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2013-05-08 04:05:31 (7 comments, 10 reshares, 52 +1s)

Soulful

Horses are by far my favorite animal. Always have been, can't imagine they won't be till the end of my days. Their eyes are magic and completely and totally exemplify the saying, "The eyes are windows to the soul."

2013-05-06 00:41:29 (17 comments, 0 reshares, 52 +1s)

Faster, Baby!

Project 52 B&W
Week 18: Speed
#P52BW13 | +Project 52 B&W 
Curated by +Tisha Craw, +Susan Porter, & +Lauri Novak 

I apologize for being late again this week. I had to enlist the help of my boyfriend for this one. He grudgingly obliged because he wanted to be lazy at home, but we ended up having a fun time and laughing our asses off. It was a great afternoon playing with SPEEEEEED! 

2013-05-05 04:02:57 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 14 +1s)

I'm late to the party! Oh noes! But that's not going to stop me from wishing someone very special a Happy Birthday! #happybirthdaychrysta   #happybirthdaychrystarae ! 

You light up this community with that adorable smile that you smile and you're just downright awesome! You have an infectious laugh and attitude to boot. :D And you deserve all the best that life can give you. 

I didn't have a picture of cake, so you're getting a cup of birthday chocolate instead! With a cherry on top!! And a giant mound of whipped cream! MMMMM! 

A little poem I found:

Balloons and cake and candles, too;
Everyone singing "Happy Birthday" to you!
It's your day - Party till you drop!
Cause some day, you'll want the birthdays to STOP!

Happy Birthday, Chrysta!!

2013-05-04 16:48:56 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 8 +1s)

Having a little fun with Snapseed while sitting at Starbucks enjoying a coffee on a rainy Saturday. Fun times! :-P

2013-05-03 04:46:45 (9 comments, 0 reshares, 19 +1s)

Emblematic

Or is that emblem addict? Take your pick, pick your poison! 

I can't believe I'm so late posting to this theme today after how excited I've been. I almost posted on Tuesday thinking it was Thursday already! And then today, the real day, I forgot! GASP! My brain is on overdrive with work...so much so, that not even coffee can keep my head on straight...Soon it will be over. Like tomorrow! And I'm looking so very forward to it. 

Now for some much needed sleep.....

For the Brew Crew +Sairam Sundaresan +Jason Kowing  +Maki Silberberg   +Stuart Dyckhoff and #CoffeeThursday     

2013-05-03 04:20:17 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 14 +1s)

Lucky Dice

I'm a little late to the game, but I'm gonna roll with it and play along anyway.

hahaha!!! Get it? Roll with it! I know, I'm so so so funny! In an eye roll kind of way. ;) 

Here's my submission for Red for #roygbiv  

2013-05-02 16:01:06 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

The Storytelling Landscape Photography mentorship is ready for sign-ups!

Ever gone on a trip somewhere and witnessed a spectacular scene unfold before your eyes. You reach for the camera, trying to capture that moment, preserve it for all time to come. When you come back home, you realize that picture you created doesn't remind you of the place you were at. Where has all that magic gone? Where is that story you thought you got? Look no further. This is a special program for tackling those very questions that boggle the brightest of minds. 

In addition to that, we'll also look at building compelling landscape imagery from the ground up, starting from the basics and adding layer by layer to create a masterpiece in the end ;)

 This program is brought to you through the +G+ Mentorship Program for Photographers. I will be taking on a handful of people for a<... more »

2013-04-30 21:47:17 (8 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

Okay, I have to laugh...I was looking for an official music video on YouTube and ran across an unofficial one with this wording in the description: 

"No copyright infringement intended"

Seriously? What is that? "It's not intended but I've gone and done it anyway. But you'll let me slide, because I didn't intend to do it....Right?"

So can I go around and steal work as long as I proclaim that I didn't intend to violate copyright law? Gee, wouldn't that be handy?! 

Oh, and btw, I have a huge grin on my face as I type all this....This is my extremely facetious side coming out, but since it's all typed, it's hard to tell....

2013-04-28 04:31:32 (62 comments, 5 reshares, 36 +1s)

Final PLUS post!!

One phrase keeps coming to mind when I think about how to sum up my experience of +Robin Griggs Wood's +G+ Mentorship Program for Photographers...

Mr. Toad's Wild Ride

I'm thinking of the Disneyland Ride when I say this, not The Wind in the Willows book, which was apparently the inspiration for the ride (I just fed my Muse a little nibble by looking this up - I even just bought the book to read! And maybe it is an appropriate comparison. I'll soon find out!!). So what exactly do I mean by that, anyway? Well, it's been a wild ride! An amazing, scary, exhilarating, emotional, uplifting, inspirational, crazy wild ride!

