Pine Photography Blog

Weekend Treats

2011-06-11T14:57:00.003-04:00

Treats from Little Pearl Cupcakes. Four flavors taste tested. All were divine.

http://www.littlepearlcupcake.com/

A Week of Beauty

2011-06-08T20:01:00.001-04:00

For one week every spring, this tree peony blooms lovely red flowers. Since they're so short lived, so I try to photograph the flowers as much as possible while they're open. Here's this year's batch of blossoms:

Results: Photo Assignment Festival Food

2011-06-05T10:46:00.004-04:00

On Friday I posted a blog about Festival of the Arts in Grand Rapids, Michigan and specifically, about my love of the food booths at Festival. My self-imposed photo assignment for the weekend was to document the food at Festival. Here are the results:

Dinner on Friday:
Who made it?: Booth #10 - The Great Wisdom Meditation Center
What was it?: Vegetarian Stir-Fried Noodles with Vegetables
What did it cost?: $4
How was it?: Delicious! The noodles were a great texture and not too mushy. The veggies were perfectly crisp-tender.

To go with those noodles (from the same booth):
What was it?: Vegetarian Spring Roll with a hoisin & peanut dipping sauce
What did it cost?: $2
How was it?: This was my first-ever non-fried spring roll and it was awesome. Though I'm not a vegetarian, I feared for my veggie friends when I bit in and discovered chicken. Turns out, it was faux veggie "chicken" and my meat-eating tastebuds couldn't tell the difference. And that sauce? Divine. (I poured the extra over my noodles, making them even better.)

Post-Dinner Snack:
Who made it?: Booth #27 - Buddhist Association of Michigan: Tam Quang Temple
What was it?: Cream cheese wonton with plum sauce
What did it cost?: $1 per wonton
How was it?: It was mostly wonton wrapper, with just a touch of cream cheese. Not the way I like my wontons, but I couldn't find my usual wonton booth so this was an acceptable substitute.

Breakfast on Saturday:
Who made it?: Booth #31 - Wyoming South Kent Kiwanis Foundation
What was it?: Homemade grilled cinnamon roll with cream cheese icing
What did it cost?: $3
How was it?: Warm and sweet, the cinnamon roll is split in half and grilled before being slathered in warm cream cheese icing. As someone with a major sweet tooth, I can't think of a tastier way to start my day.

To go with that cinnamon roll (from the same booth)
What was it?: Iced coffee with hazelnut syrup and whipped cream. (The drink comes with your choice of sweeteners - sugar, hazelnut syrup or vanilla syrup - and creamers - regular or whipped cream.)
What did it cost?: $2.50
How was it?: Not too sweet (even with all that sugar in it), this was a great way to get my morning caffeine fix even though it was already 80 degrees outside. The cold coffee was also a great contrast to the warm cinnamon roll.

Lunch on Saturday:
Who made it?: Booth #3 - Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church
What was it?: Souvlaki (marinated pork sandwich)
What did it cost?: $5
How was it?: A Festival staple. This booth, always in the same location, always with a huge line, is the best way to get your Festival "meat on a stick" fix. The sandwich is juicy, grilled pork, on a stick, in a bun. No extras. No condiments. You don't need them. The sandwich is delicious in its simplicity.

Afternoon Snack:
Who made it?: Booth #33 - Chinese Association of Western Michigan
What was it?: Crab cheese (wontons)
What did it cost?: $2 for 3 wontons
How was it?: My crab cheese booth! I found it! This booth had moved a long way from its previous location and I was thrilled to stumble across it along the back of Calder Plaza. These wontons were fresh, super crunchy, filled with a good amount of crab-infused cream cheese and (if you choose) topped with that familiar bright red sweet and sour sauce.

