Andante :: CT

Andante :: CT

“Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson

A few weeks back, I checked out a waterfall @pmacmiller posted about (he’s a great guy, check out his page!) and the hike was lovely. A lot of it meanders along the shore of a lake, which in the summer can be a bit noisy (motorized boats allowed) but it didn’t stop me from finding little moments of joy in the woods. For example, at the end of a curve in the trail, I stumbled upon this scene. It’s a fallen log, and some trees, but in the right light at the right moment it was magical. In fact, so much of photography is just that: recognizing beautiful moments. As Emerson said, it’s a study in patience. But when the trees take on the soft glow of diffuse light, while the birds chirp and chipmunks rustle the undergrowth, it becomes clear that patience pays off. Talk about a life lesson, eh??

Into the Woods

Into the Woods :: OR

“The way is clear,
The light is good,
I have no fear,
Nor no one should.
The woods are just trees,
The trees are just wood.”

This image is from Opal Creek Wilderness in Oregon. Where I come from, we just dont have these sort of old growth forests.  They have a completely different character than the trees I’m used to.  Older, more magical, peaceful and man, oh man, that light was lovely.

The Nerdy stuff: f/9, 1/4 sec, 33mm, iso 100

If you have any questions about my images, never hesitate to ask! 🙂

Winter Wonderland

Diana’s Pool :: CT

This time of year, photography time is at a premium.  The sun isn’t up for very long before I leave for the day job, and it’s down before I’m done with work.  Furthermore, winter hasn’t quite arrived yet….but I’m pining for some snow photos.

 

Today, I’m pulling one from the archives to share with you.  Hopefully that will tide me over until the snow arrives here in CT.  Hope you enjoy! 🙂

 

xo

Shannon

 

Still Reflections, Winter’s Breath

Reflection

It’s 6 degrees out, this morning.  We had some snow fall last night.  The roads are slippery and a bit dangerous…but the woods?  They’re perfect.

New England’s snowy skies rarely have much in the way of interest or detail, despite this being taken close to the end of the day.  There was no color, only leaden gray mixed with spots of white.  There were a few hints of yellow-brown on the trees, and some red silt at the edges of the water near the shallows…but rather than act as an accent, it seemed distracting.  I decided to black and white it.

The view, overall, is pretty standard for winter around here but the thing that attracted me to this particular scene is the solid reflection and the natural leading line it created from the corner of the frame.  Since I tend to be a symmetry person, I really wanted to wade into the center of the slow-moving winter stream and re-compose, but I didn’t have waterproof boots or waders.  Also, just outside of the frame where I would have stood, was a dangerous slippery spot that would have tumbled me down a little set of cascades.  haha  Hypothermia is a maybe, but ruining my camera is a definite no.

Walkin’ in a Winter Wonderland

Snowy Path – CT

This image always reminds me of my favorite holiday carol (I’m so politically correct, dang!), though I seriously doubt there were sleigh bells ringing and children rarely listen to anything I have to say. 😉

This photo was taken on a snowy day here in CT, on a lunch break from work. It was just one of those days where the snow looked so darn purty I needed to go explore for a bit. This happens to be a historic trail one town over from the town I work in, so I had enough time to stretch my legs and take a few shots before heading back to the ol’ cubicle.

Hope you are all enjoying the holiday season, friends! Stay safe, give your loved ones a squeeze, eat too many cookies, and surround yourself with peace and joy…tis’ the season, after all!

Best Wishes,
XOXO
Shannon

An Attitude of Gratitude

Vortex

Having a positive outlook on life can be hard, but intensely rewarding.  It’s easy to say a glass is half empty.  It’s much harder to say, “Thank goodness I still have half a glass to drink.  I’m thirsty, and that will help.”  Like anything else in life, seeing the silver linings in life is a skill, and when done faithfully, can become a habit.

Imagine a life where you exchange your expectations for gratitude.  The disappointments in life become much more manageable.  And there are fewer of them.  It’s easier to feel like you have enough, to appreciate the gifts you’re given and to see the blessings in life.

That is what I love most about tomorrow, Thanksgiving.  It’s yearly encouragement to be thankful for the things we have already accomplished, to see how far we have come, to appreciate our families and friends, and to see that often, we are lucky to have so much in our lives.  Most of us have a roof, even if we don’t own it.  Most of us have food, warmth and a computer with which to read this awesome blog…  We have life.  Even when it’s hard, it’s precious.

Tomorrow is a day to appreciate the positives.  Spend a few moments between tofurkey and pie reflecting on the good things in your life.  In the end, we can’t keep the gifts, the wealth, the stuff we surround ourselves with…but we can remember the path we took in life, the moments of joy and accomplishment, and be proud of how our experiences shaped us, and the choices we made because of them.  We can practice an attitude of gratitude.

