Welcome to my 2024 blog, my musings about photography with a few photos sprinkled in.  

 

Musings will be about once a month, with thoughts and photos about:

 

  • Taking daily photos
  • Contemplative photography
  • Wabi Sabi Photography
  • Self-Expression via nature and landscapes
  • Photoautobiography and Photo Memoir

 

 

Thanks for coming to this page and reading about my photography.

 

Mary Ellyn Vicksta

Reflections on the Past Year

December 31, 2019  •  Leave a Comment

This year my daily photographic project was extremely important to me.  In the beginning of the year, it gave me something to do that was important to me on those very cold wintry days where the icy conditions outside didn't allow me much good walking time.  It seems like the days hibernating inside were endless, but I was able to discover things to photograph.

 

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 MineTrain 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 ParkPAD March 25 Jefferson Park

 

Then the blossoms by my daughter's.

 

Pad March 29 Flowering in McMinnvillePad 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.

 

 


Photography Is....

December 30, 2019  •  Leave a Comment

Photography Is....is our last challenge for 2019 for my Photography as a Spiritual Practice group.  It was inspired by an article in the B&W website that was a project dedicated to a series of interviews with photographers, artists, documentarians, anthropologists, and others who are interested in arts and media.  The interview was to define photography in this age of smart phone, traditional camera, drones, and digital.

 

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....

 


Playing with PicsArt

December 29, 2019  •  Leave a Comment

{"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,"square_fit":0,"shape_mask":0,"callout":0},"effects_applied":0,"uid":"89E7016B-C7D5-46D9-A79E-804EE547D72C_1577648889424","width":494,"photos_added":0,"total_effects_time":0,"tools_used":{"tilt_shift":0,"resize":0,"adjust":0,"curves":0,"motion":1,"perspective":0,"clone":0,"crop":1,"enhance":0,"selection":0,"free_crop":0,"flip_rotate":0,"shape_crop":0,"stretch":0},"source":"editor","source_sid":"89E7016B-C7D5-46D9-A79E-804EE547D72C_1577648889856","origin":"gallery","height":836,"subsource":"done_button","total_editor_time":719,"brushes_used":0}

And this is the result after playing in PicsArt


Sculpted by the Pacific Breezes

December 29, 2019  •  Leave a Comment

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


Getting Ready for the Snowfall

November 30, 2019  •  Leave a Comment

Right now it's raining here, but the wintry blizzard is coming.  Temperatures will be falling soon.  Rain will turn to sleet and then to snow.

 

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

 

Archive
January (3) February (1) March (4) April (4) May (2) June (1) July August September October November December
January (1) February (1) March (1) April May (2) June July (1) August September October November (1) December (3)
January (2) February (3) March April May June July August September October November December
January (2) February (2) March (1) April (1) May June July August September October November December (1)
January (1) February March (1) April (1) May June July August September October November December
January February March April May June July August September October November December (1)
January (1) February (1) March April May June July August September October November December (1)
January (2) February (1) March (1) April (1) May June July (1) August September October November December
January February March April May June July August September October November December