I had no idea that last June, when I took a serendipitous drive to a park to take some shots of the sunset, that it would change the course of my work this year. On a whim I submitted this photograph to a juried exhibition late last year and this January I found out that my photograph was selected. Ecstatic that I got in, I also immediately started to take stock of what the heck I was going to do with all these photographs that I take and maybe it just felt like the right time to go full tilt.
Over the years I haven’t done anything with them. Mostly out of a lack of confidence, a lack of time or money to invest, or personal derailments, I’ve never really valued my art. And maybe all it took was one photograph to be discovered or to change my perspective.
Sometimes my passion is writing, sometimes it’s making paper, sometimes it’s crafts, sometimes it’s working with animals, but over the years I have always come back to photography. And there must be a reason for that.
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Locals! Opening Reception for Depth of Field: MetroParks at the MAC is coming soon! Meet me there on Thursday, March 22nd at 6-8pm. There are 40 works in the exhibition.
Even though I’m not a fan of winter I’m a fan of shooting during or after the snow. Yesterday our area was blanketed with about 4-5 inches of snow so the schools were closed and the roads were a little slushy but it’s hard to miss a weather event by not taking at least a few shots. So I drove to a somewhat rural area, about 15-20 miles north of my home to see what I could find.
Desolation was what I was looking for. And I found it. And just when I was done with the desolation and ready to drive back home I came upon the most gorgeous creatures on the side of the road just wanting for me to take their picture. And of course, I obliged.
All photographs shot with a Canon rebel XSI and an iPhone.
I specifically drove 45 minutes to find an old tunnel at a park called Blackhand Gorge – a tunnel made in the early 20th century to be used for an interurban electric train connecting residents between Granville and Zanesville, Ohio. After 3 hours of walking through the trail, we didn’t find any tunnel. It wasn’t until later, researching on the internet, that we were walking through the wrong trail. Oh well. The trip was not a total loss though, because the cold, winter walk was good for the mind and spirit. And at the end of the trail, I met a little creature on our way saying “hello” to us. What a treat!
We will definitely be going again on the RIGHT trail this time.
All photos on Canon rebel XSI and iPhone.
A week ago the family and I sent some wonderful time commuting with nature in a place we hadn’t explored before. Our destination was the longest natural bridge in Ohio, but I enjoyed the journey even better. Here are some of the sites on the trail. And of course, at the end of the trail, the natural bridge.
All shots on iPhone6 and Canon XSi DSLR. Edits on Photoshop and Snapseed.
