Echinacea
Some of the Alaska native peoples built smokehouses and dwellings underground like these, seen at the Alaska Native Heritage Center in Anchorage (I believe they were Yupik).
This week I’m meeting with my little AAUW photo group- and the topic is emotions in photos. We didn’t have a presentation on this, so I felt like I was flying blind with this theme. I chose a photograph of one of my grandsons looking APPREHENSIVE as he got on the school bus to kindergarten, another of a group of children looking GLEEful as they frolicked on the beach- and then three flower photos (one HAPPY cosmos and two echinacea). I had bought the echinacea at last weekend’s farmer’s market and decided yesterday to photograph them in their current state of WILT.
And here is FRAZZLED:
I think it’s the vastness of the Pacific that first absorbs us when we catch our first glimpse of it. And then it’s being mesmerized by the waves- but I think everyone is pulled back to the horizon eventually, contemplating the sheer size of this body of water.
We made a quick trip to Southern California to see our son and family for Father’s Day. The family was at work and daycare when we arrived, so we spent a couple hours at Crystal Cove, north of Laguna. No, that is not my husband in the photo- and I don’t think those children were with that gentleman.
Last week I accompanied my husband on a business trip to the Bay Area (California). We took time to stay in two of the towns where we used to live and were able to visit with many of our close friends and my teaching colleagues. It was a last minute decision to go, and it was so wonderful to be able to see so many friends on short notice.
I did not do much photography while there (no time!), but when we arrived in Petaluma, our first stop, we took a short walk in the RAIN before meeting dear friends for dinner. I only had my iPhone, but had a great time photographing this alley.
This image is the second of two multiple exposures I took of the same flowers. I dearly love playing with this technique, whether in camera, in Photoshop, or on my iPhone. I’ve always loved impressionist and abstract painting and so enjoy creating images that are not a literal representation of the scene in front of me. I never know exactly how they will turn out, and I think it’s the unpredictability that is a big part of the appeal for me.
My little AAUW photo group is meeting this week, and the topic is reflections. Each month we send 4-6 photos to the leader, and then they are displayed on a large screen in a room at the library. Later they are on the website for AAUW Prescott. I got a few photos together for the topic, but also decided to do some still life photography emphasizing reflections.
Here’s one with my baby cup! I tried to shine it up, but ended up having to rely on the dining room table for the reflection.
On our visit to Flagstaff last week, we spent some time at the Arboretum. It was very enjoyable (even with the busload of second graders catching tadpoles at the pond), and we especially liked the view of the San Francisco Peaks from across the meadow. A frame is set up for picture taking, and of course we couldn’t resist taking photos of each other with the peaks behind.
When I got home, I had some photoshop fun with this photo: