THIS BLOG HAS MOVED: See Below

I have re-started this blog and changed the definition of it and its purpose. If you enjoy my sarcasm and photography, please come over and see me at: http://capturedsoulimagesbycarisim.blogspot.co.uk/  I can promise you it is a more active, productive and interestingly organized blog. Ultimately, blogs are made for those who write them. We, the writers, are always grateful for our audiences, no matter how big or small. Please join me by clicking the link.

I will delete this blog at the end of the week so that my only photography blog will be the one accessible by clicking the link above.

As always, thank you for your support.

Much love,
Cari

Not Doing This Right...Am I?

I realize that my so-called daily blog has turned into a weekly appearance. I'll do the best I can, but life has hills and valleys, I think of myself as poor Sisyphus, pushing that boulder, just pushing it up the hill for eternity. I don't think I deserved my boulder though. I think it's just part of life.

My dog's health is still not good. I'm not discussing it much, not unless asked. His recent diagnosis of diabetes is bringing me way down. And my husband, who normally hides his worries, is starting to appear just that, worried. I think, likely, things will be alright...it's just the beginning, it takes a while for blood sugar and insulin to regulate. I don't know what I'm doing, just trying to keep Hamish alive and happy. But that's not a happy or photo related subject so I will get off this path and post a photo. A photo I might add, is ridiculously morbidly beautiful to me...

This photo is a man and woman's graves, side by side, for eternity. I found some beauty in it, but then, I like graveyards...call me strange. Really, I don't mind. The exterior of my being changes, but I'm going to be a goth girl for life.

Here 'tis. Have a wonderful, peaceful evening.

MILESTONE!

I swear I was gonna post this last night but the excitement of the day followed by some drama in life sort of crossed paths and I was asleep fairly early last night.

Today's photo isn't very fantastic in its tech effort, however it's a fantastic pic in subject.

So, to make it all very short and sweet, yesterday I finally passed the road test and obtained my British driver's license. I've only tried and failed 3 times before so I needed to pass or lose every last ounce of courage I had left.

Here it is, the certificate of passing. I can legally drive now and in 4 weeks I'll have the actual license in my hot little hands. I finally feel like life in the UK can finally feel like MY life in the UK instead of a onlooker waiting for permission to live.

:)

Summer, I Thank You for Showing Up for Work this Year" :)

Today I'm just happy. Woke up too early but chilled out on the sofa watching TV while my dog and husband snored down the hall in bed. I edited photos, cleaned up the kitchen and fell back asleep. The sun was out and the temperature was perfect.  I couldn't help by smile in gratitude for the amazing summer we've had this year.

I have never seen Scotland so resplendent this time of year! We've had very little rain, the wild flowers are madly in bloom...EVERYWHERE, and people are outside in flip flops, shorts and getting sun tans. There are BBQs, time spent with good friends and blue skies as far as the eye can see. It's fanfuckingtastic!

And, wait, THERE'S MORE! My husband announced today that he was BBQing for lunch. He made burgers spiced with cumin and chile topped with salsa, guacamole and the works. We had ice cold Scottish cider on cubes of ice and we sat outside, loving it all for what it was worth...alfresco lunch in Scottish summer time.

After lunch, we walked around our front yard and over to the pond so I could show him our ducklings then over to cuddle the lambs for a bit. Into the house I cleaned up a bit, husband went upstairs to do some computer work and listen to the cricket.

“All in all, it was a never-to-be-forgotten summer — one of those summers which come seldom into any life, but leave a rich heritage of beautiful memories in their going — one of those summers which, in a fortunate combination of delightful weather, delightful friends and delightful doing, come as near to perfection as anything can come in this world.” 
― L.M. Montgomery

What's that song say? "Summer time and the living is ea-say..."  Of all my years as a native Los Angeles chick, I had many, many good summers. They were all hot and sunny, predictably so in fact. But having a month or so of typically California summer weather in North East Scotland is simply bliss. Summer has been the one thing from back home that I truly have missed and that I couldn't buy from an online store or purchase when in LA visiting. I have seen the occasional 2 or 3 nice days, but nothing so glorious as this!! I have always wondered what a nice summer would be like in a place so stunningly beautiful as northern Scotland. Looks like I've had a wish come true :)  - to think, the extra long and ridiculously cold winter we experienced through to May, had come with people frequently saying "I hear we're supposed to have a really nice summer though".  I'd nod and smile and secretly hope...finally chalked it up to some sort of ancient Scottish coping mechanism but oh now, SUMMER is HERE!

