.

Pad May 1 Mt Hood Two Now of my big lessons, lately, is to always have a camera available.  Sometimes it works; sometimes it doesn't.  This time on my way to Portland, it was a huge WIN.  I love this photo of MT Hood.  Clouds, snow,, and terrain....what could be better.

OK...Now where do we go from here.  I love the various shades of green that my next photograph has.  Maybe not huge on composition, but it says something to me...and that is what is important.

PAD May 6 Different Shades of Green at Miller Woods

And then there is the highly manipulated photos.

PAD May 17 Up close and personal for Twirling

OK, another green.  Who's green....me or the viewer?

PAD May 4 Green Tones

My photos are not great, but they give me a certain joy.  I can remember the moment.  I can try to have a composition that speaks to me and perhaps to others. There is a certain connection between the taking of the image and an emotional response.  Sometimes it goes beyond that.  And sometimes I don't recognize that until much later.

There are  times when I want to process an image to the max.  And, most often, I want to take the image and appreciate the AS IS.

Since I am meandering, here are a couple of AS IS images from today.  AS IS doesn't cheapen their meaning.  In some respects, it's purer because it's what I saw at the time.  Without processing.  

PAD March 6 Sailing on the ICE

Here is one small example of being in the moment and taking the photo.  The winds were intense and this person was skipping the ice with his wind carrying unit.  The ice is in fragile condition, but he soared.  I felt the soaring and felt him skating across the ice.  Such in the moment experience.

I love to capture these moments and relive them as I pursue my photos.  May not be the best composition, but it sings to me.  Perhaps it might also sing to others.

Why do I take photos?

It does give me pleasure.  I enjoyed the feeling of having a camera around my neck and then being able to capture a moment.  

I feel a sense of specialness when I capture an image that means something to me in a unique way.  

It gives me a sense of purpose...I have this photo assignment, either given to me professionally or by my own unique wits, and I try my darnedest to express it.

I believe in creative expression, in many different forms.  There are times when I photograph and I don't want to process the image at all.  I want it to remain pure, in what I capture.  Then, there are other times.  A fraction of the others.  When I want to really process the image to get to the "look" that I experienced it.

I enjoy the thrill of the shoot.  Capturing something, hopefully special and telling.

Being able to share with family, the special moments of our lives.

Being able to work with 'clients' to capture their sense of the moment, filtered by my eyes.

To be able to discover who I am because of what I decide to photography and display.

Thanks for listening on this special leap day.

My original intent in starting the group was to build on the inspiration that Freeman Patterson and Andre Gallant have provided for me over the past 7 workshops.  I learned about seeing, creative expression, and then spirituality.  A few workshops ago, Freeman made the statement...."Whenever we focus the lens of our camera on anything, we are also focusing on ourselves"  This is the quote on the back cover of her book, "Embracing Creation" and is one of the quotes that I have in the introduction to this blog.  

This all relates to "Serenity and Winter".  I want to share with you two images that really spoke to me during this month as I contemplated the taking and the making of these photos.

My first photo was taken on a cold day after I had just gotten back from St Petersburg, Florida.  I was out on a drive with the thought of Serenity and Winter on my mind.  I was searching for compositions that would depict the theme in my mind.  And drove to some of my favorite sites along the lake.

PAD Jan 16 Solitude Two   

Most people at the park site next to the lake, stayed in their cars.  They were either on the cellphones, eating lunch, or just enjoying the view before they drove on.  As I walked around the park taking the scene in and looking for possible compositions for the theme of Serenity and Winter.

There was a certain aspect of solitude.  I was outside; everybody was snugly inside their cars with their engine on and heaters at full blast.  I felt the cold on my cheeks.  As I moved around, I first spied the lone bench overlooking the lake.  Normally, there is someone sitting there enjoying the view.  But today was too cold.  Then I noticed the stately older tree, with its interesting branches and stout trunk.  One lone tree in the particular location.  This added to the feeling of solitude in my mind.

I took off my gloves, turned my camera on, and walked around just a bit more.  I wanted to make sure that I got the bench, the tree, and a sense of the lake in the composition.  Plus, I wanted to make sure that there was an aspect of solitude in this scene.  As soon as I captured the image, I knew I had what I had envisioned.  In fact, afterwards, I didn't do any processing.  The image is as I experienced it and captured it.  To me, it represented "Serenity and Winter" and takes me to a different place.  It gives me a sense of joy and gratitude that I can experience days like this, with a sense of contemplation and reflection.  Even if it is cold.

The second image is an entirely different take on Serenity and Winter.  It is what gives me serenity within my home.  I decided to play around with my fish-eye lens to capture my piano with a big smile on it.

PAD Jan 22 Unique Perspective of my home B&W

For this composition, I tried several different images.  Sometimes, what you see in a Fish-Eye lens isn't exactly what you want to include....like your feet.  What I was aiming for is having the keys wind around the piano and show both the actual keys and the reflections.  I got most of that look when I captured the image, but decided to try a little post processing.  I did some fine tuning and then decided that the image of the keys would even be more pronounced if I processed it in B&W.  Immediately after I finished applying the B&W , I knew it represented an indoor serenity during the winter months.  I enjoy playing my piano for hours and hours on cold winter days.  It makes me SMILE.  Just like the keys on this image.

This composition represents a different type of contemplation.  I was thoughtful and intentional when I considered the composition and captured the image.  But, this contemplation progressed a little differently.  I was discovering more of its meaning for me as I played around with different aspects of post processing.  I had a vision of what I wanted to achieve, but needed to experiment with different "looks" before I finally said...."yes, that's it".  I usually save my different iterations so that I can see the progress, or in case a previous version actually said something to me.  Although it's an intuitive feel that makes you realize that you have the "look" that you intended.

The first contemplation I would consider more of an "experiential composition in real time", as in the first image.  The second contemplation happens during post-processing and I would consider it to be "intentional image processing", as in the second image.

So, these are two of my images that I took during the month of January to celebrate Serenity and Winter.  And some thoughts on contemplation.  Thanks for looking.

As I re-look at the photos that I've taken this year, they bring back many great memories.  Places visited; beauty seen; Experiences captured; Memories Made.

As I was trying to select my ONE favorite shot from 2015 for the weekly challenge, I discovered that I had a hundred.  Selecting just one was tough.  I did get it down to five.  Then spent the night sleeping on it and hoping incubation would help me select the one photo that was my favorite in 2015.

It turned out that the favorite that I posted to Andre's Weekly Challenge is that of Lilies of the Valley in my backyard on a rainy day.  Lilies of the Valley are special to me because they always seemed to bloom right before my birthday in May.  I looked forward to seeing them when I was growing up.  This particular photo was captured in my backyard amidst a bed of green leaves and lots of shade.

Week 52: Favorite Photos...PAD May 15 After the rain

I loved the way the white flowers were dangling down and the raindrops that were visible not only on the flowers, but the leaves surrounding the delicate Lily of the Valley.  To me, it seems like selecting this for my favorite was a bit of the past favorable memories as well as the present compositional aspects of raindrops on flowers and leaves, lovely green bokeh in background, and the lower leaf that seems to be catching the raindrops from the flowers.  Plus, I took this shot with one of my favorite lenses, my 100 macro lens.

I also want to share with you my runners up and what I liked about them....

In October I had the good fortune of taking a workshop from Freeman Patterson and Andre Gallant on the Kingston Peninsula in New Brunswick.  I stayed in a cabin that was built by the former owner and was heated with wood only.  My cabin mates did a great job to make sure that the fireplace always had a roaring fire.  The warmth within the cabin was amazing.  So, I decided to take a shot and warm it up a bit.

Week 52: Favorite Photo....The fireplace in my cabin in the Kingston Penisula I loved the original, but thought I would add some glow using Topaz plug-ins.  When I look at this image, I can feel the heat of the fire and the wonderful warmth in the cabin all over again.  This was very close to being my favorite image of the year.

Another contender for my favorite image was taken at the end point of a hike outside of Bend Oregon.  It starts out as the Green Lake Trail, but we had a little problem trying to get across one of the small log bridges (with no siderail) that leads to Green Lake.  So, we circled back, found the Moraine Lake Trail.  This image was captured at the lake's edge.  I was completely alone there with winds howling and a snowstorm brewing.

Week 52: Favorite Photo...PAD Sept 15 Lone Tree Three I loved the lone tree in the Moraine with the subtle lines above and below the tree.  Normally there are some backpackers around the lake, but with the looming snowstorm they had all left.  I was alone with this lone tree and the very simple Moraine area.  After I took this photo and spent some time appreciating the view, my husband joined me.  He surprised me a bit because he said he was going to wait for me below....We stood there a bit longer and then the snow started.  We headed down the trail and the snow continued and was beginning to accumulate.  Finally we got to a lower elevation and the snow just stopped.

