Showing posts with label photography. Show all posts
Showing posts with label photography. Show all posts
Thursday, July 15, 2021
TBT--Festival of Quilts
TBT! I really miss seeing all the lovely quilts and hangings on display at Heritage Park--fingers crossed I can go back in 2022. While many arts organizations have found new audience by going virtual, and it's great, nothing beats seeing quilts wafting in the wind and being able to see them up close.
Thursday, June 17, 2021
TBT--Niagara Falls Water Lily
How I spent my summer vacation--with nowhere else to go, I managed to get a lot of biz stuff done in a week, including queuing up some blog posts. Check back monthly for a Throwback Thursday feature!
Today's feature harkens back to June 2010 when I visited Souther Ontario for the first time. Mom and I stayed in London for a week while I went to a conference and visited Niagara Falls and Niagara-On-The-Lake on one of the free days.
We couldn't fly all that way without seeing Niagara Falls! It was so overcast, even for June, but that didn't stop the natural beauty of these water lilies from showing through the gloom.
Today's feature harkens back to June 2010 when I visited Souther Ontario for the first time. Mom and I stayed in London for a week while I went to a conference and visited Niagara Falls and Niagara-On-The-Lake on one of the free days.
We couldn't fly all that way without seeing Niagara Falls! It was so overcast, even for June, but that didn't stop the natural beauty of these water lilies from showing through the gloom.
Saturday, August 15, 2020
New on Creative Market--Cherry Blossoms
Spring and summer is photography time for me--there's so much to see and I'm lucky to live within walking distance of a lot of pretty yards. These two cherry trees weren't even all that far away from each other!
You can now licence them for personal or commercial use. Stay tuned for some more bird pictures!
Powered by Creative Market
Powered by Creative Market
You can now licence them for personal or commercial use. Stay tuned for some more bird pictures!
Thursday, August 13, 2020
New on Creative Market--Merlin
I finally got off my butt and started uploading new photos to Creative Market. It lets you easily licence art, illustrations and more, including my work! Stay tuned for more photos.
Powered by Creative Market
Sunday, June 7, 2020
Spring 2020--Birds and Blooms
I haven't been drawing or arting much lately as it's spring! Spring comes to Calgary kind of late, which means there is plenty to capture yet.
Sunday, December 2, 2018
New photos on Flickr
Back in August, my husband and I made our first ever trip to Saskatchewan. It's just three hours to the border from Calgary, but it felt like a long, long drive due to tall the wide open spaces. We had booked the trip in February and then wondered if we should still go in the midst of wildfire smoke and a horrible heat wave. But, I felt if we didn't go now, we would never make the trip to see our friends who left the big city for small town life in Shaunavon. Shaunavon is a charming little town that's actually the first big city you hit. It has all the essentials and lots of touristy spots like East End and Gull Lake are within a half hour driving distance. Due to the heat, nothing went quite as planned. I picked that weekend because there was a horse show in town, but for the life of us, we could not find the rodeo grounds. "Just a few miles out of town," we were told but we couldn't even find it on Google Maps. We enjoyed dinner at the boutique Harvest Eatery, enjoyed ice cream at the Frosty Treat and trekked out to East End to see Scotty the T-Rex. I still have more photos to share - stay tuned!
Friday, March 23, 2018
Winter Birdwatching, Weaselhead Park
Is it spring? One can never be too sure in Canadaland! It's hard to believe that a few weeks ago my friend Pam and I joined a few other birdwatchers at Weaselhead Park in Calgary on the snowiest day of the month. It figured that the weather would turn so severely after some lovely, melty, blue sky days just when I planned to go birdwatching with my friend. She's been enjoying weekend birdwatching trips and I have been so envious of her photographs! With a winter storm warning covering the Southern half of Alberta, it would be too easy to bail, but I felt determined. I spent my youth living farther North than here. Somehow I managed to live, work and play for many years without calling in a snow day or hiding beneath the covers. Adventure doesn't come knocking on your front door, hoping that you will answer, after all. Click on the birdie to see all the photos.
Sometimes, adventure requires you to get up at crazy o'clock. I sprang out of bed at 5 on the dot after having a dream that it was 8 and I missed my ride. After grimly shovelling the sidewalk, I layered up - underneath my older, longer winter coat I wore wool socks, leggings, yoga pants, jeans, two toques, two scarves and double mitts. I borrowed a 200-700mm zoom lens and doubler from work, but ultimately left the doubler at home. I took an extra, less powerful zoom lens, but it could have stayed home as well since it impossible to switch them out with all the snow. Once my camera bag was on my back, I could barely get it off.
