Memories

I lost a photo that means a great deal to me. A friend of mine took it in Scotland many years ago. We later discovered that was less than five miles from where my great-grandmother was born.

Looking at it reminds me of my own trip to the farm down the road as well as trying to recreate the photo when I stood in the same spot. I can smell the dew on the thistle, feel the early morning mist on my skin and remember the sense of being watched from behind the ferns. It also reminds me of the first time I met my friend. It stars a lot of emotions. I moved the photo when I switched the living room arrangement.

I sorted through, cleaned and decluttered the living room in the search. My friend is gone now so the photo is irreplaceable. I'm not sure what the photo was doing down by the spinning wheel but it's now hanging on the living room wall. In the process, I organized my home.

Win/win.

Light and shadow

My friend and I abandoned an awesome art show for a few hours on Sunday to go play at Edwards Gardens.  It's not exactly Central Park but it is an oasis in the city.  We were a tad disappointed that so many other people felt the same way.  We had a creepy photo shoot in mind.  Not exactly something you can do without an explanation - or a plethora of horrified looks.

Exhibit A

There's a nice little gazebo. Dark and spider filled, it suited our needs nicely. We took a couple shots but the headless one is my favourite.  I think it was helped by the bulky white sweater I was wearing. It tricked the camera's aperature. Yay!

Exhibit B

I love shadows and all the wonderful things you can do with them. I particularly enjoyed the irony of using lush green grass as our back drop.  I call it Norman Bates meets Whistler's Mother.  The purse over my shoulder changed my shape so that I looked considerably older and wider than normal.  Still, I like it.

Exhibit C

Hmmm, I don't seem to have any photos of the tree that fascinated me with the way the leaves and light played together.  I do have one dark photo of me watching it all.I'm in shadow and holding my hair out of my eyes so I can see better.  Check out the creepy shadow on my arm. The tree is eating me!

In the end I decided against the committment it would require to lie at the bottom of the broken stairs beneath the police tape.  Besides, I prefer to throw the bodies down there, not be one myself.

Dufferin Islands

I was sitting in the sun, waiting for a good friend and her wonderful husband to stroll through the Autumn leaves. This tiny flower was beneath my hand.

This was my view.

Breathe deep, my friends, the air is restorative.

Genetic creativity

Last week was my DB's wedding. His third, her second.  The kids were their wedding party.  It was simple, lovely and very sweet.  I acted as one of the photographers.  My camera has a glitch that adds a dark shadowy ghost to some of the shots.  I'm experimenting with making that part of the scene.

My oldest DNi ran around arranging the background/foreground/people as I was shooting away. She wants to be a photographer.

This is one of my shots on which she assisted.

This is one I took without her influence

Today, we picked up some photography books from the library, grabbed my camera and had a lesson on depth of field.  These are two of her shots

New Year

Last night at dinner I did a much better job of articulating what the past year of Good Things has meant to me than I wrote on the blog. Let's pretend you were all sitting at the table and heard my concise explanation.

If 2013 ended up being the Year of Balance, what does 2014 have in store for me? What will be the focus of this blog?  I've been thinking about it a lot for the last few months.

Should it be about sources of inspiration?  Things that fill me with pride? Being accountable for personal goals?  Do I stick with daily posts?

I'm not sure.  I considered posting a photo a day that best summed it up. My grandfather was a good photographer.  I still have the telephoto lens he gave me in my first year of college. I still have that camera.  Film m is hard to find these days. Getting it developed even more difficult.  While I like the ease and convenience of digital,  I don't think I compose as well now that I can't afford to waste a shot.

I'd like 2014 to be the Year of Creativity. Whether it's crafting a fine piece of writing, knitting up a warm pair of socks, shooting a glorious sunset or problem solving with a patron, I intend to be creative, to approach things from an angle that only I can reach, to share a perspective that comes from my vision.

No matter my mood, my expression will be creative and stretch me into areas of growth. I hope you share the journey with me.