"Second Avenue Subway"

"My Backyard"

"On The Street Where I Live"

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"Red"

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"Pink"

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Photo-Heart Connection: June 2013

The idea: At the end of each month, review the images you worked with in that month for the one that gives you the strongest connection to your heart and soul. Write about that connection to the image in a blog post... then link into the monthly link up.



I adore flowers. Their beauty, and honestly even more importantly, their fragrance. And every year I tell myself I'm going to get up to Elizabeth Park in Hartford, CT to enjoy their rose garden, the week before their celebrated "Rose Weekend" of course, since I can't take crowds.

Well this year I did it. I went by myself after my kids were in school. I got there around 10am so I'd have nice light, and as I walked around sticking my nose and camera in to all that deliciousness I noticed that the light had gotten really harsh; it was already after noon. I had stayed for over three hours and took over 700 photos.

I am going through a period of huge transition in my life right now. After homeschooling my two boys for nine years they are both in school, and I am finding myself with a lot of time on my hands. And yet I find myself feeling guilty for taking time to nourish my soul with a few hours of something I love to do, that my other family members would only bitch through if I had dragged them along.

I think I love this photo the most out of the 711 that I took because it is one single rose reaching up above the others. Reaching for the sun even as it beats mercilessly down upon it. It reflects how I am trying to deal with the mixed emotions I have about all the changes going on in my life. I am joyful that my kids are in school now, and that I have a few moments to catch my breath to rise above the mundane. But I am still a white rose in the midst of white roses and miss my kids terribly. The trick, I think, will be to learn to allow myself these moments of alone time without feeling guilty.

Photographically I like this image because it really is quite lovely despite that mid-day blaring sun that professionals are always saying to avoid for the best photos. I've had my digital SLR for almost a year now, and I am still adjusting to it. My last SLR was not digital and was completely manual, and I am constantly challenged to take advantage of the new auto functions (focus, for example) while manipulating them to get the results that I want. Having hours to take photos of still images enabled me to practice.

What a lovely day that was.

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"Alleyway"

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"Architecture in B&W"

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"Flags"

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"Cloudy"

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"Sculpture"

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"Plants Without Flowers"

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"Grass"

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"Stairs"

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"Man Made"

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“Curved”

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“Tiny”

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“Walkway”

I never manage to get my Photo Sunday submission posted on Sunday, but I really enjoy the other entries, so I still throw mine in...


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“On The Road”

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“Three”

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