We carpooled to the Weaselhead Park in Southwest Calgary after a slightly hairy car ride on the Deerfoot. It was dark and the roads were mushy. It was make your own lane after the snow plows took a crack at it. The sky was purple by the time we reached the parking lot and we were soon joined by a few others birders. The purpose of the trip was to watch hundreds of magpies leave their roosts at sunrise. Unfortunately, sunrise was a little overcast, and by the time the sky changed colour again, only a few dozen had flown over the bluff where we were standing. Some even flew back!
We followed our very knowledgeable and friendly guide from the bluff, down a hill, into a valley, across a bridge until we came to a smaller wood bridge. My phone recorded 6km of walking, although Google Maps seems to think it was 2. The snow was a blessing as it covered all the ice on the pathway and my new Yaktrax crampons made it easy to avoid a fall. It didn't take us long at all to see birds once we went away from the much windier bluff. It was noticeably warmer. We saw black capped chickadees, a boreal chickadee, blue jays, magpies, red polls, grosbeaks, ravens, Northern flickers, downy woodpeckers, hairy woodpeckers and a nuthatch. There was a red squirrel scooting about in the trees, but he didn't come close.
Winter photography was...challenging to say the least. It was physically demanding even though I was up to the task. I only had a peanut butter sandwich for breakfast and somehow didn't go all hangry :-D Operating the zoom lens with my gloves on was difficult (took them off for a few minutes...big mistake!). The auto focus on my camera was working hard. I nudged the wrong setting on the wheel too and I'm not sure how many photos were affected. All in all I took about 300 photos and marked 52 as total duds due to blurriness. I had to correct for luminance and colour noise. On the upside, the flat lighting made it possible to be artistic with the photographs.
We saw some human wildlife including joggers and cross-country skiers who weren't about to let the weather control their lives. I'm so glad I went - easily the best part was spending two hours talking with other birders in a Timmy's! I was physically exhausted but emotionally ecstatic after such a great outing - maybe it was the lack of sleep - but the downside was a huge surge of energy in the afternoon and a hunger for calories. I really could have used a steak or something :-)
Sometimes, adventure requires you to get up at crazy o'clock. I sprang out of bed at 5 on the dot after having a dream that it was 8 and I missed my ride. After grimly shovelling the sidewalk, I layered up - underneath my older, longer winter coat I wore wool socks, leggings, yoga pants, jeans, two toques, two scarves and double mitts. I borrowed a 200-700mm zoom lens and doubler from work, but ultimately left the doubler at home. I took an extra, less powerful zoom lens, but it could have stayed home as well since it impossible to switch them out with all the snow. Once my camera bag was on my back, I could barely get it off.
We carpooled to the Weaselhead Park in Southwest Calgary after a slightly hairy car ride on the Deerfoot. It was dark and the roads were mushy. It was make your own lane after the snow plows took a crack at it. The sky was purple by the time we reached the parking lot and we were soon joined by a few others birders. The purpose of the trip was to watch hundreds of magpies leave their roosts at sunrise. Unfortunately, sunrise was a little overcast, and by the time the sky changed colour again, only a few dozen had flown over the bluff where we were standing. Some even flew back!
We followed our very knowledgeable and friendly guide from the bluff, down a hill, into a valley, across a bridge until we came to a smaller wood bridge. My phone recorded 6km of walking, although Google Maps seems to think it was 2. The snow was a blessing as it covered all the ice on the pathway and my new Yaktrax crampons made it easy to avoid a fall. It didn't take us long at all to see birds once we went away from the much windier bluff. It was noticeably warmer. We saw black capped chickadees, a boreal chickadee, blue jays, magpies, red polls, grosbeaks, ravens, Northern flickers, downy woodpeckers, hairy woodpeckers and a nuthatch. There was a red squirrel scooting about in the trees, but he didn't come close.
Winter photography was...challenging to say the least. It was physically demanding even though I was up to the task. I only had a peanut butter sandwich for breakfast and somehow didn't go all hangry :-D Operating the zoom lens with my gloves on was difficult (took them off for a few minutes...big mistake!). The auto focus on my camera was working hard. I nudged the wrong setting on the wheel too and I'm not sure how many photos were affected. All in all I took about 300 photos and marked 52 as total duds due to blurriness. I had to correct for luminance and colour noise. On the upside, the flat lighting made it possible to be artistic with the photographs.