Another image that I really liked was taken on a day when I was driving my little green Miata with the top down and enjoying the fall color.  I was not the only photographer out that day.  There were many that were trying to capture the colors before the leaves fell.

Week 52: Color in the Park{"total_effects_actions":0,"total_draw_time":0,"layers_used":0,"effects_tried":0,"total_draw_actions":0,"total_editor_actions":{"border":0,"frame":0,"mask":0,"lensflare":0,"clipart":0,"text":0,"shape_mask":0,"callout":0},"effects_applied":0,"uid":"3654F31E-E4F2-458D-94E3-E1C4CF0514EF_1447159111585","width":420,"photos_added":0,"tools_used":{"resize":0,"adjust":0,"curves":0,"motion":0,"clone":1,"crop":1,"enhance":0,"selection":0,"free_crop":0,"flip_rotate":0,"shape_crop":0,"stretch":0},"total_effects_time":0,"origin":"gallery","height":557,"total_editor_time":564155,"brushes_used":0} I love the color and the simplicity of the statue against the color.  I felt fortunate that I was able to find such a wonderful background.  I drove by just a few days later and most of the leaves had fallen to the ground.

And, to round out my top five....

My first workshop with Freeman Patterson and Andre Gallant was in 2008.  It also was at the Kingston Peninsula in New Brunswick.  Actually it was at the same location as my workshop this year.  In 2008, I was given the assignment of "Passionate Embrace".  At the 2008 workshop, I had a lot of fun with that topic and had many laughs as I was putting my story together.  Since that time, I subconsciously (and often consciously) look for compositions that might suggest a passionate embrace.  I am taking photos at High Cliff State Park and found this wonderful suggestion of an embrace.  The red in the background accentuates this image for me.

Week 52: Favorite Photo

If you want to see more of my possible choices, just visit my home page.  The slideshow shows these five and many more!

Have a great New Year!

The challenge approach has really caused me to think differently about photography.  It's stretched me, and sometimes made me feel uncomfortable about what I was shooting.

One example of this is "blurred image".  In the beginning of the challenge week, I tried several different approaches to blurring an image.  By the end of the week, however, I discovered how I could create a composition by using shapes and light.  The initial thought of having a blurred image seemed to go against every single photographic principle that I embraced, until that moment when I realized how shapes and light can make so much of a difference.  It may not be an award winning shot or series of shots, but it caused me to see my world and my photographic with a different eye.

Another example that really stretched me was making a long exposure where the exposure had to be greater than one minute.  I have several NC filters and thought it would be an easy thing to do....not realizing that a minute is a long time for light to enter the sensor.  It took many tries to get an exposure in mid-daylight that wasn't over-exposed.  And it caused me to see what a truly long exposure might result in, if I give it a chance.  I still have to play with this whole approach a bit more.....the key thing is that I am excited about exploring this new area.

So, I highly recommend the weekly challenge approach.  Either using it as part of a group, or on your own.  There are plenty of resources out there that can provide different challenges....you just have to jump in and enjoy!

And, then we got parked on the Tarmac.  There was a cloudburst and we were waiting for the weather to improve.  We were probably sitting there for about 15 to 20 minutes, give or take.  I looked out my window and there was a lovely scene caused by rain and scratches on the window.  I changed to the camera app on my iPad and started taking a few shots outside of my window.  As you can see, I caught just a little bit of the inner window when I took the shot.

After that I went into a couple of photo apps and enhanced the image.  The first app that I used was Snapseed where I changed the lighting to a more dramatic look.  Then I went into the app, Alien Sky, and added a bit of a beacon light effect.

After this, I tried a different photo of the control tower and added a bit of lightning using the Alien Sky app with this result.

By this time, we were ready to take off.  The time on the tarmac passed quickly since I was able to capture and then enhance a few images from my journey.  And, I didn't regret that my usual camera was neatly packed away in the overhead bin.

Inspired by his photos, I decided to find an everyday object in or around my home.  One of my favorite things to photograph is my little Miata.  So, I started by taking various photos of my Miata in the garage and selecting one to work with.

Here is the starting photo of the car's tail light.

PAD July 24 WD8A0100 What I shot in my camera

Before I used the approach that Andre outlined, I thought I would use the Topaz Filter, Simplify, to alter the starting photo a bit.  I also lightened it prior to using since the resulting Mirror Montage images will appear way too dark if used at normal exposure.  And flipped it.

Here is the photo after those few adjustments.  This is right before I merged two copies of the same image, with one image being flipped.

And, here are a couple of examples of the resulting Mirror Montages.  I used a couple of Topaz Filters to get to some very different colors and looks.

Thanks for looking!  More blog posts about Dreamscapes in the next couple of weeks.

Recently, I had the weekly photo assignment of "formal".  So, I decided to have a little fun with this and explore this challenging assignment with a little fun and color.  I used the Dreamscape approach and a little extra photo editing to complete my creative expression.

Somehow I decided tuxes and gowns would be a great way to capture the assignment.  I went to the mall and took photos in two different formalwear stores, which resulted in these kind of boring images......BORING.  This definitely needs some "dream-work"!!!!

I first used Andre Gallant's approach to creating a Dreamscape, where one layer is blurred considerably and the second layer is lightened considerably.  The two layers are combined using the Multiply Blend effect.  But then I got the idea of pushing this a little further and using the Topaz Glow plug-in, called Electrifying.

Pad July 8 Formal Two Now, that's getting a little closer.....BUT, I still wanted more.  To me, formal and classical images have a sense of symmetry.  So, I went into Diptic, a photo app that allows you to make interesting frames and got to work with a more classic look.

Pad July 8 Formal Fifteen

AND, I wanted to go just one step further and use a different frame and one more formal photo, the bridesmaid's gowns.  Again, this was added using the very fun photo app called Diptic.

Pad July 8 Formal Sixteen

So, this Dreamscape was a fun combination of the original approach, adding a little punch using Topaz Glow's Electrifying filter, and then experimenting with a couple of different framing effects.

More fun expressions in the next week or two.

One of my favorite places to photograph in my area is the local gardens.  I go there fairly often and my favorite time of the year is in early to mid-July when the roses are blooming.  This last visit, I spent about an hour or so photographing a number of different scenes.  One of my favorites is the statue of the ballerina surrounded by roses.  Then I Dreamscaped the various ballerina scenes using the technique that Andre Gallant describes in two of his books, Inspiration and Expressionism.  Here is one example of the BEFORE and AFTER.

Here is the BEFORE photo.

Here is the AFTER photo.    Notice how the whole scene changes with a "dreamier" look and feel and with deep, rich colors.

In this instance, I used Photoshop Elements to prepare the two layers for the Dreamscape Effect and then used blending mode of Multiply to put the two layers together.

Here are two more examples of the AFTER using the Dreamscapes approach on slightly different views of the same ballerina.

So, today the light in my work area in my home was really interesting.  I looked up and was able to see a little flower arrangement in my family room in a new light.  It lasted for a very ephemeral second.  My camera was handy and I "visualize"  a wonderful, dreamy blend of the primary center of interest and it's reflection.

PAD July 13 OMG light is so important One

 I thought it would be great to transform this into a Dreamscape according to the suggested way by Andre Gallent in his book, Inspiration.  I used Photoshop Elements and blurred one copy of the photo and lightening the second copy.  I used Multiple as a blend layer as I was bringing that two copies together..  And I played with the resulting image a bit to get the Dreamscape type look that I envisioned when I first saw the light on the flower.

PAD July 13 Dreamscape Two

So, I was so pleased that for a fleeting second that the light was so cool in my family room today.  Just right to create a Dreamscape that highlights the flower and its reflection.  Thank you, Andre, for introducing me to this approach!

PAD July 2 Experimenting with Multiple Exposure One

I took the above in our neighbor's are and played with multiple exposure that is a part of my camera.  Hand-held.  And swirl.

One of the things that I wanted to do is to have a central point with a bit a color and then to use the multi-exposure function of my camera to capture a series of images.  This is all about trial and I was so pleased that my first multiple-exposure image worked for me.

PAD July 2 Experimenting with Multiple Exposure Four

There are other photos, but I really please with the above photo.  When using multiple exposure or other camera techniques, the key is to try many things, keep it as simple as possible, and be open to what you get!

So, my story.  I am on a photographic workshop in the Banff area.  We are traveling on the back roads and I ask the instructor to stop because I saw a lovely grove of trees.  I love birches and aspen and this just was the perfect situation for me.

I have to admit that I really, really liked this image.  It reminded me of Elliot Porter and other photographers that are just able to capture an image.

So, I submitted it to my local Camera Club end of year judging.  It did not do well.  Why?  What happened?  I loved it, but did others?

Time for me to re-think this image.  What can I do to drastically change it?

So, my first thought was to make it bolder.  Emphasis everything.  But it still didn't work for me, given the feedback from the Camera Club.  Ho Hum.  Just another image.  Nothing special to them.

