I’m so happy to tell you I’m now officially a part-time freelance photographer for an online magazine called “I Spy Cincy”! My first assignment was to go out and take photographs of iconic Cincinnati landmarks in the snow. One of my stops was the beautiful Eden Park, which is near downtown Cincinnati. Just before arriving, I spotted this beautiful tree, parked my car on the road and snapped a shot.
I’ve posted photographs of an area in Cincinnati called Over-the-Rhine in the past, but I was in the area on Saturday again (before the snow hit yesterday) for a pole dancing class that you can read about here, and wanted to go to a wonderful farmer’s market called Findlay Market before my class. Here’s a photo of a small portion of the outside area…
I awoke this morning to a vision of white all around me…glorious snow! My kitty Katie was even in awe!
The kind of snow that clings to every branch and creates a magical world of silence, surrounding you with nature’s calm beauty.
Traipsing outside in my house slippers, with my camera and tripod, Katie followed me everywhere I went. My husband nicknamed me Doctor Doolittle because our dog and kitty follow me everywhere.
“When snow falls, nature listens.” ~Antoinette van Kleeff
“Snow flakes are kisses from heaven.” ~Author Unknown
I think most Americans view Pole Dancing as a somewhat “naughty” and “sexual” form of exercise. After taking my first Intro to Pole Dancing class yesterday, I have to say it’s a good way to gain upper body strength and learn to be comfortable with your inner seductress. I learned all types of filler moves…the tic toc, the snake, and others I can’t remember the names of; along with a couple of simple spins, the “fireman” and a variation of it where you point one of your legs, instead of having it against the pole.
As you can see from this photo one of the instructors/owner took of me after class, I’m not looking real “sexy” yet! I think it’s because of the shoes. You can see one of the teachers in the back mirror with stilettos on. Of the four women in the room, I was the only one without high heels on. Perhaps for the next class!
You’re never too old to try new things!
The Krohn Conservatory Christmas Display in Cincinnati, Ohio is simply beautiful! As I watched small children running from display to display, I felt like one of them, excited every time I took a photograph. I almost tripped a few of them as I was running from spot to spot! Poinsettias were everywhere!
Here’s the John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge that spans the Ohio River from Cincinnati to Covington, Kentucky. Mr. Roebling also designed the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City!
The colorful and intoxicating display of flowers and plants was almost overwhelming!
The cute trains chugging along, high and low, brought back memories of a Christmas long ago…
Looking back at everything I’ve done in the past year, makes me realize how lucky I am. My year has been filled with lots of life!
Exercise always plays a big part. Not only hiking…
“Selfie” photos are new to me. Even if I’m traveling solo, I will ask someone to take my photo. But usually I’m taking photos of other people, landscapes or things. Since acquiring a corded remote shutter release, I took some “Selfies” yesterday for the holiday in front of my Christmas tree. I purchased Lightroom 5 a few weeks ago and have been teaching myself, along with help from the internet, to utilize it. On this photo, I used the teeth whitener function, not only on my teeth (they didn’t need much), but also on my eye whites and used the skin smoothing function. It’s my new Facebook profile photo!
Also…I have great news! A local marketing company called me because they found a photo on this website and wanted to purchase it. So I sent them an invoice and a high-resolution copy of it. I’m gradually making progress. Hope you make it a great day! We’re expecting six inches of snow today!
Last night my husband and I drove an hour North to see the Legendary Lights of Clifton Mill in Clifton, Ohio. I was excited to test out my new photography skills, since I’ve taken a few classes, and am now shooting only in Manual mode and RAW format. And because I now have a remote shutter release for night-time shots. The 50 degree temperatures and weekday night made it the perfect time to go. We didn’t freeze and weren’t squeezed by too many people! We arrived at 5:30pm and there were already a few photographers set up even though the lights don’t come on until 6:00pm. As we munched on some popcorn, since we didn’t have dinner, I talked with the other photographers a bit. An announcer came on a loud-speaker two minutes before the lights came on to notify us and once they did, I heard a collective “Ahh”. As you can see, they’re spectacular!
