Shadows Catch My Eye

I’ve been fairly busy lately: I’m enrolled in 10ThousandFeet with Tara Gentile and Brigitte Lyons, I’m photographing a book for Jessica Swift (read more on her blog!) and I’m a new board member at my son’s school. All of these activities involve huge learning curves, so taking a moment to notice the beautiful details around me, like shadows on the walls or floors or tables, is a moment that restores me. When the sun makes a fleeting appearance here, I always pay close attention. Light creates superb shadows, which catch my eye and I photograph them so I can get lost in the memory of their dance whenever I want.

Scene Around Portland: Cathedral Park and the St. Johns Bridge

After living here for over two years, and seeing countless pictures of the year taken there, I finally made it to Cathedral Park and got my own photo of the iconic St. Johns Bridge.

You can purchase this photograph for $95.

From the city of Portland's website, I learned more about this location and bridge.

"The site which now bears the name Cathedral Park is steeped in history. It is believed to be one of the 14 Lewis and Clark landing sites in the Vancouver-Portland area: William Clark and eight men camped there on April 2, 1806. This spot had been a fishing and camping site for many area Indian tribes. In 1847, the founder of St Johns, James John, settled on the site and operated a ferry to Linnton across the Willamette River. In 1931, the St Johns Bridge was built on the site with 400-ft towers and a main span of 1,207 feet. It is the only steel suspension bridge in Portland."

Tidbit about me: I am one of those people who is really afraid of heights. I'm fine on most of the bridges in Portland because they are fairly low and short distances. I avoid driving on this bridge as much as possible. I think I've only driven over it three times in over two years.

Pause for Photography: Ranunculus

How much am I loving ranunculus? A LOT, and I'm not the only one, see item #2.

© Melanie O

© Diana Brennan

© Gwen Harlow

© Koizumi

© Sunday Williams

© Pat Dumas

© grom moss

{all of these beautiful images were used under their Creative Commons licenses}

Now tell me, didn't I make you want to run right to the market and get yourself a bunch? Or is it just me?

Pause for Photography: Evie Marie

When I'm not able to get behind my own camera often enough or when life's troubles are getting to me, I find myself searching for pretty photographs to lift me up. This is not difficult to do considering I am part of the amazing Female Photographers of Etsy (fPOE), a group of talented, hard-working, inspiring women. It is through fPOE that I came to Evie Marie's wonderful, light-filled images this week.

photographs used with permission, © Evie Marie

I feel like Evie Marie's photographs are a little presents she wrapped up just for me this week. Only now they are your presents too, because she was kind enough to let me share them with you. Oh, and her name is pronounced Eh-vee, not Eee-vee. :)

See more of her work in her photostream, her shop, her blog and Facebook.

Pause for Photography: Kelli Jane Photography

You know the story, you're on Flickr, surfing favorites and then wham! You fall in love with a new photostream. I immediately contacted Kelli Jane for permission to blog some of her amazing Polaroids. Lucky for us, she said yes! :)

All photographs © Kelli Jane

Kelli's collection of work is wonderful, but I am very drawn to her Polaroid photography. She really understand what subjects are perfect for the medium: the quiet stillness of the everyday.

This is just a sprinkling of my favorite images from Kelli. You can find more of Kelli on her blog, website, Twitter and Facebook. She has inspired me to invest in a new pack of film for my beloved and neglected SX-70.

Pause for Photography: Laurence Philomene

I needed, desperately needed, a few minutes of inspiration this morning. I went straight to Pinterest and searched photography. It worked like a charm because I found my way to Recordis Photography which led me to Laurence Philomène and an image in her Flickr that perfectly suits me for the entire month of January so far.

"5 am" by Laurence Philomène

Please click on the image because on its Flickr page, there are two more images that complete the series. I think her work is phenomenal. Now I don't have to tell you why I've hardly been blogging or doing anything that fills my creative cup. I've been exhausted from the sheer weight of the daily routine lately.

Miss you all!

Pause for Photography: A Place for Twiggs

 {treasure hunt wednesdays} by {...a place for twiggs}

Isn't this a charming image? I felt so warm and happy the moment I spied it on Flickr today. Sadly it has taken me this many long hours to get over to my blog and share it. But it is lighting my way this dark, grey, rainy day...which I love, you know I love me some rainy days, but this day I feel cold and slow. So it's good to be warmed by an utterly charming image such as this.

Find more of Twiggs on her blog, her shop, Flickr, Facebook, Twitter and the ever-inspiring Pinterest.

There you go, a happy way to spend an afternoon! :)

Pause for Photography: Rosina W.

I have been seeing Rosina W.'s photos in many of the Flickr groups that I belong to for quite awhile, but it wasn't just her dreamy images that caught my eye.

It was also her name. Rosina is a fairly unusual name and it happens to have a very sentimental association for me. My grandma's name was Rose and I was very close to her while she was alive. One of my two trips to Italy was with her in 1998 when we discovered about 40 relatives in Sicily that we never knew existed. That is a post (or book) for another time though.

It wasn't until nearly the last years of her life that I learned a lot more about my grandma, including the name she was born with: Rosina. I don't have a middle name, but if I ever decide to legally take one, it would be Rosina without a doubt. But let's get back to Rosina W. and her dreamy world.

all images © Rosina W. Photography

You can find more of Rosina's photos in her photostream, and become her fan on Facebook. I especially love her sun flares set. Thank you Rosina for making my blog extra pretty today!

Pause for Photography: Mike Bailey Gates

I do not know how I stumbed on to this photo, but you have to stop and check out Mike Bailey-Gates. He is sixteen seventeen and he likes winter hats, frozen shoe laces, numb feet and spies. Well, I like spies too! Mike was awesome to give me permission to share this photo on my blog today.

© Mike Bailey Gates

Words cannot possibly add to this photo, so just get lost in it for awhile. Then go to this set, and love on this gorgeous, amazing doe.

At least, this is how I plan to spend a stormy day in the Bay Area!

And Mike, you are pretty darn rad.


P.S. Right before I was about to publish this, I went to add Mike's website to the post and I realized I had seen it before. Oh yes, Bright Light Guy sent me his site almost a month ago. So I stumbled onto Mike this week again on my own, but I was shown the way by Sean. Thanks Sean! Now go get lost in some amazing photography! :)

Pause for Photography: My Fine Garden

Yesterday I was browsing on Lovely Clusters, a site that I was recently invited to join. I accepted with pride because the collection of artists and photographers is dreamy and beautiful, just as Rachel & Vicki suggest in their tagline.

Considering we swim in the same pool of blogs much of the time, I was surprised to discover Shanon of My Fine Garden on Lovely Clusters instead of elsewhere. I wandered around her Etsy shop and fell for many of her photos.

There is lots of goodness in Shanon's photostream as well, including her diptych, giving thanks which sent me straight into another fabulous daydream.

Today I am giving thanks for meeting Shanon in blogland. I am now following her on Twitter and I'm definitely a big, new fan of her work. I am also thankful she is offering her beautiful pine cone in the form of a card set.

All images © SLGdesigns.