This has been such a wonderful weekend, even if it rained tomorrow I'd still have a smile for the good times made by possible by lovely weather this summer of 2013.

You should know by now I'm not going to sit here and spout of flowery sentences without a reason. I don't believe in "God" or the Devil" so when you see what I'm about to say you will know, she must be blissed out. What I'm gonna say is that we are just SO very blessed. Sure we've got problems, some of them are quite serious. But at the end of the day, a nice BBQ, a cold beer or cider and some warm sun are excellent for what ails you and a really nice way to take some stress off the mind.

I'm posting a few things today because by comparison with a lot going on right now in our lives, a nice weekend was the best gift my little family of man, wife and doggy could have received.

First, is a photo I snapped with my trust iPhone as I sat down to lunch. Low carb wrap, amazing quality mice steak, guacamole, jalapenos...etc. My beverage of choice is Thstley Cross Strawberry Cider over lots of ice. And the view? Who would complain about this view?

The rest are just quotes, clip arts and a music video or two about the joys of a good summer day.

Have a WONDERFUL week ahead! As always, thanks for coming along to read this blog.

* * * * * * * * * * *

“Summer afternoon—summer afternoon; 

to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.”  - Henry James

Summer themed songs for ya!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kr0tTbTbmVA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gm2-UuREKd4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3kQt14_5OQ

Tractor pulls and rare breeds...It takes all kinds.

The world is made up of so many beautiful and amazing creatures. That said, you'd never expect, as a city girl anyway, to find so much diversity at a popular, smallish village's annual agricultural show. Hard to believe, but up in NE Scotlandia today, it was in the mid 80s (Fahrenheit) and people were sweating, getting sun burns and generally grateful for this out of character, but totally welcome, properly summery, summer.

We went to the New Deer Show. This is an annual event based on agricultural demonstrations and the showing of one's best of the bunch in hopes for ribbons and other status increasing honors. For an animal lover, it's just a fun day out. With a camera, it's more fun.

This here photo is of a rare breed lamb, known as Jacob.  Jacobs are noticeable for their black and white coloring and their often found double and even triple sets of horns. I enjoyed meeting all the different rare sheep breeds. As usual, I found one that wanted a bit of affection and spent the better part of 15 minutes scratching his nose. *smiles*

“To my mind, the life of a lamb is no less precious than that of a human being.” 
- Ghandi

Resurfacing

I do realize that nobody reads this blog but to entertain myself I pretend as if there is a crowd here, anxiously awaiting my new posts and Cari-isms. So to you, I apologize that I have been somewhat remiss in my duties to this so-called "daily" photo blog. Sorries.

"Never ruin an apology with an excuse." - Benjamin Franklin 

It's been a rough time in our house the last couple of weeks with both my dog and myself having medical challenges. I will say right up front that Hamish's health is far more fragile than mine at the current moment. We've run the roller coaster of emotions and seemingly of medical diagnoses. It was a sore foot, then it was tummy trouble and the vet decided it was an ulcer. Before we knew it, he'd lost about 9lbs.  Then, the other night, it all tilted and my normally affectionate, cuddly, happy and energetic dog resembled a zombie with a bad hangover. Non-responsive to treats or commands, falling over while urinating and drinking water like his life depended on it. We thought he was in renal failure the other morning so after some quick thinking and re-arranging of schedules we found ourselves at the vet. As it turns out, his glucose was sky high and rising and he was suffering from pancreatitis and NOT an ulcer as was previously assumed by the first (there have been 5) vet we saw. Yesterday Hamish spent the day in the vet hospital while they battled to get his sugars in control. Finally, about 5:30pm, they reduced his number by half and were satisfied he'd be safe going home.

So now, my sense of humor makes its awkwardly timed appearance and all I can think of is that my dog and I are rivals in some kind of competition to see who has the most prescriptions. We're just about tied for now, in case you wanted to know. :)

"There's gon' be some stuff you gon' see

that's gon' make it hard to smile in the future.

But through whatever you see,

through all the rain and the pain,

you gotta keep your sense of humor.

You gotta be able to smile through all this bullshit.

Remember that." 

- Tupac Shakur

Now, on to the business of this blog: 

Today's photo is of a female duck that frequents the pond in front of our home and her 6 ducklings. It's a timely shot because after two weeks of my medical procedures, not feeling well, birthdays, and one very unwell doggy, this morning I woke up, saw a smile on my pooch's face and even a bit of energy in his leap from the bed. I felt pretty good too, so the two of us had breakfast followed by medications and then we opened the front door, greeted the warm sun and re-surfaced into life. A few hours later to hear that "our" (she's not ours, she's wild) duck had 6 babies felt significant. 

