Yesterday I went to Old Sacramento with my mom to do a little photography. She’s headed back to Washington in a few days and this was our last outing until I visit her in the Spring. Instead of taking photos for the next challenge, I took photos of whatever I liked.
There were more cracked windows and boarded-up businesses than I remembered seeing the last time I visited. More homeless people and garbage too. For most of my life, this part of Sacramento has felt sacred to me. It’s a bit of history you can walk around and touch. It’s sad to see it declining.
It feels like a microcosm for so much in the world. Things aren’t the way they used to be (oh, that makes me sound old). “Back in my day…” But it’s true. It’s hard to remain optimistic with mass shootings and climate change disasters. It’s hard to think about where this is all heading. It’s hard to live in the uncertainty.
Meanwhile, my personal life is easier right now. My daughter’s mental health is stable and she’s enjoying homeschool. My son has graduated high school and is taking some time to rest and recover from the last few years. I’ve got some great friends who love me and a fantastic and supportive writing group.
Despite all this good, I feel trepidatious. After living in a state of constant anxiety for years my body doesn’t trust “easy”. I’ve had some panic attacks and some nightmares. The writing goals I set for the year aren’t looking possible and I walk the line between optimism and grief quite regularly.
As a result, I suppose, my blog has become filled with photography and poetry. I’ve been using these creative forms as a way of exploring joy and finding balance. I still pull out my works-in-progress and play with them from time to time. I still want to self-publish my short story collection. I still have plenty of goals, but maybe it’s not a bad thing to slow down.
I don’t know what the future brings for my family, my blog, and the world, but I do know it’s better when we all reach out and support each other. I’m so grateful to everyone who stops by to leave me a like or a comment. My friendships here fill me with so much hope. So, in case I haven’t said it lately, I’m glad you are here.
Thank you.
#1#2#3#4#5#6#7#8#9#10
Photos were taken with an Olympus OM-D and edited with ON1 Photo RAW
“When the light turns green, you go. When the light turns red, you stop. But what do you do when the light turns blue with orange and lavender spots?” —Shel Silverstein, A Light in the Attic
This week my assignment for the 52 photo challenge was to use spot metering. I’ve heard the words before and had a vague understanding of what they mean, but it was time for me to really figure it out.
For those unfamiliar, it’s a setting on your camera that takes a measurement of light from a single spot and then adjusts the exposure. It took me watching a few how-to videos to find the setting on my camera and then I headed to Old Folsom at night.
The results show how inexperienced I am. In retrospect, night photography wasn’t the best idea. However, I did get a picture of the moon that’s not a white blurry blob. Skill unlocked. Be warned—there will be a lot more pictures of the moon now!
Let me know what you think. My son said the clock photo reminded him of Alice in Wonderland as the clock tower has virtually disappeared. Do you like the effect? Do you have another favorite? Thanks as always for your support and have a wonderful week.
Also, if you’ve not read it before, here’s the short story I wrote this time last year:
“You can frame a moment. But you can’t frame life.”—Armin Houman
This week my assignment for the 52 photo challenge was to fill the frame with the subject. As I tend to take a lot of macro shots, I wanted to challenge myself to find something different to fill the frame.
As I started out this morning it began to rain, a wonderful surprise, so I decided to take a drive. The tree above and the first seven photos are all from around the Lincoln area and taken from my car. The rest of the photos are from my yard. Let me know which one you think best fits the challenge and if you have a favorite. Hope your week is wonderful!
Also, you may remember last year I was writing a short story a week. It just occurred to me it might be fun to see what story I was writing this exact time last year and include a link with these Monday photos. So, here you go:
“You are all the colors in one, at full brightness.” —Jennifer Niven
This week my assignment for the 52 photo challenge was to focus on a dominant color in the frame. My mom is visiting from Washington and we went together to the local plant nursery in search of color. It was a warm day and the sunlight was harsh, but we had a lovely time.
Most of these ended up being macro shots, which I think still work. Let me know which one you think best fits the challenge and if you have a favorite. Hope your week is wonderful!
#1#2#3#4#5#6#7#8#9#10#11—Doesn’t fit the challenge, but I liked it anyway.#12—Isn’t my mom cute?
Photos were taken with an Olympus OM-D and edited with ON1 Photo RAW
If you want to join the 52 Photo Challenge, you can find all the information at nicolesy.com
earbuds in place i step outside dance the sunrise drumbeats say love or maybe move see myself stretch sway warm awake toes touch dirt skirt twirls free eyes open wider life is poetry
Bridgette Tales 