Olympus

by

Photography: Local Cemetery

“We’re all ghosts. We all carry, inside us, people who came before us.”
-Liam Callanan

I’ve been thinking a lot about my grandmothers lately. Both of them were strong ladies filled with secrets and heartache. Neither of them lived a happy and fulfilled life. They passed onto me a restlessness and a sharp sadness I feel in my bones.

I don’t have a place to visit them, so for our photography lesson today I took my daughter and mother to our small local cemetery. It was a peaceful morning and I walked around thinking about what legacy I will leave my children. How do I want them to remember me?

I keep coming back to the idea that they need to see me happy. It’s by far the greatest gift I can give them—a legacy of peacefulness and joy. They need to see me publish my book, be active and strong, and cultivate my own happiness. I want to leave them a legacy far different than the one passed onto me. I have work to do.

It’s not my photography day, but I want to share these photos with you anyway. I edited them boldly, exaggerating the colors, and I hope you find something interesting in them.

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

52 Photo Challenge: Week 11-Green

“The dawn was apple-green,
The sky was green wine held up in the sun,
The moon was a golden petal between.

She opened her eyes, and green
They shone, clear like flowers undone
For the first time, now for the first time seen.”-D. H. Lawrence

This week my assignment for the 52 photo challenge was to capture something green. My mother, daughter, and I caught a break between storms and took pictures along the American River and in downtown Folsom. It was a lovely day with plenty of green things to catch my eye. We all needed this time together.

Things with my daughter are hard. Last night we went to see the brilliant film “Everything Everywhere All at Once” for a second time and it struck me how much the battle I’m fighting with my daughter’s mental illness is like that horrible black bagel. Her brain tells her so many lies I often feel like I’m at war with her mental illness. Maybe I need to find a way to download some kick-ass martial arts skills or, better yet, find a way to wield my kindness like a weapon.

I sobbed last night in the kitchen for a solid five minutes and then pulled myself back together. What we are doing isn’t working well enough. I’m calling her mental health team again today and asking for more help. I’m exhausted, but I’m hopeful. To quote the film, “When I choose to see the good side of things, I’m not being naive. It is strategic and necessary. It’s how I learned to survive through everything.” I also love this quote, “The only thing I do know is that we have to be kind. Please, be kind. Especially when we don’t know what’s going on.”

Thank you to everyone who reads my blog and spreads kindness. Your comments mean the world to me. Let me know what photo you like best this week. I’m quite partial to the little mushrooms (#2) and the weird cactus-looking weed (#5). I got muddy for both shots but totally worth it. Have a wonderful week!

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

#7

#8

#9

#10

  • 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

by

52 Photo Challenge: Week 10-Symmetry

“Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?”
-William Blake

This week my assignment for the 52 photo challenge was to capture something with symmetry. Although it’s such a simple concept, I found it extremely challenging. I started out looking for mirrored images and reflections, but every image I took felt flat and boring. My perfectionist’s brain was narrowing my vision and I just couldn’t find anything that worked.

My solution—take more photos and think less. The bottles above are a great example. While they seem to contain a symmetrical quality to me, they do have variations in shade and labels. Do they still work? I’m not sure. Does it matter? Not really. The idea of this challenge is to train my eye to look for different elements in a photo. By this definition, I’m doing just fine.

These photos were taken on a rainy day in downtown Lincoln and on the road to and from Camp Far West with my mom and daughter. Let me know which shot you think best uses the concept of symmetry and which is your favorite. Have a wonderful week!

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

#7

#8

#9

#10
  • 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

by

52 Photo Challenge: Week 9-Patterns

“Humans are pattern-seeking story-telling animals, and we are quite adept at telling stories about patterns, whether they exist or not.” ―Michael Shermer

This week my assignment for the 52-week photo challenge was to capture something with patterns. I returned to the beautiful High-Hand Nursery in Loomis and had a wonderful time with my daughter looking for ways to explore the prompt. For the first time in weeks, I’m happy with how my images turned out.

I needed this win because I’ve been stuck in my writing. My old friend Imposter Syndrome has taken up residence near my laptop and he’s telling me all kinds of nonsense. The market is too saturated. You aren’t good enough. Dreams are for young people with natural talent. You are working this hard for nothing. He’s gotten into my head again, but I pushed through yesterday and almost completed the short story I’ve been stuck on. It’s not my best work, but I’ve spent far too long on it and I’m going to publish it in the next few days and move forward.

I’ve got a new poetry idea I’m really excited about, a series of poems actually, and I’ll be sharing more about this project later in the week. Thank you to everyone who supports me and my work here. I was very close to quitting last week, but your comments have kept me going. I’ll push through, I’ve got a lot more work to do.

Let me know which shot you think best uses the concept of patterns and which is your favorite. Have a wonderful week!

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

#7

#8

#9

#10

  • 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

by

52 Photo Challenge: Week 8-Negative Space

“I sometimes think of people’s personalities as the negative space around their insecurities.” -Lindy West 

This week my assignment for the 52-week photo challenge was to capture something with negative space (also known as “copy space” in the commercial-photography industry). It’s a more minimalist style photo and allows space for advertising text to be added.

My first attempt was at our local Green Acres Nursery, but the plants were too close together and I couldn’t get enough space to create the effect I wanted. The last two photos below are the only ones I kept from that shoot. They don’t quite work for negative space, but I really liked how they turned out.

