Wishing you all the JOYS of the holiday season!
Merry Christmas!
Winter Solstice 2022
We were in Flagstaff last week- AFTER the big storm- for my annual knee replacement checkup. We took some time after the appointment to drive up to Snow Bowl to see how our favorite aspen viewing area looks in the winter. There were signs posted along the road to NOT STOP, but on our way back from the ski area there was absolutely no traffic going down the mountain, so we were able to pull over so I could take some shots out the window as we slowly drove by.
Today we celebrate the returning of the light- a huge thing for our Alaska family who will be joining us next week, along with our Southern California family. We will spend time in Scottsdale, which we hope will be light and relatively warm for our escapees from the dark and snow!
Happy Solstice!!!
Crow’s Fall
A huge step outside my comfort zone! A couple months ago I joined an online group of expressionist photographers run by Valda Bailey and Doug Chinnery (both of whom are idols of mine). I had doubts about doing it, because I knew I would be in WAY over my head But I am so intrigued by this genre and in so awe of these artists that I just took the big leap and did it- and am so glad I did! I still have a big case of “imposter syndrome” (who am I to be in this group of REAL artists etc. etc.?), but I am learning a lot and experiencing photography as art in whole new way.
For example- December’s assignment was to create an image in response to the poem, “Crow’s Fall,” by Ted Hughes. I thought I knew who Ted Hughes was (Sylvia Plath’s husband), but knew nothing of his work. If you are interested, the title above is linked to the poem. I had an instant reaction to the poem and submitted the above image. Yesterday was the critique, and I was thrilled to get a positive response. Whew! I’m still treading water in this group, but am feeling so inspired by the teachers and other photographers.
In case you are wondering- I am in FIVE photography groups now, if you count our quarterly Ladies Zoom Party!
And yes, my interpretation of the poem was political. I try to be sunshine and light on my blog, but this poem brought up some darker feelings in me.
Village of the Tin Man
When we were driving across Kansas a few months ago, I was taking iPhone photos out the window as usual when I spotted this row of silos. I get excited for any silo or grain elevator- but to see a whole ROW- wow! I snapped a few shots and told my husband it looked like the Tin Man’s village (we were in Oz country after all…).
We stopped at Liberal to walk around and photograph the grain elevator and saw signs for an Oz museum. It was closed, but I took some shots of a giant tin man statue. And thus an idea was born.
My photo group always comes up with ideas for topics for the assignments. I suggested FANTASY for the final- and used my Tin Man composite to create the book cover below. So much fun!
And now back to real life!
The Pier
I took so many multiple exposure shots while at Newport Beach! Here’s another- the pier.
Palm Tree Castle
or… how palm trees are born…
Having fun with multiple exposures! This is definitely on the very edge of what I like to create.
Beach Patrol
Watching egrets on a southern California beach was new to us. We were used to seeing them in the marshes of the Bay Area, but watching them march through the waves on Newport Beach was a whole different experience. I took many more photos than I needed!
Sea Watch
This photo taken at Newport Beach tickles my funny bone and makes me smile. It’s even in the place of honor on my iPhone lock screen. If you have an appropriate caption for it, let me know!
Pelican Days
We took a quick, last minute trip to Southern California to visit our son’s family before Thanksgiving. We spent a couple days at Newport Beach, spending time each day at the beach and meeting up with the family for the evening. It was so relaxing to be back at one of our favorite spots! The weather was great, the beach not crowded, and we saw lots of beach birds. What was surprising to us as infrequent visitors was that the pelicans were on the beach, not just flying low over the water as we usually see them. We were closer to them than we ever can remember. One of the days we drove up to Huntington Beach, and as we walked on the pier, this fellow landed on the rooftop above us. Soon another joined him, and we had a great time pelican watching. I took so many photos that I not only had to change batteries, but ran out of room on my SD card!
Flower Fantasy
Blue on blue- a flower fantasy with a bit of Photoshop magic!
Lunar Eclipse- Election Day
We were up late OR got up early…
Whatever we were… we saw it… and it was magnificent! These shots don’t nearly do it justice. I don’t know if these are my best shots- too many to look at.
Feeling very sleep deprived, but it was worth it.
Camera nerds: I didn’t even know I could push my ISO so high (20,000 at one point- this was 12,800 on the right).
Leaves in Ice
A few days ago, the wind blew some beautiful leaves into our driveway. I remembered making some images a few years ago of flowers I had frozen and decided to try the process with leaves. I am currently working on creating abstracts using in-camera multiple exposures, and I find it interesting how the doubly exposed ice and leaves interacted with each other to create this abstract image.
Aspen Impressions
Memories of last year’s trek up the hill to Flagstaff to visit the aspen groves
Fall Tapestry
Fall has arrived here with cooler temperatures, some rain, and a lot of WIND! We actually turned the fireplace on last night during Monday night football (okay, I was doing genealogy on my iPhone…). We haven’t made it up to Flagstaff to see the aspens- so here’s an image from last year.
It’s All in the Details (part 3)
This is the last post in my Downtown Details series. We always take photos of Courthouse Square in Prescott. Above is a view of what is UNDER the square!
I’ve also taken many photos of Whiskey Row over the years, so I wanted to do something different. Below is a multiple exposure composite- Whiskey Row Impressions. I didn’t use this for my photo group, but used photos shot for this topic to create the image.
melinda anderson photography 