Melinda Handy Photography

Project 365

2010-05-31T18:00:00.000-07:00

I've been using the Project365 iPhone app the past few months while I've been missing in action around here. The following are March, April & May.

An update

2010-02-20T17:02:00.001-08:00

Tax season is in full swing around here so I’ve been firmly planted behind my desk either talking to clients or nose in a tax return. I do love the chance to get caught up with so many people I don’t get to see very often. The pace can get a little frenetic but I love it. Here is what I’ve been up to photographically: I could relate to this snail. I imagine it is wondering which way is up and which direction to head to safety. My sister-in-law’s parents, Ron & Ginny, celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on February 14. It was fun to get a chance to see them being a little bit sappy and romantic together after 60 years together.

The resolutions

2010-01-03T12:15:00.001-08:00

I like to think of resolutions as a conscious choice about how I’m going to act from this point forward. A guiding principle. I love the idea of a theme word for the year and have adopted BREATHE for 2010. That was shamelessly stolen straight from Kari at Mamabloo. It just seems so appropriate for me this year. There is so much happening for so many of us. I feel pulled in so many different directions. I want to remember to be present in the moment. To take a moment to remember and to just breathe. To take time to be with those who matter most to me.

Here are other things I’m embracing for 2010.

We’re going to eat more local whole foods. We’ve signed up for a farm share/CSA with a local organic farmer and we’ll start getting our boxes in a week or so. I’m excited to have new produce to try out every week and hope this will be a positive influence on our diets.

I’m going to move more. Nothing too dramatic. Just take more walks. Get more exercise. Live in the moment and get out from behind my desk.

I’m going to take more pictures. Not quite ready to commit to Project365 but I want to be sure I’m taking pictures. Maybe my CSA will provide more than just good food for us to try but also photographic subject matter.

I am going to enter at least one photo contest. I want to put my photography out there. I am not at a place where I want to make photography my full-time career. I have a great business that I love and lots of clients I really enjoy. But I do have an incredible love of and passion for photography and if I take myself more seriously that can only help my photography go to the next level.

I am wishing you all a happy and healthy 2010.

Family Photo Calendar

2009-12-21T23:13:00.001-08:00

I’m staying up too late printing out my family photo calendar. These are the images I chose for each month. The calendar squares include pictures of each family member on their birthday. It’s a fun tradition I haven’t done in a few years so I’m glad to be back at it again. Hope you all are enjoying the holidays!

Jess runs like the wind

2009-11-09T08:02:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend, I attended the state cross country meet. The little sister of my soon to be niece was set to run. Her mom, a dedicated fan who hasn’t ever before missed one of her meets, was unable to attend because her youngest daughter was sick. I had such a good time documenting the day to allow her mom to see the events unfold. It was so awesome to watch Jess, only a sophomore this year, come in 3rd in the whole entire state in her event. Here are just a few shots of her great race.

Sad news in B+W

2009-11-08T16:54:00.001-08:00

Last week we learned our sweet Sam dog has cancer and won’t be with us much longer. He’s been such a sweet boy. I’m so glad we’ve had the chance to share our lives with him.

Henry

2009-11-07T08:00:00.000-08:00

When we got to our honeymoon cabin in Lincoln City, 10 years ago today, we met a very interesting fellow. We weren’t exactly sure what his name really was but we called him Henry. He’s the only seagull I’ve ever met with such a personality and a flair for drama. Henry would alternate standing on one leg and then the other while extending his wing. We’re not sure if this was in order to gain sympathy or just to entertain us with his tricks to solicit bread. We thought he was the funniest seagull ever. And 10 years later, these pictures still make Will and I laugh. Thanks for the memories Henry!

These shots were all taken with my very first digital camera. It was an Olympus point-and-shoot. It came with a printer too. I was so excited when Will bought it for me on my birthday that year.

