4th Annual Photographic Alphabet – III

K IS FOR KINETIC.

Autumn in Color

Three Trees on Blue © 2011 Bo Mackison

When people ask me what I do — a very popular question judging from the number of times this subject comes up — I tell them I am a photographer. And then the next question is often, “Oh, what do you shoot?” I occasionally say “Anything and everything, except for a bride walking down the aisle.” I’ve cried at every wedding I’ve ever attended, I explain, and who wants a wedding photographer who can’t see through the camera lens.

Abstract Pond Reflection

Abstract Pond Reflection © 2011 Bo Mackison

But most often, I give my answer that is most truthful, that I photograph flowers and other botanicals, and that I often use a macro lens so that I get a close up shot of a flower, or perhaps only a part of the flower. But in my head I am shaking my head and laughing, because if I tried to explain what it really is I photograph — well, I’m not sure I could always explain it coherently to myself.

Paper Birches in Sunlight

Birches in Sunlight © 2011 Bo Mackison

Sometimes I shoot kinetic photographs, photos taken while I intentionally move the camera, usually along a wide plane — up to down or left to right, or diagonally. I love the surprise of the photo. I usually have a good idea of what I am photographing, but with kinetic photography, the photos are always a surprise. Sometimes it’s the color I love, sometimes I love the abstract swatches, sometimes I can almost make out the scene and I love how the real is hidden and the imagination has to substitute for reality.

L IS FOR LINES.

Gabel House

Gabel House © 2011 Bo Mackison

Another type of photograph I take for my pleasure are objects that include lines. Lines going every which way, lines in different colors, lines made up of light and shadow. One of the reasons I’m fascinated by the study of lines in composition is because I like to determine how I ‘look’ at a photograph of many lines.

Fence, Bench, Bricks

Fence, Bench, Bricks © 2011 Bo Mackison

By that I mean, where do I look after I’ve looked at the whole photograph?  Try it on one of these line photos.

Typically you will take the entire photograph in with a first glance, and then you will methodically look at the photograph, piece by piece. I like to study where my eyes travel, and try to understand what draws my eyes in that pattern.

Shadow and Light

Roof of Shadow and Light © 2011 Bo Mackison

Does it work for you? Do you look at the entire photo quickly and then begin to decipher it? If so, how did you look at the photo of the roof?

  • When did you look at the white in the center, the cloud nearly hidden from view by the slatted roof?
  • When did you look at the dark corner? Did you search the darkness to see if there was anything to see?
  • And when did you notice the string of metal lights along the edge of the roof? Did you notice all three of the lights, or only one or two of them?

There is often more to photography than just looking at a pretty photograph of a flower, and though I love my botanical photos, I also love to shoot for the pleasure of learning about photography.

M IS FOR MINIMALISM.

Kansas Minimalist

Kansas Minimalist © 2011 Bo Mackison

I also like to shoot minimalist subjects, though I hate to spell or pronounce the word minimalist. All those m’s and n’s get mixed up. In some ways minimalist photographs are almost the opposite of the ‘L’ photographs of lines. Why?

Grasslands

Grasslands © 2011 Bo Mackison

Many people look at these two types of photographs in different ways. In the minimalist photos, viewers will often search for what is not in the photo. Is there something ‘hiding’ in the photo that is the main point the scene? What am I looking for?

Instead of searching each part of the photos to see what is there, as one does in the photos with many lines, we search each part of the minimalist photographs to see what it is we have not seen on first glance. Often, after that search has not recovered a sleeping lion in the grasslands or a red boot in the snow, the viewer relaxes a bit and takes in the photo as a whole, noticing horizon lines, breaks in lines, or diagonals that lead the eye into the distance.

Wisconsin Minimalism

Wisconsin Minimalism © 2011 Bo Mackison

You thought you were just looking at photographs of roofs and benches and snowdrifts? Well, you were doing that, too.You were looking at the subject and the lighting, the textures and the colors, the shadows, and comparing it to other similar scenes you have stored in your memory. Amazing, hmm?

Photography is pretty darn amazing, Now go and celebrate the ringing in of the New Year.

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Today’s post has been brought to you by the letters K, L and M.

Tomorrow’s post will be brought to you by the letters N, O, P and Q.

And yesterday’s post was brought to you by E, F, G, H, I and J.

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. Posts brought to you by the alphabet — what would we do without alphabet letters! — through January 3rd.

 

4th Annual Alphabet – Part II

E IS FOR EMERGING.

