Unravelling

Tuesday, September 1st, 2009

I just signed up for an online course given by Susannah Conway, called Unravelling: Ways of Seeing Myself.  This eight week course starts on September 28th, and during the course we will be using photography, along with guided questions, journaling, and discussion to become more introspective, and gain a greater appreciation of all that’s around us.

From the Unravelling site:

“The Unravelling process is a new way to view your world, taking time to appreciate the beauty around you. And we do this in the simplest way – we stop and look. Beginning with your feet, you’re going to go on a photo safari into your own life to reconnect with who you are, where you’ve been and where you want to go next.

These definitely won’t be self-portraits in the traditional sense – we’ll be using the camera as a tool to unlock how we see not only ourselves but also the world we live in, including the immediate surrounds of our homes, places of work and our friends and family.”

You can learn more about the course, and register here.

Shameless Self Promotion: Flickr

Wednesday, August 26th, 2009

I’ve started posting some of my recent photos over on my Flickr site as I don’t want to overwhelm this blog with every picture I’ve taken.  But this is the perfect time to inform you of my Flickr site, and how I would love you forever if you went to take a look at it, and possibly became my friend.

These are a few images I captured the other day (you can see more at my Flickr site, did I mention I had a Flickr site?).  You’ll start to notice that I’ve recently been on a cemetery fix.  Not quite sure what that’s all about.  All I can say is that once magic hour hits, cemeteries become practically etherial.

Scenes from Saturday: Smith College

Tuesday, July 21st, 2009

Last weekend, I was visited by Alexa, one of my good friends from college. On Saturday we made a trip to Northampton, where we ate at some of my favorite restaurants (Paul and Elizabeth’s for lunch, and Osaka for dinner!), had some ice cream at the famous Harrell’s, spent hours poking through Faces, and walked around the Smith College campus.

Smith College has an absolutely stunning campus, set in downtown Northampton. It is composed of many old Victorian and Georgian style houses and buildings. Toward the back of the campus, there is a pond with a waterfall, as well as botanical gardens. After we walked the campus, we took a walk through the Smith art museum, which is impressive in its own right, dropping names like Monet, Picasso, and Homer.

We caught this sign on the way to the athletic field. Apparently some Smith students had a little creative idea of their own.

Do the Safety Dance!

Don’t Mess With Texas.

Sunday, June 28th, 2009

Seriously, don’t. It’s 105 degrees and it will win.

I just returned from the HOW Design Conference, which was held in sunny Austin, Texas (if only the internet could convey the full amount of sarcasm lacing that statement). It was hot outside, cold inside, but it totally rocked my socks.

There were some interesting workshops this year, my favorite including the use of a Ukelele, a Harmonica, and excessive glitter throwing. I met some great designers and fellow creatives, and made a few new friends. And I got to experience Austin itself.

What would Austin be without some live music? Being the self proclaimed “live music capital” and all. On Friday night I was lucky enough to see John Vanderslice along with The Tallest Man on Earth. Both amazing performances.

On Saturday, I took a walk down South Congress Street, or as the locals call it, SoCo. It’s known for it’s independent shops and all around artsy feel. While I was there I picked up some great photography prints by JJWorldStudio.com. You can take a look at their gallery online, I’m really in love with their use of color.

Afterwards, I headed on up to the Austin Art Museum, and viewed their current exhibition. I then swung by the Texas Capital building for a photo op. While walking by, I found this building, with beautiful architecture, and lovely patina coming from the engraved words. Leave it to me to find the one Art Deco building in Austin.

Into the Wild.

Monday, June 22nd, 2009

Well, that may be a gross over exaggeration. A few days ago, it stopped raining for a few hours (anyone living in the Northeast right now knows what a miracle that is!) So I set out to Mt. Tom, for some hiking and an adventure in photography. Mt. Tom has some very obvious trails, which I stuck with on this day, so this really was not roughing it, by any means.

I find that when I have my camera with me, I pay much more attention to things, than if I just hauled on through. It forces me to slow down, and pay attention to things. It also makes me realize the beauty in everyday things that I wouldn’t have given a second look. Take for example the gate to the trail. Most of the time I would just walk around it, but it made for a fantastic composition, and the burnt orange color drew me in.

This tiny stream made the most soothing and relaxing bubbling sounds. I took a video with my camera, just to get the sound, but it really didn’t do it any justice. I guess some things are better left as memories.

Backyard as Still Life.

Friday, June 12th, 2009

I recently purchased a new camera, with 9 fantastic megapixels and 10x optical zoom, which puts my old camera with its sad, lowly 4 megapixels to shame. I reasoned that with this new camera, I should really figure out how to use it. My friend (and fabulous photographer) Suzanne gave me some pointers, and off I went to take some photos. Where to start? Some local tourist attraction? A park? A beach? No. I headed to my parent’s backyard to put together a little collection I like to call “Backyard as Still Life”.
I find that with a camera in hand, I pay attention to the little things more; the things we pass by everyday. You also have the opportunity to see things in much more detail, and you notice the intricacies of something as simple as dandelion. Once considered a weed, is now a miracle of nature.