Tag Archives: Photography

Art in Unexpected Places

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Beale Street in Memphis is a pedestrian only street with bars, restaurants and shops that runs about two blocks.  Monday evening, Cindy and I stopped to talk to this street artist.  We were asking his opinion on the best places to eat and he tried to persuade us to have our “reality” caricature done by him in about ten minutes.  I explained that I’m not into buying more “things” for my house because I prefer to collect experiences rather than things.

Anyway, it was fun to watch him in action.  He is quite talented…

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Most photographers love the time of day before sunset or sunrise because the lighting is so pretty.  This was a courtyard along Beale Street…

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When I first took this photo of a small section of a fountain, I wasn’t sure how it would turn out because of the dim lighting, but I loved the outcome.  I am always fascinated with the concept that art is all around us…if we open our eyes!

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There’s more to Memphis than Elvis

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My first full day in Memphis started with a walk towards Beale Street.  These balls outside of the FedExForum are a fun photography prop…

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Walkin’ in Memphis

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We’re here in Memphis!  Having arrived around 3pm their time, my friend Cindy and I checked into our room and then went “Walkin’ in Memphis”.  Come along to see what we saw…

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Stormy Weather at the Cabana

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Last night the sky was filled with swirling masses of swollen colorful clouds waiting to release their rain.  I couldn’t stop taking photographs.  We went to a place on the Ohio River called the Cabana on the River.  I love venues with live music located on the river.  Although it was an hour drive, I enjoyed talking with friends, taking lots of photos,  and dancing to one of my favorite local bands…Danny Frazier Band!

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This bartender is a cutie…

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Last Minute Trip to Memphis

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I’m a lucky girl!  I’m a lucky girl!  Goin’ to Memphis for the very first time in a couple of days with a girlfriend.  What fun we’ll have…new people to meet…new things to see.  We’ll be within walking distance of the famous Beale Street and the Riverwalk.  If any one has any recommendations of places to eat, things to see…please share.

Here’s a photo from the other night…

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Sending you all positive thoughts, prayers and happiness!

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Ahoy Matie!

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Boating is a fantastic way to enjoy the outdoors and your friends!  Saturday I had another fun day in Cincinnati on the Ohio River on my friend April’s boat.  She invited four of us women friends and five other boats ended up tying up to us…so we had a party!  Here’s Captain April…

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Sometimes I get bored with boating, especially if I can’t ski…so I stay entertained by taking photographs and dancing.  I really liked this candid shot of Cindy and April.  April’s bathing suit is so cool…I love the neon and loopy fabric!

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Family Photo Shoot

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I took photographs of my friends Todd and Laurie’s blended family a few days ago and referred to a written list of some of the poses and ideas I wanted to try, that I had taken with me.  It was a lot of fun.  For this one, I laid on the ground with my legs between Laurie’s legs and had all eleven of them look down at me.  You need to have your flash on for this one.  It would be even better if there were fewer people.

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This was my first “official” family photo shoot and I learned a few things.  We decided to meet at Nisbet Park in Loveland.  This was the first time in a long while that all of them were together, so it was difficult to get or keep their attention while I was directing them on the poses.  I am rather soft-spoken, so I’ll need to learn to raise my voice.  I know background matters, but I was trying to keep them engaged and moving from pose to pose, so I didn’t notice this pole near the son.

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Dancing in the Park

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Put your dancin’ shoes on and come to the park…Ault Park in Cincinnati!  Thursday evening was the perfect night for it and after having an appetizer and drink with my girlfriend Cindy, we headed over to have more fun.  Ault Park has a series of outdoor dances during the summer with live music.  I stood the entire evening…with new shoes on…talking with friends, sipping wine and taking photographs.  My favorite is this one of a lady dancing.  As I watched the dancers, I noticed the sunlight dancing with their feet.

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There were lots of hula hoops for people to have fun with.  I walked up a series of stairs to have a view of the crowd and noticed this little girl…

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Cemeteries aren’t just for Dead People!