A day to re-surface, a day...for do overs. 

So without further adieu, I push the "re-start" button on this blog and officially begin again, to be a daily photo blogger. I apologize for the verbal diarrhea...it just is. It's how I am, love it, hate it...if you got this far, you clearly are tolerating it.

For that my kind readers, I thank you...  Today, I'm just grateful. And the quote below is so apt, even though "God" is a loose job title in my eyes, I appreciate this so much.

“A Sunrise is God's way of saying, "Let's start again.”  - Todd Stocker 

For your viewing pleasure: 

"Be like a duck. Calm on the surface, but always paddling like the dickens underneath." - Michael Caine

The Passage of Time...

Today my dad turns 70...where has the time gone? I recall his 33rd...I recall his 40th and not too long ago, I was part of a conversation with him and my mother in law about their 70th birthdays and what they might do, but that they had two years to plan and think about it. Two years is over, it's gone. Time flies, quite literally, even if you're not having any fun.

So I think what I'm trying to convince myself of is this, to take my time, to enjoy the little things, to drink in every moment. Someday, those small moments will be distant memories. They will be the things you remember about people you love and yourself. I still vividly recall my father's 40th birthday party. It was also the year I turned 16. I remember my aunt's backyard decorated, I remember loads of people. I remember me and my best friend stealing beers from the ice buckets to take out front and drink with friends. But most of all, I remember the DJ playing 16 Candles and dancing to it with Dad. I remember being embarrassed both to dance in front of people, after all I was about to be 16 and far too cool for dances with my dad. But also I remember being afraid to show my dad I loved him. I remember just wanting to get it over with so I could go back to my friends. Today, when I think about that night, I think I should have and could have enjoyed it more.

My dad has Parkinson's so things like slow dances with his daughter are no longer possible.He has trouble even typing an email, and living 7000 miles away, I find that I miss the little things. I miss having a sandwich with him at the deli, and I miss sitting in the backyard, having an iced tea and talking about life.

Where the hell am I going with this? What has this got to do with photography and improving my skills? It's this...life is made up of small moments, of fleeting seconds. Every one of these increments of time is a chance to create a memory. To ingrain in our hearts and minds the textures, the smells, the emotions of life. Photographs, for me, are a chance to freeze these memories in time. They're a chance to put a visual with the mental picture. I don't have many regrets in my life except for the photographs I didn't take, the pictures I didn't value enough to handle with care, and the snapshots that I've lost along the way. You can replace almost anything in this world except the people you love. So from now on, a word to the wise, treat every photograph of your loved ones as if they were the most precious, valuable and expensive items you will ever own. Because they are.

This is why I call my photography project Captured Soul...it's a chance with every click of the shutter button to capture the heart of a moment as it pertains to me and my emotions.

I've posted this already today, I posted it on Father's Day as well...but here I post it again. It's a photo I took of my dad on a day trip in 2010. We were walking along and he said "take a picture of your old man, I'm not gonna be around forever you know. You might want a photo of me someday."

Dad's still here, alive and kicking...but he's right, and this photo is one of my most precious possessions. It's not a good photo, not a skilled photo. Who cares?

Happy Birthday Dad...

Happy Sunday....

Today was a spectacularly beautiful day. Not an over statement, it's been a fantastic weekend weather-wise. We bought a new car, had an ice cream cone and Andy Murray won Wimbledon which made my Scottish husband very happy.

So, here's something lovely to end the weekend with. This is Max, the neighbors' cat, doing what he does best...relaxing. Let's all take a tip from Max, have a chilled out Sunday evening all!

Keep smiling...keep clicking, keep on keepin' on...

Friday....

I've been down for the count most of the day so this will be short. It's been a gorgeous day here, absolutely sublime. So, about an hour ago I grabbed my camera and went out for a bit. I got a few great shots of some beautiful flowers but for tonight...I am sharing one of my bumble bee photos. You can't see it in this photo, but this looked to be a very young little bee, not too big at all. Loads of fun to photograph bumbles. 

Have a wonderful weekend!

“The bee is more honored than other animals, not because she labors, but because she labors for others”

-Saint John Chrysostom

Hey Baby, It's the 4th of July...

In case you didn't know it, it's the 4th of July. That's a pretty damn big deal where I come from. America loves its Independence Day, and even though I've moved to the UK, I'm still an all American girl. 

