Kat Eye Studio

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My Muse

Another weekend in Venice, this makes visit number five. Can you believe it? Five. Today’s photo prompt for Picture Fall is muse – what is my muse, my inspiration right now. So a photo from this weekend is my answer… my muse is the light at night, reflections, textures and the rain. All came together for a beautiful photo of Venice at night.

For those of you who share my interest in night photography, I’ll give you the details on this photo:  I used a tripod, and my 35mm lens at ISO200, f/4, 4sec. I now have my remote in the camera bag and that came in handy for the long exposures I was using to avoid camera shake. No post processing, except to crop. It was raining quite steady, so my husband was holding the umbrella over the camera for me but I personally got soaked. Mental note for next time: Waterproof jacket, so that I can stay out shooting longer!

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Where is Home?

I’m home! Back in Italy. But I was also home, back in Oregon. And sometimes I visit home, heading to my childhood haunts in Colorado. This trip has made me stop and ask, where is home? What makes a home? I certainly felt at home these last couple of weeks in Oregon, spending time with friends and being in a familiar town, even though I was staying in a hotel. And it also feels like I’m home now that I’m back in Italy in our apartment with my husband and son and very needy cat.

I was thinking about a few of the sayings about home we Americans have….

Home sweet home.

Home is where you hang your hat.

Home is where the heart is.

I think I can define “home” as any where I feel comfortable and accepted. It’s a feeling, not a place. I carry it with me, across the time zones and oceans and cultures. I find that I have multiple homes, even one here, in the virtual world. What a comforting thought!

With these thoughts on “home” I’m curious – where is your home? How do you define it for yourself?

PS – Wasn’t the view I had of the Alps on the way into Milan gorgeous today?

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Motion and Movement

I am musing on motion and movement over on Mortal Muses today. I thought I would share an extra bonus motion shot here along the same theme – of what else – Venice at night! I just can’t get enough. I hope you all aren’t bored. 🙂

Oh wait, it’s my blog, so I can post what I love as much as I want to! Sometimes, in my desire to make other people happy or live up to other’s expectations, I forget that important little point…

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Leaf Me Alone

A single leaf, the first colorful leaf of autumn, captured for Picture Fall. Most of the trees around here still have green leaves, firmly attached to their branches. The leaves that are on the ground are dead, brown, dull. This one little leaf was the exception – full of color and vibrancy and personality. A leaf ahead of its season.

I enjoyed photographing this one little leaf – capturing the light, the interesting shadows, the contrast of the lines of green moss in between the stones. You should have seen me, down on the ground on the path in the park. Brandon, who is now 9 years old, was quite embarrassed by my behavior. “Get up Mom,” he said, “You look weird.”

I find it ironic, that as I finally get to a place in my self that I don’t care what other people think, that I’m willing to lay down on the pavement in public for the sake of my art, that my son starts to care. Apparently, we are changing seasons in more than one way around here. This single leaf, a harbinger of fall, also has brought the realization that the teen years are, eventually, on their way for my son. Life is nothing, if not interesting, that’s for sure.

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Where I Sit

This is where I love to sit, under my happy cat quilt my Mom made me, reading in the natural light of our big window, with the cat on my lap and a cup of tea on the table beside me. If I’m at home, you can usually find me in this spot or at the computer. (OK, lately, more at the computer.)

This photo was taken today for the online class “Picture Fall” through Big Picture Classes. It’s a photography prompt every day for the month of October, to celebrate the change of season and get you out and photographing. I’ve realized lately that, while I am loving the travel photography, I’m not doing so much “every day” photography and I’m in a bit of a rut. So you’ll see these images creep into the blog I’m sure, along with the normal photos of various places I visit. I’m taking this with my fellow muses and other online friends so it will be fun to have this virtual community all in class together.

(Oh, and thank you for all of the well wishes yesterday. I am feeling much better today! So nice to have all of these people out there hoping you feel better.)