Bloggers Fever

I have to accept the possibility that I am not a blogger....I love blogs..they are so pretty....I love looking at the photos....but I am ashamed that I can not seem to keep on top of this....lately I have been shooting a lot.....my lovely friend Sarah of Tutus chic...
allowed me the use of her beautiful model Nicole for a quickie shoot this past week.....We really did not have time to do the model or outfits justice....however...I did come back with one phenomenal shot...It was so not my type of lighting.....or a backdrop that I would have consciously chosen....Which is good sometimes to shake things up....
I have gotten lots of positive feed back from other artists on this shot..which is unlike any of my other work...
Thanks to tutus chic and Nicole for this one!!! :)




There is this blog..which I haven't posted in since April!!!
And, now there is a fanpage on Facebook...
not to mention twitter..and I am basically an introvert...
so these forms of self promotion do not come easy for me..
You will know how much I love photography by the fact that I am forcing myself to do these things.
I do love to show my photos to the world online...and I am so honored to get positive feedback.

Meanwhile it is raining every other day in Oregon...
and I am lucky that I love the rain.....I spent the entire day shooting in the rain....
I have been photographing the ducks in the pond.....and I took a drive up to the lake....to check on my favorite "trees"...
There are three trees that I continually shoot..and I love to check on them in all kinds of weather...
And, I have been shooting little houses and trailers and experimenting a little...

Thanks so much for taking the time to read this post and for commenting.....it is so kind of you!!! :)
Hope everyone is having a lovely summer .....

Back In the Saddle

It is still snowing in the northwest where I live...but in other parts of this great big world...it is summer, spring, what have you!
I just returned from California where it was definitely spring...Beautiful rains and budding trees...and lots of sun......I was happy to get home to my little cozy place, but so sad to leave Los Angeles....I'll begin by posting a few of my favorite new photos.....which I shot on the beach in Malibu after a three day rain storm. The model is my friend modern/jazz dancer Jan Sizer. We collaborated with Gayle Davis Designs...who made this amazing Martha Graham inspired dance dress....I never saw the color of the dress until the morning of the shoot...She dyed the fabric in such a way to make the hem go from dark to lighter, as if wet...How incredible is the color she chose...it blends so organically into the sea and sky.
and how beautifully does the model capture the spirit of Martha Graham!!!! They did the work and I am so grateful that they allowed me to capture this moment...Hope you enjoy...

Is It Spring Yet?

I hardly know where to begin...it has been too long....The holidays were busy...with my little etsy shop and family...and now it is time to breathe....Time to be reborn..To become inspired and create new work...I feel snowed in...I AM snowed in!!! We don't have spring here until April or May. I feel ready for change though...ready for spring..and ready for different scenery. I have still been shooting snow scenes for next winter...but have a few new projects in mind. And, I am longing to create....These are just a few small things I have been working on while holed up this winter....and I am planning another photo trip...to get me out of my rut!!!
I am a homebody but I really have to travel for my work...so here goes nothing....Here is to a beautiful fresh start....to a brand new year of endless possibilities...

The Zen of Snowflakes

It has been very beautifully changing seasons here in the Pacific Northwest. I have been trying to capture...so many variations...the crisp fall leaves....which change colors daily for about 3 weeks...and then before you know it... gone! Each day the sky has so many colors....we are right next to the mountains...One day we will have fog.....drifting in mysterious shapes.....The next rain.....The next day breathtaking cloud formations....hiding all but one peak. And, then, without warning Snow....the first snow.

Last Sunday I dragged my husband out to drive me up toward the timberline to see if I could shoot any last bits of fall...in the forest....It was raining...it was a little before lunch...and I could tell he was bored..or annoyed? So often I go out..and don't come home with anything......It takes so much perseverance and patience...to create....

We headed back home...I was hoping for a nice mysterious fog to engulf us..and it just didn't happen....the fog was always just a little higher...the rain came down harder and we decided to head back for lunch...

An hour later...I looked out to see the first snow of the season....I grabbed my Japanese flute CD and my big old muck boots and my hideous gold ski coat....and camera and headed to the lake in a hurry...Because the flakes were big and soft and moist..and I knew they could disappear in a moment.