10 years ago today

2009-11-06T08:01:00.000-08:00

I married the best guy ever. I am so blessed and so grateful.

taken by my matron of honor and BFF – Melissa Davison photo by Ron Ballesteros – Avalon Photographyphoto by Melissa Davison

November in Black + White #5

2009-11-05T10:00:00.000-08:00

This was an example for me of things I don’t traditionally think of as beautiful but that I loved in my images. Barbed wire and rose hips were a lovely subject on a sunny day last weekend. I love them even more in the starkness of black & white.

November in Black + White #4

2009-11-04T10:00:00.000-08:00

November in Black + White #3

2009-11-03T08:00:00.000-08:00

My nephew Grant and I went to Portland last Friday to visit an attorney friend of mine. Grant wanted to do an informational interview with her about what it might be like to be a tax attorney. This picture was taken in the lobby of the law office we visited. A lovely view of Portland from the 16th floor. Someday the view or one like it might just be the view from Grant’s office.

November in Black + White #2

2009-11-02T12:03:00.000-08:00

November in Black + White

2009-11-01T16:44:00.001-08:00

Another assignment

2009-10-26T17:08:00.001-07:00

Today is the rainiest of rainy days here. During May-October, I usually take Mondays off work along with the normal weekend. Yes, I just admitted I usually get 3 day weekends. During tax season, February-April 15, I work at least 6 days a week so I figure it evens out. Sort of. Mostly in my favor. I guess I get to do that if I want since I’m the boss.

Today marks the end of my 3 day weekends until next May. I had another photography assignment to complete. You can see the last one right here.

Our assignment this time was to think in terms of the principles of aesthetics and the elements of composition we’ve discussed in class and to pick from a list of subjects. He included things like up & down, power, open & closed, rows, light & shadows, over & under, colors…and other (you choose.) I love the catch-all last option.

I headed out to run some errands mid-morning and figured I’d try to shoot my roll of film so I could get it developed (1 hour) while I was out and about. It started to rain harder. I shot anyway in the midst of the doom and gloom and complete lack of light. And honestly, I’m pretty happy with the results considering it was that crappy plastic camera with ASA400 film inside on this dark and dreary day. I think I did a better job with composition this week and I realized how much I love the S-Curve and rows and diagonals. I also thought it interesting that nearly all my favorites were vertical shots. I think I was compensating by trying to crop the image with the vertical since I didn’t have zoom capability. It is certainly easier to tip the little plastic camera on the vertical than with my normal camera.

I shot that last one (on the right above with the blue sky) on Saturday when I was doing Whitney and Eric’s pictures on the U of O campus. I had been thinking I’d try to grab some images with the little camera that day too but I guess it was too much to juggle three cameras for me that day. I did end up liking this image though.

Animoto of Whitney & Eric

2009-10-25T14:01:00.001-07:00

I did a quick little Animoto of Whitney and Eric enjoying a little playing in the leaves.

Whitney and Eric

2009-10-25T13:10:00.001-07:00

I am so lucky to have an awesome nephew like Eric. I feel extra lucky to get to know his beautiful bride-to-be, Whitney. Yesterday we spent some time on the University of Oregon campus, capturing some images of them together in the place they met. What fun! I’m definitely looking forward to next June and their wedding day. Here are a few of my favorites from the day:

The first real assignment

2009-10-19T16:25:00.001-07:00

I’m taking a photography class at the local community college this fall. It is a 5 week course and I’ve just completed week 3. We had our first real assignment. Our instructor presented us with these:

My classmates were by turns horrified and amused. How long has it been since you used one of these babies? It was an interesting week to be sure. Our class discussion for week 3 was about composition and so the focus of our weekly assignment was on composition. No technical mastery to get in our way with these cameras. It was truly a point and shoot experience.

