As summer progresses and heat soaks the earth, life slows down to a snail's or, perhaps, a beetle's pace.  Before writing this, I watched a darkling beetle (family Tenebrionidae with some 20,000 species) taking its morning stroll, following the base of a stucco wall.  Perhaps it slowed or fell and could not correct its position, but it caught the attention of hundreds of ants that were busy, well, shall we say, looking for the juicy bits?  Too much?  But that is how I sometimes feel during the process of curating photographs for various projects.  I look for the most interesting or juicy photographs, regardless of category, and analyze them.  Once again, preparing to enter a photography contest, shooting a family reunion, and photographically revisiting a friend I photographed in 1997, I returned this week to slides, discs, and digitized as well as digital images to explore and ponder how to proceed in each area.  Today's blog is image-heavy but hopefully will be enjoyable for you to view.

The woman I hope to photograph later this summer or early fall is quite different from Jessica, seen in the images below.  However, the photographs make my mind think about different options - reality, fantasy, historic?

Family reunions are a little like weddings in that many people are gathered in one place for a particular purpose - getting together after years apart.

Then, the subject of landscapes pops up as the subject matter of Shadow and Light Magazine's upcoming contest.  My dilemma will be whether to go with verdant and green...

KONICA MINOLTA DIGITAL CAMERA

...stark and beautiful...

...or geology based.

KONICA MINOLTA DIGITAL CAMERA

KONICA MINOLTA DIGITAL CAMERA

Planning, pondering, and continually curating are all part of the photographic process, and a great way to work those little grey cells during toasty, sweat laden summer days.  You might want to subscribe to Shadow and Light Magazine online.  Although none of my images were chosen for the Color It Red contest, the images that did are quite incredible, and challenge me to be more creative.

Thanks to so many of you for commenting on last week's blog including Barbara F. R., Lisa, Connie, Victoria, Terry T., TTT, Charlie, Kay, Ronnie, Diane D., Steve, Christine, Carolyn S., Monica L., Catherine, Jean & Same, Andrea S., and Ingrid!

until next Monday,

DB

a passion for the image©