| 4.09.08:
The calendar says
spring is here, despite the predominant color outside being
brown rather than green (at least it's no longer white). Frosty lawns
still often greet us in the morning, but small shoots coming up beneath
the
softening
ground
and
the gradually
warming sun assure us better things are on the way.
Signs
of spring are also evident at Wolfe's
Neck Farm in Freeport where
I've been doing volunteer animal
care. There are four new lambs
at the farm that are incredibly fun to watch. They can be visited
any time, so think about making a pleasant excursion to the farm
to see them, visit the other animals, and wander the grounds. And
please
consider
leaving a donation
in the box
in the
barn. The farm is a non-profit that is "dedicated to sustainable
agriculture, environmental
education,
and community well-being through the enjoyment of the natural landscape" and
donations to the farm are crucial to keeping the animal program
functioning.
And,
making a jump from agriculture to food consumption, check
out today's New
York Times for photos I took of the elaborate meals
served up at Bowdoin College. I ate those green curry mussels after
I photographed them, by the way, and they were divine!
2.10.08:
It's
been a long winter so far here in Maine. As I type, what seems like almost
daily snow is once again falling. It's the time of year when little things
bring lots of joy. We have a tree with berries in our backyard and every
winter it draws an assortment of hungry birds. This year the cedar waxwings
descended in the middle of a snowstorm, devouring almost every red treat
in sight. It was a pleasure to watch them swoop in, pluck a berry, and
swallow
it in one quick gulp before zooming off again. This and other winter
wonderland photos can be viewed here.
In
other news, I'm pleased to announce two upcoming shows. In late
May, my food-related India photos will appear at Rabelais along
with a host of fun India-related festivities, the details of which
I will be sure to inform you of closer to the date. Suffice it
to say, this is going to be an event you will not want to miss!
Secondly, I'm thrilled to be one of 89 artists (out of
731 entrants!) whose work was chosen for the Center
for Maine Contemporary
Art's 2008 Biennial Juried Exhibition. The show will
take place at CMCA in Rockport from August 9th - October 4th.
11.27.07:
Fall
has seen a flurry of photographic activity for me, from helping to
organize photographers at the U.S.
Olympic Team Trials — Men's Marathon and the ING
New York City Marathon, to various magazine assignments, to participating
in exhibits
at Rabelais and Susan
Maasch Fine Art.
Check out the December issue of Running
Times for, at long last, an
article on our 2006 trip to India written by Scott and
with photos by me, of course. In late December, be on the look out
for the January/February issues of Maine
Home + Design and Port City
Life, for which I recently did some fun work. In between all these
endeavors, we found time to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary
in one of the most beautiful places in the world—as far as I'm concerned
at least. This was our third fall trip to Acadia National Park and
it just keeps getting more spectacular each year. Below is a photo
from a particularly lovely morning at Jordan Pond.
8.6.07:
I've
added a commercial page to my site to
reflect the work that I've been doing lately to promote the products
and services of various Maine businesses. It's really heartening to
see more and more people realizing that
original photography can make a substantial contribution to their
business' image! What fun is it to go to a Web site and see the same
old generic photos that you've seen a million times? Well, the answer,
in case you hadn't guessed, is NONE. Original photography
can make all the difference in how you are viewed by potential clients
and customers. It adds a personal element by allowing your client base
to see who you are, where and how you work, and what your products
look like--something that could very well make them choose you over
a competitor.
 In
other news, I've really been enjoying doing more food photography lately, especially
now that the farmers' markets and farmstands are overflowing with
overwhelmingly gorgeous offerings. I have to restrain myself from buying
every lush, colorful thing I see because inevitably I don't have
time to photograph it before it gets eaten or goes bad. Still,
I've managed to take some lovely shots, if I do say so myself.
The fruit, so to speak, of these labors is now displayed in the
form of greeting cards (rainbow chard pictured at left),
which are for sale at Rabelais,
a newish food bookstore in Portland. If you haven't been, and
you like food and books (who doesn't?!),
you must go.
 7.14.07:
I
want to make a shameless plug for a new photo book about Portland,
Maine. Portland
Through the Lens, a photo book of the Portland area by Portland
photographers is a beautifully printed little book with an eclectic
mix of photos. And I'm not just saying that because I have nine images
in the book! There will be a party to celebrate the publication of
the book at Domaine Gallery at 223 Commercial Street in Portland on
July
19th
at 7:00 p.m. Come
meet the photographers, have a glass of wine, and, of course, buy several
copies of the book! The book is also currently for sale at Longfellow
Books and Books, Etc., both in downtown Portland.
5.11.07:
Spring
has sprung! I feel like I'm finally coming out of a long Maine winter
of hibernation. My photography is featured on the recently redesigned
Web sites of two Portland-based
businesses. Check it
out at www.mccabe-duval.com and
www.flyte.biz.
Both assignments were a joy and reminded of the many, many reasons
why I love living
here (despite the long, cold winters!).
For the Flyte assignment, I spent several days walking all over
Portland taking shots of the city. The days were bright and temperate;
the city
was alive with people glad not to be shivering under several layers
of long underwear and with businesses preparing for the upcoming
tourist season with new coats of paint. Some people were curious
about what
I was doing, others stood by and watched (one guy literally stood
by my side and clapped while I took photos; I have no idea what
was going on there!), and others were eager
to offer advice. Usually I don't take too kindly to people telling
me what to do, but this case
was an exception. I was photographing some seagulls at Back Cove
at dusk one day. The sun
was
intermittently
shining through thick grayish blue clouds illuminating the birds
with an eerie and lovely glow. A father and his two young daughters
were
feeding the seagulls,
which allowed me to take many close up shots of them swooping around.
One of the girls, who couldn't have been more
than 4, came over to me and said, "Excuse me, you should take pictures
from over here, it's better." I went over to where she was
standing and damned if she wasn't right.
The angle of the sun and the tilt of the birds wings was much better
than my previous vantage point. Lesson
learned: listen to those four year olds. They know what's going
on. Oh, and here's a shot I got of one of the birds reaching for
a piece
of bread that was thrown
in his direction. I like how he looks like he's smiling in anticipation
of his meal.
12.15.06:
Incredible
India, indeed. Wow. Hard to describe a trip that involved seeing everything
from four of the five highest mountains in the world all at once to
darling red-robed clad Buddhist children cavorting at a monastery to
camels,
elephants, and cows casually trotting down
the "superhighway." I've posted
some photos,
mostly
for the
race
participants, of the event I went to India to cover, but included with
them are some general scenes of this phenomenal country. Have a look
here for those images and a look here for
more street scene type images.
Also have a look at the Jan/Feb issue of Organic
Gardening.
This photo is on the cover and thirteen others of mine are inside.
9.6.06:
What happened
to the summer? It's all a blur. I did a bunch of fun freelance photo
assignments, including one for Organic
Gardening magazine of the
Sweet Pea Gardens in Surry,
Maine. That was definitely a highlight of the season. So much beauty
in such tiny blossoms. I have some
new color landscape work up at Domaine
Gallery so go by and check
it out if you're in the area. And last, but not least, my husband
and I are heading to India in October to write about and photograph,
respectively, this crazy running
race at the base of the Himalayas. |
