Late summer leaves

Each morning when I walk past the blackberry bushes, they are in complete shade, dripping with last night's dew, and gleaming in  low light. This shady, shadowy light has a blue cast to it that I like and that I do not try to alter. To me, it brings out the "blackberryness" of the plants as the edges of the leaves, the thorny canes, and the leaf spots all turn purple, stunning against the green. ©Carol Leigh

Two if by sea . . .

These are two photos I recently processed and uploaded to my artist website at Fine Art America. I like the soft, warm qualities of both of them. The top image is Mukilteo Lighthouse in Washington, and the bottom is Cape Neddick Lighthouse or "Nubble Light" in York, Maine. My plan is to continue this series, all in this same style. ©Carol Leigh

Nothing like a car show ...

It was a bright, sunny Saturday morning as Chris and I checked out the "Surf City" car show in Lincoln City. The harsh, directional light encouraged me to work with shadows as we walked up and down each row of cars. Here you see an orange 1964 Lincoln Continental, a 1955 Chevy Bel Air, a 1956 blue Thunderbird, a 1939 Studebaker Champion (did anyone other than my ex-husband say "Stuuuuuuuude" every time he saw one?), and an orange 1957 Chevy Bel Air tail section. The band was playing a Creedence-inspired "Suzie Q" when we left (gotta love the drums). On to a used bookstore, lunch next to the water in Depoe Bay (the ONLY place on the coast with fog so thick you couldn't see the ocean), and then a leisurely rest of the day at home. Ahhhhh! ©Carol "Stuuuuuuude" Leigh

A walk around the block...

I put the 20mm "pancake" lens on the Lumix G2 this morning and went for a quick walk around the block. The sun hadn't yet come up from behind the trees and everything had a lovely, soft glow about it, especially this one yellow fern. I love how it stands out from the subdued background. ©Carol Leigh

I can run, but I cannot hide ...

So I'm taking photos of my set-up to show my students. I look to my right. I swear I cannot do ANYthing out of the ordinary without that beast charming animal wondering what the heck I'm up to. ©Carol Leigh

Faces in unlikely places ...

Converse All Star! ©Carol Leigh

An interesting follow-up

On August 5th, I posted a photo I took in Santa Fe at their farmers' market. Although I rarely photograph people, I liked the look on the face of this man as he watched his wife arrange flowers.

Two days ago I received an e-mail from the man's son. His father passed away last December. He saw his father's photo on my blog, liked the colors, and wanted to purchase a print. The easiest and most cost-effective way for me to do this was to upload the photograph to Fine Art America. That way he can select the size/price/format he wants and will quickly receive the photos. And if other members of his family want prints, that's easily accomplished.

I don't mean for this to be an ad for Fine Art America. What I really want to say is that I'm pleased I created something that had meaning for someone else. And now, when I return to the Santa Fe Farmers' Market, it will no longer be just a fun place to photograph, but will have an especial poignance for me, remembering the look on the man's face, standing next to his wife, surrounded by flowers.

Here's the link to my blog post: http://carolleigh.blogspot.com/2012/08/national-farmers-market-week.html

And here's the link to FAA so you can see how it's presented to the customer: http://fineartamerica.com/featured/naranjo-carol-leigh.html

©Carol Leigh

Hummingbird

Pretty light on this back yard hummingbird this evening! ©Carol Leigh

Caught in Amber

I like how the daisy stem seems to be emerging from a piece of amber, one of my own painted textures. ©Carol Leigh

Golden Canyons

Golden yellow and pale blue colors come together to create an abstract southwestern landscape. ©Carol Leigh

A typical morning's shoot...

A barbecue and antique car show were scheduled today at the docks in Newport, so Chris and I got there well before everything really started. (I like arriving before the crowds arrive and before the overcast breaks up.) Thought you might like seeing the sort of things I photograph in a situation such as this.

First of all, I HAD to shoot this cool texture! I shot it last week, but had to shoot it again because you can NEVER have enough texture. And maybe the light was a little different this morning, I don't know... I'm sure this photo will insinuate itself into a photomontage some day.

Then I saw this pretty boat moored across the way, sitting solitary and serene, reflected in the glassy water.

But what about the cars? Only a few had arrived, but I particularly liked the back end of this blue VW bug. A Chrysler Woody was parked across the way, and I was drawn to the emblem on the hood and the weird shadows running along a diagonal on the right. (I hid my own reflection in the center vertical section of the emblem.)

Since we were right next to piles of buoys, and since there still weren't many cars ("Oh, we never know how many will be here until maybe 10 or 11 o'clock"), I'd be foolish to NOT check them out, right? (No matter that I was at this same location a week ago.)

