"If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water."  Loren Eiseley

"Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you."   ~Frank Lloyd Wright
 

There is something special - magical really - about New Mexico. It’s true what they say about it being the Land of Enchantment. The light is incredible! I’ve had the pleasure of vacationing in NM many times over the years and I am always amazed at the quality of light. It’s pure magic and no wonder so many artists favor it.

While visiting Santa Fe in 2016 I went to the Andrew Smith Gallery, a photography gallery with an astonishing collection of works by the likes of Ansel Adams, Alfred Stieglitz, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Edward Weston, Dorothea Lange and others. Seriously, it has to be one of the best collections anywhere and not to be missed. 

Afterwards we were driving back watching the moon rise - a full moon rise on a beautiful nearly cloudless August night. I'm sitting in the passenger seat watching… thinking… I've seen this before...when it hits me. In a way that said my life depended on it I asked my husband to pull over. I quickly grabbed my camera and rested it on the side mirror of the car as I didn't have my tripod with me and it wouldn't have mattered if I did because there was no time to set it up. I shot the moonrise over Moreno Valley with my Olympus OM-D EM-10, a mirrorless micro four thirds camera, and 45mm f/2.8 lens (90mm equivalent). The second shot I took is the one posted here - my own very modest take on Adam's iconic "Moonrise, Hernandez NM". I know it isn't tack sharp and the moon is blown out, but I love the photo all the same.

The sunset, canyon and river photos were taken at the Rio Grande Del Norte National Monument near Taos. 

Paris in autumn is about as good as it gets. The light is incredible, a photographer’s dream place - or anyone’s dream place for that matter.

We were fortunate to have beautiful weather during our visit. Perfect for exploring the city on foot, my favorite way to see a new city other than cycling. As we walked I almost always had my camera in hand, thank goodness for lightweight mirrorless gear.

“I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in.” John Muir

Bending the rules of photography

“Color is descriptive. Black and white is interpretive.” – Eliott Erwitt

Winter is a new season for me. Prior to moving to Chagrin Falls, Ohio (greater Cleveland) my experience with winter typically consisted of a few weeks of truly cold weather, an ice storm or two, snow every other year or so, and many days of fairly mild temperatures.

Unlike most of my fellow Northeast Ohioans, I am in love with and fascinated by winter especially with its subtleness, exposed by the absence of color in the landscape. The lack of color creates a stark and minimalistic mood filled with these lovely muted tones which I love. Things that are visible in winter are usually hidden in summer so I notice my surroundings in a way that is not possible in the other seasons. Winter is captivating visually, capturing it with my camera is different and something I am still learning to do.