"Flutterbys"

Chasing butterflies is a great way to spend the middle of a long holiday weekend! My husband thinks they pose for me: I think they were just "thirsty" for some nectar. I especially like the motion in the second pic.

Cathedral of the Pines (Rindge, NH)

The obligatory "postcard" shots, like this...

then some unexpected "fun" shots like these...

and it wouldn't be a Lynne photo shoot without some flower close-ups:

I was just thinking that if I flipped the granite pic 180 degrees and juxtaposed it with the dandelion pic, I'd have a great organic/inorganic interplay. Hmmm, perhaps a new series......

New Self-Portrait

I was asked to submit "a photo of myself" in conjunction with an upcoming article.

Because of my daytime profession as an attorney, traditional "head shots" remind me a little too much of mug shots.

So I chose to interpret "a photo of myself" more broadly than usual and created the following image, which I hope portrays the interplay between "Lawyer Lynne" and "Artist Lynne."

There's no Photoshop magic here: I first created a stereoscope card, printed it out, composed the still life, and photographed it.(400 ISO; 6 secs. at f29, using a remote shutter release cable to prevent camera/tripod shaking: I don't like flash, especially around mirrors)

I particularly like the repetition of arcs in the composition.

Mix and Match

I don't usually create artwork to fit a specific frame, but today, I made an exception. (I repurposed two of my favorite 2011 images into a new composition to fit an ornate silver frame I found yesterday at Home Goods.)

This:

plus this:

and some rudimentary Photoshopping results in

I consider this photo-based artwork to be almost the antithesis of contemplative photography because I was simply Photoshopping existing images as a stress reliever, not shooting or editing as a meditative practice. Also, because I had a certain upcoming show in mind, my focus was on creating an image which would pass the jurying process and showcase a unique artistic vision. In other words, I actively worked to ***emphasize*** the difference between artist and viewer and create something that previously existed only in my mind. (Rather than achieving direct perception of an already existing object and erasing the artist/viewer duality.)

My so-called "artistic vision" was hardly high-brow: I've been humming the Rolling Stones' "She's a Rainbow" all week long after watching Mick Jagger on SNL last weekend and wanted to create a ***subdued*** "rainbow" face. (Rather than a technicolor rainbow that looks like it should have a leprechaun or unicorn next to it.) While I'm happy overall with the quality of the finished piece, I just realized that, more than anything else, it looks like one of my "Borg" migraines!

Hopefully, someone who doesn't get headaches will like it. Otherwise, I may be the first photographer I know to offer "Free bottle of Excedrin Migraine tablets with purchase." (And yes, I know that technically, migraines and headaches are two separate ailments.)

Building Another Sand Mandala, Part 2

More of monks at work:

Details of the mandala design:

Building Another Sand Mandala, Part 1

Last year, I wrote a blog entry about some Buddhist monks who built a sand mandala out in Newmarket, NH.

This year, the same group of monks visited a Shaker village in Canterbury, NH. Following are some images I shot. (More to follow....) I think they're an improvement from last year, which just goes to show that better pictures can sometimes result as you become more and more familiar with your subject matter. (This is the third time I've photographed a mandala being built.) I'd also like to think I learned from last year's mistakes....

The first few pictures are of the room where the mandala was being built. (We first visited at lunch time so that the room would be empty of other tourists.)

Because I found the juxtaposition of Shaker furniture and Tibetan Buddhism so fascinating, I tried to find a single iconic image that would convey that curiosity. Here it is:

Here's the shrine in the room:

Details of the shrine:

Close-ups of some of the sand and tools used:

Here's a monk working with the sand and tools:

These photos should also help explain why story-telling is so important to keep in mind when you're shooting an event or series of photos. Think: "If I gave someone a stack of photos without saying a word, would he/she be able to understand what's going on in the pictures?"

More photos to come: it's 2AM and I desperately need to get some sleep.... so much so that I'll resist making a bad pun about "Mr. Sandman." Until next time....

More Wood

Also at Canterbury Shaker Village:

Variations

Taken at Canterbury Shaker Village:

Lady Slipper

Lovin' the bokeh effect in the background....