Only in Bucks County: Things I Find Around My House

I have a Twitter friend who blogs about Autism mostly, and the million other things that happen in her (Berkeley) life, or come into mind. She is observant and witty and has balls and tells like it is.
But even SHE recently admitted that she doesn't broach certain topics on her blog anymore, that she feels she's being scrutinized, that she now holds back at times... and that just sucks.
I mean, it's HER blog. She doesn't get paid to do it, she has no sponsored posts; her blog is an extension of who she is as a person and as a writer, and I hope she won't continue to censor herself.
Here's her post that I keep thinking about, it's called "Pardon Me."

AND I JUST REALIZED I've been doing the same thing. Even though I basically just post pretty photos of Bucks County, I've been holding back in a different way, thinking that my readers only want to see the most beautiful green landscapes, colorful red barns, and open blue sky that Bucks County has to offer. Winter hit and I didn't take any photos of green landscapes or blue sky. Most of the photos I've taken these past few months have been around my house or in our yard.
And so I just had my own epiphany thanks to Jill's epiphany: I haven't posted a thing in months for fear it isn't good enough. That it's not interesting enough. That it's too personal. That there's no rolling farmland.
But this is MY blog.
I've been experimenting a lot with texture, focus, and depth of field and I have some good stuff, even if it's of my dinner or of my dog.
A section of Jill's blog is called "Things I Find In My House."
Today's photos are of things I find around mine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And because she's awesome. show some Twitter love to @jillsmo or check out her blog,

"Yeah. Good Times."

 

Oh. And she draws:

 

 

Only In Bucks County: Light and Texture at Tyler

Having been a photographer for thirty (yes, that's THREE-O) years, I know I have color and composition down. I've noticed that the high school kids who take photography classes today quicky learn about "The Rule of Thirds," and I think that comes naturally for me too.
My weakest area is capturing beautiful or interesting light, which is really what photography is all about.
Most of the time my shots lack texture too. And black and whites? I haven't shot in black and white since my college days!
So I challenged myself to work on these things by heading over to Tyler State Park on an unseasonably warm, yet colorless and foggy day this past weekend.
Here's what I came up with.
What do you think?

                                   

                                      

Corgi in the park!

“For me, the camera is a sketch book, an instrument of intuition and spontaneity.”

-Henri Cartier Bresson

Self Portrait, 2008.
An absolute favorite due to the light.