The photo above was taken on a hike with my friend David (an awesome photog from Cali, check out his work!) while he was visiting in CT.  The leave whirlpool reminds me a little of the way water drains from a tub.  Felt appropriate as we make our transition from beautiful, beautiful Autumn….to very cold Winter. haha

 

❤ < 3 ❤

For those of you interested in helping me raise funds for the victims of Typoon Haiyan in the Philippines, when the time comes for holiday shopping, go here.  50% of profits through December 15 go to Care.org and the Filipinos in need.

For those of you interested in winning a holiday gift, go here, “like” the page and leave a comment on the contest poster letting me know which image you want.  Winner announced on Friday, so you only have a few days.

The “B-Side”

New Hampshire Cascades

I suspect I might be dating myself here, but for those of you who remember the time when vinyl was king…you’ll probably also remember the term B-side.  For those of you who aren’t familiar with the term (aka…young’uns), side one of a record was generally reserved for the songs that the producer or record company intended to be the hit.  The other side of the record (or cassette, for you children of the 80’s), had everything else.  Generally speaking, the songs on the B-side weren’t quite as shiny, pop-y, catchy or marketable.

Well, my photography process also has a B-Side.  When I get home from a shoot or trip, my first instinct is to edit the stand out images.  The ones that just scream for attention.  They’re well composed, well exposed and just damn purty.

And then…there is everything else, which honestly, often gets forgotten.

Not today though!  Today, I looked through the archives, and edited a B-Side.  As to whether or not its an “Elvis Presley” B-Side, which were often considered to be just as good as the hits…or a Tommy Tutone B-Side, which was considered to be…

You know what?  Forget that. Let’s just bask in Jenny’s 867-5309 moments of fame.  Aaaaannnnd, enjoy my photo. 🙂

Finding Balance

Wild and Free

“The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it.” -Henry David Thoreau

That quote by Thoreau really struck me.  It was an eloquent reminder to be a “smart shopper” and to invest in the things that matter.  Sometimes, taking a break to appreciate the beautiful chaos of nature is the most therapeutic thing we can do.  Find time for the things that make you happy. Appreciate, be grateful, smile, laugh and love. ❤

FUNDRAISER UPDATE

As you all know, I’m running a fundraiser for the victims of Typhoon Haiyan. (50% of profits from sales through December 15, go here: www.zazzle.com/skalahan) Turns out, zazzle is also running a deal through 11/21 (sorry, I know, not much notice)…use the code HOLIDAYCOUNT for up to 60% off! And I’m pretty sure it is on the production end, not mine, so the donation to the Filipinos will be the same!

Catching Up

So…in the month of October I have:

A) Gotten food poisoning and landed in the emergency clinic in another country. Still trying to recover from that.

B) Hosted my good friend David Pasillas, a west coast photog, and found ourselves on a three day New England leaf-peeping adventure.  I still have to download those shots. haha

C) Worked hard to finish 3 photo projects, one of which will be a collaborative series of blogs with the aforementioned David, my friend Will and his better half Britta (sorry Will. ;-D)  I’m pretty pumped about!  (So..uh…stay tuned)  One of the other projects is a magazine submission which is making me hold off a bit on posting all of my Peru photos just yet.  But trust me, they’re awesome and when the time comes, you’ll love them.

D) Had knee surgery, and am currently on crutches.  I’ll be headed to my post-op appointment in about an hour, as a matter of fact.  You know what is difficult to do on crutches?  Everything. haha

E) Shot a couples session for one of my best friends (on crutches!) and was overwhelmingly happy when the guy surprised us all by turning it into an engagement shoot!

And the month isn’t done yet!

For today, I figured I’d share an oldie-but-goodie fall foliage photo.  Tis the season, afterall. 🙂

Autumn in New England

New photos coming shortly, I promise!

Arethusa Falls, NH

Arethusa Falls, NH

The day after last month’s Mt. Washington, we decided to take an “easy” hike to Arethusa Falls in New Hampshire.  There were two photogs on the trip (myself, and my friend Melissa…whose birthday happens to be today!  Wish her a good one, folks!) so we enjoyed stopping at all of the falls and rock formations while our other two friends enjoyed waiting for us….and taking photos of us photoing. haha

This photo was a composite of two exposures, masking out the spots in each I didn’t love – mainly, the way the water fell in one exposure and the sun light falling on the water in the other…a relatively simple edit, for once!  Nothing wrong with getting it right in-camera to save you time in post later! 🙂

Photo-ing Photogs Photo-ing

 

Happy Wednesday, friends!