Images

Simple sailboat fare…No. 26

/ Sherry Galey / 9 Comments

We all love seafood and Christmas Eve dinner started with Beirong sauteeing some fresh shrimp with onion and garlic as appetizers.

David and Beirong prepared a fabulous Thai shrimp curry for Christmas Eve dinner. Beirong’s iphone shot shows David and me about to dig in.

For Christmas dinner we barbecued fresh mahi mahi and veggie packets. We added some saffron rice topped with green onions.

Christmas trifle was a tropical take on the old favorite with fresh pineapple and strawberries along with the traditional cake, custard, rum and whipped cream. Oh yes, I added Key Lime curd because after all, we are in Florida.

Our tree may be tiny but it casts a magical light…

 

The Simplicity Project, Nos.19, 20 and 21

/ Sherry Galey / 11 Comments
morning in the pocket

Not our boat! This is a neighbouring boat. I love the way the sun glints off it in the morning.

We’re living on our sailboat now, in a lovely intimate marina in the Manatee Pocket, at the mouth of the St.Lucie Inlet in Florida.

This is the same place as we were last year, and it was so heart-warming to be welcomed back by many friends we made during our stay then.

Our original plan was to head to the Bahamas after the Christmas holidays, but the best laid plans….as you know…

It turns out we have to replace our mast and rigging before we sail anywhere — no need to go into the whys and wherefores here — and we just have to accept that that will take some time.

I’m still doing my Simplicity Project so the next two images will reflect that.

four winds3

This is the hull of the boat of the couple slipped next to us. I loved the way the sunlight divides the water into triangles at one certain point in the morning.

The couple in the boat next to us have sailed and lived aboard their sailboat since 1986. They have helped to develop the charts for cruising the Bahamas and authored articles on sailing topics. They really know what it means to be sailors! People on boats make friends fast and help each other out all the time. To me that’s one of the great attractions of this kind of life.

lines

It takes big lines to tie up a big boat! We have boats — both power and sail — of all sizes here.

These last three images may not quite fit the simplicity brief but they do show a glimpse of life on our mastless sailing vessel.

sailboat without mast

Bob ties us up at the dock.

I’ve circled where the mast is supposed to be.

breakfast

Breakfast on the boat. We have one burner and I don’t need more than that!

bob and charles

Bob and Charles enjoy a quiet moment in the cockpit just before dinner.

The Simplicity Project, No. 2

/ Sherry Galey / 9 Comments

lights i-95

Out of clutter, find simplicity.

Albert Einstein

December is here and thus begins my simplicity project.

This has been inspired by Kim Manley Ort and so I am joining her in posting images that are simpler and more minimal than usual. It’s a way to remind myself to focus on what is really essential in an image and in the rest of life too.

If this also appeals to you, there’s a Flickr group devoted to Photographic Simplicity that you are welcome to join.

The Simplicity Project, No. 1

/ Sherry Galey / 9 Comments
minimal1

Going to seed….

December is here and thus begins my simplicity project.

This has been inspired by Kim Manley Ort and so I am joining her in posting images that are simpler and more minimal than usual. It’s a way to remind myself to focus on what is really essential in an image and in the rest of life too.

If this also appeals to you, there’s a Flickr group devoted to Photographic Simplicity that you are welcome to join.

Blue woman…

/ Sherry Galey / 11 Comments

blue woman-frame1000

Blue woman,

will shopping bring you true joy

when what you are dying to give

is your heart?

Over the holidays, my hope is that we all make time for more simple and real connection — with our loved ones, our communities, our fellow inhabitants of this unique planet, our natural world and our true selves.

I’ll be back on December 1 to start a practice of simplicity with Kim Manley Ort.

Your all-time favorite posts…

/ Sherry Galey / 12 Comments
My 2012 in pictures…
The world through my eyes…
Expanding your range…
Orbs — the easy way…
A river runs through it…
Seeing the forest and the trees…
Infinite…

The other day I was thinking about where to take my blog in the months ahead. I have a few ideas, but things are still percolating. When I looked back I was surprised to realize that I had been averaging 10 posts a month since I started blogging, and lately it’s been more than that.

I’m not a terribly regimented kind of blogger — I tend to post when the spirit moves me. I don’t plan ahead much at all, and my blog tends to reflect what I’m seeing and learning and loving most in the moment.

Bottom line, I blog because I love to make and share images.

I never set out to compete in the numbers game. I’m really happiest if my blog attracts kindred spirits — anybody who is on a journey — inwardly and outwardly — and wants to see where creative image-making will take them. YOU are my tribe.

I know I’m a huge fan of so many photography-oriented blogs out there. And it has certainly been gratifying — and astonishing — to see that views, visits and followers have been climbing steadily over time on this one. And to notice the depth and thoughtfulness of the comments you leave.

But I’ve never tried to figure out what will appeal most to blog readers, contrary to the advice of the pro blogger types. I don’t really know what kinds of posts speak to people…

So I thought it might be fun to have a look at what my stats say. Over the last almost two years, these were the posts with the most views and comments, in no particular order.

I’m happy to see that I still like all of these posts. I don’t find myself cringing when I read them again, so that’s good. Many of them were from my first year so they have had more opportunity to accumulate views.

Many of these posts feature more than one image (a few are compilations or photostories), and a lot include some kind of reflection on what I’m learning about photography or life.

So what should I make of this?

My goal is not to change my blog into something that it’s not and I’m not, but if I can make it better and give readers more to chew on and respond to, then I want to do that.

So should I challenge myself to go bigger with some of my posts, both in text and images (when the subject merits it, of course)? Should I share more of what I’m learning in words rather than let the images speak for themselves?

For those of you who have a personal photography blog, I’m curious about how you decide what type of posts to emphasize. And what do you look for when reading a personal photography blog? Do you want to be inspired, informed, instructed, or entertained? Or are you seeking something else?

I feel so incredibly privileged to be part of an online creative community that includes you. I am endlessly inspired by your creations. I continue to be deeply grateful for opening up new worlds and possibilities to me.