Upon Opening, Tulip at Allen Centennial Garden, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Upon Opening © 2011 Bo Mackison

Anaïs Nin’s quotation — “…the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom” — seems to apply to some of the challenges that I’ve overcome this year. Years ago, after a series of losses, I found it safer, less painful to curl tightly into myself and hide rather than face the beauties in life coupled with the possibility of yet more loss.

Eventually the ‘too quietness’ in my head and the loneliness in my heart became to difficult to bear, and so I, with great hesitation, opened my eyes and looked around. It seemed safe enough. I uncurled. Stretched. And made the decision to begin connecting with people again, no matter how uneasy I was with this change.

How wonderful to rediscover that the world is a bright, beautiful place. That there are beautiful, loving people in it. And that even if you cannot see the sun, it is always shining somewhere.

F IS FOR FAMILY.

Christmas Eve 2011

Christmas Eve 2011 © 2011 Bo Mackison

Family. I am truly grateful for my sensitive, supportive, and loving family. What a gift – the love of those nearest and dearest to my heart. Sherpa. My children and their partners. My extended family. I send my love to all.

G IS FOR GARDEN GATE.

Garden Gate

Garden Gate © 2011 Bo Mackison

Ah, offer me an afternoon of solitude and time to commune with nature –  in a deep thinking space where I can journal and photograph – and lead me to the gate of a yet to be discovered garden. As perfect a recipe for heaven on earth as I can imagine.

The garden doesn’t have to be the typical garden, either – though garden paths and courtyards and tended flowers are indeed lovely. I also find delight in overgrown gardens and in natural gardens. To me a space with any type of living plants is garden-like enough, be it mountain peak, desert floor, a prairie rise, a deep woods path.

When I spend time in a garden – any kind of garden – I feel revived.

H IS FOR HUMOR.

Sculpture Garden

Turquoise Cow, Grazing © 2011 Bo Mackison

You say you’ve never seen a turquoise cow, painted with dandelion flowers and grazing in the grass? Well, now you have.

Sculpture Garden

Purple Cow © 2011 Bo Mackison

And you’ve never seen her purple sister cow? Well, now you have. Are you smiling? I am.

Because I can never look at these wonderful sculptures without breaking out in a huge grin. They make me smile, they lighten my heart.

There is humor all around us. I am learning to look for the humor in life and in life situations. I am learning to laugh. What a glorious feeling – the moments when a smile breaks into laughter which turns into unstoppable glee. Those moments when laughter is contagious, when the laughter just won’t stop. What treasured times those are.

I IS FOR INTERIOR.

Colors

Atrium of Colors © 2011 Bo Mackison

I’ve been thinking about interiors lately. Interiors of buildings, yes, for I do love the lines of good architecture, but more important to me are the interiors of people as a whole, the insides of the society we live in, the inner workings of human brains, and who I am on the inside. There is a much inside work to be done.

If the foundation is not sturdy and well-built, the structure will not be functional and safe.

J IS FOR JOURNAL TIME.

Two Benches

Two Benches © 2011 Bo Mackison

No matter where I go, I carry a short pencil and a small notebook — about 3″ by 4″ — in my back pocket. And it is almost impossible for me to sit and enjoy some quiet time without taking out that notebook and writing down a thought or two. Often the notes are reminders of things to do, or things I want to look up. Once in a while I capture an Aha! moment and I record it for remembering.

Yellow Chair

Yellow Chair © 2011 Bo Mackison

Any seat will do, and if there’s a table and a cup of coffee to go with my journal time, so much the better. Journaling has been a part of my life since I was in my early twenties. In the midst of chaotic times, happy times, quiet times, and times when time stood still, I have always kept a notebook and pen nearby.

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Today’s post has been brought to you by the letters E, F, G, H, I and J.

Tomorrow’s post will be brought to you by the letters K, L, and M.

And yesterday’s post was brought to you by A, B, C and D.

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. Blog posts are brought to you by letters of the alphabet — what would we do without alphabet letters! — through January 3rd.

 

My 4th Annual Alphabet – Part I

As I have done for the last three years, I again end the past year and welcome the new year with a Photographic Alphabet Post.  The very first one (2008-9) rhymed and had a Wisconsin theme. In 2009-10 I didn’t get my Alphabet post done until the second week in January, but I made up for the short post with a photograph that looks quite Arctic-ish! Last year I posted a single photo and wrote a short paragraph for each alphabet letter in four parts.

This year I’m featuring more photographs and fewer words, though something about the end and the beginning — it encourages my tendency towards verbosity. (See?) I’ll watch my word count…promise!

