Scraping the bottom of the barrel
I've been photographing Soleil for approximately 2750 consecutive days, and Arwen for 1280 consecutive days, and at this time of the year especially, between the glorious colours of autumn and the admittedly pretty yet prodigious snow of wintertime, we've got a dull landscape and not a lot of inspiration in terms of new and attractive ways to photograph two Labradors. Boredom and routine become an impetus to think - and photograph - outside the box. These were taken at a slow shutter speed, twisting the zoom on the lens from one extreme to the other. I like how Arwen appears to be shooting lasers out of her eyes in the first and last images.
winter's eve
Can You Imagine?
For example, what the trees do
not only in lightening storms
or the watery dark of a summer's night
or under the white nets of winter
but now, and now, and now - whenever
we're not looking. Surely you can't imagine
they don't dance, from the root up, wishing
to travel a little, not cramped so much as wanting
a better view, or more sun, or just as avidly
more shade - surely you can't imagine they just
stand there loving every
minute of it, the birds or the emptiness, the dark rings
of the years slowly and without a sound
thickening, and nothing different unless the wind,
and then only in its own mood, comes
to visit, surely you can't imagine
patience, and happiness, like that.
-Mary Oliver
special delivery
I was out taking family Christmas pictures this morning with a very sweet branch of a very sweet family, and one of the many lovely moments was this shot, to announce to friends that a new baby is on the way. Big sister is clearly already very much in love.
