The Call: So Many Weeds — Cheryl

My mind feels as unruly as my flowerbeds. There’s a ton I want to accomplish, but I can’t find the time, or I can’t find the inspiration, or — more likely — I can’t locate the two of them at the same time.

The Response: Chinatown — Jessica

For our anniversary gift, my ever-patient husband accompanied me to the Smithsonian Museum of American Art for this exhibit. But before doing that we grabbed lunch at a restaurant in DC’s Chinatown. The window of this knick-knack shop was particularly unruly — the cats’ paws were all moving out of sync with each other and the colors and reflections really created quite a visual riot.

The Call: Rainy Day — Jessica

It’s been a very rainy week so we are more than ready for the rain to go away.

Response: At the Playground — Cheryl

After weeks of rain, a sunny day is worth celebrating. The kids and I did so with a trip to the ice cream shop and playground.

The Call: Taking Over — Cheryl

I like this Dramatic Tone filter on my E-5. It makes the shadows that much shadowier.

By the way, this is the door to our decrepit back porch. The bittersweet vines have gotten a little out of hand.

The Response: Teddy — Jessica

I had lots of ideas for today’s call but then the weather decided not to cooperate and was mostly cloudy and flat all day long. This is one of my favorite “shadow” poems though…

My Shadow
I have a little shadow that goes in and out with me,
And what can be the use of him is more than I can see.
He is very, very like me from the heels up to the head;
And I see him jump before me, when I jump into my bed.
— Robert Louis Stevenson

The Call: Fence — Jessica

“Land is the only true wealth.”
— The Secret of Roan Inish

(P.S. This is one of my favorite movies!)

Response: In the Woods — Cheryl

We practically live in the woods. Our land (right around two acres) has way too much vegetation on it (and a great deal of said vegetation is poison ivy). I think it’s time to enlist professional help.

The Call: Softly Stella — Cheryl

I guess I came to photography rather late in life. I had a compact, 35mm film camera in college, and I used it to record birthday parties, trips home to family and friends, special evenings when my classmates and I dressed up for dances.

After graduating from college, I was a handed an SLR for my reporting job at my hometown, weekly newspaper. I learned to use it well enough (but never did any developing) and even got sent to a sports photography workshop (Stephen King’s wife, Tabitha, was a fellow participant — she wanted to take better shots of her kids’ soccer games).

After Dennis and I were married for nearly two years, we bought a used SLR, but he shot with it more than I did and I found using it a bit tricky (I think a good light meter may have helped in that regard).

Before our first child was born, I asked for a new compact Canon 35mm for Christmas, as the one I had used in college got demolished by my sister’s dog’s teeth and I wanted to be able to quickly snap pictures of the baby, once delivered into the world. I shot rolls and rolls of film when my first four were young.

By the time Jack, my fifth, was a year old, Dennis and I had taken the momentous step of buying an Olympus E-500, our first dSLR. I tried to take daily photos with it, in an effort to learn my way around the camera and its capabilities, but I didn’t become enamored with it (or photography in general) until I started using the camera (fitted with the 40-150mm lens) to capture the details of Luke’s baseball games. Downloading the hundreds of photos I’d take at each game, choosing the best to post in online galleries, sharing the galleries with other team parents, and receiving compliments on my photographic abilities transformed my camera from event recorder to creative tool.

Now, with a new camera (an Olympus E-5), new lenses, tens of thousands of photos on my computers, and an expanded knowledge of — and appreciation for — the art of photography, I feel like I’ve arrived at an exciting place with endless opportunities for exploration and growth.

The Response: A Small Moment — Jessica

Photography is:
an art
a science

a keeper of memories
a time machine

an explanation
an exploration

a story
a reality

a meditation
a treatise

painful
beautiful
exciting
frustrating

a compulsion
an obsession
a contemplation

The Call: Egg White — Jessica

Eggs are nicely symmetrical — although, only on one axis.

They also make a nice study for line, light and form. I just wish I had more lights to play with. This is not really what I had visualized but I will try again when I’ve got a bit more time.

Response: Rose Petal — Cheryl

“The most general law in nature is equity-the principle of balance and symmetry which guides the growth of forms along the lines of the greatest structural efficiency.”
—Herbert Read

The Call: Cherry Vanity — Cheryl

It has been a long wait. We remodeled the front, first-floor quarter of the house in 2011 (in fact, this is what it looked like two years ago today). As part of that renovation, we changed a three-quarters bath into a half bath. Well, it got framed, drywalled, tiled and painted, at least. In the next few days, that tiny room (which has become a repository for things like books, Ripstiks, Sam’s-Club-size packages of paper towels, and the vacuum cleaner) should finally contain a working sink and toilet. I can’t wait to see Bob the Plumber this week.

The Response: Don’t Keep Me Waiting — Jessica

Pixie does not appreciate being made to wait outside. Once she does her business she wants back in immediately and will bark ceaselessly until she gets her way.

The Call: Peacock — Jessica

I was too late to make it to Mass for my third order meeting this morning. So instead, I sat in the quiet of the garden. And waited.

I soon noticed the peacock and the broken iron cage that use to keep him caged. Now, in his freedom, he remains, in stony silence. Captured, broken and yet resolved.

Response: Garden Stuff — Cheryl

I’d like to be a gardener, but a few hours in the dirt is about all I can handle each summer. I like to photograph nature, but I don’t like to be out in it. My “Garden Stuff” container is funky and fun, but I find it more useful in holding laundry stuff.