We saw some human wildlife including joggers and cross-country skiers who weren't about to let the weather control their lives. I'm so glad I went - easily the best part was spending two hours talking with other birders in a Timmy's! I was physically exhausted but emotionally ecstatic after such a great outing - maybe it was the lack of sleep - but the downside was a huge surge of energy in the afternoon and a hunger for calories. I really could have used a steak or something :-)
Friday, January 13, 2017
New Old Photo - Woodland Park Zoo Carousel Giraffe
Winter weather is keeping me and my camera indoors, but it's a great time to stay indoors and look for gems in my 10+ years of photos. There's always one I overlook and this one below is no exception! It's hard to believe that it's been ten years since we went to Seattle. We really enjoy the city - there is something for everyone from arts to shopping to a ferry cruise to nearby islands. And lots of nature too!
We spent a whole day at the Woodland Park Zoo in Ballard. I was really eager to go because the budgie house was new then - an indoor aviary where you can walk in and interact with budgies, cockatiels and other small parrots. I also had my new camera and was eager to try it out. I took so many pictures - and one or two of my husband patiently waiting for me to finish taking pictures at each exhibit. The zoo is huge and the exhibits are really quite lovely for an older zoo. It didn't feel like animal jail!
At the time there were two carousels - the traditional, historic horse one - and a newer one with wild animals. I don't think it is there anymore. I took too many pictures to really process at the time without Lightroom and I was quite pleased that I could touch this one up! It will certainly make an appearance on cards and magnets in 2017. It's also new in my Zazzle shop.
We spent a whole day at the Woodland Park Zoo in Ballard. I was really eager to go because the budgie house was new then - an indoor aviary where you can walk in and interact with budgies, cockatiels and other small parrots. I also had my new camera and was eager to try it out. I took so many pictures - and one or two of my husband patiently waiting for me to finish taking pictures at each exhibit. The zoo is huge and the exhibits are really quite lovely for an older zoo. It didn't feel like animal jail!
At the time there were two carousels - the traditional, historic horse one - and a newer one with wild animals. I don't think it is there anymore. I took too many pictures to really process at the time without Lightroom and I was quite pleased that I could touch this one up! It will certainly make an appearance on cards and magnets in 2017. It's also new in my Zazzle shop.
Tuesday, June 21, 2016
Scenes from Spruce Meadows
Today I am going to share with you a magical place in Alberta. Now, Alberta is full of magical places, but if you love horses, Spruce Meadows is a wonderous land where sport and family meet!
When I was a little girl living in Edmonton, I used to dutifully collect the free admission passes that came with the gas bill in hopes that some day my family would make the three hour trek to Calgary. That never happened - it was only until I moved here that I was able to indulge in Spruce Meadows and I loved every minute of it. Every visit, decades later, reminds me of my youthful enthusiasm for horses.
It's easy to forget that houses are right across the road from it now - but it still maintains its country charm. And here's the best part - there really is something for everyone at Spruce Meadows, from live music, delicious food, usually a car show or dog agility.
Spruce Meadows celebrated its 40th anniversary last year and this lasting gift from the Southern family always fills my heart with pride. Red Arrow kindly provides a free shuttle service so that the park is accessible to everyone and admission is free, although some day I am going to splurge on the paid seats :)
I couldn't have asked for a more picture perfect day when I went for the Continental on June 11th. It was sunny and cool and I marvelled at all the recent upgrades. It's been a couple of years since my last visit. The old bleacher seating at the Chinook Ring has been replaced with a fancy new Founder's Plaza with tables and chairs.
I was super excited this day because I borrowed a 200 mm zoom lens. For those of you who have never held one, it's about as long as your forearm and weighs about a pound or two. It was really hefty! I found a primo space for the event going on and tested it out. I was so nervous because of the borrowed lens that I forgot to make the most of the zoom! I had all sorts of dumb fears that it would fall off my camera or that I would drop it :D
Fortunately by the time we found seating in the International Ring I had a handle on it and I was thrilled with the results, as you can see in this sample on Flickr. I can't wait to go again!
When I was a little girl living in Edmonton, I used to dutifully collect the free admission passes that came with the gas bill in hopes that some day my family would make the three hour trek to Calgary. That never happened - it was only until I moved here that I was able to indulge in Spruce Meadows and I loved every minute of it. Every visit, decades later, reminds me of my youthful enthusiasm for horses.
