A Walk in the Park

It was a risk. Going some place I have only been to once before. The mission - to evaluate emotions surrounding photography.  Turns out unfamiliarity and lack of emotional attachment were essential to an honest evaluation.

A friend and I are working through some exercises in the book Shooting with Soul.  We are both in need of a photographic kick-in-the-butt. She had recently purchased the slightly used book. I had the book on my photography bookshelf, the tassel of a bookmark protruding from a third of the way through. These kinds of exercises are better when done together.

Since it is Summer in both Michigan and Maine, we wanted to take advantage of the season. We started at Chapter 4 - Wanderings: Taking the Scenic Route.

The first exercise we are doing is No. 25 - A Walk in Nature.

It has been a while since I have taken my DSLR on a walk. There was some relearning to do. How do I change the Drive again? Oh yah, that button on top that says Drive. Since doing my Meadow Project the last two summers I prefer to use my tripod for nature shots. No, I don't enjoy carrying it, but I know I am a better photographer when I use it. I slow down. Something that is terribly hard for me.

For this walk in nature, I was suppose to photograph with a meditative state of mind. I will be honest. I will probably never get to that state of mind. I can't even get there in Restorative Yoga when I am lying on my back, eyes closed, listening to atomspheric cello music, covered by a cozy blanket. Within me lies a slight skeptical edge towards everything.

"Notice the harmony in all the shapes, colors, and textures and how the sun shines through the trees. Let your intuition guide you. Notice your emotions as you go and think about how you might want to express those feelings in your photos."

I was thinking about what to make for supper.

My personality type is more post-event reflective. I see the potential in my photographs when I process them. That is when the story that lies within them is revealed. 

If you had asked me that morning in the park - I would have said I hate photography. The bugs, the mud, carrying the tripod, nothing inspiring to photograph. Now, as I sit at the computer processing these images, listening to atmospheric cello music, and writing this story - I will say I love photography. 

Reminder

For those participating in the Summer Photography Scavenger Hunt, please remember to tag your photos #sharewhereyoulive2019 both on Instagram and on Facebook. You can follow the hashtag on IG and I can locate your photos on FB via the hashtag. I want to see what you all are doing. Plus I love to post your photos from the week on my Facebook Page - Twisted Road Studio

Pour Some Sugar On

This may be the one and only time you see me say I was hoping for snow this week. Especially, since it is March and everybody is ready to be done with winter, including me. But last week found me doing a run and gun through a favorite historic homestead and walking park, looking for my daily 365 photograph.  I had about an half hour to kill before I had to pick up Findley, so I thought I would do a quick walk through of the house and barn areas. That is when I saw the metal sap collection buckets. It had snowed with snow squall force that morning and the maple trees and buckets had a heavy blanket of white on them.

I grabbed my daily shot, but knew I wanted to come back when I had more time and my tripod. I also wanted to continue practicing my Compelling Frame photography course lessons.

I have become quite attached to my tripod. I know most of you photographers are saying, "But I hate carrying my tripod, I want to be free to move around." There is certainly truth to that, but I have learned that I also want to be free to slow down and improve my game. A tripod makes me slow down, and honestly my "vision" is so much better when I use it.

Monday morning I got my wish. It wasn't a heavy blanket of white, but it was enough to give a thin coating to the layers of fallen maple leaves, and provide the backdrop I needed for my adventure.

I grew up surrounded by maple trees. When my dad retired he decided to tap those trees and begin making maple syrup. As if his beekeeping hobby, and tenacity for cutting wood for his wood stove weren't enough to keep him busy already. He built his own sugar shack, and would be out there at all hours of the day and night boiling down that sap.

On the average it takes 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of maple syrup. Interesting article on maple syrup making here. The average sap collection period can last anywhere from four to six weeks. There were abundant years and there were lean years, but as my dad approached his 70's, I think he had had enough of the lean years. He sold the equipment, and turned the Sugar Shack into another storage shed.

During January and our Whole 30 adventure, we had to give up ALL sugar. It is amazing when you start reading labels on the food at the grocery store how many items have sugar. Here we are mid-March and I still read labels. Now, if I purchase items with sugar, I try to make sure it is either organic cane sugar, or more preferably natural sugars like honey and maple syrup. Locally sourced natural sugars are the best, since my dad still keeps his bees I get my honey from him, and I buy my maple syrup at the farmers market.

I spent a satisfyingly slow hour photographing sap buckets, snowy trees, and the sugar shack. Before I returned to my car to warm up my frozen feet, I made a little detour down a snow covered wooden walkway.

My initial run and gun turned into a substantial exploration.  I throughly enjoy having my creative/adventure days early in the week.

In Other News...

