Photographer Quotes...

“Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever... it remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything.” - Aaron Siskind


“Look, I'm not an intellectual - I just take pictures.” - Helmut Newton


“To me, photography is an art of observation. It's about finding something interesting in an ordinary place... I've found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.” - Elliott Erwitt


Sometimes I enjoy just photographing the surface because I think it can be as revealing as going to the heart of the matter - Annie Leibovitz


I've worked out of a series of no's. No to exquisite light, no to apparent compositions, no to the seduction of poses or narrative. And all these no's force me to the "yes." I have a white background. I have the person I'm interested in and the thing that happens between us. -Richard Avedon


To create one's world in any of the arts takes courage. - Georgia O'Keeffe

Resurrection Bay, Prince William Sound, Alaska

If you read this blog often enough, you will get tired of hearing me say this. Alaska is the most beautiful place I've ever seen. But Resurrection Bay and Prince William Sound have a particular draw for me: lots of marine wildlife. Each year I've been to Alaska, I get out on the water to whale watch or go fishing. Its so peaceful. Alaska is not like a lot of places. You don't have to go too far to be completely away from other people and civilization. Prince William Sound is one of these places. I have seen humpback whales, puffins, sea otters, Stellar sea lions, Dall porpoise, Dall sheep on the cliffs, eagles on the rock formations, harbor seals, halibut, rock fish and many other birds, mammals and marine creatures. 

This particular set of pictures was taken while on a whale watching excursion from Seward, AK. If you like animals, you'll appreciate these shots. I was fortunate enough to see a pod of Killer Whales (Orcas) on this trip. 2 big mothers and a handful of babies. I had to remind myself that even the babies were the size of cars when I looked at the pictures. The humpback whale I captured was enormous. They are like icebergs; 90% of their mass is underwater. The one below had a tail the size of an SUV. She hung around and took her time looking back at us with just her head out of the water. Like she was waiting for us to follow. I don't know how people could bring themselves to hunt these graceful, trusting animals.

I was also lucky enough to shoot an eagle couple on a rock formation. Eagles mate for life. The two of them sat there on that rock as our vessel slowing cruised by. They looked down on us so regally, like a king and queen on their throne. Its no wonder they symbolize strength and stealth.

I hope these images convey in some small way just how amazing Alaska is. I never feel like the pictures do it justice. Some things are just too beautiful.

Mt. McKinley: Denali, The Great One

I have so many pictures in Alaska, I have to share them with you one area at a time. Here are some shots I took of Denali and some of the lower peaks in the Alaska Range. Flying over Denali is like trying to win a race with a jaguar. Just when you feel you are upon it, its still further away. Mt. McKinley filled the window of the small plane we were on and we still were miles and miles from it. Some of these shots are from Denali State Park. The rest are from the 6-seater air craft we took with K2 Aviation to take some pictures out of Talkeetna, AK.

Flying around Denali was one of the most breathtaking experiences I had in all of my Alaska trips. This year we will do it again and add a glacier landing for pictures ON the mountain. I can't wait to share them with you.

From Talkeetna Bluffs

Mt. McKinley and the sweeping Ruth Glacier

One of the lower peaks

Click on this one to enlarge; there are 2 climbers on this mountain

Click to enlarge; there are two skiers on the range

A glacier tucked in the Alaska Range

Mt.  McKinley

Nature Shots in SE Michigan

These are some of my favorite nature shots. I took these at Stoney Creek Metro Park in Michigan. The orange flower is called a Columbine, the purple flower is a Vinca. I think the white tree flowers are Marlencas, but I'm not sure. I did minimal editing to these photos. The day was perfect and the color was everywhere. I was at Stoney Creek on this day for a group hike with my mom. She loves hiking and I like taking pictures of things that grow in the woods. We both had a good time.