I have had a super long day so I'm keepin' it simple this evening. I shot this photo of some sparklers as they burned. To get the sparklers, I had to buy them in November when the UK celebrates Guy Fawkes Night and blows off fireworks far and wide across the British Isles. Means nothing to me really, except a way to get my hands on some sparklers for July. Ha, it's all relative, or something like that. As I said, I'm tired. 

So, I wish you all a happy 4th of July and if you're not of the American persuasion, I wish you a happy summer day. I'm falling asleep as I type this...so I will leave you now with a photo and a bit of fun...oh and um, the photo I actually took, is the one on the bottom ;) 

Be sure to watch this too:

--->http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cf-p37KhD6Q , enjoy! And...you're welcome! 

Still Patting Herself on the Back

Yes, I'm still really super pleased with my heifers of Strichen photo shoot from yesterday. But I can't rest on my laurels for long...so, without any further adieu...I show you, a new cow. And, I announce a new goal. Next door we seem to have two massive Black Angus bulls that cuddle with each other. Yes, gay bulls.

I don't have their photo today, but I am up for a challenge so I hope to bring you something soon!

I will work through my cow kick in a day or two, for now...sit back and enjoy the view.

:)

“Sometimes I arrive just when God's ready to have somone click the shutter.” 

 - Ansel Adams

Mad Cow

Today was looking fairly uneventful. Got up, sun shining. Took a shower, got dressed and walked the mile into the village, grabbed the bus to hell, AKA as Fraserburgh, Scotland, got off the bus, went and ran errands, got back on the bus, got off the bus proceeded to walk home. I packed the camera with only one lens, my 40mm macro (micro in Nikonese), just in case something might be interesting. A bit of a gamble carrying an expensive camera in the junkie capitol of NE Scotland, but hey, who knew I was carrying it?

Walking home I wasn't feeling well. Then, I was thinking I'd be lucky to get home without being sick on the way. I took my time, I slowed down, I bought some cold water. About half way home, I was passing the farmer's fields when I saw a pretty, obviously young, cow. She had a shiny coat and was interested in me. I took a risk, I debased myself by baby talking to her until she got up, stretched out, and came over to the fence to see what I was and what I wanted with her. I took a few pics of her, pretty girl. 

Just as I was counting my blessings that this young cow gave me the time of day a large, clearly very adult female came sauntering over shakin' her weight around for all she was worth. "Who are you, bitch?" seemed to come from her eyes. I took a step back and let her approach, she was interested in the tall, white flowers that grow near the fence. When she'd eaten all she could reach, I got more and handed them over, submissive like and hoping she didn't shout "STAMPEDE HER!" to the others. I was surprised when she didn't attack me, no, suddenly every other cow in the field walked up to stand at the fence, and beg for some flowers. 

I stood there for ages (more like 30 minutes) handing flowers to grateful heifers. I took photo after photo until it started raining. I said good bye and was on my way. When I looked behind me, there were about 15 cows trying to follow me, at least as far as their side fence would allow. When I turned around, all I heard was "Mmmmooooo!". 

It made ME smile. I also won't be eating red meat too soon. I remembered why I stopped eating meat all those years ago, these gentle giants put their faith in us to shelter and feed them, to care for them. How do we return the favor of their trust?  

This isn't a moral soapbox and I'm sure I'll fail in yet another attempt to follow my heart and give up eating red meat, I know I know...chicken is meat too, but you get the point. I know better, but I am, as ever, failingly human. 

And thus here I am, one of my favorite philosophers, one of my favorite quotes:

“Compassion for animals is intimately associated with goodness of character, and it may be confidently asserted that he who is cruel to animals cannot be a good man.” 

- Arthur Schopenhauer 

There's no excuse...

Day??

It's hard to maintain a (daily) photography blog when you don't take new photos. Case in point: this blog is suffering from lack of love and attention. But, I have an excuse...

Last week my dog was unwell. He was in a lot of pain and every time he ate, he would cry out and whimper. The vet is fairly sure he has some kind of ulcer. Getting him back on track has been a work out. Boiling chicken and rice on a daily basis is a bit beyond my abilities as a cook. In other words, I didn't even know HOW to boil chicken and rice. And I burned the rice the first three days. Not a good thing for a food snob of a dog.

Dog is back to fighting normal now, asking to eat and demanding food. That means I had to leave the house today to find some new photos.

This photo is of some flowers that I honestly don't know what they're called. How's THAT for a grammatically awkward sentence? I like this photo. It's mild and a bit fresh. It's green, but grey and it's delicate. It reminds me of my wedding colors. It's not a GREAT photo. I just like it.

