Dream-ography

"You may say I'm a dreamer

But I'm not the only one"

- John Lennon (Imagine)

{KK-dream)

I was going to finish a post that I started many, many months ago, that would have tied in so well with this weeks song-ography and MLK day.

But, I must have been dreaming...

Or I may have just run out of time. My girl was sick all last week, and we took her back to school this weekend after a very nice long break.

This is the time of year, with bare branches, and minimal landscapes that I crave the dreamy effects of abstract photographs. This was a new spot I found by my house the other night, on my way home from an epic day with my camera. From sun up, to literally sun down . . . I was gone for over 12 hours! It felt so good to see the sun.

It won't be long before we start getting leaves budding out on the trees, which means it will be harder to get this kind of dreamy abstract. I'll have to start dreaming of something else . . . 

 . . . but I'm probably not the only one.

And, just for the record . . . I do imagine all the people sharing all the world, with no need for greed or hunger, a brotherhood of man.

Some say I'm just a dreamer ...

"Optimist: day dreamer more elegantly spelled." - Mark Twain

I'm over at Focusing on life today, sharing some night photography experiments, and how I did them.

It's our theme for the month, come check it out - it was fun!

Happy Tuesday friends,

Love, Kim

Sharing with Texture Tuesday, Song-ography, Sweet Shot Tuesday

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Christmas light fun . . .

 

(KK Waterfront7_magic)

This past weekend we went to the Festival of Lights and I threw all the rules right 

out the window.

Just pure magical fun!

I'm sharing the results of my fun today over at Focusing on Life and would

love for you all to join me!

Make it a fun day!

Love, Kim

sharing with Texture Tuesday, Sweet Shot Tuesday

Life seeking life . . .

I have at times called myself a finder of things and a seeker of light. Sometimes I'm not sure if I'm finding things or if they are finding me, or maybe it's because on some days I have just enough courage to show up and we somehow meet in the middle.

The truth is, I don't always... have the courage to show up, that is. Sometimes showing up is just plain hard.

And about that light, it's not so much what comes from the rays of the sun or that golden hour, but what comes from His light. What I'm seeking is that light in all things. That deep spiritual connection that illuminates the path that on occassion can feel like it's traveled in the darkness.

This summer I feel like I lost my way a bit. The path just didn't feel as illuminated, not because the light wasn't there, because His always is....but because even though I looked I just couldn't see through the noise. My focus was off and my depth of field was too narrow.

I felt helpless.

I felt quiet.

I felt a little angry.

I felt a little sad.

I felt a little numb.

I was distracted.

As I mentioned in June, my sweet boy ended up in the hospital due to an abscess from a staff infection on his face. IV antibiotics and a plastic surgeon to drain it. But all that inflammation, well, it doesn't go away overnight and neither does the scarring. And after this last year and a half with his diagnosis of a rare form of juvenile arthritis, a heart scare, a bone marrow biopsy, a rare leg bleed and this . . . it's just a lot for a parent to process let alone a 17 year old.

We got home he didn't go anywhere this summer...I mean anywhere!

Not out with us,
not with friends,
not to strength and conditioning,
not to get his hair cut,
no where.

It's so very hard to watch your child try to navigate a chronic illness let alone the territory of being a teenager. It's so very hard as a mom, a parent, even if I'm not a control freak to not be able to make it better.

Yeah, that realization that I. can't. make. it. better.

Suddenly I found myself not wanting to go many places, even places that he wouldn't have gone anyway. Because it just didn't feel right for him to be home by himself.

I didn't write,
I didn't edit,
I rarely made it to my computer.

And then it happened. A couple of friends would stop by, then he went fishing and then football started. And little by little I saw glimpses of him returning to his old self. And just like that I felt my heart grow three sizes.

And yesterday, something clicked for me. I can't explain it really. I don't even know if this will make any sense. It was chapter 9, Life Seeking Life, in the book God Is at Eye Level.

I was at Starbucks...{I hadn't been inside all summer with my books and journal.} I found myself nodding my head, feeling like she had eavesdropped on my thoughts. How she is drawn into the pulse and heart beat of the world around her and to its pain and heart wrenching passions, and how she cries, in joy, at the things she witnesses.

Yes, yes, and yes.

She went on to tell the story of  a day when she was taking photographs along a wooden boardwalk when she heard what she thought were footsteps. When she finally turns to look it's a fawn that had been following her and when she reached out he put his sweet nose into her hand. By this time I'm starting to pack up because I feel a good cry coming on.

...deep breath

Here she was out looking for life and it found her! And you know what? That happened to me all summer, with the dragonflies especially. I may have been distracted by some of the noise that I probably created for myself, maybe even a roadblock, but was awake enough to witness those slivers of light. Literally, as it danced across their wings....like the stars light up the night.

Our creator places these things in our paths in hopes that we will take notice, that we will pay attention and send it back out into the world. We are to be receivers and givers. We just have to listen with our eyes and our hearts through all the clutter or we'll miss it.

