Life’s Sweet Ordinary — through my lens

God could not be everywhere and therefore he made mothers. ~Jewish Proverb

It’s been two years since my Mom died. I still miss her immensely so tomorrow is not going to be easy for me. She knew she was dying and there was one thing she insisted I take before she died. It was a book of poetry she received decades ago as a gift. It was obviously something she treasured and wanted me to have. There’s a longer story to this but the important thing is that I have that book and I treasure it more than anything. I love her deeply and miss her intensely. Although I told her I loved her, showed her (though could have done more), I wish I had honoured her even more while she was alive. May you have a day filled with the treasures of motherhood and may you honour your Mother on her special day — and every day.

I love that I can sometimes hear her voice in mine. I hope others can see a part of her in me. {I was going to add a YouTube video here but don’t know how. Here is is: We Rise Again.}

PS: Thanks for the great input on social networking. Looks like we all agree — a waste of time!
PPS: I wasn’t able to get my new website ready for launch but watch on Monday for the big announcement and reveal — I think Monday is the day!!

the R.R. Venture coming in after a day at sea

ADVICE
by Robert Crawford

When you are faced with two alternatives

Choose both. And should they put you to the test,

Tick every box. Nothing is ever single.
A seed’s a tree’s a ship’s a constellation.
Nail your true colours to this branching mast.

Great advice whether in life or in our chosen career path, don’t you think?

Speaking of alternatives, do any of you use the social networking sites to further your business/career? I have solidly kept away from Twitter, Facebook, et al primarily because of the time commitment — I love life and would rather be enjoying and experiencing life than in front of a screen even more than present. I’ve seen those little excerpts from Twitter on some of the blogs and am astounded at the petty chatter so that’s been another good reason (in my view) to keep away. All that said, there are those who have found some of the social networking to be beneficial for business purposes. I don’t hear much on that end so if any of you have positive and measurable results from using social networking, I would love to hear about it. You see, as Mr Crawford advises regarding alternatives, perhaps I should reconsider and “choose both” — oh but I don’t have the time!

“She kept asking if the stories were true. I kept asking her if it mattered. We finally gave up. She was looking for a place to stand, and I wanted a place to fly.” ~ Brian Andreas, Story People.

I’ve begun to take flight. There is an excitement in the air, plenty to anticipate, my spirits are high. Next week there will be news to share.

Huh? You’re probably thinking I have that old cliche turned around. You’re right, I do.

For those using film and not digital, the darkroom is where the final processing occurs for photographic prints. Ansel Adams is known to have worked magic in the darkroom ‘finishing’ his masterpieces. Now that so many of us are using digital, a darkroom still exists — it’s the digital darkroom. I’m no master in the digital darkroom though I’ve been spending time in that digital darkroom practicing, experimenting, and even stretching the limits now and again. Today’s image is a result of some of that practice.

The image above, as it came straight out of the camera (SOOC), was nice enough but I thought it had potential for altering it somewhat to give it a more vintage feel. Using my Lightroom 2 software, I created a negative applying specific levels of processing. I’ve found it so much fun to experiment and play around in this way. Recently I also created my very first high-key image which can be done either in the camera or in the processing. I took an already somewhat overexposed image of a horse, increasing the exposure in the digital darkroom, made a few other minor adjustments, and ended up with a more artistic version that you can view at my photoblog. I was really pleased with the results.

This image of a bloom on my Easter cactus has been through the digital darkroom. Using Lightroom I was able to make it appear like it was created with Velvia film. Velvia film is known for having brighter colours and deeper saturation, among its other attributes. While in that darkroom I could have just as easily made this black and white, sepia, or many other options for final processing. Remember the beautiful close up of that clematis and the pink peony I offered for desktop wallpaper? The colours were more brilliant and crisp but I reduced that brilliance, purposely desaturating both images to give them more of a faded old-time feel. All done in my digital darkroom.

Then again, I could run a photo through that digital darkroom, leaving it as it came straight out of the camera, but add one small touch: a bit of vignetting (that darkening of the edges) like with this box of cupcakes. The only difference between the film version of processing and the digital version is that one is done with chemicals and one is done with the computer. I hope you’ve enjoyed walking through my digital darkroom.

In what ways do you like to experiment or play around with any of your creative pursuits (gardening, photography, painting, crafting, sewing, woodworking, or …)?

