November 2, 2023 by Bridgette

52 Photo Challenge: Week 43-Season

“Way out in the country tonight he could smell the pumpkins ripening toward the knife and the triangle eye and the singeing candle.”—Ray Bradbury

October was a blur of busyness and I’m behind in everything—laundry, dishes, yard work, and blogging. Life is like that sometimes.

My month included poetry night. Housesitting. A music festival. Helping my sister-in-law after emergency surgery. Becoming a godmother. Dungeons & Dragons. Five pumpkin patches with my nephew. Halloween traditions. Movies. Haunted houses. Lots of treats.

My photo assignment, which I’m posting four days late, was to capture the fall season. I took these photos at our annual family outing to Rickey Ranch last week. Not my best work, but who doesn’t love cute animals and a beautiful sky.

To everyone starting NaNoWriMo—happy writing! I’m not participating this year but I’ll root you on. Bring on November!

If you want to read the short story I wrote this time last year:
Week 43: The Abandoned Church

Here are some bonus photos:

Photos were taken with 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
Week 16: Flat Lay
Week 17: Behind the Scenes
Week 18: Water
Week 19: Blurry Foreground
Week 20: Unique Perspective
Week 21: Shadow
Week 22: Food
Week 23: Abstract
Week 24: Reflection
Week 25: Contrast Color
Week 26: Think in Threes
Week 27: Starburst
Week 28: Low Perspective
Week 29: Macro
Week 30: Backlight
Week 31: Big Sky
Week 32: Dominant Color
Week 33: Fill the Frame
Week 34: Spot Metering
Week 35: Handheld Long Exposure
Week 36: S Curve
Week 37: Shoot Through
Week 38: Faces
Week 39: Blossom
Week 40: Environmental Portrait
Week 41: Texture Overlay
Week 42: Details

October 23, 2023 by Bridgette

52 Photo Challenge: Week 42-Details

“Every man’s life ends the same way. It is only the details of how he lived and how he died that distinguish one man from another.”—Ernest Hemingway

This week my assignment for the 52 photo challenge was details. We were asked to take two photos of each subject—near and far. The idea is to show the context of the details.

As October is a time many honor those who have passed, I decided to visit the Sacramento Historic City Cemetery this morning for this assignment. Let me know which pair of images you like best and have a wonderful week.

If you want to read the short story I wrote this time last year:
Week 42: Afraid of the Dark

Here are some creatures around the cemetery and one bonus photo:

Photos were taken with 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

October 16, 2023 by Bridgette

52 Photo Challenge: Week 41-Texture Overlay

“….he said it was interesting. He used the word ‘textured’. He said ‘smooth’ is boring but ‘textured’ was interesting, and the scar meant that I was stronger than whatever had tried to hurt me.” —Jeannette Walls

This week my assignment for the 52 photo challenge was to create images using a texture overlay. For those unfamiliar, it means after taking the image you add an overlay in the post-processing to give the photo a different texture.

I’ve never played with this feature before and had fun trying out different effects. Some of these I blended until they almost disappeared but others I made more obvious. Let me know if you have a favorite and what you think of this type of editing. Not sure I’ll use it often but it’s a great tool to add to my growing photography skills.

If you are in the mood for some reading, here’s a short ghost story I wrote this time last year. I’m proud of this one. Week 41: The Cornfield

Photos were taken with 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

October 9, 2023 by Bridgette

52 Photo Challenge: Week 40-Environmental Portrait

“As long as there are kids who are pissed off and have no real way in venting out that anger, heavy metal will live on.”—Ozzy Osbourne

This week my assignment for the 52 photo challenge was to create an environmental portrait. Ideally, the image would be of a person in their surroundings and it would tell a story.

I didn’t quite follow the instructions. Instead of featuring a singular subject in an environment, I redefined it as featuring the environment itself. The place I focused on was Aftershock. It’s a four-day festival featuring 90 bands with more than 160,000 people in attendance.

As I wasn’t allowed to bring in my camera, all these photos are from my iPhone 13. I added a “gritty” look during editing which fits the mood of the audience and the music. Some of the bands featured on the day I attended were Avatar, Baby Metal, 311, and Korn. The temperature was hot. The crowds were wild. It was a lot of fun. I’m still tired.

If you are in the mood for some reading, here’s a short story I wrote this time last year. It’s one of my favorites. Week 40: Room 313

#10—the crowd walking out at the end of the night looking like a zombie movie.

