Photography

The Beginnings of Blue Mind…

/ Sherry Galey / 18 Comments

palm and beach

The waves of the sea help me get back to me.

Jill Davis

We all feel it instinctively. Water heals. Water restores. Water uplifts.

As someone with a sailboat, I spend a fair amount of time on or near water. I know it puts me in another state. A better and healthier state. A calmer, more centred, more present state.

But why? To find out I’ve just begun to read Blue Mind: The Surprising Science that Shows How Being In, On, Near or Under Water Can Make you Happier, Healthier, More Connected and Better at What You Do.

I’ve been meaning to dip into this for a while now. I finally have and I’m sure I’ll share some of what I’m discovering in future posts.

My aha moments….

What first struck me is the notion of a red mind, gray mind and blue mind. We all know these states well. Red mind is when we are stressed, anxious, overactive yet underproductive and gray mind is when we are numb, lethargic, demotivated and unsatisfied.

Red and gray mind states feel awful — they are products of our modern lifestyles, habits and choices. Blue mind is a natural state that feels glorious. We have all experienced it.  Many of us yearn for it when we’re in a red or gray mind state and almost all of us find it very easy to reconnect with when we’re close to water.

balancelrBlue mind is a mildly meditative state characterized by calm, peacefulness, unity and a sense of general happiness and satisfaction with life in the moment. It is inspired by water and elements associated with water. It takes advantage of neurological connections formed over millennia, which we are only beginning to understand now.

So many of us are drawn to water as a way to deal with the stress of our lives, to enhance the good times or to feel awe and wonder and get in touch with something larger than our small selves. If we don’t live near it, we head toward it on vacation. We wake up early to take sunrise shots over water. Our kids run through sprinklers in the summer. We immerse ourselves in it to create a feeling of extreme relaxation and well-being.

I find it fascinating that both the human brain (80% water) and the ocean (covering 70% of the Earth’s surface) are still only at the very early stages of being explored and understood by humankind. We still have so much to learn.

I’m looking forward to exploring some of the emerging science on water and blue mind in the days and weeks ahead.

I’m curious to know whether water has the power to put you in a blue mind state — and do you find yourself going out of your way to experience it?

Highlights of 2015 in pictures…

/ Sherry Galey / 15 Comments

When 2015 began I didn’t have any definite plans, just some directions and intentions — such as taking our boat to the Bahamas in the spring…But as often happens, unexpected opportunities popped up and so did some nice surprises, leading to a full, rich and rewarding year.

Of course there were some sad times too, such as losing our beloved Charles the Westie in December, but these were outweighed by the good ones.

Here are just a few highlights in pictures…

Attending a photography workshop in Delray Beach — February

I decided to go to this workshop on the spur of the moment when I was in Florida and am so glad I did. Contemplative photography is about recognizing flashes of perception, staying present and keeping open to what is really before you — so that you see and photograph in a fresh way. We shot texture and colour and patterns. It was enormous fun. Windex for the eyes.  Read more here.

Colour

Falling in love with a litter of Golden puppies — February

These five puppies stole my heart at the marina where we were living. Their frolicking and affectionate cuddling brought daily joy. All of them lived on a boat with their parents Punkin and Fuzzy and came to shore several times a day for play time. I had such a great time capturing their antics. Happily, they all went on to find good homes. Read more here.

Sailing to the Bahamas on Windsong II  — March/April

How could this not be a highlight — cruising the pristine waters of the Bahamas in a sailboat,  meeting new friends and meeting up with old friends from home? We did it for about five weeks and saw new and gorgeous places this year — so much beauty I couldn’t begin to capture it all, so I had to take a lot back in memory form.

Read more here.

Shooting the New Vintages Tailgate Event in Niagara with my sister on her birthday — June

This was my first foray into paid event photography. I went to visit my sister to celebrate her birthday and she asked me if I would like to be second shooter for her at a wine event. Well, I thought I would give it a go. It turned out to be quite a challenge, which I knew going in, but it was also totally enjoyable. I have great admiration for my sister, who does these kinds of shoots on a regular basis as part of her marketing/communications business.

Read more here.

Having an image published in a spread in the LCBO Vintages magazine — June

Well, this was fun. Through my sister, the good folks at i4c (International Chardonnay Celebration) asked if they could use one of my images of their 2014 event in an advertising spread in the LCBO Vintages magazine. They offered to pay in wine. Well, that was a no-brainer. Of course they could.

before cinematic

Trip to the Northwest Territories to see family — August/September

A very important part of our family now lives very far away from us — way up north of the 60th parallel in the Northwest Territories. This is not an area that too many Canadians ever travel to. We don’t know how long this phase of their life will last so we decided to go visit and see what they were experiencing for ourselves. The terrain was rugged and fascinating and the wildlife was amazing — but challenging to capture with my camera. The highlight of this highlight was playing with the grandkids.