Since I like this image so much, I had it as my screen saver on my computer.  What I found is that it was too "white".  I couldn't read the various files that were on my computer.  I needed something darker.....

Ah, creative endears.  Time for me to really transform this image so I can read the folder names on my desktop.

Ah, Topaz!  I used a couple of Topaz filters to get to my new vision of what this image might look like.  Topaz Simplify, Topaz Glow, Topaz Restyle.  All were employed to get a make-over on my image.

And here is my final result.....keep in mind that I am using this on my home screen and want to be able to view the folder names.....

This is actually a great photo for my home screen.  I can see the various files, the file names, and people ask me how I achieved this effect.  Not my initial vision, but with a little help from Topaz, I was able to find an image that  worked for my purpose.

Although there is a little part of me that really likes the original image.   It sings for me....maybe not for others....but what is the real reason to take photos...self satisfaction?

At that particular period in her life, she was highly, highly into Unicorns.  She had her favorite unicorn stuffed animal, pillows with unicorns, and also lots of shirts that had various versions of unicorns.  I thought it would be great if I could bring back some sort of unicorn from Jamaica and surprise her.

It was the late 80's and Jamaica so everyone tried to sell us while we were browsing in the craft market.  There was one woodworker whose work was very, very nice.  After spending time looking at other possibilities, I decided to commission this artisan to carve a unicorn.

The first challenge was to explain what a unicorn is.  A horse, kind of, with a long shaft projecting from his head.  It was actually quite comical as I, along with my friends, tried to explain in a mixture of English, Spanish, who knows what else, what a unicorn is.

I had to wait three days before I saw the final product.  In fact, we were picking it up right before we were taking our cab back to the airport.  I paid in advance and wondered what we would be getting.

Here is the starting photo that I took to show off the Unicorn, some 25 plus years after it was carved.

Week 13: Wooden Unicorn, Original ImageA picture of the original unicorn. So, I was a bit surprised at what was carved.  A little scary compared to the other Unicorns in my daughter's collection.  But this was carved specifically for her and I was going to make sure that it travel well between Jamaica and home.  I was looking forward to my daughter's surprise when she opened her present.

She was very surprised at the Unicorn.  She immediately placed it in a prominent place in her bedroom.  And she was very pleased that I had something special carved for her.  Although she was a little intimidated by the look.  Her other Unicorns were happy and friendly looking; this unicorn looked like it was guarding something special and wouldn't be messed with.

​Speed up to 2015.  This year I am doing weekly challenges with a host of other photographers who have taken workshops from Andre Gallant and Freeman Patterson in Canada.  This week's assignment is wood.  One of my thougths was to capture the unicorn in various ways and to see what that might suggest in terms of insights and new discoveries.

The first thing that I did was to crop the image a little differently.  Emphasize the unicorn and get rid of distracting background.

Week 13: Wooden Unicorn cropped

Then I thought I would increase the amount of detail by using Topaz Adjust.  See if can get the carvings that are so much a part of this unicorn to stand out.

Now, I am looking for various ways of creatively expressing this unicorn.

Week 13: Wooden Unicorn Solarized

 My first attempt was to use Solarization within Photoshop.  What I liked about this image is how it brought out the carving aspect of the unicorn, although the image looks a bit scarier than what I originally bought as a present for my pre-school child.

My next attempt is a technique invented and popularized by Andre Gallant, called Moonscape Dreamscapes.  To me, this isn't as scary of an image.  But still probably not something that I would show to a bunch of pre-schoolers.  It softens the image a bit, but still has a feeling of monsters rather than a soft, cuddly, plush toy.  So, back to the drawing board to find a way to capture the cuddly feel of a unicorn rather than the harshness of the wooden, hand carved statue.

Week 13: Wooden Unicorn Moonlight Dreamscaped

So, my new love for aerials has extended to regular domestic flight.  There are a lot of conditions that will either make or break this approach....you can't tell the pilot what to do, you don't have a window seat, the window seat is on the opposite side of where the good visuals are, the window can now be used as example of Grunge, etc, etc.  But you never know what you might see.

On a fairly recent flight from Portland to home, we were ascending with lots of turbulence.  I decided to quickly grab my camera, just in case there were some interesting photos above the fracas.

And, I was rewarded with lots of different shots.  The one that I settled on had to do with seeing a "spirit" in the cloud..

Here is one of the first shots of the "spirit".

PAD June 1 Spirit int he Sky study Seven

To me, I could definitely see the eyes, nose, and mouth of the spirit.....plus the unusual head.  It also seemed like the spirit was breathing something into the atmosphere....to me it was the gosh darn turbulence.

I decided to play with the image a little bit in order to see if I could find something else or expand upon the theme.  Here is another shot, where I cropped things a little more closely.

PAD June 1 Spirit in the Sky Study Two

I liked the effect of focusing more on the "spirit" and a little less on the cloud that made his corpulent being.  And, then I thought I might want to try this in B&W thinking it might enhance the drama of the situation.

So, after a few iterations is the B&W version of the same "spirit".

PAD June 1 Spirit in the Sky Study One

I rather like the B&W version.  It does increase the drama of the situation for me.  Afterall, I am the one who experienced all the turbulence not he way up and feel that this "spirit" was responsible for the bumpy climb.

Also, I decided to share the images "as taken".  In other words, there was absolutely no processing with any of these images....no cropping, no light adjustments, no smoothing.  These are all shown "as is" from my initial captures.  In another post, I will share some "processed" images.

Now, onto Minimalism, Some Possibilities and Reflections....

One of my initial thoughts was to use the sky to try to have as much empty space as possible with little subject matter.  This first shot was my favorite contender during my early shooting.  I liked the two small trees and the little bit of pink sky.  I also happened to take this on my birthday and it provides a special memory for me as I hiked with my husband along the Rogue River Wilderness area and had completed 10 miles of hiking that day.

PAD May 18 Sunset at the Lodge

I had some other captures that showed a lot of sky, such as these possible interpretations.  The first was taken at Smith Rock State Park.  What captured my eye was the lone hiker making his way towards the rock known as Monkey Face.  Now that I look at this, I really like this composition.  I believe the only reason that I didn't submit this is that I felt that the rock had too much structure to be considered "minimalist".  I may have to re-think this because as I view this image now, I would consider this as a very strong composition for the theme.

Week 22: Minimalism at Smith Rock Three

The next shot was also taken at Smith Rock State Park showing the jagged peaks against the sky.  I like the power of the jagged peaks, but it just didn't have the photographic punch of the lone hiker in the above photo.  

Week 22: Minimalism at Smith Rock Four

I tried to move my compositional interpretation beyond using the sky and try different approaches.

I experimented with taking some "minimal" flower shots and here are some examples.  Most of the following used shallow depth of field.   As I look at them now they really aren't capturing what I had in mind to depict "minimalism".  Interesting flower shots and I really enjoyed capturing these moments, but not in my mind a true "minimalist" composition.

Week 22: Minimalism of a lone flower

Week 22: Minimalism BackLite Flower

Week 22: Minimalism of an Indian Paintbrush in the gravel on our 42 mile hike

Week 23 Visual Rhythmn (of the bells)

I also experimented with taking some shots of trees against the sky while hiking in a variety of places in Oregon.  The first shot was taken during a hike at Shelvin Park in Bend Oregon.  I liked the ruggedness of the tree trunks and the parallel lines that they represented.  In hindsight, though, this particular image doesn't quite make it as a serious contender.

Week 22: Minimalism along the Trail at Shelvin Park

The next couple of shots were also taken at Shelvin Park.  I loved the sky in both of these shots and the minimal amount of tree shown.  During my review of all of the possibilities, I didn't include them in my final consideration for a "minimalist" composition.

Week 22: May 25 Minimalism at Shelvin Park Bend, ORegon

Week 22: Minimalism along the Trail at Shevlin Park

I also explored some early evening photos and this was a very serious contender for a few days.  I really liked the half moon and the subtle texture of the clouds.

Week 22: Minimalism May 27 Half Moon

Another serious possibility was a shot taken at Sparks Lake near Bend Oregon of some kayakers.  But as I looked at the image later on, there were just too many elements to really consider it a "minimalist" composition.

I also had a little fun with the word, minamalist, and started to think about minimal needs while hiking.  So, that caused me to capture this image of the outhouse that I found at the trailhead at Drift Creek Falls near Lincoln City, Oregon.  It's an interesting interpretation, but not one that made the last cut.

Week 22: Minimalism Outhouse at Drift Creek

The next part of my quest was to take some beach photos.  One of my favorites was this image of a stone on the beach in Lincoln City, Oregon.  I personally like the simplicity of the stone and the texture of the sand.  The only reason that I didn't submit this particular image is that I've composed many similar images in the past and I wanted to stretch myself to a different interpretations of "minimalism".  