BO’S PHOTOGRAPHIC ALPHABET — 2011

A IS FOR ART AND ART FAIRS.

Seeded Earth Photography Booth at Agora Art Show 2011

Agora Art Show 2011 © 2011 Bo Mackison

Art Fairs were a significant part of my life during 2011. Sherpa and I took Seeded Earth Photography to fourteen shows beginning  in February and ending the weekend before Thanksgiving. We did shows in six states – Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Iowa and Arizona.

Great Dogs at the 57th Street Art Fair Hyde Park Chicago

57th Street Art Fair © 2011 Bo Mackison

This was my second full year exhibiting my photography on the art show circuit. In 2010 I did local and area shows in Wisconsin, and learned the art business. By the end of 2011, after a total of 24 completed shows, I felt less like a novice and more like an artist. That was a grand feeling.

Seeded Earth Studio Booth at Winter Art Festival

Winter Art Festival © 2011 Bo Mackison

In a few weeks, I will be heading to Arizona. My upcoming shows in the Tucson area will be the first ones I’m doing solo. No Sherpa to grab a drink for me or tend the booth while I walk to stretch out muscle kinks. No Sherpa to help me set up the tent or the booth interior, or hang the art. I’m excited and nervous, both.

 

B IS FOR BOOJUM AND BOTANICALS

Boojum

Boojum © 2011 Bo Mackison

I love photographing botanicals. A boojum is a botanical. Therefore I love shooting boojums. But I would love shooting boojums even more if I could attach my camera to a crane, because the part I want to photograph with my macro lens is not in a convenient place.

 

C IS FOR CACTI AND CONSEQUENCES.

Cactus Portal

Cactus Portal © 2011 Bo Mackison

Ah, now cacti are also botanicals, and they grow in a more convenient size than the boojum. Or at least many of them do. There are many a saguaro or an organ pipe cactus that are far beyond my reach. But I still have plenty of macro opportunities with the smaller cacti crowd.

Cactus Catch

Cactus Catch © 2011 Bo Mackison

I love to take photographs of the mighty cacti, and the smaller varieties, too. But I’ve decided that the entire cactus family has been introduced into my life to teach me a big lesson.

Saguaro Spines

Saguaro Spines © 2011 Bo Mackison

They teach by consequences. Almost every time I photograph cacti, I am so focused on getting a photo that I inch closer and closer to the plant. And each time the cactus teaches me a lesson about their boundaries by poking me with a sharp thorn, or by attaching a cluster of spines to my clothing or shoelaces. If I didn’t have a camera up to my eye, perhaps I would learn the cactus lesson much quicker.

 

 D IS FOR DELIGHT AND A DOODLE-DOODLE-DOO.

Pottery Chickens

Pottery Roosters © 2011 Bo Mackison

It is quite common for people to imagine that an artist’s life is filled with creating and traveling and meeting new and interesting people. True, true, and true. I can’t think of a thing I would rather do than take my camera out on a photo exploration and I love to bring home the filled memory cards and watch the photographs ‘develop’ on my computer. And now I am adding what I consider to be the frosting on the photographs – post processing so that the vision I saw when I took the photo can be captured in my studio.

But I work long hours, many more hours a week than if I had a 9 to 5 job, and so I’ve learned to add delight into my day whenever I find it. These roosters, rows and rows of roosters on an outside stand, made me laugh so hard I could hardly hold the camera still. I was waiting for one of them to begin crowing at me.

It’s those bits of time that add the ‘extra-extra’ to the unpredictable life of an artist on the road.

And a doodle doodle doo to you, too!

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Today’s post has been brought to you by the letters A,B,C, and D.

Part II is brought to you by the letters E, F, G, H, I and J.

Magic Wand, Anyone?

Fairy in Light II

Fairy in Pink Light © 2011 Bo Mackison

Being in a place of uncertainty and edginess can be transformative. Stay with those feelings, even for a moment, it is actually a genuine act of kindness to ourselves. Though being compassionate enough to accomodate our own fears takes courage and feels counter-intuitive.  ~ Pema Chodron, from The Places that Scare You

The week between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day has become less of a resting space (as I had envisioned in my fantasies) and more of a deep-breathing-keep-calm-and-keep-moving-forward space. As the above quote states so very clearly, “being in a place of uncertainty and edginess can be transformative.”

Transformation sounds good. I decided to work on some organization during this less hectic time and made progress. I worked on the new timeline on Facebook, and surprisingly, I like the new feature. I’m not an advocate of most of Facebook’s improvements, but this seems to make things more orderly instead of more confusing. I spruced up my Seeded Earth business account on Facebook while I was there. Good.