It's easy to forget that houses are right across the road from it now - but it still maintains its country charm. And here's the best part - there really is something for everyone at Spruce Meadows, from live music, delicious food, usually a car show or dog agility.
Spruce Meadows celebrated its 40th anniversary last year and this lasting gift from the Southern family always fills my heart with pride. Red Arrow kindly provides a free shuttle service so that the park is accessible to everyone and admission is free, although some day I am going to splurge on the paid seats :)
I couldn't have asked for a more picture perfect day when I went for the Continental on June 11th. It was sunny and cool and I marvelled at all the recent upgrades. It's been a couple of years since my last visit. The old bleacher seating at the Chinook Ring has been replaced with a fancy new Founder's Plaza with tables and chairs.
I was super excited this day because I borrowed a 200 mm zoom lens. For those of you who have never held one, it's about as long as your forearm and weighs about a pound or two. It was really hefty! I found a primo space for the event going on and tested it out. I was so nervous because of the borrowed lens that I forgot to make the most of the zoom! I had all sorts of dumb fears that it would fall off my camera or that I would drop it :D
Fortunately by the time we found seating in the International Ring I had a handle on it and I was thrilled with the results, as you can see in this sample on Flickr. I can't wait to go again!
Friday, January 22, 2016
2010 Lougheed House Visit
Like most creative people, I'm sitting on a pile of images and sometimes those images take longer than usual to see the light of day! I finally sat down and uploaded 20 of my favourite pictures from a 2010 visit to Lougheed House, a historic home and museum here in Calgary. It was a beautiful summer day, and my Mom and I headed down there to see what was new in the garden. I took along a piece of frosty plastic from an IKEA box and Mom patiently held it higher or lower behind the flowers. The effect worked well - a sort of fake selective focus which my old Canon PowerShot lacked. In pictures of the irises, it added a sparkly effect. A few of the irises and the violas have made it on to cards and magnets and now that I'm looking at them again, I'll probably pick out a few more for craft sales this year :-) Click through to see the whole album.
Sunday, November 9, 2014
An Old Favourite!
Yeeesh, sometimes I forget this blog exists :-D Preparation for Christmas craft sales has kept me busy, plus I bought Adobe Lightroom last month. It's given my older photos a lot of new life and easy to use, plus it's surprisingly inexpensive - $149 for the perpetual licence.
Friday, June 27, 2014
A Brewer's Blackbird
Is it really the end of June? It amazes me how time just seems to accelerate the older I get. I must be having too much fun along the way. We're fortunate to live in a pocket neighbourhood with lots of bike paths, a creek and a parkway, and so are the feathered residents.
Around my house we see ducks, Canada geese, American robins, crows, sparrows (so, so many sparrows!), the occasional chickadee, house finches, sometimes an owl or two. The other week I swear I saw a Cedar Waxwing who might have been lost. It's easy for people to forget that birds are the most accessible form of wildlife for anyone, anywhere! Having lived with birds for thirty some years, I can attest that they are not that much different from people!
Last year I bought a new camera, a Canon T3i. It is so much camera - I did have a film SLR years ago, but mostly I have been using a high end Canon PowerShot, which is a great inbetween model for those that want something better than a pocket camera but can't afford an dSLR. You can get some surprisingly good photos with a point and shoot these days, although nothing beats having the lenses to take distance shots. The kit lens is just an 18-55mm lens, but, as it happened, there was a special sale on Canon lenses when I bought my camera. The salesman (who happened to be a friend) recommended a 75-300mm zoom lens since that fit my budget. He also has a Canon camera, so I can borrow his lenses too.
The best way to learn a new camera is to take lots of pictures, and unfortunately last year's flood in Calgary put the kibosh on visiting many natural places like the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary and Bowness Park. It was thrilling to be able to pack up my camera and head on down to the creek. Unfortunately for distance shots, my zoom lens was woefully inadequate. Way up high on the hill was a hawk (either a redtail or Cooper's) nonchalantly watching from a chain-link fence. The red-winged blackbirds cheerfully called from deep within some reeds. I didn't feel adventurous enough to wade in to get closer to some ducks. Oh well!
On my way back home, I spied a robin. I have been trying to get a good pic of a robin for years now. Either they don't stay still for very long, there are too many branches in the way, and the big one, I don't have a camera! This guy was happy twilling away in a pine tree. Unfortunately, he was backlit. Some day Mr. Robin, some day.
