come photowalk with me (beth)
Isn’t this a lovely view of this thin sliver of the moon setting over the Continental Divide? I managed to catch it last week while I was making dinner.
crescent moonset from my deck
Jeremy and I piled the dog and our stuff into the car and drove down to my ILs’ house for a short visit this weekend. They happen to live in the mountains of southern Colorado at 7500 feet above sea level – so it’s like being home for us but in a different location (did that make any sense?). Whenever we turn onto their road, Kaweah begins to cry because she LOVES this place and has so much fun here. We spent the weekend playing Wii, sewing, going for walks in the woods, having great food, and watching all three dogs get the crazies.
they have nice sunsets from their deck too
dinner at keyah grande (jeremy’s duck)
puppies at attention! (left to right: bumpy, buffle, kaweah)
mil has the coolest sewing room ever
driving home through the san luis valley
On Saturday night, we went to dinner at Keyah Grande, a stunning and exclusive resort in southwestern Colorado. We were given permission to take ourselves on a tour of the opulent, yet incredible building before sitting down to a truly inspired and delightful meal. Sadly, the place is closing on December 31st and will go on the market for any interested buyer. Have you got $12 million to spare?
a chihuly greets you in the foyer
The holidays are coming! The holidays are coming! I have been asking Jeremy for the past month if there is anything in particular he wants to eat for Thanksgiving and the boy keeps coming back to seafood. We have no plans for the upcoming holiday other than to get a lot of work done and maybe have some fun if there is time. I know it’s incredibly unsentimental of us, but the thought of eating outrageous amounts of food just makes me sleepy and depressed. I’m craving fresh fruits, vegetables, seafood and I need to get my ski on, plain and simple. We’re staying put for at least a month and I’m thankful – so very thankful – for that. Travel has a way of discombobulating me. So I apologize ahead of time if I’m not providing any Thanksgiving inspiration here. Besides, there is more inspiration than you can shake a stick at on the internet(s) right now.
Which brings me to another photowalk that I’ve been meaning to post. I was working with Beth for the past few months on photography – wedding photography, landscape photography, and post processing techniques. I can talk about photography until I am blue in the face, but the most efficient and effective way for me to teach anyone about photography is for me to show them how I work and explain what I am doing (and why) and then to let that person work, ask questions, give feedback. Beth and I had a great time on the fall shoot in September, so it was a no-brainer to get her out for a photowalk.
everyone, meet beth!
Beth: Nikon D200 with Nikkor 18-70mm f/3.5-f/4.5G AF-S DX
Jen: Nikon D3x with Nikkor 24-70mm f2.8G ED
Beth came up to my place last month to work on some post processing of a wedding she had shot. It happened to snow the day before and so we decided to get our photowalk in before all of the snow melted in the town of Nederland. We walked under overcast skies and temperatures hovering near freezing. When we got to the town center, Beth turned and asked what the rules of photowalk are. We both laughed and said, “The first rule of photowalk is, you do not talk about photowalk. The second rule of photowalk is, YOU DO NOT TALK ABOUT PHOTOWALK…” Okay, but seriously, the rules are: the photogs take turns choosing five locations at which to stop and shoot about five frames each. Easy peasy, right?
beth location #1: shot 3
jen location #1: shot 5
It isn’t a competition, it’s a challenge – for yourself. I walk through life in camera mode. I scan my surroundings always looking for a shot. Admittedly, I don’t look for all shots, I look for what I love most and that is nature. Nature appeals to me immediately as a potentially beautiful photograph. It’s a little more of a struggle for me when man-made objects enter the frame and so these photowalks (all three taking place in surroundings altered by man) help me to retool my “eye”.
beth location #2: shot 4
jen location #2: shot 1
Because of the weather, there weren’t many people out and about that afternoon. The majority of people I know always seem to prefer bright and sunny shooting conditions. I actually like overcast and low light conditions. Even with cloudy skies, the snow provides plenty of contrast. When the world turns tan and brown after all of the fall color has disappeared, a little snowfall can do a lot to enhance those hues and add interest to otherwise ordinary scenes.
beth location #3: shot 4
jen location #3: shot 5
A nice young woman approached us at location #3 and said there was a pleasant little community garden down by the creek that we might want to check out. What I like about the photowalks, in addition to the whole photography aspect, is that I actually take the time to walk around a place that I have passed by dozens of times and look at it with a fresh perspective – really look at it.
beth location #4: shot 5
jen location #4: shot 1
Beth’s photoset says to me that she has a preference for the tight shot and likes details, especially in textures and shapes. Based on both the photowalk and our fall shoot together, I think Beth tends to absorb her surroundings and let them speak to her. My style is to actively seek out what catches my attention and if it’s not there, I move on. That’s not necessarily good or bad, it’s just the way we operate. I usually finished my set before Beth and so in waiting for her, wound up spending more time looking at the surroundings. Sometimes it wouldn’t reveal anything more and sometimes it would.
beth location #5: shot 1
jen location #5: shot 2
Thank you, Beth for driving the canyon on a snowy day and shooting in Ned with me. It was great fun, as it always is! You can find Beth’s full photo set on Flickr and you can view my photo set on my photo blog.
