family photos from southeastern Kentucky

post #330
       Every once in a while I reach out to share photos by other photographers. Last week, in the great digital photography class at Morehead State that I'm TAKING, I was curious and asked to see Rachel Cook's work for our second project in the class - environmental portraiture. We were assigned to produce 80 photos as contact prints and then choose 6 - 8 of them to print.
        I thought her work was so evocative. It spoke to me. I asked her if I could post some of those photos and she said yes. Thank you, Rachel! 
       The photos were made at her home in Letcher County, Kentucky, over the spring break. They all live in her grandmother's house. It's a special kind of challenge to be making photos in such an intimate location where the people there have to sort of ignore what one member of the family is doing -- to say nothing of how hard it is to work with available light. I know this is the age of everyone taking photos of each other, but to show a slice of family life and family feeling is a whole other accomplishment. At least that's how I see it. Since I have this handy blog, I now hope visitors here can experience this slice as well, including the putting away of groceries and the caring for one another.

      My political plea for the week: the arts are so valuable in expressing who we are and the world we want to have. Please speak up for Arts Funding, and this includes the Kentucky Arts Council, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), Kentucky Educational Television (KET) and our brave and visionary citizen artists, like Rachel and the other members of our photography class. Seek truth and celebrate it.

celebrating photography friendships and ways of seeing

post #284
       I have been looking forward to sharing a variety of photos friends are making. Today there are four such folks. I hope to do another post later in the near future with four others. We each work by ourselves, behind the lens -- and most of us feel we see more from behind the lens than any other way.  We love the act of capturing a personal vision. However, another part of the experience is the sharing of what we see, with other photographers and with eyes from all over the world. I do this post with gratitude for the support I feel from these friends-with-photos. My sincere thanks to Rebecca, Tom, Mary and Chris for letting me post a few of your photos today.

        First, Rebecca, who has such an excellent eye, and she is quick. I am sort of a privacy nut, so as usual I am not necessarily giving full names, but I am proud to proclaim that Rebecca is my daughter! (The title for these three photos, however, are by me.)

bubble nostalgia - I remember that urge to test the bubbles in my bath.

wearing a dress her grandmother (me) once wore

Besides being quick, Rebecca is also playful!

        Next is Tom, who discovered the 4 x 5 camera in his twenties, and who would continue to lug that lovely thing around (a Zone VI Field Camera) were it not for his more than full time job as a professor at the University of Minnesota. He can make a great image with his iPhone 5 as well.
         I find a lot of peace in looking at this photograph and imagining the place having many looks over so many thousands of years.This ancient mound area is near Dayton, Ohio.
 

  

Many of Tom's images show the urban landscape, often in Cincinnati. This is one of them.

 city scape, this winter, Minneapolis

       A third friend is Mary Rezny who owns a gallery and studio in Lexington where she  features a core group of artists and she photographs art work brought to her or she goes to such places as museums to do that. SOMETIMES she even gets to do her own work, and be her inventive self. I bought this photo of hers several years ago, and I still love it. It takes me deep into the woods everytime I gaze at it. It's a lumen photo, with oil paint. 

       And now it is Chris's turn, and a remarkable turn it is. Chris Garris grew up near where I live, on the next ridge, in fact, but he went and got a PhD and taught in Saudi Arabia before returning to the USA two years ago. He now teaches psychology at Metro State University in Denver, Colorado. He does love to travel, and I find him a truly awesome photographer.  More of his photos can be seen on his Flicker site, Universal Stopping Point (click here.) 

          Two photos from the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve -- in Colorado: 

evening mist

         A photo of Ugandan kob, made in Queen Elizabeth National Park, in Uganda, and it was raining at the time:

         Now two photos from Ethiopia:
 

Mursi girl with puppy

Mursi women with assault rifles

     Chris's photos come with captions, on his Flicker account and to me. For my own information, I looked up 'kob' and found out it is or they are "an antelope with a reddish coat and lyre-shaped horns, found on the savannas of southern Africa." 

     I am happy just being in the company of these artists, and thank you all again. Don't forget that by clicking on a single photo, it is possible to get all the photos lined up at the bottom of the screen to be viewed in a larger size, and in greater detail.  Enjoy!
 

 
 

the beauty and wonder of snow and ice - a reminder

post #175
      More cold here, more ice, some snow -- and I was back to the waterfalls to see what had frozen up, or down.  Luckily, this time a friend, Lucy, could go with me -- she is also a photographer.  We enjoyed seeing what we could how we could plus watching out for each other on the way there and back. 

      First here are three of the photos Lucy made the day after my last photos -- after additional melting had gone on overnight.  Like me, she had wanted to return after a refreezing-of-it-all cold spell, and so we did.

I love this photo of hers - she caught a beautiful moment in the life of these icicles.

the pile at the bottom of the big falls -- almost completely melted

a view we don't often see, from the side

     Next some of my photos, from two mornings ago -- a cloudy, chilly day, with lots of ice.  The first three images were made at what we call the second waterfall, looking over it and then looking across the ledge of it.
      

closeup - without crossing the ice....

          Along the creek:
       

   At the big waterfall, the ice pile at the bottom had gotten large again:

and the top "funnel" long and lovely again:

Lucy at work -- thanks so much for the company!