After I busted the camera out of the packaging I was a little overwhelmed. How could I do this without the LCD screen? How would I know if my exposure was correct? How would I know what was actually being recorded since I knew the viewfinder did not truly represent what the shutter would capture. I pressed the little plastic button and chuckled. I guess we’ll find out! Today I went to Costco and had the film developed. It was funny to have to TRY to spend an hour wandering around the store waiting for my one-hour photo developing. I gathered up all my necessary purchases and loaded them in the car and came back to the photo counter to pick up my prints. I had a flash of remembering picking up photos at the grocery store more than 10 years ago and wondering how they’d have turned out or even better, what was on the beginning of the roll since I couldn’t remember starting it. Things have definitely changed for me since I abandoned my film point and shoot for digital over 10 years ago. Now I can’t quite imagine not having the power and flexibility of the DSLR I’ve come to appreciate. I didn’t particularly like what I saw on my photo prints, I must admit, but I think it was a good exercise for me to remember composition and where it all began. The above 4 shots are my 4 favorites that I’ll be sharing with the class. I can only imagine what next week will bring. Our instructor gave us 2 of these fab quicksnap cameras so I know I have more in store.

Mandie & Sean

2009-09-14T11:25:00.001-07:00

Sean and Mandie are an on-line dating success story. Sean told me that he posted a personal ad saying he was a busy guy looking for a busy gal. He certainly got his wish! The two of them are running Mandie’s business together and officially tied the knot in a private ceremony in Hawaii last February. They both wanted to have a big celebration to include both of their families, who are scattered across the US. The all converged on Cannon Beach, Oregon for a long weekend of celebration. The main event was the big reception on Sunday night. Mandie’s elegant style was so evident in the details of the event. I love she pulled most of it together with the help of friends and family. I was honored to capture the evening.

O’Neill Family Portrait Shoot

2009-09-10T18:28:00.001-07:00

Over Labor Day weekend I was in the Cannon Beach area and had the opportunity to shoot some family portraits of a family who doesn’t get to spend as much time together as they might like. They live up and down the west coast and all came together for a big family party to celebrate the wedding of one of the brothers. Two of the siblings have tiny babies and among them they have five adorable children. It was a such a pleasure to get to meet the extended O’Neill family and I really hope some of these shots end up in the family Christmas card, as grandma was telling me she wanted them to.

Thank you so much for the fun time with your family O’Neills!

SLO – still dreaming

2009-09-02T20:38:00.001-07:00

My time in SLO was amazing. Such fun with good friends, good food, amazing vistas, and even a trip to Hearst Castle. That deserves a post all its own! Here are a few of my favorite images from this most recent visit.

Carolyn and Ryan

2009-08-31T19:31:00.001-07:00

I got to spend some time with Carolyn and her boyfriend Ryan yesterday. Carolyn is a senior in high school this year and Ryan is headed off to college in a few weeks. While I was taking Carolyn’s senior pictures, I also took some shots of the two of them together. I stole this idea from an engagement photo shoot I’d seen recently by a local photographer, Jay Eads. (Thanks for the great idea, Jay!)

What a sweet couple! I had so much fun playing in the park with you two!

Bob & Mia

2009-08-24T14:26:00.000-07:00

While in SLO, I had the chance to photograph Bob and his granddaughter, Mia. I have to say, Mia stole my heart with her big brown eyes. Such a cutie! I had a great time with Bob & Mia in the orchard. Here is sample of what I captured:

For those last two of Mia I used Me Ra and Brian's great tip about having the child look for your eye in the lens. Mia swore she could see my BIG. GREEN. EYE! So sweet.

SLO Dreaming

2009-08-10T16:23:00.000-07:00

Later this week I’m headed to San Luis Obispo, CA to visit with dear friends. These are some images I have dancing in my head from previous trips. I’m relaxed already just looking at them. Now I just need to get myself packed and ready!

And good news....

2009-08-10T15:20:00.001-07:00

Forgot to mention that my D5000 returned home so I'll have it along for the trip. I spent some time this morning actually reading the user's manual and I'm excited to put the camera through its paces.

Kitchen Living

2009-08-05T21:07:00.000-07:00

self portrait in the mixer

more garden bounty

And proof I have the best clients ever!

