"Souvenier Postcard Project"

Okay, so I am researching a new project. I'm looking into making postcards for the area where I live. This is a test postcard that I did just to see how one might look. I actually live in a small town outside of Boise, Idaho. The owner of a local gift shop told me that people are always asking for postcards of our little town. Well, to my knowledge, they don't exist. So, I am going to try to make that happen.

Big publishers don't usually do postcards of small towns since they aren't a large print job; at least that's what my research has shown so far. So, I am researching other options for having them printed. I will have to pay more for them since they will be printed on such a small scale, and that then begs the question, "How much would I need to charge for them and would people pay that price?" I would tend to think if they are the only ones on the market that people would pay whatever price I put on them, within reason.

Some of the online photo places have postcards you can make out of your photos, but they are like $1.99 each! That's outrageous and I would then have to mark them up from there. In this economy, especially, I can't see people paying what I would have to charge for a single postcard even if they were the only ones.

Some of the printing places I've researched can do them much more cost effectively as far as printing in bulk like 100/250/500 and up, but they also charge like $5 per photo uploaded to make the postcard. That would also have to be added to the cost. Hmmmmmm...what to do.

If anyone reading this post knows anything that could help me in this process, I would be grateful to hear any tips, suggestions or ideas. Please feel free to e-mail me.

*Feel free to comment on my postcard. (just click on the word comment, below) I would like to hear what you think.*

"Lake Lowell @ Dusk"

This is Lake Lowell. It's part of the Deer Flat Wildlife Refuge in Nampa, Idaho. These next four shots were all taken near the upper dam.

We arrived at this spot just after sundown, after scouting the south side of the refuge for flocks of birds. The light was magical or rather supernatural and constantly changing.

Although we didn't find exactly where the about 15,ooo geese are supposed to be on the refuge, we did find a few lone birds here and there. It was getting too dark to keep driving the thirty some miles around the place, and some of the access gates were closed, so we stopped to get some images of this lovely evening before we headed home.


The soft look of the water in the image below, was created using a very slow shutter speed.
I like the soft pastels of this shot very much.

I don't use color filters nor did I add any in post processing. These are the actual colors that we saw. The light just kept changing as the sun went down and I composed the different shots.

Many people think that once the sun goes down the time for taking pictures is over. The 20-30 minutes just after the sun actually sets can often bring on the most beautiful light, as evidenced here.

We spoke to some local folks that were also enjoying the gorgeous evening and they said that it was even more beautiful the night before, although I could hardly imagine that.

Click here for more about Deer Flat Wildlife Refuge

**You comments and critique are welcome**

"Fall Color Update"

I am happy to report that I was hasty to assume that the latest storms would wipe out any and all leaves still on the trees where I live.

Although they were certainly at their peak when I last posted and many leaves have since fallen, there is still some fall color left to be found for those sad to see the last of it, and willing to seek it out.

I will post some images of the fallen leaves, but for now I will post just a couple more in their full glory...

To see more of my autumn images CLICK HERE!

"Farewell to Fall"

The winds of change are blowing our way today. According to the weather report, rain is expected this evening and through the middle of next week, as well as cooler temperatures.

This will mean the end of the fall foliage in our area. The wind and rain will surely fell the rest of them. This is such a sad time of year for me. This means my favorite season is on its way out and I must again wait another year for the visual splendor that is autumn.


This fall may be even more melancholy for me than usual, since this time next year one of my children will have graduated and I will only have one child left in school. The seasons of life seem to continue to change and bring the close of some things and the beginning of others. Things that were will be no more, and things that were not before...will now begin.

It's time to light the fireplace and make the mix for our favorite hot cocoa. Time to get out the winter clothes, dust off the snow boots, stack the wood pile and to look forward to cold, and snow and icicles and Christmas lights! Okay, so I like winter too, but I will surely miss fall.

And now, a parting shot as I bid farewell to autumn...

To see more of my fall images, CLICK HERE.

"A rose by any other name..."

I just love roses. My mom's yard always has the most beautiful roses and I am more than happy to capture their beauty. This rose was originally a lovely pink, but I converted it to black and white in order to showcase the light in this photo. I used a very shallow DOF (depth of field) to focus only on a portion of the petals on this flower and have the rest fall into a soft blur. I also added a pumice filter to give it a bit of an aged tone. I like this photo very much.

Here's a similar shot of the same rose that is still the original pink color. I'll let you decide which one you prefer. Feel free to comment with your thoughts.

