photo52

My childhood cat, Fred.

After attending the dpBestFlow ASMP seminar with Peter Krogh and Richard Anderson last week, I decided to take another look through my archive. One of the many challenges for photographers in the digital age is organizing and maintaining their archive. This really goes for everyone with a camera. I would encourage anyone who cherishes their photographs to check out the website for dpBestFlow. ASMP (American Society of Media Photographers) and the Library of Congress have put together a book and a website that delves deep into archivng images. It’s an amazing amount of information to go through, but you’ll be glad you did when your hard drive crashes and all is “lost.”

Take this image of my cat. Say 10-15 years from now when I’m reminiscing about my past pets, I find out all the images I had of them are corrupt, or I simply can’t remember which hard drive/computer/iPhone/folder I had them on? That’s where good practices in archiving come into play. Using keywords embedded in the images make finding images a breeze. For this image, I just had to search the following keywords in my image catalog: Cat; Fred. And there he was. Cool, huh? (Mom and Dad, are you listening???)

Need more info? Check my links section for more resources on this subject…

An early spring day at the Occoquan Reservoir

Balance.

If I’ve learned anything in the past year, it’s that running around doing work all the time is not conducive to having a clear, creative mind. When I have a To-Do list a mile long, there’s little chance of me creating new, interesting work. My mind just isn’t in it.

So, how does one deal with the pressures of life and still produce good work? I’m not really sure, but my current game-plan is to find balance on a daily basis. Some ways I’ve been doing this is getting up a little earlier to practice yoga and meditate in the morning, playing with my dogs when I get home, and leaving time before bed to read my book. Today I explored a new park with David and the two pups, which is where I took the photo above. It has helped. Tremendously. It sounds so simple, but finding time in your day to clear your mind is difficult, at least for me. But it seems to be necessary in order to approach your work life with fresh ideas and positive energy…

I’m always up for suggestions, what do you do to balance work and life??

Scoping the yard for kitties

Well, Murray has certainly made himself at home. Over the past 2 months, he has taught me that my life is all about him. Yes, that’s right, I was put on this Earth to play, massage, feed and walk him. I can’t sit in a chair without instantly having him in my lap. He yodels. Yep. It’s a sound I’ve never heard from a dog before. He’s a little stinky. He’s constantly hungry. He apparently wants to eat our neighbors cat. He doesn’t really know how to run. He hops instead and it’s hilarious. He can tuck himself in the bed better than I can. He thinks it’s ok to be on the bed. He has de-stuffed every one of Annie’s (my other Boston Terrier) toys. Worst of all, he has terrible gas. But then he looks at you with those great big goofy eyes and you can’t help but giggle. He has a big heart and can put up with Annie’s moods better than any dog I have ever seen. He’ll be your best friend in a matter of seconds. Best of all, he can make me laugh on even the toughest days. I’m in love.

Yodeling

feed me.

yum. that was good.

Heading out on the ice...

I was in Maine this past weekend for the Emerging Exhibition opening, which went really well! After all of the indoor socializing, I was feeling the need for some winter fun. Luckily, the wind and ice conditions were pretty good for some ice-boating craziness with my dad. Basically you sit in a little canvas seat 6 inches off the cold ice, “steer” with your feet, catch the wind by pulling a rope over your shoulder that attaches to the sail, and basically, hope for the best.  It was some serious fun, you know, that kind of fun you have when you’re close to injuring yourself in a very serious way.

Checking the wind direction..

In really good conditions (smooth ice & high winds) you can get the boat going 40-50mph. Next Olympic sport? I think so.

Speeding pass the summer camps...

Dad. In his element..

Looking for a good spot to go again...

Don't worry, the ice was definitely thick enough...

Headed home with froze fingers and toes...

And yes, I gave it a try. It was definitely a situation where the boat was in control, not me. I screamed like a little girl…but loved every minute of it.

The following photos by Eric Lahti.

That's me, literally flying over the ice toward an ice fishing shack. I thought I might die. Seriously.

