I have written before about the great photo opportunities that begin the minute you walk out your back door. I was greeted with another example on New Year’s Day as this red-shouldered hawk visited the back yard. (please see second image below)

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As a painter, I am no stranger to getting wet.  For years I’ve had acrylic splattered, dripped, sprayed and poured onto me.  And sometimes I just stick my hands right into it.  I am finding that photography is also keeping me damp.  I live in Florida where it is humid and hot most of the year.  Right now it is quite chilly at 35 degrees, but last week at Selby Gardens there was one place that was warm and quite drippy.  They have a huge greenhouse there with the most beautiful and exotic plants you can image.  My group of friends were awestruck as we walked around the lush interior.  While we separated ourselves I found this small glassed off area that was all green inside except for one lone orchid.  The condensation formed on the glass in front of it and it reminded me of a rainy day…

A monster thunderstorm cloud towering over a rustic rural old homestead farm house in North East Boulder County Colorado on the edge of Longmont.  HDR version.

No I am not drinking on the job. 😉  But I am playing with men’s neckties.  I’ve always had a fascination with these fashionable little pieces of art ever since I was a girl.  Let’s face it….for the most part men’s clothing is boring.  Sure, if you live in Milan and are a part of the fashion scene, there will be a lot of variety and flair.  But for the everyday man it is pants, shirt and a belt with very little color or pattern.  The only real way to jazz it up is a tie.  Ties are pretty.  Gay or straight, it is one way that men can show some artsy beauty without being judged by society.  

In this piece cumulatively titled “Tying One On” I am not only showcasing the beauty of men’s attire, but also showing a little humor.  

“Friday Morning”………….straight and ready for work:

http://fineartamerica.com/featured/cactus-flower-1-sharon-cummings.html

Macro photography seems to be all the rage these days on online fine art sites.  And let me tell you, there are some really stunning images that I could only dream of creating quality wise.  But everyone knows I am a dreamer…..so I am going to see what I can do with my creative eye and my new Nikon D7000 with a fixed macro lens.  Thanks to a photographer friend, I also have a mono-pod on order which should be here tomorrow.  She explained that it helps with stability and better image quality.

I am not a professional photography by any definition and I have always been a point and shoot kind of gal.  I am not a person of patience….and have always enjoyed the quick fleeting shots.  I like photographing things that move and sway.  Things that disappear. Macro photography takes a certain amount of patience and…

A Few Days at Big Bear Lake

 by Alejandro Escude

The carvings of bears were everywhere.
They whispered clichéd greetings
On warm Coca Cola evenings and swam
Across our wine glasses. You didn’t notice it,
But the mind of the lake was still.
The surface reflected the empty ski lifts
In sunshine heat. Pickups and SUV’s
Pulled into neighboring cabins.
Certain things were broken: the TV stand,
The metal threshold under the door.
What to expect from a rental?
Our mood was crazed by our toddler
Who awoke screaming Mama! Mama!
We took our trash bags to the dump.
I thought about ignorance. How it falls
Over the country like snow in summer.
Ignorance in the form of the man
Who only whispered his lost dog’s
Name, as he searched. The dog
I passed on my way in, startled, about
To run onto the heavily trafficked bridge
Across the lake…