Mourning Cloak Butterfly

My husband and I was hiking in the woods a few years ago hoping to do some photography, and this little butterfly crossed our path.  It is called a Mourning Cloak butterfly, and I had never seen one before.  Now that I think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever seen one since.  Maybe that’s why I like this picture so much.  I also like the somewhat neutral colors not only on the butterfly but also the background.  It’s very different from some of my other butterfly pictures which tend to have bright green and blue colors.

Prints available here.

Horses in a Field

A few years ago my friends and I went on a country drive as we often do, and we came upon a farm with some horses in a field.  We pulled over and asked the farmer if he would allow us to photograph his horses, and he proudly accepted us.  I didn’t get a lot of pictures that day, but I did get a few that a liked, such as this one which I like as a black and white photograph.

Prints available here.

First Sketch Since Diagnosed with Psoriatic Arthritis

This is my first sketch since January and since I’ve been diagnosed with Psoriatic Arthritis.  Because of my arthritis, I have bad pain and swelling in my hand making it very difficult to draw or write.  My fingers are swollen up like sausages and I can make a fist.  But, last week I was able sketch.  It was difficult and the sketch isn’t great, but I’m proud of trying.  I think I may need to find a different way to hold the pencil, but I’ll figure it out eventually.

Unfortunately, my ability to draw didn’t last long.  The next day my hand was back to being very swollen and painful (some of the worst I’ve had so far), and I mostly haven’t been able to use my hand at all.  Today (a week later)  it feels slightly better, so I may get out the pencil and sketchbook again.  I think it’s going to be a long and slow process, but I’m willing to work at it.  I’m not ready to give up art.

 

Electric Guitar Photography Shoot: Video

I added some photographs to our musical photography collection on our website.  My husband and I recently did a little photo shoot of his electric guitars.  I think they would make great prints for a band room, for a musician or for any lover of music.  Check out the video!

First Time Holding My Camera In Months

Over the weekend I held my camera for the first time since diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis.  We went to a local park to walk and take some photographs, and it wasn’t just the first time I used the camera but also the first I was outside for any decent length of time since pretty much January.  Granted, I had to sit down at nearly every bench around the path, and we didn’t walk a long distance before we had to turn around, but I still managed to be outside for 45 minutes.  It felt great!  This year I’ve focused on my small victories, but this one was a huge victory for me.  Just a few weeks ago I couldn’t even roll over in bed without excruciating pain, and now I’m taking pictures again.  Of course, I’m not without my limits (and I still have a lot of them), but this is so much better than where I was.  Hopefully I stay on this path to healing.

Here is my favorite photograph from the day.  It was a beautiful garden of white and maroon colored tulips, and I love the delicate and romantic quality to the image.

Prints are available here if you’re interested.

 

 

Organizing Photos

I take a lot of photographs, but unfortunately I’m not very good at keeping them organized and backed up. Organizing them is one of my current projects, and when I started working on it I realized I have about 10,000 photographs to go through. Yikes! My advice is to make sure you do this from the beginning; otherwise you’ll end up with a mess.  This advice is helpful even for those that just enjoy taking pictures with your cell phone.  Try to have a plan to organize and back up your pictures before you lose them or have too many.

 

 

Tulip Garden Photography – Video

I made a quick video showcasing some of my tulip garden photography from a local metro garden/park.  Check it out!

Look Towards the Sky

This is one of my husband’s photographs, and I love it.  It is what I think of when I think of spring and summer; of being a kid and climbing trees, building forts, playing capture the flag in the woods, finding bugs and butterflies, and building our own little world to play in.  This simple image seems full of life.

Prints available here.

 

Garden

This isn’t my garden, but I wish it was.  This peaceful scene is from a metro garden/park in my area, and it makes me think it could be some secret place in a fantasy story.  I sure would love to read a book under that tree.

Prints available here.