The Blog

I started this blog as a way to keep myself photographing. I have been trying to get accepted into an MFA program but haven't been able to. I also had no idea what I should be doing photographically and I thought this blog would help me find out. IT did. I have many ideas and projects I'm working on. I'm excited about all of them. I also know I need to be meeting people and photographing them in black and white. That is my calling as a photographer.

I had been thinking for a while now that I was ready to stop with this project, but also thought I wanted to see it through to May 1st, 2010. However, My mom's health has taken a turn for the worse and I feel it is necessary to spend as much time with her as I can, encouraging her to get healthy. She lives far from me and I won't be able to do both. I also feel as if I have what I need for my 2009 MFA portfolio application. So.... I will no longer be posting daily photo's.

I will continue posting pictures for myself if I can on occasion, such as the monthly series of my son swimming. I'd really like to finish that series.

Thank you for the support you've given me, for the encouraging words in person, in private e-mails and in the comments.

Day 178 Dog

It seems while on my Sunday morning walks I photograph more dogs and cats than I do people. I guess a lot of people are not up and out at that time. This is one of the dogs I've come across.

Day 177 Jim

A picture fo Jim, taken the same day as yesterday's post. He loves all the stray cats that hang around the hotel.

Day 176 Man at the Door

While photographing on South Ninth Street earlier this month I met a man named Jim. I had photographed him before without knowing who he was and during the course of this meeting he mentioned he had a van I might want to photograph. So off we went to his motel so I could photograph him and his van. I hung out for awhile talking to him when I captured this image.
Jim is pictured left.

Day 175 Man in Chair

Two Sundays ago I went for one of my morning walks. I walk sometimes for a few hours looking for photographic opportunities. I was pretty happy with my findings on this day when I came upon this man. After taking two frames I started talking with him, and he seemed to appreciate my wanting to document ordinary life and was happy to have me take his picture. I was impressed by the proud way he sat in his chair. I took more pictures of him after our talk and he continued with his proud sitting mannerisms. This is the second frame from before I talked to him.

Day 174 Steven Swimming in October Month Six

It is October and the sixth month of my monthly series of Steven swimming. We didn't spend to much time this go round, but I am happy with the results. I picked two for this month as well. The top picture because it appears he has an alien face and the bottom picture because I love the light drops.

I went back and looked at many of my swimming pictures from the last few months and have so many wonderful shots I never noticed the first time around. It's amazing the difference time makes when editing work.

Day 173 Glass Santa with Forks and Water

I don't know what this concoction is, just a collection of things I like, glass, forks and water on black.

Day 172 Crystalized Water

I thought I would try for a better splash photo but as I began to get things set up I wondered why do I have to drop something in the water to make it splash? Why not go for pure water? Just water splashing in a wine glass flashed with light. A pure photograph. I tried it at three different levels. One to see the inside of the glass, two a little higher up and three near the top, almost a view from above.

Day 171 Forks and Spoons

I noticed the silverware sitting in the drying rack on my kitchen counter. Well I just love silverware so a shot of some forks and spoons.

Day 170 Pomegranate on White

I had another pomegranate on the kitchen counter so I thought it would be fun to photograph it on white.

Day 169 Pomegranate

It was a busy day and I thought I'd finally photograph whatever I was watching on TV. Then I saw the pomegranate sitting on the kitchen counter and broke it open. I didn't even get out my lights. Just used a flash and a slow shutter speed.

Day 168 Some Kind of Bird

My husband and I were in downtown Modesto this evening attending the second annual poetry and photography show when I noticed this cute scene. I took a few shots shooting from my hip.

Is that a purse she has around her back side? Kinda reminds me of a pelican.

Day 167 Wayne with Water

It was a busy day... no time for pictures ... so Wayne went out front to let water pour over his head. I've been wanting to take a picture of water falling down his face with a slow shutter speed for quite some time now. I just love water, it's so fluid.

Day 166 A Couple of Guys on Ninth Street

I offer no explanation for this photo. I will say I love it. I believe it was taken sometime in August.