      Note: Lucy and I could barely hear the ice flowing over the ledge of the second waterfall.  So I'm making yet another try at sharing a brief video. I have no idea if the quiet sound of the water will come across on this blog.  If it's too quiet, please let your imagination do the flowing, gently and steadily:
 

home again, back to winter -- in Kentucky

post #174
        I am focusing on how this cold winter weather might be destroying harmful summer bugs.  This helps me to accept what is, but then I don't have kids at home clammering to see their friends at school.  Or a job that requires me to be at a certain place at a certain time.  In fact, going with the flow, I made a few photos from the great number of visiting birds this morning which I will share in this blog today.

      First, I was able to attend a lovely reception for a photo show in the historic Kentucky Theater in downtown Lexington Thursday evening.  I am sharing three photos I took there, with a hats off to the photographer, Jimmy Stevens.  To begin with, I thought the Mission Statement was terrific:

      A favorite photo which several of us tried to capture had reflections that were too challenging.  I believe it is a photo of Jimmy's mother.  Wonderful.

      Rather than show other works there, and not do them justice either, I am instead showing a moment with some of the folks who came.  The photographer is the one sitting in his chair.  I so enjoyed getting to something like this in the middle of our winter!  Thanks, Jimmy and Jackie, if you are reading this.

    Now, here is a taste of this morning's birds:

cardinals at rest, with a junco

cardinal on the go!

two robins passing through, checking out our berries

      Two more cardinal views -- we had about six pairs interested in the bird feeder this cold morning!

waiting in the wind

facing into the wind and watching and being handsome even with snow on his beak

        Despite the fact we live on a ridge and quite a ways from town, we can usually get out and about whenever we want to.  Last night we went to a community theater event at the Rowan County Arts Center.  Many other people made it there as well despite the wind, cold and ongoing snow showers.  WAY TO GO, COMMUNITY!  I mention all this because I do have readers/viewers in all parts of the world.  Some, I am sure, never get to see snow.  So here, for you, are a photo and a short video I took from the front passenger seat in our car last night during our drive in:

      I am still learning about videos, on the go, so to speak.  I am going to publish this post now, and if the video isn't working, it just means I am still working on making it work....later: got the video to work, but haven't managed to delete the one that doesn't work...stay tuned.

      A special shout out to our neighbors Sandy and Junie.  I hope things are going well today.  We miss you and send our best!

FALL BREAKING -- starting with the "driveway moments"

post #107,  a day late, but the leaves are even better this Monday morning

      Every day around here has new beauties. In this season of color it feels right to start with some "driveway moments," photos taken on that quarter mile road last week and also just this morning on the way back from getting the mail. 

coming home last week

seeing the neighbor arrive --  after I had started on my walk Saturday evening.  Next week I plan to share the photos from the rest of the walk.

walking back with today's mail

getting closer to the house

by the side of the road, a late bloomer, like me

from the middle of our land (where I am standing next to the flower), looking to the west side of our property -- hardly any flat land anywhere....

       I seem to have visitors to this blog from many places in the world, so I am sharing these photos today especially for them.  I promised last time I would have cardinal fledglings and a flicker duet today, but I am still waiting to get more information about the flickers.  Stay tuned.  Here are the cardinals, however, with a recent fledgling being fed on our wet deck.  

       This has been the most amazing year for witnessing fledglings.  I have tried to share many of these events on this blog.  All summer long, on a busy day, I became almost unwilling to look out the window because I didn't have the time to watch the young birds learning how to make it in a ruthless world -- but how could I not not want to watch and to make photos!

       A shout out and thank you to the West Liberty photo group who came here Saturday morning to take photos and see my corner of their neighboring county!  I enjoyed the company very much.  I hope a return visit will be possible in April.  There should be plenty of water over the waterfalls by then.  Not to see any water is disappointing, but not to hear any water is downright strange.

sharing photos with photographer friends

post #69
       No snow here to speak of yet. Or to show.  Every year I am determined to learn how to make photos that get the texture of the snow right and get the colors right, but snow is tricky.  This year I did take a photo in my son's yard over Christmas, focusing on the pink flamingo and its shadow.  It turns out the snow that is in the sun looks pretty good -- for me.  Maybe that is all the chance to try that I will get this year! 

      By the way, I am fascinated by shadows.  I suspect it has something to do with their being one of the wonders that light creates.  (note: my self-portrait in post #66....)

     Recently the person who helped me so much 14 years ago when I started out on the work for Counting on the Woods emailed me some of his current work.  J. Michael Phelps, whom I call Chad, the husband of a close friend of mine, told me then which slide film to use, which tripod to get, and some other basics.  So it has been a treat to see what he is doing now and interesting to realize what I see about his work now that I couldn't see then....  

      I'm sharing two of Chad's photos here today along with the info he sent me about one of them in response to my questions.

from Chad's email: "The "stars" are created by the leaves of the shutter. ( same as a "sunstar" but are the REFLECTIONS ) One must stop down to ~ f/22 to obtain this image. Try it !! Sometimes the "star" is better if the sun is partially obscured by something; a branch etc. The problem that often arises when trying this is FLARE. Some lens are better than others in reducing the flare. Zoom lenses are the worst!! (and added filters increase the flare)"


     Chad is particularly interested in making panoramas.  And he is "drawn to water".  I like the feeling this photo gives that it is the roots that are holding the dunes in place. (note: Chad always uses a tripod, and he makes his panoramas using Photoshop C5.)  Thanks, Chad, for all I have learned from you.

   
      One last photo for today, from me, made when we did have a bit of snow earlier this month.  It put me in mind of a feast enjoyed on a white tablecloth!  Sorry to have missed being there in time.