"Fall Foliage Hunt"

Sunday evening, we went down to the Boise River to find some fall foliage. We didn't arrive too much before sundown, so I had to find my subjects and shoot hurriedly, as the light was quickly fading.

As we walked down the path, the scene below caught my eye. It was the glistening sun shining through the large, stately tree that I wanted to capture, so I quickly set up my tripod and composed the scene. A star filter would have helped with the sunburst, but then I would have likely had to combat flair. Here is the resulting image...
As we continued walking, only a few steps from where I took the first shot, I looked up and saw brightly colored leaves with a blue sky background and the trees falling into shadow. I again composed and shot this photo...

As we continued on, our ears were blessed with the songs of all the many birds that reside in the area. I will have to go back just to photograph the birds. Anyway, when we reached the river, it was a lovely scene. The sun was still hitting the foliage of the trees on the opposite side of the river, allowing the same leaves to reflect in dark, rich color on the water below. I liked the stones at the water's edge and included them in my shot, although I had to get rather low to do so and still include the tops of the trees. I laid down on my stomach for a few shots. One of these days I will get an angle finder for my landscape photography, which will make my job a lot easier and save my neck a lot of pain.

There was a couple fishing down where I was shooting and I asked them to step closer to the edge so I could include them in some of my final shots. They obliged, and I thanked them.

I love the way this set of photos shows how important light is in photography and how it can change the mood of a scene in just seconds. It can truly make or break the image.

"Full Hunter's Moon"

I shot this moon portrait last night. This is the Hunter's Moon. Each full moon actually has a name. Who knew? I had always heard of the Harvest Moon and I photographed it last September, but hadn't heard of all the rest. I love the fact that as I practice my art I am also always still learning as I research the subjects of my images.

"Full Hunter's Moon - October With the leaves falling and the deer fattened, it is time to hunt. Since the fields have been reaped, hunters can easily see fox and the animals
which have come out to glean." (Farmer's Almanac)

"Our Burrowing Owl Encounter"

We were driving out by a butte when my husband spotted this burrowing owl on a post. We turned around and went back. I took a couple of shots as we approached, knowing he'd probably fly away quickly. To my surprise, he didn't! At least not until I got a few shots off.

Once he did fly away, he didn't go far. Just down by his burrow. It was so cool to see him fly by silently, as we were still sitting in the car with the windows down. What a treat God was blessing us with!

Before too long, he flew back up on another post. We edged the car forward to get closer to where he had landed. What a treat this was for us to see this little owl in the wild and for him to sit there posing for me instead of flying off.

The light was changing the whole time we were there. My husband kept letting the car silently ease closer to the post the owl was on.

I had my long lens on my camera, the light was getting low and I was shooting hand-held, so many of the images came out very blurry. Especially the ones where the owl was moving.

My husband asked me how long I was going to take pictures of it and I told him, "As long as he'll let me!" Well, he finally did fly away...much to my dismay.

Some of my shutter speeds were pretty slow by then, only 1/30s. I kept boosting my ISO to compensate. I did manage to get some halfway decent, albeit grainy shots that I'm quite happy to have captured. It's so fun to catch animals out in the wild. I love it!

"Hitching Post" circa 1869

Last weekend my husband took me shooting. It was a rainy day, so colors were beautifully saturated. We went along the old part of town on a street called "Warm Spring Avenue" and found this old hitching post in front of one of the houses. The house is circa 1869. I took photos of the house and porch, too, but I loved this image of the isolated hitching post. I added a filter that makes it look kind of dreamy. I also did one to make it look aged...here's that one.

Feel free to comment and tell me which one you like best!

To order a print, CLICK HERE.

"Cover Shot!"

Above is my image entitled, "Indian Creek Reflections", as it currently appears on the cover of the 2008 fall issue of CHOIS CONNECTION magazine. This magazine is the first statewide magazine for home educators and is published quarterly by Christian Home Educators of Idaho State.

It is truly an honor to have my image grace the cover of a publication that is so close to my heart. I'm so glad that my first cover was for a magazine that supports my ideals of raising a family and teaching & training my children up in the Lord.

I praise the Lord for this wonderful opportunity and pray that I will have more occasions to use my images in ways that bring Him honor and glory, whether it's in this magazine or in any number of other ways. After all, my ultimate goal is to honor and glorify Him through my photography. Oh, and maybe bring in a little money while I'm at it. LOL

To God Be the Glory!

For more about CHOIS, CLICK HERE