I had little more than a vague notion of what the program was when I signed up. To be honest, I was very intimidated at even the thought of doing so! But by some miracle, I gathered enough courage to... more »

2013-04-28 03:40:43 (9 comments, 0 reshares, 28 +1s)

Fire House

Project 52 B&W
Week 17: Night Lights
#P52BW13 | +Project 52 B&W 
Curated by +Tisha Craw , +Susan Porter & +Lauri Novak 

I'm a day late this week! OOPSIE! I've been wanting to get over the our local fire station to get this picture for a very long time now. Last week's theme gave me the perfect kick in the pants to go do it. It didn't turn out quite as I had envisioned. I'd hoped the fire engine in the middle bay would be a bit more obvious, like it is in real life. But that's okay. Chalking it up to a learning experience. 

2013-04-27 05:24:57 (11 comments, 0 reshares, 14 +1s)

Grandmother's House

More memories from my Michigan trip. This was Oma's house once upon a time. I have so many wonderfully happy memories of this house. "My" bedroom was the one on the 2nd floor at the front (right). I can still see it in my mind as if it were yesterday. So much love in this house for me. 

It was a horse farm in the middle of a normal neighborhood. It's strange how it is somehow the same, and yet completely different at the same time. I do know that it just isn't right that there aren't horses on the property any longer. And the fence that was surrounding the front yard is no longer there, either. It makes it feel empty.

Of course, the biggest missing piece is my grandma. :( But I'm so grateful for the memories I have. ♥

2013-04-27 05:03:58 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 6 +1s)

While I was on my trip to Michigan last weekend, I stopped by to see my uncle and was, once again, admiring the chest that I've loved for as long as I can remember. It belonged to my grandmother back in the day and then was passed down to my aunt and then my cousin. She's a lucky girl. This thing is unbelievable!  For some reason, I decided to finally ask my uncle about it. All I knew was that it has been in the family a long time. 

As it turns out, my great uncle painted it!! It's exquisite! The date on the piece is 1939. These photos simply don't do it justice. What was so fun to learn, however, is that my great uncle was Ottomar Starke, a known German painter in the first half of the 20th Century. I'm not sure how well known he was, but he had numerous published works. I don't know why I find this so very interesting, but I do! I guess it gives me a feeling ofc... more »

2013-04-25 19:46:46 (6 comments, 0 reshares, 6 +1s)

wake up and smell the coffee

May 2nd marks the return of #coffeethursday  !!  I'm super duper excited and can't wait to see everyone's coffeelicious photos.

Brought you by the Brew Crew +Jason Kowing +Sairam Sundaresan +Stuart Dyckhoff and me.

--------

Special thanks to +Christin McLeod for the name, Brew Crew ♥

2013-04-20 13:46:04 (9 comments, 1 reshares, 17 +1s)

Blue

Hey +Melissa Beagle! Here's the color version of the photo I posted for the B&W project. I didn't do much to it cause I'm in a rush, so forgive the sensor grime. I also didn't get to play with the colors to make them reflect what I saw when I was there. 

But here it is!!! :D :D 

For everyone else, this is along the shores of Lake Michigan in St. Joseph. 

2013-04-20 03:38:27 (16 comments, 0 reshares, 45 +1s)

Blue

Project 52 B&W
Week 16: Fade
#P52BW13 | +Project 52 B&W 
Curated by +Tisha Craw, +Susan Porter, & +Lauri Novak 

I'm traveling in Michigan today, right along the shores of Lake Michigan, to be exact. The weather has been less than favorable, but for a few brief moments, the sun made an attempt at an appearance, creating this very cool fade effect on the water. In color, it faded from a beautiful sea foam green-blue to a deep dark sapphire blue on the horizon and was totally amazing to see. I will admit that the color version is much more awesome because you can see the blue fade, but it looks pretty cool in B&W also. 

2013-04-19 02:50:52 (15 comments, 0 reshares, 17 +1s)

Me 'n My Starbucks

Yes, I am a Starbucks junkie. I will shamefully admit it. I know there is better coffee in the world, but not in my tiny corner of the world. ;)

I have my one drink I get - a short mocha, no whip. If I'm going all out, I'll get a tall 2 pump mocha, no whip. Oh, wait! All out = with whip! Cause really i LOVE the whip! That sounds bad. I wouldn't know about that Oh never mind. I'm digging my hole deeper here...

Ahem....what was I saying? So today, it was the short mocha with whip. 

