Bobbin' on the BBQ

100 degree heat calls for kebobs on the grill!

Mmmm. Veggies galore.

A blast of color.

A bowl of yum.

Dale and I
Bobbin' along
Singin' a song (Beginnings by Chicago)
Side by side

To Do List

It's the weekend.
Do I tackle this?
Or leave it alone?

It looks content just where it is.

Self Portrait Week 29: Derp

If I ever become famous, I'm certain this is the photo the tabloids will pull off the internet to use in my bio.

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Photo Lessons I Learned:

• When I'm over a week late with a self-assignment, I'll do just about anything.
  
• I used the printer in my home office for a tripod and put the camera on a 2 second self-timer.
  
• The color balance is awful. The focus is awful. The editing didn't help much.
  
• Sometimes you just take a derpy picture and use it anyway.
  
• It's about time to get back to more artistic portraits.

Self Portrait Week 28: Aunt Shirley

Ack! I missed getting last week's self-portrait posted ... and now it's already time for a photo this week! This self-assignment is getting more challenging. But I have a good excuse.

I returned Sunday evening from a two-week solo car trip down to southern California. It was my 40th high school reunion and it was a BLAST! I also got to see three of my brothers and a posse of friends from my early college years.

On the way home, I had an overnight visit with my aunt. We hadn't seen each other in over 16 years. In the interim her husband, my Uncle Vince, died. Aunt Shirley showed me the memorial garden corner she has for him in her back yard. We decided to take our photo together there. With the angel and the shaft of light that flowed down, and the wind chime singing, it's like Uncle Vince is right there with us.

The night I stayed over, we went out to dinner with her two sons, my cousins Vince and Mike, and their families. Basque food! That was a first for me, and boy was it yummy. Here's the group selfie that Vince's daughter Sarah took (or was it Drew?)

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Photo Lessons I Learned:

• Sometimes the best parts of a photo have to be coaxed out in editing. This picture was very over-exposed. It took a bit to bring out the color, fix the contrast, and remove some of the noise.
• 16 years is too long between visits!
• As for real photo tips ... I got nothin' ... just keep shooting and shooting so that you have several shots to choose from.

Self Portrait Week 27: Idaho Tan

This is what happens when pasty white folk get a dose of the California sun ... a golden bronze ... er ... bright red?!

I'm having so much fun visiting friends in southern California where I grew up. The class reunion this weekend was a blast. Loud. Blasted my ears. And crazy fun to see so many familiar-but-not-so-familiar faces. I loved getting time to have one-on-one conversations on the perimeter of the chaos. I had the profound pleasure of deep conversations with a few chosen.

Fullerton is my hometown, but my own town no longer. It's really something when you need your GPS to get from one border to the other because the landmarks have changed and the city has grown.

The spirit of my high school buds is the same, yet more refined and more mellow. Can all that happen in a single person? Yes, I guess so. We are complex, wonderful people, full of foibles and triumphs. We find our way through the world, and help each other shape the world.

Thank you for welcoming me back, old town. You hold a place in my heart, even as I prepare my return to the relatively slower pace of my Idaho.

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Photo Lessons I Learned:

• When you have the chance to talk with old friends, put your big camera down and give your friends your complete focus. You won't be sorry you missed capturing their faces, because you'll remember the look in their eyes.
• Put some of your scheduled tasks on hold. So what if Week 27's self portrait was taken at the start of Week 28. Important times are for focus on your friends, not (literally) on yourself.
• Laugh at your own foibles - like forgetting the sunscreen. Take pride in the lessons others teach you about yourself. Be prepared for uncertainty. Embrace it.

Breakfast with a Biker

Meet Mike. I did. Over breakfast at the hotel. I inadvertently sat down at a table I thought was empty, but that he had reserved with a book. Ooops. But the dining room was full, so we decided to share.

Mike is a retired trucker, now proud owner of a new Harley, complete with trailer. He's from the midwest, but relocated to Florida to get away from snowy winters. This spring and summer he's been traveling the backroads of our country, visiting national parks and secluded river valleys. Camping out at KOAs and Best Westerns. Grabbing photos with his dashboard GoPro. Taking in the wind - and ducking the occasional storm. Meeting up with friends and, like me, making new ones.

Giving strangers a chance to tell their stories makes for unlikely friendships. I'm glad he gave me the chance.

An Intimate Friendship

As I walked back to my hotel by Idaho Falls, I spotted these two beautiful young women sharing a moment.

After I took their photo, I approached them and asked if they'd like me to send them the photo. I took another photo close up. Later that night, I emailed the photos to them. Thanks Pecas and Juliann. You made my day.

[photos used with permission]

The Temple at Idaho Falls

I didn't have my tripod with me, so steadied my camera on a fence railing.

Self Portrait Week 26: Road Trip

On my way to my 40th high school reunion. Packed and ready to go!

I love driving the open road.

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Photo Lessons I Learned:

This was another week where I just needed to get the portrait done.

I put my sun shade in the front window to block out the extra harsh sunlight. I suppose if I wore a more colorful shirt, I would have shown up better against the dark interior of the car. The problem is ... all my clothes are packed!

Self Portrait Week 25: Not in Full Color

It's been a tough week, full of extended family drama. My inner light isn't shining as brightly as usual. But this CameoRoze is rising above the thorns and still reaching for the sun. It's just ... my colors have dimmed.

