Naughty or Nice?

While thrift shopping yesterday for last-minute vintage decorations, my husband and I acquired this creepy stuffed doll dressed up as a present. (After doing a little online research, we concluded that it is part of a line of toys available only via "claw machines" in arcades.)

I entertained myself this AM taking photos of the newest addition to our family -- which we named "Malcolm X-Mas" -- looking as "animated" as possible. Below are two versions of the same photo: a "nice" one with a white "mall portrait" style border and a cross-hatch filter; the other tatted up a bit to more closely resemble the style of some of the photos in "This is Gonna Hurt: Music, Photography and Life Through the Distorted Lens of Nikki Sixx" a book that D bought me for Christmas and which urges readers to expand their notions of "beauty." These two versions demonstrate just part of the spectrum of possibilities available in any captured image.






Which do you prefer and why: naughty or nice?

"Oh, Snap!"

Here's a design preview of my newest photo book, available soon via Blurb.com. (Those of you who regularly read this blog know that I REALLY need to take my time proofreading...) Click on either image to view at full-size:

Happy Accident

Detail of leaf:



plus detail of Christmas ornament:



set on blending: difference mode:



equals photo montage that looks like batik, but without all that messy dye and wax. Don't be afraid to combine pix from different seasons and locations. You never know what you'll end up with...

Frost, Frost, Baby!

Car window, right before the early morning sun melted the frost...

Mt. Chocorua

Thanksgiving morning at Mount Chocorua, White Mountains, New Hampshire:

Fishing for Something New

While taking some pix at Mt. Chocorua, I found some fishing line wrapped around a tree branch....

Flaky Fotos

Snowed in up in North Conway, New Hampshire:

Some Shots You Can't Plan:

Not Too Late For Color....

Another study of Prescott Park, accompanied by my photo buddy K:

Portsmouth, NH - Fall Garden

The gardens at Prescott Park are still pretty spectacular (even though I miscalculated when the foliage would peak.) Here's a few photos I shot during my mentoring session with "K."

Get Inspired by Fall (Even Indoors!)

You can be inspired by the colors of the season, even when you're not shooting outside. Here's a photo of a pepper plant that grows in my office:

Flowers: the Other Colors of Fall

Variations on a Theme (Bee's Knees)

Check out the pollen on its "face":

The Backyard Challenge

I recently met a photographer who shared with me an intriguing anecdote about a colleague who created a series of photographs shot entirely in his yard. This AM, I attempted something similar, limiting myself only to the grounds of the apartment complex. Below are some representative images:















(This last one's a detail shot of a mushroom.)

I encourage you to get out and capture images of the wonders in YOUR own backyard.

The Pickup Artist

Drop-offs and pickups are one of the more mundane tasks associated with being an artist who showcases her work in area venues.

Yesterday, I transferred my two pieces from the NH Art Association's juried Parfitt show over to the Association's Small Works Gallery.

I also delivered two new pieces to the Association's main gallery for its newest show, entitled "Views of the World Through the Artists' Eye."







I arrived close to the end of the day, so several other pieces -- in a variety of media -- had already been delivered by this time. Even though it's a non-juried member show, all members must be juried into the Association. As such, the overall quality of the show promises to be quite high.

I encourage you to attend the opening reception for "Views of the World Through the Artists' Eye" on Friday, October 7, 2011 from 5-8PM. The show runs through the last weekend of October.

Today is the last day to see "the Vision and the Word at Exeter Town Hall. My husband Darren and I both have pieces in the show, as do several WCA-NH members. I especially encourage you to see the assemblages by Linda Aronson, who runs an antiques shop just a few doors down from Town Hall.

Early Fall in Tamworth, NH

Here are a few of the images I shot today in scenic Tamworth, NH:








Click here to read my article on shooting fall foliage in New England.