The only successful picture I had was below. I've been seeing these birds for years and always assumed they were starlings. Not so! It is a Brewer's Blackbird. He (or she) posed long enough for me to fiddle with the settings. It's not the greatest, but that just means I need to go out again with my camera :-)
Around my house we see ducks, Canada geese, American robins, crows, sparrows (so, so many sparrows!), the occasional chickadee, house finches, sometimes an owl or two. The other week I swear I saw a Cedar Waxwing who might have been lost. It's easy for people to forget that birds are the most accessible form of wildlife for anyone, anywhere! Having lived with birds for thirty some years, I can attest that they are not that much different from people!
Last year I bought a new camera, a Canon T3i. It is so much camera - I did have a film SLR years ago, but mostly I have been using a high end Canon PowerShot, which is a great inbetween model for those that want something better than a pocket camera but can't afford an dSLR. You can get some surprisingly good photos with a point and shoot these days, although nothing beats having the lenses to take distance shots. The kit lens is just an 18-55mm lens, but, as it happened, there was a special sale on Canon lenses when I bought my camera. The salesman (who happened to be a friend) recommended a 75-300mm zoom lens since that fit my budget. He also has a Canon camera, so I can borrow his lenses too.
The best way to learn a new camera is to take lots of pictures, and unfortunately last year's flood in Calgary put the kibosh on visiting many natural places like the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary and Bowness Park. It was thrilling to be able to pack up my camera and head on down to the creek. Unfortunately for distance shots, my zoom lens was woefully inadequate. Way up high on the hill was a hawk (either a redtail or Cooper's) nonchalantly watching from a chain-link fence. The red-winged blackbirds cheerfully called from deep within some reeds. I didn't feel adventurous enough to wade in to get closer to some ducks. Oh well!
On my way back home, I spied a robin. I have been trying to get a good pic of a robin for years now. Either they don't stay still for very long, there are too many branches in the way, and the big one, I don't have a camera! This guy was happy twilling away in a pine tree. Unfortunately, he was backlit. Some day Mr. Robin, some day.
The only successful picture I had was below. I've been seeing these birds for years and always assumed they were starlings. Not so! It is a Brewer's Blackbird. He (or she) posed long enough for me to fiddle with the settings. It's not the greatest, but that just means I need to go out again with my camera :-)
Sunday, September 1, 2013
Suddenly September
I go back to ACAD on Tuesday...we've spent August trying to cram as much summer as possible into one month. June and July were such downers, but I did a lot, and the proof is in Instagram :-)
We went for a lot of country drives! This graffiti barn is out near Linden, Alberta. It never looks the same. Linden has a great little restaurant called Country Cousins, although it's not quite the same as what it used to be. It used to have a buffet loaded up with Mennonite home cooking, now it's just OK. The farmer's sausage is still wonder as are the homemade pies.
I volunteered for the Calgary Folk Music Festival again! They really treat their volunteers wonderfully and it is such a good time. It takes 1500 volunteers to make the festival tick, and is a lot of hard work! But there's a free t-shirt, snacks, gelato, two meals a day, program and free music to sweeten the deal :-) The hot band this year seemed to be The Mexican Institute of Sound.
The festival takes place on Prince's Island Park, which was overcome by the flood back in June. 250 volunteers made it possible for the festival to happen. The whole island was underwater, the River Cafe was temporarily closed and it's amazing they were able to get it done in time. Some of the stage areas were closed, and Stage 2 was moved to nearby Eau Claire market. There was a fine sand everywhere due to the silt...but the river ran blue again by this time at the end of July.
We tried to go to the Royal Tyrell Museum on the August long weekend, but had to bail! This was the line up of cars just to make the turn off into the road to the parking lot. We had arrived there around 3pm, and thought that would be a good time to miss the crowds. Apparently not! Ah well...it was still a nice drive. We'll have to go again when all the kids are in school. One of the problems with Calgary is that you have so many people fleeing the city for long weekends - can't be helped, really. We were looking forward to it as the last time we were there was 2007.
Saw these groovy clouds around Red Deer! They were originally grey, but I love how Instagram turned them into waves. I really like Instagram as a creative medium...it's like this random result that I can use for drawings and paintings. In the 30 years or so that we have been travelling Highway 2 between Calgary and Edmonton I have never seen clouds like this.
Here's a view from the 10th Street Bridge last week. The water is still high. There's an island near the bridge where geese nested, but it's still underwater. It's hard to imagine just how devastating the flood was. It will be a long time before everything is "normal". The rusty looking structure is called Poppy Plaza and was intentionally made to look that way. It's next to Memorial Drive.