Tomorrow I shall find a challenge. Today was just not that day. I've got a lot on my mind and I'm homesick for California and all that I love back home today. It's not an excuse, it's a reason.

Have a lovely week...thanks for reading.

Oh, Monday...

So, yeah, nothing cute or annoying to say. It's Monday, I missed the Super Moon due to insanely thick clouds and rain, my dog is sick and when I walked out the door, THIS was laying in the door frame where I nearly stepped on it, barefoot.

However, I found that being slow, slugs make nice photographic subjects.

Have a happy week all...

OH and watch the video attached to the link marked ---> Slug Song,  or, if that link does not work, try the one UNDER the photographs. I know you'll thank me for it! :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoAaznYFCsc

Post #10 - Saturday

Not going to tire you out with my meanderings today. This here is a photo of the neighbors' cat, Max. Max is lovely, but he's also the cat version of a serial killer. The other day, he nabbed a large mallard in mid flight, low to the ground. A day later, while I was gardening, he put his paw into the bush and pulled out a sparrow. Poor birdy.

I love cats and Max loves our house. He ought to, he used to live here. If our windows are open, Max comes in. He minds his own business, has a few bites of kibble that I kept for a former cat who was sadly put to sleep a few months back, then he naps in the guest room. He's no trouble really, except for the fact he's NOT OUR CAT. I say that with humor, because I adore him but he's double dipping. Getting his love, food and comfort at two houses. Lucky boy.

I like this photo. It's not easy to get him to look directly AT the camera because when the lighting sensor lights up, it makes him close his eyes or look away. But as I say, I like this pic because of his intent stare. A stare that says, "I've taken out ducks, don't piss me off lady".  I also like this photo because of its seeming simplicity. The photo was taken with a 40mm macro lens, early afternoon. I adjusted color a bit to bring out his eyes and that intense stare, then layered a tiny bit of softness. I like photographing animals, but I have zero interest in photographing people. Go figure. This photo reminds me of a favorite poem, by a favorite poet:

The Tyger - William Blake

Tyger! Tyger! burning bright 

In the forests of the night, 

What immortal hand or eye 

Could frame thy fearful symmetry? 

In what distant deeps or skies 

Burnt the fire of thine eyes? 

On what wings dare he aspire? 

What the hand dare sieze the fire? 

And what shoulder, & what art. 

Could twist the sinews of thy heart? 

And when thy heart began to beat, 

What dread hand? & what dread feet? 

What the hammer? what the chain? 

In what furnace was thy brain? 

What the anvil? what dread grasp 

Dare its deadly terrors clasp? 

When the stars threw down their spears, 

And watered heaven with their tears, 

Did he smile his work to see? 

Did he who made the Lamb make thee? 

Tyger! Tyger! burning bright 

In the forests of the night, 

What immortal hand or eye 

Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?

Being random and feeling proud, one day at a time...

Today is the first day of summer, and the summer solstice. To start off, I wish you all a wonderful summer full of warm sunshine, good times and memories to cherish forever...

**************************

I'm feeling very random lately...won't go into why. What matters is I'm aware of it so I can try to contain my meandering thoughts. Maybe.

Yesterday I should have posted, the point of a daily blog is for it to be ...daily. Seems I've used that stupid saying before, but it's true. ONE of the points of this exercise was to create something that would force me to be consistent. But, yesterday I was out all day. By the time we finally got home, all I wanted was a glass of wine and my TV remote. Lazy much? Well, yes I can be. Here's an excuse:

“Consistency is the hallmark of the unimaginative.”  - Oscar Wilde

Thank you Mr. Wilde, that's so true. And convenient. ----> This morning started at about 3am when pouring rain interrupted my sleep. Rain wouldn't usually cause me to wake up but given it's supposed to be summer and I'm at a certain age where the occasional hot flash comes around to torture me, I now sleep with the window next to my bed open. So when the rain came, it managed to waft in and splat me in the face. Additionally, our neighbors' cat, who we've come to love and have learned to occasionally live with, Max, came in to dry himself off. Yup, now I'm awake. What's on TV? Randomness in the middle of the night...

