February Frost

Winter has been pretty mild (understatement of the year). So, there haven't actually been that many opportunities to photograph frost. Then when we do have a gorgeous morning, I can't stop because I'm late to work or a doctor appointment.

There was a morning this week where I could take a little time and photograph the thick like cake icing frost.

Sometimes I notice little items that I eventually want to photograph. I drive by a milkweed plant every day. I've always that it would be really pretty when caked with frost. Nobody drove by to ponder why I was photographing a milkweed.



Then I stopped to photograph the Vermillion River.



I wish that I could have continued the photo adventure. By this point, I really did need to get in to work. It shouldn't be long until the eagles arrive. I looke forward to their arrival each year. Eagles +frost would be truly brilliant.

Jowling for a bag!

SLR Lounge on Facebook posted a contest to win a Kelley Moore camera bag.

Google search 'jowling'. The trend has its own page. Essentially you try to keep your cheeks loose. Then you shake your head back and forth and have someone snap the camera in a rapid fire fashion. The goal is to capture your face at its peak of the path when you look the most deformed.

Here is the before photo.



I used four different cats. If you look at the orange one, it kind of hissed at me in one image, but my face was not desireable.




So what's the loot at the end? I'm hoping to win this bag
.



It is displayed on the site containing camera gear and baby stuff. I'm sold. My camera will be going everywhere the kid is. :D



So, if you wouldn't mind voting for my entry, please follow the link.

CAST YOUR VOTE HERE!!

You can vote once per day until October 30.

Thank you so much!! If all goes well, I hope to be debating which color to pick! I really appreciate your support!!

I love where we live.

My husband and I are fortunate to live in a special area. We live on the migration path of so many animals.

In the spring its so noisey outside due to the birds quacking as they pass overhead.



Then they come back through the following fall as they abandon us for warmer regions.

I never mind that too much because that means that it is only a few months until the eagles come back in late February. I spend much of the weeks into March going over to scout the birds each morning before work and again at sunset.



Winter, spring and most of summer came and went.

Yesterday I noticed an insect on its migration journey. There were several Monarch butterflies flitting around the yard. Then, I looked out the bathroom window and spotted a tree branch filled with them. I counted around 60 and discovered other trees loaded with the winged creatures throughout the yard. I imagine that they moved down the road this morning.



There are more camping out yet tonight!



I really do love taking in the wildlife and scenery around me. Whether I have the opportunity to photograph a majestic bald eagle on its way to spring fishing grounds, or a monarch passing through... I feel blessed to just take it all in. And I am lucky to be able to share these things with others.

119 Days to 2012

Time has certainly flown by this year... like years before. I have been taking a photo every day, though admittedly some are snapped with a cell phone or my ipod in the interest of just getting one done. That isn't what I intended to do with this project, but that is what happens occasionally.

I think that's okay. I think that it's been fun to document some aspect of my life each day, no matter how mundane.

For instance, I find interesting things on my walks from my car to work, or when I go for a stroll around campus.



We managed to get some tomatoes canned this year. While we wish that we would have more, we are pleased to have at least this batch.



We have kittens on our farm, so of course many images have been dedicated to them. How can I not photograph them? They have been so fun to watch while they figure out their world and how to move about it.



The animals on our farm are great subjects. You'll see chickens, our cows and our dog appear throughout my album. We also have the benefit of seeing wildlife moving through the area during the change of season. Today I noticed a tree filling with Monarch butterflies. It truly was awe inspiring to stand on a step stool for a half hour watching them.



I've always loved photography. However, it has truly had a special place in my life over the last three years. My husband and I have been trying to start a family. It's been a challenging journey with so many variables out of our hands. We've sought out assistance from specialists, had so many tests and diagnostic procedures it nearly makes my head spin. We've been through two miscarriages and at times its been too much to wrap our minds around.

Photography has been something that I could turn to and consume my attention in a creative way.

I started the 365 project in 2012 for inspiration and for motivation to tackle new ideas more frequently. I enjoy creating portraits and documenting weddings. This project documents my faves from those sessions, serves as a testing ground for ideas that I'm developing for clients, and serves as a visual journal.

In July, though, we got some very happy news. I had something else to document in this project, though I had to set the photos as private for awhile.