I was leaving the office of a new potential client last week. Her business is connected to the floral industry. She said "Oh wait! Let me give you a bouquet!" I've had clients bring me flowers before. I do have a lot of lovely clients. But this was such an amazing experience to have her swoop around the walk-in cooler building an amazing bouquet out of flowers. She was definitely in her element. And I am still enjoying it almost a week later.

You never want to get an email with "Notice to users of the Nikon D5000 Digital SLR Camera" in the subject line

2009-07-27T15:25:00.000-07:00

A bowl of tomatoes from my upside down tomato plants. They were good. Will and I had them for dinner last night on top of crispy green salads.

**********************************************************

On Friday, I received an email from Nikon saying my camera, my brand new (had it 2 days) D5000 camera, might be involved in a service related repair recall. They advised me to go to a website and put in my serial number and see if it was. Can you guess where this is going? The problem relates to the power control and if the part fails the camera won't turn on.

So, I had a decision to make. I have a trip planned Aug 13 when I was hoping to really get to know my new camera. Nothing like a week of shooting and beautiful scenery to help me learn the ins and outs. (Well, maybe another weekend with Me Ra and Brian! But not much besides that.)

Should I risk it? Should I keep my camera and hope the part doesn't fail on my trip or WORSE on the wedding reception I'm shooting over labor day? I spent Saturday mulling it over...and decided it would be best to ship it back and hope for a quick turnaround. Nikon is paying for 2 day shipments to and from the repair facility but they can't estimate how long the repair will take. At least I still have my D50 in the meantime. Poor sad unfeatured lowly D50 is looking pretty reliable right now.

Oh D5000, we hardly knew ye. Come home soon.

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Work continues on our kitchen upgrade. It isn't really a remodel because we aren't changing out anything physical. We've removed wallpaper, painted walls and cabinets, replaced cabinet hardware, removed tile backsplash, replaced it with new tile that still needs to be grouted.

Yesterday I spent a bunch of time removing the security tags from 1/4 of the tiles we purchased. They came in little packs of 4 with a security tag stuck firmly to one of the tiles. I thought that was silly. (Open letter to DalTile: Stop it. I promise I won't steal your tiles.)

The other funny thing about those security tags was that on Saturday we went to 3 separate Home Depots to get all the tile we needed and at each store we set off the security alarms because security tags on the tiles were apparently difficult to deactivate.

I'm off to clean tile and prep for grouting.

It should be noted that Will has done the lion's share of the work on this project. I'm mostly the gofer, cleaner, snack lady. I told him I'll balance the checking account and pay the bills forever (which I already do because he's paperwork averse and I'm the accountant) if he doesn't make me lift the heavy stuff. It's a good deal really. Will is awesome.

Great Outdoor Arts Event

2009-07-25T16:39:00.001-07:00

Earlier today I visited the Great Outdoor Arts Event at Island Park in Springfield.

I had the chance to speak with a few painters while they were working on landscapes of the park.

It was really lovely to see their interpretations of the park. I appreciated so much their enthusiasm for their art and their willingness to talk to me and let me take pictures.

I especially enjoyed talking with Plen Air Artist and member of Plein Air Eugene, Brooks Hickerson. Thanks so much Brooks!

I loved intentionally taking a moment to connect with the nature all around me at lovely Island Park.

Out for Delivery

2009-07-22T17:41:00.001-07:00

I love it when I look up the status of a UPS shipment and it says "Out for Delivery". I love it even more when it is a day earlier than I expected.

This smile never fails to make me smile.

After much consideration and a good solid fondle at a camera store in Portland last weekend, I decided to commit to a new partner.

So light and lovely. So much fancier than my D50. So sleek. My, she is yar. (I've gone all sappy...starting to quote Philadelphia Story.)

If only the battery came pre-charged. Charge faster, my beloved! More photos coming soon.

A day trip through Vancouver and Stephenson WA

2009-07-19T19:38:00.001-07:00

Scenes from Saturday

Things I'm Happy About Today

2009-07-13T20:02:00.001-07:00

I'm putting too much pressure on myself to come up with something profound to write here. You can see the results...silence. So today, I'm going to show you somethings that are making me happy.

