gary's images...'s photostream  

My youngest is such a sport and the light couldn't be better!

ODC: peek-a-boo
97-112 eye

So I had an extra hour this morning to play with due the departure of my wife and borrowed daughter on a school trip to New York, New York. I took some photos, uploaded one for a group, and realized today marks the end of the month of May. It is very hard to believe May is at an end. I thought to do a reflection on my photos in this past month. It has been a few months since I last did this self reflective exercise, not because I don't want to be self reflective, but, rather, due to a whirlwind of a schedule in the recent past.

First point I note is that this collage represents a sampling of May; not the entire month. I have been prolific in uploading to flickr on several days in May and there were almost as many days when I did not upload anything. A consequence of this is that this creation shows the work I am most pleased with in May and it represents my best (in my mind).

Next, I note that I tended to upload to special prompts and found a lot of inspiration in the flickr groups I play with frequently: ODC, TOTW, and Teleidoscope being the foremost groups from whom I draw inspiration but there are other groups that trigger my imagination and send me out in search of images too. Bokeh, macros, sliders, etc...

Third, I note that half of the photos I chose to represent this past month are what I refer to as photo manipulations or photoshopped images. I have a great time creating in photoshop and the images I create in this powerful tool elicit the greatest amount of feedback from flickr viewers. I like to think of these photos as a form of artistic expression that comes from deep within my imagination and answers a need I have to express myself.

Fourth, the other half of the photos I chose are not heavily manipulated but they are all worked in photoshop to some degree. These photos represent another part of my desire to photograph. They are a recording of the natural beauty and wonder I glimpse in my daily grind. The act of seeing them is often an active act to keep me grounded in the real world. That may sound odd to some readers but I work in a fast pace environment, an indoor environment, where I am responsible for a multifaceted organization that has a few hundred people under my care and protection. Under the circumstances of my professional life, it is easy for me to loose track of the natural world and get absorbed in the tension of a large social organization. Photography, gardening, my pets, and, most importantly, my family ground me outside of my work environment and these more "natural" photos remind me of the cycles of nature, the fleeting nature of existence, and the need to make the most of the day at hand. I can often get absorbed in the problems that are laid before me to be solved. I was often bringing my problems from work home with me, niggling and nagging at my mind, photography in all its variations as manifested in this past month help me to step away from the professional me and it is cheaper than therapy. :-D

1. path, 2. misty, 3. charity, 4. x marks the spot, 5. light and shadow, 6. jump3, 7. Untitled, 8. Teleidoscope - Week 19 -Speed, 9. Not your average family photo, 10. Portrait of the Invisible Man, 11. walking on clouds, 12. stairway to heaven, 13. pink and green, 14. inspired by literature, 15. scale -alternate version, 16. use your head, 17. paper airplanes, 18. who am I, 19. bridal wreath spirea20. Not available

Created with fd's Flickr Toys

My hedge of bridal wreath spirea is nearing full bloom. The branches are hanging heavy with clusters of lovely little flowers.

HBW!
5:50

My wife and borrowed daughter left for New York, New York this morning at 5am! They tried unsuccessfully to be quiet about it. What to do with an extra hour in the morning on a work day? I got up and inspected my neglected garden with my camera, had an extra cup of joe, and fooled around with PS. I gave the wife the D7000 to give her the best chance at good shots and I am getting used to my D80 all over again. I think I will pass this D80 to my son, who celebrated his 14th birthday yesterday, upon the girls return.

In unrelated news, we've decided to accept another exchange student in 2012-13 but cannot decide between 4 candidates, two Danes, one French, and a fourth from Sweden. All have interesting letters of introduction. Two are boys and two are girls. My wife has left the final decision to me; so I will consult my sons today before making a final choice.

I was playing with my macro at lunch today. This was the gift my kids gave me for Christmas.

79-112 insect

My wife HATES spiders and is mortally afraid of them. I, on the other hand, think that they are one of the best bugs in my garden.