~ ~ ~

Right now I'm reading a lot about photography and not doing much actual photo taking. This is CLEARLY a big PROBLEM for someone who has embarked on a photo blog. *mumbles, curses, bites lip* My excuse/reason is that I'm trying to fine tune my manual skills and find a way to be happy with my crap zoom lens. But, she asks herself, is it REALLY crap? The other day while looking around on Amazon, I saw that like a 'zillion' people who bought this same zoom lens are actually happy with it, which means I'm doing something incredibly wrong. Of course, they might all be tools who aren't interested in sharp detail but...dunno. I think it's me. Nothing but nothing chaps my hide more than a simple task that the rest of the world seems to understand and that I should be able to figure out but can't. I am not an idiot. I can read simple instructions and I have a few academic degrees which would seem to imply that I could easily figure out how to take a clear photo with a zoomy-type lens. Right? As a result, I am now obsessed with taking a proper photo with this lens. OBSESSED.

I am tired of photos of flowers, even though I really love them. I know it must be painfully boring to see me post nothing but flower, flower, flower...and flower. FLOWER!

So, I do have a photo for you today, but it's not something new. I am proud of this picture on many levels, mostly that I walked away from taking it without a painful bee sting. I had just taken delivery of my new macro lens (in Nikonese, micro) and was walking around the garden looking for something to photograph. I saw these cute little flowers and started to point the lens when I saw what looked like a clump of mud. Turned out to be a rather slow (maybe stoned on nectar) and friendly old Bumble Bee. He wasn't interested in flying or stinging me, he was doin' his own thang. I grabbed a stick and proceeded to lift up the flower stem he was weighing down and when I was kind of sure he wasn't going to sting, I started to photograph him.

Fast forward a month and a friend's boyfriend asked to use the photo to sketch. The sketch caught the eye of a woman who is doing an art book on insects and the next thing I knew, my photo was submitted for her consideration for publication. No money, money can't take the place of the feeling when someone enjoys your work. I was just happy she enjoyed the photo and flattered that my friend's boyfriend liked it enough to sketch in the first place.

This photo was, like many other good photos, part luck, part patience and a bit of editing. I aspire to produce more photos to be as proud of as I am of this; My Bumble. Most of you have seen it already, so that kind of sucks, but I'm posting this to remind me that this is the end goal, to be proud, consistently, of my work.

“The key to a happy life is to have accomplishments to be proud of and purpose to look forward to, and at the moment I had both." - from Dearly Devoted Dexter by Jeff Lindsay

So all of this blah, blah, blah... I'll shut up now. But a few things before I go...

I first of all want to thank you for reading my mental and verbal diarrhea and viewing a photo that you have probably already seen...sorry... 

Secondly I'm going to end by asking you all this:  

     What are YOU proud of today? What are you working towards improving? 

No need to answer, only to consider.

Tiny things...

This morning, filled with determination and a bit of frustration I got up, made a cup of tea, picked up my camera and went out to the patio to watch birds. The goal was to get a sharper, better photo of our greedy woodpecker. Several failed attempts later, I resigned myself to the knowledge that no matter how I shoot the photo, the lens won't offer me the end result I'm looking for. Happily, my husband asked me, "What would a better lens cost?" Inwardly giddy at the prospect of a new, better zoom lens, I told him I would do some research. 

Watching the birds eat their peanuts while the sun came up was a nice way to start the day. It also gave me the opportunity to see some of the newest blossoms in our garden. My landlady is like my mom, she works some kind of magic with flowers that I could never hope to achieve. Here and there on an almost daily basis something new blooms. Today, while waiting for another bird to come along and pose for the camera I noticed these very tiny, pink flowers. Before I knew it, I had removed the zoom lens that repeatedly disappoints me, snapped on the macro and was taking photos of my discovery.

“A photograph is a moral decision taken in one eighth of a second. ”  - Salman Rushdie

I'm not entirely certain there is any noticeable improvement in my edits and shots just yet, but...I did have the occasion to go through my photo files the other day looking for a specific picture and what I have noticed is that what I was proud of a year ago, even 4 months ago, is now the source of some embarrassment. So, at least in part, I can assure myself that I am indeed...improving. And, after all, that's the the point, to evolve. Photography allows me a chance to slow down, take my time, and concentrate. As ridiculous as this will sound, it's a bit of a meditative state for me. When focusing on the subject, I have no cares about the worries in the back of my mind, I forget the hurts I am working through and I just focus on the moment. The photo is far from perfect, it's not as good as someone else's work. And that doesn't matter. For me, my photos are an exercise in learning about myself. 

So, well...yeah, I guess I had a bit of an epiphany today. This isn't about my photos improving, it's about taking time to observe life, my life. Please stop rolling those eyes...I know how hokey I can be. At least I am aware of it and can have a good laugh at my own expense. 

“To photograph is to hold one's breath, when all faculties converge to capture fleeting reality. It's at that precise moment that mastering an image becomes a great physical and intellectual joy.” 

