Life: Through the Lens

When I stepped into the elevator last fall, I wondered if this padding was a sign of things to come! It is absolutely delightful to have some time to catch up.  Catch up on life!  A new semester begins this week and I am extremely thankful it is a light one for me.  The fall was too heavily focused on "work," and there was little or no time for me to write, photograph, and enjoy my family.  Last night I set about putting last semesters photos from my classes into Shutterfly so I could share them with my fall students - and it brought some closure to the courses, and relationships I built with my students. In the fall I taught 2 sections of an Introduction to Education course, and 1 of Inclusion for the General Education Teacher.  When I walk into my collegiate classroom for the first time, this is typically what I see: And then it quickly becomes this: Of course, I do not teach in a lecture format, and this course is an exploratory of the teach...

Isn't it amazing how many people take their little idea and turn it into an empire? We talk about those entrepreneurs out there...those people who not only have the vision but know how to carry it out. There was a television program a few months ago highlighting Michigan entrepreneurs, and low and behold I recently found myself walking into the brainchild of one of these talented idealists. Sweetie-licious Bakery Cafe is a delightful blast from the past. When you walk in to this bakery in downtown DeWitt, MI you are engulfed in the aroma of fresh pastries. Cookies, muffins, and the famous pies. The decor is definitely 1950's - with all employees wearing aprons, pearls, cute and perky headbands, and wide smiles. Pony tails? Sure:) And curls. An EZ-Bake Oven is perched on a partition, vintage cookbooks, aprons, pictures and other memorabilia are tastefully displayed around the shop. The woman who founded this well-known empire is Linda Hundt, and she has been featured on...

Sometimes all you need is a good book, or a good program, to take you away from your present location. For a while you can be lost in an adventure in a far away place. This is what Art Wolfe's Travels to the Edge does. Image by Art Wolfe Wolfe is a fabulous photographer, who can actually make a good living as an artist:). One of his many venues is public broadcasting, usually on Sunday night at 6:30 here. If you can't watch his program, all episodes are highlighted on his companion web site. He has 2 seasons of programs on places far and near, with information on how he got the shots, and what equipment he used to capture those magnificent photographs. There is also an episode about the making of his series. Image by Art Wolfe Of course, Wolfe has a crew to carry equipment and guides to get him into places most of us will never see. The people he meets and locations he visits are not only photographed, the cultures and ways of life are honored. So when you are looking for a g...

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!

Five of our (almost) nine grandchildren Oh how we want things to last forever. Our loves, our families, our cherished memories, our lives. We want our "things" to last, as well. Christmas mittens for a grandson How long will our photographs really last? How many generations of our family will sort through albums, scrapbooks, and yes, boxes, guessing who everyone was and who was related to whom? Our stories are not just written, or shared using the oral traditions, they are told through the visual medium of photography. My first quilt made from individual blocks. Sometimes we forget that there are many aspects of ourselves we'd like future generations to know about as well. Yes, we're photographers, yet we are also parents, grandparents, teachers, pilots, readers, and crafters. As much as I want our photographs to be legacies of "family" and events in our lives, we have other things to share as well. Results of a quilting class - learning new skills So this...

Yes, we are closing in on our 100th post . Truly amazing. Thank you for reading and participating, helping keep the ideas, words and photos flowing. In honor of this momentous occasion, let's have a party. A party where "100" is featured. Do not become concerned if an idea doesn't pop into your head right away. You have one week to come up with something which includes 100 . Think party, celebration and fun. Think creatively. Think challenge. Photography is about expressing yourself, and challenging yourself. Here's a real stretcher! Celebrate with us by posting a photo (or series) which depicts the number 100 in some way. Let me know if you're going to participate and I'll create a way for everyone to link to each other's pages - chuckling, laughing, crying and surprising. You'll be amazed what you see when you start looking. Still at a loss? Here is a non-exhaustive look at the number 100: 100 years ago (something nostalgic- there's wigg...

It's always exciting to see our work hung on a wall, and in a place where a large number of people will see it. Such has been the case this last month at Gone Wired Cafe, in Lansing, MI. We attended the Opening Ceremony yesterday and once again looked at the variety of work hung by a number of mid-Michigan photographers. Most of the work is for sale, and a fundraiser is taking place to raise money for the Woldumar Nature Center - http://www.woldumar.org/ . You can adopt a photo to help this cause. All photographs will be on display through December 31 of this year, and our hope would be to attract attention to our work, as well as make a few sales. The deeper goal, of course, is to create an awareness of the need to protect our world, and garner interest in the greater good. Take photographs, yes; but more importantly, enjoy the wonders and beauty of our world.