The Call: Napping Jack — Cheryl

This shot was taken around 10:00 this morning. When I came downstairs at 8:45, I was surprised to see Jack up, knowing that he had not gone to sleep until after 1 am. According to him, he had not slept all night and decided to come downstairs when it got light outside. I know that he was not awake all night, since I saw him sleeping for part of it. Nevertheless, he needed more sleep this morning, and I’m thankful he conked out on the couch. I just hope he wakes refreshed.

The Response: Snack — Jessica

It was hot today. Hot and muggy — not the kind of day you want to spend outside doing anything. The watermelon made for a very refreshing afternoon snack.

The Call: Air and Space Gift Shop — Jessica

Gear is good but vision is better. I’m paraphrasing David duChemin. And I agree. Gear is very good. The right gear and the technical know-how frees you from limits. But without a vision you are just as limited. They are complimentary, but if I could only have one, I’d take vision. Vision with a side of ingenuity — that will take you places! And that pretty much sums up the American spirit too. Happy Fourth of July and happy birthday America!

Original Lens — Cheryl

Well, this is an interesting story. I took a picture of this lens and had planned on writing something like this: I have enough camera gear, I guess. I own this 14-45mm lens (which came with my E-500), a 50mm, a 40-150mm (which also came with E-500), a 25mm (that doesn’t work and may someday get shipped off for repair), and a 70-300mm lens. When Dennis gave me the E-5 for Christmas, I suddenly noticed how entry-level this 14-45mm lens was. I did some research and decided I would save up for the Olympus flagship 14-35mm. Since it costs $2299, I knew I’d be saving a long time. I did better than I thought I could do, though, and am about $120 away (2-3 weeks?) from that $2299. Here’s the thing: For months now, I’ve been using my 50mm lens almost exclusively and love it. I started to wonder if I really need the new lens, and I’ve been waffling a bit.

Now, here’s the really interesting part of the story. About 20 minutes ago, in preparation for this post, I went to my Amazon wishlist to take another look at the lens I’ve been saving for, and when I found it in my wishlist, I got quite the surprise. The price went down to $1880.59, because there was one available from a retailer called Blinq. I checked the reviews on Blinq and found them reassuring. Then, I called Dennis to my side and asked him what I should do. He handed me his American Express card, and told me to order the lens right away. It should arrive anywhere from Monday to Wednesday. Oh, and get this: the shipping was free! Now, let’s see if I have the vision to really get my money’s worth. ; )

The Call: Water Dance — Cheryl

Starting a 365-day photography project is liking making a New Year’s resolution, but there is one important difference (for me, at least): when I embark upon a 365, I generally succeed at meeting my goal.

The Response: Danny in the Hall — Jessica

Looking back at my neglected personal blog, I read posts written with such sincerity about my intentions to live intentionally. And then the posts stop. Life has a way interrupting even the most intentional intent. It’s hard to meet your resolution to post more when the hours just aren’t there to do it. And I don’t need to just prioritize better. After all, feeding, clothing, teaching, healing are all acts of charity that should be given the highest priority.

So now that things have slowed down…I’m able to return to my resolution. But this time the resolution is to take more pictures of the kids and the moments that you wouldn’t think of photographing. I stalked them this morning, camera half-way up to my eye, waiting for the pose and the light to magically combine in that sweet spot of the decisive moment. I got one or two keepers and I learned a few lessons.

One: My focus ability is totally out-of-whack! Need some serious practice on that front. Two: It’s the details that kill me in post. I frame so carefully and then I don’t notice everything INSIDE the frame and as a result, what could have been an awesome shot, is most decidedly NOT. My resolution is to SLOOOOWWW down.

The Call: Gunston Hall — Jessica

Today we visited Gunston Hall, the home of the forgotten founding father, George Mason. George Mason, in case you are wondering, is the author of the Virginia Declaration of Rights. He was one of the contributors to the Constitution, but when all was said and done, he refused to sign it because he felt that it didn’t do enough to protect individual liberties. Eventually, his ideas (filtered through Madison) became the Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments to the Constitution.

We were one of only a handful of people there. It seems as though, in our times, the Bill of Rights is being forgotten as quickly as poor George Mason.

Now, why does this fit pastel? That’s because I finally was able to put together a pastel-flavored Lightroom preset that I’m happy with it. It doesn’t work for all photos, but I do like what it does with architecture and nature. (It was also used on yesterday’s birdhouse.)

Response: PanPastels — Cheryl

I was very excited when, a few years ago, I opened a birthday package from my sister and discovered PanPastels inside. I was disappointed when I first tried them, though, as they are rather difficult to “paint” with. Fortunately, they’ve turned out to be great additions to my art journaling arsenal.

The Call: Sparkling Dragonfly — Cheryl

This is an art journaling layout I started today. I’d love to establish an art-jounaling-every-single-day routine.

The Response: Domestic — Jessica

A million ideas came into my mind with this prompt: establish routine, establish limits, establish rules, establish creative outlets, etc. But in the end I realized they all boiled down to establishing justice to ensure domestic tranquility. Now if only our rulers could remember that little injunction…

The Call: Red Hot — Jessica

These smokin’ hot “diamonds” have been helping me cook dinner all week. We love grilled food! : )

Response: Phoney — Cheryl

These aren’t diamonds — merely Swarovski crystals, and they’re beautiful enough for me.