Mariglowed, May 31

mariglowed, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

theses marigolds
(two one behind the other)
gleaming in the evening sun
beckoned me off of the porch swing
where I had been slowly rocking and slowly recovering from my 50k run the day before

I Ran, I ran so far away....

My 50k run ended, as I told my friends, like this:

I was yelling "I,m going to have a bath!" (loudly) as my mantra to make it to the end of my 50k run on Saturday - after TEN hours on the trail. So tired going in, barely made the cut off time, a humbling experience and a wonderful one! Great people, volunteers and other runners - ruby throated sapsuckers, dragonflies and butterflies swooping over the path, gorgeous vistas and weather, all worth the price of 4 toenails!

and I was lucky enough to do through land that looked like this:

polaroid polaroid (May 29)

polaroid polaroid, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

mingling old and new
the polaroid impulse cost a buck
at a church rummage sale
(and the good news is that film is still readily available!)
I used my iphone and the camera bag app
to take the picture

(slowly catching up on posting)

Hairy Watermelon (May 28/09)

Hairy Watermelon (May 28/09), originally uploaded by gawdessness.

on one of our first really gorgeous, warm spring days
my friend and I decided to cut my son's hair
out on her deck
he was fine with the idea
the only thing is
he wanted to eat watermelon
while we were doing it
not surprisingly
the watermelon became less appetizing
as clipped bits of hair began to stick to it
but I think it made a pretty picture

crayon world outside (iphone/toyphone)

crayon world outside (iphone/toyphone), originally uploaded by gawdessness.

having so much fun with the toyphone application still
- this was the view outside the restaurant window
still taking pictures with the other cameras
but enjoying myself by pushing myself to make good pictures this way too.
Slowing down a little on the photo business and learning stuff otherwise,
at least until after the weekend!

Uploaded by gawdessness on 27 May 09, 8.55PM PDT.

take these broken wings

take these broken wings, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

found: wings on road
fairly sure previous owner cannot claim

made me think of how many of us think we have broken wings when we really don't.


sleeping/ napping as much as possible before the 50k this saturday
hope my "wings" will be in the right shape to fly me over the woodland trail

iron into sword May 25

iron into sword, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

if you live at our house - you get used to the idea that Dad has a forge and anvil in the garage and that when the homeschool Medieval Day comes around, you get to help make a real sword, hammering the iron into shiny, pointy submission - to take with you.

pile of kids (iphone/toy camera app)

pile of kids (iphone/toy camera app), originally uploaded by gawdessness.

ove the unexpected results I am getting with the toyphone app on my iphone -
vivid areas of sudden saturation , eyes bluer and shirts deeper lemon than they could ever be, contrast strikingly with the glaring washed out spots - all to wonderful effect - at least in my mind.
Though I love the idea of film and the look of film and the possibilities of it, I do not have the time or energy for it -
so as much as the Holga plastic cameras do beckon to me - I am really enjoying playing with this digital version - and I love pushing the iphone camera to see what I can make it do, what pictures I can make with it.
I read today that "the best camera is the one that you have with you" and I think that is true.

startling (iphone)

startling (iphone), originally uploaded by gawdessness.

found earlyish in the morning
dropping the kids off for pottery class
giving me a chance to have fun with the Toy Camera app for iphone

********************
slowly catching up on sleep and energy
did a volunteer shoot of a child dedication yesterday afternoon
learning more and more but really want to focus on lighting
and depth of field issues for a little while and soon
so I feel like I have some real mastery over it
After May 30th I may have a little more time and zip
because my big run will be done then

soccer field action

soccer field action, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

playing hard is what it is all about -
on the field or on the playground after the game
swinging and spinning with her friends until she is to wobbly legged to stand!

authentic expression

authentic expression, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

"Find a person you consider interesting and take a series of portraits of this person, concentrating on capturing an authentic expression."

Assignment 1 from Photoworkshop - Portrait and Candid Photography by Erin Manning

I am very happy with how this one turned out - Although I have been in the same circles as this young man for the past 5 years - but he has been elusive when it comes to chatting or having pictures taken - so he has been very much a challenge to me, in a photographic sense.

So I am currently reading two photoworkshop books and trying to do the assignments and working my way through the lessons in the Aperature manual - looking for a workshop on lighting (that isn't the same day as my 50k run!) and looking very hard for a name for my soon to be fledgling photography business.

the name thing is very annoying...
I have a few, a very few, in mind but many of the obvious ones (and not so obvious ones) are taken -
and I need one before I get business cards and a website.

Yes my name would work but my name is NOT a rolling off the tongue sort.

loving to play

loving to play, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

trying to keep her joy in playing
untainted
even when the coach can't see what the team does well
and some of the parents LOUDLY grumble
"you aren't winning because you don't want to badly enough!"

of course they don't
they are ten
their job is to run hard, play hard, try hard, laugh hard with their friends and sleep hard afterwards.

old car nostalgia

old car nostalgia, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

amazing how far back in time making this shot in black and white takes me
I am almost waiting for a car chase to happen!

tagging in the trees

IMG_1318, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

walking wild, bouncy dogs
through the urban forest
takes our feet and eyes past
unexpected colour blossoming
on a retaining wall
this spring long weekend

seed flurries

seed flurries, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

my daughter is one of my best spotters when it comes to picture opportunities - today she was delighted to find the first downy seed heads of dandelions - both so she could blow them hither and yon and because it meant I could play too.

the play is the thing

the play is the thing, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

Saturday afternoon had me in a park doing a shoot for promotional pictures for a local play that will be in the local theatre festival this summer.
It was a wonderful experience!
This is one of the out takes.