Afternoon Snack #2:
Who made it?: Booth #2 - Bethesda Baptist Church
What was it?: Hawaiian shaved ice
What did it cost?: $3.50 for the large size
How was it?: (Disclaimer - According to the weather app on my phone, it was 93 degrees with a heat index of 103 when I ordered this.) Thanks to the weather, this was a popular booth and this treat was fantastic. It came in a variety of flavors - I chose orange mango. The ice had a snow cone consistency. That snowy texture of true Hawaiian shaved ice wasn't there. But who cares? It was crazy-hot outside and I had been thinking about ordering this all day.

Festival runs today until 6 p.m., so if you're thinking of going out to eat this afternoon - head downtown. You'll find good food, lots of free entertainment and your money will be going to help support local non-profits. What could be better?

This Weekend's Photo Assignment: Festival Food

2011-06-03T17:00:00.002-04:00

The 2011 Festival of the Arts is happening this weekend in downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan. The city streets are closed off and there are six stages full of every kind of dance and music you can imagine. There's a Regional Arts Competition and two large tents full of local artists selling their creations. There are activities that allow kids and adults to create art. It's the largest all-volunteer arts festival in the country. (Did I mention it's free?)

Festival is a celebration of everything I love about Grand Rapids and West Michigan - the art, the music, the people and the warm summer days. But here's my big confession: the entire reason I go to Festival is the food. Local non-profit organizations set up booths (33 this year!) throughout the city and sell the largest variety of fair food you've ever seen. On the 2011 menu: elephant ears, foot-long hotdogs, halava, ribs, grilled shrimp, falafel, kafta, fried catfish, souvlaki, Hawaiian shaved ice, ice cream, cheeseburgers - the list goes on. (See Festival's website for the full list of food offerings.)

As you can guess from my blog, I take pictures. And clearly, I love Festival. I also love food. So this weekend, I'm giving myself a photo assignment. In celebration of all of the food I love so much at Festival, I'm going to document it. Photos of Festival Food is my assignment. The results will be posted here. Stay tuned...

Pileated Visitor

2011-06-02T21:14:00.004-04:00

Pileated woodpeckers are one of my favorite birds - love their huge size and that red crest! This gorgeous bird surprised me this weekend with a visit to the yard.

Marshmallow inspiration?

2011-05-22T10:13:00.003-04:00

This little yellow warbler reminds me of a marshmallow peep:

Especially this view:

What do you think? :)

Lake Huron Ice

2011-01-23T15:07:00.000-05:00

Winter has the amazing power to transform ordinary objects into something extraordinary. Case in point: the pier at the mouth of the AuSable River.

Bubble Lights

2011-01-02T21:53:00.000-05:00

These bubble lights have been on my parent's Christmas tree for as long as I can remember. Love them! :)

Cross one off the Life List

2010-05-28T10:32:00.001-04:00

The Kirkland's Warbler is a rare little bird. It's endangered and breeds one bird per every six acres (at best) only in the woods of northern Michigan. I was fortunate enough to join the U.S. Forest Service on a field trip during the Michigan Audubon's Birding Festival in East Tawas, Michigan.

It was an hour drive into the painstakingly managed jackpine forest, but the minute we stepped off the bus you could hear the happy call of the Kirkland's Warbler. There are specific rules for entering Kirkland's Warbler territory, chief among them: don't go off the road - not even one step.

My goals on this trip were (1) to see a Kirkland's Warbler and cross it off my birding life-list and (2) to get a photo of the bird. I'm happy to say both goals were met, though the quality of the photos I got is pretty low due to the little warbler's desire to stay well away from us.

The rules of entering the Kirkland's Warbler's forest:

A Kirkland's Warbler singing:

The best shot I could get:

On Display

2010-05-13T20:45:00.002-04:00

For the month of May, three of my photographs are on display at The Parlor ice cream shop next to the Cherry Hill Market in Grand Rapids. If you're in the area, stop by and check them out.

Big thanks to the GRFlickr group for the opportunity to be part of their display. New photographers from the GRFlickr group will be showing at The Parlor each month throughout the summer. It's a great way to discover some great local talent.

