Study for Red & Green is a new photo, just edited this morning. Buds for this flower are crowding their pots and a few have started opening, like the one in this picture. I keep waiting, thinking next spring I won't find their buds as fascinating or their open blooms as spectacular, that habituation will have set in. But thankfully that's not happened yet and judging from the enjoyment on the faces of long time Cafifornia residents, it may never happen. (Yay!) However, one thing that is becoming more and more habitual is how I do "post production." That's why I keep trying to push the limits, going for different effects and colors, trying to prompt some new ways of seeing through this old lady's eyes.

And as I typed that I got the urge to fool further with this photo, so here's another way of looking at it, Seeking the Sun:

I think I may like "Seeking the Sun" more than "Study for Red & Green," though am concerned that the painting-like look might be perceived as poor focus, and not as intentional on my part.

NOTE: In most browsers you can click on a photo to view a larger version. There are many more photos posted here than show at any given time in this left-hand column. See the Archives listing (below Previous Posts) in the right hand column. And here’s the link if you wish to read an Introduction, Background, & Technical Aspects post about this blog.

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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”) ****

Answering the Day's Call, above, is another new photo, just re-visioned yesterday. I'm still not sure about that "light" being brighter in the upper left corner. One can see it as the "light" echoed in the orchid centers, but I also find it distracting. (I did try muting it by mouse in the paint program, but it's too large an area and did not come out well.)

In the Gloaming, below, is another version of the same photo. I cropped out that bright light in the upper left corner. Which then, of course, changed the mood. So I changed the color accordingly. (It could probably use a total re-cropping from the orignal; it feels a little unbalanced to me. Maybe I'll do it someday.)

Study in Orchid, below, is a different shot, from an oh-so-slightly different angle, and obviously cropped way down. I kept coming up against distracting aspects that were just too much to paint out by mouse for this old hand. So I kept cropping. I may go back someday and work harder at getting the same sketch-like effect with a larger crop.

NOTE: In most browsers you can click on a photo to view a larger version. There are many more photos posted here than show at any given time in this left-hand column. See the Archives listing (below Previous Posts) in the right hand column. And here’s the link if you wish to read an Introduction, Background, & Technical Aspects post about this blog.

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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”) ****

Dark Blossoming, above, is a new photo, edited very recently.

Lovely Lilting Ladies, below, is almost the exact same shot:

And here's a link to "Waiting for Ophelia", the same photo as "Dark Blossoming," in sepia tones.

I often try many different versions of the same shot because I don't feel I've yet gotten at what is calling to me from within it. In the case of the above three I'd say "Waiting for Ophelia" comes closest. However, I really like the colors and contrasts in "Dark Blossoming," and like the feel of that branch of orchids as it curves across the picture in all three versions. There's also something intriguing about the one forward facing orchid, with all the others "looking away."

NOTE: In most browsers you can click on a photo to view a larger version. There are many more photos posted here than show at any given time in this left-hand column. See the Archives listing (below Previous Posts) in the right hand column. And here’s the link if you wish to read an Introduction, Background, & Technical Aspects post about this blog.

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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”) ****

Spring Snow, above, is a new photo, recently edited. Of course, that isn't actually snow in the background. In south central California we only get snow in the mountains, and I live by the coast. However, when I switched this photo to black and white (after first inverting the colors) hoping to further emphasize that delightful fern shape, it suggested snow in the distance.

Reading Between the Lines, below, was taken the same day but just worked on this morning. I am so fond of these fiddlehead ferns, from their tight furled form on the end of a bare branch -- from which comes their name -- through to these unfurled waves. (Hope I've properly identified these ferns. This former New York City person has only lived in the middle of such a range of flora for a few years. And I still haven't gotten that field guide for trees and such that I keep saying I will.)

Pole Dancers, below, is a different sort of fern, I believe. In any case, again, I really enjoy these shapes and patterns. And I could not resist their persistent tugging at my imagination as I sat at my computer.

And last, but first in my thoughts, my heart is with everyone effected by the Boston Marathon explosions.

NOTE: In most browsers you can click on a photo to view a larger version. There are many more photos posted here than show at any given time in this left-hand column. See the Archives listing (below Previous Posts) in the right hand column. And here’s the link if you wish to read an Introduction, Background, & Technical Aspects post about this blog.

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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”) ****

OK, now for something different with even more excuses and explanations attached than usual. A friend of mine, Sara, is a talented necklace and pendant designer and maker (and collagist). Not too long ago she began making pendants using photos of mine she'd chosen. At present I'm the proud possessor of four of them. And this post is to share photos of them.

Before I go any further I'll say there are many sorts of photography I have no skill at whatsoever, one of them being shiny objects such as pendants. I'd hate to admit how many different shots I took of these pendants, in different lights, from different distances and angles, and on different backgrounds. Given how poorly most turned out I am not terribly displeased with these, though they could be better. (E.g. there must be a way around that little halo of reflected light at the tops of the four pendants in the picture immediately below.) Information about the pendants is below each photo, and Sara's contact info is at the end of this post.

The above round red pendant is 1-1/2" and the long ones are 2".

The above is the back of the round red pendant. Sara's pendant backs are as beautiful as the fronts, so one really gets two for the price of one.

The above is where I hang all my necklaces. (So far, only the four pictured at the top of this post are Sara's work, though hopefully this will change in time.) It's a narrow stretch of bathroom wall, above a towel rack. I had thought to take down that Monet print when I decided to put up hooks for necklaces. But I so like the print and thought it might make the space more interesting. (My apologies to the artist. :-D) That little bag on the left is holding two of Sara's pendants that aren't currently on chains. You can readily spot the two that are (the round red is hanging just above the lavender long one).

Here's the link to Sara's Etsy website, showing a range of her beautiful beading, pendants, and collages. I'm sure she'd love to hear from you.

NOTE: In most browsers you can click on a photo to view a larger version. There are many more photos posted here than show at any given time in this left-hand column. See the Archives listing (below Previous Posts) in the right hand column. And here’s the link if you wish to read an Introduction, Background, & Technical Aspects post about this blog.

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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”) ****