I give up.... ;) 

For what it is worth, here is my contribution to #CoffeeThursday  and the Brew Crew +Jason Kowing  +Stuart Dyckhoff  +Maki Silberberg  and +Sairam Sundaresan  

Cheers!

2013-04-18 17:31:29 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

Stay tuned...                          Curating:
Good                                 +Maki Silberberg 
Things                               +Sairam Sundaresan 
Are                                    +Jason Kowing 
Brewing!                            +Stuart Dyckhoff 

#CoffeeThursday  

2013-04-17 04:44:05 (7 comments, 0 reshares, 33 +1s)

Wrapped Around You

2013-04-16 03:26:38 (5 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

A Lil' Tina

More photos from my outing with +Lauri Novak, +Randy Scherkenbach, +Scott Norris and a few others to Hamburger Mary's in Milwaukee over the weekend. Great fun!

I apologize for my oh so "artistic" motion blur. I should've just let the camera go on auto for once, but I didn't. 

2013-04-14 22:43:16 (23 comments, 0 reshares, 15 +1s)

Prost!

Here we are +Ursula Broicher, me with my big ol' beer and +Lauri Novak with some sophistication! It was a blast, the whole entire night, including when we met +Randy Scherkenbach and +Scott Norris at Hamburger Mary's for some food and fun and a little drag show.

And seeing +Rick Sammon speak in the afternoon was fantastic. For everyone reading this, if you haven't ever had a chance to see him, you should definitely check him out! He's great!! 

2013-04-14 22:05:39 (7 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

Supplement to +Lauri Novak's I Will Survive from Hamburger Mary's last night in Milwaukee. This was the first time I'd ever seen a drag show and it was an absolute blast! I didn't get many decent pictures. I couldn't seem to get my settings right. Sometimes, I guess I should just go with auto. But I did get lots of "artistic" pictures. I'll be posting more shortly.

With +Randy Scherkenbach, +Scott Norris and others I don't know full names of. Please feel free to tag anyone I missed.

2013-04-13 05:11:14 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

I'm so excited to see +Rick Sammon in Milwaukee in just a few short hours!!! Looks like I'll have to sleep fast! But I know it will be so very worth it!!!

...and seriously...I need to get to bed....but I just can't quite get there...

2013-04-13 04:24:05 (16 comments, 0 reshares, 52 +1s)

Inner Light

Project 52 B&W
Week 15: Flower(s)
#P52BW13 | +Project 52 B&W 
Curated by +Tisha Craw  & +Susan Porter

"As you're reading this, your life's getting shorter. Its ticking away. I'm not saying this to frighten you. Or even scare you. Though it may. I'm saying this to awaken you. To inspire you. To rise you out of your deep slumber. To really know you wont live forever. To share your unique gifts. To ignite your great inner fire. To ignite your great inner strength. To ignite your great inner light. To shine. Brightly shine. To awaken your great inner beauty. To motivate. Yourself and others. To love. Yourself and others. To paint. To write. To teach. To innovate. To sing. To dance. To care. To feel. To listen. To learn. To laugh. The clocks ticking. The world needs you. Make your move."

~Mike Litman

2013-04-06 05:33:40 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 6 +1s)

We live in a historical time. True dark skies are almost impossible to find. Period. 

Researchers estimate in 2025 dark skies will become extinct unless drastic changes are made to the way we approach outdoor lighting. Soon, all of the images I've captured during my career as an avid landscape astrophotographer will no longer be possible due to the growing problems of light pollution. So you may be asking, "What can I do to help?" Follow the +IDA - International Dark-Sky Association and visit http://www.darksky.org/resources/109-international-dark-sky-week for ways on how you can make a difference. 

I will be posting material all week to help spread the word about International Dark Sky Week and the effects from light pollution. Please share these posts with your friends and family so we can make difference. Stay tuned!

2013-04-05 20:04:01 (32 comments, 2 reshares, 59 +1s)

Comin' Down The Tracks

Project 52 B&W
Week 14: Transportation 
#P52BW13 | +Project 52 B&W 
Curated by +Tisha Craw , +David Bowden , & +Susan Porter

Edit:: I forgot my special shout out to +Gene Bowker!!! This rail isn't rusted ;) Please forgive me...I hadn't had my coffee when yet when I posted this morning.

The local train station is off in the distance to the left. I don't believe it is in use anymore, but it has been restored nicely. 

2013-04-05 04:19:59 (11 comments, 1 reshares, 24 +1s)

Wise Owl

I can't help it, but every time I see or think about this owl, I think about Mr. Owl. "One..Tw-whooo...Threeeee!" 

I feel blessed that last Friday, my boss came up to me and said, "Do you have your camera with you? You should go get some pictures of the owl."