Welcome Back!

2010-05-03T21:13:00.000-04:00

It's always so good to see the birds come back into the area. In the last 24 hours, I've seen three of my favorites. Welcome back friends and welcome spring!

In order of appearance:

Black & White or Color?

2010-04-25T19:36:00.000-04:00

In a world of digital photography, images are usually captured in full color by the camera and, if desired, converted to black and white using software. Black and white images are common in portrait, wedding and architecture photography, but what is the place of black and white images in nature photography? If the goal is to capture nature's beauty, is there a benefit to full color over black and white (or vice versa)? Below are two images, identical except for the color. You be the judge.

The Kindness of Strangers

2010-04-21T06:28:00.004-04:00

It could have been any other evening. Janelle and I were enjoying dinner at Parsley, excited to be seeing Trans Siberian Orchestra at DeVos Hall. We double checked the tickets to confirm the 7:30 p.m. start time. Janelle tucked them back in her purse, we cleared the table and walked off down Monroe Center to the concert. Upon arrival, we discovered the last thing we expected - our tickets were gone. Emptying out Janelle's purse in the lobby of the Hall confirmed it. No tickets.

While we re-traced our steps, Janelle called Parsley. The employee who answered checked the area we were sitting in and talked other customers to see if any one had seen the tickets, but no luck. We arrived back at the restaurant to find employees willingly digging through the trash cans in search of our tickets. They helped us look in any corner of the restaurant the tickets could have possibly landed. We thanked them for their help but left disappointed. No tickets.

Not giving up, Janelle called the DeVos Hall Box Office and told them our story. They told us to return to the Hall and they'd see what they could do. I had never heard of anyone losing concert tickets and still getting in. I was slowly and sadly resigning myself to a night without the Trans Siberian Orchestra.

At the Box Office, we told our story to the man behind the glass. Janelle had bought the tickets so she handed over her ID plus any credit card she thought she may have used for the purchase. He called over to another worker and the two began searching the system, but nothing was coming up. "Do you know what day you bought them on?" The exact date? No. We guessed at a range of dates. All were wrong.

Janelle and I bank at the same place, so I pulled up the bank's web site on my phone and asked her if she was comfortable entering her online banking information. She was and a few minutes of searching later we not only had the exact date of purchase, but had discovered that she had used a check and the bank's online system had made a digital copy of that check available. Showing it to the Box Office worker, we asked if that was helpful. Passing my phone under the glass to him, he handed it to the woman helping with the search. Her eyes lit up as she told us to wait and headed back to her computer. Minutes later we were handed back the phone, ID and credit cards and told to keep waiting. Then Arnie, the hero of our night, appeared with two tickets in her hand. She had found our purchase and reissued our tickets! We had tickets!

We were ten minutes late to the concert, but we made it in before it started. The helpfulness of the workers at Parsley and the determination of Arnie and the gentleman at the DeVos Hall Box Office was remarkable. No one ever told us no, had a bad attitude or refused to help. And at any point they certainly could have. After all, the entire situation was our fault.

It could have been any other evening. But it wasn't. It was the evening that five strangers helped rescue our nearly-disappointing night with a level of kindness and customer service that I won't soon forget.

What's Old is New Again

2010-04-18T23:14:00.001-04:00

What happens when a museum is moved? Does every artifact go with it? And if not, what happens to those items left behind?

Until last Friday night I had never given a thought to what might be in the old Grand Rapids Public Museum. In 1995, the Museum moved into its current location on the banks of the Grand River. And it turns out that in the 15 years since the move, not a lot has changed with the old space.

Grand Rapids area college students and faculty decided to take on the old Museum and what they've turned it into is nothing short of amazing. Michigan - Land of Riches seeks to re-examine the old Grand Rapids Public Museum and in doing so has turned it into an art museum. Working along side the materials that were left in old Museum for over a past decade, what was unveiled on April 16 is a display of history, creativity and imagination that will only be on display for one month. "Michigan - Land of Riches" runs until May 15 and is not to be missed.

