A Week of Beauty

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:

Black & White or Color?

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.

Happy ArtPrize Day!

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

Celebration

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

17 Days and Counting...

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

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

1. Did your parents encourage you to become an artist?


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


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


4. 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

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

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

Playing with the extension tube... :)

A Great Model

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

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

Sweetheart

Flowers from my husband...

Vacation Sunset

Butterflies in Northern Michigan

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

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

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

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

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!