Snowshoeing Through the Aspens

The Rocky Mountains are always a treat to visit.  Crisp days, clean mountain air and winter activities at 9000 feet awaited Cathy and I as we explored outside of Aspen. 

Day 1 - Ashcroft Touring Center.   

Cathy found this little gem located about 20 minutes outside of Aspen up Castle Creek Road.

A glorious day with bright blue skies and chilly temps - made for a perfect snowshoe trek adventure.

Holly outfitted us with our snowshoes and we were on our way....

Thelma and Louise - Aspen 2017

First stop along the Logan snowshoe trail was a visit to the Ghost Town of Ashcroft.  The first visitors dating back to the 1880's.  With a population of perhaps 2,000 the town offered two newspapers, a school, sawmills, a smelter .....and about 20 saloons! 

As I peered into the Blue Mirror Saloon I saw Cathy's reflection in the window as she explored through this preserved gem.

Many a guest stayed here during her heyday but now only critters climb the steps into the Hotel View once a prominent business in this ghost town.

After visiting each of the buildings we set off on the trail which took us meandering through the woods.  Creeks and critter tracks along with the peaceful quiet of the day were our guides for the afternoon.

Once the trail opened up we were adorned with a glorious view of the valley with Leahy Peak 12,762 ft. and Yellow Boy 13,023 ft. in the distance.  A group of back country skiers returning from their wilderness trek gives you sense of scale as we came out from the Aspen grove.  We were told you can ski/skin your way to Crested Butte ~ as the crow flies easily done in a day trip.

Once back to the cabin we were again greeted with the warmth of Aspenite hospitality.  I can imagine that guitar sang many a song in these woods with a bit of foot stomping, knee slapping and dancing over the years...

Next up Day 2 - Revving up the Maroon Bells!

enjoy,

k

Sisterhood

We start our journey as "little girls"with bits of confidence, stubbornness, cuteness and sass.

We mature into women with all of the above plus our "stories" that have weaved together through our lifetime.

We connect with people throughout the years and form bonds

these bonds form a Sisterhood

A photograph is just a photograph ~ as we look back on this image for years to come we will see each individual person with our eyes but it's what is felt within our hearts that makes it special beyond words.

...may we all celebrate our little bit of "crazy"

With love,

k

Good Fortune

Fortune Cookies

...at 56 years old I still get excited to read my fortune

Good Fortune!

enjoy,

k

In the Wood

enjoy,

k

Take a Walk

magic can happen

enjoy,

k

One Word ~ Speed

I tossed the word "speed" out there and truly thought I'd be coming up with something to do with fast movement - blur perhaps.  But as I've learned through this project the ideas come their own way and in their own sweet time.  So I wasn't surprised when my train of thought was heading down the road of shutter speed and speed of light. 

Combining these two elements became a little more tricky - but after a day or two the ideas began to gel and I went to work down in my basement.  Setting up my camera for a triple exposure with my flash firing three times during each exposure to give three distinct views of my face within one single image.  When I had two images I went into Photoshop and merged them into one final image presenting six faces. 

Caption:    Sixth Sense ~ intuition; giving awareness not explained through normal perception 

"If you don't have anything to say you will force a photograph."  If it is something you've lived - know and love - and feel -  it's a subject you want to hold high for your reason then the photograph will not be forced.  It will flow from you in every important way."
                                                                               Sam Abell

enjoy,

k

Some of the nerdy details:
6 second exposure at f22 with a single flash firing on low power zoomed in at 200mm for three consecutive exposures within one frame.
Started putting things together at 4:27:47 and worked until 4:47:03
      ~ took just under 20 minutes to realize what I was trying was not working.
Ditched a prop and tried again starting at 4:48:51 and ending at 4:57:45
      ~ just under 10 minutes to shoot five triple exposure frames.
Selected two of those frames and combined them in Photoshop for my final image.
36 seconds total exposure time ~ Speed.

These are the two photos that were merged....

Opportunity - don't knock it

New opportunities

Doors opening

Fresh New Year













enjoy,

k

Sweet Times in Somerville

 Feature shoot with Alexandra and Eric of Gates Comme des Filles and Somerville Chocolate...
                       

made for one sweet day!

Tucked inside a brewery mill style building in Somerville, MA Eric, Alexandra, Anne and Molly work their magic to make the most delicious chocolate treats - Kenya coffee, garden thyme, Wigle whiskey and meyer lemon to name a few that we sampled during our visit.  

Truly a "mouth party" tasting these delectable flavors.

Eric pours the melted chocolate into molds for setting.  

Smoked beans gave these bars a unique and wonderful taste.  

Bonbons dipped in melted chocolate and "poofed" with a bit of blue sparkle during their final process.

If you're in Harvard Square be sure to stop in for one or more of these sweet treats through February-2017 at Lizzie's Ice Cream on Church Street in Cambridge.

Yes, absolutely our sentiments as well ~ Delicious!!

enjoy,

k

Environmental Portraits

In November I had the pleasure of photographing The Honorable Judge Carroll for an upcoming feature article with his alma mater College of the Holy Cross.   Their feature story would highlight the recovery court program that Judge Carroll pioneered based in Laconia where he presides in district court.

Click on the link below to read through the article.

College of the Holy Cross Magazine

A caring man who makes a difference every day!

enjoy,

k

One Word ~ Courageous

Creativity Takes Courage - Written on a notebook I picked up for myself and a friend.

It resonated with me.  Creativity does take courage.  

                           Courage

to put yourself out there

to trust your instincts  

to believe in your ideas 

to show the world who you are inside

Courage to believe in yourself 

I had bought a collection of dragonflies a while back with the plan that they would be used in a photo some day.  The word courageous made that day today.

"Dragonflies remind us to take time to reconnect with our own strength, courage and happiness"

This project has done that and so much more...

enjoy,

k

Environmental Portraits

Had a second outing with Devon for his second round of portraits.  He was looking for some without a full beard - just a bit of scruff.  So we went to a location that we could get more creative in.  Environmental portraits give me the opportunity to combine what my subject is bringing with the atmosphere of the location.

Great shoot all around ~ Devon will do well in any environment~!

enjoy,

k

Set Sail

"To reach a port we must set sail -
  Sail, not tie at anchor
  Sail, not drift."                        
                                           FDR



enjoy,

k