My friend Cathy H. made a comment on my blog last week that resonated so deeply with me, "Sometimes I feel just holding the camera and pushing the shutter button brings me more joy than seeing the photo I took!"  I held that sentence in my heart this week. All it really takes is that first press to get rolling again, the results are not the important part. 

I returned to filming this past week, squeezing in moments when I could. Working on something a little outside my comfort zone, it won't be perfect the first time, but the learning and improving is in the doing.

The kitchen flooring has been ordered. We have found pendant lights for above the peninsula, and they have been ordered. Next step is to contact the electrician to install. More painting ahead this week, coating everything in lovely, neutral Alabaster.

I finished listening to A Gentleman in Moscow this week. I love listening to books while I am in the car and when walking. It is amazing how much you can listen to just running errands around town. I give the book 4-1/2 stars.

A Winter Walk at the Beach

I wasn't going to do the homework assignment for this week's Make Films class. Slo-mo, that wasn't my shooting style, and I saw no need for it. Part of this attitude was influenced by the fact that it is winter and so far I have only been shooting inside. There is nothing I could do inside that would need slow motion. Also, Findley and I were working on our next film, and I wanted to put my available time into that.

Tuesday afternoon I watched the class videos, and Xanthe said something that changed my mind. She said, even if it isn't your style or you don't see a need for slo-mo, make the film, watch how things move, learn from it. Point taken. Still I had no idea what I was going to shoot. Then I watched her inspiration films, and had a thought. What if I took you all on a photo walk with me. I have shown you photographs for years of the state park near my house with the big red lighthouse, what if I actually took you on a filmed walk of it.

Thursday morning was clear and still, even if it was only 29 degrees. I loaded up my gear: two dslr cameras, a tripod, a poetry book, my iPhone mount that fits in the hot shoe of my dslr, and my phone. It was fairly early and cold, so there weren't many people around, but the glassy stillness of the water was perfect.

Let's go on a walk...



Xanthe was right. I did learn a lot from filming this. I thought a lot about movement, and found delightful surprises when I was editing it all together. Little nuances that I will bring into future films.

This entire film was shot on my new iPhone 8 Plus. I have been talking about upgrading for the last year. In the last couple of weeks I have been doing lots of research, mostly comparing which would be the best to use in film making. The decision was between the iPhone 8 Plus and the iPhone X. Yes, there is a price difference between the two, but I also budget for a new phone every two years, and it has been three years since my last phone. What it ultimately came down to was how it felt in my hand, and the iPhone 8 Plus felt right.

Only three weeks into the Make Films class, and I already feel I have learned and grown so much.

End Notes

Glen and I have three days to go on our Whole 30 food cleanse. The first week seemed like an eternity, the last three weeks have passed in a blur. I would definitely do this again, it may become a January tradition. 

In researching slo-mo ideas on Pinterest, I came across this YouTube channel. It's all about photographing and filming on your mobile device. These guys are young, hip, and funny.

Have a great week!

Practicing Slow

I just finished a book that I can't stop thinking about, Chasing Slow by Erin Loechner. Erin is a Lifestyle Blogger who shows us through her blog what a beautiful life we can all have. The book however, takes us behind the curtain, into Erin's real life, a life anything but always picture perfect. Her honesty, and writing won me over from the first chapter.

But it is the title that I keep coming back to Chasing Slow, something I am forever doing. My middle name is Get It Done, I can enjoy it later. But what if later never comes, how many things have I sped through to cross them off my list...done.

Slow is never going to be easy for me. I take after my dad, a man in his eighties still out cutting firewood to add to the multiple rows of firewood he already has. And maybe that is what keeps my dad going and why he is still alive in his eighties. But when we were sitting in the hospital waiting room last summer we talked, there are so many things he wishes he had done. I don't want to have those same unfulfilled wishes in my eighties.

This week I took my first step toward practicing slow. I went to the Garden Center, to buy some plants for the weed-riddled flower bed I pinky promised my husband I would maintain this year. Instead of buying the first plants that met my criteria: full sun, not too tall, long blooming. I took my camera and wandered. I did ask permission to photograph first, which was met with a pleasant, "Of course you can, and if anybody gives you any trouble send them to me". My new best friend Kathy, doesn't know what beast she just unleashed.

What did I discover as I wandered? I love containers more than plants. Put a plant in a container and then I am in love with it. I never would have discovered this if I wasn't practicing slow.

 Photographing flowers in my own garden, or anybody else's garden will never delight me, but let me loose in a garden center with plants in pots, or just pots, and I could really start to enjoy gardening.

I am going to keep practicing slow at the garden center, because that weed-riddled flower bed needs a lot of help, and I want to see what other revelations slow reveals.

Using the Telephoto

For our lesson this past week in the Flickr group that I am in, The Visual Workbench, based on the lessons in David duChemin's book The Visual Toolbox, we were challenged to put on our telephoto lens and go out and shoot. In particular we were suppose to work on using the telephoto lens to isolate our subject.

