Still

This week’s Texture Tuesday’s link-up features Kim’s new texture, minus 43, which was the temperature (including wind chill) where she lives in Manitoba when she created it.  I wanted to have some SNOW in today’s image, so I had to go back to a photo I took in November, when we were at Yellowstone.

It was a gray day with flat light- but still beautiful in the stillness of late autumn when the park is closed to traffic.

Peace be still

I used one layer of texture, which I desaturated slightly, and reduced the opacity.

Melinda10 Comments

Book Spine Poetry

Where have I been? I can’t believe I’ve never done this before!

I was looking through the tutorials and challenges from last year’s Beyond Layers class and discovered this activity. You go through your books (or go to the library) and find some book titles that you stack to make a poem.  Teachers- wouldn’t this be fun?  This was a quick five minute attempt- and is kind of a cheat, because the second title is kind of a poem all on its own- but I like it just the same. I want to try it again!

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Textured with reentry by Kim Klassen at low opacity.

Melinda7 Comments

Looking Toward Spring

Although I appreciate winter rains and days spent inside reading books and sipping hot drinks, the photographer in me longs for flowers and leaves and signs of life outside! I went outside in search of any sign that Spring might be on its way- and found some tiny buds on my plum tree.

Buds layout

Melinda2 Comments

Beyond Beyond

Second post of the day- but I am pretty excited- my Beyond Beyond class/group started today! I couldn’t wait to get started, because I have been waiting and waiting for this since I stopped my Project 365.   I have loved all my previous Kim Klassen classes and know I will be inspired by Kim’s tutorials and art (as well as by the other photographers participating).

The assignment was to set up a scene (could be a cooperative subject, not limited to a still life) and photograph it from all different angles.  This was definitely WAY inside my comfort zone, because this is the way I tend to operate.  Of course she didn’t say to check things over and over on the computer- and then come back and take more photos (which is what I always do).  We were then to either create a collage or post our favorite photo.  I seem to be in collage mode lately (as well as kitchen chair mode), so that was what I did.

apple layout

Melinda25 Comments

Early Light

I was down by the water the other day right after the sun rose, casting everything in a beautiful hazy, orange glow.

Some Canada geese were flying in- but I wonder if these geese have ever been to Canada- they always seem to be here.

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The seagulls were waking up and jockeying for the best seats.

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This guy stayed away from the action and calmly surveyed the early morning scene.

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The colors make it look like a warm day, but I was freezing and fantasizing about fingerless gloves for my stiff cold hands.

Melinda4 Comments

Framed

I’m kind of on a roll at my kitchen table these days right- so many of my photos have been taken here lately (most not posted).  I discovered the afternoon light from the window a while ago- and more recently I’ve been entranced with the curve of my very ordinary kitchen chairs.  This photo was NOT taken in lovely light and really posed a challenge in terms of exposure.  I finally went with blowing out the background- maybe in afternoon light I could get a better background.

I shot this photo is response to a theme from my daily challenge group on Flickr- FRAMED.  And what better frame than a kitchen chair?

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I used simplistic, one of Kim Klassen’s lovely textures (2 layers- one at soft light, one multiply, reduced opacity) and am using this image for my Texture Tuesday link-up.  Check out more images created with Kim’s textures by following the link at the bottom of the page.

Melinda8 Comments

Connected

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In the above photo, my husband is checking his email on his iPhone first thing in the morning. Here are a few (very) random facts about our connections with and through our electronic devices:

  • we sleep with 2 iPhones, an iPad and a Kindle Fire connected to outlets near our bed, as well as the usual lamps, house phone, and clock radio.
  • when I can’t sleep, I reach for my kindle and read a book, e-mail, or blogs or play Words With Friends or Draw Something.  My husband gave me this new kindle for Christmas and hasn’t complained yet about me reading it at three in the morning- but I don’t think he likes it.
  • sleeping with an iPhone can be dangerous.  Last month, I fell back asleep one night with the iPhone on the covers next to me. In the morning, my husband threw off the covers as he got out of bed, and the phone FLEW high up in the air and totally CLOCKED me on the left ear (I was asleep still). Owwwwwww. . .
  • I read in a blog yesterday about someone disconnecting in December- no Facebook, emails, internet surfing etc.  I don’t think I’m ready for that.
  • my husband uses his phone and computer almost totally for WORK- and often doesn’t take his phone when we go out, because he is not working. I feel very disconnected if my phone isn’t with me.
  • when we travel, our laptops and all our devices and their chargers and cords accompany us.
  • before I got into photography, I was immersed in genealogy research on the computer- and made many family connections.  Now, I’m connecting with photographers.
  • I used to look at magazines or knit while watching TV- now I’m on the phone, iPad or kindle
  • my family thinks I spend too much time on the computer.
  • everything I’ve learned about photography has been online.
  • I’m fascinated with and horrified by the phenomenon of catfishing (pretending to be someone else online).
  • I’m on too many mailing lists and periodically go through and unsubscribe.
  • but. . . I subscribe to my own blog (is that weird?).
  • in the last 24 hours, I’ve received 99 emails (thought it would be more!)
  • my daughter regularly connects with me by text, phone, and email so that I can see photos and videos of my grandsons almost every day. I’m so grateful for that connection!
  • my grandsons connect with me through FaceTime and Skype- double grateful!
  • in a recent workshop I attended, it was suggested that we connect with our hearts (our spirit, God. . .) before setting feet on the floor in the morning. I try to remember to do that before checking my e-mail.
  • I don’t sleep with my camera- I had to run into the other room to get it when I saw this photo opportunity.

I’m thinking you will either relate to this post- or be appalled.  I’m already feeling defensive.

Melinda7 Comments

In the kitchen . . .

