Silence

~ A red pear and some dried roses a dear friend gave me for Christmas…

“Everything has its wonders, even darkness and silence, and I learn, whatever state I may be in, therein to be content.” ~Helen Keller

Lemons and Limes Oh My!

There is a group on Instagram that has daily theme inspirations: @9Vaga_dailytheme9. This week color was the theme with each day being a different color.  Wednesday was yellow and Thursday was green.   The images above are a few that I posted on my Instagram page: @robyngrahamphotography.  I hope you enjoy the images. I had fun playing with light and shadow.

And, if you are on Instagram, please follow me…I post images almost every day…Much more frequently than I get to blog!

 

 

Dining Review ~ Oregano, Brooklyn, NY

Oregano – Open air seating near the window and on the back patio.

Rena, Part Owner and Server – Beautiful inside and out.

A Sign on the Patio with an inspirational quote.

Brick Oven – Ohhhh for the love of the Pizza Crust!

The Daily Specials – I loved this unique and vintage way of presenting the specials.

An old-time Coca-Cola machine that now holds bottled drinks including a variety of ice cold beers.

My daughter, who loves Nutella, was in awe of this extra large container used for making the Nutella Pizza.

Sweet table grapes hanging from the portico over the patio dining area.

Brick Oven

Rena

Rena – Isn’t that smile welcoming?

We dined at Oregano late on a Saturday afternoon before taking a walk over the Brooklyn Bridge.  Oregano was about a 15 minute drive from the bridge.  The atmosphere was quaint, we dined on the back patio where there is a garden with a peach tree, grapes hang from the portico, and flowers and herbs growing in pots.

The food was full of flavor, savory and very enjoyable.  We had pizza from the large list of options on the menu.  The crust was thin and fabulous.  The sauce was made with fresh tomatoes and was lite and delicious.  The chicken parmesan was, according to my son, great!  The salads were refreshing and delightful and the desserts won us over.   The homemade, made on the premises, Tiramisu was divine.  The chocolate mousse and cannoli were scrumptious.

If you ever travel to Brooklyn, be sure to stop at Oregano.  You won’t be disappointed.

Elegance

Elegance

To create this photograph I placed a white tray on a white paper backdrop and used natural light from the side and front of the subject.  I used all white to create negative space and to highlight the overripe pomegranate.  In post processing I enhanced the color slightly using a curves layer in Photoshop CC.  I then added a touch of vintage haze using a levels layer in Photoshop CC.

The title of the photograph is based on the meaning of the flower of the pomegranate plant in the Victorian Language of Flowers – elegance.

Have a fabulous weekend!

Chives

 

Chives

SS 1/80     f3.5     ISO400

Chives I

SS 1/100     f4.5     ISO 400

“The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.”  – W.B. Yeats 

I thought the above quote fit nicely with the pictures of Chives from my garden.  The blooms are magical and the scent, very sharp – an awakening of the senses.

I’ve missed all of my virtual friends the past two weeks.  As indicated in my last post I was very busy putting together an exhibit that included 18 portraits that I framed and matted myself.  I am happy to report that the exhibit was a great success and I now have framing in my repertoire of offerings when I open my studio in September.  Yes, you read that correctly!  I am opening a photography studio!  It is such a leap of faith for my future as a photographer, but I am excited for the opportunity to have a space to call “home” for my fine art work as well as a beautiful facility to do portrait and product work, and teach workshops.  My senses are certainly aroused with the planning and preparations for the studio. I am frequenting thrift shops, consignment shops, antique shops and more to find the perfect, multi-functional props and decor, and enjoying every minute of it.  I promise to share pictures of the studio and the grand-opening festivities.

In addition to the aforementioned exhibit, I hung another exhibit today.  The Bank of Princeton in Lambertville, NJ has a gallery that they open to artists for month-long exhibits.  I hung 40+ prints today with the help of my husband and daughter.  The gallery looked beautiful!  Next up is two-person exhibit at The Red Filter Gallery in Lambertville, NJ.  I just placed my order for six large (16in x 24in), black and white prints to be framed, matted and then hung in the gallery from July 8th, 2014 to September 8th, 2014.  It is an honor to be able to show my work in such a fine establishment where many incredible photographers have shared their work.  I feel like I am walking in the footsteps of a dream.

Enough of my excuses for not blogging over the past two weeks!  I look forward to catching up on what I’ve missed from all of your wonderful blogs once the school year wraps up at the end of the week.  Soon enough my children and I will be all settled into the routine of summer and I’ll be able to sit outside with the laptop, linger over a cup of coffee, and catch up on what I’ve missed.

Blessings to all!

 

 

The Art…

…of an Artichoke

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“She made artichokes want to dance.” – Marylin Warner

My dear friend Marylin Warner commented on this post  shortly after writing an interesting post herself on epitaphs.  The quote above is what she said about my work.  Am I blessed to have her as a friend, or what?!

 

Light Painting – An Inspiration

Light Painting

grilled pepper and onion

SS 1/60, f3.2, ISO 400

This image was inspired by Herald Ross.  I encourage you to visit Herald’s website/blog.  His work is very inspiring and beautiful.  Herald is a light painter and creates magnificent photographs by using a special technique with light diffusers that he makes and sells.  I, unfortunately have not had the opportunity to attend one of Herald’s workshops, but have had the privilege of seeing some of his students’ work on his blog.  I was so inspired by Herald’s work and the work of his students that I purchased one of the flashlights Herald recommended in a recent blog post, in addition to the diffuser kit that Herald makes and sells on Etsy.

The photograph above was created using my new tools.  The subjects in the image are from my husbands lunch that was so beautifully presented and fabulously delicious at Quinoa.

Below are two additional photographs – flowers of course – that I took a couple of weeks ago using the light painting tools mentioned above.  I still have much work to do to master this technique, but I will be enjoying every minute of it.

Charming Light

SS 1/50, f 3.0, ISO 640

Painted Lily

SS 1/50, f3.3, ISO 640

Fruit in the Contrast of Light and Shadow

Fruit in Light and Shadow

SS 1/100   F18   ISO 20i

“Self-respect is the fruit of discipline; the sense of dignity grows with the ability to say no to oneself.”- Abraham J. Heschel

Summer Goodness – in the Fall

Summer Goodness

 

“It’s difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts while eating a homegrown tomato.”- Lewis Grizzard

 

Cherries

The Pacific Northwest was our destination of choice for vacation this year.  We traveled the Oregon Coast and through the states of Washington and  Idaho.  During our drive from Oregon to Washington we went through Cascade Locks.  I saw the opportunity for the first image right as we entered the town.  I had to stop to capture this man’s essence.  He was so charming.  When I asked if I could photograph him he said “Sure, my name is…”  If only I could remember his name.  But I kid you not, it was something similar to Bobby Dean Jones that just totally fit him and his personality.

Selling Cherries

For a more artistic spin on cherries, I spent a bit of time photographing the very delicious jewels I had in my kitchen.

“Life is just a bowl of cherries, dont take it serious, its mysterious. Life is just a bowl of cherries, so live and laugh and laugh at love, love a laugh, laugh and love.” – Bob Fosse

“When I sound the fairy call, gather here in silent meeting,

Chin to knee on the orchard wall, cooled with dew and cherries eating.

Merry, merry, take a cherry, mine are sounder, mine are rounder,

Mine are sweeter for the eater, when the dews fall, and you’ll be fairies all.” – Emily Dickinson

“If life is a bowl of cherries, then what am I doing in the pits?” – Erma Bombeck

“Life is just a bowl of cherries.” – Proverb