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I know some people think cemeteries are a bit creepy and perhaps they are on a foggy night at 3am, but Spring Grove Cemetery in Cincinnati, Ohio is the most beautiful cemetery I’ve ever visited!  My fellow travel and photography friend…Simone and I met there yesterday morning to take some photographs.  I’ve only been there a few times, so it was a treat to walk around the lakes and discover lush, peaceful and absolutely gorgeous landscapes and capture reflections of the miscellaneous buildings, mausoleums and monuments.

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I bought the same camera that Simone has…a Nikon D5100 with an 18-200mm lenses, so I’m looking forward to comparing our perspectives of the same place!

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Kissin’ Cousins

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On Father’s Day this year, I visited my cousin and saw her new farmhouse in Batavia, Ohio (near Cincinnati).  She’s so much fun, is very upbeat and family is important to her!  She’s kissing her new kitten…Beau!  After discovering some mice, Ursula decided to make Beau a new part of the family.

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This cutey pie is another cousin…Domenic!  He’s part Italian and going to be a senior in High School this year.

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Happy Birthday from Hollywood Casino

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Birthdays are meant to be celebrated…especially the older you become…because not everyone is fortunate enough to become old!  For my birthday on Friday, I was treated by Hollywood Casino to an overnight stay with dinner and dancing at their beautiful venue in Lawrenceburg, Indiana.  If you’ve been following along, you’ll remember my post here explaining how I received all of this as a complimentary gesture!

My husband and I arrived to our room about 5:00pm and were pleasantly surprised with their simple, but elegant decor!  They recently renovated…

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Here’s the view from our room…

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Gettin’ Down with The Soul Pocket Band

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I’ve been a fan of the Soul Pocket Band for years now…groovin’ to their Mojo songs and had another opportunity last night at Newport on the Levee, a complex of shops, restaurants, free events and more, located on the Ohio River in Newport, Kentucky!  I went my friend Teresa and had my new camera with me…a Nikon D5100 with an 18-200mm lenses.  It’s a bit bulky compared to my last camera…especially when dancing, but I have a feeling it’s going to be a frequent companion!

You can make it out a bit here in Teresa’s sunglasses…

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Here are some of the performers…Victoria

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Fun with Bubbles

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Blowing bubbles is not a children only activity!  After my fun afternoon at the Harmony Hill Vineyard, I went to my friend Kathy’s sister’s house that was only a few miles away.  It was a family gathering and they were celebrating the birthday of one of their children.

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Harmony Hill Vineyards

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Harmony Hill Vineyards  in Bethel, Ohio is the perfect way to spend an afternoon and/or evening!  I met my Meetup.com hiking club there yesterday and took a short hike…probably a mile…around the vineyards.  The history of the farm is really interesting.  The owners named the farm Harmony Hills after witnessing all of the wildlife existing in perfect harmony.  They grow hay and medicinal herbs in addition to the grapes on their 70 acres of sustainable farmland.  In 2006 they were certified as a National Wildlife Federation Remote Wildlife Habitat!

Here’s the entrance…

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And some of the beautiful vineyards…

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Life is Good

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Life is good!  I have so many wonderful things to be grateful for!  I was contacted by the PR for Hollywood Casino in Lawrenceburg, Indiana after I marketed a blog post of my visit to their casino onto their Facebook page.  They would like me to be their guest for dinner, dancing and overnight…for both a date night and with girlfriends (up to 10)!  Woo hoo!  So, I’m in the planning stages of that…checking with friends to see when they’re available.  Seems to make you quite popular on Facebook!

And…I’m buying a real DSLR camera in the next few days…a Nikon D-5100 with a 18-200mm lenses!  I’ve been using an Olympus PEN for the last year or two and can’t wait to have a “big girl” camera!

Here are some photos from the last week in my life.  Driving on country roads on my way to the Dirty Girl Mud Run in Clarksville, Ohio at sunrise…

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Across the street from that beautiful barn…some cool landscape…

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I went to lunch with a girlfriend that I haven’t socialized with in almost 5 years at the Dilly Cafe in Mariemont, Ohio and encountered this very unique individual at the restaurant.  He was conversing with a couple of men and I kindly interrupted and requested permission to take his photograph because of his uniqueness.  Notice the “Pull & Pray” behind him.  He obliged…

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