Floating in Bubbles

FLOATING IN BUBBLES

This morning I took an early morning walk at Thanksgiving Point.  (Part of which includes many acres of beautiful gardens.)  I decided I was just going to soak in all the beautiful summer flowers in full bloom as a result of a very unusually rainy and cool August and not worry about taking photos. So I forced myself to leave my camera at home.  

I was doing great until the end of my walk which usually brings me to an enclosed garden aptly called 'The Secret Garden'.  It is my favorite place to sit on a bench, smell the flowers and enjoy a beautiful little fountain in the middle of the garden.  But I noticed that since my last visit they had changed how the fountain sprays.  And then I noticed it was now creating these beautiful bubbles that I knew would be perfect as a backdrop for a flower photo.  In the little class I taught on flower photography I challenged the group to find different and unique ways of presenting flowers, which I try to do as well, and I knew the bubbles and interesting water patterns would do just that.  

Of course at this point I'm irritated that I didn't bring my camera with me, but I did have my iphone, so that's what I used to take the photos that went into creating this image.  Guess the moral of the story is, not having a big fancy camera is no excuse for not taking photos or creating art!  I hope you like it!

Chalk Art - Street Photography

Street Photography is both challenging and interesting.  I'm not talking about the type of street photography where one is hidden behind a tree and sneaks candids with a telephoto lens.  And, I'm not saying that one can't get some interesting photos and capture great moments when the subjects are unaware that they are being photographed.  But I'm talking about a different kind of street photography that can be very intimidating and uncomfortable for the photographer, especially a beginning photographer.  It can also be intimidating for the subject who has just had a stranger walk up to her/him and wants to start taking photos.  There is a skill involved in not only convincing a stranger that you are not a stalker, but within only a few minutes making that person feel comfortable enough to allow you to photograph them.  Not only that, but to come away with an interesting, natural pose and expression to boot!

I remember my first experience with this kind of street photography was during a fabulous experience my sister-in-law and I had of attending a week long photography workshop taught by National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore some years ago.  One of our assignments I called "Stranger at 20 feet".  He set the group loose in old town Santa Fe, New Mexico with the assignment to engage in conversations with strangers, obtain their permission to photograph them, and then come back and show our best shots to the group.  We only had one evening to work up our courage, figure out an approach, not forget how to use our camera in our nervousness, and return with something worth showing the group for critique.  This was one of the hardest things I had to do at that workshop, but also one of the assignments where I grew the most in my confidence and abilities.  (I'll post my 'keepers' from that assignment in a day or two.)  I still have a few butterflies walking up to total strangers with a camera, but I can tell you that some of my favorite 'people' pictures over the past years are ones of interesting strangers I've met during my travels.

All of the artists and other interesting people at this show knew I was taking their photo. Even the ones who are not looking at the camera or appear to be candid, I previously spoke with them for a few minutes, asked permission, then told them to go back to what they were doing.

Mirror Lake, Utah

MIRROR LAKE, UTAH

Yesterday in the late afternoon, Jeff and I took a drive to Mirror Lake which is about an hour away from our home.  It was a beautiful drive, and the lake was peaceful and lovely.  We took a leisurely stroll along the shore and watched a few people fishing and paddling canoes.  We then headed home by way of Park City for a late dinner.  It was a nice evening! 

Elegant!

My how time goes by so fast!  Just not enough time to fit everything in, and that includes blogging!  Hope I can do better soon!  Here is one I recently took at Thanksgiving Point in preparation for a second flower photography class I'm teaching.