WALTZ OF THE BRIDES and WEDDING DANCERS

This one above, titled "Waltz of the Brides," is one of my really early pix and remains one I'm particularly fond of. It surprised me utterly when I saw it on my computer screen well over two years ago. I already knew what trouble white areas could be, but it seems the light was just right. I've never seen these blooms again; though I've probably just not been in the back by that fence at the right time of year since I took the pic.

Here's another shot I took of these blooms, titled "Wedding Dancers":


I often use one of these for a wedding card. The one immediately above was in my exhibit and a copy sold.

Click here to read an Introduction, Background, & Technical Aspects post about this blog. And for posts previous to those below, please see listing in the right-hand sidebar. (Clicking on the bottom post listed will list even older posts, and so on.)

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‘til next take, may you enjoy life in the ever changing light,

[aka: Patricia Kelly] **** If you wish to copy or use any of my writing or photos, please email me for permission (under “View my complete profile”)****

More light talk ...

Yesterday I talked about how sunlight effects my photography attempts. Especially how I'd used a sheet of paper to block some intrusive bright sunlight from a shot I was trying to capture. Here's the result of an earlier -- and first -- use of this "technique." I loved this little lone calla and the way the light was playing around with it and the leaves. But I knew from too much experience that most of the light was way too bright for my poor little camera (and my poor technical skills) to cope with. That is, all I was likely to wind up with on my computer screen was a large white blank spot and probably smaller ones in the surrounding leaves. So I dug in my purse for a sheet of paper and experimented with shading this little scene in various ways. When I hit on the stamen only being "cupped" by the light I snapped away ... and hoped.

This one was in my recent exhibit, and a copy sold.

Click here to read an Introduction, Background, & Technical Aspects post about this blog. And for posts previous to those below, please see listing in the right-hand sidebar. (Clicking on the bottom post listed will list even older posts, and so on.)

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‘til next take, may you enjoy life in the ever changing light,

[aka: Patricia Kelly] **** If you wish to copy or use any of my writing or photos, please email me for permission (under “View my complete profile”)****

OPENING TO THE LIGHT

Yes, this is the photo title from which I got the name for this blog, and it was in my 7/24 exhibit. These particular flowers are stunning "live." Someone said he'd read those large dark stamens evolved to attract bats. I can believe it! The blooms have, well, the best way I can describe it is a physical hardiness in all that beauty. They're not much bigger than the amarylis blooms I see in this same garden area, but somehow "stronger."

I was delighted to walk by these blooms when the sun was being filtered by the trees near them. I'd tried a few times in previous days to get decent shots and the bright sun ruined the pix. Resulting in what I call "burn out," i.e. all detail in the blooms lost in blank white. I'm fairly certain if I were more technically inclined I could make some sort of adjustment even to my little camera (that has very few adjustable settings) to avoid or at least mitigate this problem. I'm not so inclined. However, this has pushed me to be a little creative. Yesterday I used a piece of paper to create a bit of shade on an area of a shot the sun was intruding directly upon. This involved some balancing, as I had to lean in/over to get the shot, grip my cane, angle the camera with my other hand, and hold the paper against my camera with my pinky. Not to mention deal with the breezes that kept flipping the sheet of paper out of place. :-) (Hm, all this talk of blocking the light in a post titled "Opening to the Light...")

I'm also fascinated by the patterns the abundant leaves of these blooms create. Here's a photo that doesn't work for me, but was an attempt to highlight those leaf patterns:

And with that I'll take my leave. (Awful pun intended :-D)

Click here to read an Introduction, Background, & Technical Aspects post about this blog. And for posts previous to those below, please see listing in the right-hand sidebar. (Clicking on the bottom post listed will list even older posts, and so on.)

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‘til next take, may you enjoy life in the ever changing light,

[aka: Patricia Kelly] **** If you wish to copy or use any of my writing or photos, please email me for permission (under “View my complete profile”)****

One that didn't make it ....

