Worth mentioning!

Fellow photographer on etsy, Melissa Varley from Canada, just mentioned she's having an awesome sale on her etsy shop- Melissa Varley Photography-  buy one get one on select sizes! Check out her beautiful new boudoir prints too. Melissa was one of the first photographers I checked out from the fPOE team- she likes old architecture just like me. Thanks for your support...more tomorrow!

Meshanticut Lake

My tree...all mine
Originally uploaded by maryvican

I was hoping to get some photos down by the lake today. As I snapped some of the kids playing hockey and skating (right behind the "not safe for skating" sign) I caught sight of this little guy nibbling and running around. Don't you just love him?

Cape Cod memories

Cape Cod shells- sepia
Originally uploaded by maryvican

I just reworked a piece of mine I took last year in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. I decided I liked the sepia tone in this particular one. Believe it or not, this pile of shells was in someone's driveway. I loved its random nature and simple beauty. I hope I didn't scare the residents when I drove up, snapped, and peeled away from their lovely little home. I'm almost getting lost in day dreams thinking about being back "On Cape" again this summer. I think I'll start my weekend treks early this year! (Last year, I tried so desperately to make it to the Tihonet village market's cranberry bog tours, but every weekend last summer, it rained. I was soooo bummed.) Cape Cod, in particular the town of Wareham, is home to Ocean Spray and their bazillion cranberries and bogs. Oh what a treat to see those bright little berries floating around under the sun. Sigh!
A fellow photographer Wendy just informed me that some seals were seen basking off the coast last weekend. I don't think I've ever seen seals, so I might check it out!

Far away places

I don't know what happens to me in the winter, but the lack of sun and warmth here in New England really takes it toll. Having a reason to go down to the beach with my camera in hand is sometimes a cover for my real obsession, dreaming of summer. I think fellow northerners are feeling the winter blahs, too. Founder of the Female Photographers of Etsy, and established and extremely talented photographer Elle Moss, designed a lovely mosaic around the escapism theme today on her "Diary of a Mod Housewife" blog. Featured is my photo "Mykonos Windmills".

I'm also listing a new starfish perspective photo today on my etsy shop.

I really enjoyed finding this little guy and it was hard seeing him on the sand, so I propped him against this black rock. I love how just viewing images from this day last weekend takes me to another season.

I'd love to put together a card set with some of these beach prints from Charlestown, Rhode Island, and one of the Narragansett Towers as well. I know it has mostly regional fame, but I think the colors and the themes will have universal appeal. After all, our little state is quintessential coastal, with its cedar shake homes, deep blue waters and miles of sandy shoreline. I'll share more from this day in the coming weeks, including some shots I got of some very brave surfers down at the Narragansett Beach.

Oh, and in other news, I won a photo giveaway featured by Ottawa nature and wilderness photographer Caitlin, aka The Paper Butterfly! I was super excited because her pieces capture those moments in nature that you pretty much only dream of. The prints featured here are the ones I won!  I was also speechless when I saw the photos from her recent nature walk featuring a barred owl and some extremely friendly deer. Thanks Caitlin!

Staying in Love

Yesterday, as I trolled the obvious and not so obvious Rhode Island beach haunts for photo opportunities, I ended up at Charlestown Beach (sometimes referred to as the Breachway). It was cold and windy- my camera lens was fogging- and empty, save for a nice man and his dog (Sadie.Yes, we made friends.) I happened upon one dried starfish, missing an arm, and a few feet away was another, this one intact and less dry.



As I pondered the life of a starfish, I decided to get some shots of the two and imagine them as friends, together on the beach. But I made sure I left them as I found them.Once in awhile I'll take some rocks, or shells, but for the most part I'm a proponent of leaving things as you found them- especially when it comes to nature. And most especially when it comes to the beach.
I submitted one of these to fellow fPOE team member and talented photographer, Katie King, for her newest endeavor, The Turtle Dove Project. What a beautiful question she asks...how is is that we can stay in love?

Update: My photo "Star-Crossed" has been featured in an etsy treasury entitled "Sands of Time." Treasuries are often chosen for the front page of etsy, and help us all gain exposure for our handmade items. Please check it out here and leave your comment!

Me and Elsie

Well, this is my first post to my new blog. I was inspired to start one after reading through all the beautiful pages of the ladies of fPOE, Female Photographers of Etsy.
I plan on using this as a guide to inspire myself. And maybe others. With my new camera, Elsie, I feel like all the beauty I've ever seen around me comes to life, the way I want it to, the way I always wished I could remember it later when thumbing through photos (or, ten years later, clicking through them.) I'm inspired to go places I've driven by but never stopped at. To see things I never looked that closely at. To edit pieces and not be afraid because sometimes it needs a little reworking to bring out its best features.
Secondarily, I've been featuring my items on Etsy for the last few months. I started with jewelry and hope my photo shop will be as fun and as successful. Just thinking about people enjoying my photos on their walls makes me smile. I live in such a beautiful place and get to travel to the most amazing sites. I am so lucky!