Lastly, a new farmer's market opened up near us. Most of the farmer's markets in Calgary are far south, so it's always a chore to get to. This one is located at Symon's Valley Ranch, which used to be a restaurant and dance hall. It's been fixed up some with outdoor seating and lots of shops inside and out. It has only been open for a couple of months, so it will be cool to see how it grows as more people and vendors know about it :-) There were live geese and ducks there to see, and lots of seating, so it should be good. It's also literally out in the country too!
We went for a lot of country drives! This graffiti barn is out near Linden, Alberta. It never looks the same. Linden has a great little restaurant called Country Cousins, although it's not quite the same as what it used to be. It used to have a buffet loaded up with Mennonite home cooking, now it's just OK. The farmer's sausage is still wonder as are the homemade pies.
I volunteered for the Calgary Folk Music Festival again! They really treat their volunteers wonderfully and it is such a good time. It takes 1500 volunteers to make the festival tick, and is a lot of hard work! But there's a free t-shirt, snacks, gelato, two meals a day, program and free music to sweeten the deal :-) The hot band this year seemed to be The Mexican Institute of Sound.
The festival takes place on Prince's Island Park, which was overcome by the flood back in June. 250 volunteers made it possible for the festival to happen. The whole island was underwater, the River Cafe was temporarily closed and it's amazing they were able to get it done in time. Some of the stage areas were closed, and Stage 2 was moved to nearby Eau Claire market. There was a fine sand everywhere due to the silt...but the river ran blue again by this time at the end of July.
We tried to go to the Royal Tyrell Museum on the August long weekend, but had to bail! This was the line up of cars just to make the turn off into the road to the parking lot. We had arrived there around 3pm, and thought that would be a good time to miss the crowds. Apparently not! Ah well...it was still a nice drive. We'll have to go again when all the kids are in school. One of the problems with Calgary is that you have so many people fleeing the city for long weekends - can't be helped, really. We were looking forward to it as the last time we were there was 2007.
Saw these groovy clouds around Red Deer! They were originally grey, but I love how Instagram turned them into waves. I really like Instagram as a creative medium...it's like this random result that I can use for drawings and paintings. In the 30 years or so that we have been travelling Highway 2 between Calgary and Edmonton I have never seen clouds like this.
Here's a view from the 10th Street Bridge last week. The water is still high. There's an island near the bridge where geese nested, but it's still underwater. It's hard to imagine just how devastating the flood was. It will be a long time before everything is "normal". The rusty looking structure is called Poppy Plaza and was intentionally made to look that way. It's next to Memorial Drive.
Lastly, a new farmer's market opened up near us. Most of the farmer's markets in Calgary are far south, so it's always a chore to get to. This one is located at Symon's Valley Ranch, which used to be a restaurant and dance hall. It's been fixed up some with outdoor seating and lots of shops inside and out. It has only been open for a couple of months, so it will be cool to see how it grows as more people and vendors know about it :-) There were live geese and ducks there to see, and lots of seating, so it should be good. It's also literally out in the country too!
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Craft Sales - I Miss Them So!
This has been my first week without homework and my first week without a craft sale in a long time. Just two more fibre classes to go! But I do miss the craft sales...it's really the one time of year where I get to meet customers in person and chat with them. I love that so much. Just as I have a story to tell them, they often have a story to tell me.
The stories I hear the most of revolve around pansies. If I had known my pansies were going to be so popular, I would have called this Purple Pansy Art. People love their little faces and their amazing hardiness in Calgary's weather. Indeed, pansies will last up until and into the first few snowfalls here! But pansies seem to remind people of friendships, and mothers and grandmothers. I usually take pansy pictures in groups of two or three when I can, to symbolize those relationships. Plus they are very photogenic flowers.
Usually I have lots of pansies every summer, but this year I only had one pot that my mother gave me. I just adored the gentle ruffled petals! A vertical shot of these flowers graced cards and magnets this year. Although I won't be selling in person for a very long time, that doesn't mean my cards and magnets are not available. Just drop me a line anytime. I usually don't post them for sale on online venues. By the time everyone takes their cut, I'm not left with much profit unfortunately!
