Travelin' About

  I think I was born to be a student - I love learning as much as I can about photography, and, even though I've been practicing the craft for years, and taking numerous classes over time, I still find there is so much more to learn. Recently I debated taking a Macro Class at Precision Camera with Scott Sitkiewitz. I've been playing with Macro for awhile - I've taken plenty of flower shots and water droplets - so could I possibly learn something new?    It turns out, yes, I most certainly could.  First of all, Scott is an awesome teacher. He made a point of memorizing and re-using the names of all 12 participants in the class. His enthusiasm was contagious as he showed all of the many things he brought to photograph and showed us a variety of different ways to set up lights and make your own little backgrounds and lighting. Who knew clothespins had a worthwhile purpose? And construction paper can be used to bring color to objects. And there are better t...

Foggy Morning Gathering, Summer 2015 I've been busy preparing 18 photographs for a February 2016 exhibit at The Old Bakery and Emporium, 1006 Congress Avenue, Austin, Texas. (512 974-1300, Hours: Tues-Sat. 9-4).  It's a beautiful historic building that was formerly a Bakery and has been preserved by the City of Austin as a place for local artists to sell their work. There is also a history museum and an art gallery upstairs.  One has to apply in August for a juried art exhibit and I was honored to be selected as one of the artists that will have my photos hung there from Thursday, Feb 4 - Thurs. March 3rd.  I am sharing the exhibit with Anna Lisa Leal who paints images of the Southwest and Ann Newman whose artwork is entitled Visual Language.  Frozen Swimming Hole, Winter 2011 My theme is Water - and my photographs are from all over the United States during different seasons, showing our country's diverse geography and awesome beauty.  When I first...

  On a recent trip to my hometown, Yonkers, my sister offered me the opportunity to "check out Untemeyer Park," a spot we had never explored before.The day was bright and the hour was early, so it sounded like a wonderful idea.   We were blessed by the last of Fall's glorious colors - we even saw a few roses. But my thrill was the cool architecture.  A brochure at the site called this place "America's Greatest Forgotten Garden."  Owned by prominent lawyer, Samuel Untemeyer, these gardens were acclaimed to be the finest in the Hudson Valley in the 1920's and 30's. The brochure claims that 30,000 folks visited in a single day in September 1939.   the gardens became overgrown and lost in time. Designed after the Persian Gardens with an influence of Spain, India and Italy, the Untemeyer Gardens have a universal appeal.   I was taken by the lines and shadows on this crisp Fall morning. The views of the Palisades and the Hudso...

  I just came back from five glorious days in West Virginia. I wasn't quite sure why  was going to West Virginia - I wanted to go to Utah...but several friends had come back from an Ed Heaton workshop in the Grand Tetons and were raving about how much fun it was and how much they had enjoyed to help and support of Ed and Kelly Heaton and the weekend was far more affordable that a week away (that my husband would have insisted on going along) so now I have to save up for Utah next year because West Virginia exceeded all of my expectations. First of all, I had no idea how beautiful West Virginia is. It seemed chock full of waterfalls, bridges and quaint country roads and Ed Heaton has scoped them all out and knows just how to get a small group of photographers motivated and up to photograph them in their best light. Many of us came just to see this (and I am so happy I was able to capture it): Glade Creek Grist Mill, Babcock State Park Ed, Kelly and their s...

  This past Saturday, October 3rd marked Scott Kelby's 8th Annual Worldwide Photowalk #wwpw.  1000 walks happened in different places all over the world.  21,565 folks with different levels of photographic expertise participated. This was the third time I participated in one of these walks and they are always fun. I did one in Coney Island a few years back and one crossing the Walkway in the Hudson, a cool railroad bridge that was restored for bikers and walkers. This year I walked with 20+ others in Austin, Texas. I enjoyed chatting with the other photographers. One man still shoots film - he gets negatives and scans made.  One woman was a brand new resident from California and had never heard of meetups - she was thrilled to get all kinds of information on how to shoot pictures beyond her own front porch.  Several others I caught up with from chats we had had on previous walks. It's always great to hear suggestions of fun places to visit in the surrou...

  Every year, for many years, I made a calendar for my siblings. Last year I took the chance of having 30 calendars made and I tried to sell them. People seemed to like them, so this year I am going for a larger print run and trying to get the word out earlier.  There are 13 images, including the cover and all are frameable prints of beautiful Austin, Texas. Unfortunately, until I can get the courage to have 1000+ calendars printed, my cost for having them printed is still pretty high so I have to get at least $25 to make it worthwhile for me to try this, and shipping is costly, too, so I have to charge an additional $5. for shipping. But it is a beautiful product, with a lot of care and talent that went into making it.  Right now they can be purchased at The Old Bakery and Emporium, 1006 Congress Avenue or at Prima Dora in SoCo at 1912 So. Congress Ave. or by contacting me directly. They make a great Christmas gift!  Here is a link to the images: http://ww...

  I love discovering new places and, sometimes, it takes more that one trip to enjoy all that a place has to offer.  We recently returned to Corpus Christi after stopping at it's aquarium last spring (which is a really wonderful aquarium). My husband had expressed a desire to explore an aircraft carrier, the USS Lexington, which was nearby and I had spotted an art museum, so we set out for an overnight trip to Corpus.  Perhaps it is because it is September and we had the place to ourselves, but we really enjoyed the bay, the restaurants and the whole experience we had while visiting this lovely city. The Lexington is a HUGE ship which also goes by the name "The Blue Ghost" because of it's unusual paint scheme and because radio propagandist Tokyo Rose wrongly announced several times that she had sunk.   The ship is now a museum filled with lots of memories for the Vet's we met while touring her.  My husband was happy to see models of the jet en...