Showing posts with label photography. Show all posts
Showing posts with label photography. Show all posts

Thursday, June 05, 2014

PHC May

 

May is such a marvelous month... Spring is setting in, the flowers are in bloom and the warm weather is beginning to arrive.

Bits and Pieces

The month was filled with more toys and the Lego collection just continues to grow. This little guy was a Mothers Day gift from my daughter, one of three pieces that she knew I'd like to add to the ever growing population of Minifigs. My mother loved to collect clowns, she had us all looking for unique clowns whenever a special occasion called for a gift. So there's a special connection for me with clowns, they always make me think of her. Frankly, she was more into the Emmett Kelly type clown but this little guy just caught my fancy from first sight. There was a very strong connection with Mom as I looked upon this little figure... I'd say it had a very strong heart connection.

At times it may feel like the world is falling in on us, we must go on and pick up the pieces!

Once again I'm submitting to Kate's Photo Heart Connection...

http://kateyestudio.com/category/photo-heart-connection

Tuesday, May 06, 2014

The Simple Path



April... Spring has arrived according to our calendars, which means that the brutal cold weather of winter will soon be a distant memory. This photo was inspired by the AHA National Walking Day on April 2, 2014 and Andrew Whyte's Legography project. If you've followed this blog for any amount of time you are well aware of my love of toy photography, a practice that dates back to 2009 and can be blamed on a little stuffed dog called Snugg LePup on Flickr.

The real heart connection with this photo is to follow this path of life with passion and wonder, and to quote a fortune cookie "A truly great person never puts away the simplicity of a child".



http://kateyestudio.com/category/photo-heart-connection

Wednesday, October 02, 2013

You're A Good Man...


You're A Good Man...
Originally uploaded by maggie_gem

Today is Charlie Brown's birthday... his first comic ran October 2, 1950. Wonder if he got his AARP card?

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Truest Wisdom

Truest Wisdom
Originally uploaded by maggie_gem


Working on Kim Klassen's Skinny Mini course. Applied Sybil texture screen @ 19%

Submitting this to Texture Tuesday... figure I have to start somewhere.

Sunday, February 03, 2013

034/365 C = Cute and Cuddly

034/365 C = Cute and Cuddly
Originally uploaded by maggie_gem


Maddox sitting in the warm and cozy window... And in desperate need of grooming, poor doggie in the window.

Tuesday, August 07, 2012

Morning Concert

If you are familiar in the least with the morning news/talk shows on the major networks you know that they all seem to have concerts on Fridays during the summer. This Friday I managed to haul my lazy bones out of bed at a ridiculously early hour to attend my first morning show concert.

I accompanied my darling daughter to the Midtown Manhatten News Corp. concert set of Fox and Friends. We drove in from NJ and arrived at 48th Street and 6th Avenue at about 6:30 am, if you should happen to take public transportation, this would be the nearest subway station.




Once we arrived on site my daughter quickly found a college friend and proceeded to catch up on all the news and move in close to the stage for a fabulous view of the performance. I took a little bit of a stroll over to 7th Avenue where I found a Smilers convenience store with cut flowers lining the 48th Street side of the corner store. I have a thing for market flowers and these sunflowers surely caught my eye.


The clouds and extreme humidity had Lazy Hazy Days of Summer going through my mind... well at least it's a happy tune :-)

As I stood back and took in the view of NYC and all it's glory the shop's keeper began to wet down the sidewalk in preparation of the day ahead. The city was beginning another new day and the hustle and bustle began. Workers can be seen rushing along the avenue and the lights of Broadway attractions were clearly lit in the background.


It was a quick walk back to 6th Avenue, where a very familiar scene from my many years of working in the city was encountered. The corner coffee cart, a workers' morning necessity long before Starbucks arrived in town. Coffee, rolls, bagels, donuts you could find them all right there at the corner cart. Quick, convenient and most importantly very inexpensive!


I couldn't resist... I got on line and partook in a delightful "regular" coffee. (Passed on all the carbs, breakfast would come after the show). I found a bench right on the corner


with a fabulous view of the stage and far enough from the speakers to avert deafness. (Yeah, I said it... I've come to really enjoy hearing and would like to keep it around for awhile)


The show's guest band was Gloriana... a country band that seems to be taking charts by storm. My daughter has been listening to their music for a couple of years now, she believes they are very talented and haven't received the recognition they deserve as yet. You can read her blog review of their latest album  A Thousand Miles Left Behind  [Stop by her blog and show her some blog love;-)]


The performance was fun and the band stills has a great love of their fans... they freely gave away copies of their CD and autographs were gladly shared.

After the show we had a quick breakfast and started to head over to Central Park. We made it as far as the bus stop on 48th and 6th but the heat and lack of sleep didn't play well for us so we just decided to head back to NJ and call it an early day.

It's hard to believe that I used to work just four blocks from here, it's even harder to believe that it was over 30 years that my career had move further downtown to the Financial District!


The move from Television & Radio to Brokers & Traders was quite a culture shock, but that's a story for another day.


Friday, July 27, 2012

Ready?

Ready?
Originally uploaded by maggie_gem

Yotsuba gathered a gang of friends to get ready to watch the 2012 London Olympics.

We'll be watching the opening ceremonies tonight, my daughter has be anxiously awaiting the show for some time now... she has a thing for Michael Phelps ;-) Looking forward to the show Danny Boyle has put together, it should be very interesting.