The roses that continue to flourish from my neglect.

We are making some progress on repainting our kitchen. Apparently the incredible hulk is now opening our paint cans.

Cherry tomatoes are one of my very favorite things. These are growing on my back porch.

This is Sam. He's a good boy. He's not so sure about the disaster area our house has become during the painting but he's still very sweet.

I love his nose.

This is Lola. She's our beagle. She likes to whip around when I try to take pictures of her so this is a rare still shot. She's soaking up the sunshine.

This is our neighbor dog, Baloo. He is hilarious. I love him because he loves me...just the sight of me has him groaning with joy. It is nice to be appreciated.

Lavender

2009-07-03T09:57:00.001-07:00

We bought our house nine years ago. I remember our first night in our house when we hadn't yet gotten our refrigerator delivered and it still sort of felt vaguely like we were camping or this wasn't quite real. It was just Will and I in the quiet stillness of a house far bigger than any of our previous apartments and rental houses. I felt like I was finally a grown up. It was exciting and a little bit scary. Maybe that was just the thought of the mortgage payments.

One of the things I loved about our house from the start was the lavender bushes in the front yard. After they bloomed the first year, I trimmed them back, cutting away the dead spots and we were left with bushes that resembled something from a Dr. Seuss book. I was sure I'd ruined them for good.

I'm pleased to report they are going strong nine years later. I look forward to their blooms each season.

The heady fragrance of the lavender attracts not only me but also the friendliest or perhaps most distracted bees I've ever encountered. They pay no attention to the woman with the camera as they jump from blossom to blossom. I like to imagine they are taking that pollen back to make some sweet lavender honey.

I'm glad to see the bees are still abundant in our little patch of lavender.

The former owners of our house also left us a legacy of roses. I'm not particularly good at taking care of them but they seem to flourish in spite of my inept gardening. I love the fragrance of these red blooms.

Hope you're finding time to stop and smell the roses (and the lavender) this summer.

Adirondack Chairs

2009-06-28T13:30:00.001-07:00

This is a good day. A very good day. Do you know what is happening right now in my garage?

Do you know what this is?

This stuff is my future adirondack chairs! Will has recently added a planer/joiner to his workshop tools and that means he was looking for the perfect project. I gently suggested adirondack chairs might be a good idea. And he went for it! Now, underway as I type, Will is working on the chairs.

The wood is really interesting stuff. It is called "Tigerwood", no not the golfer. I am looking forward to gazing at it lovingly while sitting in my chair on the front porch.

This is our final product. I'm hoping more for this (in natural wood)...

Come visit. We'll sip iced tea and chat in the new chairs.

Ferry Family

2009-06-25T16:50:00.001-07:00

These are some of my favorite images from Day 2 of the Me Ra Koh workshop I attended earlier this month. The LR2/Blog plug-in for Lightroom helped me upload these quickly directly from LR. I highly recommend it to any of Lightroom users: http://timothyarmes.com/lr2blog.php

Thank you to the Ferry Family. It was a pleasure to get to meet all of you!

Father's Day

2009-06-21T15:35:00.001-07:00

I just visited my parents' house for Father's Day. I had some presents for my dad, just little things I knew he'd enjoy. The funny thing is, I always end up coming home with something from him when I visit. Today was no exception.

I met him in the garage, not an usual place to find my dad because it doubles as his workshop. He always has an interesting project underway. He told me he'd been going through his dad's things, maybe a nod to missing his own father this Father's Day.

My dad was named for his father: Archie Jones. As a child, my dad was called Sonny. I didn't ever get to meet my dad's father because he died several years before I was born. I've always felt sad about that, a little left out being the only one not to know him. My older brother and sister were both very young when he died.

My grandfather was a chef and the things my dad had been sorting through today were my grandfather's kitchen tools. Many of them were part of our everyday kitchen tools when I was growing up. My dad wanted me to have some of them. He had them all laid out on his workbench. They were all polished and sharpened. My dad was apologetic that the knives aren't stainless steel so they have a dark patina from years of use. That only made me love them more.

