“Stories, like people and butterflies and songbirds’ eggs and human hearts and dreams, are also fragile things, made up of nothing stronger or more lasting than twenty-six letters and a handful of punctuation marks. Or they are words on the air, composed of sounds and ideas-abstract, invisible, gone once they’ve been spoken-and what could be more frail than that?” —Neil Gaiman
This week my assignment for the 52 photo challenge was to play with the idea of abstract photography. It was defined for me as photos that look unrealistic or unrecognizable. The goal is for the photos to look more like paintings or artwork than a photograph.
My photos this week are from two different locations. The top image and the first seven photos are from William Land Park, including the Sacramento Zoo. The final three images are from a Melanie Martinez concert I attended with my daughter last Wednesday. I edited these photos using the same presets to give the set a cohesive feel. Let me know if you have a favorite.
Thanks, as always, for your support. Life continues to be busy and I’m falling further and further behind in all things, but I remain hopeful and optimistic.
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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
“Some people talk to animals. Not many listen though. That’s the problem.” —A.A. Milne
I went to the Sacramento Zoo by myself this week. It was a cool day and many of the animals weren’t outside, but I really enjoyed my own company and being able to spend as much time as I liked at each spot.
As it turns out, the last time I photographed the zoo was one year ago. It was fun to look back on those images to see if my photography skills have improved. Let me know what you think and have a wonderful day!
“A garden to walk in and immensity to dream in–what more could he ask? A few flowers at his feet and above him the stars.”—Victor Hugo
Happy Saturday! Here are some shots I took earlier this week at William Land Park. I went to photograph the lotus flowers, but they weren’t blooming due to overcast and rain. I shifted my focus to other plants and visited the Sacramento Zoo. I’ll post some animal photos later.
It was nice spending some time alone and remembering I actually like my own company. Let me know if you have a favorite photo and have a wonderful weekend.
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Photos were taken with an Olympus OM-D and edited with ON1 Photo RAW
“If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.”—J.R.R. Tolkien
This week my assignment for the 52 photo challenge was to capture food. It was a busy week celebrating my son graduating from high school, but I did sneak away yesterday to the Carmichael Farmer’s Market. I’m not in love with any of these shots, but I did enjoy spending some time alone and stocking up on my summer favorites.
I’ve been in a funk and stuck in my feelings. I’m extremely behind in reading blogs and responding to comments. Please be patient with me. I’m doing what I can to move through this and hopefully, I’ll be back to myself soon. In the meantime, I think WordPress might have glitched on my photography post for last week. If you missed it, you can find it here: Week 21: Shadow. As always, let me know if you have a favorite. Have a fantastic week!
#1#2#3#4#5#6#7#8#9#10My boy.I’m just a little bit proud.
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
“Nobody, of the hundreds of people that had visited the Fair, knew that a grey spider had played the most important part of all.”—E.B. White
I was a 4-H kid. I started out showing guinea pigs when I was about 12 and slowly moved up to horses. The culmination of my year was always the Sacramento County Fair.
This week we attended the final hours of the fair to cheer on my daughter’s friend who had entered a flower arrangement in the youth exhibit. While the animals were almost all gone, it was still great fun to wander the fair with my camera. I hope these images spark a bit of joy or memory for you today. Let me know if you have a favorite and have a great rest of your week.
#1#2#3#4#5#6#7#8#9#10#11#12#13#14#15#16#17I’m the girl in the center with my champion guinea pig (he had fancy pedigree papers!) Clearly, this was the era of big hair and even bigger hoops.Me on my horse Rocket sometime in the early 90s.
Turn up the music, turn down the lights I got a feelin’ I’m gon’ be alright Okay (okay), alright It’s about damn time
On Sunday, my daughter and I attended a Lizzo concert in downtown Sacramento. It was a combined birthday present for us both and it was life-changing.
We got to the arena five hours before showtime and were lucky enough to be number 35 and 36 in line. The fans we stood beside became our friends as we waited in excitement to be let into the arena. I’d never done pit tickets before and didn’t know what to expect, but our new friends took us under their wing and walked us through the ropes.
Once inside, we got a spot on the barricade—right beside the stage! My daughter and I kept turning to each other in disbelief. It was more than we could have hoped for.
Lizzo’s DJ opened the show followed by the gorgeous Latto. One of her songs featured protest signs and we chanted “My Body, My Choice” as a crowd. The energy felt incredible.
Then, the moment came. When Lizzo took the stage in a striking purple sparkling outfit, my daughter and I cried. She is more than a performer to us, she’s a symbol of how to love your body. She’s a role model. She stands for self-love in the biggest way possible. We were starstruck! We danced, sang along at the top of our lungs, and laughed. We felt free and beautiful. We felt her magic.
