Weekly Photo Challenge: Hue of you

/ Sherry Galey / 15 Comments

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This week I was inspired to try some abstracts by my brother-in-law and by Kim Manley Ort, who is offering an online course in abstract photography that looks fabulous. (I have taken courses with her in the past and she is one of the best and most generous of photography instructors.)

I was visiting a cemetery recently and Leo pointed out the intriguing patterns of lichen growth on the marble and granite headstones. I was immediately drawn to the tones and designs in the lichen against the white, gray and black of the stones.

One of the sources I consulted about lichens on headstones said that they do not harm the stone and it is best not to try to remove them. They actually protect the stones from damage due to weather and radiation.

Now that the fiery colours on the  trees are receding, we are moving into months redolent of brown tones.  At first glance, it’s easy to dismiss these tones as drab and dull and boring — but take a closer look! There are nuances to these colour schemes that can only be appreciated when you move in closer to the earth.

Heroic deeds remembered…

/ Sherry Galey / 30 Comments

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A visit to a beautiful old cemetery in Brockville this Thanksgiving weekend got us talking about the heroic actions of Francis (Frank) Blaine one awful foggy night back in 1906.

Frank Blaine was the great-grand uncle of my partner, Bob, and his brothers, Leo, Michael and Peter. He was their father’s great-uncle (that is, the brother of their father’s grandmother).

At 10:30 pm the evening of September 20, the “Montreal Express,” or Grand Trunk Railway Train No. 2 — a high-speed train for the time — left Toronto bound for Montreal. Frank Blaine was the engineer.

Early the morning of September 21 (2:00 am) just outside Napanee, Ontario, he confronted a westbound freight train which had just come out of a siding. It was very foggy and he could not see well.

The freight train had not set a red warning lantern to indicate the main line was blocked and provide enough time for him to stop the east bound train.

Aware that there would be a head-on collision, he told his crew to jump, saving their lives. Blaine stayed with his engine in order to reduce the speed of the train as much as possible using the air brake.

According to press reports of the day the impact was so great that the giant engines were interlocked and three freight cars were smashed to kindling wood.

But not one of the passengers or crew were seriously injured or killed, except for the engineer, Frank Blaine.

Blaine had come to Canada from Ireland with his parents as a baby. He was 53 years of age when he died. He left behind a wife and five children.

There were many railway men in my partner’s family — and many paid a steep price for their occupation by way of health problems and a shortened life span. (In fact, railroaders could not even buy life insurance, the work was so dangerous.)  But none paid a higher price than Frank Blaine, who gave his life for his passengers in the accident that day.

The passengers and crew erected a monument to Frank Blaine at his grave site in tribute to him.

It reads:

HE DIED AS ONE, WHO HAD BEEN STUDIED IN HIS DEATH, TO GIVE AWAY THE SWEETEST THING HE HAD, AS TWERE A CARELESS TRIFLE.

IN LOVING MEMORY OF FRANK BLAINE BORN IN COUNTY MAYO, IRELAND, DEC. 20, 1853 DIED AT NAPANEE SEPT. 21, 1906 REQUIESCAT IN PACE (May he Rest In Peace = R.I.P.)

ERECTED BY THE GRATEFUL PASSENGERS OF NO.2 EXPRESS, WHO OWE THEIR LIVES TO THE HEROISM OF THE DECEASED.

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Brothers, Leo (left) and Bob (right) Hussey, descendents of Frank Blaine, at the monument honouring him.

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Not knowing…

/ Sherry Galey / 26 Comments
Mist

Taken en route to the dogsitter’s house around Clayton Lake, Ontario…

NOT KNOWING

how would it be to allow for knowing

and not knowing:

allowing room

for the mystery

of creating

to be able to wonder

softly

without needing to understand everything

to trust in the process

to trust in love

to trust in the mystery and wonder

of the universe

that beats softly wildly

true

all round about us,

that is hidden

in the mists

in the clouds and the rain

in the wind blowing and the rain lashing down on your window,

reminding you

poetically

prosaically

that this is where you are,

on the island,

at the edge,

in a place of finding

and refinding,

and remembering

to remember

the feel of the mist, wind and rain.

John O’Donohue

Weekly Photo Challenge: Infinite

/ Sherry Galey / 42 Comments

Thank you for EXPLORE on Flickr

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Continuing along the thread of poetry I started, I found (was given, actually, by my poetry troubadour friend) this simple poem about simplicity by a Palestinian poet named Taha Muhammad Ali.

Every since I started making images, I have been striving for simplicity. It’s what speaks to me most directly and powerfully and what resonates most deeply. Often it is a simple impression I want to convey, a feeling, a mood, even an idea…

This week’s photo challenge is about capturing moments of wonder “when the infinite catches us by surprise” stumbling “upon it in things both big and small.”  And for me, it is often the small things that I return to over and over — a silent leaf caught in the light can be every bit as glorious as the thumping thunder of Victoria Falls.

