by Anita | Dec 2, 2017 | Blog
It’s been awhile since I’ve posted here and a lot has happened, but the biggest change for me artistically was taking a wonderful course from Anna Aspnes called “A Year of Artplay,” where I learned how to do artistic digital scrapbooking. Anna’s classes are wonderful, as are her products, and she is a wonderful teacher. You can learn more here. I created this layout using one of Anna’s album templates and some of her other products as well.
I’m hoping to get back into posting on my blog again in 2018, and I wish all of you the very best for the holiday season and the coming year!
by Anita | Jan 10, 2016 | Blog, Flowers
Each year my husband Rick and I each choose three words that will guide and inspire us through the course of the year. My words for 2015 were “create”, “celebrate,” and “energize,” and I was fortunate to have done a lot of all three. I still love those words and will carry their spirit with me into 2016, but they are action words guiding what I do.
For 2016 I have chosen “gratitude,” “mindfulness,” and “authenticity,” words that reflect the spirit that I wish to bring to everything I do, principles that will help me live more fully, more consistently with my values. Words that remind me to be myself in the present moment, and never for a moment forget how lucky I am.
Happy New Year to all of you, and may you all have as much joy in your lives as I have in mine.
by Anita | Nov 20, 2015 | Blog
It’s late November and my shooting season is pretty much done, so now it’s time to go back though some of this year’s photos and play with filters!
Aster seed heads are so photogenic, especially in late afternoon light. I shot these a couple of weeks ago, and now they are long gone. I got this effect using a custom filter from Photomorphis in On1 Photo Effects 10, followed by a modified version of the Lavender Meadow preset in Topaz Texture Effects. This is a new program I’ve had only a few days, but it so much fun to play with!
Here are a few more photos from my yard this fall, plus a couple of witch hazel flower shots from early spring.
by Anita | Oct 23, 2015 | Autumn, Blog
Walking along the beautiful rail trails is a wonderful way to experience the beauty of fall in New England, and we’ve been doing just that almost every day. One of the trails runs along the east side of the Nashua River, and the backlit foliage along the river in the late afternoon light is just spectacular. I took many shots there and this is one of my favorites.
But why stop at one? Here’s a slideshow with some more of my favorites. There are 9 images and all but #5 were taken on the Nashua River Rail Trail in either Pepperell or Groton, Massachusetts. Number 5 was shot on the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail in Chelmsford, Massachusetts.
by Anita | Oct 13, 2015 | Acadia, Blog, Landscapes
Acadia National Park is one of our favorite places in the world. We’ve been there countless times over the last 35 years, but its beauty and magic enchant us still. And this was the first time we ever saw an eclipse there – the splendor of the blood moon was enhanced by a sky filled with more stars than we have ever seen. Although we didn’t photograph the eclipse, the memories of that glorious evening will fill our hearts with joy forever.
One spot we love to visit and photograph is Duck Brook, and on our last day there we stopped by late in the morning, and the light on the reeds was just amazing. I took lots of shots, but this one was my favorites.
by Anita | Sep 15, 2015 | Blog, Flowers
I had a delightful lunch with Kristi Cromwell at Tower Hill Botanic Garden last week, and we had a wonderful time strolling through the gardens. They have beautiful cannas planted in pots throughout the garden, and this this beauty really caught my eye. She was bold and sassy, and I really wanted to do her justice. But I was shooting with my point and shoot camera that day, so when I looked at the image at home, all I saw was the distracting background.
Fortunately, I love playing with filters almost as much as I love shooting, so I brought the sassy gal into Photoshop where I used several presets from Totally Rad’s RadLab plus a duplicated layer set to “multiply” to get the look I wanted. Bye-bye background, and hello gorgeous!
