Category : Photography
I’ve recently continued filtering through 20 years’ worth of digital photographs, searching for more gems to process and place into my public portfolio.
“A Dog Awaits Her (or His) Entree” was taken several years ago at a roadside cafe near Torrey Pines State Beach in Southern California. I saw this excellent dog, sunglasses strapped around his or her neck, sitting at a table with a cup of coffee. I couldn’t help but notice the unmistakable look of anticipation one gets while waiting for the main course to arrive, so I snapped a quick shot.
I never saw the dog’s parent(s). And I don’t know how big a tip this pooch left, but I betcha it was more generous than most humans!
If you ever get the chance, visit Torrey Pines, it’s gorgeous!
Tripping over sand and sea is a not-so-guilty pleasure that I’d love to do more often…I’m thinking every single morning!
Enjoy,
Alison
Fan-tastic news… the first photo I subbed to Adobe Stock has been accepted. Lonely Bench was the one, and what a great first sub. This photo lights up some old memories and brings me to my calm center.
I’ll be subbing more in the days ahead!
Cheers…
On March 5th, I was invited to the Seeking Prince George’s reception at the Maryland House of Delegates in Annapolis, Maryland, where my “Ants & Cracker” photo is being exhibited.
Matt and I walked through the lovely state capital of Annapolis, wandering through its curvy streets, past many quaint shops and restaurants, then on to the State Senate buildings and Governor’s Mansion, and finally to the Lowe House Office Building, where the Arts and Cultural Heritage Division of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, Department of Parks and Recreation is holding its 2019 exhibition.
M-NCPPC’s Visual Arts Specialist Stuart Diekmeyer spoke about the exhibition and his organization’s role promoting the work of Prince George’s County artists:
Milloff’s Catering once again provided excellent food, just as it did with an earlier exhibition at Harmony Hall where my photos “Lonely Bench” and “Woods & Stairs” were featured.
After each artist introduced themselves, the reception crowd dispersed to take in our collective work and talk with each other. On the second floor, just outside a Frederick County Delegate’s office, I found my photo among several other pieces on display.
The artwork and photographs could all be described by one word: Excellent! I am so happy and proud to be among them.
Many thanks to Stuart Diekmeyer, Tara Stewart, Rhonda Dallas, and all those making this event the success it was.
And most of all, thanks to Matt Neufeld, who started my public photography career by taking it upon himself to frame one of my photos and enter it into Greenbelt’s Labor Day Festival, where it won second place.
Enjoy!
Alison
More good photography news! “Ants & Cracker” has been selected for the Prince George’s County Exhibition, which runs from January 7 – April 9, 2019 in the Lowe House Of Delegates Building at 6 Bladen Street in Annapolis, Maryland.
“Ants & Cracker” was taken near PETA Headquarters on a visit to Norfolk, VA to see my sister in June of 2017.
We took Mae for a long, long walk from her condo near where the USS Wisconsin is docked, all the way over toward NOAA and PETA’s headquarters, which includes not only a very nice dog park with educational posters…
…but a very educational elevator with a warning…
…which makes one feel like they are cooped up (literally):
FYI, I am not a vegan – I’m a vegetarian who eats meat – and so is Mae, who didn’t feel trapped for a second, free spirit that she is!
She just *loved* the dog park behind the PETA HQ building…it is quite gorgeous, and the views of Norfolk aren’t bad, either…
This is a great place to go for all animal and dog lovers…and you find the damnedest things on the pathways leading out…I’m surprised Mae didn’t get to this before I did (though the ants did oblige):
Enjoy and Be Well!
Alison
My body parts are still up for grabs for profiteering by the mainstream US healthcare industry, where I’ve very often been treated as an open, bleeding wallet. I could swear that wellness has absolutely nothing to do with the whole deal. Thus, Songs in the Key of Big C‘s visual artistic statement: Body parts on display, no head. A centerfold. And no times listed.
The front cover was shot just after arriving home from a biopsy done on my left breast. I had lightly scratched it, it bled, and it looked partly inverted for the most part. Not good. The doc insisted on a boob-smashing mammogram. No, thanks. Enter my old standby during all those times I’ve not had “proper” healthcare coverage: the black salve treatment.
The back cover is my left breast with the bandage off, post-biopsy.