Life seeking life...that totally happened from my front porch. Photography is like "home sweet home" when our hearts are aligned with spirit, present in the moment at hand, open to the wonder of it all.

Dragonfly Abstract

"The edge of light"

Hallelujah, I think I'm back!
Houston, we have a safe landing . . .

Love, Kim


sharing with Little Things Thursday, Thursday Favorite Things, Friday Finds

This finally happened . . .

"The greatest gift of the garden is the restoration of the five senses."

~ Hanna Rion


Big, huge, sigh . . .
I can hardly believe it's been a month since I've been in this space.
And,
I can hardly believe that we just got the flower garden planted, in mid July!

But none the less, it really makes my heart happy to see all this color, and well,
they were 50% off. That sale usually happens at the end of May, but I suspect
our lingering spring with cooler temps pushed it back. And you know, I just wasn't
about to miss out on that sale, so my patience and I hung in there.

Coneflower, angelonia, pentas and salvia. Black eyed susan, gomphrena and zinnia's.
Purples and pinks, oranges and red. White, yellow and blues.

I had to move the birdbath closer to the sidewalk so I can empty it every night...you know, mosquitoes.

And I have had more fun making dreamy Monet-ish photos of this space.

{KK pinit8)

There have been many visitors, swallowtails, gulf fritillaries, monarchs, skippers, painted ladies, and even a question mark. No, really, that's the name of the butterfly....there is even one called a coma.

I've been trying to live simple in between complicated and unexpected.
But it takes a little practice,
to make new habits,
to revel in the sometimes overlooked moments
ones that no matter how small are significant and desire our consideration.
To appreciate them,
and to linger with all five senses.

I'm also over at Focusing on Life today. A very short story about one day last summer . . .
Please come on over and join me, us!

Until next time,
love, kim

sharing with Texture Tuesday, Sweet shot Tuesday

Abstract flower art . . . and random stuff

It's Photo Art Friday this week, the monthly theme is . . . abstract flowers!
And well, abstract just happens to be my fancy right now.

Rather than working with textures to make the photos abstract, I chose to
abstract the flowers and then add textures to enhance the photo.
All three of these photos are ICM (in camera movement) in combination with
slow shutter speed and manual focus. Yes, there is a lot of practice needed
with this technique and a lot of clicks to get the right one.

{I used Bonnie's texture creative canvas}

I hope you don't fall off your chair from the exciting things I have to share with you . . . it's been a rather slow week.

1. It was nearly 80 degrees this weekend, and we got quite a lot of garden clean up done. Trimmed 2 oak trees, 2 palm trees (okay, I watched), and I trimmed nearly 30 bushes. On Sunday night, we dropped down to 20 degrees....WHAT?

2. Yep, I've got another sinus and double ear infection. I think this is number 5 since last November and

it's getting really old. But, the steroid shot I got has really helped my wrist after all that trimming, bonus!

{This is a combination of three very similar ICM photos also with her textures creative canvas, vintage craquelure and antique me}

3. It would be safe to say that we have a huge, gigantic, enormous problem in this country with health care costs when the cost of your son's ongoing treatment (for one day and before "insurance adjustments") are the same as a new car, let's say a Hyundai Accent. And since I don't have anything else nice to say about that, I'll just leave it ... at that.

4. I was extremely happy to see all my lizard friends this weekend sunning themselves. I had to relocate some of them that my husband found still in the palm fronds that had been trimmed off and set out for

the garbage. This time of year they seem to especially love sitting on my hand or arm because of the warmth.

{Bonnie's textures meadow grasses, flowering texture and sunset supreme}

5. This is the best one of all - Spring break is next week so you know what that means . . . my girl is coming home. We will just be spending it at home and hopefully we can make it to the Houston Livestock and Rodeo while she is here. Turkey legs and funnel cake, yum!

You may not see me here next week as I think I'm going to take a blog Spring break with my kids.
One of the things I would love to do is drive down to Victoria to see the head stone of someone (of whom I can't remember, lol) that my daughter found in our family tree! :)

So, until next time....
Love, Kim xo


sharing with Little Things Thursday, Thursday Favorite Things, Photo Art Friday
Random Five Friday

The good, the bad, the random . . .

"From where we stand the rain seems random.

If we could stand somewhere else, we would see the order in it."

- Tony Hillerman

I don't know, I think only about twice have I ever been on the other side of the rain.

You know, when where you're standing it's not raining but 10 feet in front of you it is. So very strange.

Not sure I saw any order in it though - it still seemed pretty random to me.

But then again maybe I was just standing too close.

I enjoyed my 50mm class and decided to go ahead and delve a little deeper into abstract. I have already

been in the last year enjoying experimenting with slow shutter speed and swiping - painting with my lens.

And I love the abstract feeling I find in water reflections. I'm interested to see how this open my eyes even

more to lines and shapes and sometimes to just how I feel about something rather than what it is in reality.

This rose was done both in camera and post processing. A slow shutter speed allowed for softer shapes, and textures added later for a painterly feel. (anyone else having issues loading photos and having them look different here than in your photo folders? The color is a little off in this one)

This one of the same rose with a very shallow depth of field done in camera.