Day 165 Clashing Coffee

Sometime during my high school photography class I took this terrible photo. I mean more terrible than most high school photographs. I put my half moon parrot on top of a black horse statue which was sitting on top of my bed spread. The bed spread was green and gold and had many swirls of a distinctly busy pattern. This photo clashed so much, the eyes had to take a break, or they hurt.

I was driving home the other day thinking it would be fun to take an absolutely terrible photo on purpose. Plus I've been wanting to photograph coffee in my new favorite coffee cup.

Day 164 Heidi and Emma

I walked for a few hours today and believe I actually captured some nice images, so I get to post one of my black and whites. This is a picture of Heidi and Emma, my two twin nieces. I loved the evening light coming in my sisters home so I asked them both to stand still, and I asked Emma to keep her one eye in the light.

Day 163 Painted Wall

It seems like I'm constantly driving home down D Street, and each time I notice a painted wall. I really took notice one day when it was painted differently. Since then I've seen it change many times and I always wonder who paints it. Today I was driving home and saw some guys out there with paints working away, so I did an instant u-turn and pulled into the driveway. They didn't mind if I photographed them and it was pretty easy with all he colors and bright sun. I really loved the shadows they were casting and tried to do something with that. I was pretty much done when a small SUV pulled in and a women wearing pink walked by. I asked her if she'd walk by the mural so I could get a picture of her in pink by the pink and she did. I really didn't like the full frame of that shot as the sun created to much of a glare, but cropped, I love the movement of her tattoo against the movement of the mural.

Day 162 Covey and his Girlfriend

It's been a while since I've photographed my blind old appaloosa so I did so tonight. It was fun spending time with him and his fellow pasture mate. They love each other like an old married couple. I think she watches out for him.

Day 161 Grey Kitten on Cement

I had absolutely no time today but managed to stake a few snap shots of a new kitten hanging around the place where I board my horses. He just showed up and is fitting right in. A lover of attention this kitten is.

Day 160 Wayne Behind Broken Glass

I noticed this glass Saturday and thought it would be great to photograph someone behind it. I was at the same location as the glass again today when my husband called to say he was dropping by. So of course we took a few pictures. This is the last frame and my favorite.

Day 159 Beau, Charlie and My Mom

I shot quite a bit of black and white film this morning so hurray I get to post a black and white image. It is a picture of my mom, while walking her dogs in the trailer park, park. My mom was recently diagnosed with colon cancer and will be having surgery soon to remove part of her colon. I'm sure she'll pull through as she knows she needs to take care of those doggies.

Day 158 Wet Grapes

I might as well give up on photographing things without water. I love the way water looks when flashed by light too much.

Grapes that were sitting on our kitchen counter waiting either to be eaten or photographed, or photographed then eaten.

Day 157 Dried up Lemon Slices

A few weeks ago I sliced up a lemon. I didn't photograph it as my attention turned else where so I left it outside on a plate. I've been thinking those lemon slices look kind of neat all dried up. Hence todays picture. I think I'd like to try it again sometime without all the dust and dirt included.

Day 156 Wayne by Window Light

Another tiring day and in no mood to go out and look for pictures. So I asked my husband to put his face in the window light and there you have it, todays post.

After listening to Dan Winters and seeing his breathtaking work I am inspired to try all kinds of things with light and glass.

Day 155 Woman on Ninth Street

I've been waiting to post this picture. It is without a doubt, out of all the pictures I processed this time around, my absolute favorite. It was taken sometime in August on Ninth Street. I don't remember this woman's name. I'm not going to talk about how I got the picture, I don't want to take away from the mystery it holds. I will say it is a total surprise. I remember the woman vividly, and the silliness of taking her picture here, but the memory of capturing this moment escapes me.

Day 154 Silver and Crystal Junk

It was tempting to post a black and white image I have scanned but I am staying true to my game plan of shooting a photo a day and only using them when I go out and shoot in black and white. So I did have to take a picture for today and being tired from a busy day at work decided to once again shoot something on black. However I didn't want to set up any lights so I set my black background in the window light and commenced with placing items on it. I had this idea I would try to use my four star filter so I wanted glaring items and did use the filter. Once again I like the pictures without the filter. So it is a photographic must for me to create a picture using the four star filter that I like. Until then here is my glowing items still life for todays post.