Tag Archives: Photography

Photo Friday: Between Seasons

Posted on February 11, 2011 | 3 comments

Last weekend, where I live, the temperature seemed to boost about 40 degrees. Sun and warm winds suddenly replaced the frigid air. Overnight, it seemed, fruit trees burst into blossom — nothing subtle or slow — and I could smell wild onions and grasses and the sorts of shoots that signal spring. One front yard on my street, however, is having trouble letting go of the last leaves of fall even as they’re being eclipsed by a splashy early spring show.

Have you seen and photographed something unusual, whimsical, beautiful, or otherwise interesting in your travels? Has anything surprised you or caused you to pause? Or have you simply experienced a small, lovely moment that you wanted to capture? If so, I hope you’ll share with us by leaving a comment with a link to your photo. I look forward to seeing it!

Photo by Susan Sachs Lipman

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Photo Friday: San Francisco Storefront

3 Comments

Posted in Nature, Seasons, Snapshot, The Great Outdoors

Tagged Cherry Blossoms, Fall, Fall Leaves, Flowering Trees, Flowers, Fruit Trees, Nature Photography, Photography, Spring, Trees

Photo Friday: San Francisco Storefront

Posted on February 4, 2011 | 9 comments

San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood is perfect for strolling and for conjuring just a bit of San Francisco’s Beat era history. Our family ends up there a lot. We peruse the small shops with their arcane displays. We get fresh-baked biscotti in Italian North Beach, or dim sum in neighboring Chinatown. We buy beads and postcards, leaf through records in low-ceilinged store basements, where milk crates are stacked floor to ceiling and a person can barely squeeze between the stacks. Among the old, there’s always something new. A fresh look down a street that winds all the way to the Pacific Ocean, or up at a line of laundry blowing in the breeze between buildings. I hope the arcane and the lovely find you, wherever your travels take you.

Michele at Fun Orange County Parks has gotten the ball rolling by submitting a wonderful, magical picture. Thanks for playing, Michele!

Photo by Susan Sachs Lipman at Gallery 28

9 Comments

Posted in Design, Field Trip, Snapshot, To Market, Vintage

Tagged 101 Music, Art, Beads, Beats, Chinatown, City Walks, Gallery 28, North Beach, Photography, Records, San Francisco, Window Display, Yone

Photo Friday: Ghost Sign

Posted on January 28, 2011 | 9 comments

While in New York (site of last week’s Photo Friday), I became completely entranced with “Ghost Signs”, faded advertising signs painted on the sides of brick buildings. Most of these are from decades ago. Some are faded beyond recognition. Many offer goods and services that have seen more popular times: millinery, lithography, shirtwaists, coatfronts, sewing machines, steam heat, furs and skins, paper and twine.

As I walked around Manhattan’s streets, gazing up and peering around corners for ghost signs, I felt like an urban archeologist. Each sign held a clue to past generations. Each felt like a surprise to discover, as well as a fleeting treat. I knew that the next time I might pass this way, the sign could very well be faded completely, lost to memory — or lost to new construction, as glass and steel might completely cover it up, much the way the tearing down of old buildings to make way for new ones may have led to some of these old ghost signs seeing the light of day once more.

I try to photograph ghost signs wherever I go. I have found New York City and Portland, Oregon, to be especially rich places for them, in addition to forgotten main streets and quiet roads where rural barns advertise tobaccos and colas. Look for an upcoming post that will feature more.

In the meantime, keep observing, wandering, and being open to a surprise or two. Last week reader Alice sent a link to this story on Slow Photography, which is more about the joyful process of taking pictures than it is about the finished result. (Thank you Alice. See Alice’s photos on flickr.)

Photo by Susan Sachs Lipman

9 Comments

Posted in Design, Field Trip, Lost Arts, Nostalgia, Snapshot, Vanishing Breed

Tagged Advertising, Architecture, Billboards, Ghost sign, Ghost signs, History, New York, New York City, Painting, Photography, Slowing Down

Photo Friday: Empire State

Posted on January 21, 2011 | 4 comments

Photography is a wonderful activity for the “slow”. When I find myself wandering around with a camera (which is most of the time), I tend to look up and around more than usual, seeking those things which are just out of the ordinary. Senses are heightened, connections are made.

