The Schinker Family

It’s birthday time again at the Schinker household!  Details on how this cake came to be are here.

Posted in Cakes

I’m back!  This poor photo blog has languished for a few months, but today’s Shutter Sisters challenge inspired me to post again.

The assignment today was to explore photographing hands.  My mind immediately flew to my favorite hand picture, which I was sure was already posted here.  But no!  It wasn’t!

When Megan was in pre-school at age 4, I chaperoned a field trip to Carriage Trade farm.  On the hay ride, she slipped her hand into mine and I caught my breath when I looked down.  This picture reminds me of the simple joys of motherhood.

Posted in People Tagged: Hands, Kids, Photography, Photos

Yesterday, Kate at Shutter Sisters said, “So tell me, fellow shut-ins and winter-bounds: how do you keep your shutter spirit intact from now through May? What do you see through your lens that redeems this season of exhaust-spattered slushpiles and day after day of stay-puft marshmallow boys?”

Oh, how I longed for a gorgeous winter picture to share.  Winter is one of my favorite picture-taking seasons because it’s so MAGICAL!  but it was a busy day and I never got around to posting.  Then, speaking of magic, we woke up to this!

It was like Christmas morning, literally and figuratively!  The first kid up was trying to be quiet, and in that loud whisper the whole house could hear proclaimed, “It snowed!  Wow!  Look outside!  There’s enough to build a snowman now!  It SNOWED!”  Then they were both were excitedly running from window to window to take in the views.  (See what they saw here in my Flickr stream).

So, yes.  Fall and winter have their dreary days.  And usually this waiting time between pretty fall leaves and pretty crystals is my LEAST favorite time of year.  But a gorgeous early snowfall has changed everything.  I love living in Ohio!

Posted in Landscape Tagged: Nature, Photography, Photos, Snow, Winter

It seems appropriate to be talking about change today, a day after the most historic national election in my lifetime thus far.  Today’s Shutter Sisters post asks, “What has affected or changed your photography? Is there an image that speaks of the transformation?”  Tracey speaks about how Motherhood changed her photography.  And yes, motherhood changed my photography as it changed everything in my life.  But motherhood also made me even more acutely aware of my desire to document life’s little details.

Photographically speaking, I’d have to say that the 0 distance super macro feature on my beloved Pentax Optio MX changed everything.  I am definitely drawn to the little details, and have been for decades.  I remember using bus rides to school to look at and really SEE the day-to-day and season-to-season changes around me when I was a youth.  But a super macro view of the world really allows all the exquisite details of nature to pop.

Many of my favorite macro shots like the ones here and here and here can be found in the archive of this blog.  Today’s shot is yet another example of what my super macro mode can do, taken back in May in my father-in-law’s garden.

Posted in Flowers Tagged: Flowers, Photography, Photos, Super Macro

I am NOT a morning person, but with scenes like this, I could fleetingly consider becoming one!  I took this Sunday morning the weekend I was at BOW.

Posted in Landscape Tagged: Lake, Light, Morning, Photography, Photos

Today’s Shutter Sisters entry suggested posting a picture about what making history looks like and how I’m feeling today.

I took this in my pocket this morning as I went to vote.  Read the rest of the story here.

Posted in Uncategorized Tagged: Berlin Wall, History, Photography, Photos, Voting

‘Tis fall – hooray!  I could take endless photos of nature’s endless beauty.  Watching the changing hues as summer gently (this year) gives way to fall is spectacular.  We’ve had just enough chilly nights to start the color washing through the trees up here in Northeastern Ohio.  But the weather forecast this weekend is sunny and mid-70’s, a brush with summer’s remnant.  I’m leaving in a few hours for a camping trip with Emily and her girl scout troop, which I’m sure will offer even more opportunities to fill my camera memory card.

Today’s Shutter Sister’s post is about the colors around us now.  A few days ago, I got home early from work and sauntered outside to snap what I could.  This is a macro of one of our early performing maple leaves with the late afternoon sun behind it.  No post-processing required, just pure natural color there.  I love how the sun brought out the vivid colors in the leaf.

This post is dedicated to my friend Jen who lives in California but craves the obvious seasonal changes we are privileged to experience here in Ohio.

Posted in Light Tagged: Color, Leaves, Photography, Photos

I love this photo that I shot last weekend.  And I love this poem.  Happy Love Thursday!

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Robert Frost (1874–1963)
in Mountain Interval
(New York: Henry Holt, 1921)

Posted in Perspective Tagged: Autumn, Fall, Photography, Photos, Road Not Taken, Robert Frost, Woods

I have been working on a few photographic techniques.  One is more interesting composition using the rule of thirds.  Another is shooting into the light.

I didn’t quite obey the rule of thirds here – my inclination toward and love of symmetry was too strong (although I did try to put the reflection line more toward the top third of the photo and less in the center).  But I defnitely accomplished shooting into the light!

This lake in the morning fog was breathtaking.  I am rarely up and outside during sunrise – or “the middle of the night” as I usually call it.  But when I AM up and out, I do enjoy what I see!

Posted in Light Tagged: Lake, Mist, Morning, Photography, Photos, Sunrise

Today’s Shutter Sisters post is about seeing someone else in yourself, so this 4 generation picture is totally appropriate.  It was taken nearly a year ago at my maternal grandfather’s memorial service.  It’s me, my mom, my sister, my grandma, and my two girls.

I’ve always looked like my mom – and many who knew her young say I look like my grandma, too.  Some say Megan looks most like me, but I think Emily looks more like me.  We all have the same hair.  And we are all alike – and yet different – in so many other ways.

I’m going to visit my grandma today.  She was excited about it when I told her I was coming a few weeks ago.  She was equally excited when I told her last week and excited again when I told her yesterday.  The dementia is tragic.  But her mother had it, and so did her sister.  Is it in my future, too?

Posted in People Tagged: Family, Generations, Photography, Photos, Portraits