patricia emerson mitchell photography
the way I see the world
I am getting up earlier these days which, for me, means 7:00AM. Yes, that is EARLY for me. Honestly. I’ve learned that getting out of bed then means no morning headache. I was blaming my pillow, but now I’m thinking it was just the extra sleep.
In any case, wishing you all a lovely Saturday morning!
January 1, 2022, 7:20 AM
For a number of years we have greeted the New Year with friends. We arrive at a location very early in the morning, and we spend time photographing, eating, cheering in the new year (yes, with something sparkling!), and just having a wonderful time together. For me it is often the only day I see our friends during the year — Dan might connect more, as he has a bit more freedom these days. Sometimes we do meet the evening before, but never do we stay up tremendously late. I find it so much more enjoyable to do the early morning rise (and I’m not an early morning person — just ask Dan!) rather than staying up until midnight on December 31st and then sleeping in.
The shot above is from the 2022 early morning meet up.
Bringing in the new year was lovely. No one had a clue what would be coming to us as friends toasted with champagne and wished each other a wonderful 2020.
Another sunset image … because.
The Birds and the Sunset, 12.31.19
Abstract Water (I), 9.9.19
I would love to be so disciplined I wouldn’t keep bouncing back and forth between not only months but also years, but I’m just not very good at that. I would like to be so disciplined and organized, in fact, that I had records of anything I’ve posted here and on social media. Alas, I’ve not done that.
A short time ago I thought, “Okay, it’s time to start at the beginning of 2019 and do some record keeping. I can at least keep track of any images I’ve exported!” (Lightroom shows what has been exported, and if I’ve given an image a title I know I’ve posted it somewhere.) So I went back to January 1.
Yes, I was quickly distracted. The image below was only shot #25 according to Lightroom (I did probably delete a few massive failures earlier, so it might not be the 25th shot of the year.) I don’t know if I can make this one work, but for now I’ll post it as it stands so far. It might change. It might get trashed. I’m never sure until I’ve sat with something for a while. But these colors … yes, they are real colors … this is what happens when you wake up at some horrendous hour in the morning so that you can greet the new year with the sunrise and friends. (It actually IS worth the early rising, but that doesn’t stop me from grumbling about it!)
Water Abstract, 1.1.19
I decided to play around a bit with the camera, mostly because I’m weary and not quite ready to go out on a (second) walk. So I decided to photography my drink. Nothing tremendously special resulted … but it does feel cooler to me when I look at these!
Mostly I think this was just a fun exercise in playing around. Sometimes something fun comes out of this. Sometimes not. But playing around can be a good thing for one’s brain and, sometimes, even one’s heart.
Cucumber in Sparkling Water (I) & (II), 7.8.19 
… and it’s a white-faced ibis.
I don’t know exactly how or why I landed on a grouping of photos from a visit with birds since this is back in my 2015 folder, but I did*. Funny, since we were just up at Stellar Gallery to attend the reception that featured David Hoffman and Dan’s images of birds. Believe me, their work is amazing and I don’t pretend to be a photographer of birds. I still like this guy, though. So I’m sharing it. Because I can.
*And I just remembered how I landed in 2015: I was actually going to a flower image that needed some more work done. So back I go to the folder …
Plegadis chihi, 1.1.15
Grass, Water, Trees, and Rocks, 10.8.17
Having gone through April 2017 once, I’ve decided to start at the beginning of the year and move through each month in order. I’m sure that’s a much more sensible way to go! This first shot is from our annual visit to welcome in the new year with some good friends and lots of birds. No birds or friends in this shot, though.
Morning on the Pond, 7:22 AM, 1.1.17