Artist's block . . .

Artistically, I'm stuck. I know it seems I'm always creating, and I've made a huge body of work, but every once in a while it all seems to slam into a wall. Everything appears uninspired.

I keep on, however, trying to break through and make something different. Something good. 

But mostly it's all just crap.
Like these pictures.

Eventually it will pass and all will be well. But right now? Nope! As you can see. (But I do believe there are possibilities with the sea lion . . .)

Images copyright © Carol Leigh

Front yard, back yard, down the street . . .

There's always so much to shoot in and around our friends' house in San Diego that I never get bored. And last month's visit was no exception.

This ranunculus, gleaming pink in shady light, was right there on the front porch, screaming to be photographed.

And on the wall just above it, a rustic straw wreath featured a cute little bunny face peeking out.

I wandered around the back yard and found a wonky wooden birdhouse (that nicely echoes the colors of the bunny wreath). My friend was aghast that they hadn't "fixed" the birdhouse before our arrival; I was so happy they hadn't!

And then up the street I found some decorative tilework on a stucco wall that I liked for its combination of warm/cold colors and for its simplicity.

So much to see if we just look a little closer!

All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh. Thank you for your understanding and kindness.

The blues in Leadville, Colorado

In 2007 I apparently was in Leadville, Colorado. I say "apparently" because I have no concept of time. It could have been 2004 or 2009 for all I know, but the digital file says 2007, so I'm sticking with that.

The town contains an interesting combination of buildings, and of course this one, painted bright blue and in some stage of restoration, seduced me.

I'd like to see the place now, to see what they did to the building. Frankly, I hope it still looks sorta like this.

(Hello to Shirley. You guys should go there!)

All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh. Thank you for your understanding and kindness.

Abstracts anywhere . . .

There is such beauty and such simplicity in the spiral form but I think we tend to not notice it. So here are two that I did notice . . .

I was tearing waxed paper and loved how bits of it curled into elegant spirals. And through a macro lens, we can see the fuzzy edges along the torn sides. A fuzzy spiral. Who knew?

The blue spiral below was part of something I found at an architectural salvage store in Oregon. In this case, it conjures up (for me) visions of curling ocean waves making their way to shore.

Spirals. They are everywhere if we just slow down enough to notice.

All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh. Thank you for your understanding and kindness.

From color to black and white (part 4 of 7)

There's a challenge going around in my corner of Facebook at the moment where someone challenges someone else to create one black and white image a day and to post it on Facebook. The "rules" are "no people and no explanation." Well, here's the explanation.

I  found this bit of architectural detail in Balboa Park, San Diego. When processing the image, I toned it, and was quite pleased with the result. Seeing the black and white version, I'm finding the B&W more appealing. But why?

It's stronger. It has more depth. There's more contrast between light and dark. And it shows more details, brings out the artistry of the builder/designer/artist more than the softer, more ethereal look of the original.

©Carol Leigh
All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh.

Latest work: "Number 320"

A window I photographed in Kingman, Arizona finds a new home in this architectural detail picture that's reminiscent of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. ©Carol Leigh

House arrest

It began as a simple "let's replace all the windows in the house" sort of thing. Until they got to the dining room slider. And the dry rot immediately underneath. Dry rot that had spread all along the front. And onto the joists holding up the front deck. All of a sudden this construction project has turned into major problems and major money. The deck was taken down yesterday. Tomorrow begins work on re-siding the front of the house and building a new deck. But right now the place looks like we've geared up for a hurricane with plywood nailed over the dining room window and plastic flapping in the wind.

That's certainly not the case, however, in these photos of architectural detail in Balboa Park. Not being able to leave the house, I've been mucking about with old photos, throwing a lot away and reworking others.  I like the lush look of these four. And it makes me want to go back to Balboa Park and do some more. Like today!

Wishing you days of no rot and clear windows. ©Carol Leigh

Yes, more from Cambridge

Everything I've posted in this blog so far from Cambridge, England was taken on day one. And there are lots more! So I shall cease and desist, posting new ones just every so often. I'll be creating individual galleries on my Flickr site, however, and will post a link to them here once I've set them up.

I concentrated a lot on bicycles, since that (and architecture) seems to be a HUGE theme in Cambridge, and here are three examples. Signs, too, were fun to shoot, including the IN/OUT signboard at St. John's College. A bit of brick and stone architectural detail (I like the contrast in texture and the diagonal triangle), and a blue porcupine gracing an arch at Sidney Sussex College finish out the mix.

For me and Chris, this was a special trip, and we're grateful to have had the chance to see and experience a different way of life. ©Carol Leigh

Architectural detail

Everywhere you turn in Cambridge there's architectural detail to be photographed. If I were a black & white photographer, I'd be in heaven. If I weren't a black & white photographer, and I lived in Cambridge, I would BECOME a black & white photographer. Even something as humble as a downspout becomes a work of art as it undulates down the side of a building.

There's an entire portfolio of work to be done in just this one city. And one would need more than a year (or a lifetime) to accomplish it. ©Carol Leigh, longing for another lifetime

Six windows in Salem

We did a bit of walking around in Salem last week and, before getting sidetracked in an art store, I found myself photographing windows. These two shots are the ones I like best from that quick walk. Must go back and spend more time. ©Carol Leigh

Texture Tuesday

Our group worked the Yaquina Bay Bridge yesterday afternoon, which gave us lovely photos of architectural detail. A feather on the steps caught my eye. Okay, I'm lying. I saw a feather on the grass and placed it on the step. Is there no TRUTH in photography any more? But was there ever? ©Carol Leigh

Pueblo moderne

It all began with a bit of architectural detail photographed in Santa Fe. Love the colors. Click to enlarge. ©Carol Leigh

Light and Shadow

It's been said so many times, and said so much better than I can say, but the quality of the light is what delights in Santa Fe. On an overcast day, colors glow, but on a bright sunny day, the shadows become the strong components in compositions.

In the first photo, a vertical striping appears, with bold shadows alternating with warm-colored adobe walls. In the shade of that same building, a silvery-metallic tree trunk contrasts beautifully with the golden wall behind it.

During a walk around town at sunset, strong shadows create a lovely glow.

Early morning light offers our photo group a brilliant blue sky that echoes the colors of the window and the post. The post stands out most bluefully against the dark shadow.

And finally, a weathered door gleams on the shady side of a little street.

We learned to pay more attention to the light. If the sun's too bright on something, look for other things in the shadows. If the shadows are big and bold, incorporate them in your image, making them an intrinsic part of the compositional design. Over and over and over again . . . ©Carol Leigh

Good News/Bad News

I have some severe limitations as a photographer. I don't photograph people -- too scary, makes me too nervous, and I once dropped my camera I was so shaky! And I don't seem to be able to recognize and capture the "big picture." Rarely do I take landscape images, overviews, street scenes, etc. I don't notice them, they don't excite me, and my results are simply average. That's the bad news.

The good news is that I have an eye for detail. I notice and take pleasure in finding small things, ordinary things, trivial things, and turning them into little jewels for display. I can take a wallpaper brush and make something of it. I can take a package of colorful toothbrushes and make bold and colorful images. I can even photograph the plastic top to a blender and make it look good. So it's no surprise that on a trip to Boston, on a street lined with skyscrapers, I noticed this tiny frog that was incorporated into the architecture at the base of a tall building. It's a cute and simple shot, has good lines, good patterns of light and shadow, and is kind of different. But do I have photos of the building? Of the street? Overviews of the scene? Of course not . . . Heavy sigh . . . ©Carol Leigh