"What owl? Right now? I do have my camera with me, actually."

"The one that's been all over the news for the last week! How can you not have heard about it? You should go get some pictures of it right now before it's gone! It's right down the street by the brewery." (see....wise owl....he knows the good places to hang out!)

"Okay, I'm out! I'll see you in a bit!!!"

3:30 on a Friday and my boss tells me to go take pictures.....don't have to tell me twice!!! Now that's a Good Friday!!! more »

2013-03-31 13:04:54 (15 comments, 0 reshares, 30 +1s)

Project 52 B&W
Week 13: Look Up
#P52BW13 | +Project 52 B&W 
Curated by +Tisha Craw , +David Bowden , & +Susan Porter

This isn't exactly what I had planned (and I use that word loosely) for this week's picture. The picture I was hoping to use isn't working well in B&W so I'll have to play with SEP2 some more to coax it into submission. But I don't feel like it tonight, so this is what y'all get instead.

I think this is an old water-type tower from the 1800's, if I were to guess - which I totally am. It sits right next to the train tracks and I'm assuming the spout would spit whatever substance was held in the tower into a train car. Is my ignorance of such things showing? Alternatively, "Does this post make me look dumb?" (think, "does this dress make me look fat?").

I love how the wood grain... more »

2013-03-25 19:25:10 (6 comments, 0 reshares, 6 +1s)

Spring Cleaning: Magazines

What a clever title-er I am!!! I know that's what you were thinking. ;) 

As promised to my friend +Christina Lihani, a picture of my junk pile o' magazines that went to the library on Sunday!!! See +Christi Nielsen, you're not alone :D

I had so much anxiety pulling together this pile, but in the end, it was a weight lifted off my shoulders (no pun with regard to the Oxygen mags). I was "concerned" (notice the quotes) I would miss out on some amazing Life experience if I didn't read these. But now I don't even know what I was missing, so how could I be missing out on a life changer? I will forever live in ignorant bliss! And be happy about it! Because now I no longer have a pile of magazines to be read, taking up space rent free in my brain. And yes, they were sucking up precious energy!! Yet another thing to do... more »

2013-03-25 19:43:44 (6 comments, 0 reshares, 30 +1s)

Project 52 B&W
Week 12: Uneven
#P52BW13 | +Project 52 B&W 
Curated by +Tisha Craw , +David Bowden , & +Susan Porter

Late again this week and I do apologize. I think I've discovered my new favorite flowers for today ;) Ranunculus! They've been a joy to have in my space the last couple of weeks. For such a delicate flower, they've held up amazing well and they bloom into one of the prettiest flowers. One did start losing petals, however, so I took a picture for uneven. Although in this photo, it is not the focus of it. I love the way the unfurling petals have a distinct, yet uneven, pattern. Very fun! 

2013-03-20 04:40:54 (6 comments, 0 reshares, 21 +1s)

Hot Dogs on a Stick

I came across these yesterday as I was out in the eternal snow taking photographs. I'm not sure I've ever really seen cattails in the winter that look like this. I was dreaming of Summer and the fair...in a galaxy far, far away...or so it seems. Hard to believe tomorrow is the first day of Spring! Bring it! I'm ready!!!

2013-03-19 05:21:44 (10 comments, 0 reshares, 30 +1s)

Heartstrings

Project 52 B&W
Week 11: Old 
#P52BW13 | +Project 52 B&W 
Curated by +Tisha Craw , +David Bowden , & +Susan Porter

A real live marionette!! He was my grandmother's. I wish I knew his history, but I only know that he is no less than 50 years old, has real horse hair for the mane and tail, looks to be hand carved and painted, and is likely of German origin. And I love him.

There are very few items in this world that I have a great emotional attachment to. This is one of them. It rates up there with my photographs - the family kind of photographs, not my artistic photos. Losing those would be devastating, but losing the family and friends pictures would be beyond devastating. And that's precisely how I feel about this guy...

He is my constant reminder of my grandmother's love. I love you and miss yout... more »

2013-03-18 15:31:56 (11 comments, 2 reshares, 6 +1s)

Maximize Audience Without Destroying Your Profile
A lot of people are destroying their Google+ profiles by sharing the same post to multiple communities. Not only does this add a lot of redundancy to your profile (i.e., duplicate posts) but you are also making your posts ineligible for What’s Hot. Here’s a simple tip to maximize your audience without killing your profile.

1. Change your personal settings by unchecking “Show your Google+ communities posts on your profile” (see left pic).
2. Share your post publicly (this makes your post eligible for What’s Hot).
3. Then re-share your public post to relevant communities.