- Henri Cartier-Bresson.

Frustration...

Today's blog post is about frustration with my zoom lens. I know, I know I've bitched and moaned about this already but today I need to do it again.

In the last two weeks I've spent a fortune (exaggerated) in bird food and feeders in the hope that I will attract some of the area's winged wild life partly because I love cute little birdies and the harsh, long winter has impacted their natural food sources so I want to do my bit to help them out. The other more selfish reason is to capture them in photos. 

In the last few days, the word seems to have gotten out that there's a smorgasbord of bird food available at my house. It's just a matter of time until the amazing photos of birds in all colors and sizes will be posted on my photo page(s). Ha, ha! 

Below is today's effort. 55 photos of various birds having a go at the peanut feeder. I've tried auto focus and manual focus. I've tried holding my breath, I've tried setting the camera on a stationary object (table, window sill). As usual, it's down to my worthless zoom lens. *facepalm*

So, enjoy the photo, have a good laugh at my expense but know this; I WILL get some amazing bird photos before the summer is out. Even if it means sitting very still and motionless two feet away from the feeders. Watch this space...

"A photographer is like a cod, which produces a million eggs in order that one may reach maturity." - George Bernard Shaw

Oops...

I know, I know...a daily blog should be just that, a DAILY blog...I can 'splain!

I had a wonderful weekend with a fellow American friend who came to stay and share my view of the world. It was good fun, two "old ladies" just talking all weekend, having a few cervezas and a BBQ and enjoying the summer sun.

Now, to get back to business. A few months ago I started a smallish container garden as I've done many, many times before. Gardening chases away the blues and relaxes me so it's been nice to get my hands dirty again. This photo, for your viewing pleasure, is of the very first of my Asian Lillies to open and bloom so in my excitement, I snapped a photo. I shall repeat the process in a day or so when she's fully open. I am also excited to find my Royal Wedding Poppy is "pregnant". I'd given up all hope of it ever flowering. I'd post a photo but poppy buds are, well, not great photos. They give cause to act like a teenager, that's really all I will say.

Have a wonderful Monday! As always, thanks for stopping by!

The most annoying day on eart...

Day 5 has been rough. Uninspired, uninterested and unfinished. It's 11:07pm and the sun is just setting on what should have been a wonderful day. Sadly it wasn't but I remain determined. How do you cope with days where your muse seems to be on vacation?

Clearly this female duck on our pond was just about as enthused (or rather frustrated and annoyed) as I was. She looks a bit crabby to me.

Welcome to the dark side...

Day 4 and still going though unfortunately feeling a bit uninspired. Sometimes I ask myself why I lean towards darkness in my edits. Then I come across a professionally done photo that is on the dark side and I remember, because I want to to do it that way. I'm fine with that, really.

This photo was taken today in the beautiful sunlight. Somehow, in the editing process I took a normal photo and flipped it to the dark side. This is something I do and the only reason I can come up with is that I find more beauty and complexity in the shadows. Despite any improvement in my skills that I may or may not develop over the next year, I think "the dark" will always be with me.

Insect or ...?

Day 3: Busy, busy day...busy. However, while dusting around the house I found this critter on my window sill. Thinking he was dead, I did what any idiot with a goal to take one photo a day would do: I grabbed my camera, slapped on the macro lens and shot 25 photos of him. 

As sometimes happens, I started to darken this photo because I was thinking I wanted it to be a black and white edit. The darker it got, the more a face came out. To me it looks like....Gene Simmons.

Has today seen an improvement of skills? No. I have a feeling I've chosen the wrong week. With so much going on, I don't think I will have time to experiment with settings or edits. I'm far too sleepy to type at this point let alone play with different ways of taking the same photo. ;) That said, it's still beneficial to post a photo if I really like the way it came out. Hopefully by this time next year I will notice a marked improvement overall. :)

Day 2: Adequate but not an improvement.

Today was a spectacularly beautiful summer day in North East Scotland. My photography goal for the day being to take one photo of which I am proud and that I really like seemed to be all wrapped up before 9am when the neighbors' cat, Max, got into the old row boat near the pond and proceeded to watch ducks on the water. I went and quickly grabbed the camera, popped on the zoom lens and went to take the photo, from a safe distance, so as to get the cool cat doing the cool thing at the time. Unfortunately for me, Max had moved on to other activities before I could get my a** in gear. I'm really starting to understand the need for two cameras...she said. Later in the day, zoom lens still attached, I went out with the dog, also known as Hamish, to see what photos I might find. I left the zoom on because I enjoy landscapes and thought I'd use it before I took any macro photos.

