How does your garden grow?

Well...

I take that back...

how does your garden look right now,

as it prepares itself for the long cold winter?

Today was a wonderful bright, cool day.

So..

out the door I went..

camera in hand.

Here is what I saw..... 

I love these two camellia bushes, a tender touch in an otherwise sparse growing season.

Even the buds are beautiful....they speak of hope...

I have always been drawn to Magnolia leaves too....great for decorating.

I know these are very dark, but I love them that way

this water fountain runs all year round and usually doesn't freeze. 

Love the look of droplets....

Contorted leaves...

The last of the lantana blossoms...

Dog-earred hostas...

White pine needles...

And my very favorite, Japanese maple...

But, oh those camellias....

Even the sage is slowing down...

My porch swing needs another coat of paint...

And my ferns are being eaten by 

who knows what...

How does your garden grow these days?

smiles....

I see details...

It's a strange thing....

once you have viewed the world through

a camera's viewfinder, 

and have become

 "addicted to the click",

you see things differently.

much differently.....

It seems that 

once you realize the infinite 

possibilities of 

capture....

well...

it 

changes 

you.

I spent the morning 

shooting 

stuff

for my Etsy

shop.

I had been concentrating on 

light,

shadows,

set-ups,

etc...

and then,

hot,

exhausted,

head hurting,

and

a little pissy...

I plopped myself

down on the nearest 

sofa, leaned back 

and

 then

 looked at the 

things piled on the coffee

table.

"wonder how that would look?"

"wonder what the light is doing this far from the window?"

Set's see...

I can do this...

and this...

and 

well,

maybe

 this too..

Minutes pass,

many 

minutes.......

You would think I had nothing else to do,

nope..

I have laundry,

dishes,

cleaning,

you know the routine,

but still 

the camera,

she calls....

smiles.

Shadows....

This is how memories work for me....

they look like shadows...

they are never detailed and clear.

Sometimes my memories can be triggered by

smell, 

or a song,

or a child's squeal,

or a breeze....

But mostly my memories

 are like a vague shadow that has 

highlights all over it....

that is how

I remember this wedding.

The lights were a photographer's 

nightmare.

DARK!

It was great for ambiance,

but absolutely 

horrendous for 

capturing images.

Especially as this was a time

 when I was still using film.

Even high-speed film

struggles with low light situations.

Well,

I captured many moments

 that were much better than this one, 

but I like this one,

because of the way the 

overhead light bounces off her dress...

and veil...

and his close cropped hair...

splendid memories.

What do your memories look like?

Are they mostly shadows like mine?

Or, are they refined bits of crystal clarity?

Tell me, please.....smiles.

A walk in the woods...

sometimes turns into something else....

sometimes...

it can alter your perception...

sometimes...

it can rock your world...

sometimes...

it simply makes you grateful....

this day did all that

for me.

I am in awe of live oaks.....

centuries...they live.

They see hundreds of us...

and are unfazed..

we are so small.

Grateful.

Capturing light....

It seems that you can capture light in glass....

No...I know that is not really true,

but take a look...

It appears that the light is coming from inside the glass.

But, it is not.

I love taking glass around the house, out

on the deck, down to the patio,

even on the floor in front of the kitchen window...

I play with the position until I see something...

I can't tell you exactly what I look for....

but I can show you.

See how the photo above shows a certain clarity?

See how the wood that the glass is sitting on

doesn't appear to be "in the light"?

See how there appears to be ripples in the glass?

I have to admit

that I collect "art glass".

Not now, there is little money for that right now...

but in the past I have collected a wide variety of

glass, blown, not molded.

My hero would be Chihuly...

but finding interesting glass is not necessarily an

expensive hobby....

the glass above came from the dollar store....

smiles.

Light....

I know that it is because I photograph things

(technical word)

but I love the way light transforms

an object.

Have you noticed this?

Take anything that is even slightly

transparent...

glass works for me.

Then place it in natural light,

in a window,

outside...

even on your desk...

then photograph it from various angles....

digital allows for lots of experimentation...

shoot lots....

(another technical term)

then download to your computer

and view on the larger screen..

make it even bigger

(sorry for all the technical stuff)

observe how light can make an object

look "harder"

or "softer"

even "fuzzy"....

Now you are seeing what I see when

I play.....

smiles.

Heather's jewelry

This is just a taste of the exotic nature of Heather's jewelry.
She is so talented, I marvel at the way she conjures up the image and then manifests it in materials that surprise. This is red coral, and nature pearl. It is a new line for her, and I am thrilled to have the continuing opportunity to photograph her work before it is sent out to the reps, and then on to the museums that carry her work. This set, along with a few others, were my project this weekend. Very inspiring. I am so blessed.

Quality of light....

Light thru glass,
Light thru raindrops,
Light thru leaves....
It is all slightly different in quality.
This is why I love to photograph images.
It is also why I love Art Glass.
Taking the abundant resource of sand,
putting it under pressure and heat, and creating a
thing of beauty.
Then, using the other abundant resource, the sun,
and letting it transform the glass into a "light factory"
is one of the most interesting visual experiences I can
imagine.
How wonderful.