Life: Through the Lens

Hurray!  I was able to access the photos on my new point-and-shoot so can continue my comparison between iPhone photography, point-and-shoot, and a digital SLR camera.  Let the fun continue! I will admit to having purchased a higher end point-and-shoot - a Canon G7x.  So far I am loving it! First I want to know I can get strong colors.  In the photo of the Grand Hotel, above, I think it handled the colors very well - the yellow is true, as well as the color of the flags.  The flowers show up well, as well, and the white is not overly bright. In the photos below, the top one is not the "best" photo,  as the leaves were moving a bit, but it handled the contrast between the red and green well.  I do think the leaves are a bit washed out, but it cold have been a lighting issue.  Just keep shooting and see. The red on the side of the barn, below,  is very true and bright.  The sun was late in the day, so the light was quite good...

It seems as if the arrival of Easter is a turning point from Winter to Spring.  Though these two events do not necessarily coincide, and the Easter Bunny definitely comes from a different place than the Crucification and Resurrection...both signal a renewal.  My attitude and mood definitely begin to improve, which is a VERY good thing! So yesterday was a lovely day.  First church, with lots of music and scripture.  Then a delicious brunch out with good friends.   We are at the stage when all the kids are busy with their own families, and activities, and we are inventing who we are as a couple again!  And after that, on a beautiful 65 degree day, we headed to our area nature center for a good walk with Kaycee.  And she had a blast! Ready to run and run and run! Daryl did look over his shoulder now and then, as this was the place where she was injured in the fall when a dog came out of nowhere and plowed into her.  But we had a ver...

April prepares her green traffic light and the world thinks Go.  ~Christopher Morley, John Mistletoe Spring isn't always about color, is it?    

The holidays have been fantastic, with time to travel, to spend time with children and grandchildren, and to reflect on the last year.  I enjoy living each day...not one for looking back with many regrets, or forward with too many "demands."  Each day is a gift, and I work to remember that. Today it snowed...real snow...acting as an insulator.  I love to watch big white flakes fall, collecting on the ground, on tree branches and foliage.  It is so quiet and gentle - wrapping around us and offering us a chance to slow down, breathe deeply and reflect on our lives. Friends are pulling out their seed catalogs as soon as the decorations are down, looking ahead to spring.  But sometimes I feel they are missing the opportunity to live in the quiet of a world resting...preparing itself to emerge in glorious color in a few short months. Oh how I sound poetic, praising the beauty of winter.  Those of you who know me, however, also know I do not tolerate...

I am looking for any opportunity to take some photos and experiment with different effects.  A perfect opportunity presented itself just a week ago, when the Owosso Steam Railroading Institute had a gathering of a variety of trains and engines for the weekend, giving rides and on display for the public. A steam engine is so nostalgic, and the 1225 was used in the filming of Polar Express, so it was a double treat.  We had a very enjoyable day photographing this engine and the cars it pulled.  The cost of admission to the entire event was a bit much for us, so we were content to roam the town a bit, watching the activity and spending time in a fair atmosphere. People really love their trains. Trains are only a small part of our history.  The older I get the more I value the past, knowing that through the past we find our future.  It's important to keep records and tell stories - so our children and grandchildren will ha...

For those of you who haven't met Roamin' before, this little elf travels in my camera bag  wherever we go.   He LOVES adventures!     And this adventure turned out to be a wet one.  The best laid plans of mice and men.  We embarked on our annual trip to the beautiful Upper Peninusla for fall color and... ...we happened to choose the only weekend of the month (so far) in which rain ruled each day.  The other outrageous almost-disaster of the weekend was the Washington-induced closure of some of our favorite haunts.  Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.  Closed.  Which means the following destinations were unreachable: Miner's Falls, Mosquito Falls, Chapel Falls, Spray Falls, Sable Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, Miner's Beach and Falls, White Birch Forest... and more.  You couldn't even drive down some of the roads in the area because they were part of Federal lands. Let's not forget that Se...