It’s a humble pastry brush.

kitchen

I joined the Clickin Moms’ Monthly Macro group and was challenged this month to take photos of ordinary kitchen utensils, such as spoons and forks.  Having photographed spoons several times (and being totally intimidated by the gorgeous fork and knife photos posted by the group so far. . .), I moved on to wooden spoons and . . .the pastry brush.

My favorite of the three images is the top left- I like the abstract quality of the lines and shadows.  I originally edited it in black and white, but I ended up adding tones to both the shadows and highlights for this layout (and copied the processing to the other photos).

Melinda6 Comments

Magic Carpet

One of the themes of my Flickr group this week is How Low Can You Go?  I was inspired to get down on my stomach (a pretty sight for sure) to photograph the “oriental rug,” as my mother called it, that was always in our front hall while I was growing up.  I believe it may actually be a prayer rug, but, as a child, I pretended it was a magic carpet.  When my parents moved out of our childhood home, I claimed the rug as my own and it graced the walls of several of the homes we lived in during the first ten years of our marriage.  When we moved into our current home, it became a rug again- one you probably don’t notice in its somewhat dulled and frayed condition, but it’s there.

RUG layout

Melinda4 Comments

Cuppa

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It’s finally Texture Tuesday again!  I think it’s been a month since the last link-up.  I’ve missed it, especially because I finally have enough time (famous last words. . .) to participate each week now that I am not doing a Project 365.  So, unbelievably, the theme this week is cuppa– and I have the perfect photo- another view of my beautiful new cup and book.  Because I used them as the subjects of last Friday’s post (scroll down to see) , I changed things up a bit and did a black and white conversion with a bit of a silver tone prior to adding texture.  I almost never add textures to black and whites, but I think it works well here.  The textures are return (low opacity) and reentry (100%), two of Kim Klassen’s latest.

UPDATE: When I went to link up today’s post to the Texture Tuesday page this morning, I discovered that Kim Klassen had used the exact same cup in her post for today (and she also had just received the cup as a gift!)! I’m thinking this must be a sign of good things to come!

Melinda14 Comments

Beauty

I’ve known Victoria since she was born; her mom is my dear friend and first grade teaching partner, Barbara.  Victoria was also one of my first grade students, as was her older sister, Olivia, whom I featured on my blog here and here.  And like her sister, Victoria has always been beautiful- but I wasn’t prepared for the tall, grown-up beauty that rang my doorbell last week.  Look at these photos and note that she is only seventeen- and gorgeous!

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I hope Victoria- and Olivia too- will agree to pose for me again soon- it was so much fun!

Melinda4 Comments

A Cup of Tea and a Book

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Gratitude is my favorite spiritual practice.  The act of appreciating what is present in my life immediately turns around any worries, self-doubts or complaints circulating around in my brain, and I begin to experience peace.

One of the themes from my Flickr group this week is spiritual.  I chose gifts that I recently received from two friends in my HeartMath group to represent the practice of gratitude. One is a beautiful (and wonderfully huge!) tea cup from my friend, Carolyn- and the other is The Secret:The Power, a gorgeously illustrated book by Rhonda Byrne from Eline.   I have such thoughtful friends!

The photo is textured at low opacity with silence by Kim Klassen.

Melinda1 Comment

Caught

This little leaf CAUGHT in a twig CAUGHT my eye yesterday afternoon while I was wandering around with my macro lens.

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I played with it a bit in Lightroom and then added one of Kim Klassen’s textures (weathered) at low opacity.

Melinda3 Comments

Potpourri

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At the end of the year, WordPress sent me a POTPOURRI of information and stats about my blog in 2012.  I thought I’d report the highlights here, because some of my wonderful blog readers figure in the report.  Intrigued?

This blog had a total of 13,000 views in 2012!  That is hard for me to fathom, since it’s not advertised.  I know it is mostly my real-life friends and family, but also those I have become friends with in the online community through Clickin Moms and Kim Klassen and other connections I have made.  Thank you all for viewing my photos!

The busiest day was February 16, with 134 views!  The post that day was Lean On Me, which was the most viewed part of the blog that day.  I am wondering if Nevin or some of the other Rapunzels did some blog viewing that day!

Now here is the puzzling part to me- the most viewed post in 2012 was from Jan. 5, 2011- the fifth day of the FIRST year of my Project 365.  It is puzzling, but not surprising to me, because each week of the year the search term that brings most folks to my blog is SNOWY BRANCHES- and that is the blog title for that day. Week in and week out- people search for snowy branches. Is snowy branches a code word for something? A drug term? A video game? A rock group? A rapper? If you can shed some light on this, please do!

Oh- and the second most frequently used search term that brings people to my blog is- get ready for it!- SNOWY BRANCH! Oh, dear me. . .

The other most frequent search terms make sense to me: melinda365, flower texture, and flower textured background.

Now for the Top Five Commenters!

Not surprisingly, the most frequent commenter is Carol of In Focus Daily!  She is actually in the number 1 and number 5 spots (two internet identities, most likely).  Carol was my roommate in college and for 2 years after that- AND she introduced me to my husband!  We reconnected a few years ago and developed our passion for photography at the same time.  Thanks, Carol! Number two is my friend, Claudia, who has been so faithful about reading and commenting on my blog. Third is Karren, whom I have never met, but feel like I know through her wonderful photographs of her family and beautiful scenery in Utah.  Her blog is Karren’s Photography Journal– go check it out! Fourth is my friend Joan, who has been a close friend since we met as brand new, totally green, first year teachers at Kawana School in Santa Rosa, California in- nevermind the year. . .

So that’s it for the potpourri of blog stats for 2012!

Today’s photo was taken in response to a Flickr challenge (starts with P) and is textured with Kim Klassen’s bent edges, my absolute favorite and go to texture.

Melinda4 Comments