Week 22: Minimalism on the Pacific Coast Beach The beach walk provided me with three very strong contenders.  The first is a memorial to somebody, with a chair strategically placed to view an interesting part of the beach and some flowers next to the chair.  I captured this shot a couple of days after Memorial Day.

Week 22: Minimalism The View from a Lounge Chair

The next shot captures the colorful sand bucket and tools to make sand castles on the beach.  The young girl just took a few moments away from placing her tools on the beach to start her construction.  In considering the possibilities, I want to edit this a bit to put more emphasis on the bucket and the waves.....wait for my next blog posting.

Week 22: Minimalism--PADLone Pail

The last photo was the one that I submitted for the week.  It represented a stretch for me, which is to include people in the interpretation of minimalism.  I liked the mist that almost makes the beach walkers seem like ghosts, especially those that are furthest away.  I also liked the tracks of footprints in the sand.

Week 22 Minimalism May 28 Beach walking in the midst

So, thanks for sharing my journey of taking and selecting photos that are possible.  Now that I've written about and reflected on the images, I am pleased with my submission while discovering a couple of strong submissions as well.

Everyday is not a sunny day in May.  However, the wonderful saturation and color stand out after a rainfall.  It rained overnight.  I could be upset that the sun isn't shining, but there is something special.

So, this is one of the images that I was able to capture...after rainy night.

PAD May 15 After the rain

I also like how the rain captured raindrops on the vegetation around me.

PAD May 15 Diamond Beads One

And then the last jewel on a rainy dayl...

PAD May 15 Diamond Beads Two

My first town was Genoa.  My hotel was close to the train station and a short walk to the waterfront.  I enjoyed walking each morning and each evening along the harbor broadwalk.  So, my selection process was inclusive of those photos that I took during those walks.  Regrettably, I have a number of photos that were taken when I explored the city and hiked up to the panoramic view, but for this selection process, I excluded all of those wonderful photos.

The photo I selected was taken in the early evening while I walked along the floating pier.  There were many people on the pier enjoying the warm sun and waiting for sunset.  The water sparkled with a wonderful, warm reflection of the surrounding town and the boats in the harbor. To me, this moment encompasses my experience with Genoa.  The water, being in the harbor, the golden tones of the early evening sun, and the golden tones of the building near the harbor.

The second and longest stop on my trip was Sestri Levante, a 60 minute train ride south of Genoa.  A pleasant fishing village and tourist area at the very start of the season.  I was there for a week so you can imagine how many photos that I took during my time there.  One of the very pleasant areas of this city are the two bays.  There are a number of hikes that you can experience that provide great views of the bays.  This is the one that to me epitomized my experience there.

A glorious day and a glorious walk to get this enchanting view in Sestri Levante.

My last city on my trip was Rome.  I was there for five days and also had a number of photos from various parts of this ancient and photogenic city.  The one photo that I choose to represent my time there was taken on my last morning there, right before I left for the airport.  I had the opportunity of visiting St Peter's Basilica in the early morning without any crowds.  This photo captures Bernin's huge altar canopy.  The photo doesn't capture the massiveness of the church, which is impressively huge.  At the time I was there, I believe there were about 20 masses being said in the side altars and you just don't notice it because the scale of the church is so massive.

So, those are my three selections.  Each one represents a different aspect of my trip.  Two were outdoors and featured water and harbors.  One celebrates grand artwork on a grand scale within one of the most massive churches that I will ever experience.

Then the hard part....I had to preen down the possibilities into a set of 15, with no more than 3 per category.

So, what I am going to share with you are a few examples of the ones that I didn't select.  Ironically, I am going to write about what I liked the photo first, followed by why I finally decided not to select this particular entry.

My first non-selection is called Timeless.

What I liked...I really liked the composition of this photo.  The solitary watch, with showing its inner workings as well as a little of the chain fob.  The B&W added to the drama of the image.  I shot this during my daughter's friends wedding and the groom was showing off the present that he and all of his groomsmen received.  Fortunately, the light was great and he had his black tux in the background to help frame the watch.  So, there is a little bit of the memory of the situation that entered into the selection process.

Why I didn't select it...The category was people and I was feeling like I was selecting too many in this category that represented just parts of the person rather than the whole person.  Instead of this photo, I submitted a photo of a boy hula hooping and enjoying every minute of it.  It just seemed like a better fit with the category.

I still very much like this image and it is one of my personal favorites from last year's Photo-A-Day.

My next non-select is a photo that I called Synchronicity. Earlier this spring I was using my ultra zoom P&S and wanted to see what it could do.

What I liked about this photo:

I love the placement of the two ducks, the water coming off of the female, the juxtaposition of color.  Plus, I wasn't sure what I captured when I took this shot because I was experimenting with using the viewfinder rather than live-view since the light was so intense.  The viewfinder was a bit different from my Canon dslr so I just wasn't sure.  That was revealed to me when I processed the image later that day.

Why I didn't submit this:

I have to be honest, there is a fair amount of cropping here and when I looked at this image on the big screen it just didn't suggest a quality image for a contest.

Love the image; dislike the quality.

My next image is entitled, Rooster in Kauai.  I consider this for one of the bird photos.

What I liked about it:

I loved the diagonal composition and the lovely color against a plain dirt background.  Plus, it was in focus.....often I found the pecking caused a bit of a blur at the beak area.  And it was a fun image to take...imagine me trailing a chicken around to try to avoid background clutter and a crisp image.

What I didn't select it:

Because it was a chicken rather than some cool bird.  Not the best reason, but it was in my mind when I was considering the possible choices.

My next non-selection is entitled, Shaken.  I took this while on a short walk before I was presented a late afternoon-early evening workshop in another city.  Walking often clears my head, plus gives me an opportunity to take a couple of shots.

What I liked about it:

I was initially attracted to the brick wall and the colorful leaves that were in front of it.  It was an extremely windy day so I decided to exaggerate the motion with a long shutter speed and some camera motion.  I also thought the cross was a cool element, added some interest to the color.

Why I didn't select it:

To me it was a cool image, but many others would not like the "shaking" aspect of the shot.  I think I actually took a more traditional shot as well, but I personally didn't like it as much.  So, I put myself in the judges shoes and said, No, to this one.

My next now selection is entitled, Self Reflection:  Your Inner Self Showing

What I liked about it:

This is an image that I manipulated using my iPad and PS Touch while traveling home from Italy last year.  It was a fun thing to do on the plane.  I wanted to combine some solarization with original image and play around with some blending options for the various layers that PS Touch has.  I was intrigued by the x-ray type quality of the image and what it suggested about your self, especially when you are talking with another person.

Why I didn't select it:

It was one that I personally liked, but didn't think it it would have universal appeal.  Even thought the category was manipulated, meaning that you could try all sorts of ways to highly modify the image, I didn't think others would appreciate it in a judged photo contest.

So, that's my story about 5 of my image that I didn't select.  If I reflect on the ultimate why, it had to do with what I thought had more universal appeal for the contest's categories.  When in a contest, it seems like that is an important selection criteria.  Although I still like many of the above images, especially "Timeless", "Self Reflection", and "Synchronicity" and will probably show them a lot in non-contest like settings.  To me, the provide interesting aspects of self-expression.

Although a beautiful day, it was a tad cold.  There were pockets of ice along the banks of the river. When I approach the river, I wasn't sure I would find any waterfowl.  And, I am using a new camera and wasn't totally positive if I was using the various controls correctly.  So, in essence, I was experimenting and expecting to have many so-so photos, or what I call "ugly ducklings".

When I downloaded the photos at home, I was very encouraged by the quality of my photos.  I was intrigued by this particular photo.  There was something about it that was speaking to me.  Something about the male and female and colors and bills close to the water.  I liked this image quite a bit, especially the colors, the catch-light in both male and female eyes, the subtle reflection in the water.  But what I saw in front of me just didn't intuitively capture what I was sub-conscious contemplating when I captured the moment.

PAD March 27 Threes a crowd

So, I thought about some simple transformations that would change my perspective about this photo and get it closer to what I envisioned.  But first, before I did any editing, I wrote a short love letter about the photo.  The love letter talked about the relationship between the two birds, the loveliness of the day, being together.  I just let my pen float across the page, with no editing, just free form, stream of conscious writing.

Then, I took a short break.  Took a walk near by and just cleared my head a bit.  After being refreshed and a bit renewed, I came back to that photo and associated love letter and started to underline words and phrases that struck me in the love letter when I looked at my original image.  Slowly, I started editing on my computer with a renewed sense of where I might go with this photo and how I might change it.

What the love letter suggested to me was to really concentrate on the two faces.  So, I did a couple of different crops just to see what they would look like.

PAD March 27 Closer yet This was one of the first crops that I did.  I also used a bit of Topaz Detail to bring out some of the water droplets.  I re-read the love letter, looked at the photo, and tried one more very close crop.

