what do you see
little poppet
little dear
when you look past
my face
to where the shadows clear
does your hand trace
memory or sound or sky
draw a circle around us, poppet
keep the dark outside
*31/100: For the next 100 days, I’ll be writing and posting a poem every day.
**All photos are mine, taken with an Olympus E-M1 MarkII and edited with Lightroom Classic.
I’m trying to use my camera’s manual mode more, but it’s not going well. The night of the last full moon, I went to the lake and left in tears. The lighting wasn’t good, and the moon hid behind the clouds. Every image was a mess.
I spent the rest of the night thinking about quitting. I’d secretly been considering making photography my new career. Maybe another year and I could start charging real money for my work and help my family pay down our debt. Failing at the moon photos felt like a rejection—a confirmation that I’m wasting my time.
The next morning, I woke up early and headed to my local park to try again. These photos are the result. I’m still not thrilled with these images, but at least I’m getting better at making fast adjustments. The sky went from totally dark to a bright sunlight in the hour I was there. I had to keep tweaking my settings, popping in and out of light and shadow. But, unlike the previous night, I didn’t let it get to me.
These aren’t the best, not even my best. Not by a long shot. But, I edited them to be cohesive. Some of these shots have potential. I’ve taking a few online photography classes. I’m still going to keep trying.
You should, too.
I believe in you.
“One day you will look at those photos with much kinder eyes, and say, ‘dear God, I was a beautiful thing!'”—Catherine O’Hara as Moira Rose
Today, I’m starting a new series where I photograph the amazing women in my life. I’m hoping to improve my photography skills while at the same time honoring those who make my life so beautiful.
My daughter, Lola, agreed to be my first model. I’m grateful for her creative spirit, willingness to try new things, trust in my abilities, and endearing vulnerability.
Let me know if you have a favorite and have a great weekend.
What makes you proud?
Pushing through things and still being here.
What makes you feel brave?
Sharing my art and performing music.
What gives you hope?
The kind, beautiful people in my family and life.
The news right now is horrific. I watched the video of the second person killed by ICE agents, gunned down on a street in broad daylight, and my heart broke into a million tiny pieces. Again. A powerful sense of mourning for America has overcome me, more than I ever thought possible. I’m terribly sad and angry.
It’s hard to create right now, it’s hard to do anything right now, but something tells me you might need these photos as much as I do. These little tiny pieces of art I crafted for you when I should have been sleeping. Thorns. Flowers. Weeds. Fruit.
These are for you, for me, for all of us.
She walks into the artificial wilderness on unsteady feet and looks around. Nothing seems real. Perhaps she’s fallen. Perhaps she’s dreaming. Perhaps she’s lost her mind. It’s not until she looks up that she finds herself.
“There you are moon,” she says.
The moon says nothing back and she feels better.
“If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn’t. And contrary wise, what is, it wouldn’t be. And what it wouldn’t be, it would. You see?”
—Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
The seventh full moon found me feeling lost. I’m surrounded by tough things; sudden death, cancer, money troubles, injury, hurt friendships, and mental health struggles. Those I love are hurting and I feel helpless. So, here we have some photos that aren’t exactly right. They are a bit nonsensical. I hope you like them. Let me know if you have a favorite.
These photos were taken with an Olympus OM-D and edited with ON1 Photo RAW.
The power of the pink moon wakes me. Stumbling out of bed, I wander barefoot through half-lit rooms looking through distorted glass while my eyes attempt to adjust. What if I let them stay blurry? What if I simply see what’s there? Maybe beauty does exist in the imperfections. The flowers tell me so. I follow the sounds to the beach and surrender.
“Oh moon, I have begun
to envy you
your terrifying
powers”
—Henry Virgin
The fourth full moon of the year arrived on my birthday while on vacation at Dillion Beach. The moon proved elusive and all my photos turned out distorted. I had no choice but to embrace the imperfections and play with them.
Let me know if you have a favorite. These photos were taken with an Olympus OM-D and edited with ON1 Photo RAW.
in Winter
in all Winters
it lays dormant inside
domed darkness
you walk past it looking nowhere
anywhere, but not there
never there
yet it goes still
growing bedrock feral
mushroom bellied
lichen ferocious
trapping pain web-like
crackling like ice
smelling like bruised desperation
like untouched skin
like hot ash scattered by eroded winds
you don’t need to see
to feel
you walk faster looking nowhere
anywhere, but not there
never there
yet it goes still
like tides
like movement
Spring saplings tap-dancing
on rooted tiptoes
daffodils issuing battle cries
thrusting spears upward
dandelion puffs cooing
dreaming light again
there’s a light somewhere
he says
your nested winds sigh
your meadow grasses rustle
your waters ripple gently
just a bit longer
you tell your forest
hold tight
Bridgette Tales 