Honestly, I don't know where the summer days go. They seem so long and hazy-dreamy while we're in the middle of them, and then all of a sudden, the calendar says we're in mid-August. (Pretty sneaky, if you ask me.) I didn't even realize that three weeks had whooshed by since my last post here. In my defense, I just finished a blissful month of teaching two Soul Focus e-courses so I've been happily preoccupied. I already can't wait to run both of the courses again (not 'til January, though).
We spent a lovely weekend with good friends in upstate New York. They live in New York City, so I was especially amused when one of them casually remarked while sitting by the pool, "What's that cow doing, walking through the yard over there?" It was a black bear! In her defense, whenever I've seen a black bear (three times now), I can't think straight either. Seeing a bear in real life is just *never* going to be a normal occurrence. The bear was oblivious to us (thank goodness!) and lazily lumbered off into the woods.
Anyway, I just wanted to pop in, say hello at long last, and share some of my favorite summer snapshots with you. We still have a few weeks left, and believe me, I fully intend to stretch out those summer days as long as I possibly can!
Happy weekend to you, friends. I hope it's a beautiful one!
P.S. You can get my free downloadable guide,Hey, How Did You Do That?! 20 Apps to Totally Transform Your Phone Photos, when you sign up below for Writing with Light (my monthly-ish personal letter delivered straight to your inbox, featuring my latest creative inspirations, upcoming e-courses with private discounts, and no spam, EVER). Give it a whirl!
The lazy, hazy days of summer are finally here and I, for one, am VERY happy about that!
Today, despite my admittedly daunting to-do list, I'm taking the kids to the beach for the first time this season, and I'm quite excited to simply stick my toes into the warm sand and await the "salon treatment" of cool mud from a beach bucket mixed with lake water. (If that doesn't sound good to you, you haven't tried it yet!) I'm downright terrible at relaxing, but I think my kids have perfected the remedy.
There's something so heavenly about the way a beach muffles the sounds of the world. Everything seems so far away. Little kids yelling seem like they're yelling from Mars. The insignificant stuff washes away with the waves. Whoever said "Life's a Beach" really knew what she was talking about!
To get your season off to a sweet start, I thought I'd round up some summer reads from the archives. (If you're just starting winter where you are, perhaps these will warm you up!)
Enrollment opens VERY soon for the next session of my online photography course, The Art of Photography: How to Take Your Pictures to the Next Level, running in July 2016. Stay tuned here for details, or get on the list for my free monthly photography e-letter, "Writing with Light", which is where the big course discounts and early registration can be found. (Sign up for "Writing with Light" in the righthand column of this blog.)
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If I had to choose just one symbol of summertime, it would be our Rose of Sharon bushes, which burst forth in a festive show of pink blossoms around mid-July and keep up their boisterous celebration until the first chills of September.
They are gorgeous, each and every blossom. They keep me busy behind the camera. It's impossible for me to go out the front door and not be beckoned towards them. They're intoxicating, and the bees agree.
The blossoms are havens for little creatures, gathering places to meet in secret, between the pretty petals.
It's in the very last days of summertime that these Rose of Sharon bushes surround us as if to say, "Surrender!" They climb up our window panes to peek inside, climbing so high that we think they'll reach right up to the tops of the windows, on their way to the rooftop.
"To every thing there is a season...
A time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted..."
-- Ecclesiastes 3, King James Version
And so it goes: The Rose of Sharon begins to fade. The vibrant and voluptuous pink blossoms turn to a soft purple; they wither and fall, taking their last curtain call.
Even in their withering, there's a delicate beauty.
Usually, just as this slow descent begins, a gardener comes 'round to trim down the bushes with a noisy electric hedge-trimmer.
This year, I couldn't bear to think of that harsh sound of shearing, piercing the peacefulness of these final afternoons of summer.
So I lugged out our ladder and began to clip the last of the fading blooms myself, quietly snipping with garden shears, amassing a pile for the composter.
My daughter gathered up the still-vibrant stems and carried them inside, like fragile dolls.
I told her she could arrange her own bouquets around the house. She was thrilled at the prospect and set right to work.
She took the task very seriously. I recognized in her my own determination to get the details right, to create a pretty picture, something to hold onto.
And through it all, my camera recorded these final moments of summer, knowing all too well they wouldn't last.
Summer went much too fast, didn't it? It seems we say it every year.
This is what the beginning of August looks like in my neck of the woods, here in northeastern New Jersey: Our Rose of Sharon bush is in full, crazy bloom, and the "donut peaches" are ripe and ready to eat. (I think these peaches are actually called "Saturn Peaches" but they look more like donuts to me!)
Bountiful blooms, ripe fruits...this is August at its best.