Unwilling to wait for more cars to arrive, we headed home, stopping briefly at the farmers' market (it IS the last day of National Farmers' Market Week, you realize) where I took a number of photos, including these luscious tomatoes and bell peppers. A loaf of garlic herb focaccia, a bag full of basil, and a lemon cookie accompanied us on our drive home. Alas, the cookie didn't survive the trip.

Quite the visual potpourri, no?

©Carol Leigh, wishing YOU a visual potpourri today and every day...

National Farmers' Market Week, Day 7

Last day! I photographed these apples near Asheville, North Carolina a couple of years ago. ©Carol Leigh

National Farmers' Market Week, Day 6

Artisan breads for sale at the outdoor market in Cambridge, England. ©Carol Leigh

National Farmers' Market Week, Day 5

Organic tomatoes in Santa Fe, New Mexico. ©Carol Leigh

National Farmers' Market Week, Day 4

Onion sourdough bread at the farmers' market in Newport, Oregon. Yum. ©Carol Leigh

It's National Lighthouse Day!

As important as lighthouses are, wouldn't you think they'd merit more than just a day? This is Battery Point Lighthouse in Crescent City, California, taken a few hundred yards away from some rowdy folks who were probably NOT celebrating "Lighthouse Day." When I heard "yeehaw!" and the sound of breaking bottles, it was time to pack up the tripod and leave. ©Carol Leigh, quietly celebrating the holiday at home with a spouse, a cat, and a flashlight . . .

National Farmers' Market Week, Day 3

Farmers' markets aren't just about fruits and vegetables. I found this lovely grouping of fresh flowers at a farmers' market in Astoria, Oregon. ©Carol Leigh

Olympic volleyball . . .

Olympic volleyball . . . gotta love it! This is a 1959 altered Czechoslovakian matchbox label. ©Carol Leigh

Link to "Thought Process" design article

Over on my "VisuaLeigh" blog I have an article about my thought process in putting together this photomontage I call "Planetary Shift." Here's the link to the blog: http://visualeigh.blogspot.com/

©Carol Leigh

National Farmers' Market Week, Day 2

Love the colors in these carrots. No difference in taste from the regular orange carrots, but a delight to the eye. Photographed in Newport, Oregon. ©Carol Leigh, celebrating Day Two of National Farmers' Market week.

National Farmers' Market Week!

August 5-11 is National Farmers' Market Week, so go out and get your fresh veggies! I'll post a farmers' market photo every day this week, beginning with this one, taken in Santa Fe. And the faux HDR effect? Because I can!

©Carol Leigh, glad she didn't know this past week was International Clown Week (shudder) . . .

Under Pressure

Strength and grace under pressure. Altered matchbox label. ©Carol Leigh

Big Mouth, Stringy Hair

Photographed in Colorado a number of years ago. Forgotten until this morning. ©Carol Leigh, who consistently has "coastal hair"

Very Pacific Northwest . . .

The next four or five days here on the coast are supposed to be spectacular, with lots of sun and, of course, lots of tourists. So we scurried out this morning for a quick walk around the fishing boat docks, then to run a few errands, and then we'll spend the rest of our week at home, probably going absolutely nowhere.

Most of the boats are out fishing right now for tuna, shrimp, and salmon, which is rather nice because their absence gives me unobstructed views of some of the boats across the way. I used a 24-85mm lens and, with a full-frame sensor, was delighted by the wide-angle-ness of the whole experience. When I shot film, my 24-85mm lens was my go-to lens. It quickly turned wimpy, however, when used with my digital cameras where the sensor "magnified" things by 1.6%. Thanks to John W. for selling me his "seasoned" Canon 5D Mark II so I can now experience the "true" focal length again of this lens.

Here you see the blue F/V Caremi, loaded up with pots, ready to fish for slime eels (hagfish). Two years ago almost to the day I photographed slime eels being offloaded from a boat, an experience that was interesting, but, frankly, one I never want to have again. Here's a link to that post: http://carolleigh.blogspot.com/2010/06/not-for-squeamish.html

In the second photo you see a photo of F/V Finn, out of Brookings, Oregon. I like the simplicity of the boat sandwiched dead center between sea and sky. (This boat is also the very last one on the far left in the upper photo.)

Our morning continued over at a fishnet storage/repair facility, a quick stop at the library, then for groceries, and then home. The combination of weather and boats and fishing nets and lighting today made me feel like we are truly living in the Pacific Northwest, where water and sunshine, coastal pines and cool fresh air come together beautifully. As much as I grumble about our winter weather, it's days like these that make me feel exhilarated and that life is full of possibilities.

©Carol Leigh, wishing you a week of wonderful weather and lots of possibilities . . .