The View from Above

Every December I fly to Wisconsin to celebrate Christmas with my brother and his family.  Every year I try to get a window seat -- I love to view the landscape from above.  This year the flight times, the light, just didn't work.  But last year was wonderful.

I'm particularly fascinated viewing the midwest from above.  The Northwest Territory was divided in 160-acre plots, and that geometry still rules the countryside.

The Midwest farm grid, with snow.

The Hudson Highlands look quite different.  The highlands are the remains of a very very very old mountain chain and over time have been worn down to, comparatively, a nub.

The Hudson Highlands, with the Hudson River at the very top  (sort of a pink beige color)

Hudson Highlands, on the way to Newburgh NY.  The line is a road in the valley.

Beacon NY meets the Hudson River, looking south.

Not exactly a holiday image...

I exchanged photos with the lovely and talented Angelo Dounoucos, and sent him this image to show that it has been properly matted, framed and given a place of honor in front of my dressmaker dummy, who is decorated for the holidays.  

His image, taken at a flea market, has a feminine gothic weirdness that really appeals to me.  And it is beautifully printed.

His comment: "Now I am beginning to understand your plan---create an army of femme fatales to take over the world!"


Happy holidays everyone!

Venus, in all her glory

Photo of Venus

From NASA Images.

Outer Space

I just signed up for NASA's Daily Image to be sent to my email address, and I've been perusing outer space on www.nasaimages.org.   I'm in awe over the images -- we are the first earthers, the very first ones!  to see the planets, the galaxies, all that cool stuff.

Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars

Aren't they beautiful!

One of the first photos taken by NASA of the moon.

Jupiter, with several of its moons.

You can download any of the images from the site.  The resolution varies considerably, based partly on when the images were captured and the technology available at the time.  You can also like it on Facebook and get daily updates.  Some of the images are photos, some are artists' renditions, but they are all amazing.

A Tribute to Those Last Minute Preparations

Getting ready for a wedding ain't easy.  Whether a small elegant wedding or a really big bash,  to make it to the church on time, you need a little help from your friends.

To see more wedding photos, or to hire us fabulous photographers for your next wedding, check us out at www.feteaccompli-photo.com.

Cat Happy

aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!

More Fun with Lightroom

Been having fun with some of Lightroom's pre-set effects.  I particularly like Antique Light.  I increase the black, and the result is a deeper sepia tone than I had been able to achieve with Photoshop.  Below I show the sepia image followed by the original color photo.  The difference between the two effects is substantial.

 

Sycamore Trees

I'm in awe of sycamore trees.  I don't notice them much in the summer, but as the leaves fall, they come into their own.  And they are particularly majestic in the winter -- the white bark simply glows.

\

More Autumn Studies from Norrie State Park

\

Autumn Color Studies

I take it back. Yesterday I complained about the lack of autumn color. It's still not as good as other years, but it's out there. I went to Norrie State Park, Staatsburg, NY to find color in the tangle, and I did.

The trick, at least for me, is to choose an overcast day like yesterday. To the eye, not a pretty day.  But it has the great advantage of even light -- on a sunny bright day, you lose color in highlights (which go white)  and shadows (which go dark).

The other trick -- keep out the sky.  The eye goes to the area of greatest contrast.  If there were a sky above these trees, the eye would keep going to it, and I want you to spend time in the detail.

To see more of my work, check out my gallery, www.riverwindsgallery.com or my website, www.maryannglass.com.

Lightroom Magic!

Monday I went to the Vanderbilt Mansion in Hyde Park NY for a short session.  The autumn colors this year are blah...don't know if it was too much rain or what, but the trees are dropping leaves without making a big show this year.  So I turned to Lightroom to turn prose into poetry -- at least that's the intention!

After Lightroom....

Before Lightroom...

After Lightroom...

I like the delicacy of the color and the burnt in quality of the blacks -- for me it seems to lift the image to another level.

For more examples of my photos, check out my gallery, www.riverwindsgallery.com or www.maryannglass.com.

Elegant Wedding Floral Arrangements in Connecticut

Love the beautiful floral arrangements at weddings -- from simple to complex, they add an essential grace note to the rituals.  These were made by Loretta Stagen of Stamford, Connecticut for a wedding at Belle Haven Country Club in Greenwich, Connecticut.

To see more of our wedding photos, check out www.feteaccompli-photo.com.

Elegant Wedding at Belle Haven Country Club

A sunset champagne toast to Marianne & Robert, who got married September 24 at the beautiful Belle Haven Country Club in Greenwich, Connecticut!  

Planning a wedding?  Check out our website, www.feteaccompli-photo.com.

Portrait Session: Henry & Sam

A good friend of mine commissioned me to take photos of her husband and son.  Seems he is the family photographer, so he is rarely in the photos!  We spent about an hour together.  Sam, the beautiful, very photogenic toddler, has been watching way too many episodes of Next Top Model -- every time he heard the camera click, he changed poses. His dad realized that what Sam really wanted to do was go out and play, so I followed them as they kicked the ball around.  Sam is quite passionate about his soccer!  Finally caught the two of them as they rested under a tree.  The key to success:  keep shooting!  The action was changing quickly, and I knew if I kept clicking I would get some lovely spontaneous shots that showed the little guy's lively personality and the trusting bond between father and son.  

Encaustic Photos On View @ RiverWInds Gallery

It's always very satisfying, when you complete a series, to see them hung all together -- 17 of them! I have been working on Into the Woods - a portfolio of photos mounted on board and coated with encaustic (which is beeswax and damar resin.  There's a longer description of the process in one of my August blogs.)  The sizes are intimate:  5x5, 8x8, 10x10.

One artist, a painter, noted that the encaustic adds atmosphere to the images, a soft, floating quality.  I also like that the image stands alone -- no mat, glass, frame.  The series is in the front room of  my gallery, RiverWinds, in Beacon, NY, through this weekend.  After that, it will move but stay within the gallery - www.riverwindsgallery.com.  Below are some of the images.