Photos from the opening reception:

"Last published on Sep 23, 2009"

2010-04-10T14:04:00.005-04:00

Cobwebs are in every corner of this blog. Time to dust things off and get back up and running.

"Last published on Sep 23, 2009." Thanks for the reminder Blogger. That was nearly seven months ago, at the start of ArtPrize 2009. Now that event is history, the phenomenal winning entry on display at the Grand Rapids Art Museum, and I'm contemplating my entry for ArtPrize 2010.

I don't like new year's resolutions. They always seem made to be broken. But something about the end of the holidays and beginning of a new year inspires reflection. So as 2010 began I made goals instead of resolutions:

Learn more about photography and continue to grow my business.
Meet more people and expand my circle of friends.
Get more involved in my city.

Of course accomplishing goals requires you to determine how to tackle each one. For me, that meant creating what has turned out to be a massive and incredibly fun to do list.

To Do:

Attend more events in my city, camera in hand - even if that means going alone.
Start using social media as a way to connect with new people, not just those I already know.
Keep the Pine Photography Facebook page up to date with weekly posts - which means taking photos worth posting at least once a week.
Maintain the full time day job in order to continue paying the mortgage.

And so began a whirlwind winter that has now turned into spring. I've become addicted to Twitter, met many wonderful photographers via GRFlickr photo walks, added dozens of events to my calendar and learned just how much I really love living in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

The unintentional consequence of all this? The complete abandonment of this blog. So now I'm adding a fifth item to the above "to do" list: Updating my blog on (at least) a weekly basis. Maybe no one is reading this but me, but that doesn't mean I should give the cobwebs a place to hide.

Happy ArtPrize Day!

2009-09-23T12:20:00.005-04:00

ArtPrize begins today and I am so excited! My ArtPrize work, "Selective Focus," is currently on display at Schuler Books & Music Downtown (40 Fountain St. SW). Be sure to check it out!

My voting code: 32081 >>Voting Information

>>Complete Pine Photography ArtPrize information

Lots of great events celebrating ArtPrize art going on tonight and throughout the next couple of weeks. >>ArtPrize Events Calendar

Our Mia

2009-09-19T22:36:00.003-04:00

Celebration

2009-09-12T13:47:00.005-04:00

Fireworks from Celebration on the Grand...

I love the reflection in Bridgwater Place.

More firework pictures are on the Pine Photography Facebook page.

Back to School Time

2009-09-10T20:29:00.003-04:00

17 Days and Counting...

2009-09-06T08:20:00.003-04:00

I entered ArtPrize with one goal in mind - to connect with other artists and meet some fantastic people - which I assumed would happened during ArtPrize competition dates and related events.

This weekend, I'm in Iosco county for a combination of family time and photo time. Mom and I made our annual trip to the Harrisville Arts & Crafts fair yesterday where, while wandering the booths, I came upon an ArtPrize badge. Not one to pass up a chance to talk about ArtPrize, I asked the couple running the booth what their venue was. What followed was a fascinating and fun conversation with Colleen and Michael Glenn Monroe. Nice people and wonderful artists, they produce beautiful children's books. Their ArtPrize entry is a fantastic concept I can't wait to see in a few short weeks.

There are so many inventive, inspired and creative ArtPrize entries. It's exciting to be in the same event with 1,261 other artists. I'm mostly looking forward to photographing in GR during ArtPrize. I have a feeling I'll be spending a lot of time downtown.

Voting News from the ArtPrize people:
This information arrived in my inbox this week. If you want to vote in ArtPrize, you must register in person. Then you can vote via the Internet or text message.