“Creativity involves breaking out of established patterns in order to look at things in a different way.” ~ Edward De Bono

“The beauty of the written word is that it can be held close to the heart and read over and over again.” ~Florence Littauer

I’m so immersed in my photos I haven’t been doing nearly as much reading as usual. Other than a couple of technical books (on Lightroom for instance), I haven’t read some good fiction for a while. I’d love to know where your bookmark is currently resting.

I’ve mentioned my friend Karen Bass in a previous post, but thought I’d mention her book again for anyone who may be looking for a good read. Karen’s novel, Run Like Jager is classified as Young Adult but I can guarantee it’s every bit an interesting read for adults as well!

While I’m at it, a fellow dog writer/photographer recently sent me a copy of her lovely picture book, Salty Dogs. Jean Fogle has some fantastic photos of dogs at the beach paired with apt and interesting quotes. This would be a great gift book for anyone who simply loves dogs or those who love being near water.

The reason for not reading some good fiction lately is definitely not because I don’t have some at hand; no, I have two piles of promising novels sitting in abeyance waiting for me to crack their fresh spines. As an avid reader, I’ve read a lot of really powerful, well written novels (and a few that weren’t so great too). I can never list an all-time favourite or even a top 5 or 10 for instance. That said, here is a sampling of some of the novels I’ve read that do make my list of favourites though I couldn’t put them in any kind of order — each was a favourite for different reasons. (These are simply notes I made on these novels and are by no means any sort of review.)

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd: Outstanding. I read and loved this book long before Hollywood got a hold of it. I’ve purposely not seen the movie because I know they could never do the book justice. It’s a feel-good book full of interesting facts on bees, wisdom of life, humour, and intelligence. It’s truly a book every mother and every daughter should read. Kidd writes with lovely descriptive prose and turns of phrase. More importantly, she is adept at characterization and the voice of this protagonist (Lily) is delightful. I loved Lily! She made me smile despite her circumstances.

A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry: a bountiful epic told in the most richly woven prose. Mistry is an artful wordsmith. Not a dry spell to be found in this book. I learned so much about India, their culture, politics, and everyday life in their different social castes. His writing is so full of imagery and so well wrought that I could smell the streets and see the colour as I read page-by-page. The fine balance was that fine line between despair and hope. A book I can never forget. (I also read it years before Oprah discovered it )

The Kite Runner Illustrated Edition by Khaled Husseini: An excellent book with great storytelling and total involvement in the characters. The protagonist, Amir’s shocking betrayal of his loyal friend Hassan is at the root of this novel’s intensity. Highly recommended.

No Great Mischief: A Novel by Alistair MacLeod: A really pleasing read. Plain (in a simple/good way) lucid writing which used landscape as a prominent backdrop. A well told story of family, the historical parallels, and the strength of family ties — “always take care of your blood” as the characters would say. I really enjoyed a line used in the novel, which was repeated as the closing line, “All of us are better when we’re loved.”

House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III: a page turner. The fog, and sand to a degree, are characters in this moving story. I found the characterization of Colonel Behrani exceptional. Constant, and building tension, together with adept storytelling made this an engaging novel to read. I’d classify it as a contemporary tragedy. (I think I’m flattered that Oprah selected some of the books I had already read!)

The Stone Carvers by Jane Urquhart: The unique characters and subject — wood & stone carvers — were dealt with such clarity in this novel. As in past novels I’ve read by Urquhart, she uses the underlying theme of “a trace”. In this case, it’s the trace of the carver on the wood or stone, although I also saw the trace of a man on a woman theme. Each of the characters also had obsessions, which tied in so well with their adventures in life. A detailed, yet enjoyable literary novel.

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden: Beautiful language. What an engaging novel, full of voluptuous prose; an extraordinary story that was hard to put down. His indepth research has made the building blocks of an exquisite story. I didn’t want the book to come to an end and actually remember holding on to the book and not wanting to let it go when I finally did finish it. It flows like gentle ripples on a pond. I was so intrigued by her story and in learning so much about a life of which we all have far too many misconceptions.

Oh dear, I could go on and on. See! It’s hard to pick just a few favourites  What books have you immersed yourself within that inspired you, made an impact, or even altered how you view your life?

Take a risk. Fly out of your comfort zone.

“Don’t refuse to go on an occasional wild goose chase — that’s what wild geese are for.” ~Author Unknown

{Photo taken April 21, 2008 here in Alberta Canada. Canada Geese, Trumpeter Swans, a variety of ducks, plus Northern Pintails in flight.}

Don’t forget to enter my giveaway — draw being made on March 17! Have a weekend full of exploration.