This pic is one I'd wanted to include in the exhibit, but somehow did not. It was taken in that stand of leaves I've talked about here before that I find endlessly fascinating. BTW, the lavenderish-pink color is vaguely apparent "live" but photos tend to heighten it. That is, I didn't do any computer manipulation of this photo other than to crop it and lighten it a little bit. (I find myself making photos lighter more and more. Methinks my cataracts might be getting a bit riper. I'll have to rely on others to tell me if I'm lightening pix too much.)

This pic is also a type I've noted here before that I enjoy finding in a larger photo: it sort of hovers between representational and abstract.

Click here to read an Introduction, Background, & Technical Aspects post about this blog. And for posts previous to those below, please see listing in the right-hand sidebar. (Clicking on the bottom post listed will list even older posts, and so on.)

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‘til next take, may you enjoy life in the ever changing light,

[aka: Patricia Kelly] **** If you wish to copy or use any of my writing or photos, please email me for permission (under “View my complete profile”)****

GANESH TRUMPETING

I was surprised that two people ordered prints of this tree photo, titled "Ganesh Trumpeting." I almost didn't include it in my binder, but it's been a special favorite of mine from the beginning. Literally, it's one of my earliest photos. Ganesh, the elephant headed Hindu God most known as "Remover of Obstacles," is also a favorite of mine. So when I saw an elephant head in this tree I was doubly delighted.

For the most part, though, photos I thought might sell were the ones that did. However, much more important to me for the four hours of the exhibit than sales were the conversations. (And the appreciation. :-D) Folk often commented, in effect, that my pix make the ordinary look special. My pesky teacher self would surface and I'd say that I don't think anything is truly ordinary, that it's all in how we look at. And that that is the gift photography keeps giving me: refreshed and expanding vision, both literally and metaphorically. I even had an opportunity to discuss poetry a wee bit, due to that small booklet of photos paired with my dream poems.

But last night I crashed. There's so much post-exhibit clean-up in my rooms to be done, printing of photo orders, and other projects I'd put on hold until the exhibit was past. Although it's using time I could well use otherwise, I'm looking forward to my shift clerking in our Corner Store this afternoon. It'll be a nice distracting break. (I hope not too distracting. That little store can get into a wee bit of a froth sometimes. :-D)

Click here to read an Introduction, Background, & Technical Aspects post about this blog. And for posts previous to those below, please see listing in the right-hand sidebar. (Clicking on the bottom post listed will list even older posts, and so on.)

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‘til next take, may you enjoy life in the ever changing light,

[aka: Patricia Kelly] **** If you wish to copy or use any of my writing or photos, please email me for permission (under “View my complete profile”)****

The day after ....

I survived! My photo exhibit was yesterday, which is why no post here then. More on how it all went tomorrow. I'm vastly relieved it's all over, but even more relieved I did not give in to panic and cancel the exhibit -- which I came very close to a few times. Suffice it to say now that it went better than I could have hoped, in all ways.

This pic was in the exhibit on a wall of miscellaneous pix. It generated quite a few positive comments. This is not entirely surprising as it's a picture of one side of the B-Lounge which is where my exhibit was. (To the right is a large room.) I've always had a particular fondness for this photo as it captures the room's peacefulness when one wanders through it at a certain time of day and no one else is around. What was lovely was to find out that others appreciate that same calm when they come through. A calm which constrasts greatly to it's frequent noise and activity (there's a large flat screen T.V. there that many residents have to turn up rather loud to hear; there's a regular Saturday afternoon snack party held there; residents play cards; etc., etc.). Oh, and that's the front of our resident operated and staffed Corner Store on the left.

Gotta get going. Much to do, not only getting my rooms back in shape after the long haul in preparing and then breaking down the exhibit, but photos to print that were ordered yesterday. :-)

Click here to read an Introduction, Background, & Technical Aspects post about this blog. And for posts previous to those below, please see listing in the right-hand sidebar. (Clicking on the bottom post listed will list even older posts, and so on.)

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‘til next take, may you enjoy life in the ever changing light,

[aka: Patricia Kelly] **** If you wish to copy or use any of my writing or photos, please email me for permission (under “View my complete profile”)****