It is in that spirit that I start this Photo Friday feature. I hope you’ll be inspired to share your own photos and observations — any time!

Walking in New York City’s plant district last summer, I was very amused to come upon this extreme juxtaposition of the leafy and the urban. Of course the phrase, “It’s a jungle out there” sprang to mind. I spent a whole free weekend walking, photographing, experiencing and seeing that wonderful city. It gave me complete joy.

Photo by Susan Sachs Lipman

4 Comments

Posted in Design, Field Trip, Snapshot

Tagged Empire State Building, New York, New York City, Photography, Slowing Down

Snapshot: Found Objects

Posted on October 8, 2010 | 5 comments

At the risk of outing myself as a complete slob, I recently unearthed my daughter’s decade-old “Little Mermaid” backpack while cleaning a closet. Serendipity struck in the form of a backpack collection drive that my friend Karen Benke was having to send backpacks to children in Colima, Mexico, and off the Little Mermaid pack went.

The body of the backpack had long ago been emptied, but the small front pocket held a surprise collection. Dumping it on the kitchen counter transported me back more than a decade — to a time of baby barrettes, film cameras, and our delightfully worn membership card to the Bay Area Discovery Museum. I was reminded that every purse and backpack from that period contained crayons and crayon markings. I remembered Anna being entranced by a magician’s tricks and adding her writing to his card. I remembered exploring San Francisco Bay on a slow afternoon that probably included pretending to be a captain atop the Discovery Museum’s dry-land boat.

Modern-day Anna was amused that the Mermaid backpack would have within it a guide to the seashore.

What treasures have you unearthed lately?

Photo by Susan Sachs Lipman

5 Comments

Posted in Field Trip, Nostalgia, Snapshot

Tagged Bay Area Discovery Museum, Children, Childrens Museum, Collections, Karen Benke, Operation Backpack, Photography

Snapshot: This Moment. 9.16.10

Posted on September 17, 2010 | 6 comments

{this moment}

Yesterday, I went for a hike near my house in the mid-afternoon. On my return to the car, at precisely 3 p.m., I heard chanting coming from the woods. A lovely lone male voice, the chanting sounded vaguely Middle Eastern, with haunting notes that were close together in the scale. I stopped and stood in the fog to listen. This man emerged from the woods — rainbow-laden, strewn with bells, tassels and pouches. Eyes closed and continuing to sing and (I took it) pray, he made a left turn and continued down the popular trail.

“This Moment” is a Friday ritual. A photo capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment that I wish to pause, savor and remember. It is inspired by Amanda Blake Soule and legions of lovely bloggers.

I hope you’ll be similarly inspired and leave a link with your own “moment.” I’d love to see it.

I hope you have a wonderful and soulful weekend.

Photo by Susan Sachs Lipman

6 Comments

Posted in Nature, Snapshot, The Great Outdoors

Tagged Hiking, Mill Valley, Photography, Rituals, Tennessee Valley, This Moment

Sonoma Marin Fair: The Food

Posted on July 29, 2010 | Leave a comment

One of the fascinating things about fairs is the way the equipment and entertainment rolls up in trailers and trucks, rolls out onto midways and fields, and rolls on to its next destination. Indeed, it can be quite a sad experience to stand on the midway of a once-busy fair the day after it’s been packed up to move on.

The middle of the fair is something else of course. And in the middle of the midway is the food. Strange, storied, remarkably unhealthy, uniquely American, offered-nowhere-else-in-the-world fair food. And that just covers the food for sale to eat. There are also various food-creating and food-eating contests, which each have their own culture of participation and judging.

Here are some of the offerings from our local Sonoma-Marin Fair. (See these posts for more about the Fair’s Animals and the Fair’s Rides and Games.)

Hubby, “Hamming” (gamming?) it up.

Love the burger cake! Baked by a young person, too.

… And the classic funnel cake eating contest.

Until next year!

Photos by Susan Sachs Lipman

Mill Valley Paint-Off

Posted on July 26, 2010 | 3 comments

A 20-year tradition in my town of Mill Valley, CA, the annual Paint-Off is open to anyone who wishes to create art in the town square over a Summer Saturday — the one rule being that you depict what you see within the time allotted. The Paint-Off is a lot of fun for both the artists, who plant themselves in various spots to create, and the spectators, who mingle and watch the art happen. It’s relaxed and filled with camaraderie and talent. When brushes and other implements stop, public and artist balloting begins, and a winner is declared. (And, yes, the original idea came from the Pillsbury Bake-Off!)