PAD March 27 Extreme Close-Up of Two Ducks This photo really represented what I was intuitively looking for.  I liked the emphasis on the two heads and what it represents about close relationships with a blend of the symmetry of the heads with the contrasting colors of male and female; similar, but different.   

What amazes me about this transformation is that in most circumstances, I would have stayed with the first photo.  Something was telling me, intuitively, that I could do more and ponder the image's meaning if I spent more time with it.  To me, this is all about transforming a so-so image into something more.  Using the creative device of writing a love letter allowed me to see the photo with a different set of eyes and with a different frame of emotions.  This is all about turning an "ugly duckling" into a "beautiful swan", where the swan represents an experiential expression of the photographed moment.

The bus posed a few challenges while trying to photograph various scenes in the city.  There were scheduled stops, but the sightseeing dialog and the sites were always in transit.  While reading about the trip, I knew that there was an interesting building that had a mural-type depiction of Evita....and I wanted a shot of that!

Naturally getting that shot on a moving bus when turning a corner turned out to be a disappointment.  Here is my original image:

NOT A PRETTY SIGHT!  What an UGLY DUCKLING!!!!!!

We never really stopped close by and our hotel was not very close to this site at all.  So, I thought I would use my iPad and the photo app, Snapseed, to make a series of transformations using simple edits within the app.  Before I walk you through the steps, let me share the final photo which in my mind represents my vision of what I wanted the photo to look like.....To me, it represents a BEAUTIFUL SWAN!

So, why does it represent a BEAUTIFUL SWAN to me?  In my mind I envisioned a photo that would represent Evita and her role as being the First Lady of Argentina from the mid 40's to the early 50's, with tones that would evoke that period of time.  I wanted something that was vintage and a bit gritty.  I also wanted to focus on the mural of her, with as many distracting elements out of the way.  And, I wanted something that I could use in slideshows and presentations when showing to family and friends that evoked what Buenos Aires meant to me during our visit.  I am planning on using this shot as a lead photo in a slideshow about our trip time in Argentina and Buenos Aires.

Now, the steps to transform from the original UGLY DUCKLING to my vision of a BEAUTIFUL SWAN.

Because I was on the bus, the image was not straight at all.  So, within the photo app, Snapseed, I used the straighten tool to get to this:

But in my mind, the image was a bit too cluttered with the people hustling to the bus stop, so I tried a series of different crops each one isolating a portion of the photo even more.  I have to admit when I started this process of cropping, my original intent was to just get rid of a bit of the clutter in the foreground and then work on other aspects of the photo.

When I did this once before, I stopped here.  It shows the bus stop and the building with Evita's image in the background.  But I thought I would explore changing my perspective a little more, by cropping even further.  Although I have to admit that this image with a little more work would truly represent the environment around the mural and give you a better sense of Buenos Aires, the city.

Once I saw this crop, I thought it was fairly intriguing and shows the building and the image of Evita.  What distracted me, however, was the lightpost right in the center of the photo.  To me, it was extremely distracting and took away from the impact of the image and at the focus on Evita's mural.  Either I remove it using a healing brush or clone stamp tool in Photoshop, or I try to see what would happen if I cropped even further.

So, cropping away, I got this image....I was very pleased with the result initially.  In my mind, it captures the essence of the mural and the spirit of Evita.  However, I wanted to see if I could transform the image a bit more.

To further the transformation, I thought I would play around with B&W, filters, and then vintage toning.  I envisioned that the B&W and the vintage filters would help to represent the era of the 40's and 50's; the era when Evita thrived and had her immense impact and appeal.  Each photo app iteration caused me to change my perspective about the image and get it closer to what I was envisioning when I first took the photo.  

So again, here is the Transformation..

I am also planning on working with one of the earlier images to get that vintage look with more of the environment around it so you can tell it's a mural in Buenos Aires.  I will use these two companion pieces in my slideshows about Buenos Aires and what the city meant to me.

I've taken some sort of photo for over 40 years.  And, maybe, I am old fashioned since I don't personally feel the need to have each place that I visit have a photo of me and the surroundings.  I quite like showing the natural beauty of the place, without having me in the picture.  Luddite perhaps?  Even though for years I was one of those folks on the leading edge of technology and innovation.

So, let me share with you a few images interspersed with selfies of others.

First, the set up.  It's raining cats and dogs on this excursion to the glacier.  We are on a boat with about 100 people.  Many decided to brave the elements to take photos of themselves...Here is one example which I took within the wonderful, comfortable, and rain-free interior of the boat.

I did go out and take photos, with cleaning cloth in hand since it was raining hard and it was easy for my lens to get all full of mist.  This is just one of my shots of the glacier near Torres del Paines in Chile.  I didn't edit a thing.  Taken as is.

This was on a small ship.  The next big area of selfies was at the Perito Merino Glacier in Chile.  I was very impressed with the series of platforms that were set up for those visiting this National Park.  Excellent, excellent to maximize the user experience.  Selfies were still going on.

Secondly.  And the last place that we visiting was Iguazu in Argentina, which is insides Igauazu National Park and a World Heritage center (UNIESCO)

The place was absolutely jammed.  I included others in this photo to show all the intensity of people that are enjoying this site.  What I noticed while here is that people did a couple of things with their cell phones:  selfie, panorama view, extra shots.  They would stay in the premier shooting place and take about 5 minutes to take all three on their cell phones.  Not a slam, just an observation.

And, some braved the intensity of the falls to get their shots.

So, what happens next.  Do I share on social media?  Do I share with friends and family?  Do I  share at all?  Do I want to have a selfie at all?  

I enjoy taking photos....I love the click of the camera.  I love the thinking behind the composition.  I like to think about light and exposure.  It provides a creative outlet for me. It provides a way of capturing memories; memories that preserve a moment that somehow touched me enough to capture an image.

Why do I take photos?

I enjoy going out and seeing the world.  Taking photos allows me to see the world in a distinctive way, with my eye, at that moment in time.

Why do I take photos?

I love collecting memories that in the moment mattered to me.

For instance, today.  I was thinking about writing a totally different blog posting.  Something about several different images and how I saw the image and processed it to match what I saw.  AND THEN...

The light in the kitchen was at the golden hour.  I had just poured a beer in a glass that I put in a trip a couple of years ago to Transylvania, in the town where the mighty Dracula was born.  The restaurant that we ate a couple of meals at was just down the street.  We had such a great time that we bought a couple of beer mugs each.  And, this afternoon, I decided to use one of them.

As I poured the beer, the light was shining through the glass.  The reflection encompassed some of the Romanian words that are on the beer mug.  I looked above and saw a wonderful spectacle to my eyes and knew the moment in light would be empheral.  I grabbed my camera.  Took several shots.  Got a chair so I could be above the beer mug.  And here is the shot!

Eighth Week: From Above, My Transylvania Beer Mug and Clone on the lower right edge So, this helps to explain why I take photos....memories, a flash of light, an interesting angle, and a heart in the middle of the beer stein!

Memory 1:  Camera Club was there to shoot Eagles, I took these instead

The Eagles are flying along the Fox River and our Camera Club was gathering in the early morning in January.  The day was cold and we started before Sunrise.  As we walked along there was a lot of brush along the River's edge.  The ridge we were hiking on was so narrow that only one person could walk on a time.  Only four of us went to the Point which is usually a great place for siting Eagles.  We spotted one Eagle, but it was so far away that it's difficult to tell whether it's a bird or just an unusual branch on the tree.  So, I turned around and played around with shots of trees along the shoreline.

Fourth Week: Lone Tree PAD Jan 17 Lone Tree Study Three

Then I decided to jazz up the photo a bit by using Topaz Filters.  I actually got this idea while I was waiting for the Eagles to fly.  I was wondering how I could take a shot and spice it up a bit.  Here is one of the results.

Fourth Week: Lone Tree PAD Jan 17 Lone Tree Study One

We were just not seeing any Eagles so we decided to break off from the Camera Club gathering early.  I kept on photographing for about another hour.  It was darn cold since I was walking along an old railroad trestle that had the cold water on both sides.  I kept walking and stopping to take pictures, most hand held, but some with my tripod.

Memory #2

Going on Drives with my Dad was a delightful time during the cold month of January.  We tended to visit the water areas, the lakes and the rivers that I sometimes forget that is a rich heritage and the reason why the towns started in this area in the 1840s.  Paper Mills and Woolen Mills were a big part of the economy back then.  They are mostly gone now, with the mills being torn down lately to make way for condos and eateries that are near the river.  

As a part of the recent development efforts there are many viewpoints and walkways along the River.  Here are a couple of photos that I took during a walk during January.  I really enjoyed this walk.  The air was fresh.  The walkway was pretty clear of snow and ice.  It was a time of day when I pretty much had the area to myself.

• Decisive Moment, first shot of 2015
• Puzzle
• Candlelight
• Lone Tree
• Pattern

So far this has proved to be a lot of fun and the group who is participating really causes you to push out a bit.  Here are my submissions for this month.

