I took the Southern Oregon Lavender Trail yesterday and while some of the fields are not yet in full bloom, I found plenty of good things to photograph, including this young lavender sprout found at a nursery out beyond Williams.
I love the blurred background in this one but I added a texture just to see how it would look and it added a richness and depth I wasn’t expecting.
This week’s adventure took us to the mountains to check out the status of the Lakes. Sadly, in spite of all the rain, the reservoirs still look a bit like mud puddles and the marina at Howard Prairie is still high and dry and the boat ramps all end up on dry ground. But, with the clouds it was difficult to get a decent picture so I decided to make lemonade and let the clouds be the star, with a little help from our local snowcap which still has a little snow to contribute to the water supply.
Unfortunately, when I upgraded Photoshop so that it could recognize the images from my new camera it messed up my plug-in software that helps make the clouds stand out. Two and a half hours later I still don’t have it working right but I did find a work around so I could use the software. (This is why I never update Photoshop unless I absolutely have to). I am also sad that the purple and yellow flowers in the foreground don’t show up too well in this image.
Last week’s photo adventure took me to the North Umpqua River which boasts an impressive array of waterfalls along it’s tributaries. My favorite of the four easily accessible falls I visited was Clearwater Falls. I may have to go back and explore some segments of the trail that follows the river for 69 miles.
I was advised to check out the Rhodies in Lithia Park so I made a point of getting down there as I usually forget until it is too late.
I have been waiting for a clear day to capture the quintessential Ashland in fall picture but after looking at the forecast I decided maybe I better settle for dry. Maybe I will get another chance before the month is out. The sweet 80 is probably not the best lens for this shot as it is designed to be sharp in the middle and fade out to blur at the edges making the whole picture look out of focus if you don’t look straight up the watershed. But I put that side bar on the project for a reason. I really want to get to know this lens and what it can and cannot do.
As we are nearing the end of the project I decided to go back through the files and see what I might have that is not a flower that was worthy of sharing. I came across this one from a March 20 early morning walk on the greenway with Cody.
Today’s quotes is from one of my favorite books, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig. Might be time to read it again:
To live only for some future goal is shallow. It’s the sides of the mountains which sustain life, not the top.
I was enchanted by the mist along the mountains this morning so I grabbed a camera going out the door for Cody’s first walk. Of course, he expects me to stop every two feet while he sniffs every bush but he does not understand the need for him to stand still while I take a photograph. I did mange to get one or two in focus.
Our quote today is from Andrew Wyeth:
One’s art goes as far and as deep as one’s love goes, and there is no reason for painting than that.
Nothing says serenity like a rock in still water. Today was one of those days when I kept thinking about posting a photo and then getting sidetracked. So, I was sitting at dinner going, “Oh, shit” Fortunately I had this one in my back pocket.
Today’s quote from Julia Cameron:
The creative imagination is a will-o’-the-wisp. Wooed best by enticement and not by aggressive assault, the imagination responds to being coaxed and cajoled.
Here’s another one from the trip to the park yesterday. I didn’t take many wide shots and this one I had to crop out some ugly dead branches on the right. I also had to adjust the color because the green light bouncing around in the vegetation was just overwhelming.
Turning back to Julia Cameron today:
We are all artists – some of us are declared, accomplished, and publicly esteemed artists. Others of us are the private kind, making artful homes and artul lives and shying away from the public practice or pursuit of our art.
Something I have been meaning to do since I started this project is head down to Lithia Park and practice my flowing stream technique. I finally had a day when I didn’t have 10 other things pressing on me and headed out with the Canon 7D and 70-200mm zoom on the tripod. Two take home messages. 1) There is always a stick. I edited the stick out in photoshop. 2) This might work better on a cloudy day due to the dappled light sifting through the trees. I do like the colors created by the sun on the upper part of the creek though.
Today’s quote is from Pablo Picasso:
We are all born children. The trick is how to remain one.