"During ArtPrize, there will be two ways attendees can vote for you: Online or by text message.To vote online, an attendee can search your name or the name of your work and vote right on your profile. To vote by text message (sent to 878787), each artist will have a 5 digit code that attendees can type into the body of a text message to either vote up or vote down your work (Voting up and down explained). "

My five digit text voting code is: vote32081. (The word "vote" must be in front of the numbers.)

Q&A

2009-08-31T13:28:00.004-04:00

Last week ArtPrize sent an email to all artists asking the following questions:

Did your parents encourage you to become an artist?

When did you start working in the way/medium/series you're working in now?

How did you decide to select the specific work you did for ArtPrize?

What is the greatest pleasure of being an artist? (What is your personal driving force?)

I have no idea the intent behind these questions (looking for good marketing matierals perhaps?), but find it interesting that of all the questions they could have sent, these were the four they chose.

It's Official

2009-08-14T20:10:00.004-04:00

I'm thrilled to announce that my work will be shown at Schuler Books & Music downtown for ArtPrize. (If you want to follow me on the ArtPrize journey, become a fan of Pine Photography on Facebook.)

ArtPrize

2009-08-09T11:40:00.004-04:00

It's the final week for artists to secure venues for ArtPrize. I'm so excited to have three hosting offers and am hoping to have an agreement signed by the end of the day Monday. Honestly, a couple of weeks ago I was getting worried that I wouldn't find a venue, so three offers is amazing!

It's fantastic that the management companies of several large developments are offering up tons of space so that as many registered artists as possible will be able to participate. After all, isn't that what ArtPrize is supposed to be all about?

I'll announce my venue as soon as it's official. If you want to follow me on the ArtPrize journey, become a fan of Pine Photography on Facebook.

Here's a sneak peak at the pair of photos I'll be exhibiting:

Macro Lily

2009-08-05T20:49:00.002-04:00

Playing with the extension tube... :)

A Great Model

2009-07-30T18:32:00.003-04:00

The garter snake that lives in the rocks by our front door was such a great model and posed nicely for me this afternoon.

Tyler

2009-07-19T00:01:00.000-04:00

Super cute Tyler's newborn pictures. He's 10 days old!

Sweetheart

2009-07-16T20:23:00.000-04:00

Flowers from my husband...

Vacation Sunset

2009-07-05T22:26:00.000-04:00

Butterflies in Northern Michigan

2009-06-23T22:02:00.005-04:00

When photographing in Iosco County, there is usually an abundance of mink, deer and other great animals. This time, however, the critters seemed to be in hiding. But in their place were these gorgeous butterflies!

Black Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly

Monarch Butterfly

Yummy Coffee

2009-06-15T21:28:00.005-04:00

The folks at Madcap Coffee create things of beauty (not to mention tasty coffee). Visit them soon and often!

P.S. - I so want to learn how to do this! :)

I Love Festival

2009-06-06T22:19:00.007-04:00

Festival weekend in GR is a can't miss for me. Festival of the Arts is one of the largest, all volunteer festivals in the country and all of the events at Festival are completely free. Delicious food booths (26 of them this year), two museums full of art (with free admission), tons of music (five outdoor stages plus two inside ones), and multiple (free) DIY craft stations for the kids - it can't be beat!

Festival in downtown Grand Rapids.

Bands at Rosa Parks Circle

This was the 40th year of Festival of the Arts.

McKay Tower - reflected in the National City Building in downtown GR.

Little Bandits

2009-06-05T22:36:00.008-04:00

As a student at Aquinas College, I had many run-ins with friendly raccoons taking advantage of the trash cans and dumpsters on campus. It's been years since those encounters, but over this past month I've once again had multiple run-ins with these cute little guys, including the opportunity to photograph an adorable baby raccoon.

Check out some of my favorites of these shy subjects:

This guy was visiting my porch and took a nap under the grill!

Spotted this guy watching me as a photographed lilacs

A baby raccoon in our woods. Wow - do they make a lot of noise!