 I readily admit that I rarely use my telephoto lens, in fact the last time I remember having it on my camera was in North Dakota at Theodore Roosevelt National Park, two years ago.

So it was with a fair amount of grumbling that I screwed that 55-250 lens on my camera and set out for a photo walk around my town.

I quickly realized once I was walking the sidewalks, that I have grown short-sighted, seeing only the things that present themselves right in front of me. This happened because I tend to only shoot with my 17-55mm wide angle, or my 60mm macro lens.

I have forgotten how to look up.

I have forgotten how to look farther into the distance. 

I have forgotten how to see things differently. 

I have forgotten about the joy of discovering new/old things. 

This lesson has taught me many things, but most of all it has taught me to be open to trying things and to stop being so short-sighted. 

Check out one of my fellow group mate's blog about the same exercise and what she discovered.

Chicago - Boats, The Bean and Buildings

At the end of my last post, I had myself and my two photography buddies emerging from the cool and shady interior of Adams Street in downtown Chicago, into the hot and blinding sunshine of Michigan Avenue, putting us right in front of The Art Institute and staring into the eye of the Lion. One of the lion statues in front of the Art Institute that is, this post would be so much effective if I had a photo of that lion eye. If only I had the foresight to write these posts as I am taking photos, life would be so much easier for me, and much more enjoyable for you the reader.

Instead of the eye of the Lion, I have for you a photo of The Bean which was our next destination.

But we before we set off for The Bean, we got sidetracked by another food truck and tacos.

Photo credit: Patti Groetsema

We had gotten very hungry walking that eight tenths of a mile from the train station to Michigan Avenue, and passing all those other food trucks. This guy was a sweetheart, super friendly and courteous, running his taco stand like a well oiled machine. 

We enjoyed our lunches on a cement bench in the shade, in a little park next to the Art Institute, joining locals as they enjoyed their lunch. I took one more crack at street photography, mostly to get at least one shot with my 85mm lens I had been hauling around in my bag all day. Note to self, next time just take your 17-55mm and leave everything else home, except of course my iPhone, my other camera of choice.

Lunch finished, it was time to move on to The Bean in Millennium Park, one of the most popular "selfie" taking places in the city.

The lady to the left in this photo was a problem, nearly knocking me down in her quest to get the perfect bean selfie.

The three of us taking a group/individual selfie. Notice I am the only one using my iPhone in the shot, always the odd girl out.

Leaving the glaring sun and the radiating heat from The Bean behind, we set off down Michigan Avenue towards the Chicago River, our destination the Architectural Boat tours. Our leader and christened mom for the day, Deanna, spotted the tours led by the Chicago Architectural Foundation, she knew that we would get the most beneficial information on this tour.

If you have read my blog for any time now you know that I love buildings and especially anything old, or that looks be in a decaying state, so these bridge houses captivated me.

The tour was a delight and the docent a wealth of knowledge.

This is Montgomery Ward Park. Next trip to Chicago I want to explore over in this area, maybe I can convince my dear husband to accompany me, since he doesn't like me exploring Chicago alone and on foot. I don't have a lot of fear in me, so he is probably right to be concerned.

Traveling back to the boat dock, I caught these building reflections.

Version Number One taken with my Canon dSLR.

Version Number Two taken with my iPhone and edited in Snapseed and Formulas. In case you haven't didn't know I love taking photos with my iPhone, but I am trying to be better about using my Canon, each has their purpose.

I hope you enjoyed this tour of The Bean and Buildings from a Boat.

Kalamazoo - Urban Explore

Does Google Maps know the personality of the owner of the phone it is running the app. on? Does it look at the photos in the owner's camera roll and see this...

and instantly know that she would much prefer to travel a road like this...

Now if Google Maps was to look at my husband's camera roll it would see this...

Yes, that would be nothing. Google would know that he is definitely a destination person and it should get him there as fast as possible. Yet when we travel we usually use the Google Maps on my phone, and it always has us taking the back country roads way into our destination. I know it drives him crazy, but it makes me so happy.

I went urban exploring this week, but Google Maps was still kind enough to take me there via a few backroads.

I have just finished this book, The Idle Traveller - The Art of Slow Travel by Dan Kieran.

The author is a big fan of the slower modes of travel; train, car, bus. Transportation that will let you see the country. In particular he likes walking, you can't get much slower than that. I had already thought about doing more walking adventures before I read the book, but reading it completely convinced me. 

For my first adventure I chose the city of Kalamazoo, MI. Kalamazoo is a little over an hour from my house, depending if you take the expressway, or the backroads. Backroads, add another half hour, only because there are things to stop and photograph along the way. 