 Quick trip to West Virginia — September/October

In mid-fall, we accepted a friend’s kind offer to spend time at a cabin in West Virginia. We hit some cool and rainy weather, which gave me the welcome chance to shoot some moody, misty shots.

Donating an image to the Mosaic on Mental Health in Halifax — October

My cousin helps organize an art festival to support mental health programs in Nova Scotia every year. She asked if I would be willing to donate one of my images. I was honoured and delighted. It was way too far to go to see the exhibition, but it was a huge success and a lovely lady was pleased to walk away with my piece. Win/win!

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Winning the Grand Prize in a photo contest — November

Well, this was a stunner. On a whim, I entered a photo contest that was looking for images of my county — Lanark County. I submitted a barn image made near my home on Christmas Day and another one of our river. A month later, I received an email to say I had won the Grand Prize and smaller prize. Frankly, I was gobsmacked. I did put the prize money to good use though — some I donated and the rest went to camera equipment!

Prize winner

Let your life flow by balancing intentions with opportunities and hang on to neither with a life-and-death grip.

My visual CV…

/ Sherry Galey / 29 Comments

I’ve now seen several Visual Q&As and each one has been hugely inspiring. Kim Manley Ort published a post recently in which she answered the same questions as did Nathan Wirth with a series of images rather than words. She calls it a “Visual CV.”

I immediately thought it would be a wonderful exercise in self-awareness. And that is a key ingredient in moving our photography forward — more so than new gear or more courses or new techniques.

But I was concerned that the questions would be hard to answer.

In fact, I was pleasantly surprised at how easily it came together. Once I tapped into my intuitive sense and honoured the feeling of what was the best answer, it just flowed.

It’s the kind of thing that is really beyond thought…the answers just present themselves when you look through your own images. Thought and trying too hard just gets in the way, as it does in life.

Of course our pictures are as much about ourselves as they are about the subject matter —  more so, actually…so a little excavation yields great riches. Why not give it a try yourself?

Who are you?

astor hall

Why photography?

st lucie 2LR

What is your trademark photographic style?
barn2
What truly inspires you?

New York

Where do you go when you close your eyes?
abstract water2
Where is home for you?
rollei2013-low res
How would you describe your lifestyle?
fresh2
What makes a great shot?

New York

How do you view the world?

Ottawa

What is an important lesson you’ve learned?
sparkof grace light FB

Summer in the vineyard…

/ Sherry Galey / 9 Comments

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There’s nothing quite like a wine and food festival as a place to savour the tastes of summer. And one held among the vines right in a vineyard on a warm summer solstice eve is sure to be an extra special treat.

So when my sister asked if I would be interested in going along with her to help shoot such an event, I jumped at the chance. She had been asked by one of her clients to photograph the annual TD Tailgate Party that wraps up the Niagara New Vintage Festival.

My sister operates a busy marketing / communications / public relations consulting business (Winestains) in the Niagara area — one of Canada’s preeminent wine regions – and many of her clients are wineries or wine events. She’s always included photography in her social media contracts, but lately, more and more new clients have been asking for her event photography services.

We had travelled to southern Ontario to celebrate my sister’s birthday and her anniversary. But pro that she is, when the request came in, she didn’t want to let her clients down, so we decided to make a day of it — combining work with our passion for photography with spending time in each other’s company.

She knows how much I love photography and last year I had taken some shots at a Chardonnay festival we attended with her that she liked and was able to use. But being promoted to number two shooter at a wine event was an exciting new experience for me — one I relished and really learned from.

It struck me afterward that event photography is a bit of a mix of street photography, lifestyle photography and still life, all of which I have tried over the years.

You have to be fast, anticipate well, and shoot quickly (and a lot) in order to catch candid moments with good compositions, as you do in street photography. But you also want to show people in their best light, as you do in lifestyle and portrait photography. No odd expressions or embarrassing moments wanted here!

And wine and food events certainly require some set ups as does still life to showcase the “heroes” and the ambiance. At the back of your mind, you must always remember what the client is looking to convey to their audience through your images (a list of subjects and moods can be helpful) and continually aim to capture that.

We came home tired but happy that night. We had such a great time photographing the happy participants as they spent the evening socializing with friends and sampling new vintages and local favourites from all the winery partners as well as the yummy food offered by local vendors.

The next night was set aside for celebrating my dear sister. And celebrate we did! That is another story.