amythyst_lake's photostream  

Hello, welcome!

A bit about amythyst_lake. I currently live in Boston, Massachusetts, but I grew up in England. I also spent many years in Canada and as a tribute I took my online name from the Amethyst Lakes in the Tonquin Valley, Jasper National Park. I changed the spelling for fun.

I began photography many years ago because I liked to draw and paint and it seemed like a natural extension. I had an Olympus OM10 and I took it everywhere. (I still have it.) But after a while, carrying a camera and lenses became a bit of a burden; friends aren’t always amused if you throw yourself to the ground “just to get the shot”, or particularly patient when you want to change the lens. But worse, I gradually began to feel that I was experiencing the world through a lens instead of with my eyes. So I stopped. Several years passed. Then in June 2006 I bought a small (light!) Canon digital point and shoot (A540) and slowly but surely, for better or worse, it all began again. Photography is my passion!

I’m sure everybody reading this knows that cameras and water don’t mix, so they don’t take their pride-and-joys on canoe trips. But I did, and my little Canon ended up in the Namekagon River in Wisconsin. Since July I’ve had a Nikon D80 (big and heavy). I know better than to take the D80 in a canoe (small sailboats and sea kayaks don’t count) but I do walk all over Boston with it. I’m still using my kit lens (18-135mm). I will get another point and shoot soon for taking on bike trips and vacations, and of course I have a wish list of lenses for the D80!

I love to take pictures of nature and pictures that show the passage of time: the seasons, the weathering of wood, rust, flowers and seeds. I like to go out in the rain and I love walking on the beach. Any beach. I am continually torn between the documentary and the artistic sides of photography. They are both worthwhile approaches, but on the whole I am trying to make my photos more poetic. The very best pictures (not those taken by me) are probably a combination of the two.

Flickr has been great, I’ve learned so much from looking at the work of the many talented photographers here. Thank you all for sharing! I’ve progressed more as a photographer in during my time here than in all of the years that I’ve held a camera.

Many thanks are also due to my partner Jimmy who is endlessly supportive of my habit and would never get impatient while I changed a lens (although luckily for him I only have one).

Finally, if you’ve reached the end of this (I also like writing!), I love and value your comments. It is not necessary to write in English, use your native language if you prefer. The international flavour of Flickr is one of the things that I like the best.

One more thing - I purposefully keep my contact list at a manageable level. So if you add me as a contact, please don't be offended if I don't reciprocate. It is not a reflection of your work. Equally, if I add you as a contact, I have no expectations from you.

Thank you for visiting.

Amythyst/Jill October 2007 (updated March 2009).

A note: if you represent a business, please don't ask me if you can use my photos for free. I really shouldn't have to say that, should I?

One more note: While I appreciate the sentiment, I generally decline invitations to Post 1 Comment x groups. I don't have the patience to do them justice. Thank you.