I'm a firm believer that the best souvenirs of your summer vacation won't be found in the gift shops (a.k.a., tourist traps). If you really want to capture sentimental memories of your travels, look no further than your own camera. After all, you're the one who knows what made your vacation special--the experiences that moved you, the places that made you smile. If you frame your favorite shots when you get home, you'll have the best souvenirs ever!
But how can you capture your vacation memories in pictures that are beautiful and unique enough to frame? I've got you covered with the following quick tips, illustrated with photos that I took last weekend, when good friends from New York City invited us to their "country house"--a summer rental near Rhinebeck, New York, built in the late 1700's, with gorgeous, untamed gardens all over the property.
Here are a few tips to make your vacation photos the best they can be:
1. Get closer. A LOT closer. Take your shots as close as you can get to the pretty things you see. It helps if you have a macro lens, but as with the flower shot at the top of this post, I didn't have a macro lens with me so I just moved in very near to the flowers and focused on them, not on the background. Creating a shallow depth of field like this will really make your subjects "pop."
2. Use natural light, even indoors. If you've been reading this blog for a while, you already know that I'm practically allergic to flash photography, and that applies to vacation shots, too. Nothing ruins the mood faster than an artificially lit scene. You won't always be able to avoid the flash at nighttime, when low light can make your shots blurry without the flash (although you can compensate for low light if you know how to shoot in manual mode). But in the daytime, shoot during the Golden Hours (about one hour after the sun rises and one hour before it sets) for the softest, prettiest light.
3. Get a view from the doorway. This is one of my favorite ways to remember the places I've visited. Capture the rooms as you saw them the moment you entered them. I don't mean that as soon as you enter the room, you should start clicking away. (Besides, you've probably got luggage to plunk down!) I just mean it's good to go back to the same view you originally saw and capture it, and a great way to do that is to take photos right on the threshold of rooms.
4.Get a view through the window. When I was inside chatting with my friend in the kitchen, I saw her sweet daughter outside, having a chat of her own with her Barbie doll. What did you see when looking outdoors?
5. Capture the quiet moments, not just the big events. While the amusement park trips and birthday bashes definitely should be on your roster of photos, be mindful of the downtime, too--those quiet, little moments in between the action. Often, those are the things we forget the fastest, so pictures will save the day--literally.
6. Get a close-up shot of the most delicious foods you ate while you were there. (And again, turn off the flash!)
7. Take a "solo photo walk." If you like to take a lot of snapshots--as in hundreds of snapshots (I'm with ya!)--set aside some time to do it on your own, when you won't be rushed along by the others in your group and you won't be inconveniencing them by stopping to compose all the shots. You'll be able to find more of those quiet moments (see #5), and I think it's always nice to get a little fresh air and time to yourself to explore.
Here's one more BIG thing to remember: Pack those extra batteries, chargers, and memory cards before you pack anything else. You never know when that little red light will pop up on your camera, telling you that your perfect shot isn't going to happen.
I hope your next vacation is picture-perfect in every way!
Pssssssst!Early Bird enrollment for the next session of my online photography course,The Art of Photography: How to Take Your Pictures to the Next Level,ends on Friday, 7/31/15 (12:00 midnight EST). Save $15 by enrolling earlyand join me in August to create some inspiring pictures of your own!
The last day of the kids' school year is tomorrow, and lo and behold, a catalog arrived today in the mail with the cover headline bellowing at me to "Get Set for Back to School!" Sorry, pushy catalog people, but I plan on savoring the summer instead of rushing it along, especially after the whirlwind of June activities that closed out the school year. (And I thought May was a busy month--HA!)
I'd like a simple, leisurely summer--and here's how I plan on creating it:
1. I will not fret about packing up for the town beach. Basically, we need sunscreen, swimsuits, thermoses, and towels. We do not need to pack up our car like we're embarking on a three-month safari.
2. I will relax the rules. If the kids want to stay up later than usual at night or sleep later than usual in the mornings, so be it! If they want to get messy outdoors, we've got a hose to rinse them off.
3. I will take full advantage of the public library. The library is a year-round treat for our family, but in summer, it's got free outdoor concerts, too.
4. I will remember that I am not the children's personal entertainer. Of course, we'll do plenty of fun things together, but certainly not 24/7, nor even 12/7. While I'm teaching my two online photography courses in July and August, I'll prepare the kids with plenty of books from the library, sketchbooks, and art supplies. And then there's the Great Outdoors, which I'll heartily encourage them to explore.
5. I will not get suckered into buying souvenirs. We don't need to buy things to prove that we visited places. Photographs capture the moment a lot better than some plastic trinkets made in China.
