Tag Archives: rose

*yesterday’s garden

A photo captures a moment in time.  Yesterday working in the garden the grey skies began to lighten up and the sun was peeking through.  Time to put some of those moments in my camera!  Here are 16 of the photos I took yesterday, (mostly) unedited.  I wanted to practice capturing a photo that needs no edits.  The exception is ALWAYS the reds.  They bleed terribly in digital form.  The rest are as the lens, the light and I, saw them in the early afternoon.

Enjoy the photos without captions or interruptions . You can either scroll down the page with the thumbnails or click the first image for a photo carousel of larger images to click through. 

*Sharon ~ from my garden

 

 

just scratchin’ that itch*

It’s always there for me, the desire to capture what I see and hold it for a while.  But there isn’t always the time or convenience to tote around my digital SLR camera.  This is one of the reasons I love my droid phone.   About a month ago I was able to upgrade to a better device, and I have to say, I am really loving all the features on it.  The camera is my fave non-phone feature, no surprise there!

So I have been satisfying that itch when I come across a scene that begs to be captured.  Here is a collection of some things I have seen in the past month; from frequent walks in a local city park, a recent garden / nursery tour I went on and of course a few shots from my own garden.  Enjoy!

Sharon*

(if you click the first photo a carousel will open to view the images larger) 

Saturday @ the Fair *

The big day has finally arrived! The sky is white with cloud cover, and it’s a bit chilly out. But neither rain nor sleet nor the gloom of an Oregon day will deter the dedicated plant shopper from their task!

Two gates opened at 9 am, and in they came, pulling their wagons of all colors (mostly red).  Spirits are high as everyone makes their way to a favorite nursery or activity.  I think the thing that I like the most is all the chit chat and talking that goes one. We are all friends here, after all.

My job on this day is really much more like play than work as I walk around visiting with Fair-goers and snapping shots of what I see.  In sorting thru the photos I took today I am struck by the look of this years Fair.  There is most certainly a lot of red; red wagons and red plants.  And the green that we earn after months of rain, and a few warm days that make the trees and grasses at the fairgrounds so bright and fresh.  The cloud cover made the shadows soft, tho I would have preferred to see more sun brakes; I like the way the sunshine makes things sparkle.

And as I walked around today I found myself thinking about the past years I had spent, walking the same ground and buying from the same vendors.  Then I was just another shopper in the crowd.  My point of view has changed. After years of shopping this event I can now see both sides of the window, looking out and looking in. I walked down the aisle and into the booth where every year for countless years I have bought the coleus and impatiens for my deck pots.  This year I added a cool sage green colored fern to the flat of plants I bought.  Later in the afternoon I had a conversation with a vendor about how sales were going and if he liked his new booth space.  This was the conversation of an insider, and I enjoy that viewpoint.

Walking over to the Main Lawn vendor area, I am pleased to see so many shoppers have followed the signs and announcements to  find the booths located there.  And of course the food court!  The scent of that kettle korn was tempting me all day long, and I finally gave in late in the afternoon and bought a small bag to much on while sorting pics for this post.  Talking with shoppers is always fun, and I always seem to pick one wagon that I keep seeing as we both make our way around.

Saturday was a good day at the Fair. No rain, no wind, and plants galore.  I brought home a few too many today, and I am sure that there will be more tomorrow.

Enjoy the photos as they take you thru my walk, and don’t forget to read the captions that tell the rest of the story.

My next post will be about Sunday at the Fair.  Its usually a quieter day.  The weather man is promising some sunshine, I sure hope he is right!  After a full day at the fair, on Sunday night we take everything down and visit for a while.  It will be a long day and a late night, so the next post will be on Monday for you.

Thank you for walking thru Saturday at the Fair with me and my camera.

*Sharon

 

other posts in this series: 

Sunday @ the Spring Garden Fair*  

Setting it all up* Spring Garden Fair  

Pre post * Spring Garden Fair  

 

my artwork ~ Uncommon Everyday Art

Today, September 3, 2011 is the opening day for a photo exhibit that includes my work. (Click here for details.)

 I was asked by the gallery owner to send her something to use as a bio or write up about my work.  And a head shot. So, last weekend Hubby and I dutifully went to my studio aka back yard, set up and took requested “mug shots”.  Now you all know, I love to take pictures.  In front of the camera I am a mess.  But I managed to set up a nice shot, and even sit still for about 72 images … of which found 3 that were usable. I am a terrible subject !! (or overly critical )

This post is really about my photos, but I also wanted to include some kind of explanation as to why I am here, this sounds better than a boring bio or “rap sheet” .  And in the interest of honest journalism / blogging, here is one of the head / mug shots that I did actually like:

S. Andrews, photographer and photo artist

I am a photographer, and a gardener.  I like to tell people that I was born with a camera in one hand and a trowel in the other. These passions of mine were made for each other.  Since my dad gave me a Kodak box camera at age 9, I have been taking photos of what I see, and what I love.  

And I love color, though that is no secret if you have seen any of my photos.  The play of light in the landscape, in a garden.  This is what I love the most about photography.  Capturing the light and keeping it forever in a photo.  Rich tones and saturated colors.  My editing process combined with the metallic prints I offer for sale, these were also made for each other.  

When I began this journey, I was only decorating my own world.  A few years ago I made the switch from hobbyist to artist; I love sharing my work.  The art that I create  comes from years spent with camera in hand, combined with exploring and experimenting with the light and graphic qualities of digital images on the computer.  Everything begins as a photograph. Then I stylize into the art that is Uncommon Everyday Art. 

The gallery that follows represents all the photos in the show that are framed.   I have included a brief story about each image below.

I have many more images printed in smaller versions.  You can view these on my webpage:  www.oregonshar.com, and of course, come out to the show and see the work in person!  I will be at the Artist’s reception at around 6:30 on Saturday, September 10, so come out and see me then.

click on the first thumbnail image to open the gallery and view the photos with captions 

Spring Forward

March must be here, we walked past lots of daffodils blooming when we took our walk this afternoon.  The “we” being my 10 month old pup aka photo/ garden assistant!  It sure feels good to be out in the fresh air, seeing the new-ness of the season in the neighborhoods. Especially since it was about 10 days ago my yard had a nice sprinkling of rare February snow.

I am looking forward to getting out and adding to my “Lens” gallery, I would love to add a few more landscapes to my portfolio.  And this afternoon I worked on some wallpaper ideas I want to bring to you.  When I have those ready to go, I will let you know! Yesterday I went prowling around some nurseries here in Portland, doing some rose shopping with a gardener friend of mine visiting from California.  I will be putting in a new rose bed this year, with 9 new roses to photograph!  I even found my old favorite, ‘Cherish’ to plant in the bed at the side of the house.

I never tire of making images of the old standards and favorites each year, so don’t be surprised to see me add more flowers, bees and green Oregon landscapes to my galleries soon!

And if I can ever get this energetic pup of mine to sit still long enough, you may even see a photo or two of him in the galleries as well!

~ Sharon