The stories I hear the most of revolve around pansies. If I had known my pansies were going to be so popular, I would have called this Purple Pansy Art. People love their little faces and their amazing hardiness in Calgary's weather. Indeed, pansies will last up until and into the first few snowfalls here! But pansies seem to remind people of friendships, and mothers and grandmothers. I usually take pansy pictures in groups of two or three when I can, to symbolize those relationships. Plus they are very photogenic flowers.
Usually I have lots of pansies every summer, but this year I only had one pot that my mother gave me. I just adored the gentle ruffled petals! A vertical shot of these flowers graced cards and magnets this year. Although I won't be selling in person for a very long time, that doesn't mean my cards and magnets are not available. Just drop me a line anytime. I usually don't post them for sale on online venues. By the time everyone takes their cut, I'm not left with much profit unfortunately!
Monday, May 17, 2010
Calgary Honkers!
I have been lucky this year to get some Canada geese pictures. Here's an adult I saw near where I took a picture of a whole family down by the Bow River. Click for larger.
And here's the goose family! I really want to upgrade my camera...the 12x zoom is nice, but I want more :-)
You know, timing is everything with birds - they're fast and you have to be in the right place at the right time. I took the family picture on Thursday and the adult on Friday; when I walked by the bridge this morning, I saw just an adult off in the trees. I'm glad I had my camera with me and dawdled on the way to work :-)
And here's the goose family! I really want to upgrade my camera...the 12x zoom is nice, but I want more :-)
You know, timing is everything with birds - they're fast and you have to be in the right place at the right time. I took the family picture on Thursday and the adult on Friday; when I walked by the bridge this morning, I saw just an adult off in the trees. I'm glad I had my camera with me and dawdled on the way to work :-)
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Another one of my hobbies...
Livejournal recently had a Writer's Block question about things people collect...well, as you might have seen from my YouTube videos, I collect model horses. Many people think at first that model horses are like model cars, and while some people do enjoy repositioning, rehairing and repainting models, most of mine are straight out of the box!
In fact, I just unboxed this beautiful silver fella, Esprit, Breyer's 2010 World Equestrian Games model. I only get a couple of new models every year nowadays - with over 300 Breyer and Peter Stone horses, so space is a bit of a premium!
One of the many facets of showing model horses is photo showing. This is where you take pictures of your horse, find a show to enter (either online or snail mail) and wait for the results. They are fun to enter and I used to be really into it! I had a really poor camera though - an Olympus Mini. Now I have a great camera and no enthusiasm for photoshowing. Go figure!
I love Esprit so much that I just had to take some pictures and this one was my favourite.
In fact, I just unboxed this beautiful silver fella, Esprit, Breyer's 2010 World Equestrian Games model. I only get a couple of new models every year nowadays - with over 300 Breyer and Peter Stone horses, so space is a bit of a premium!
One of the many facets of showing model horses is photo showing. This is where you take pictures of your horse, find a show to enter (either online or snail mail) and wait for the results. They are fun to enter and I used to be really into it! I had a really poor camera though - an Olympus Mini. Now I have a great camera and no enthusiasm for photoshowing. Go figure!
I love Esprit so much that I just had to take some pictures and this one was my favourite.
Monday, November 2, 2009
November ACEO Treasure Hunt!
This treasure hunt is actually pretty neat and I thought I would have to bow out of it at the last minute. For the past week and a half, I had a doozy of a cold!
This month's theme is "Fabric of Our Lives". Comment at least once at each of the 6 blogs by November 6th at 12am EST. Each blog is giving away a prize, but to be eligible to win, you have to comment in each blog! Here's how the loop goes:
Carole, Pam, Marlene, Kathy, Allie, Me!
And what can you win from me? I'm going to to give the winner their choice of photo ACEO from the four below. Photography is near and dear to my heart, I sometimes tell people that my camera is my best friend (next to my wonderful husband of course!). It's my eyes and my memory. Here's a little patchwork of favourites:
If you have questions about the treasure hunt, please email me and I'll be happy to answer! Remember that you have to visit the other blogs in the hunt for a chance to win - Carole, Pam, Marlene, Kathy, Allie. I will pick a winner from those that complete the loop.
This month's theme is "Fabric of Our Lives". Comment at least once at each of the 6 blogs by November 6th at 12am EST. Each blog is giving away a prize, but to be eligible to win, you have to comment in each blog! Here's how the loop goes:
Carole, Pam, Marlene, Kathy, Allie, Me!
