Day 12 Gratitude Project

Today I feel very blessed to have health insurance & prescription coverage. It is definitely something I don't take for granted in this day & age. I am thankful my doctor has Saturday hours, for my friend who drove me there & for antibiotics. I hope they start kicking in soon.

Day 10 Gratitude Project {Columbus Ohio Photographer}

I feel blessed to have friends check on me when I'm under the weather & to take me out for a big healing bowl of Pho Ga at the North Market.... for my Maggie May to keep me company .. for my fuzzy microfiber comforter.... & for my remote!

Day 5 Gratitude Project - Feeling Blessed {Columbus Ohio Photographer}

Some days I have to think about & look for my blessings - other days I feel blessed all through the day. Today was one of those days. I had a wonderful time at my art show, made a lot of new connections and chatted with old friends. The November day was sunny & warm enough that I went for a walk with Mags & a friend, & then we went for ice cream (Buckeye - of course! ). As we drove back home, I realized how much I love where I live - lots of trees & green space & lovely rustic woodsy architecture. And to end the evening, we went to a place at Polaris that gives incredible massages. I slept like a baby when I got home!

Alissa & Nathalie ~ Strangers 19 & 20 { 31 Strangers Project } Central Ohio Environmental Portrait Photographer

I'm very behind on my strangers posts and trying to catch up! It's been quite a summer!

One evening I was at the park of Roses in Whetstone Park to do a 1 year old's birthday session. I always get to my location early to check out lighting and settings. This evening I spotted Alissa & Nathalie strolling through the gardens. They had such a happy carefree mood about them that was hard to miss!  I started a conversation with them and learned they were on their way to Taco Bell to grab a quick bite and then were heading to the Robert Plant show in Columbus, Ohio. Nice! No wonder they were in a fabulous mood!  I loved their jackets (very cool) & they asked if I could take some shots to show them off - no problem! I hope you had a great night at the concert Alissa & Nathalie!

Peace out.

Strangers 15, 16, 17 & 18 {31 Strangers Project} Columbus Ohio Portrait Photographer

The North Market in Columbus, Ohio is a fabulous place to visit for wonderfully diverse foods. And it's a great place to people watch! These "strangers" were kind enough to take a moment out of their day to be photographed and talk a moment!

Meet Brittany ~ Stranger 15. Brittany works at Brezel Pretzels. I was drawn by her creative look and focus on her work!

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Strangers 16 & 17 ~ Tabitha & Anthony
This couple has been engaged one and a half years. They were at the market exploring and trying different foods.

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And Stranger 18 ~ Andrew
Andrew was quite interesting to talk with. He works at the Green Grocer and is an aspiring paleo-anthropologist. We might see his face again one day on a Nova or Nature program about a new discovery in Australia or Africa!

I realize how much I love doing this project - slowing down & taking a moment to really connect with people.... & watching them smile back - no longer strangers!

Strangers 13 & 14 ~ Columbus Ohio Photographer

I have been a bit remiss about my blog posts - blame the lazy hot days of summer. I just can't seem to focus - I'm so easily distracted lately. But... I am going to make it a pint to get back to the blog!

The North Market in Columbus, Ohio has always been one of my favorite haunts - & also a fave of so many others! I stopped by one day for Jeni's Splendid ice cream. I spied Stephanie & Joni eating ice cream at a table outside & knew they had the craving, too! They are friends & coworkers, & were taking a break from their jobs at the downtown Hilton. Stephanie was in heaven over Jeni's Lemon, while Joni was enjoying Turtle. Once I got inside I had to get my new fave.... Brambleberry Crumb.... mmmmmm!

31 Strangers Project/ Spring Summer 2011 Edition! [Columbus Ohio Photographer]

I loved doing the 31 Strangers Project so much that I decided to start it again. What is 31 Strangers? It is a project that expands not only your photographic comfort zone, but also your personal comfort zone! In 31 days, you walk up to 31 strangers and ask to photograph them. I tell them about the project, get their first name (so we are no longer strangers!) and get to know something about them. I am a bit behind in posting and photographing as I just returned from a photo shoot in Michigan, but the fun is in catching up!

Meet Judy, Elizabeth, Susan, Mary Alice and Elin. I saw them one Saturday morning at the riverfront in downtown Columbus, Ohio participating in the Dragon Boat races. It was the first Dragon Boat event in Columbus. Boats were brought in from Pittsburgh, Pa and these ladies were part of a team called the MOV'n Dragons. MOV in Mov'n is for Mid Ohio Valley and the group was from Marietta, Ohio. The team members were all either cancer survivors (or as Judy said - "thrivers") or were a support person/caregiver for someone with cancer. These gals inspired me to start the Strangers Project again! I hope to see them next year at the Dragon Boat races on our riverfront!

