October 28, 2024 by Bridgette

Photography: Road Trip and Update

After years of regularly posting and commenting here, I think I’ve reached a place of burnout. I haven’t been fully present like I used to be. It’s not fun.

To get myself out of this slump, and at the advice of my wonderful writer’s group, I’ve decided to self-publish my 52 short stories into a collection available by Christmas. Having a physical book, my book, in my hands will be a dream come true. I need this to move forward.

In the meantime, thank you to those who continue to show up and cheer me on. Your comments are what keeps me going. I hope you’ll consider ordering a copy when it’s available. I can’t even tell you what that would mean. I’m giddy thinking of it.

While I do the hard work of making it happen, here are some photos from my recent road trip. Let me know if you have a favorite and have a fantastic week.

#14, my friend’s dog Paris. Isn’t she the cutest!

As always, all photos were taken by me with an Olympus OM-D and edited with ON1 Photo RAW.

July 5, 2024 by Bridgette

Photography: 4th of July

You-ou-ou, you got the right
Stand up for yourself, we’ve just begun to fight
Ain’t no way we’re going back in time
Forward to the future baby, yours and mine
—RuPaul, American

It’s not easy to love America right now, yet I’m tired of those seeking to destroy freedom while disguising it as patriotism. If you haven’t heard the RuPaul song “American,” go listen. It’s the energy I brought into the holiday yesterday. It’s how I fight back.

I attended a local 4th of July parade in the morning with my daughter, her best friend, my sweet nephew, his dad, my goddaughter, and her family. It was terribly hot, but it felt nice to just smile and wave for a bit. Sometimes we fight and sometimes we rest. Let me know if you have a favorite image and have a great week.

All photos were taken by me using an Olympus OM-D and edited with ON1 Photo RAW.

At the end of the night, we drove to watch the big fireworks show. We couldn’t find a place to park and drove around in circles for over an hour. I was about to give up when the show started and all the cars stopped. We happened to be stopped RIGHT where the fireworks were being set off. Life can be so hard, but it can also be unexpectedly wonderful.

Here’s a grainy screenshot from a video my daughter’s best friend took.
Look how close we are!

April 24, 2023 by Bridgette

52 Photo Challenge: Week 16-Flat Lay

“Hark, now hear the sailors cry,
Smell the sea, and feel the sky,
Let your soul & spirit fly, into the mystic.”
—Van Morrison

This week my assignment for the 52 photo challenge was to create something with a flat-lay setup. It’s supposed to be an image where you lay objects out on a flat surface and photograph them from above. I wasn’t thrilled about this idea, especially since I was spending the weekend along the beautiful California coast. So, you will see the first few images are sort of my attempt at this (the sand is a flat surface, right?) #4 might be the closest I got and it’s not my favorite.

Instead, I offer you mostly shots from my weekend away. Let me know if you have a favorite and thanks for the birthday wishes. I’m feeling full of saltwater kisses and ocean breezes.

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

52 Photo Challenge
Week 1: Bokeh
Week 2: Silhouette
Week 3: Black and White
Week 4: Motion Blur
Week 5: Texture
Week 6: Framing
Week 7: Leading Lines
Week 8: Negative Space
Week 9: Patterns
Week 10: Symmetry
Week 11: Green
Week 12: Sidelight
Week 13: Sense of Scale
Week 14: One Lens
Week 15: Series

September 19, 2022 by Bridgette

Photography: Small Town Faire

One of my dear friends sold handmade hair bows at the Rio Linda/Elverta Country Faire on Saturday and I decided it was a good excuse to visit the small town where I went to high school. It felt nostalgic to drive by my old stomping grounds and I ended up running into several people I knew.

While it’s a town of about 15,000, it’s kept a close connection to its rural roots and many parts of the city remain unchanged. Chances are if you’ve heard of Rio Linda it’s probably because of its frequent flooding or because conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh likes to poke fun at the intelligence of the town by saying “for those of you in Rio Linda.”

While I’m not great at taking photos of crowds, I wanted to challenge myself to capture the feeling of the event through my photography. Nearly all the crowd shots, unfortunately, didn’t turn out as I’d have liked. I found myself once again drawn upward to the sky and the trees. Nonetheless, I hope you enjoy these selections and have a great week.

Bonus photos: The heatwave finally broke and we got some much-needed rain. I couldn’t resist taking a few photos of raindrops in my yard this morning.

Photos were taken with an Olympus OM-D and edited with ON1 Photo RAW

Here’s a photo of me and my husband when we were in high school. I’m wearing my Rio Linda marching band uniform. Aren’t we the cutest?

What to see more?

September 12, 2022 by Bridgette

Photography: Pyrocumulus Clouds

Wildfires are becoming part of summer here in California. Last week we broke several heat records as numerous forest fires raged in various parts of the state. The one nearest to me, about 45 miles away, is the Mosquito Fire. It currently is about 10 percent contained and has burned more than 46,000 acres.

My daughter and I took a drive up the hill to photograph the rather remarkable pyrocumulus clouds we could see filling the sky. There were lots of campers and trucks driving in the opposite direction and we had to wonder if they were people being evacuated or who might have lost their homes. As we stood at a scenic overlook the mood was somber and quiet. Everyone was awed, scared, and overwhelmed by the enormity of what we were seeing.

My heart goes out to those affected by this fire and others in the state. I’ve included some photos at the end of the blog of the beautiful sky this morning and the new growth in my yard. I think it’s important to remember after a fire the land will rebuild and plants will regrow.