This fork is marked with my grandfather's initials: AJ. Several of the knives were similarly marked. My dad told me a story about being in the kitchen where his father worked. No one was allowed to touch his knives. A new boy, an unsuspecting dishwasher, came by my grandfather's workstation and took a knife. My dad watched in silent horror as the dishwasher used the knife to cut up a cardboard box. The dishwasher soon learned, quite loudly and directly from my grandfather, not to ever use his knives again.

I'd like to display some of these tools in my kitchen. I'd like to be able to use them and also to be able to see them when I'm not using them daily. I find their presence comforting.

This fork in particular is a favorite of mine. When the handle started to fall apart my grandfather wrapped it in copper wire. I love the variations in the copper color. I love thinking of him holding it and meticulously wrapping the wire around and around the handle. Holding everything together. Wasting nothing.

My grandfather's kitchen tools were in this box. My dad treats it with a certain reverance. This photo doesn't capture it but the top of the box is stenciled with his name in block letters. The black block print is barely visible through the grain of the wood. I love my dad's hands. He pulled his hand away from the box as he saw me taking a picture. He laughed when I asked him to put it back. He doesn't always understand what I'm trying to capture but he humors me.

Also in the box were a few signs and even some invoices from vendors in 1961 prices. This beef stew sign is from a time when my grandfather worked at the Elk's Club and had a lunch cart where he would sell lunch to the members. The club was located in downtown Eugene and it was a popular place for members who had offices downtown to gather for lunch.

Happy Father's Day, Dad. Thank you for sharing a part of grandpa with me today.

Tabitha

2009-06-20T16:15:00.000-07:00

Since last September, our niece Tabitha has been living with us. She moved down from Longview, WA and spent her junior year of high school attending my old high school. She is the youngest daughter of my husband's sister.

She has decided she wants to move back up to her mom's house and she'll be doing just that next weekend. I remember my freshman year of college and being so very homesick even after months had gone by. Nothing ever quite felt like home except my parents' house then. I can only imagine what it must feel like to be so far from her mom, sister, nieces, and grandparents. I understand her desire to return but we'll miss her here. It has been interesting for sure being a guardian of a teenager. But it has also been really fun to share things I love with her. We saw plays, concerts, the ballet and we had lots of adventures.

I hope we've planted some seeds for her of what her possibilities are in life. I hope she'll finish school and I hope she'll pursue her dreams.

I hope she'll never lose the sparkle in her eye.

Even if we didn't always agree on things like hair color and piercings and a certain halloween costume, I hope she'll remember this year with fondness and know how much we love her.

I hope she'll remember how much I enjoyed sharing my love of photography with her. And how much I appreciated her being my frequent subject.

Live well, Tabitha! The possibilities are endless.

I am an artist

2009-06-15T12:26:00.000-07:00

I had the most amazing weekend. I attended Me Ra Koh's Seattle Photography Workshop on June 5-6 where I met some incredible women. I also learned a whole lot about myself. The best thing I took away from the workshop was the true realization that I am a photographer and an artist. I've never really said those words before, even to myself. I feel better for it.

On my drive home, I wanted to stop and take some pictures of a lovely view of the Kalama River. I pulled off I-5 and had to obtain a day use permit to visit the riverfront area I hoped would give me the vantage point I wanted. As I pulled into the private area, a butterfly flew out in front of my car and circled around. I stopped the car and watched it land on blackberry bushes. Then there were four of them, circling and dancing and alighting on the blackberries. I was enchanted. I watched and clicked my shutter and watched and smiled.

I thought immediately of Karen's post about butterflies where she talked about the idea that butterflies are the spirits of loved ones who continue to look out for us. And the great article in the Washington Post about the reporter and his butterfly friend one of her commenters mentioned.

I thought for a moment about who my butterflies might be. Who are your butterflies?