My second attempt was this morning in the rain. I drove around to the farms near my house and I captured these moody photos. I know #8 doesn’t work, but I wanted to include it anyway. Let me know which shot you think best uses the concept of negative space and which is your favorite. Thanks for supporting me!

#1

#2
#3

#4

#5

#6

#7

#8

#9 (This one is dedicated to Cori)

#10

  • 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

by

Photography: South Lake Tahoe

 “I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move.” – Robert Louis Stevenson

I was gifted an overnight trip to Tahoe with my daughter and her best friend. I didn’t know how badly I needed this break. It gave me the chance to get away from my chores, marvel at the beauty of the world, make up stories about monsters hiding in dark snow, and sing in the car at the top of my lungs.

While my life has been hard lately, it’s equally beautiful. It’s the dark bare trees standing up in a field of white. I’d like to share a few things with you.

A childhood friend died unexpectedly last week. Cori introduced me to Sweet Valley High books and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I have fond memories of playing in her pool, doing runway shows in her hallway, and snuggling in blankets to watch movies. I’m devasted for the sister left behind as she’s now lost her father and both her older sisters. Why does tragedy strike some families more than others? It’s wildly unfair.

My daughter continues to struggle with her mental health. This week we had some of the hardest conversations I’ve had in my life, but we are moving forward. She’s getting stronger and bolder about her recovery. Healing isn’t linear and sometimes those steps back are necessary to take another leap forward.

My mother is moving more than 500 miles away in less than two weeks and I’m not ready for her to go. I’ll be helping her move and I know this is good for her, but I’m grieving the loss of being able to see her whenever I want. Super plus side, I’ll get to take photographs in Washington and I’ve heard it’s breathtaking.

I’ve been reading poetry monthly at a wonderfully inclusive and supportive bookstore called A Seat at the Table. They’ve offered to help me launch my book career by hosting a reading/book signing for my 52-short story collection in early May. I’ve got a lot of work to do before I’m ready, but it’s exciting and feels like purpose and joy.

I’ve not posted as much lately and I’m behind in reading my favorite bloggers, but I’m back at it today. Thanks to those who continue to root me on, your support means the world to me. Let me know what you think of these Tahoe photos and have a wonderful week!

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

by

52 Photo Challenge: Week 7-Leading Lines

“Nature creates curved lines while humans create straight lines.” -Hideki Yukawa

This week my assignment for the 52-week photo challenge was to capture leading lines, which simply means looking for lines that lead your eye toward a certain direction in the photo. It was a fun assignment and although I think it would have been easier to do in a city setting, I’m overall happy with my images.

My daughter and I went to one of our favorite places, Effie Yeaw Nature Center, and met up with an old friend who happens to be a fantastic photographer. She gave me some excellent pointers and we had a wonderful time catching up and shooting together.

Let me know which shot you think best uses the concept of leading lines. I’ve numbered the photos again this week and I’ve included some fun extra images outside the assignment. Which is your favorite? Thanks for supporting me!

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

#7

#8

#9

#10
  • 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

by

52 Photo Challenge: Week 6-Framing

“It’s funny how the beauty of art has so much more to do with the frame than the artwork itself.” -Chuck Palahniuk, Choke

This week my assignment for the 52-week photo challenge was to capture something using framing. I visited High-Hand Nursery and although it provided me with lots of beautiful shots, I struggled with symmetry and straight lines. Ultimately, my shots fell short. I wonder if I’m trying too hard. It felt easier to take photos when I wasn’t searching for a specific type of shot. Am I overthinking or is this part of the learning process?

My daughter is taking a photography class and my mother recently got a camera, so both joined me at the nursery. It was fun to walk around together taking photos and it was even more fun to see how different all our shots are.

Let me know which shot you think best uses the concept of framing. I’ve added numbers to the photos this week so it’s easier to comment. I’ve also included a few extra photos from the day. Can you guess which photo is my favorite? Have a wonderful week!

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

#7

#8

#9

#10

  • 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

by

Photography: Morning Walk

“Nobody can bring you peace but yourself.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson

I’ve found a new walking path near my house which is kinder to my healing hip. There are beautiful old trees, a view of the mountains, lots of birds, and a pond with ducks. I’m grateful for the beauty it contains and the gentle slopping path I can walk and think.

My childhood best friend lost her father recently. He was like a father to me too, a loving and beautiful man who loved to fix and collect things. I’m working on a poem to honor him, but it’s not ready yet. Instead, I decided to do another photo post this week and share my special place with you.

May you find a moment of peace today.

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

52 Photo Challenge: Week 5-Texture

“When I was a kid I believed everything I was told, everything I read, and every dispatch sent out by my own overheated imagination. This made for more than a few sleepless nights, but it also filled the world I lived in with colors and textures I would not have traded for a lifetime of restful nights.”
― Stephen King

Welcome back to the 52-week photo challenge. This week our assignment was to capture texture, which is something I naturally look for when taking photos. My daughter and I visited a park near our house and the sun was really too bright. While I got a variety of shots, I was ultimately disappointed with my offerings. The colors were either over-exposed or simply too bright. The images below are the ones I could salvage and edit.

I can only share one photo with the challenge group. I’m leaning toward either the lichen or the oily water shot. Which photo do you think best illustrates texture? Thanks as always for cheering me on and have a wonderful week.

NOTE: To my regular followers, life has been a bit on the stressful side lately. As a result, you may see me posting two posts a week for a while instead of three. Thank you for your love and understanding.

  • 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.