Decision Moment

This photo was the first of the 2015.  Taken of my deck and then enhanced using Topaz filters, predominantly Topaz glow.  What I liked about the use of Topaz Glow is how it accented the light dusting of snow that was on the deck, transforming the photo into something with a little more pizzaz!

First Week: First Shot PAD Jan 1 First Shot with a touch of glow

Puzzle

A long time ago I bought a jewelry puzzle box at a local art fair.  My daughter was very young, then, and was intrigued by the many openings and would explore it periodically resulting in seeing a few of my earrings within the hidden boxes.   I only slightly modified this image, using B&W underpainting.

Third Week: Puzzle Pad Jan 10 Puzzle Series Two

Candlelight 

I slightly modified this photo using Topaz Simplify filter and also used one of Andre Gallant's techniques called a Dreamscape to get this .

Second Week: Candlelight WD8A3218 Topaz Resyle

Lone Trees

I had many different variants of lone tree.  This was a fun assignment and got me out to shoot everyday.  I thought I would share my favorites of the many ones that I took.

This first shot was taken at Calumet County Park, taken in manual mode.  There were no other modifications made.  What attracted me to this particular shot was the ice piles that have heaved up on the shoreline and the lone willow tree that was hanging horizontally over the shoreline.

Fourth Week: Lone Tree PAD Jan 24 Lone Tree at Calumet County Park

This next photo was taken along the Fox River by Heesakker Park in Little Chute.  Our photo club was having an outing, trying to take photos of Eagles.  Well, the Eagles were rare and pretty far away even for a long lens.  So, I started to play around with the trees along the river.  This was modified using mainly Topaz Glow.

Fourth Week: Lone Tree

And, lastly, this is probably one of my big time favorites.  I loved the feeling of coldness of the January Day and the feeling of isolation with the one small cluster of trees on the right.  I also appreciated the simplicity of the shot.

Fourth Week: Lone Tree Oh, I almost forgot the one that I submitted for the Lone Tree challenge.  This photo was taken at the Menasha boat lunch while on a drive on a cold day.  What attracted me was the ice and the lone tree on the island.

Fourth Week: Lone Tree.....PAD Jan 23 Lone Tree with topaz adjsut

Pattern

I had two shots that I liked for the Pattern challenge.  The first one is what I actually submitted, called Morse Code.  It was the pattern of snow on my deck that reminded me of the dots and dashes of Morse Code.

PAD Jan 9 Morse Code

Although I have to admit that this photo of the LocksMaster Residence that is being restored on the Fox River is probably my favorite.  There is something charming about all of the windows and the pattern that it creates.

Fifth Week: Pattern Jan 21 LockHouse Five

So, this is one look at what I put together during the month of January, where things can get very cold and snowy around here.  Thanks for looking.

PAD Sept 3 Reflection

When I reviewed the year, here are some of my findings:

• Even though it was my third year of being engaged in PAD, I looked forward to each day and wondered what photo or photos would capture the day in some way
• I probably experimented more with photo plug-ins than in previous years, especially from Topaz Labs, and using the filters caused me to spend more time pre-visualizing what I might be able to do with post processing
• At the same time, I didn't want to forget about composition and trying to get the best image that I could take right out of the camera
• As in the past few years, I concentrated on nature and landscapes, with lots of photos taken on hikes with my husband
• I had the good fortune of lots of travel during 2014 and I tried to maximize the types of images that I took in any of the locations that I was, whether it was work or vacation.
• I enjoyed traveling light, which means a 28 to 300mm lens and a camera bag that looks more like a purse.  I find that it allows quick access to my gear and is great for hiking trails.  I also carry a tripod with me.
• I really, really, really like my Canon 5DM3.  I appreciate it's 65 focusing points, its capability to do HDR and multi-exposure.  And I just like the way it feels in my hand.  It's become a trusted friend of sort.
• I also like my little Canon S120.  There are times when I was traveling for work projects that it was the only camera that I was bringing along. Lately, however, the battery poops out, which is a known problem, and I am considering an alternative....although I like the pocket aspect of it
• I occasionally use my iPhone and iPad, but it's more of in a pinch

My surprises:

• For me, its often hard to shed photos of the past.  During 2014, I was able to re-visit a couple of grand places and I was disappointed with my shots.  My earlier shots were more impressive, fresher, and with better composition.  It's almost like I was going through the motions the second time around.
• Some of my best shots were with my P&S because it was readily available and less obvious...or perhaps less obvious that I knew what i was doing with a camera with something small rather than something much bigger.
• I enjoyed the weddings that I photographed immensely.  They were all casual affairs and I could enjoy myself instead of feeling like a paid photographer

Well, now onto 2015 and many interesting photos during this year!

For example, I was recently delayed on a plane on a tarmac, waiting for passengers and then waiting for the de-icing procedure.  My seat mate had the aisle seat and it was clear that she wasn't going to move if I wanted to go into the overhead bin and try to extract my camera.  I had the window seat and was reading using my iPad.  So, I said to myself, why not use the iPad and see if you can capture a little bit of the de-icing while it's happening.

PAD Jan 4 Airport De-Ice One   And, I was also able to catch the de-icer as they worked on our plane.  Again, with my humble iPad

PAD Jan 4 De-Ice Truck And then there was today.  I was out on a drive with my Dad and I was kind of looking for some additional examples of lone trees, which just happens to be the weekly challenge.  I've taken pictures all week of trees and some of them I really liked.  But today the pressure was off.  I had submitted my weekly single photo of a lone tree yesterday.  Well, wouldn't you know it, another opportunity came along.  This interested me because of the large amount of ice that had heaved up upon the shoreline.

PAD Jan 24 Lone Tree at Calumet County Park There is something that I just like about this lone tree and the ice chunks.  You don't see the two that often where I live for one.  And the couple of horizontals that are happening.

The other thing that I discovered about Photo-A-Day is to make sure that you have a camera always within reach.  Right now, I have a long lens on my coffee table so that I can try to capture the various birds that frequent my yard.  Last week, I was graced by this wonderful bird that perched not too far away from me with a plate glass window and several hundred feet separating me from its claws.

PAD Jan 14 In our backyard 5 Oh, the rest of him is charming too.

PAD Jan 14 In our Backyard 2 So, the inspiration of taking a photo-a-day and a weekly challenge is all about having some sort of camera or image taking device ready at all times and to be very open to the moment.  Then you will have a wide array of subjects and a whole host of stories to share with family and friends when the year is up....I am looking forward to what might transpired in my 2015 Photo-A-Day adventures this year!

And I might just share a few of them in this blog.

PAD April 4 At the Louvre Another photo that I enjoyed taking this year just happened to be in Paris as well.

PAD April 5 A street view near Notre Dame This was my last night in Paris and I absolutely loved the color of the flowering tree, the cobblestones, and the street activity.  Taken close to Notre Dame and not sure that it would turn out.  But I simply love it....represents Paris to me.

So, I constantly ask myself...what does photography mean to me.  And I think it has to do with capturing that decision moment and also being able to represent what I am thinking and feeling in a variety of ways.  The below photo is a straight forward shot with no editing.

PAD June 6 Tips But I also like to change things up and representational photos.  It's what is on my mind at the time.  They probably aren't noteworthy , but they are important to me.  And, isn't that what it's all about in the current view of imaginging....being important to me.

Garden Chair Dreamscaped

One of the flowers that signals May to me is the Trillium.  This year I've been fortunate since there is a couple of Trillium patches in the neighboring yards.  I don't have to walk far to get some great shots.

The first image was taken earlier in May.  I literally can see this patch from my Family Room Windows.  I waited for late afternoon sun and a mainly cloudy day before I picked up my Macro lens to take this shot. PAD May 10 Trillium Study Three When I step outside I usually take a number of compositions.  I really liked the way this particular trillium look and was quite pleased with the composition.

PAD May 13 Trillium Three

On another occasion, I waited for after the rain to take a couple of raindrops on the trillium.  This time I ran outside between rain showers with a plastic bag around my camera just in case there would be a sudden cloudburst.  I took the shot below, ran back into the house, and the rain really started to come down.  Lucky timing!

PAD May 11 Trillium in the light rain My next door neighbor has a wonderful sign in her garden that just happened to have a trillium pop up next to it.

PAD May 14 Secret Garden Later in the month, I was able to capture the Trilliums as they changed to a pinkish shade.

PAD May 28 Pink Trillium One

It's near the end of their bloom cycle and it looks like the shot above is the last time I will be able to capture a beautiful bloom in the neighborhood. Hopefully, these trilliums will be blooming again next year, with even a bigger and more beautiful set of blooms.  Trilliums are just one of the flowers that I look forward to in May and are a great signal that Spring is finally here, especially after a long winter.

