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Savoring Summertime

The Minnesota State Fair starts tomorrow. This event always signals the end of summer to me. It ends on Labor Day and typically school starts in many local schools the day after Labor Day. I always feel as if fall begins after Labor Day with all of the new activities that begin then. Our grandchildren are marking off another year in their rapid growing up, one will be a senior in high school, the other a sophomore. Tomorrow I’m heading over to their house to take senior photographs for my grandson.  It has been an amazingly beautiful summer here in Read more…

By Marilyn, ago

Beauty Everywhere

This morning on a short walk in my neighborhood I kept seeing Beauty Everywhere I looked. I hadn’t brought my camera with me but I did have my iPhone. So I paused every time some scene of beauty caught my eye and made a photo of it. This is a walk I’ve taken too many times to count. But still as I looked at the weeds and the trees and the wildflowers I found tiny scenes of beauty. In the words of the quote from Still Life in my last blog post, I “turned looking into loving.” I am consistently Read more…

By Marilyn, ago

The First Rule of Art

I wrote recently about a novel that I read this past week that I enjoyed immensely (Still Life by Sarah Winman). Near the end of the book there was a scene that resonated deeply with me. In it, an artist speaks about The First Rule of Art and though I like to think that the great thing about art is that there are no rules, I loved the rule revealed in the following conversation from the novel.. Miss Skinner? said Miss Everly. Do me the honor of telling me what you saw when you looked out your window for the Read more…

By Marilyn, ago

Elderberry Reveries and Duck Tales

I first noticed an elderberry bush growing beside the pond two years ago. It is amazing to me how quickly it has grown. Now that it is larger I notice it more. And this year for the first time, the birds have not eaten all the berries as soon as they show a bit of purple color. So lately I’ve been enjoying Elderberry Reveries and Duck Tales as I photograph the bush and its ripening fruit from different vantage points in different kinds of light. (More on the duck tales below.) Yesterday I went out in the backyard and got Read more…

By Marilyn, ago

Magic Light

As a photographer I pay attention to the changing light. It can change in a matter of moments. And I find that it is often the light that makes a photograph something special. Early this morning I noticed a shaft of light that lit up a patch of dried grasses at the edge of the pond and also extended in a bright angled line across the pond. I’ve never seen a shaft of light like this on the pond before. The dried grass almost looked as if it was a flame rising out of the water. And it felt a Read more…

By Marilyn, ago