When Lizzo appeared in a stunning silver robe and removed it to sing Naked to the crowd, it brought up some big feelings. I’ve had such a hard time loving my plus-sized body, but she made me believe I could. She made me believe I deserve it. We all do. What a gift!
Let down my guard, undo my robe I’m standing here, don’t need no clothes I’m naked Love how you look at me naked Come make this body feel sacred I’m a big girl, don’t you waste it, naked
The most powerful moment of the night, for us, was when Lizzo played the song Special. This song is an anthem in our house and has played a major role in my daughter’s mental health journey. It’s a mantra and a call to self-love. We play it on the dark days as a beacon of light. We cling to it when times are hard. To hear Lizzo sing it mere feet from us was transformative. My daughter and I sobbed beside each other feeling the weight of the last few years, the bigness of what we’ve been through together, and the love we share.
In case nobody told you today You’re special In case nobody made you believe You’re special Well, I will always love you the same You’re special I’m so glad that you’re still with us Broken, but damn, you’re still perfect
At one point during the song, Lizzo saw my girl sobbing and they had a moment. She gave my girl love. Directly. Life can be so hard, but that moment was pure and utter magic. I can’t thank Lizzo enough for seeing her, for her powerful music, and for making me believe in the good of people. Here’s a bit of the song for you to enjoy:
It’s been a few days since the concert and honestly, I still feel transformed. My body feels somehow more comfortable. More like my home. I wore tighter clothes the last few days and didn’t hide my arms. I felt more peaceful about my body. More in love with it. This morning I even caught my reflection in the back door while watering and thought I looked pretty. I snapped this picture so I can remember this feeling.
If you are reading this today, consider it partly a love letter to you. Yes, you. I know it’s hard to love our bodies when they don’t look like we think they “should.” But it’s okay. It really is. You can work on yourself and love yourself. You can be happy with your body right now. Please, be kind to you today. We all need you here. One more time, all together:
You’re special I’m so glad that you’re still with us Broken, but damn, you’re still perfect
“May your feet ever walk in the light of two suns… and may the moonshadow never fall on you… ”—Robert Fanney
This week my assignment for the 52 photo challenge was to capture shadows. I had originally thought it might be nice to drive downtown and look for interesting shapes, but time got away from me and I settled on playing around at home.
The first eight photos were taken in my daughter’s bedroom and are of my own shadow. The rest were taken in the backyard. The hummingbird and owl are metal cutouts that usually sit in my planters, but I moved them around to create these images.
Last week was hard for me. I cried a lot and reached a new part of my healing and these photos are a part of that expression. I hope these photos bring you as much joy as they did me. Let me know if you have a favorite and have a fantastic week!
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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
“Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.”—Marcus Aurelius
This week my assignment for the 52 photo challenge was to capture images with a unique perspective. After overthinking and beating myself up last week, I decided to have fun with this one. All of these photos are taken in my yard. I rolled around on the ground, played with the cat, and chased a few ladybugs and bees. It was probably the most fun I’ve had taking photos in a long time.
I edited the photos differently this week too, opting for a sort of dark wood feeling. It might not fit with spring, but it fits the mood of these photos and I really like it. Let me know if you have a favorite and have a fantastic week.
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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
“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 create an image with a blurry foreground. My daughter and I went to the McKinley Rose Garden in downtown Sacramento at sunset, but I found it hard to not focus on close-up photos of the gorgeous petals. I spent hours messing around with the settings on my camera and getting very annoyed at myself. I left grumpy, covered in mosquito bites, and feeling like a fraud.
On Friday, in an attempt to feel better, I grabbed the camera and took a few shots of my darling nephew. Unfortunately, I’m not sure about those shots either. It seems I’m discontent with everything I create right now. It feels like I’m stagnant or perhaps I’m too close to see my own growth. It’s making me feel insecure, needy, and impatient. Ugh.
All this to say, I really need help in picking an image to share with the photography group this week. Any favorites? Also, any advice on beating the creativity blues is more than welcome. Thank you for stopping by and smelling the roses. I hope you have a fantastic week!
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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
“A lake is a landscape’s most beautiful and expressive feature. It is Earth’s eye; looking into which the beholder measures the depth of his own nature.” —Henry David Thoreau
This week my assignment for the 52 photo challenge was to capture water. My daughter and I visited Folsom Lake at sunset on a chilly Thursday. We spent about three hours wandering, sitting on rocks, and taking in the healing nature of being near a large body of water. It had rained all day and we lucked out when a ray of sunlight burst through the clouds.
Let me know what photo you think I should submit this week for the challenge and if you have an overall favorite. Have a wonderful week!
#1#2#3#4#5#6#7#8#9#10#11My spot on the top of a rock.
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
Bridgette Tales 