205/366

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Dinner - Mostly Cold

Dinner - Mostly Cold
Originally uploaded by maggie_gem

Too hot to even think of cooking and eating a hot meal!

Chicken sausage & peppers, cucumber salad and Romaine with black olives and mozzarella pearls w/Balsalmic dressing.

199/366

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Bizzzzy...

Bizzzzy...
Originally uploaded by maggie_gem

The bees were out in full force this afternoon... this little guy was in and out of these flowers faster than I could focus!

194/366

Friday, July 06, 2012

Pick a seat...

Pick a seat...
Originally uploaded by maggie_gem

As I posted this photo the song "Everyone's Gone to the Moon" just popped right into my head. It's an oldie and I'll probably be humming it for a week.

187/366

Tuesday, July 03, 2012

Celebrating July 4th

Celebrating July 4th
Originally uploaded by maggie_gem

Today's photo is a composite of two images worked through PSE 9 and then Instagram. This is the first time I've attempted such a thing, I like it... What do you think?

185/366

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Happy Mother's Day

Originally uploaded by maggie_gem

After a wonderful afternoon movie with my loving daughter, a pretty flower shot!
 
 
134/366
Camera Nikon D40
Exposure 0.008 sec (1/125)
Aperture f/4.0

Wednesday, May 09, 2012

Tender Hearts

Tender Hearts
Originally uploaded by maggie_gem

Paradise was made for tender hearts ~ Voltaire

Deep within the strength of stone there can found the tears of a heart

130/366

Saturday, May 05, 2012

Delicate Beauty

Delicate Beauty
Originally uploaded by maggie_gem

Tall, vibrant and beautiful... Alone, delicate and vulnerable.

Every flower is a soul blossoming in nature. ~ Gerard de Nerval

125/366
Exposure 0.004 sec (1/250)
Aperture f/3.2
Focal Length 35 mm

Tuesday, May 01, 2012

Make a wish!

Originally uploaded by maggie_gem
“If the sight of the blue skies fills you with joy, if a blade of grass springing up in the fields has power to move you, if the simple things in nature have a message you understand, Rejoice, for your soul is alive.” ~ Elenora Duse

Seeing the wonder of the simple things in life, knowing in my heart there is beauty all around us if we just stop and look for just a moment... These are moments I want to capture!

110/366
#lux #dandelion #flower #morning

I'm linking up with The Photo-Heart Connection with my favorite photo for April!




Monday, April 23, 2012

More iPhone Madness



Another week and half with the iPhone...
It's been a real mixed bag these few days
  • Saturday - Market flowers
  • Sunday - Perfect day for a stroll on the beach
  • Monday - Preparing the invitations for the upcoming graduation celebration
  • Tueday - Turkey on "Light" wheat
  • Wednesday - A visit with my cousin and smile from her charming Buddy
  • Thursday - Morning light made these dandies unresistable
  • Friday - Nikon is idle on the desk
  • Saturday - A family gathering at Cupsaw Lake
  • Sunday - Rainy day at the station, poor girl had to go into The City for work
  • Monday - Another chilly and wet day; toys and snacks shall prevail!
There are tons of apps for the iPhone and I'm having a grand time playing with many of them. The big problem I see is keeping track of what I do as process the photos. There is definitely a conflict between my Technical and Creative selves. The technical wants to observe and record each and every step along way while the creative side is just in there doing and playing! Oh well, I am a Gemini... so that's bound to happen.

Have a great week and until next time... Live, Laugh, Love!

Friday, April 13, 2012

Catching up on April

Catching up on April
Originally uploaded by maggie_gem

1. A Touch of New England, 2. Who's Ugly Now?, 3. Chillin', 4. Spring in Bloom, 5. Some Bunny Needs Love, 6. Good Morning Earlybird, 7. MiniEggs Galore, 8. Fresh Fruit, 9. Tulip, 10. Hyacinth, 11. Maddox - Afternoon Light, 12. Outside the market - #pansies #flower #lux #squaready, 13. Flower Basket

I've been concentrating on using only the iPhone for shooting and editing my 365 for April. While the iPhone is a very simple camera to use, I think it offers great opportunities to expand one's creativity. There are many apps available to assist in capturing the photo that tells the story. As I experiment and explore I hope to share my findings and improve my photography skills.

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Hot Reads...

Hot Reads...
Originally uploaded by maggie_gem

Jeero is very impressed after reading Hunger Games... he now wants to see the movie! He found the next in the series too.

79/366
Exposure 0.013 sec (1/80)
Aperture f/3.2

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Remembering Cranes for Japan


I heard the news today that Japan had another earthquake... and so close to the anniversary of last year's devasting events. I also found it ironic that today's Google Doodle commemorates Akira Yoshizawa the grandmaster of origami.

My heart and prayers go out to all those that suffered the devastation of last year's horror and to those who went through today's horrible reminder!


Today's photo may be a bit of cheat, these were last year's photos compliled into a collage tonight. If you didn't see last year's efforts they are 1000 Cranes for Japan and Update

74/366
Collage - Picasa from last year's Cranes for Japan project

Special thanks to Photobook Girl's recent article on Free Collage Tools for reminding me of this very handy feature in Picasa. BTW, she is far more creative with photobooks and collage than I am and is an excellent source for tips on books!