Then I cleaned up my Twitter account. Removed dead accounts, added some exciting new ones to match some of my developing interests. Changed the background while I was changing everything else. Good.

Anticipating the change from 2011 to 2012, I made new photo sets in Flickr for the 2012 calendar year, moved older sets to a less visible place. Cleaned up some misfiled photographs and added tags to a few forgotten photos. Flickr is one of my most viable vehicles for new business, and so I keep my finished photos up to date. Each photograph is in an easy-to-find organized set. Good.

Late yesterday I opened my folder for art festival applications and took a deep breath. New rules. New definitions of digital vs. photographic art. Changed and now conflicting show dates. Show information that requires corrections and back and forth, back and forth emails. I started in on the paperwork.

Almost immediately I hit a brick wall. I must pick 3 to 5 photographs of my art to submit with the written applications. The photos are the primary source for the jury to judge the hundreds or even thousands of applications.  Those few photographs need to capture the essence of my art, and are ultimately the deciding factor whether I get an invitation to the shows this summer or I am told “sorry, please apply again next year”.

Of course, my inner critic needed to speak up. “What if the only jury liked last year’s photography?” “What if they don’t like the newer photos?” “What if there is too much digital manipulation?” “What if the jurors collectively despise the color red and two of the chosen photos feature red?”

Hmm. It’s like a game. I have to choose the application photos, and then be done with it. Once the apps are out the door, the decisions are out of my hands. Good.

But I’d thought the pressure and the to-do list was going to lighten this week, and that didn’t happen.

I console myself with the fact that I am doing what I love — taking photographs, creating art, showing it at festivals, talking to art enthusiasts about my techniques, adding new collectors. All jobs, including the work of artists, have the fun parts and the not so fun parts. So it’s time to pick out those photographs and get those applications off my to-do list. Summer will be here before I know it!

p.s. In the post I linked to my Facebook, Twitter and Flickr accounts. If you want to connect via Twitter, Facebook, or Flickr, feel free to follow any (or all) of the links. Thanks.

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Bo Mackison is a photographer, owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. She is in super-organizer mode during this short work week, and nothing — not even dreaded paperwork — will slow her down!

Remembering Moments

Remembering Moments © 2011 Bo Mackison

We do not remember days, we remember moments. ~ Cesare Pavese

Moments from the past few days:

  • Sitting in the darkness before the fist hint of dawn, tree lights on, absorbing the beauty of light and color.
  • Many moments spent adding tinsel to the tree, a strand at a time, and with each strand I expressed gratitude for one thing — big or small..
  • Telling my kids how I added tinsel to the tree this year, and then noting how they followed my example by saying a “thank you” every time they replaced an errant piece of tinsel from carpet to tree.
  • Following a long-standing family tradition, each person made hors d’oeuvres for the Christmas Eve table. No sit down dinner for us. The Christmas table is always a part of the entire evening. We opened presents, visited, slowly ate a delicacy or two from the table, revisited memories from Christmases past. We took our time and enjoyed ourselves.
    • When my kids were much younger, there was a variety of offerings on our table — mozzarella sticks from the freezer case at the nearby grocery, meatballs from the same freezer case, cheese and crackers. We greeted each person’s contribution with enthusiasm and love.
    • This year, the kids are all practiced veterans in their own kitchens, so we had true delicacies prepared with their hands and their love — Asian shrimp balls, pot stickers, homemade meatballs, oysters on the half shell and sauces, a plate of delicate Christmas cookies, and more. What pleasure to see how they have matured in the thought and preparation of their culinary offerings.
  • As I wrapped each present this year, I took my time. I thought of the intended recipient of each gift and sent an intention into the Universe for that person. For example:
    • If the gift was kitchen-oriented, I asked that they experience a sense of accomplishment while preparing food for their loved ones and an attitude of gratefulness for their food.
    • If the gift was a humorous book, I asked that they experience lots of joy and laughter in their lives, not only while enjoying the cartoons, but throughout their days. It made wrapping gifts a deliciously uplifting time.
  • A walk around the neighborhood with Sherpa, enjoying nature in the balmy December weather, and chatting about the day’s small events which, when totaled, make up the precious gift of our life together.

This truly was a season to be grateful for all the goodness that surrounds us, and a time to show our appreciation to family, friends, acquaintances, helpers — to all who touch our lives and humanize our existence.

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Bo Mackison is a photographer, owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. She is taking time today to give thanks for the little things and the big things in her life.