This was photowalk #3 in an ongoing series.
October 22, 2009: photowalk #2 with Marianne
September 23, 2009: photowalk #1 with Andrew Hyde
November 23rd, 2009 at 12:51 am
A stunning collection of pictures!
Cheers,
Rosa
November 23rd, 2009 at 5:11 am
These are so gorgeous, saturated with color and evocative. Wonderful work!
November 23rd, 2009 at 5:38 am
That’s very gorgeous sunset to begin with! My husband and I had a great time enjoying those shots.
It is such a pity a beautiful resort like keyah grande is winding down…. I love the vibrant ambiance that is evident from the chihuly at the foyer.
Both photographers have pretty different photography styles! And both are just as lovely.
November 23rd, 2009 at 5:43 am
I love seeing what you both choose at the different stops. I love, love, love the moonset photo from your deck. And when my 15 year old saw the candied Calamansi lime the other day, she said, “Oh!” I think a 15 year old passing by the computer pausing to give an unsolicited, awestruck comment is high praise indeed.
November 23rd, 2009 at 7:08 am
your photos inspire me to take better ones, especially outside photos.
how you got the pups to sit so perfectly still…..wonderful.
and yes, that cresent moon photo is perfect.
November 23rd, 2009 at 8:06 am
Fresh fruit and seafood would be very inspirational for us – we rarely do a traditional Thanksgiving.
Every time you visit the MIL I love how she uses batiks and other colorful quilting fabrics. Those are my favorite but I haven’t been quilting that much lately. Her fabrics make me drool, though.
November 23rd, 2009 at 8:45 am
Hi Beth! Hi Jen!
Thanks for letting us take the photowalk with you! I love the pics!
November 23rd, 2009 at 10:42 am
These are absolutely BEAUTIFUL photos. I really enjoyed them.
November 23rd, 2009 at 10:46 am
While visiting Watkin’s Glenn last month, we took a day off the hiking schedule and visited the Corning glass museum. They have a huge Chihuly piece in the lobby, it is incredible.
The fabrics your MIL uses are beautiful, I would love to see more of her work.
November 23rd, 2009 at 10:48 am
okay, it’s been said, and it’s been said again, but i thought it before reading the other comments. the crescent moon shot is just absolutely divine. sell that one, gf! i want to see it up on someone’s wall.
November 23rd, 2009 at 2:16 pm
I googled Chihuly as I had not heard of him. His sculptures are amazing.
Great results from your photowalk with beth.
November 23rd, 2009 at 3:40 pm
I want to do a photowalk with you. It sounds like a blast.
November 23rd, 2009 at 5:47 pm
I saw a Chihuly bowl in a bowl piece in my neighbor’s house when she gave a Ladies’ luncheon in her house last month. She has it encased and displayed it at end of the hall way. She also loaned me a book of Chihuly’s art publication. That’s how I learned about his work.
November 23rd, 2009 at 6:44 pm
I like them all but I think my favorite is the one of the fence post with snow on them and the blue in the background. I am always dazzled by the contrast of the brown tress with snow on them against the contrast of the sky. Something about that combo of color always gets me.
November 23rd, 2009 at 9:28 pm
Just beautiful! The whole lot is breath taking =D. Looks like a lot of fun!
November 23rd, 2009 at 9:49 pm
hi beth & jen!
such a lovely place….
i’m wondering… what kind of camera do you use???
November 24th, 2009 at 1:59 am
I love your blog. It’s always interesting, always beautiful, always human. It positively makes my week, all the way down here in Australia. Thanks!
Nicola
November 24th, 2009 at 11:00 am
Great pics! You have the most beautiful scenery in your area.
November 24th, 2009 at 1:13 pm
I always love seeing all of your beautiful photos!
I am thinking about buying a nice camera but was wondering if you could recommend some?
I am a beginner but would like an SLR…which one do you use?
Thanks in advance for your advice!!! :D
November 24th, 2009 at 2:32 pm
I’m coming out of lurker mode to say that Bumpy is the best dog name ever.
November 24th, 2009 at 3:59 pm
Love the photos! Happy Thanksgiving!
November 29th, 2009 at 2:47 pm
Hi all! So glad you enjoyed the photos from the photo walk and the road trip :)
Fiona – my MIL has the most amazing stash of fabrics. AMAZING! It’s like going to the candy shop to walk into that closet/room/building :)
Donna – I love the Corning glass museum!! We visited once when we lived in Ithaca :) I’ll try to take more photos next time. She makes gorgeous gorgeous quilts. She is incredibly talented.
Beth – maybe I’ll just give one to you for your bday :)
Barbara – oh yes, I am not an artsy person at all. Can barely claim to know this artist or that, but Chihuly’s work really speaks to me (and it’s so huge that it’s hard to fathom how prolific he is!) I love how organic and brilliant it is.
Lynn – sure thing, sweetie! I try to do one a month. I have some folks lined up for the next 3-4, but maybe in spring?
Nicole – the cameras are listed in the post.
Lily – if you’re just starting out, then you probably don’t want a professional model camera. I’ll send you an email that I sent to a friend of mine.
Laura – ha ha! Her name is really Honeybump, but we call her Bumpy for short :)