And what can you win from me? I'm going to to give the winner their choice of photo ACEO from the four below. Photography is near and dear to my heart, I sometimes tell people that my camera is my best friend (next to my wonderful husband of course!). It's my eyes and my memory. Here's a little patchwork of favourites:
 I love to travel. This face is from a statue at Hoover Dam, Nevada. Travel is the best way to understand others, I think. |  I adore birds, but maybe you already knew that :-) This is Mr. Jill. I love that I have this to remember him by. |
 I live in a beautiful province - Alberta! It has sky, mountains and prairies that make my spirit soar. |  Flowers - I love them. The crocus has only ever bloomed once, but I'm optimistic about it every spring. |
If you have questions about the treasure hunt, please email me and I'll be happy to answer! Remember that you have to visit the other blogs in the hunt for a chance to win - Carole, Pam, Marlene, Kathy, Allie. I will pick a winner from those that complete the loop.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Just a little sun, please?
If only my inner sunshine was enough sometimes! One of the realities of living in a less than sunny place is the lack of sunshine! I really should invest in a couple of indoor lamps for photography. I ordered two plastic heads to display my hats on, and this post would be full of hat pictures if the weather had only co-operated. When the sun did peek out from behind the clouds on the weekend, it wasn't for very long. Today a cold front swooped in. Brrrr! I'm hoping the robin that is tootling about our neighbourhood knows it is time to head south now!
Sunday, September 20, 2009
A few photos from Spruce Meadows
One of Calgary's true gems is the Spruce Meadows equestrian facility. Not only is it open all year round, the grounds are absolutely beautiful and so well maintained. During the larger summer competitions such as the North American and Masters, they go all out with carriage rides, mounted regiments, a marketplace, dog agility, live music and lots of food! It's a place you can take the whole family, even if they don't like horses.
Somehow I missed out on all three major events last year, and I was sorely disappointed when I couldn't make the last one, the Masters, which is always held in September. As I recall, I was horribly sick. Spruce Meadows is also a great photo taking opportunity with different riders and breeds about. My family and I caught the tail end of the Battle of the Breeds like we usually do - for some reason we can never figure out when it begins! But every visit is guaranteed to yield lots of reference photos and horse magazines!
Here are a few of the better photos - this was my first time really using the action and sports features on my camera. I think I could have stood railside all day, just trying to get down the perfect tracking. And naturally I could have done that because I love horses so :-) Please join me on Flickr if you're not already my friend there :-)
Somehow I missed out on all three major events last year, and I was sorely disappointed when I couldn't make the last one, the Masters, which is always held in September. As I recall, I was horribly sick. Spruce Meadows is also a great photo taking opportunity with different riders and breeds about. My family and I caught the tail end of the Battle of the Breeds like we usually do - for some reason we can never figure out when it begins! But every visit is guaranteed to yield lots of reference photos and horse magazines!
Here are a few of the better photos - this was my first time really using the action and sports features on my camera. I think I could have stood railside all day, just trying to get down the perfect tracking. And naturally I could have done that because I love horses so :-) Please join me on Flickr if you're not already my friend there :-)
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Just Ducky! (or, Foiled by Fowls)
Today my camera and I went for a walk up to the creek in hopes of finding some photogenic specimens. The creek's banks are relatively unsafe, so I positioned myself on the bridge. The bridge was the site of a shoulda coulda woulda moment a few years ago. It was duck stamp perfect - a male and female duck floating between snowy banks, with just enough grass sticking through to mark the coming of spring. Argh!
I was just about to move on when I saw a drake riding the swift current from the north, and then I realized his mate was just underneath the bridge.
This is the only shot of the female that I was able to get. Great camouflage, eh? She was so close and apparently too close for another male's liking. He shot out of nowhere and practically landed on her tail! She and her mate took to the sky and several times they tried to land in the same general area, but this male was not going to have any of that! It was absolutely thrilling as they flew over me :-) Maybe I'll have better luck next time. This is her mate below. I was able to get three pictures of him before the second male came back around. I didn't know ducks were that territorial.
I was just about to move on when I saw a drake riding the swift current from the north, and then I realized his mate was just underneath the bridge.
This is the only shot of the female that I was able to get. Great camouflage, eh? She was so close and apparently too close for another male's liking. He shot out of nowhere and practically landed on her tail! She and her mate took to the sky and several times they tried to land in the same general area, but this male was not going to have any of that! It was absolutely thrilling as they flew over me :-) Maybe I'll have better luck next time. This is her mate below. I was able to get three pictures of him before the second male came back around. I didn't know ducks were that territorial.
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