Sonshine

The last couple of weeks my son and I have been housebound with grey, rainy days that had the front yard melting into green grass. I've been bemoaning this lacklustre winter and longing for a few more blizzards myself. Then the sun came out one afternoon. As evening began, I walked my own sonshine into the bathroom to see what rays can do to a coloured ball of glass. I love this photo, his fingers stretching out to a rainbow globe after a long, grey, snowless couple of weeks and the shadows of my pines stretching like fingers themselves to touch the sunny smiles he emits. They appear to be reaching for each other. I realized it was later in the day than I thought, the sun still slowly setting and the long shadows seemed to be the very fingers of Spring stretching herself, yawning as she throws her arms over her head and flexes her fingers, preparing to properly awaken 'neath the snow and pull us all towards the Summer Solstice...

Snuggle

I've been neglecting this 'sister' blog and need to get back on the wagon here. This was a photo I took this week of my son and I. Lately it's been rare to have him fall asleep in my arms. I'm usually putting him into his crib awake these days, but it was so nice to snuggle with him the other evening, watching the fire in the woodstove crackle. I prefer portrait work shot in black and white or sepia. Makes everything a little softer, but at the same time the details seem to stand out more sharply. It purifies an image, I think.

I've recently begun a 365 Day project for each of us and the above was a reject for that so I thought I'd include it here on my photo blog. The flickr 365 Day group is quite intriguing; some really inventive stuff going on there by group members. Check it out when you have a moment. You can start one yourself anytime, just make sure you read the rules. Have fun!

Old Order

Sometimes I love to snap photos while driving where I'm focused more on the road ahead of me than what is being snapped (as it should be). But it's an experiment I do every once in a while to see what results. It's not that I do it completely blind. I do plan to make sure no telephone poles are in the way. I seek out what might make a nice scene and then I just snap as I rush by. When I return home, I upload what's been shot and see if there's anything that tickles my fancy.

Here's one I took on my birthday, while driving home.  I am lucky enough to reside rurally amongst a settlement of Mennonites, both old order and new order. There are also a lot of Dutch farms surrounding me. But the way you can tell a farm is a Mennonite farm (besides the fact that most of them appear much too spotless and organized to be real), is the fact that the barns are generally white with green roofs.

I love the way this barn peeks out amidst the flash of trees. I also love that this photograph is taken in such a rush, whizzing by, capturing a world that unfolds at a much more even, temperate pace than the rest of the world surrounding it. It's a nice contrast...

January Sunrise

This was the picturesque view from my bedroom window this morning at approximately 7:45 a.m. EST. I live rurally and this is gazing out onto part of my property and across to my neighbours. I'm surprised you don't see the two collies who live next door. They are usually out and about somewhere. I love how this photo captures the peace of a wintry sunrise. It's been overcast for quite a while lately and so it was a real pleasure to wake up to the rosy hue of the sun rising over the blue of the snow still embracing the dark of night before the dawn. I also love the way the photo is framed by the sweep of pine boughs, as though they are the brush that has painted their surroundings. And I love the remnants of the dead maple beneath the snow. It was over 100 years old before it fell several years ago. A fresh snowfall makes even decay look at peace and slumbering.

Happy New Year, everyone!