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Hello friends...

I took a walk on a trail that was new to me here in Grants Pass on the east side of town. Those photos are on the computer now, but I haven't done anything with them yet. However, I went back to a photo of yellow flowers I had posted on FAA earlier and ran it through a combination of filters to see what I could do to make it really pop... and the result is now up on FAA. I hope you like it!

The weather here in Oregon is finally beginning to turn into normal spring weather. The sun was out today after a cool cloudy start. But, of course, by evening the western sky was again beginning to look murky as another Pacific storm began its approach to the coast. I expect rain again by Sunday evening. It's all good for our summer, so I won't complain too much!

Last Sunday morning, just after the sunrise service to commemorate the Resurrection, I was lucky to see images of Grants Pass in early morning light. The fog was still hanging in parts of the valley just west of town... and made the photos that much more special. I look forward to catching a lightning storm from this same vantage point one day. Dangerous? Probably!

Besides putting up a series of photos from my garden, and a really exotic photo of Stargazer lilies, I just joined Pinterest at the coaxing of my friend Kathy. With all this going on you could possibly see my photos just about anywhere! And I'm not even close to finished getting my work "out there"... I have another venture that ties in perfectly with my photo-art in the works, so keep watching, my peeps!! :)

Another rainy day here in Oregon. Compared to all the fires and heat I've been hearing about all across the country, I feel really quite blessed to be experiencing rain! My blooming fruit trees didn't fare so well due to all the wetness, but all-in-all not too bad so far this spring. If you are in one of those areas that are experiencing the heat or storms or fires or "whatever", I really do feel for you. Hang in there! Better days are ahead ...

It's "hump" day... now we're on the downhill slide toward the weekend! Yay! ~ M

The weather refuses to warm up! There was snow, hail, rain... and a little sun today. Hopefully Spring will try to return tomorrow -- Easter is just a few days away and traditionally one of the nicest days of the year to take the camera out for bright, colorful "Spring" photographs. I'm going to a sunrise service and I'd really like to see a sunrise!! But, you know, things always seem to work out the way they are supposed to, for I always see and experience new and wonderful things every time I get up early to meet the day! Last winter I took in some fantastic fog and sun scenes. Recently I've seen snow when and where there shouldn't be snow! Crazy, but really neat!!

I keep getting comments on my photography, and in return I seek out and comment on other's work. That kind of give and take is so much fun and inspiring for me... I learn so much from others!

Hope YOU have a grand Friday -- chat with you all very soon! Keep shooting :) ~ Mick

The weather is crazy around here! This is April and instead of bees buzzing around pollinating my fruit trees, we're dealing with possible snow flurries, hail, rain, clouds, ... well, you get the picture. Most of the U.S. is warmer than normal and dealing with all kinds of stormy weather. We certainly have the weather, but we went to the cold side. The weekend is supposed to be quite a bit warmer and drier. We'll see...

I did get up on the roof this evening and take some shots with my long telephoto of the mountains just south of town. The snow and hail was falling, the clouds were dispersing, and new clouds were forming on the cold wind coming in from the Pacific. The scene was very interesting. After a little work in Photoshop, I posted the results -- and got two comments on it within a very short time. I really appreciate comments -- let's me know I'm doing something right :)

Have a great evening and an even better tomorrow! And let me know what's going on in YOUR life :) ~ Mick

Hi Peeps!
Well, they say that "even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in awhile", and I feel so fortunate to have scored my first photo sale on FAA. The print will be hanging on a wall in northern California in a few days, and I couldn't be happier to see this progression! It's the start I've been looking for to kick this photo-art business into a higher gear. Thank you all for watching my growth! Your comments, suggestions and questions have all been helpful :)

I traveled to Cave Junction today as part of my work at CareSource to visit with some folks who are new to the plan. All of us in the Marketing Department are doing these visits, but I'm the one elected to go to the "boonies" -- the homes in locations the rest of the gals in the department don't want to try to find. Too bad for them because I have the nicest experiences! The point is that I had RAIN today from the time I started until just about the time I got back into Grants Pass. How can a guy stop to get a good barn photo in pouring rain?? LOL... and now the weatherman says there's a possibility of SNOW on the valley floor tomorrow... it's APRIL for crying out loud! Sarine and I want a few warm dry days for the bees to work on our fruit trees. Well, if the blossoms last until the weekend the weather is supposed to cooperate! We'll see...

I now have about 220 images up on FAA. My short-term goal is 500, then I'll start "phase two" of my master plan to build a business for my retirement, 6 years off as it stands right now. Wish me luck!

Have a good rest of the week, my peeps! Talk to you again very soon :)

Today I loaded more photo-art pieces taking my online total to over 200. Also, I updated my website (www.micksphoto.com) to include links to this blog. Hopefully a few more of my friends and acquaintances will follow my ramblings! I discovered at work that my vacation time has accumulated to just over 40 hours. Yay!! A week of vacation has been earned :)

I've noticed that I get a lot of views from someone or some group from New York City. I wish I knew who they were so I could thank them for watching my progress! I also saw someone from Newport, Oregon, looking today... and I KNOW who that is!! (Hi Wendy!)

Have a great week everyone!

Hi Photo-Art fans...

I just put up a collection of classic and hot rod car photos, and I hope you'll go see them. To accommodate them I created a new gallery and will add to that gallery as time goes on. I might even put in some newer auto photos from time to time. The rain has finally let up so perhaps I can get some "clearing" photos which always challenge me as a photographer. Also, I will link to this blog from my micksphoto.com site later today. Sarine has asked me to create some small flyers for our wedding and high school senior photography, so I might get into that later today as well. When those are finished I'll post PDFs of them on my micksphoto site. And lastly, I'm preparing to start my photo-paint project which will ultimately end up here at FAA as well as local galleries here in southern Oregon, or perhaps on the coast. Not sure yet on that...

OK, peeps... have a great day and week! :)

Hi photo fans! Today I added a lot of photos from my travels on the Oregon coast and in California -- both the coast and the Sacramento Valley up through the Mt Shasta area. Most of these photos were taken within the last couple of years. Now it's time to look into the past a bit... watch for new "old" stuff soon :)

Sure is raining a lot here in southern Oregon! I really feel for folks living in fire-prone areas and tornado alley. All we have to worry about here is possible flooding! Take heart everyone -- spring and summer are almost here!

I have so many images captured over the years... and the last few weeks! And all the times in between, too. I'm uploading the best of what I've taken here in Oregon, both in the Rogue Valley and on the coast... and elsewhere in the state, as well as photos from California's Mt Shasta region, the Sacramento Valley and the coast from San Diego to Crescent City. Some are uploaded now, and more are ready as soon as I have a few minutes, so keep coming back.. please! :) ~ M