Lots of artists depict the Depot Bookstore, the focal point of the Square. It used to be a train, and then bus, depot.

There were plenty of other scenes.

Looking further up the same street:

These trees were made with fabric that was sewn on and then cut.

More images of the day:

Look closely at the painter, below, and the picture, above.

We all watched as the ultimate winner was announced.

My personal favorite, this beautiful ink and watercolor painting by David Savellano called “Mill Valley in the Round”, won both the People’s Choice and the Artists’ Choice awards. The execution is so clever. The drawings remind me of beautiful children’s book illustrations.

All in all, a very inspiring day!

Photos by Susan Sachs Lipman

3 Comments

Posted in Community, Design

Tagged Art, Art Contest, Mill Valley, Paint Off, Photography

Sonoma Marin Fair: The Animals

Posted on July 18, 2010 | 1 comment

County and state fairs are wonderful, traditional summer events. They offer down-home fun for people of all ages — rides, carnival games, contests, shows, and farming and animal exhibits. If you’re in California, which has a whopping 58 counties, chances are there’s a county fair near you right now. Even the California State Fair is happening now.

For me, the animal exhibits and contests are at the top of the list of things that make a great fair what it is. As a non-farmer, I can get educated about farm animals and the work and culture of breeding, caring for and showing them. Farmers, breeders and interested youth can also showcase their skills and work. In very rural areas, fairs offer rare opportunities for busy farmers to interact, to show and to see what others are doing.

Animal exhibits have been a part of American county and state fairs ever since 1807, when farmer and mill owner Elkanah Watson showcased his sheep in the public square in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. According to StateFairRecipes.com, he clanged an old ship’s bell to attract attention. His goal was to encourage local farmers to raise Merino sheep, so that his mill would receive superior quality wool. By the late 1800s, county and state fairs were occurring all over the U.S.

Each fair bears the unique imprint of its geographic area. My favorite local county fair is the Sonoma-Marin Fair, which occurs in Petaluma, CA, in late June. I recently posted a pictorial of the fair rides and games. Now it’s time to highlight the animal exhibits.

Of course, the cows are a favorite. We appreciate our weekly delivery of local Straus Creamery milk.

The chicken coop was moved to a bigger, breezier area. It’s always fun to see (and hear) the regal roosters, hens and chickens.

Hog races were a new addition this year. The caller and operation came all the way from Arkansas.

We spent a long time in the sheep and goat barn.

And we took in a Sheep Showmanship competition of 4H and Future Farmers of America youth. We were impressed with the participants’ diligence and sheep handling, as well as with the seriousness of the competition, the obvious work and skill involved, and the sheep themselves. This site explains sheep show judging.

See photos of last year’s fair’s pig showmanship competition and more.

Watch for the final installment about the Sonoma Marin Fair: The Food.

Photos by Susan Sachs Lipman

1 Comment

Posted in Butter and Egg, Community, Field Trip, Nature

Tagged 4H, Animal Photography, California State Fair, County Fairs, Fair Animal Exhibits, Fair History, Farm Animals, Farming, Marin, Petaluma, Photography, Sheep, Sheep Showmanship, Sonoma, Sonoma-Marin Fair, Sonoma-Marin Milkman, State Fairs, Straus Family Creamery, Summer

Sonoma Marin Fair: The Rides and Games

Posted on July 9, 2010 | 2 comments

I love summer’s county and state fairs, none more than our local Sonoma-Marin Fair, in Petaluma, which has come and gone this year. The Marin fair is closer, and the Sonoma fair bigger, but frankly, this one that we latched onto many years ago (before Anna was even born) is the keeper. It’s a wonderful combination of farm animals and agricultural events; classic rides, games and food; a wide midway for strolling; country performers; and down-home exhibits and contests that recall simpler times when people came to fairs to show their baking and animal-handling prowess and to be exposed to new things.

Here are some photos from last year’s fair. This year, I took so many, that I divided them into sections. Come along and ride the thrilling and classic fair rides and soak up the atmosphere and draw of the traditional fair games on a summer day and dusk in June.