I thought I would leave my husband at home ....and that way I could make my way slowly up to the lake..stopping every other minute if need be..and see if I could find some deer or some magical occurrence. No pressure...and beautiful shakahuchi flute....accompanying me...

If you have read my blog before..and if you have bless you....for taking the time!! You will probably know I love haiku and have always wanted to go to Japan...so you can imagine my joy when I pulled over at the lake to see this amazing....zen like landscape....

I jumped out of the truck..and stood in the middle of the snow in absolute wonder...
It was one of those magical moments...outside of time ...when inner landscape and outer reality become fused. It did not look real...it was so still, peaceful, quiet....mystical.

When, I drove away, I passed by the boat launch..and there was the town's only Buddhist Monk in brown robes alone in the snow at the edge of the lake...We were the only two people there...

I remembered running with my dog in a torrential downpour in LA's Runyan Canyon.....there was only me and one other English man and his dog.. . As he passed me he said in greeting...."Couple of nutters we are..."

And, there you have it...the reason...I create...for that one mystical moment when time stands still And, the fact, that deep down...I really am a nutter :)

Halloween

Well, it's another Halloween and we are all a year older.....(A line from one of my old classic favorite films)...
This year has really sped by.....We have a fire in the wood stove every night now, though the days are still mellow. The leaves are just beginning to turn.....The pumpkins and apples are abundant. Most of the beautiful birds have flown somewhere warmer....the fawns have lost their spots. And, winter is just around the corner. I really feel like curling up with a good book.....way too often. I have been trying to get out and shoot landscapes and capture some fall color...and thinking about holiday gifts, and homemade soup and spending more time with friends and family. I am kind of obsessive when it comes to my photography....but life is just too short...All of my animals and friends and loved ones come first..as I seek to maintain balance..
I think balance is difficult for an artist to achieve....

In The Mood!

I really want to create....I really want to be inspired....take long, quiet walks, sip tea (OK..a latte)...and journal and read poetry....and then....in a dream like state create! Lately I have felt so busy....trying to complete tedious unfinished projects..trying to find OLD negatives....dealing with business issues...I really feel like I have lost touch with my other worldly state...that I need to be in to create.

Drowning in the mundane.....

Well, at least I accomplished a lot today..and feel good about that...I cleaned and organized (a teeny tiny bit)....and finished some projects...that had many details...to tie up.....


My old hen Dexter and I have been spending quality time together.....after lunch, I take her out of her pen for a dirt bath..she loves to roll in the dirt and fluff it all through her feathers....I spend this time.....reading.....I love to read...but do so little of it these days.....Lately I have been reading Trollope..and am thrilled with it.. He is not Jane Austen...but for a man, he is close to Jane Austen...he is witty and really has incredible female characters.....strong and independent.....If you like Jane Austen..I think you will love him. I found a few small Out of Print volumes at our microscopic small town library...They weren't even in the computer...still had cards in the pockets...to stamp the due date on....A local literary family (a rare thing around here I imagine) donated the books to the library..and I am the first one to check them out...they were all but forgotten...


Slowly finishing the first volume....

Well, I have the day to myself tomorrow..and with the house clean...I might feel the space and slowness to create.....I hope so!! I hope you all can create something beautiful tomorrow....even if it just finding time to read a book..

It's Already September

Can we believe that it is already September? No! I was gone for such a long time this summer..that it really seems I missed the entire season...The artisans collective that I am a member of has team challenges each month. We create something in a particular theme. We have potters and clothing designers, jewelry makers (metal works), all kinds of artists..incredibly talented...Check out the top link to our Collective website. Our first theme was bees...because we call ourselves The Hive, the next challenge was lost at sea...and this month's challenge was to create a gift for Ellen Degeneres to congratulate her on her recent marriage. My balloon photo is the result of that. My husband, the cowboy, was holding onto the balloons with a fishing pole...(at 6 am this morning) they were way up in the air...up with the geese and birds...He is such a good sport!

There is snow on the mountains already!!!! Supposed to be a cold winter..but I still hope we will have a lovely fall..for another month! The other photo is from my photo shoot with the owner of tutuschic....if you need a Halloween or Wedding tutu..you must check out her etsy shop!