Twigs

And so

it has taken me

all of sixty years

to understand

that water is the finest drink

and bread the most delicious food

and that art is worthless

unless it plants

a measure of splendor in people’s hearts.

TAHA MUHAMMAD ALI

I recently read a wonderful post by Leo Babauta of Zen Habits that touches beautifully on the essence of simple living. It’s about stripping down to the very basics — and revelling in them.

Sharing with Friday Finds.

Kim Klassen dot Com

About the thread…

/ Sherry Galey / 29 Comments

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The Way It Is

There’s a thread you follow. It goes among
things that change.  But it doesn’t change.
People wonder about what you are pursuing.
You have to explain about the thread.
But it is hard for others to see.
While you hold it you can’t get lost.
Tragedies happen; people get hurt
or die; and you suffer and get old.
Nothing you do can stop time’s unfolding.
You don’t ever let go of the thread.

William Stafford

I’ve been working with a dear friend on a project involving poetry. It has reminded me how much I used to love reading poetry. I even wrote and published a bit years ago.

My friend has introduced me to some poets whose work moves me profoundly. I feel myself tiptoeing back to poetry.

A little sunshine…

/ Sherry Galey / 20 Comments
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One of the most creative and prolific of my online friends, Viv Halliwell, who blogs at Within the Frame, has nominated some of us for the Sunshine Award. So to thank you, Viv, here are a couple of sunny images for you from my garden. I call them “the last of the cosmos.”

Viv hails from Somerset in the south of England, and we’ve gotten to know each other through the magic of social media, after taking a course in photographic art from Kim Klassen. (We call ourselves Kim’s “groupies” on Facebook.)

Viv is the type of person who brings people together and promotes community. She is unfailingly encouraging and supportive of her groupies and never ceases to amaze us with the inventive composites and textured art she whips up, often using images from her fascinating travels. Really, it is impossible to keep up with her!

She has come up with 10 questions to answer as part of the rules of this award. So here goes…

1. What is your favourite season?

Thank you for an easy one. Fall for sure. Evidence here.

2.  City or country?

Not so easy. Most of my life I’ve lived in big cities and I enjoy their energy, cultural offerings and diversity. New York is one of my all-time favorite cities in the world. So is Paris. So is Singapore. And unlike many Canadians, I really do like Toronto. Oh and of course, Ottawa, where I lived for 30 years. But now I live in a small town, with countryside all around, and I am totally loving it. Being surrounded by nature is wonderful.

3.  Do you prefer black and white or colour photography?

Again, not an easy one. I am enamoured with and fascinated by colour in general — “colour is a power which directly influences the soul,” Kandinky said — so most of my own images are in colour. I also prefer colour photography when looking at a computer screen. But I really appreciate black and white prints on a wall — cityscapes, portraits, landscapes, street photography — and I am planning to do more in the future. I just saw an exhibition of Ansel Adams’ most famous images up close and was mesmerized by their power and artistry. 

4. Who do you look up to?

Anyone who exudes a sense of peaceful aliveness and embodies compassion, kindness and humility. Anyone who follows their muse to create and contribute from their heart, without worrying about what others think of them. A variety of women writers and artists past and present are on my list. Virginia Woolf, Georgia O’Keeffe, Tina Modotti…to name a few…So are Thich Nhat Hanh and Aung San Suu Kyi.

5.  If you could travel anywhere where would it be?

Oh heavens. I’m with Susan Sontag, who said: “I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list.” I’ve had the good fortune to see more of the world than I thought I would as a child, but there are so many places I still want to travel to. If you had to pin me down, I would say Iceland. I’ve been obsessed with this country for decades. I really should have gone by now.

6.  Tea or coffee ? What is your favourite beverage?

Coffee would have to edge out tea by a hair, especially in the morning, but I like both. And I’m glad to know that they’re both good for you. Coffee has tons of fibre and tea can prevent all sorts of diseases if you don’t drink it with milk.

7.   Do you have a favourite place to visit ? Where is it?

New York City. I’ve been 11 times, and in a few weeks, it will be 12.

8   What is your favourite recipe? Your fallback recipe?

So I just asked my other half this question and he said: “You don’t have a favorite recipe. You always like to make something new.” Then he said a smoothie since I have one almost every morning. Does that count? My fall back recipe would have to be hot crab dip for entertaining. Although I’m getting a bit bored with that.

9.   Christmas fan? or do you love another holiday?

My sister is the Christmas fan in our family. She has been known to put up nine themed trees in her house! I love that Christmas often brings out generosity in people and reminds us to share our good fortune with others. But as for the commercialism and the pressure and the high expectations that too often surround it and make people broke and miserable, I’m not a fan. 

10. Your favourite film?

Mamma Mia for its sheer joie de vivre. Plus, I love the location.

So, now here are my nominations for the Sunshine Award.

