Magnolia Monday

Hello kitty.  Wish I was curled up napping on this rainy Monday morning.

Magnolia Monday

The air has definitely turned here in Boston.  Fall is getting brisker and brisker, and I can smell winter aproaching.  I pulled out my old Dwell studios duvet to get a little color and patten in our bedding, and Magnolia has been loving it.  It is almost as if she is chasing the birds printed on the comforter.  It is hilarious.

Here she is stalking the elusive, Dwell Studios bird.

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Hope everyone had a great weekend and fun Halloween.  I have tons of cute photos from out walk around Beacon Hill.  It always impresses me.

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Desire to Inspire/Magnolia Monday

Miss moops (Magnolia) and my desk project were featured over at Desire to Inspire today.  Thank you Desire to Inspire for posting the photo, and my design project.

Magnolia sitting on the desk I made from 3/4″ plywood, cut to fit the bay widow, sanded then coated in white enamel and bracketed in place.  She loves sitting up there looking down at the street below in Beacon Hill, Boston Massachusetts.  Clear chair and sheep skin throw from IKEA, computer from Apple.com and kiity from Atlanta Pet Rescue.

I had a wonderful, fabulous long Memorial weekend.  I hope you all did too.  I can’t wait to share photos.

Magnolia Monday

Magnolia was not very pleased about having to take a bath,

but now she is so soft and smells yummy.

Magnolia Monday

Just another Monday.

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*le sigh

Magnolia Monday

Is it Spring yet?

Magnolia Monday

Magnolia has found the perfect way to survive her first New England winter: curl up by the warm fire in your toasty bed and enjoy the snow outside. (I swear, I don’t think I have ever seen a happier living thing than Magnolia on the night we pulled her bed up by the fire)

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Her other favorite option is to hide among the covers.  Crouching tiger, hidden Maggie.

Magnolia Monday

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Showdown – Magnolia vs. squirrel

My money is on the squirrel.  Look at the determination in his eyes.

New Camera Lenses

For my birthday my parents gave me a very lovely check which I immediately took to Calumet Photographics.  I would go to their Chicago store when I was in graduate school all the time and was psyched to see they had a store in Cambridge, MA, so I hopped in Lady Liberty and headed over the Longfellow bridge over to Cambridge.

I have been using the Cannon Zoom 24-105mm f/4L IS USM for about 4 years now and have found it extremely versatile, especially for construction photography needing a wide range or zoom options, but I was ready to expand.  I was looking for a lens that would allow me to create more macro shots and would allow me to play more with dimension, and went into Calumet ready to play and try out some lenses.  I won’t bore you with too many unneeded details but I got overwhelmed fast and a very kind fellow customer started chatting with me and recommended I try a 60mm f/2.8 Macro or a 35mm f/2.  I loved them both!  I could adjust focus on object mere inches away from one another.  I decided to take both!  A very happy birthday to me indeed!

As I was leaving I asked this kind customer for his business card, so I could check out some of his work.  (Not to judge a book by its cover but from the looks of his camera equipment, this guy knew what he was doing, and I wanted to see what he was creating with it all)  I looked down at the business card and my eyes popped…a photojournalist for The Boston Globe!

I rushed home to look at his website, Essdras M. Suarez, and found the most beautiful and inspirational photographs.  I don’t want to infringe on any copyrite issues by posting images on my blog, but you must go to his website and see for yourself.  The breadth and range of his work is astounding.  There is also a great slideshow of his work on The Boston Globe site.  His travel photos are of course my favorite.  He seems to be able to effortlessly combine the most amazing light and composition.

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Nothing special but having fun playing with my new lenses

On my street

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In the Public Garden

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With Magnolia

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Student work for sure, but so exciting to feel like a student again.

Magnolia Monday…

My cat Magnolia is not always the most willing model but sometimes the only one I have around when I want to shoot.  Here she is doing some of her best “I am a bored, fabulous, supermodel…now go fetch me some coffee and cigarettes.”

“No seriously…go get them now.”