Me again, after I managed to get the boat stuck in some shell ice. Nice helmet, huh?

Rock formations at Schoodic Point, Maine.

In preparation for my trip north this weekend, I went back into my Maine archives and pulled these rock formation photos from March 2008. These were all taken at Schoodic Point in Acadia National Park; one of my absolute favorite places on earth. I spent so much time here as a child, climbing on the rocks and looking into tidal pools that finding these close ups bring back so many great memories. If you ever visit Acadia National Park, be sure to take a day and drive over to the less-visited Schoodic Peninsula for a picnic and play.  If you don’t want to picnic, there’s always a multitude of lobster shacks in the area!

Salt residue on the rocks in Acadia National Park.

A close up of the rocks at Schoodic Point, Maine.

Salt residue on the rocks.

If you’re in Maine this weekend, I hope you can make it to the Emerging Exhibition opening! See you there!

Hi Everyone,

I’m sitting here watching the Hope for Haiti Program on tv and felt compiled to do something. I made my donation but wanted to do more. So, I’m putting one of my prints up for sale and 100% of the sale will go towards the American Red Cross. To purchase the print go to my etsy site.

Thank you.

Lake Wesserunsett #7, 2009. 100% of print sale goes to the American Red Cross!

Press Release:

“EMERGING”

Exciting new works by seven Maine women will be presented at the CENTRAL MAINE ARTIST GALLERY in Skowhegan located on 72 W. Front Street.  The opening reception will be held in February on Friday the 5^th from 4-7PM and Saturday the 6^th from 2-6PM.

The theme “Emerging” will be interpreted and explored by each individual artist and expressed through her chosen medium for this show.  The participating artists are, Kathleen Perelka, pastels;  Mary Burr, mixed media;  Hannele Lathi, photography;  Pam Ellis, watercolor;  Neiley Harris, oil painting;  Penny Hall, sculptures; and Jan Royall, glassworks. The show will run from February 5^th to March 27^th.  The winter gallery hours are Wednesday thru Friday 9-5 and Saturday 9-2.

The Mayan Ruins at Tulum

The following photos are from the fascinating Mayan archaeological site in Tulum, Mexico. The Mayan people were simply brilliant at creating calendars based on the movement of the sun, moon and stars. What’s amazing is that they did it 2500 years ago using rocks. They also picked a beautiful spot overlooking the turquoise sea to build their village. If you ever go to Tulum, or any of the Mayan sites, get a guide to show you around.

Our awesome guide at Tulum

Danza de los Voladores: Dance of the Flyers. A traditional ceremony involving 5 men; 4 spinning upside-down and 1 playing music at the top.

One of many Temples on the site. (Check out how the clouds mimic the architecture!)

A view of the beach below the archeology site.

Tourists looking out at the sea from the top of the cliffs at Tulum

Aiyana from the Shiva Shakti School of Yoga

My number one reason for going to Mexico last week was for a yoga retreat with my dear friends and yoga instructors, Aiyana and Krishna. It was their first organized retreat and it was wonderful in every way. We learned about the history and spirituality of yoga and practiced meditation, chanting and the asanas (the physical part that many of us do in classes across the country).  It was nice to take time away for the hectic lives that we all lead in order to rejuvenate the soul. I know came home with a new outlook and understanding of my life and the people in it.

If you’re interested in attending a retreat or a teacher training, check out the Shiva Shakti School of Yoga website. It looks like their next one is in Costa Rica in October!

Sunrise meditation on the beach

Sunrise meditation on the beach

Krishna playing the drum for our morning chanting

Aiyana posing in Warrior II at sunset

Yogis and Yoginis of the Retreat

Sunrise on the beach in Puerto Morelos, Mexico.

Last week, I had the amazing opportunity to vacation south of the border in Puerto Morelos, Mexico. So that means that this week, I’ll be posting some photos of the beach life, the yoga, and the Mayan ruins. Stay tuned….