The "catalog people" are acting like summer should be rushed along to make way for fall. I, however, have other plans for the season.
How 'bout you? How do you keep your summer simple? I'd love to hear about it!
Join me in July: My online photography course, How to Take Better Photos of Nature and the World Around You begins on Monday, July 6th! No fancy camera is necessary (you can even use your smart phone). Ready to take better pictures? Sign up today at the link.
With Memorial Day in the rear-view mirror, I've already plunged into summer--specifically, an old-fashioned, easy-breezy summer! If you're in the summertime swing already, then you're going to love these yummy summer recipes, fuss-free activities, and one inspiring read to get you out on the beach with confidence:
Well, this little leaf tells the whole story of the first weeks of September, doesn't it? Perched halfway between searing summer and crisp fall. The beaches are closing, but the schools are opening. Peaches and plums are on their way out, but the apple trees are growing heavy with fruit. September is the Middleman.
I love September, and I love this poem to celebrate the month:
"September" by John Updike
The breezes taste of apple peel. The air is full of smells to feel-- Ripe fruit, old footballs, burning brush, new books, erasers, chalk, and such. The bee, his hive, well-honeyed hum, and Mother cuts chrysanthemums. Like plates washed clean with suds, the days are polished with a morning haze.
Does this ever happen to you? While going about your day, you happen upon a scene in nature that looks like it was created by a famous painter. That was my immediate impression of this sunset in the Bahamas a couple of weeks ago. It looked like it was painted by Maxfield Parrish! The golden-peach colors... The billowy pillows of clouds... The vague feeling that angels were going to burst into operatic song at any moment. Life imitating art!
I usually post just one "Monday Snapshot" at a time, but because this sunset was so dramatic, I'm giving it an encore!
Would you get on a sailboat for 7 days with 10 members of your family? Would you still love them on Day 8? Well, I did, and I do! To celebrate my in-laws' 50th wedding anniversary, my extended family headed down to the Abaco Cays in the Bahamas for a week of sand, surf, and...sweat! It was crazy-hot and humid, but that's what we get for booking a Bahamas vacation in August, right? (For those of you who took guesses at the location of my "Monday Snapshot", here's your answer: Treasure Cay.)
Despite the heat, it was a very cool trip! Here's what I learned in the Abaco Cays (pronounced "keys"):
1) Lizards, lizards, everywhere! In Rome and in Israel, cats are roaming around everywhere you look. In the Bahamas, the official critter seems to be the lizard. We saw mostly the curly-tailed variety, but those little guys were too quick and camera-shy, so here's another type, below. Handsome fellow...
2) The Bahamas are (sort of) eco-friendly. As you can see in the top photo, the beaches of the Abacos are pristine and relatively litter-free, but oddly, I saw no sign of recycling during the whole trip, aside from (maybe) one trash bin (possibly) for bottles. It felt weird and wrong to throw out cans and bottles with the regular trash. Bahamians are not "un-green", though. Look at this playground in Hope Town, pictured below, that was built around a tree instead of cutting it down. How cool is that?!
3) The spiders in the Bahamas have their own Halloween costumes!
I learned this red spider with the crabby "face" on its back (to fool prey) is called a Spinybacked Orbweaver. It's harmless to humans, which is good because I was getting "up close and personal" to snap pics!
4) Sharks hang out at the docks. I've seen two sharks "in the wild" before, both in the Bahamas, and both times, they were in shallow water right below the docks. I'm not talking about Great White "Jaws" type of sharks. Just small ones--nurse sharks or dogfish. We also saw a couple of sea turtles!
5) Toads are tenacious. This guy (below) hung on for the boat ride for a good hour, unbothered by the "paparazzi" (my family) snapping away. Then he calmly hopped off the deck and splish-splashed away. (What's the difference between frogs and toads, you may ask? For starters, toads can be out of the water for extended periods of time, have bumpy skin, and aren't shy around people.)
6) To get your "land legs" back faster, take long walks, ride a bike, or drive. There's a weird physical sensation that can happen after you've been on a boat for an extended period of time. For hours or sometimes days afterward, you feel like you're still on a boat, with your world gently rocking back and forth. My husband (a die-hard sailor) loves the effect, but I was getting dizzy just sitting still in a chair. (I'm still feeling the occasional boat-rocking, two days later.) Looking around the web for answers, I found out that the more you move around on land, the quicker your body will readjust. Good rest also helps. I kept myself moving the first day home by unpacking the bags, straightening up the house, and giving Delilah extra-long walks. (I missed her velvety ears so much while we were away.) Then I took a nap!
All in all, it was a great trip--hot and cool at the same time!
Your turn: What's the most educational trip you've ever taken? Let's hear it in the comments section below--I'm all ears!