Simply Arlie...

Seeing Red…

Doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing:-)

“The roots of all goodness lie in the soil of appreciation for goodness.”
Dalai Lama

So Ready for the Weekend!!!

Or, at least that’s what I think it wanted to say — if it could speak!

Happy Friday Everyone! Do make time to laugh!

“A day without laughter is a day wasted.”
—Charlie Chaplin

A Million Wishes…

This Ornamental Garlic print is NOW AVAILABLE for your purchase to help Lee Daniels, a fellow photographer on Google Plus, as she battles small cell lung cancer.

I chose this photograph for several symbolic and meaningful reasons. And, I hope you, ultimately, you will open your wallets and hearts to do the same. Let me explain a bit about this photograph.

A Million Wishes, the title, is easy. I hope a million people will rally to help as she will need that being without insurance — a common occurrence in the artist community. And, as I’ve said before, my work names itself.

Why the ornamental garlic? Well, beyond its beautiful color and presentation is that garlic heals. Tied to these million wishes are hopes for healing.

Finally, although I could say more, the softer focus is my wish for grace and I edited the photo to appear a bit softer with hopes for gentleness and support for Lee.

Please give — even if not this photo — there are others from which to choose. And, if you cannot purchase a photo, share this or other posts you see as someone else may be able to help. By the way, I receive no proceeds from the sales of this photo through Photographers for Good.

http://plusonemagazine.smugmug.com/Pages/Charity/23262973_4Sgv4t

The photo is available now for sale at the link above.

Thanks!

xoxo

Butterfly Love…

Yes. Exactly.

“Do all things with love.”
—Og Mandino

Dear National Geographic…

Photographer Available for Assignments! Seriously. In school and later college, I wasn’t very excited by paleontology, but through the lens…LOVE IT! 

I took this photo standing in the Museum window from the street — yes, they were closed — while a police officer, worried because I was wearing a dress and heels, held his hand to my back — just in case I fell.

Police Officer? Yes, you read that correctly. He watched me work on my beauty in blight series and designated himself “Assistant” and got excited by my enthusiasm and photos captured. He spent more than an hour shadowing me and now wants to be a photographer when he retires! Priceless moment — he thanked me for helping him to open his eyes:-) 

Sigh. I love the history that created this photograph!

Hope you are enjoying a great day!

As Seen: Daises

Raw, Unedited, Nature Shines.

Around the Corner…

As night fell driving through the inner city, I noticed the garbage in the steaming sewer by a fire hydrant. The scene appeared to me as if it were in a movie. My storyteller eyes danced.

So taken with this beauty in blight, I had to circle around the corner — inspired — to capture what I saw that night. And, of course, I’d already accepted the challenge to photograph beauty in blight so it was a no-brainer. 

As I photographed this scene, I wondered how many times I’d seen this through the years, but never really saw it before? Although I consider myself to be a caring person, I do believe that I managed to build a resistance to tune out what disturbed me — blight. Sure, we tune things out as a matter of survival, but I think sometimes we need to tune in so that others may survive.

When I first introduced this “Beauty in Blight” series, I said it impacted me. Through my lens, the series really allowed me to reopen my eyes to a dimension that I had truly stopped seeing. What? Yes, years ago, I used to get sick to my stomach looking at blight. Really sick. It upset me that much. So, subconsciously I understood that I needed to look, but not see. Maybe look, but not feel is most accurate. Anyway, I did it for a number of years until I started the series. 

Now, in this moment, I am even more thankful for the gift that is photography. I was able to look, see, even feel and not get sick to my stomach. And, perhaps this photo will help another to see.

“The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera.” 
- Dorothea Lange 

I believe she was right.

xoxo