While we were waiting, one of the other photographers took our photograph for us…
I’ve just began my own Meetup group called Travel Spirit Meetup Group. If you’d like to take a look…here’s the link! I’m very excited to begin organizing meetups to travel together and to share our tips and travel stories! It doesn’t matter where you live…if you join, you could still meetup with us somewhere!
Here’s a photograph from Lake Malawi, Africa…
I’m working on another Powerpoint presentation…from my 40 day trip through six countries in Africa. It will have to be split into two presentations because I have over 200 photographs and an hour isn’t long enough to share 40 days of adventure!
Last night I gave an hour-long presentation on a trip I took to Egypt and Jordan back in 2009, to a Travel Meetup club I belong to! Although I was a member of Toastmasters for a while and gave a few five-minute speeches, this was a great accomplishment for me. I wasn’t that nervous and everyone seemed to enjoy it. It probably helped that there were only 9 people there…but for me it was a great feeling! My Powerpoint presentation had 120 photographs that were shot with a point and shoot, but I recently bought Lightroom 5, so I doctored them up some. Now I can’t wait to give presentations on my other epic trips…Peru…SE Asia…and Africa!
To avoid the worst of traffic, I left my house early to drive to Covington, Kentucky, where the event was held, so I had some extra time and decided to practice my photography. These two photographs are of the Cincinnati skyline at sunset.
Here I am in the venue before the presentation. I love the architectural elements of the building…the high ceilings, beautiful woodwork, and large windows.
When you face your fears, anything is possible!
I went outside again this morning to capture the rising sun and loved the way the trees cast a long shadow. Most of the snow has melted since yesterday.
The first snow of the season is always exciting…even if it’s only an inch of snow. After the sun came up, I was outside in my house slippers to capture a bit of the magic!
It seems odd for green or red bushes and trees to be covered with snow…
Experiencing the sunset from the Carew Tower in Cincinnati, Ohio is a must-do if you ever visit or especially if you live here. I like being a “Tourist in my City” and take advantage of things to do in my own hometown! One of the camera club meetups that I belong to hosted an event at the top of the Carew Tower last night. From the time construction was completed in 1930 and up until 2010, the Carew Tower was the tallest building in Cincinnati and at a cost of $33 million, a very expensive one also! I arrived early to take some photos of Fountain Square and the Art deco inside the Carew Tower. I’m learning a lot in my weekly camera class and would have stayed longer to practice taking some additional night shots, but it got really cold.
Using my Nikon D5100, in manual mode I set my aperture at 8 and metered for my shutter speed away from the sun. With my camera on a tripod, I had my ISO set at 100 and white balance on Cloudy. A couple of the attendees said the color is more vibrant if it’s set on Cloudy. I had forgotten and left the image stabilization on which can cause photos to not be as clear if they are on a tripod. Luckily, one of the members reminded me, so I was able to get a few more photos with it off. I don’t have a remote trigger yet, so I used the self-timer for some of the shots.
My photos are shown backwards…from the end of the evening to the beginning. The Ohio River is meandering down below…
I love barns and whenever I come across an interesting one, I take a photograph…so I guess you could say I’m collecting barns! I’d like to share them with you!
This one was taken in Hillsboro, Ohio…
Camp Springs Winery in Kentucky is home to this one…
Wineries are so much fun and Meranda-Nixon Winery in Ripley, Ohio is no exception! Although summer is gone…the vineyards are still beautiful. My friends and I drove out there yesterday. Located about 40 minutes from the east side of Cincinnati, it’s not too far of a drive. Because it was a Friday, there were only a few other patrons there. The owners are Seth and his wife Maura. We joked that we wanted some “Maura wine”. Anyway, Maura did the wine tasting for us and gave us some background about their lives. Both she and her husband are widowers and when they met recently…they only dated for one month before getting married!
I asked her how many employees they have and she replied, “Her husband and four children! While we were there, two of the boys came in to help wash glasses. The 11-year-old took me for a ride on their “gator”! I asked him how fast it would go and he said 21 mph, so I asked him to floor it! He probably thought I was crazy when I asked him to do donuts in the front yard!
Sherry Lachelle Travels 