Lookout
Normally the lake would be the star of the show, but on this day she played a supporting role to the gorgeous late-day, weather-changing sky.
Beautiful goodbye
Lines Written In The Days of Growing Darkness
Every year we have been
witness to it: how the
world descends
into a rich mash, in order that
it may resume.
And therefore
who would cry out
to the petals on the ground
to stay,
knowing as we must,
how the vivacity of what was is married
to the vitality of what will be?
I don't say
it's easy, but
what else will do
if the love one claims to have for the world
be true?
So let us go on, cheerfully enough,
this and every crisping day,
though the sun be swinging east,
and the ponds be cold and black,
and the sweets of the year be doomed.
-Mary Oliver
And now for something completely different
Portrait photography is really not my thing. Well people portraits. Dog portraits...I'm all over that. People on the other hand - and especially kids - are so not my bailiwick. That said, I did wedding photography for a couple of summers and it went fairly well. The downside was that the experience was so tiring and intense that I found myself averse to even picking up a camera for my own pleasure. So these days I do the odd portrait session, all by word of mouth, and it is enough to keep my skills on point without running the risk of burnout. Plus, being able to pick and choose whom I work with is certainly a key ingredient in making good pictures, in my opinion anyway.
These pictures are from a Thanksgiving session with a nearby family. We've been carrying on this tradition for three years now. This year we had four generations, including some relatives, five young children (including an infant), three dogs, assorted chickens, ponies and horses. It's organized chaos, and the kids set the tone. The people are both lovely and genuine, so the picture taking feels organic and relaxed.
I'll be sharing a few more of these as the week continues.