The first thing I found was the neighbors' dog, Robbie, standing in the shallow end of the pond, mentally and somewhat physically, though unsuccessfully, fishing for tadpoles. I sat down to watch Robbie, hoping for a cute picture to post. Something to make my day. Something, ha ha ha, the readers might enjoy. No such luck. While I did get some cute photos, nothing was really good enough for this blog's goal, which is to improve my skills.

So, what happened, you ask? What happened was this - I realized that it hasn't just been ME these past few months being critical of my zoom lens, a Nikkor AF-S VR 70-300 mm, f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED Auto-focus, blah, blah, blah - lens. Not the cheapest, certainly not the most pricey, a middling priced lens. A lens that I thought would be suitable for someone who is just getting her feet wet in the photography game. No, no. It's truly and completely this lens. IT SUCKS!

So today has been uneventful in the realm of improvement. I took 790 photos and none of them were up to scratch. However, I did take this photo of my dog, Hamish, on the dock of the pond completely ignoring the ducks to check out the fish food not too far off to the left. Hamish doesn't realize that in the scheme of things a dog would enjoy a nice, juicy, duck much more than some dehydrated Koi food.

The reason I posted this photo is sadly not because it shows any improvement of skills. It is because I just sort of like it. I just, very simply, like the way it makes me feel: warm, sunny, a bit relaxed. Summery.

Overall, I am reminded of one of my favorite quotes about photography:  "Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever...it remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything." - Aaron Siskind

Here I go...

Oh crap, not ANOTHER blogger! Well, yes, maybe...maybe not. We shall see won't we? But, please don't throw stones or roll your eyes just yet. THIS blog, is a tool for encouraging me to follow a straight line. By this I mean, to plan, execute and achieve a goal. Makes sense, right? Of course it does.

It's June 2013. This month will see the tenth anniversary of my mother's passing. Please don't say you're sorry for my loss, ten years is a longish time and while I miss her every day and it sucks, I'm OK with my grief now. Usually though, on her "death-aversary", I sit around crying and moody, but this year I am counting positives in my life instead of negatives. OK, somewhere in my head I just heard my mom saying "FINALLY!"  Life is not always easy and there are struggles along the way, sh*t happens. Hopefully by setting a few personal goals, I will be on my way to converting some of the sadness and aggravation I have experienced to MORE gratitude and happiness. Actually, to be fair to myself, I am a grateful person. But I think it's worth it to attempt to improve. Worth a try? Right? I can see you rolling your eyes. Stop that!

Part of the goal is due to my renewed passion for photography. I've always been a keen photographer but it was a hobby I kept to myself, appreciating the occasional compliments but doing nothing to proceed with my skills. This year, I will seek to improve and learn. To help me do that, I will post one photo a day that I am proud of. Hopefully in one year, if I have not completely abandoned my project, there will be a visible improvement of my abilities and the end product, the ummmm...photos. I will conquer the fear of manual settings on my camera and master the holy trinity of ISO, shutter speed and aperture. One hopes...  I am hoping perhaps one day...maybe, I will have the skills to turn a passion and hobby into a part time career. 

I should say, to those who have not seen my photos prior to this project, I have a love of old buildings, architecture, landscapes, animals and insects. Although I would hardly say I have mastered editing, I will tell you...gentle viewer...that I often purposely edit my photos to be somewhat dark. This is intentional: like salt and pepper, it's to taste. Some you may hate, some you may like...some, I hope, you will love. 

In addition to the photos, I will post a short blurb about the challenges, joys and successes I experience along the way and anything else that comes to mind, hopefully without verbal diarrhea ;) . I'm both sarcastic and emotional so this could include almost anything. I blame graduate school for my "sentence incontinence". When you're forced to write looooong papers that leave no stone un-turned and no word un-used, you forget how to be concise. I also might have the occasional potty mouth moment. Heartfelt apologies my darlings.

Finally, please note that all photos are taken by myself unless otherwise stated as there is a chance I will post photos that inspire me (photographically). So blah, blah, blah, all rights reserved and etc. If you would like to share a photo of mine, all you have to do is ask. I promise I won't bite!  The only exception to this request is if the photo just happens to be of your dog, cat, fish or other animal... then, please use freely with my permission. 

So, here I go...

I am attaching a photo that I am proud of which is not new (meaning I did not take it for this project). From tomorrow, going forward, all photos posted will be new and taken specifically for my project. To see more of my photos, please visit: https://www.facebook.com/CapturedSoulImages

Thanks for reading... ;)