Thanks to Goggle Maps I drove into the city without a hitch. All the streets have parking meters, so instead of being tied to coming back to the meter every hour, I chose a parking lot in the Haymarket Historic District, received my parking ticket from the delightful parking assistant, who kindly pointed out that I could dispense the ticket myself from the machine just by pushing the button marked TICKET. Feeling slightly dumb after that, I found an empty spot far from her booth to call mine for the next few hours. 

 I grabbed my gear from the backseat; small daypack with wallet, tissues, hand sanitizer, tripod for iPhone and remote shutter release for iPhone. I also threw in the latest Bella Grace Magazine to read at lunch. I have no problem eating lunch alone, as long as, I have something to read. I also slung my Canon dslr across me with the wide angle 17-55mm f/2.8 lens on it. Such a great all purpose lens. Geared up, I set off.

My first destination was the train station.

The original depot was built in 1887 by the Central Michigan Railroad, replacing an earlier structure. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. The inside is filled with gorgeous vintage details, there were too many people to get photos though, without being completely obvious. I still like to keep a low profile in places like that. No need to draw attention.

After leaving the train station, I noticed this building across the street, such lovely detail and those windows, be still my heart.

Kalamazoo abounds with beautiful old buildings like this, all the easier to stop and appreciate if you are doing a walking tour of the downtown.

I saw this mural on the back of one of the downtown buildings and it reminded me that there were a couple of highly praised coffee shops in the area that I wanted to scout out.

On the way to the first coffee shop I got distracted by this though...

I felt that excited, fluttering feeling inside me the second I laid eyes on it. An empty, for sale warehouse on the edge of downtown with outstanding grunge factor. I will come back here on an overcast day, more photos need to be taken. I was limited to where I could stand and what I could include due to bright sunshine.

I was reluctant to leave the warehouse but the sun was only getting higher in the sky and I was starting to feel some hunger pains, breakfast had long worn off. As I looked around I realized I knew exactly where I was, having been over here on a brief explore last fall. The desired coffee shop should be just on the other side of this warehouse. Granted I had to walk back around the block to get there, but I was right.

Water Street Coffee Joint, the place was quaintly adorable. I was so happy to secure a table by the windows, natural window light is a photographer's best friend. Lunch of a Prosciutto Panini and a coke was delightful.

After lunch, I set off to explore the Architectural Salvage store I had seen earlier in the morning, but it hadn't been open yet. These places don't open until 11 a.m., so no need to be an early bird, or you can go to the Coffee Shop first.

A bounty of treasures lived here. I want to go back someday when I have more time and when I am not carrying my big DSLR around, having to be careful not to bang it on anything. 

After the salvage store and the antique store next to it, I set off to wander more of the main downtown area. I wandered for blocks but always kept my starting point fixed in my mind. If I did get lost, I did have Google Maps to get me back to the car since I knew where I parked. 

I was starting to get thirsty again, so I happened to notice another coffee shop on the way to a block long park. Coffee shops are like a magnet to me, so in I went. Since it was pleasantly warm out, I decided on an iced latte (my first ever) Vanilla and Brown Sugar. It was delightful! 

Iced latte in hand, I set off for the park. I noticed as I got closer that churches pretty much lined the perimeter of the park. Beautiful old church buildings made of stone, with huge, detail rich wooden doors. I noticed one church that had huge, red wooden doors and front steps that were in full shade. A perfect spot to set up my iPhone on it's tripod and take some self-portraits for the photography class I was taking at the moment. A momentous occasion, me drinking my first iced latte. 

Of course, nothing in life is that simple. I noticed a lady sitting in her car at the curb watching me. I didn't think too much of it, doing self-portraiture tends to gain some attention. I got the focus set on my iced latte and then positioned myself just beyond it. Just as I pressed my remote shutter release, two of the enormous red, wooden doors of the church swung open and stayed open. I tried to act casual and carry on with my photo session. Then the lady that had been sitting in the car got out and came up the steps, giving me a questionable glance as she walked past. I still act casual and carry on. After getting some shots I stand up to go check my phone to see how they have turned out. I glance up at the open church doors and see that people are gathering for a funeral. I decide it would be best to move on before more people start showing up, as I took my phone off the tripod mount it slipped out of my grasp and tumbled down the steps, an "oh s**t" may have inadvertenly escaped my lips. Needless to say I quickly gathered up my gear and scurried away.

I did find some more awesome church doors, but this time I refrained from taking any selfies.

After finishing wandering around church square it was time to set off for the car. Scout was at the groomer's getting a bath and haircut, and it was time to go pick him up. 

I loved wandering the city on foot. I felt like I really saw things and enjoyed them traveling at a slower pace, and I never felt lost, but I do feel like I know the city a lot better now.