I used my small Canon P&S (Canon S120) for all of these shots.  A few of them I decided to transform using PS and various apps, like Topaz and Nik filters.

This is one of my favorites from the hundreds that I took.

PAD May 6 Dave surveying lunch after surgery Although probably in my husband's eyes, the favorite shot was chronicling his first post-surgery coffee.  And here is the photo to commemorate that important event.

PAD May 6 First Coffee with slight B&W

Here are some of my favorites from the month:

PAD April 3 In Montmartre Paris I was walking in the Montmartre neighborhood in Paris.  There was a crowd at the Basilica of the Sacre Coeur.  Most were there to experience the amazing views of Paris.  These two were very intimate as they took a break.... I grabbed a shot as they were enjoying the view on a beautiful spring day in early April.

My next favorite photo is when I was walking along the streets in Northern Paris, enjoying the sites and the various cafes.  I was just about to cross the street and I sighted one of the waiters changing the menu.  My camera was in my right hand ready to go.  I only had a chance to capture one shot and didn't realize the seriousness of his expression until I look over the images later in the week.

PAD April 3 Color along Montmartre When I left my hometown of Wisconsin, it was cold and there was still some vestiges of snow on the ground.  Walking around Paris was such a joy since there were all sorts of flowers in bloom.  This in the Montmartre cemetery.

PAD April 5 Near Notre Dame I took this image in the early evening on my last day in Paris.  I loved the colorful blossoms set against the house.  This was taken close to Notre Dame.

Next was Italy.  Wow.  I had eight days of wonderful Italian sunshine.  The first image was taken right outside my hotel in Castellania, Piedmont, Italy which is the home of the Italian Biking Superstar, Fausto Coppi.

PAD April 6 Coppi Memorial Italy The following image shows the lovely, scenic countryside

PAD April 8 On the road to the Medieval Castles near Borgo di Castellania One of my favorites while in Castellania is this lone woman walking along the road.

PAD April 9 Women in Red

And lastly is the lovely seaside village of Sestri Levante.  I will do a whole series about this town.  I had the good fortune of taking early morning shots before the conference I was attending (and presenting at) started.  Early mornings were pretty quiet, but especially on a Sunday.

PAD April 11 Sestri Levante, Bay of Silence It was quite the month.  Near the end of the month in my backyard was a couple of deer.  I was surprised by their appearance.  I think they were attracted to the flowers and the tender leaves that are just starting to emerge.  

PAD April 28 Deer Series Four

PAD April 5 Self Reflection at the Pompidou

WOW!  I am at the Pompidou Centre in Paris and walking through the hallways of various modern artists and I was drawn into this room featuring this extraordinarily colorful exhibit.  It was in a small room, but the exhibit took up the entire room.  The colors were the attractive force at first, but then I saw the small globe and thought it would be wonderful to take a self portrait surrounded by all of this color and with it's interesting set of reflections.

The very cool aspect of this image is that I am doing a workshop at a conference called Mindcamp in August and it's entitled, "Self-Reflection through self reflection".  When I saw the exciting set of "reflective" possibilities with this exhibit, I knew i had to take a few shots.  This is my favorite one.

My quick response to the "self-reflection" aspect is making sure as I go about my daily life is to remind myself to look around my world and enjoy being surrounded in a colorful world no matter where I am.  When I returned from my travels, many were curious about my trip to Paris and Italy.  Yes, it was beautiful.  Absolutely yes, I had a wonderful time.  And a big yes, that the surroundings were a feast for a series of colorful and different images.  So, now, I am trying to look for the color around me wherever I am!

We started our weekly challenges in July.  The themes provided during 2013 were in step with Andre's Challenges and he often would participate, raising the bar for all of us.

Some of us agreed to participate for another year.  We changed the format slightly, where I post weekly challenges for an entire quarter and you can follow the weekly challenge or choose to submit an image whenever you "created" one that fit with the challenge.  It became more "like a patchwork quilt" as one of the members described it.

During my recent visit to Paris and Italy, I kept the weekly challenges in mind.  In my mind, it's always interesting to have a creative twist.  For one of the weeks, the challenge was "in the style of a famous painter".  I had the good fortune of visiting the Pompidou Centre while in Paris and spent some time viewing one of Andy Warhol's paintings.  The feature of the multi-image study was Elizabeth Taylor and showed about 8 or so different versions of her face.  The style of the portrait was very similar to the Marilyn Monroe multi-image portrait that most people are familiar with.

My creative twist was to take something of everyday life in Italy and used the multiple image effect that Warhol used so well.  I was partly thinking of his famous Campbell soup multiple image painting as I was looking for possible subjects.

For some reason, every time I took a walk I saw wash hanging from the window while in Italy.  So, I started with a "hanging wash" theme and this image.

Hanging Wash in Sestri Levante, Italy

I loved the colors of the towels and the small item, which might have been a bathing suit.  Plus, I enjoyed the green shutters too.

So, I took that image, manipulated it on my iPad using Photoshop Touch in order to get several different looks.  This was inspired by the Elizabeth Taylor multiple image that I saw at the Pompidou Centre.  Then I used the iPad app, Diptic, to arrange a number of these images similar to what Andy Warhol would do in his famous studies.  ENJOY!

PAD April 23 In the Style of Andy Warhol

The following photo was taken while in line outside of the exhibit.  The explanatory wall featured a timeline of Henri's life and several photos, some were self-portraits and some were taken by others.

This photo was taken from the explanatory wall featuring a timeline of Henri's life, with a selection of photos taken by self and others.

This was an absolute marvelous exhibit.  

One of my favorite parts of the exhibit is a small video that shows the "dance" that Henri makes to find the "decisive moment" that is a part of so many of his images.  He carried a small Leica camera and held it in his right hand ready to shoot whenever the moment was right.

Every salon of the exhibit was inspiring, starting with his sketches when young and going through a number of creative periods.  Some of my favorite parts were his exploration of the "golden section", the experimentation with surrealism, and his visual anthropology.  Ironically, near the end of his life he started to draw again.  The exhibit begins and ends with sketches, like bookends.

There is a wonderful book that accompanies the exhibit, called Henri Cartier-Bresson, Here and Now by Clement Cheroux.  I so loved the exhibit that I bought the book and had it shipped to me.  Ironically, I just got a notice from Amazon that the book will be available soon in the US.  Of course, the book doesn't have the little video that shows the "dance" of Henri, which is something that I will never forget.

I also purchased Henri's thoughts on photography that are in the book, "The Mind's Eye".

I encourage anyone who loves photography to see the exhibit if they are in Paris.  Hopefully, the exhibit will travel sometime in the future. He is so inspiring!

We had a wonderful experience in Napier with the Art Deco experience so it was hard to travel to our next experience.  The sun was hot and the gardens were not as impressive as we first envisioned.  That was the first impression.  In hindsight, I rather like the image and I actually think of Nelson NZ as a place that I wouldn't mind as a potential home for the future.

 I might say that this photo is one of those snaps.  I needed to take a photo.  It's almost like an addiction.  So, I had my three cameras available as I worked in the afternoon and waited for something interesting.  I could take a photo whenever the light was interesting.

PAD March 16 ShadowPlay In

In Hindsight, I rather like the photo.  You shouldn't give up and you might want to have an camera always within reach, whether that be a regular DSLR, P&S, or a smartphone.  You never know when an interesting image might pop up.  And, you might not realize that it's truly interesting until after the fact.

PAD Feb 17 Cathedral Cove as taken

Once we got to the cove there were a fair number of people.  Although there seems to be waves of folks coming through.  Probably depends on whether a tourist bus arrived or not.

Here is another view of the Cathedral Cove.  This view fits a little better with what I envisioned when I first took the shot.  I processed this in SnapSeed using the new HDR function, with only one image (rather than the multiple images usually associated with the HDR effect).

PAD Feb 17 Cathedral Cove HDR using Snapseed To some, it might seem a little too processed.  To me, I like the more dramatic effect.  Plus, I like being able to see the sand and water on the interior of the cave.  The detail in the water really adds to the image.

A third image of the Cathedral Cove is next.  This is a highly processed image using Mobile Monet.  I wanted something that looked painterly while still giving the effect of being in this very natural spot.  I processed this photo on my iPad using the Mobile Monet app.

PAD Feb 17 Modified Cathedral Cove using iPad

I have many stunning photos of the beach and the surf.  I also have some great shots showing multitudes who were digging in the sand in order to feel the hot water caused by the geothermal action in the area.  As I was walking up and down the beach, however, the one image that really stuck with me is a father-daughter that were exploring the water's edge.  They may have been searching for the hot pockets or they may have just been slightly dipping their toes in the surf.

PAD Feb 16 Father and Daughter What I absolutely love about this photo is the reflections.  What first attracted me was the father and daughter, plus their reflections in the wet sand.  Having them hold hands just adds to the image.  Then I realized that the puffy clouds themselves had a wonderful set of reflections, which in my mind, really adds to the scene.  I was really pretty excited when I captured this shot because I just knew it would be a memorable "keeper".

