One of the things I love about photography...

...is that no matter what you point your lens at, in that instant, you are seeing the world in a unique way. You shut everything out, outside of the borders of the frame, and you decide, in a moment, what is important to the image and what is not. It doesn't matter if you are photographing people, or flowers, or mountain ranges, or grizzly bears, or fast cars...when you frame up an image, in your camera's eye, you instantly, and sometimes without really consciously thinking, choose, in that particular moment, in that particular frame, what is significant and what is not. What is relevant to the image you are creating, what is relevant to your story or your mood or your surroundings. And there are no rights and wrongs, just choices, just you and the lens and the moment.

So maybe, then, our choices are a reflection of who we are, at least in any given moment.

In this moment, when I clicked the shutter for this image, I was enjoying a really quiet weekend in the mountains. It was the kind of rare, unencumbered weekend when I actually got to start and finish a book! And take a nap in a hammock. And take a walk in the woods. So this image is pure and simple, and quiet...a reflection of who I was this past weekend…who I like to be, often.

What do your images say about you?

Dandelion puffs!

I don't know the botanical name for these, I have just always known them as dandelion puffs!  You remember, as a kid, blowing on them, making a wish, trying to get them all off in one breath, and then watching all the little parachutes float away in all directions?  (All the while parents everywhere were cringing that you were spreading dandelion seeds all over the yard?!) 

Well, this was just a fun, quick experiment with focus points...the first, I focused on the interior (for those of you photogs, my aperture was 9.0), and the second, (same aperture, same exposure) just a second later, a focus on the exterior. 

We spent a beautiful couple of days camping in the Teton Canyon, on the West side of the Teton Range.  Now, home and enjoying a quiet weekend, getting ready for our youngest daughter's WEDDING, and a trip to the Oregon Coast!  It seems like just yesterday we were packing the girls up to head to the beach for a summer vacation... 

Maybe if I make a wish on a dandelion puff I can turn back time...and spend one more summer with little sand buckets and "banana suits" and kite-flying little girls?

Living in the moment...but day dreaming of Costa Rica!

I do subscribe to the philosophy that we should appreciate the here and now, live each moment as fully as we can, be present in our lives...all of that gibberish...but as I was recently editing images for our annual calendar I came across a few Costa Rica shots...and couldn't help myself but to recall those long, warm days where the sunshine was plentiful and the sounds of ocean breezes filled our open air cabanas.  I'm just saying...

Photo-a-Day! And...a little message about authenticity!

your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's
life. don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of
other people's thinking. don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out
your own inner voice. and most important, have the courage to follow your
heart and intuition. they somehow already know what you truly want to
become. everything else is secondary.

- steve jobs

Photo-a-Day! Depth of field assignment!

Okay, so this one has taken me awhile to get to, but finally...a comparison for our depth of field assignment. The first photo was taken with an aperture of f5.0...the second at f22...and the result is pretty clear in terms of what is sharp vs. what is soft in the photo. With macro photography (close-up), the difference is tremendous.
So, is one "better" than the other, that's a personal preference kind of thing! I kind of like soft focus in close up images as it makes it kind of creamy...but if the intent is to show detail, then a longer depth of field is a must!
Some tips with macro photography...a good macro lens is a must...it allows you to get super close focus! A tripod is also a must with macro...it is so vital to keep your camera absolutely steady and oftentimes you are working with longer shutter speeds with up close work making it nearly impossible to hand hold. Windy days are not good days for macro work outdoors...but practicing with the flower arrangement on your kitchen counter is a great way to experiment! Macro photography can force creativity because you see things so differently when magnified! Oftentimes it becomes about shape, color and textures, almost abstractually...so play with it...and enjoy!

Photo-a-Day! Sun-drenched weekend!

It seems I am obsessed with sunshine! I get that way in mid-May, when the days of true warmth and sun have been few and far between!

So, I am taking the weekend off, to play...and am wishing everyone a weekend full of sunshine and time to be outside enjoying the warmth and renewing powers of Spring! Whether you spend your time in a garden or in a lawn chair, playing catch or playing on a swingset, on the water or on a hike...breathe deeply and enjoy!

Here comes the sun!

Photo-a-Day! Don't try this at home!

Don't try it at home...but definitely try it wherever you are traveling! I have a whole collection of these kind of abstract shots...taken from the car window...while someone else is driving!
As an experiment, and to cure the boredom of sitting in a car for hours, I matched my shutter speed with the speed we were traveling...set it on manual focus, kind of in the middle of the scene somewhere! I love it!
But really, try it...and see what you come up with!

How I spent my winter vacation!

Remember those essays we all had to write at one point or another in grade school…"what I did for summer vacation” or something along that line…? There was always some kind of fabulous adventure to write about…a new bike, a new best friend, a trip to see the grandparents in Chicago, a trip out west to see the Oregon coast for the first time (I grew up landlocked in the Midwest).

It is only now, more than a few years after grade school, that I know…I never really did anything that spectacular during those vacations, though it was surely spectacular to me at the time…never really saw anything that unique…and I know this now because I got to experience a truly spectacular, wonderfully unique place…the island of North Caicos.

I will write about it a little more, in a later post, but here is a visual preview of my “how I spent my winter vacation” essay!

Stanley, Idaho!

I am a pretty fortunate person!

I got to spend a long, lovely weekend in the mountains of Central Idaho with my hubby...kayaking on glass, photographing nature's beauty, lingering in the solitude of hidden lakes...oh, and hanging out with the locals at the Fireman's Ball at Redfish Lodge! We got carried away at the silent auction, but, it was for a really great cause! Gotta support those fireman who are preserving our beautiful lands!

Here are a few of my favorite shots from the weekend! Beauty surrounds...on...

...and off the water...

Mike Ryan Photography

My husband will be updating his website soon...(as soon as I get to it!)...so be sure to check it out periodically for new images! http://www.mikeryanphoto.com/

Kayaking weekend...continued...

...and some other pretty things in the park...

My creative work is available in prints, fine art cards and on canvas. Call or send me an email to inquire about sizes and pricing. This Fall I will officially launch a gallery on my Heart & Soul Images website which will feature my landscape, wildlife and macro photography!