A Washington Wedding

2009-05-21T16:25:00.004-04:00

One of my dearest friends got married last weekend and was gracious enough to allow me tons of access while photographing her wedding events in Washington D.C. It was a beautiful ceremony. They're such a wonderful couple!

Bye Bye Butterflies

2009-04-28T20:31:00.005-04:00

One of my favorite things about spring, the butterflies at Frederik Meijer Gardens, has left for the year. While I wish they'd stay longer, the butterflies moving on means one big thing - summer is around the corner! :) Below are some of my favorites from this year's butterfly visit.

Highlighted by the sun

Movement

Twins!

Delicate Beauty

More are in my photostream on Flickr.

Happy Earth Day!

2009-04-22T14:29:00.004-04:00

>>Learn what you can do to celebrate Earth Day today and every day!

The Great Grand Rapids Sidewalk Chalk Flood

2009-04-19T07:56:00.003-04:00

This was one of the most brilliant ideas ever! Local college student Rob Bliss conceived and organized a massive community sidewalk chalk event. The weather couldn't have been more perfect and the mood downtown was overwhelmingly positive and happy.
>>See Videos and Read More About the Sidewalk Chalk Flood

The Weekend in Numbers

2009-04-16T15:25:00.010-04:00

Over Easter Weekend, I spent four days photographing in Iosco County, Michigan. A wrap-up of the trip can probably best be summed up in numbers:

13 - different species of birds photographed at Tuttle Marsh (not counting songbirds)
4 - species of birds I'd never seen before
3 - early mornings getting up to photograph at Tuttle Marsh
2 - garter snakes that were very willing subjects
1 - patient husband along for the ride

A few of the Tuttle Marsh highlights:
Bald Eagle

Ringneck duck pair (front), Hooded Merganser (back left), Bufflehead (far right)

Two pairs of Ringneck Ducks

Great Blue Heron

I'll post more pictures from the weekend on my Flickr stream and in this blog as soon as I'm able to get them processed. :)

Fun at the Museum

2009-04-07T06:34:00.001-04:00

On Saturday I had the pleasure of joining some friends and their kids for my first-ever visit to the Grand Rapids Children's Museum. We had a wonderful time! These are a couple of my favs from the trip...

This the beginning of a very busy couple of months. This weekend I'll be traveling to Iosco County in northeast Michigan for three days of shooting at Lake Huron, Tuttle Marsh and the AuSable River.

One Year Ago...

2009-04-03T07:01:00.001-04:00

... these wonderful little barred owls entered my world.

They were around for a month and I was able to photograph them almost daily. I've heard barred owls again this spring, but have yet to spot any. I still hope their mom will be back with more little ones. You can see the full set of owl pics from last spring here.

Web Site Updates

2009-03-31T07:14:00.004-04:00

New images have been posted on the Pine Photography web site!
>>Check it out!

Here's one from the archives. This opossum came for a visit back in December. The full story and more photos are up on Flickr.

Spring, Where are You?

2009-03-29T11:00:00.005-04:00

The robins are back in force and the crocus are popping up! If it wasn't for the snow currently falling, one would think spring is upon us. Guess it'll be a bit longer before the trees begin to turn green. After a long, cold Michigan winter, we're all antsy for the arrival of a warmer season.

New Chihuly Glass in GR

2009-03-19T12:28:00.001-04:00

So exciting! The Grand Rapids Press recently announced that Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park will be installing another piece of Chihuly glass art this spring in their cafe.
>>Read the Article

I love Chihuly glass. This is a close-up of part of the "Gilded Champagne Gardens Chandelier," which hangs in the Gardens' atrium at the entrance to The Grand Room. It's stunning and one of the first things you see when you walk into the Gardens.

Playing

2009-01-23T12:19:00.002-05:00

Just playing around with this photo. Kinda like the results...

I could really go for a chocolate malt

2009-01-21T12:30:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year!

2009-01-05T16:25:00.000-05:00

Happy 2009!
Hope your holidays were happy and your new year is off to a great start.