Scotland 2016 is in the works

 

 

Hi-

 

I'm in the middle of edits from my Scotland adventure.  Here's a look at an image from Skye to set you dreaming until I have more to share in a post.  Take a look at my images on my Flickr page (link in the right hand column) if you just can't wait.

 

I'll be back soon with impressions and stories from the trip.

 

See me here this weekend and why I haven't had time to post much here yet.

http://www.artsroundup.org/

 

Talk to you again soon,

 

Kim

 

 

 

 

Giving Thanks

I decided that today is the perfect time to reflect on this year and some things that I'm thankful about.

 

Mom, always

 

Dad...who left us in February but what I'm grateful for was the extra time I got to spend with him.  If I hadn't made the decision to leave work when I did that wouldn't have happened.  Miss you Dad

 

My wonderful sister Cheryl who got to share her new home with the family this year.  Here she is with Mom on a road trip she, Mom and my brother Bruce took around the Southwest recently.  I was home cuddling the kitties. My wonderful nieces and nephews and extended family. Love you guys!



 

 

 

My fabulous friends Shannon and Mario who introduced me to my favorite place on the planet...Scotland.  My trips with them and www.scottishdreamtours.com as well as our other adventures are always a highlight to any year. Love you guys.

 



The above two images are from this year's adventure and bring to mind an online community that I'm a member of that enjoys and dives deep into the world Diana Gabaldon created with Outlander.  Here's a shout out to the online community at www.storywonk.com headed by Alastair Stephens and Lani Diane Rich of The Scot and the Sassenach podcast that help me keep the grey matter firing.

My dear friends that became so much more than just fellow Etsy shop holders.  I've been lucky enough to meet each of the ladies in person and in fact with our powerful magic we are even able to conjure rainbows out of thin air as witnessed here as Janet and I came off the mountain in Jerome AZ this year.  The power of friendships is amazing.

And finally, my near and dear local friends that are always supportive, always willing to go for a ride to see what we can see, talk shop about photography, offer their support online and "like" just one more image from Scotland and the new friends I've made along the way this year on my travels.

It has been a year with highs and lows and I'm so thankful that you all were there to share them with me.

Talk to you again soon,

Kim

Scotland was amazing as always





 Hello my friend.  I've been back from Scotland for a few weeks now and been through all my images.  While trying to decide what to share I was spoiled for choice so I'm going to share a lot.  I'm sure there will be more than one blog post about the trip.  So how would I #hashtag the trip?  #heather it was in bloom and covering the hillsides in amazing shades of purple, lavender, pink and beauty. #whiskey Well of course I tasted some and enjoyed every drop. #romance How can you not be set dreaming in an atmosphere like this? #goodfriends I'm so lucky on the trips to be able to share them with such good friends and make more along the way. #breathtaking The beauty of Scotland never fails to leave me with my jaw dropped and eyes opened wide in wonder.  So, no more words just look at some of what I captured. Let me know if you want more particulars about a particular image. 

Till next time,

Kim

Romancing the Highlands

Dunnottar Romance

 

 

I'll be honest.  I'm a sucker for romance.  Most of you have been with me long enough to have figured that out long ago, maybe even before I did.  If its soft and dreamy, misty and romantic, ruined and ghostly I can find the story in that immediately and the narrator in my head starts to spin a tale.  So where do I go to feed my romantic soul you ask?  Scotland, of course.  Is there any spot on earth better suited to romance?  There's the breath taking landscapes, the history steeped in drama, soft, cold, misty days perfect contemplation.  I'm headed back in a week or so for my regular fill up.  My dear friends Shannon and Mario at Scottish Dream Tours  are helping me "feed the need" again this year.  I can't wait to see what we see.  Last year one of the stops was the sigh worthy Dunnottar Castle you can see at the top of the page.  I spent the time between trips being sustained by having my favorite novel, Outlander, realized as a television series on Starz network.  How thrilling to see these characters come to life as well as seeing Scotland so beautifully captured.  If the stars align, I might even come across a cast member or shooting location on this trip.  But you know, just being able to spend time in the magical, mystical, mist filled land that is Scotland will be enough.  Stay tuned my friend.  I plan to share images as I go along, wifi allowing.  You'll be able to follow along here, on Instagram and my Facebook page. All are linked on my site www.kclarkphotos.com

 

I hope you are ready for another adventure!

