A different view of the Eiffel Tower, taken from below and looking up at one corner of the gorgeous structure.
Planning a summer vacation?
Summer travel season + time with family = lots of opportunities for photography. I offer below a list of tips for upping your game to help you get even better photos from your once-in-a-lifetime vacation. This is not a list for the pros; these are tips for folks who take a camera with them when they travel, and that is everyone, because your phone has a great little camera in it that you already use a lot. There’s also a bonus tip for those who really want to go for it. The most important tip: have a fun vacation!
Left, one of a series of abstracts made of eggs, during the last light of a wintry sunset, titled “What’s the Point”. Right, an inviting plate of “Antibes Macarons.”
Circles, in words and pictures
Do you ever feel like you’re running around in circles? Who’s in your social circle? Do you get dark circles under your eyes? Do you get stressed out when you have to circle the correct answer?
I haven’t photographed any of those things, but I do photograph circles. It all began with the photo below right, “Scribed Circle.” We were walking along a street in Paris, I spotted this little scene, and a theme was born. I’m happy to report that eight years later, the scene is still there; if I’m in that part of town, I pay a visit to my partial circle.
I love the perfect circles that are etched into wood or stone or stucco by loosened pieces of the hardware that is used for holding window shutters open. It’s a delightful contrast of precise geometry with wabi-sabi impermanence. Left, “Sorèze Circles,” and right, “Scribed Circle.”
Can you smell it? Warm, freshly-baked bread cools on racks right after being taken from the ancient bread oven.
Nine hours of bread: part one
We began the day with a drive that climbed high into the hills north of town, taking increasingly tiny roads and finally arriving at the hamlet of Cauduro for their bread feast. I have a weakness for tiny roads and secrets to be discovered, and this day’s outing was a dandy example.
Thyme starts flowering in mid-winter, and bees are always happy to visit sweet new flowers. This one is titled “On Thyme Bee.”
Wildflowers in the garrigue
Spring has been teasing us this year, sprinkling a few days of warm sunshine into a cauldron of high winds, cloudy days, and occasional rain. This has all paid off nicely, though, with an abundance of long-lasting wildflowers.
But first, what’s a garrigue?
I live in the garrigue of southern France, and like any other environment, it leaves its mark on those who live here; for me, this is especially true of the look of the land and the smells and tastes of this region.
A barn door in the south of France looks like a “Watermelon Wall.”
Abstract photography
I’m an artist, and my life is all about creativity. I am visual. I see a lot. And while I photograph many different subjects, one of my favorite things to do with a camera is abstract work. With abstracts, the need to tell a story relaxes a bit, and the photograph becomes much like a blank greeting card: it provides space for the viewer to create her own story.
A rich coral sunset casts the last of its light on this graceful branch of an almond tree.
A cool blue evening and a rich coral sunset provide the setting for this graceful branch in “The Last of the Almond Light.”
Spring has sprung!
A few days ago, I knew that spring was really here to stay when I noticed tiny spots of young spring green on the local grapevines. But in truth, spring has been teasing us for weeks now.
It began in February with the almond trees. It wasn’t like this last year, my first in the area. Last year, the flowers began to appear in January, were quickly hit with a hard frost, and that was the end of the almond bloom. This year, the trees waited a full month longer, and wow, did they put on a show. I’ve never lived near almond trees, and I felt like a kid in a candy shop; I didn’t know which way to look, and it kept getting better. One day I was out driving, and I realized that the fields and hills were dotted with what appeared to be little puffballs, soft white with a hint of pink. Everywhere I turned, puffballs. It was the almond trees, in full bloom, and it was enchanting.
Lo Vedo Life 