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Photo Lessons I Learned:

Sometimes a self portrait has nothing to do with my physical body.
Metaphors are more expressive and accurate.

Lessons In A Rose Garden

Life circumstances feel a little prickly lately.

But if I just continue to climb up the stem, I'll find a gift waiting at the top.

In fact, an entire bouquet of living gifts!

Hold your head up, Margaret. Keep reaching toward the light.

Self Portrait Weeks 23 & 24: Phoning It In

I've been under the weather for the last two weeks. Last week, coughing and hacking, I attended my daughter Jodie's university graduation. After the ceremony, after the party, after the sunburns, we took some time out in the hotel room. That's where I snapped this selfie: Graduation Afterglow

This week, the coughing and hacking continued. Doctor says it's a virus, so I just need to rest, drink plenty of fluids, cough up gunk, and wait for it to go away. I spent a lot of time in a prone position. That's where I snapped this selfie: Calling In Sick

Ready for a new week! Hopefully, one where I have much more energy.

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Photo Lessons I Learned:

When you don't feel good, it's hard to be creative. It's even harder to pick up your "big girl camera." Thank goodness our phone's camera is always just an arm's length away.

Self Portrait Week 22: Ready for My Close-up

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Photo Lessons I Learned:

Sometimes I'm just not all that inspired to try something new. This was a study in looking directly into the camera lens to make contact with the audience. It was also a lesson in cropping. I added a little extra tension by cropping right up to the edge of my eye.

Self Portrait Week 21: Jo On The Road

I drove my daughter Jodie back to Oregon on Wednesday.
We stopped to take a pic with my selfie stick.

It sort of looks like my unicorn horn is about to pop out of my forehead. The doctor said it wouldn't grow back after the surgery, but once a unicorn -- spreading cheer, keeping Voldemort alive, and pooping rainbows -- always a unicorn.

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Photo Lessons I Learned:

• On a sunny day, find some shade.
• Use the modeling tips you've learned for group shots: friendly contact between subjects; have arms in natural positions but angled away from the body; tilt heads toward each other.
• Ignore the other folks at the rest stop when using a selfie stick.
  It doesn't matter what they think.
• Have as much fun with your daughter as you can in the few precious hours you have together.
• Oh. And don't forget to turn on your phone's Bluetooth.
  And your selfie stick's power button.  [Doh!]

Hood River Bridge

I took Jodie back to Oregon today. I'm spending the night in Hood River. This was my view on my evening walk. A good way to end a travel day.

Self Portrait Week 20: The Baker

This week I made cake for my daughter's wedding.

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Photo Lessons I Learned:

I didn't learn a lot this week, photography-wise. I did need to manipulate the f-stops about +2.5 so that the sunlight in the background would get blown out and the subject would be lighted correctly. Even so, I had to use a fairly high ISO which made the full-size version of this photo a little grainy. In post-processing, I lightened up the face an extra bit, and cloned out a cabinet.

My favorite part of this photo is how the dripping white cake batter lines up so well in the white blown-out window.

Another thing I learned? Three pieces of copier paper can quickly be made into a chef hat.  

Self Portrait Week 19: Basking

I paused to feel the light on my skin

Then stopped to consider who was watching me. (No one)

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Photo Lessons I Learned:

Inspiration hits at the oddest hours. I took this photo late at night when I should have been sleeping. Sometimes you have to dare yourself to get a little uncomfortable. "Hiding" inside a wig and behind a pop of lip color helps. So when photographing people, be a little playful and take some risks.

This photo was taken indoors in a mix of incandescent and fluorescent light: an overhead bedroom light, a small lamp to the right/front of the subject, and another small lamp on a dresser to the back/left of the subject. I was standing in front of a white door. The white balance on the camera was set to incandescent, so I had to fix the colors in editing. For a more timeless look, I converted to black and white.

It was a good thing I learned to click the wired remote shutter button with my toe a couple weeks ago. It came in handy this week.

Self Portrait Week 18: Bed o' Phlox

The phlox in my backyard is in full bloom. So pretty. A floral pillow for me.

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Photo Lessons I Learned:

I bought myself a selfie stick and tried it out for the first time today.

The photo was taken late in the day in the shade where the light wasn't good. The focus is soft. My glasses have too much reflection. But sometimes it's not so much about the "pretty" as about just learning to use the tools.

In editing I flipped the photo upside down ... I like the angle better this way.

Aged to Perfection

My husband and I had dinner at Outback Steak House the other night. This was printed on the coaster.

I thought they were talking about ME!

Cheeky, I know.

Self Portrait Week 17: Purplexd

It's Lilac Bloomsday across the border in Spokane, Washington. The purples are bustin' out all over

and, from what I can see, having a good time doing it!

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Photo Lessons I learned:

This week was another study in tone-on-tone. Makeup, wig, clothing, and accessories were all shades of purple. I tried for some long shots, but once again, it was the close-ups that worked for me. 

I also wanted to see what a portrait would look like if taken with a telephoto lens. I set the camera up about 10 to 12 feet away from the subject and zoomed in. My settings were:

f 5 ... 1/40 sec ... ISO 3200 ... 155mm

I'm still trying to learn how to pull light into a semi-dark room without having to use such a high ISO. I wasn't successful with that this week. I used a key light with umbrella, a back light shining up on the backdrop, window light as fill light with a reflector to the right in this photo. I like the way the light in back gave my hair some rim lighting.

Another thing I learned was how to trip the wired remote with my toe when both hands were busy in the photo!