I’m nominating you because you and your blog inspire me and bring sunshine to my days. It is a small way to honour that…

Laurie Sriver, Pride in Photos

Diane Schuller

Susan Licht, Licht Years

Lisa Gordon, Lisa Gordon Photography

Laurie MacBride  Eye on Environment

Sandra Byles, Reflections and Nature

Gracie Binoya, Frames and Focus

Sherry Smyth, Charlotte Jane

Nicole Meisters, The Art of Living in Every Moment

Indigo Janson, Delightful Discoveries

If you’d prefer not to accept the award, for whatever reason, no problem.  Maybe the timing is not right….There’s no pressure and no hard feelings.  If you wish to just answer the questions, that’s OK too. But if you do want to join in the fun, here are the “rules”:

1. Include the award logo in a post or on your blog.

2. Link to the person who nominated you.

3. Answer 10 questions about yourself and write 10 questions for your nominees to answer.

4. Nominate 10 bloggers to receive the award. Link your nominees to the post and comment on their blogs, letting them know they have been nominated.

Ready and willing? Great stuff. Here are my questions for you:

  1. If you could learn one skill that you’ve never had, what would it be, and why? 
  2. What do you love more taking photographs or writing? 
  3. Are you an extrovert or an introvert? 
  4. Do you have a fear that you have not yet conquered?
  5. Do you have a dream you’ve suppressed due to life commitments?  
  6. Are you a night owl or a morning person?
  7. What book has made a huge impact on you? 
  8. If you could travel to any place in Canada, where would it be? 
  9. What qualities most touch you in a person? 
  10. What do you do when inspiration to create leaves you?

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The pyrotechnics of a new autumn…

/ Sherry Galey / 22 Comments

Everything was resplendent with the pyrotechnics of a new autumn.

Thomas Ligotti

leaf and bokeh

Bokeh leaf

ICM abstract

ICM abstract

Gold leaf
ICM energy
Looking up
Still reflections

Dreamlike walk in the woods

How many ways are there to capture autumn? Double exposures, ICM, reflections, macros, film, polaroids…I don’t know but as many as there are photographers, I guess.

What I am sure about is that for me the joy is in trying  to express my abiding love for this season through my images. And to interpret its many moods — its energy, its stillness, its melancholy, its whimsy. I’m crazy for all of it.

When I want to feast on the lovely and unique visions of others, I delight in the images of my sister photographers in the Focusing on Life Flickr pool.

I know I am in the company of kindred spirits when I soak up the beauty of their photographs and gasp at their oh-so-particular ways of seeing their world.

One of the FOL collective, Leigh Love, shares a glorious Ode to October in words and images that you won’t want to miss. While you’re there, why not enter their giveaway? It’s on until October 4.

If you’re an autumn enthusiast like me, do you have a favorite fall feeling or activity? Or do you just love it all?

Double, double, anyone?

/ Sherry Galey / 25 Comments

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In my continuing quest to expand my repertoire of photographic techniques to help me better express my creative vision, I returned to playing with in-camera double exposures. I did a few back in the spring, but never fully explored their potential.

I had a quick trip to Toronto in the last week and something inspired me to try a few more double exposures. Here is the pink dahlia again. In this image I think it has  a completely different mood (I also added a magic texture by Kim Klassen.)

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Double exposures really lend themselves to surreal, dreamlike, impressionistic effects — and make for great abstracts — which I’m drawn to in photography. Sometimes you just don’t want your view of the world to be too real and too literal!

This technique can, of course, be done easily with layers in Photoshop, but the joy of doing them in camera is the element of surprise when you create something unexpected. You never know quite what you’re going to get. You don’t have anywhere near the same control, but you do have some control, especially as you refine your process.

One great way to use double exposures is with creative portraits. Here are a couple I tried with my beautiful sister. (She may even use one for her Facebook profile pic!)

We were in a sweet tearoom in a little town north of Toronto. I shot her silhouette against the big window and blew out the background. Then I ran around the tearoom looking for content to fill in the underexposed areas. It takes just seconds and the results can be interesting. Of course you can combine this technique with textures or other processing techniques to get the feeling and meaning that you’re striving for to your heart’s delight.

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If this appeals to you at all and you have this feature on your DSLR, I urge you to give it a go…and share your creations!

Sharing with Kim Klassen’s Texture Tuesdays.

Taking time…

/ Sherry Galey / 21 Comments

Nobody sees a flower — really — it is so small it takes time — we haven’t time — and to see takes time, like to have a friend takes time.

Georgia O’Keeffe

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 Update: Just found out that the ladies of the Focusing on Life collaborative photography blog are hosting a giveaway. Two stunning posters are on offer. You can enter a variety of ways. Why not go on over and check it out for yourself? And while you’re there, why not take the time to browse through the fantastic photography featured on the blog. 

Linking with Sweet Shot Tuesdays.