tall trees and long boards

This boardwalk winds its way through the wetlands of the William B Clark Preserve, and this Saturday I will be leading a nature walk [digital field trip] along this boardwalk. I don't know how many people have signed up for it, but I hope there will be at least 20 or 25. We're going to be exploring camera settings and taking pictures of the wetlands to illustrate the points of digital photography. I've taught about two dozen digital camera workshops over the last two years, but this is the first nature walk. I did a photography summer workshop for kids in 2008. Wish I had done another one this past summer. We did several digital field trips during that workshop.

cotton pickin time

Memphis used to be the Cotton Capital. There's still a lot of cotton grown in this part of the country. Cotton is still the most used natural fiber for making clothing in the world. I would rather have a 100% cotton shirt than any other material.

Near where I work are several cotton fields [right here in the middle of suburbia], and this week is cotton pickin time. Several of the fields have already been picked and I suppose the others will be by the end of the week. I have stopped by the fields a half dozen times in the last week, watchng the progress on the cotton bolls. They're fully matured and looking very healthy. That surprises me a bit because it has been such an incredibly dreary and wet late summer and fall. It's going to look very desolate and lonely around these fields for a while.

If you have an opportunity, drop by my photostream for a visit.
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Song 605: Hopelessly Devoted to You
Artist: Olivia Newton John
Album: Grease OST
Year: 1978
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wetlands shaken

One of my favorite photo techniques is shake photography. I gently shake my digital camera while shooting. It works best with a low ISO setting [ISO 100]. This image was taken on a recent boardwalk hike through the wetlands of the William B Clark Nature Preserve in Rossville, Tennessee. The late afternoon sun was streaming in through the forest canopy and the shake photography captured the light dramatically.

the pink palace arts and crafts fair

My wife is a fiber artist. She receives wool just after it is sheared... cleans it... teases it... cards it... spins... dyes it... and makes things like scarves, shawls, runners, hats, ornaments, etc. I help her in any way I can. She has been a demonstrating craftsman at the Pink Palace Arts and Crafts Fair for 27 straight years, and I have been right there with her all 27 years. Our daughters are 19 and 22 years old and they have both been at the fair every year... even when they were less than a year old their grandparents would bring them out to visit with us.

One of my favorite things about the fair is visiting with artists and friends we only see once a year for four days. We're almost like family. This year two of our best friends didn't get to come to the fair... Connie the natural dyer and Mel the polymer clay artist. We missed them and their families very much. Sebe [son of Mel] came into to town for the fair and stayed at our house. We had a great visit.

Click here to see more pictures from the 2009 Pink Palace Arts and Crafts Fair.

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Song 604: Dust in the Wind
Artist: Kansas
Album: Point of Know Return
Year: 1978
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