To me this shot really epitomized what I was seeing and feeling as I walked Hot Water Beach.  It was a hot day and the winds really were necessary to cool you as you explored the beach.  Plus you had the wonder of searching for those hot spots caused by the geothermal activity.  This father and daughter says it all as they are exploring and their hand-holding emphasizes their family bond.

PAD Feb 4 Ferris

I was walking around after dinner.  Atlanta was bustling with activity, a couple of main events at he local theaters.  And I was surprised to see the Ferris wheel all in blue.  This is a new addition.  I've been to this side of town before.  Ferris wheel or horse drawn carriage;your choice.'

I set the exposure for a little bit longer.  I only had m P&S with me so it's all about seeing the moment and trying to capture it.

As  walked away I felt good about the image.  A little blurry to suggest motion.  Use of blues to convey a slightly detached perspective.  

What do you think?

She didn't realize the impact that her photographs would have on the world.  It started with a small locker of photos that were auctioned away and the rest is history.

I have to admit most people revel in her images of New York and Chicago and how they really capture the essence of these two cities as a street photographer.  While I was reviewing her work recently, what blew me away where her self portraits and her experimental looks at a variety of media.  Way advanced for someone who seemed like merely a nanny.

As I was looking through her self-images, I was impressed by her way of creating self-reflections and haunting images.  Here is an image I took of myself that seems to reflect her ability to catch a fleeting glimpse of who she is.

PAD Jan 11 Tribute to Vivien Maier B&W Thank you Vivian for your view of the world.  

Instead, I started to go through the house and see if I could find tiny pockets of warmth.  It could be from a heater, the gas fireplace, or just a warm beam of light coming through the window.  It's almost like I was cat-like looking for these spots. although our cat elected to stay in her bed near the gas fireplace.

I kind of liked the photo of me chasing a sunbeam.  Believe it or not, it did represent a small amount of warmth.  I could tell the difference between the lighted spot on the wall and where the shadows were.  After I took the shot using my newer Canon S120 with a very slow shutter speed, I decided to wirelessly transfer to my iPad and then used Snapseeds B&W filter to get the effect that I was looking for.  I added a bit a grain.  I rather liked the little bit of motion, which is probably due to me shivering during the long exposure.

PAD Jan 6 Looking for a bit of warmth on a frigid dayThe thermometer outside was at minus 15 degrees and I was just checking around the house to see if I could find a bit of warmth.

PAD Jan 1 Starting the year!I was experimenting with my P&S camera, including using it's WIFI function to send photos to my iPad or computer.

One thing led to another and then I started playing around with HalfTone 2 on my iPad. Really liked the resulting image, so thought it would kick off my 2014 gallery.

Enjoy!

Welcome to the start of another year of Photo-A-Day.  During the month of January, I am going to try to take a photo of me a day.  Plus, I will add photos from my landscape and nature wanderings.  And there is more...... I am going to explore some photographic areas that I just tend to overlook.

Thanks for joining me in my journey.

For those who are interested in the "how I did this".   I took a self portrait using my P&S camera, sent it to my iPad via WIFI, and then edited using HalfTone 2.

Happy New Year!

• I tend to prefer nature type photos.  My most memorable experiences are associated with being outdoors, hiking, and enjoying the beauty that surrounds me
• My two photo workshops this year filled me with inspiration and prompted me to take several types of shots that are different
• I really, really like my Canon 5DM3.  It feels like a good friend and it's been with me on so many different trips and experiences.  I appreciate the quality of the images that I get with this particular camera.
• While I really like my Canon 5DM3, it really doesn't make a difference about the camera.  Some of my more intriguing shots were taken with my P&S cameras.  It's all about capturing the moment and having something with you at all times to capture those moments.
• More so than before, I am taking fewer and fewer photos of people.  I've had a couple of experiences where I've been taking photos and people assume that I am taking photos of them and they are not pleased.  Now, I ask permission and enjoy taking special events of people that I know.....but I usually don't post those pictures to this blog or to my Photo-A-Day collection

What does this suggest for next year:

• First of all, I am committed to another year of Photo-A-Day.  I've really enjoyed the past two years and it does stretch me photographically and it gives me something tangible that I can look over, show friends, and feel great about the experience of capturing images for a year.
• Secondly, I want to explore some areas that I have ignored or passed over in the past year:  especially self-portraits and photos of others.  Another two areas are night photography and long exposures
• Thirdly, I am going to write a book about my 2013 experiences with Photo-A-Day.  I will select between 40 to 50 photos and share my stories about their origins and any insights that resulted from taking the images.

And, during the month of January I plan to take some sort of self-portrait.  One big area that is lacking is using the tripod and taking photos of me.  So, January, here I come.......

PAD Oct 10 ME Finally, at the Oregon GardensOne of my favorite photos from 2013. I set up the tripod and took this shot after spending a wonderful day at the Oregon Gardens.

Have a great New Years....

This first picture is of South Falls.  There was a lot of fog and mist this day and you can clearly see the icicles.

PAD Dec 17 Silver Falls on a cold wintery day

Instead of hiking around the waterfalls, we did the rim trail and enjoyed the large trees and the sunlight filtering through the fog.

PAD Dec 17 Light filtering through ONE

On our way out of the park, my husband spotted an interesting combination of clouds, evergreens, and a ridge in the distance.  I turned around, parked the car, grabbed my camera and tripod and took this panorama shot.

PAD Dec 17 Cloud Vista at Silver Falls State Park Entrance

It's great to have a helpful husband find photo opportunities while you are driving!

This week's challenge was "In Memory Of...".  When I was thinking about possible subject matter, my mind went through the obvious connections----parents, family members, or certain events----but I wasn't interested in exploring that route.

As the week unfolded and I was still thinking of possible material, I just happened to open up some older piano music of mine.  What I found are notes from former teachers on the pages.  There was one piece, in particular, that I could remember playing and hearing my piano teacher talk to me about improving my technique and listening to different ways of phrasing and articulation.

That inspired me to create a composite image.  One of me playing the piano, using a slow shutter speed to suggest motion.  The other half of the composite is a section of a piece of music.  I decided not to use the old music with its notes by teachers past, but to use a new (to me) section of music where I needed some assistance from my current piano teacher to play it.  In my mind it reminded me of all the piano lessons of the past with all of my various teachers over the years who would assist me in getting to know the music and play it with a sense of feeling and interpretation.

PAD Nov 18 In memory of the lessons of the past Other thoughts that this photo brings to mind?

I just happened to be creating this composite when there was a lot of press about the 50th anniversary of JFK.  I was 9 years old when I heard the news over my Catholic School's PA system.  It was one of those events that is forever a part of you.  Our family, like most others that we knew, were glued to the TV set watching the days of coverage and mourning.  We talked about nothing else.

During this week, I also watched and read remembrances of JFK.  What struck me is how the personal memories brought on such huge memories and feelings from others.  The NYTimes had an article about the military pall-bearers and the re-union they were having this week.  The article really tugged at you with the seemingly small things that they remembered. I read the comment section of the article and so many people were touched by these small remembrances.

Although the magnitude is different, just seeing some marks on a page of music was able to transport me back in time and re-live that small part of time.  The page of music is my personal memory, distinct and unique to me.  At first it seemed very different than the many memories being televised and talked about JFK, but the ability to evoke a strong feeling is meaningfully similar.  

PAD Nov 14 Yellow

Besides the moment of the capturing the image, what else do I like about it.

I like the shallow depth of field; the subtle yellow petals that take up most of the image; the placement of the main focus to the very right of the screen.  And did I mention the subtle yellows of the petals.  That is what struck me.  The light coming through the window and hitting the petals in the vase of flowers at a moment that seemed so right to me.

The other irony about my usual photo taking habits and panoramas is that I usually reserve the "grand landscape" for subjects that are thousands of miles away from home.  The last two weeks, however, I've been playing around with panoramas closer to home.

The first shot was taken a couple of weeks ago when we still had a little color in Wisconsin.  I was at High Cliff State Park and was awed by the yellow of the leaves, even though the weather was a bit "iffy" that day.

The second shot was taken yesterday while I was on a hike on an absolutely stellar November day.  The leaves are mainly down, but the grasses in the wetlands are an amazing array of browns.  Contrast that with the blue of the sky and the blue of the little pond to the right.

PAD Nov 15 Panorama

Both of these experiences were quite different.  The first photo was prompted by a golden walk through the forest.  The light was subtle and you had reflections from the leaves that were on the ground.

The second experience involved setting my tripod up in an observation deck so I am overlooking the marshland.  Different perspective rather than being on the ground level.

My big learning was to take a panorama every now and then.  You don't need to me miles away from home.  Your neighborhood has plenty of opportunities!