Shedd Aquarium

I could spend a week at Shedd Aquarium. I love marine life anyway and the view of Lake Michigan from the aquarium auditorium is amazing. I shot these pictures with a mid-level Canon point and shoot digital in 2008. 

Around The House...

Did you know you can make anything in your house look like something from an art studio? Here are some boring bits from my place I tried to turn into interesting pictures. You be the judge. A wise photographer friend of mine once told me, "don't be afraid to experiment; play with light, white balance, focus..." Here's one of my experiments...

Vicious Killer Pit Bulls...

You never hear about pit bulls until its bad news. Its always the front page of the news paper, the leading story at 6pm... Always an "evil dog" who attacked a child or killed another dog. Unfortunately, you never hear about the irresponsible, cruel owner who made the dog that way. Any dog who is mistreated, frustrated, scared and starved will attack. I would too. Ironically, pit bulls don't even account for any of the top ten dogs that attack people.

 I have 2 pit bulls. An 8year old girl and a 6 year old boy; Bebe and Bully Lou. They are the loves of my life. Bebe was with me when I was still a wild, single young lady. She taught me responsibility for another living thing and unconditional love. I have always promised both my puppies I would never let anything happen to them. I guess that's a lie. I have allowed people to adore them, change their minds about pit bulls because of them and fall in love with them, too. But thats the extent of what I will allow ;)

I submit to you some images that portray the way I see my loving, beautiful animals. As I type this post they are laying beside me on the couch, covered in blankets and dreaming away. We have an understanding: I give them lots of treats and they hold still while I take thousands of photos. Win win.

Sand & Water

These photos were taken on the beach in front of my family's property on Lake Huron in Michigan. They have some beautiful property in a little town called Greenbush. We often joke that it is the "Blackwood Compound" in Greenbush. A lot of the family all have cottages in Greenbush and summer holidays are always bustling with cousins and aunts and uncles and kids. 

There are quiet, peaceful moments in Greenbush, too. These two photos capture some of my more intimate beach moments. I took them while walking down the beach alone. There's something about sand and water that has drawn sun-loving families to beaches for ages. I like them because they are never the same from year to year, moment to moment.

Alaska 2008

I can only take credit for one of these photos. My husband took the shot of the moose herd climbing the frozen river bank while on a glacier snowmachine trip. We have been to Alaska 3 times and are returning again in May 2010. I have literally taken approximately 10,000 pictures in our three trips to Alaska. Going through and editing the pictures takes weeks to months upon my return. Each time I go to Alaska, I am completely blown away; from the moment I can see the mountains through the clouds from the plane. To me, (I have been a few place in my life) - hands down - Alaska is the most beautiful place on earth. You will definitely see more of Alaska through my eyes on this blog.

The First Posts...

The first time I played "photographer" was at summer camp. Camp Shamrock in Chelsea, MI, to be exact. I ran around with my cabin mates; at the beach, a hike on the hill, running scared past the "old hermit cabin", a walk to an old cemetery. I took shot after shot. I think I was using a $10 camera with actual film in it. I was about 12 years old. I was sure my parents would love all the pictures of old gravestones, my friends, the woods...

Unfortunately, I forgot the cheap little camera at camp when I left and never saw one photo. Maybe thats when I really started to think about images and how they could look from my perspective. I imagined that someone would find the little $10 camera. They would develop the film and realize it was mine. They would follow every avenue to find me and return the pictures and the camera. We would sit for hours and talk about why I took each one, what it meant, where each thing was, etc... Well, that never happened but I liked to think it could.

I've taken a lot of pictures since then. Many were simply to catalog a moment with friends or family. Some were for me to remember certain times of my life. Some pictures were taken for other people to remember their friends or family. I always hope each image conveys the way I saw that thing or person at the time. I prefer candid shots of people over posed. I like ethereal editing for a dull natural shot. I try not to shoot things dead on.

I hope you enjoy the images I post here. Please leave comments. I love to hear what people think of what I see. Thanks~