A Visit to the Aveda Cosmetology School {Columbus, Ohio Photographer}

Be daring, be different, be impractical; be anything that will assert integrity of purpose and imaginative vision against the play-it-safers, the creatures of the commonplace, the slaves of the ordinary.
-Cecil Beaton

Something's happening here.... I hit a "milestone" this year, & I suddenly feel as if I have come up out of an underground bunker - a safe haven of sorts. My mindset has always been "life is short" & "grab the bull by the horns", but somehow this past year even that took on a new intensity. I have been refocusing & re-evaluating. Instead of turning right, I go left. And so, after many years of going to a regular hair salon & having a regular experience, I decided to go to the Aveda School on N. High Street in the Ohio State University district. A couple weeks ago was my third visit, and I'm hooked!
Apprehensive at first (I mean it's MY HAIR for cripes sake!), I decided to just go with it & get a trim. Really pleasantly surprised! Since that turned out well, I went back for low lights - REALLY LOVED them! Oh, and even better that being pleased with the results... you get either a neck and shoulder massage or a mini facial each time you go! Their mantra is "Beauty on a budget." Well, you get a little more than just beauty on a budget! Before anything is done, a supervisor consults with the student on what will be done, stops by to check mid visit and again stops by at the end to review the work done. My uncertainties were allayed. I felt I was in good hands - literally!



I leave the Aveda school energized - and not just from the pampering.  During my last visits, I was paired with Sharanda and Gendala, who do great work. The setting of the "school" environment is filled with passion and energy. I remember when I was in college, we were all so full of energy, and the passion of getting out into the world to make our mark. These students are so full of love of what they are doing and open to learning - following their bliss. That openness is what I really love - so many possibilities, so much to learn, so much to try. And that meshes so well with where I have found myself now... coming out of that underground bunker of the common & ordinary. There are so many possibilities, so many things to try and so much to still do & learn... & really so little time. I'm sure some of this urgency is from the fact that my sweet mom passed away so young at the age of 58 and I'm acutely feeling just how young she was.

So... be daring, be different, be impractical & not a slave to the ordinary!

On my last Aveda visit, I took along my camera to document the experience!

Of Winter and Robins {Columbus Ohio Fine Art Photographer}

It must be my Eastern European roots... I love winter! Give me cool summers and winter snow, and I'm a happy girl. Our Central Ohio winter has been beautiful, if especially cold. There has been snow on the ground since just after Thanksgiving. I would much rather have beautiful white snow on the ground (especially on gray days) instead of our usual gray mucky ground. Even my dog Maggie is friskier and more energetic in the winter weather!

But... this winter, there are robins... lots and lots and lots of robins. I think they moved south from even snowier winter lands, only to find it not so great here either. Some birders say this influx of robins is partially a result of the non native shrub honeysuckle which has become a weed but provides an abundant winter food source. But now, the berries are stripped on the honeysuckle, holly and crabapples. What is a robin to do? And there are still 4 good weeks of winter left.

The past week, we have had about 5 inches of snow on the ground and temperatures dipped close to zero at night with highs around 10. One morning I looked out my window and saw a robin on one of my feeders looking for anything to eat. I have never seen a robin go to a feeder. The local outdoor bird shop advised putting out sunflower chips and chopped up raisins or dried fruit. I tried the sunflower chips first. They were a huge hit! I placed them on my patio right outside my door as Robin seemed not to mind the close proximity, but the other birds stayed away. Next I tried the chopped fruit - another success. My little robin now shows up daily, and I will keep putting food out for him as long as needed. I waken to the beautiful sound of his song, and am reminded that spring really is not that far away.

Fog {Columbus Ohio Fine Art Photographer}

WE had a very dense and magical fog this November. Upon wakening and seeing the magical world outside the window, I grabbed my camera to capture what I could. I started at the metropark just a mile away, Blendon Woods. This is my usual haunt on foggy days. But the fog was so dense that I wondered if it was still heavy into the city. I traveled to Franklin Park Conservatory in the heart of Columbus, Ohio. The fog was still hanging in the landscape for some moody shots there. These are by far some of my favorite shots. All photographs were processed in Lightroom using Joyful Lightroom Presets (for jpg) & can be found in the sidebar. I thought it only fitting to end the post with foggy poems! Enjoy!

Most of the photographs featured here are available in MY SHOP!

FOG
The fog comes
on little cat feet.

It sits looking
over harbor & city
on silent haunches
& then moves on.
~ Carl Sandburg

DECEMBER'S MYSTIC MOON
Majestic Oaks in silent solitaire
and Midnight's cold December air,
Rolling hills beneath Heaven's hem of grayish blue
Crowns the earth embraced by northern lights, and
gentle winter's mystic moon.
An unclothed scent of cedar's burnt, and
caressing valleys below,
Inspires Nature's misty gown of rising fog.
~ J Gregory PT Evans

It’s a mysterious morning in the wood as the fogs settled in
Fog dances with the wind through the trees twirling
A hazy white blanket diffusing scattering the light
Everything looks so different tricking your sight
The sun rays pours down breaking through the trees canopy
Linear streaks of light highlighting objects we see
Mysterious fog plays with the light as things it conceals
So when you are only near objects magically reappear
Strange shaped shadows jump out from the teasing mist
And twigs and objects appear that at first you did miss
The gloomy cold fog tries hard to hide the light of the new day
But the darkness and mystery it brings is not there to stay
The wind helps the sun to blow the mist from our sight
And wind sun versus the fog start their regular teasing fight
As normal the fog slowly loses, thins to a light haze in the air
Going patchy with little dancing wisps here and there
The light and the wind always it wins afterall
But the fog would just quickly disappear from us all
But look closely he left a present from his newly departed mist
On foliage are water jewel droplets where it gently kissed
~ Unknown