Life: Through the Lens

On the road again, though you wouldn't know it from this photo. As many years as we've tried to find a fawn on our acreage, I had to come all the way across the country to have the chance to see, and photograph, one. My daughter and I were sitting looking out the window in the middle of the day, and there they came, walking across the back yard. I have lived on 40 acres and spent hours walking and looking and waiting, yet I can cross the country to a home in the suburbs and see one in the back yard the day after I arrive. This does not seem right! One of the things I really like about traveling is finding those pockets of local color, still life unique to these different surroundings. A couple of days ago we visited a lovely little town nearby, where I found a number of things to photograph. Just look at the colors and textures in this photo, taken outside a shop which looked just as inviting as this colorful display. Another thing I like is finding texture and pattern ...

This year we have a flower garden. Not that we haven't tried before, but the rabbits and deer seem to "win" more than we do. But this year I decided to be more aggressive in my attempt to grow flowers, for both decorative purposes and photography. We put a fence in front of the front walk, close to the house for maximum control, and I have been nurturing a variety of flowers and plants for a few weeks now. Not known for my green thumb, I am going to defy all odds this year and demonstrate that I can, indeed, keep flowers not only alive , but thriving for an entire season! I will keep you updated as the season progresses, and hopefully my posts will be both colorful and fragrant:). Enjoy!

Tuesday, June 15, is Nature Photography Day and everyone should try and spend some time in the great outdoors. My last post gave you a number of suggestions for how to spend your day, so let everyone know what you did. You can do this a couple of different ways. You may email me your photo, and blog address, which I'll post at the end of the week, or you may run your own post and send me your link so I can spotlight it. I'd love to create a network of nature enthusiasts, taking the time to share the wonders of our great natural world. Let me know what you have decided to do, and I'll make sure the network is created! And don't forget....it doesn't matter the weather, as NATURE is glorious in sun , rain , c o l o r or black and white ! Happy Shooting!

June 15 is fast approaching, the 5th National Nature Photography Day. The challenge is to use this day to raise awareness, and take intentional photographs. The North American Nature Photography Association has some suggestions for celebrating the day: There are dozens of ways, including these: Pick a special spot to photograph a sunrise or sunset. Then plan to repeat that visit at the same time and location every Nature Photography Day. If you teach, encourage your students to pick a subject they haven't yet photographed and arrange to shoot on June 15. Visit a gallery or museum exhibit of nature photographs. Or start a gallery at home-by displaying your images of plants, animals, and natural scenes. Invite friends and neighbors to join you on a nature adventure at a garden, trail, or even your own backyard. Find inspiration and beauty close by. Select a subject in nature that is small or common and thus easily overlooked. Then photograph it in a way to make the ordinary seem ...

Seriously...it's June already? Time seems to drag all winter, then spring has an insanely fast pace. I have had so little time for writing and photography throughout the school year, and am looking forward to warming up my tools and hitting the road, and keys. I look forward to re-establishing communication with the blogging world, sharing new work, tips from the field, photos of wonderful people, places and things, and lessons learned along the way. Hello again! Isn't summer wonderful? (Or winter, wherever you may be!)