Portraits I have taken the past few years

Cows

Cows can be pretty interesting

Shifting Gears

Through the years I've wandered all over the countryside taking photos of things I thought were interesting.  And yes, my Facebook friends usually have found them interesting as well.  I get dozens, sometimes hundreds of "Likes" a few "Shares" and lots of comments but for me I'm going to slow down.  What does that mean for the people who view my images?  I'm not sure.  I'm not sure if my images will get better or if I'll totally stop taking pictures altogether.

The computer has become a problem for me.  I sit here while editing and get a sore neck.  My back aches and my eyes bother me.  I spend way too much time here editing.   So....  Where do I go from here?

Well, probably less posting of images and more talking about the process of why I took the photo, where I took the photo and what it means to me.  I'll also ask if it means anything to you.

I'm frustrated with the photography business.  I'm frustrated with technology and I'm mostly frustrated with myself.  Why have I not been able to figure out my niche, what floats my boat, what really makes me happy within?  I've been a business owner all my life and I see camera companies sponsoring workshops so that everyone can learn how to be a photographer.  The photographers are holding workshops so they can make a living because the market is just getting so saturated with hobbyists turned semi-pro because the cameras now take such good images and you can get tons of free software now and photoshop is no longer the only game in town.  And with Facebook you don't have to pay for advertising, just create a group, a business page and voila - instant popularity.

So right now I'm slowly backing away from the computer, from technology, even my cameras (one is broken and I don't even have the ambition to get it repaired and I really need it).

What do I hope to accomplish with this maneuver?  Well, keep watching this blog and maybe I'll show you.

Carolyn

It's a new year and I promise to write more in my blog.  I procrastinate way too much in some areas but I should not ignore this because I actually enjoy writing here and sharing my images.

Yesterday I had to bring a friend to the hospital for some tests and didn't want to wait a couple of hours so I decided to take my little point and shoot camera out and about Gardner and see what I could capture.

I drove up Eaton Street, Kelton Street, Camp Collier Road, Brogan Road and then back to the Gardner Municipal Golf Course.

The result are these three images.

Camp Collier

Gardner Municipal Golf Course

Gardner Municipal Golf Course

The Family Portrait

I scheduled a family portrait 3 days before Christmas.  Why?  Because the daughter and son in law and their 4 daughters were traveling up from Charlotte to visit the mother and father in New
England for Christmas.  I couldn't say no.  It would be quite a while before they would all be together again.

So, they arrived on time.  I decided to take as many images as I could.  All the girls together, the grandparents, the parents, each girl alone.  It was quite a fun time together.  The above portrait really captures the spirit and personality of the 4 daughters.  I'll post more images of the family as time goes by.

Vinalhaven, Maine - A new experience

Two days ago I arrived in Rockland at the Ferry and got in line to go the 1.25 hour trip to Vinalhaven, an island I have never visited. My friend Phil is renting a small house there and invited his friends to visit so I did. Fortunately he was also on the same Ferry as he had an appointment in Rockland that same day I was arriving.

 So I was able to board the ferry and sought out my friend in the waiting area for passengers. We caught up with news,etc (I had not seen him in two years) and then the ferry arrived at the Island. He asked me to wait while he went to Linda Beans to pick up some lobster (aka Lobstah) for dinner that evening. At the end of the road where Phil lives is a whole bunch of rocky shoreline and we enjoyed a great sunset (even though that day had been overcast for the most part). The house he's renting is small but has two good sized bedrooms, 1.5 baths and it located close to everything (how can it not be close to everything - the island is only 6 miles long).

The dinner was great - boiled lobster with corn on the cob and good conversation.

  The next morning Phil unexpectedly did not have to go into work and so I asked him if he wanted to show me around the island and so we agreed that would be fun. We decided to explore the east side of the island. There's a state beach, rocky coastline, some old granite quarries and a whole lot of not much. We did however drive to a Preserve (can't remember the name) but while on the preserve we stumbled upon 2 homes which were obviously summer homes but no one appears to have been there for a while. We both got lots of images and plenty of exercise. I took Phil out for Pizza for being such a good sport and showing me part of the island. We got the loaded one and I made sure there was anchovies on my half. I didn't sleep very well last night because the Ferry has a peculiar way of making you a reserve a spot to get on the ferry 24 hours in advance. I had to call at 5:30 a.m. this morning, wait for 20 minutes while they confirmed I had a spot in line for tomorrows 8:45 a.m. departure. I guess the system works for them as I hadn't heard or read any complaints (well, yeah, I did read some complaints from people who were not able to get on the ferry for a couple of days in the summer but hey, that's what you should expect during the tourist season.

This morning Phil went off to work (he works for Linda Bean's Lobster company). It's hard work, getting bait to the lobstermen and then later buying their catch. It's a long day and ok when the weather is fine but unpredictable with regard to a steady income. So, after breakfast this morning I decide to explore the West side of the island. I'm so tired now that I'll have to continue this later but it was pretty interesting and at times I felt I should have taken my compass with me. Sorry, I don't have any photos to post but will do that when I get back to Massachusetts.

 But I can assure you..... They are spectacular!

I love to cook.

I love to cook and I take photos of what I prepare.  This is an Apple Tart.