Photos were taken with an iPhone 13 and edited with ON1 Photo RAW
If you want to join the 52 Photo Challenge, you can find all the information at nicolesy.com

October 2, 2023 by Bridgette

52 Photo Challenge: Week 39-Blossom

“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.”—Anaïs Nin

“Things blossom in their time. They bud and bloom, blossom and fade. Everything in its time.”—Neil Gaiman

This week my assignment for the 52 photo challenge was to take photos that define the word blossom. While it could be interpreted in more abstract ways, I decided to visit my local plant nursery and photograph literal blossoms.

What excites me about these photos is I had an idea of the type of image I wanted—black background and bold colors. In the past, I’ve achieved this look by accident, but today I did it on purpose. I consider this a huge photography milestone.

Let me know which photo is your favorite and have a wonderful week.

If you are in the mood for some reading, here’s the short story I wrote this time last year. Week 39: The Wheels on the Bus

Not a blossom, but aren’t those water drops pretty?

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

September 25, 2023 by Bridgette

52 Photo Challenge: Week 38-Faces

“I know faces, because I look through the fabric my own eye weaves, and behold the reality beneath.”—Kahlil Gibran, Faces

This week my assignment for the 52 photo challenge was to focus on faces. While some of the photos here fit the challenge, especially if you define sunflowers as having faces, most do not. I hope you’ll forgive me this week.

I’m a huge fan of pumpkin patches and have decided my 4-year-old nephew and I will visit a different one every Friday from now until Halloween. Part of these adventures will be to find the most sincere and sweet pumpkin patch in our area.

We started with the opposite of that, the very commercialized Bishop’s Pumpkin Farm. While I know it’s a favorite of many, I find it overwhelming and far too expensive. The train was fun and we loved the corn pit, but it feels like it’s grown too large and is trying to be too many things. Next week we will try a small family farm in Folsom.

Let me know if you have a favorite photo and I hope you have a wonderful week!

Here’s the story I wrote for the 52-short challenge last year which takes place in a post-apocalyptic world. Week 38: Meet Me at the Elephant Ears

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

September 18, 2023 by Bridgette

52 Photo Challenge: Week 37-Shoot Through

“Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, it’s a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope.”—Dr. Seuss

This week my assignment for the 52 photo challenge was to create an image by shooting through an object. My photos were taken this morning at Folsom Lake.

The bird above, and its near twin #5, were shot through a hole in a leaf. Unfortunately, I didn’t manage to capture the edges of the leaf so it’s more of an abstract image. #1 is through a piece of bark and #4 is through a discarded styrofoam cup. Let me know which image you think works best or if you have a favorite.

As a bonus, I’ve included a link to the story I wrote this time last year. It’s a fantasy story/tribute to Queen Elizabeth II. If you haven’t already, I hope you’ll give it a read.

Week 37: With a Touch of the Tapestry

Have a wonderful week!

I played my first Dungeons & Dragons game this week. I’ve been wanting to do this forever and it was everything I thought it could be. So grateful for new friends!

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

September 11, 2023 by Bridgette

52 Photo Challenge: Week 36-S Curve

A sentence with “dappled shadow” in it.
Something not sayable
spurting from the morning silence,
secret as a thrush.
—Winged and Acid Dark, Robert Hass

This week my assignment for the 52 photo challenge was to create an image that contains an S curve. This is exactly what it sounds like—you look for anything that curves similarly to an “S” in either direction. While simple in principle, I must have been looking in all the wrong places because I found this quite a challenge. As such, the last few photos don’t contain a curve but are included just because I like them.

Let me know if you have a favorite and have a wonderful week.

Week 36: The Octopus in the Room

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

September 4, 2023 by Bridgette

52 Photo Challenge: Week 35-Handheld Long Exposure

“The night is falling down around us. Meteors rain like fireworks, quick rips in the seam of the dark… Every second, another streak of silver glows: parentheses, exclamation points, commas – a whole grammar made of light, for words too hard to speak.”—Jodi Picoult

This week my assignment for the 52 photo challenge was to experiment with handheld long exposure. While this is similar to motion blur, instead of trying to capture movement you are trying to create it. I really had fun playing with purposeful movement and light.

These photos were taken either overlooking the city from my neighborhood park or in the local casino parking lot. The shots of my daughter are used with her permission and my gratitude. She’s such a wonderful supporter of me and always up for a drive.

I hope you like these very different kind of shots. I’ve also included two bonus photos of the supermoon. Let me know if you have a favorite photo and have a fantastic week.

Week 35: The Broken Shell

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

August 30, 2023 by Bridgette

Photography: Old Sacramento

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.