This one is quite different for me. Our prompt for the monthly Photo Art Friday is graphic/angular, and I started with a photo I took last summer while on a boat tour on the Chicago river that went through downtown Chicago. I used two of Bonnie's textures (Graphique and Art Smoke) after I did a little posterize to the photo. It took several different photos and textures to find a combination that I was pleased with. And I have to say I quite like how this turned out.  

"Chicago Meets van Gogh"

Yesterday I started a new Beth Moore bible study called 'Exploring the fruit of the Spirit." In her video she talked about how if we are still drawing a breath then we aren't done and how God is still happening . . . only it's on his calendar. I love how He gives me concrete examples of these things and yesterday was one of those days. When I got home I just happened to feel the need to look at this chrysalis, a black swallowtail, that has been in this state for at least 10 months maybe more. I know I've mentioned before that they usually emerge about 2 weeks after pupating. I kept this chrysalis because I'm a die hard hopeful and if after a year it hadn't emerged it would be enshrined in resin. I had to cut a little square off the netting as I replace the netting after each new generation and I placed it over a bowl where I keep my not so fortunate butterflies. There just might be a little dust that gathered and stuck to the silk from the other caterpillars rambling on and around it when it was in the enclosure.

And don't ya know it has started changing color, getting darker, and if you look closely you can start to see some of the wing pattern showing through. As I was holding the square up to take a photo for instagram the darn thing, it wiggled. After 10 months it's still alive and all I can say is this must be one special butterfly!!

Moral of the story . . . He gives us daily examples and we need to slow down long enough to see them. That patience isn't something we teach ourselves, but instead surrender to. 

I got to immediately put this little lesson of patience to the test when I got a call from my son's Rheumatology doctor. About 7 weeks ago she decided that since his blood work was consistently coming back with normal numbers - white blood cell count, inflammation markers, sed rate - and had been for nearly 6 months with next to no breakthrough symptoms, that we could discontinue his infusions. We just had blood work taken the day before as he has been having intermittent pain and stiffness and fatigue. The numbers are going back up and to avoid getting out of control quickly he started back on steroids and we have an infusion for next Tuesday. I guess I can't say that I'm surprised, I've seen it coming, but it pains me none the less that it didn't go into remission. Now, what was I saying about God's timing? Oh yes, reminder to myself that He is going at the perfect speed and I am not. It seems patience is easier for some things than others.

Last but not least, last weekend we were missing our girl, so we drove over to see her and spent a family day at the zoo. A good time was had by all, but with nearly an 8 hour round trip drive it makes for a long day. Next year she will be even closer as she'll transfer to UT Austin.

Have a great weekend y'all!

Love, Kim

sharing with Little Things Thursday, Thursday Favorite Things, Friday Photo Journal

Random Five Friday, Photo Art Friday 

Foto Friday - Changing Perspective

Frustration, after having a minor temper tantrum can go from the potential prevention of a satisfying
activity to the realization of a beautiful thing.
My frustration came from not being able to capture the detail in the close-ups I desired in the low light
of the setting sun without creating a blurry photo.
So, I diverted to my 50 mm lens which allows me to create images in low light because of its large aperture (lens opening), which also gives a narrow depth of field creating a lot of bokeh love or intentional background blur. The more wide open the lens, the more
bokeh there will be creating a dreamy and somewhat dramatic abstract photo and in some cases almost completely dissolving your subject and replacing it with colors and shapes.

My goal, especially for the first set of images is to share with you a recognizable subject in a way that you may not have viewed it before.
Something we may think of as ordinary can suddenly be seen as extraordinary just by changing our perspective.

So, you know you weren't going to get away without some interesting facts, right?

Spiders can create a variety of different silks that have different purposes and functions.

(Which is why they don't stick to their own webs)

They release their silk from spinnerets in their abdomen, and oddly enough it is actually liquid in form until it's released and it immediately takes a solid form as soon as it is exposed to air!

This happens to be an orchard spider, which is an orb weaver.

An example of how just slightly changing my position can change the affect of the image.

This one reminds me of Christmas lights. . .

With the increase of rain, I have started to see a slight increase in dragonflies but I'm sure as the mosquito

population increases so will they.

When using the 50 mm lens wide open there will usually be a sweet spot of focus as everything else blurs.

This photo made the top five for fabulous friday!

In the one below, you can see that the focus was on the dragonflies head . . .

And then in the same position, the focus was moved to its tail . . .

So what I discovered was that my frustration became an instrument in the creating of something entirely different than I had originally envisioned.

I love that I can use my camera as a tool for my

personal expression of the way I view the world - as if by chance a painting were to meet a photograph

in the middle.

And so it goes, I now have a renewed fondness for my 50 mm/f1.8 lens.

My hope is that you felt at least a little bit of the essence of what I was trying to capture

(even though insects may not be your thing)!

 I would love to hear what you see, if you change your perspective . . .

Have a great weekend everyone!

Love, Kim

XO

P.S. for more Photo Friday fun check out the hollie rogue

and here:

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