 

 

All the best,

 

Kim



Maps are my friends

Hello-

Are you a map fan?  Does the accordion puzzle that is a paper map fill you with excitement rather than dread?  Does the map pocket in your car actually contain a map? Does trailing your finger along the rural road on a map, acting as the navigator, give you with satisfaction? If so, then you will totally understand how the ritual of getting out the maps can help build the excitement for an upcoming trip.

I spent close to thirty years at work with at least one map in my hand for most of the day.  I gave folks directions over the phone.  Stayed with them on the line as they passed intersections and called out street names to me.  After years of this I think I self installed a type of GPS in my head or at the very least I erased any fear of using a map and panicking at what getting lost could mean. I always felt sorry for folks that just didn't seem to get that the sun rose in the East and set in the West and you could use this information to map your place in the world.

So yesterday I bought my airplane tickets for Scotland at the end of August and this morning I brought out the map.  Travel dreams are being brought to the forefront of my thoughts.  Don't get me wrong, they are always there, but they are getting a lot more dream time as of now.  Prior to Scotland though I've got a road trip with my sister. I'll be taking her back home to Ruidoso NM and meeting up with a couple of friends at some point West of there before heading home again. I'll have my camera gear on the seat next to me as well as the maps.  I'll have my eyes, mind and heart wide open to see what I can see. I will also have my iphone as well but its not as much fun to fold up and put away.

So stay tuned friend.  I'll have my gear for posting and processing photographs as well so you'll be able to travel along with me.

Unexpected Connections

Hello Friend-

Well, I survived and enjoyed the weekend's art show and sale. That is really saying something for one who is basically a solitary person in this and every lifetime.  That's not to say that I don't enjoy society and meeting folks but if I had my druthers and push came to shove I'd be holed up with a book all by my onesies and be very content.  That being said, meeting folks at the show was a real joy.  I think I might get better at it with practice.  I'll share a couple of examples of why it was so unexpected and delightful.

 

 

A young couple walks into the booth and starts looking through my travels images.  They were enjoying the images from Italy in particular. Come to find out they were new to San Antonio and had moved from Italy.  The young woman asked me if I knew what the street name on the wall of this image translated to?  I had to say I hadn't realized it was anything other than a street name.  But this is Italy folks and everything has a touch of the cinematic about it.  The name sign you can see about the young woman's head on the right is Piazzetta del Buonumore. Which translates to Good Mood Place.  How wonderful is that?  How sweet it was to meet a couple a little bit homesick and willing to share a little of the secret magic of Italy with me.  Score one for meeting new people!

 

 

 

 

 

Cue another young couple.  They were everywhere by the way. Young folks shopping, walking impossibly cute dogs and enjoying life.  Anyway, so another lovely young couple steps in, drawn by some of my quirky livestock photos.  Kisses was the hit of the booth.

 

 

The couple is drawn to the kissing longhorns and came in to chat. Come to find out they are from Glasgow Scotland and recognize the above image as the young woman used to live right across the street from where it was taken.  They went home with Kisses.  That makes my heart smile that as much as I'm in love with Scotland I was able to create something from home that spoke to someone from there.  Score two for let's meet more new people!

 

I ended up having a great show, meeting lots of charming folks and feeling affirmed in my decision to follow my dream and make art with my photography and still be able to sustain my material needs while feeding my soul.

 

Thank you to everybody that stopped by the booth and found something they liked or maybe just one of my super wonderful www.moo.com business cards that are little gems of  images to collect that have all my contact details and places to find me online.  Thanks to photo friends that stopped by to share their love and support. Thanks also to my pal Peter Florczak at www.peterflorczak.com  and his compelling images that shared the booth space with me . Without his materials and unflagging support and years of experience I would have been all at sea in this strange new world that is the art show circuit. Nobody understands the life better than another photographer. 

 

So I end the weekend a little foot sore, pollen covered but filled with the happy energy that comes of people enjoying my work and sharing the laughter, sighs and wonder that is out there to see.

 

 

 

 

Until next time-

 

 

All the best,

 

Kim