photo-graphia

Okay, I'll admit it, I am hooked on Pioneer Woman's blog. Not only is her writing incredible, but her photography is breathtaking. So, now all I wanna do is read stories and take pictures. And I really wish I had some cows to do that with... wait a minute, I might. My Horton Road neighbor usually has cattle in the summer...guess I'll just have to wait.
My next-door neighbor has a horse- and not a very happy horse, more like a hobby horse (I'm cracking myself up). The poor dear lives in a small enclosure, winter and summer without any shelter, and after the great snow of '06, the owner took his partner horse away.
I thought that was pretty mean, but probably his neglect had led to some kind of hoof problem which required medical treatment, at least that's my story. And whenever I take my dogs out, this poor horse wanders over to his fence and stares longingly at my lucky dogs, playing together and laughing. Now, with my *new* telephoto lens, I will be able to see his eyeballs and whether he is crying or annoyed.
For today, my thoughts are on photography as an art form. And though I can't remember exactly when I started noticing the prevalence of photography in art shows, I was immediately enchanted-- especially with the landscapes. As the artists have become more creative and the technology more advanced, so many things are possible.



I think that my photography has improved, because I look and see things from a different perspective. I find myself looking at a particular item or scene as a "composition." (Just to note, Miss Thang is lying on the floor next to me, sound asleep, and her tail is wagging. You just have to love that dog.)
There was a time when I carried my camera every day-just in case. I don't do that so much anymore, but I often wish I had it. On our trip to Silver City, I was especially aware of the amazing topography of New Mexico which changes instantly by simply going around a curve or over a hill, and voilà-a spectacular view!

With the advent of digital photography, it is easy to snap two or three photos and change settings without worrying about wasting film or developing materials. Prior to digital, I used to be very conservative, with the shots I took, because I didn't want to waste the money. Now it's just a matter of hours- and no investment, I come home, review the photos, upload my selections to Walgreens, and pick them up in an hour, whether it's 2 or 200. And if I want to share them with friends, I can upload them and e-mail them instantly. I have even put together a photo web site so that friends and family can review my vacation photos within hours of my return home. I mean, that's flippin' amazing. The next project is to master Adobe Photoshop, then I will be able to litter My blog with pictures.

I recently put together a file that I call "mugs" And they are pictures from our vacation to Scotland. What I found amusing, was that with all four of us carrying cameras, we became desensitized to having pictures taken-which resulted in some wonderful pictures, and a few embarrassing pictures.
Today, everyone carries the camera-or cell phone camera. And we are surrounded by surveillance cameras, so it is much easier to find candid photo ops.

Well that's my story and I'm sticking to it and I would love to be able to get some pictures of Applegal's hummingbirds, wink, wink.

the real prairie