Pairing Pictures IV

I just love taking pictures of flora behind glass. The first I snuck at a baby shower a few weeks ago, and the second was from my kitchen window after a light rain.

Meanwhile, I'm still working on a few HDR pictures to share with you. This is proving to be a little more involved than I originally thought.

A List to Myself at Seventeen

Inspired by Andrea's list to her 17-year-old self, I made my own list to myself at seventeen:

1. Listen to your art teacher, who believes in you more than you will know for many years to come. And then it will be too late to thank her.

2. Listen to all your teachers. Their wisdom is creating a future you that is well-rounded in ways you couldn't possibly appreciate right now.

3. Keep up with your French. Please.

4. Be kind to your popular and unpopular friends. They will all suffer unspeakable grief regardless of how you see their lives now.

5. Lose the curtain of blond curls that covers your eyes. The world is a startling and beautiful place.

6. Surround yourself with people who are smarter than you. And then humbly learn from them.

7. Let go of grudges. Life is too short to carry such burdens.

8. Accept people for who they are, but be wary of people who do not love their families. Or your family.

9. Do not accept the first offer you get to go to the prom. You would be better off not going at all.

10. You will go through far worse in your life, and with much less drama. Get used to the ride.

11. You know when your English teacher, Mr. Mungeon, says, "Smart people don't get bored."? He is so right!

12. Stop worrying about what others think of you and be honest about who you really are. This will save you years of hardship.

13. About your fondness for Kate Bush, Debbie Harry and The Smiths; you're right.

14. Neon isn't your color.

15. Read more Leo Tolstoy and Henry James, and less Emily Bronte and Thomas Hardy.

16. One day you will count your sisters among your closest friends. You will make mistakes, and they will forgive you.

17. You and your life will turn out nothing like you imagine, and you will be more than okay with it. As a matter of fact, you'll love it.

What would you tell yourself at that age?

Pairing Pictures III

I like the way these pictures work together chromatically, and share certain textures as well. They were shot on different days, and I wasn't looking for the same color scheme, yet ...

Today starts a new class in for me HDR Photography. In case you are unfamiliar with the term, it means High Dynamic Range, or digital photography on steroids. I'm a little nervous because it means going in the very opposite direction of what I've been doing lately; looking for magical moments of color, line and texture; shooting things just as they are. This new class means photoshop heroics, which I can do blindfolded, but it feels a little like cheating, and the end result is often just a little too fantastic for my taste. 

In a nutshell, the technique involves shooting the same static image in three or four different ISO/f-stop settings, then pulling them into PhotoShop and grabbing the best detail from each to merge into one shot. It also involves using all three shots to have the final image in complete focus. But wait (I'm protesting), I love bokeh. I love that silky blurred background you get with a short depth of field.

Well, discomfort is the mother of growth, and perhaps I can explore some of the same themes I've been enjoying with a new angle. Isn't that what it's all about?

Priscilla Ahn - Dream

Doesn't Priscilla have the voice of an angel?
If you want another taste of heaven, go to Maison du Chocolat and buy these.
Happy weekend, friends!

Pairing Pictures II

Hi friends, I can't stop drooling over the pictures at Sunday Suppers. The photographer, Karen Mordechai, has a real talent for making things 'just so' to create a magical moment, and put images together that tell a sensory story. I'm reluctant to say they are strictly commercial photographs. What, in your opinion, is the difference between commercial and art photography?

And here is my "story" for today ...

Pairing Pictures

Since making the blurb book, I've been fascinated with pairing pictures that you wouldn't automatically place together, but once you do, it tells a kind of pictorial story. Sometimes it's about pattern or texture, other times it's chromatic story. This makes me want to create another book. I think I'll use this as a testing ground. What works? What doesn't? Why?

Porches are for Summer

I didn't grow up with porches, so I always thought that people who had them had something unspeakably wonderful. More than a conduit from the outside to the in, it's something halfway in-between. It's a summer living room. I love when I see porches with rugs, furniture and a festival of plants and flowers. But whether you have a minimalist statement in white and green or an enclosed porch shrouded in bushes, now is the time to grab a seat and watch the neighbors stroll by with their dogs.

This porch - I've had a crush on it for years. You can't tell from the picture, but the screens are made from cooper, so when the light shines through, it has this warm glow.

Do you have a porch? Do you live on it in the summer? What does it look like? Send me a picture!

Dear Summer,

I have been waiting for you, checking days off the calender one by one, looking around the corner in anticipation, heaving an impatient sigh now and then. You'll notice I've compiled a list of things I'd like to do with you over the next few short months. We're going to have a nice visit, won't we?

Herewith my list:
  1. Eat ice cream as a meal.
  2. Lounge on the porch reading a book.
  3. Spend a few nights in a cabin.
  4. Go for long bike rides.
  5. Visit the state fair, perhaps specifically to see Devo.
  6. Grow really big heirloom tomatoes.
  7. Dedicate a photo collection to a single color - but which one?
  8. Clean the basement and attic. Okay, just the basement.
      We'll discuss the attic with Autumn.
  9. Meet a friend for dinner al fresco as frequently as possible.
10. Visit a flea market.
11. Enroll in yoga or dance classes. It's about posture and breathing.

So, we've got a lot to accomplish in such a short time! Come along, now ...

Happy Father's Day!

When I was five years old, on a fine summer Sunday morning, my father and I went for a walk on a dirt road in the woods. I had on my yellow striped polyester shirt and matching yellow shorts; he had on his straw fedora and plaid shorts. He would hold my hand, and when he saw something of interest, he would bend down and point it out to me. Nothing remarkable happened, but it was memorable in ways that grown people have flashbacks of their childhood; of simpler times.

I spent this weekend at Lake Erie with my in-laws. It was equally tranquil and had the same effect. With nothing to do but have wine and cheese, stare at the lake and enjoy lengthy conversations, I couldn't ask for a more delightful weekend. It's nice to know that simpler times aren't always in the past.

I couldn't share my birthday with two more wonderful men. Happy Father's Day Gilbert and Jim!