We're Moving!

I would just like to say, "Thank you!" to everyone who has followed, commented, or shared via Fotofanatic--it means a lot that people are interested in and willing to look at my work here. As I seek to improve the quality of my photography and tailor it more toward a manageable career goal, I have decided to share my photos and writing with all of you via a new location! My new blog, Cow Camps and Chinooks, is still a work in progress, but I encourage you to go check out what I have there right now. Keep your eyes out for updates in the near future as well! Thank you and enjoy!

                                      

Some Thoughts About Photography...

Hey all! Below are two of my favorite quotes about images/photographs that I believe to be true.

"There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs."--Ansel Adams

"I'm afraid that if you look at a thing long enough, it loses all of its meaning."--Andy Warhol

So...what do you think? Do you agree? I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts!

Idaho Cowboy

Yes...one more poem...for now. Bear with me here, folks! Hope y'all like it!

Idaho Cowboy


She finds herself high in the hill country, surrounded by mountains with names as wild as the land they sprang from.
As she climbs the peaks and rides the range, she's quickly falling in love with this place--
The air, the moon, and the sage.
And him.
He's a buckaroo hand who pulls his weight and throws his reata from atop his yellow pony with the white spot on its neck.
She watches as he punches cows all day and laughs and sings by the fire at night,
With his brother and sister by his side, and his little cowboy nephews on his lap.
They exchange glances and blushing half-smiles, and everyone whispers about how they should settle down together.
She listens and wishes and dreams, but she knows that they will never fold their hands together, because they pray differently...
So she'll just keep wandering and searching until she finds the man that God's made for her,
Tucked away on a plot of green land, his spurs jingling and his scarf waving in the wind,
Under the sky and away from the road, just waiting for her to arrive.
But until then, she'll keep that picture in her mind of that Idaho cowboy.

Wild Thing

I've been in the creative writing mood lately...enjoy!

Wild Thing


She lies in the sand,
A hungry soul waiting for the breath of God to stir her awake,
To carry her across the land:
Through the trees, along the rivers, and over the plains;
Through the caverns, along dirt roads, and over the range,
Picking up every bit of goodness until she is completely made
Of green leaves, golden light, and mountain air;
Blue skies, weathered hands, and messy hair;
Turquoise, feathers, dreams, and prayers;
Sweet kisses, sagebrush, and horse hair.
And she runs free, this wild thing
With an affinity for
Old doors, bronc riders, and starry nights;
Glass jars, oil paintings, and black and white photographs;
Folk songs and leather-bound journals filled with looped handwriting in black ink.
And she runs free,
This wild thing.

Montana Sky

I like to try my hand at poetry every now and then; here is my latest attempt.

Montana Sky

The light is harsh and endless as the sky.

She stands in the wind, listening to the dust settling and the large birds calling in the distance,

And she imagines that they are calling her name, but from this place she cannot be sure of the nature of their calls.

She breathes in the bitterroot and the sage, and lifting her hands to the sky, lets out a cry of her own.

For her heart, already claimed by this land, its creatures, and its Creator, yearns now for another.

She carries within her a vast store of love, meant to be given,

And she prays only that one day she may be rid of it.

And she will be.

For she knows that everyone eventually falls in love under this Montana sky.

Back from Cowboy Country--Workshop Recap

Hello everybody! You may have noticed that the blog looks a little different...I have a new header picture! I took this photo at the Stoecklein photo workshop in Mackay, Idaho this past weekend. I must say that the workshop was one of the greatest artistic and life experiences I have had to date. I was honored to learn techniques from a master photographer and artist (David Stoecklein, http://stoeckleinphotography.com/), to take some amazing pictures, and to meet and spend time with some wonderful people in beautiful country! Thank you to everyone involved, and of course to my parents for gifting me with such a great experience. I am excited now to continue pursuing my photography and learn as much as possible. To save room, I will only post a few of the photos here, but you can click over to my Facebook album, https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.260658264017794.62822.100002208673878&type=3 to view all of them (and keep an eye out as I process and add more photos over the next few days). Enjoy!

Hello Spring!

Wow! I think I've neglected the blog long enough--(not to mention my camera!). It's time I dust the lenses off and get back to practicing my craft, by photographing the fruits of spring, like the tiny pink flower above. I'm off to Mackay, Idaho in a couple of weeks for a David Stoecklein workshop as well, which I am stoked about, so keep your eyes open for more news about that exciting experience. Until then, see what inspires me daily by following me on Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/wamadrose/. Enjoy!