Using this strategy will: (a) only show one post on your profile, as opposed to showing many duplicate posts, (b) show the share count on a single post, rather than being scattered across multiple posts, and (c) keep your post eligible forwhat’s ho... more »

2013-03-18 05:38:34 (19 comments, 0 reshares, 14 +1s)

PLUS post! Week 12: Color

Untitled

Week 12 of the +G+ Mentorship Program for Photographers lead by +Robin Griggs Wood saw the completion of our color studies. But there was another component to this lesson that I've actually contemplated for quite some time (years!). One that isn't quite so concrete as color, composition, values, etc.

Hold on to your hats. It's about to get nebulous in here....

I've often looked at a photograph or painting of the most mundane, verging on boring, nature and been utterly and completely mesmerized by it. And then I've seen its counterpart - same subject, colors, lighting, technical quality, etc. - and it falls flat. It IS boring. Or what about when you see a technically brilliant picture and yawn? But then the technical disaster you see next makes your jaw drop to the floor (in a good way, orc... more »

2013-03-14 04:46:50 (9 comments, 0 reshares, 24 +1s)

Flower Power

Here's a little something bright and cheery for my friend, +lane langmade and her sister +Lynn Langmade! I hope your day was truly Happy and filled with love. 

Lane, you are a ray of sunshine to me and I'm so very grateful we happened across each other in the sea of G+. I can't imagine it any other way. I'm sure that you are equally amazing, Lynn, even thought I have not gotten to know you so much yet. ;) 

Sending you girls the power of the flower! Although, I'm not quite sure what that power is. Well, you can make it up, right? It's like a birthday wish, only better. :D

#happybirthdaylynnandlane . Wishing you a most wonderful year to come!!!

2013-03-12 01:30:28 (9 comments, 0 reshares, 22 +1s)

My mouth was not harmed in the making of this photo....

just in case you cared....or wondered.... ;) 

2013-03-11 05:26:52 (5 comments, 1 reshares, 5 +1s)

This is such a cool way to display your most popular photos from G+. If you want to check out your own profile, you just need to replace the ID number with your own. 

An addded bonus to this is that you can actually get to the original post by clicking on the link below the enlarged photo!!! I can't fathom why on earth the native lightbox within G+ can't manage this functionality, but I am thrilled to have found some way of doing it. Now I'll have to poke around for some way to see all my photos' posts.....

Thanks +Alexander S. Kunz (I think I saw this on your page). As always, you're a wealth of information! 

2013-03-09 17:52:34 (25 comments, 0 reshares, 39 +1s)

#appleforteacher  

Dearest +Robin Griggs Wood, I just want to thank you so very much for all you do for your +G+ Mentorship Program for Photographers family and for artists the world over. You are an inspiration and treasure and I'm so grateful to have been a part of this experience. 

Sorry about the bite out of the apple. It was just so shiny and delicious looking, I couldn't help myself. :D 

Hugs from your mentee, Christin. :D 

2013-03-09 05:20:51 (19 comments, 0 reshares, 39 +1s)

Sometimes I Don't Like Who I See

Project 52 B&W
Week 10: Reflecting
#P52BW13 | +Project 52 B&W 
Curated by +Tisha Craw , +Gene Bowker , +David Bowden

Does anyone else ever have a hard time truly looking themselves in the eyes? If you answer with an immediate and emphatic No!, I invite you to think again. It is difficult to do. It means being with yourself.  

Who do you see when you look yourself in the eyes? Are you proud of the person looking back at you? Or do you feel ashamed, knowing you're not living up to your full potential, not living Life to the fullest?

Can you even do it? Can you look yourself in the eyes for more than a few seconds, and be completely and utterly naked to your own soul?

I dare you..... 

Incidentally, I think we all know the answer to my own question.....

2013-03-08 17:49:17 (8 comments, 0 reshares, 6 +1s)

––
so many sorrows
for so many years
bent by the weight
of her burden of tears
––

We women have certain chemicals in our systems that can make us cry at the drop of a hat (or the destruction of our favorite shoes, if you prefer a less hackneyed phrase.) It's not that men don't feel or cry, it's just that we gals are wired to shed tears for even the littlest things. I sometimes get teary writing heartfelt posts (excuse me a minute while I dry my keyboard off … )

So when a kid gets rescued finally on the news, the dog returns after four hours missing, those heirloom rose cuttings from grandma pop out with their first blooms, or we take 400 shots and we're not happy with a dang one, we tear up.

Add to those the genuine woes that make us bawl in earnest -- and force us to keep tissue boxes in almostevery roo... more »