Roar in the Garden

Roar in the Garden, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

first "flower" of spring in the garden
spring is again slow to come this year
we are expecting snow on Monday
traditionally the date when it is considered
"safe" to put in bedding plants

*****
despite the chill
did do a 33km bike ride last night
and a 5k run today - chasing behind the two youngest kids on their bikes - so glad my energy is coming back, if slowly

prison for some

prison for some, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

getting a game of homeschool soccer going on a weekday isn't as easy as it might sound - almost all usable fields are attached to regular public schools and so are being used -
but this school, a massive edifice that is at least 50 years old was closed last year and sits empty - don't know what will happen to it - it was a junior high in the recent past - right now my kids are running and playing in the grass beside it, at least once a week.

unexpected grace

unexpected grace, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

from a few days ago
found this blossom
on the roof of the van
lit up by the morning sun

*******
slowly moving my way through Aperture, the program and the very thick manual that we got with it - finding my way -
and coming back from over training for my 50km run (on May 30 eeek!)
note to self and anyone else -
DO NOT get so tired you forget to and don't care about eating while still packing on the training run miles - this does not go anywhere good!
have a shoot lined up for Saturday - publicity stills for a play for the Theatre festival - looking forward to that -
and for shooting a large rainbow banner at my church in conjunction with Pride Week which is fast approaching ....and.....
if I get to it soon, sending my friend some examples of what kind of web site I would like for my photography business -

among other things....

mirror mirror

mirror mirror, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

I am working my way through the book Photographing Children by Ginny Felch and Allison Tyler Jones - and I am liking it very much.

At the end of each chapter there is an assignment. This one is the first -

"Now that you are more aware, create a children's portrait that reflects some of who you are and your style."

I thought about that a lot and when I saw my own daughter lying on the warm earth, breathing in the new grass and soaking up the sun - I was flung back into my own ten year old body doing exactly the same thing, eyeing a horizon that was both so close and yet so distant - and I threw myself down to take a picture that was really all about me!

iso 100 - f2.8 - 1/2000 - 70mm

the magic of mother and child

the magic of mother and child, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

this was a shot I was looking for and I was so happy to get it...
I remember vividly what is was like to be the Mom

Running weiner dog of May

Running weiner dog of May, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

love those ears!

now must choose between sleep or reading Aperture manual...

as beautiful as he is

as beautiful as he is, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

gorgeous boy
swinging in the sun
horizontal to the ground below
and still posing for his Mama!


****
not enough time for all I am doing and want to do -
photography is being pushed back,
for now,
down below kids, sleep, running and life in general.
Trying though.
fighting my way through Aperature and learning how to use it and still playing with Tv (shutter priority) - hence this image today.

Had to shake myself out of a negative mind set yesterday about
picture taking -
better today
how could it not be with faces like this one around me?

spin the coin for me

spin the coin for me, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

I thought I would want to catch the coin in action
play with shutter settings
make the image of it dancing and spinning
but instead
this one
of my friend
poised and ready to set it moving
is the one that I like the best

Hello

Hello, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

city kid meets horse
by the side of the country road

Float back in time

Float back in time, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

orange soda, root beer and even
cream soda poured over scoops of vanilla ice cream
then bubbling up in a froth of both
I watched
then tasted
and then remembered
sitting on the orange vinyl and silver chrome stool
that twirled
as I pushed with my hand against the formica counter
and spun my 10 year old self around and around

bird behind a wire

bird behind a wire, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

safe on the other side of the broken fence
peering greedily at the freshly turned earth
waiting for the people to go away
to search for freshly turned worms

lacy leaf

lacy leaf, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

a leaf that falls into a pond
will be eaten away
slowly
until there is nothing left

*******

learning so much
while trying to squeeze enough time out of each day
bought some books
and
eeeeeeek! have a new macbook pro and learning the full version of Aperature
and checking out workshops to take....
to learn more, more, more
oh and latest name I came up with that was rejected out of hand by my 15 year old?

Magpie Photography - finding the SHINY everywhere!

she said, and I quote "it sounds like you are a demented entertainer who works children's birthday parties!"

so the search continues!

something I didn't know

something I didn't know, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

if you have a big bubble
and then blow on it
you can make little bubbles inside it!
my kids are so smart!

the morning is made even brighter

IMG_9946, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

on the way to coffee on a beautiful saturday morning
awesomeness drove by

mayday head wreath

mayday head wreath, originally uploaded by gawdessness.

may day
in the park
flowers
ribbons
and even a maypole

and all after running 40k this morning!