Who knows what the next 119 days will bring. We are very happy to be anticipating the arrival of a baby in roughly 204 days. We've seen the heartbeat three times and are feeling confident that I will likely begin round two of the 365 project in 2012.

In the meantime, I've begun taking photos for a stop motion animation of my pregnancy. I look forward to seeing how that turns out and sharing it with all of you.

So much joy comes from having a bun in the oven.



Happy 246 Days of 2011!!

Good Things Before 7a.m.

I was going to sleep in until at least 7:00a.m. The dog had other plans, she wanted to come up and say hi. While laying in bed we got to see a few streaks of lightning cross the sky outside our window and the sun was starting to come up. The combination of the rainstorm and sunrise made the light take on redish hue.

Of course I had to jump up, slip on shoes, grab camera and go outside at 6:30.

I walked across the yard trying to figure out what would be best to photograph in the light. The bean field next door is usually a good bet, but I noticed a rainbow arching over our sweet corn!!



Just before going back to the house I happened to look toward the northwest. No way, a full rainbow! Those are sort of uncommon. While I did have a 18-50mm lens, but it wasn't quite wide enough. I couldn't back up any farther, trees became an issue blocking a portion of the rainbow.

I wished for a wider angle lens or a fisheye or something.

No luck.

I did my best to register the same bit of land in each of my photos as I rotated myself holding the camera to get the rainbow in its entirety. That worked out fairly well. Here is the result stitched together before I edited it further.



I did do some photoshop work to even out the exposure, cover the seams and extend the missing bits of ground. You can see a spot along the rainbow where the fit wasn't perfect, but I think it worked out pretty well.



I also had my ipod in my pocket. I do have a pano app on it, though it will scold you if you don't have the unit directly vertical. I had to tilt the ipod to try and get the appropriate ration of rainbow and land in the frame, about a 15 degree tilt away from 90. So, the app didn't work. For that the DerManDar app loses points. I will search out a better pano option.

We are heading to the Iowa State Fair today. I'm sure that I will have the opportunity to take lots of photos. We will see if I find any images that top the full rainbow this morning.

Prints Available for Purchase

If you've seen me feature a scenic or creative print that you would like to have for your home, it is likely available for purchase.


I have my images in a gallery at Zenfolio.com, you may browse it by following this link.















More images are added periodically. Please visit often!

Thanks,
Melissa

July 17

Clara Reitsma is my grandfather's sister and the last surviving member of her siblings. She was born in 1911 in Holland and travelled to America when she was 8.

I haven't had the opportunity to get to know Clara extremely well, but always enjoyed visiting with her at family reunions.

Clara is doing well after having experienced 100 years, she's incredible. She does live in a nursing home now, but is able to walk a bit when she chooses. I guess she still reads. Her family says that she received phone calls on her birthday from friends/distant relatives from Holland. She switched from English to Dutch in an instant and carried on her conversation.

When I greeted Clara, it took awhile for her to recognize me. She said that the last time she saw me I was a young/small gal. She was one of 12 children. That would take some effort to keep track of not only their children, but grandchildren as well. I said that it had been a few years, but I had seen her recently at the Tulip Festival in Orange City.

Not too long later, Clara scooted up to me and grabbed my hand. She said, "I remember at the family reunion you said that you were having trouble finding the right fish in the sea. Well, you must've caught a good one." She points to my husband. The summer before I met him I had been at the reunion with a different gentleman. That didn't work out and ended very quickly. I think perhaps though Nick and I were dating the next year, he may not have attended. There was discussion of possible wedding bells. I do remember that conversation, I remember saying that the guy from the previous year wasn't the right one, and that I thought that Nick probably was. :D I was right!!

I'm amazed that Clara remembered that after at least five years, even if neither of us can remember exactly how it went.

It was fun to catch up with distant family that I rarely see. I also got to visit with a few other relatives that I've met with and visited even less frequently. Still, it is amazing the characteristics that many along the Hamersma family line share. I looked at the photos on display and saw a photo of Clara that looked a lot like my aunt, her niece. If you visit with a Hamersma, you are likely to find yourself looking into a pair of baby blue eyes. My grandfather and his sister had the same eyes. So does my uncle, my dad, my brother and myself... plus many distant cousins.

Happy Birthday Clara, may you have many more joyful celebrations.

If you would like to read the article that her local paper wrote for the occasion, you can find it here.