If that turns you on, I understand there are vacancies in the Trump White House.
As for the inner fold, well, I always wanted to be a centerfold! I’ve been told by a few kind souls that my “boobs were too small” to be a centerfold…but apparently big enough for the cancer to find one of them, so there you go…
As well, note that there are no times or years listed, except for a tiny little P-line on the disc itself to let people know this is a 2019 release. The absence of time references addresses the significant loss of time one experiences when dealing with and healing from maladies as soul-depleting as environmental illness and cancer, both of which I’ve lost years to. There was a time when I stopped watching clocks and constantly checking the time, which revolved around my fear of not having enough time to do everything I wanted to do, to know everyone I wanted to know.
Interestingly enough, it was when I was in the zone, producing music, that I lost track of all time as well. In that, there was a lot of healing, as hours over hours would pass without my realizing it. The fear was on the shelf – right where it belongs.
Enjoy the music, Merry Christmas to all who celebrate it, and Happy 2019!
Alison
“Lonely Bench” and “Woods & Stairs” have both been selected for the 30th Annual Prince George’s County Juried Exhibition, a gallery exhibition held at Harmony Hall from October 29, 2018 through December 29, 2018.
Both photos follow one of my favorite themes, which is the juxtaposition-integration of the human-made environment with the natural one.
“Oil on Water on Blacktop, Add Sun” was taken in October 2018, in the parking lot in front of Poco’s restaurant in Doylestown, PA, in between storm systems.
Where humans and nature meet is one of my photographic themes, this one showing the deceptive beauty of parking lot car oil pollution. Oil on paved blacktop, combined with some leftover moisture from rainstorms, all topped off by a hit of brilliant sunshine created this one.
The yellow leaf just happened to fall into the golden area of the oil-slick rainbow, adding the perfect accent from a later-than-usual fall.
The outtake photo, above, shows the real color of the blacktop as a contrast to how colorful the oil, water and sun made it look.
Perhaps this will all become a relic as electric and other vehicles displace those powered by petroleum.
Be well!
Alison
“Eyes & Dolls” has won second prize in the Greenbelt Labor Day Festival’s photo contest in the Still Life category. It was taken in Ellicott City, MD, on the happy occasion of my one-year anniversary with my boyfriend, Matt.
Walking on the main drag, Matt and I came upon an interesting scene behind a store window. We noted how one of the display dolls’ eyes looked behind the window’s wooden divider, namely vexing. I snapped a few shots of the scene.
Later, when adding just a bit of contrast to the photo, I saw the very pronounced reflection of the buildings across the street – almost as if the doll’s thoughts were filled with memories of times gone by in those quaint, old buildings.
Flash forward a few months, when Matt took it upon himself to enter “Eyes & Dolls” into the festival…and…surprise!
How cool is that?!
Thanks, Matt…you are awesome!
Enjoy,
Alison
“Eyes & Dolls” was taken in Ellicott City, MD, in 2018 on the happy occasion of my one-year anniversary celebration with my wonderful boyfriend, Matt. Love you!
This is among my favorite photos from time spent in Hollywood, Florida in 2015, where I studied solar energy and related coursework while polling local hotel and business owners regarding their experiences with their local solar industry.
Just look at gorgeous Hollywood Beach, on a picture-perfect September day…
While there, I stayed at a small hotel about a block from the Broadwalk and the beach called JP’s Beachside Suites:
The owner of this small and very charming hotel full of little bungalows where I stayed summed it up quite succinctly upon my asking why she’d not installed rooftop solar: “I’d have $250,000 worth of permitting before I even got to it.”
Given the sea level rise combined with the king tides when they came in, I often had to wade across the front lawn here…
…do you see the white car attempting to turn onto Taylor Street in the distance? Lots of cars turned away.
Multiply that many times over and you come up with lots of losses to local businesses as well as the tourism industry, so popular in Florida. This is part of the effect caused by climate change, and Florida was – and is – feeling the brunt of it.
Hopefully the population there will demand more competency and sustainability from their leaders and business owners in acting as stewards of this beautiful place.
JP’s Beachside Suites, which is run by a wonderful owner who went out of her way to be helpful at all times, is a great place to stay:
Enjoy…and Be Well!
Alison