WHOOPS ... had a blow-out in my knee! What a great, embarrassing kerfuffle (paramedics, ambulance, emergency room). Now must go for an MRI (yikes ... I don't do doctors!), so will be in touch when I'm allowed to sit at the computer again. Have already gone through six books in as many days ... hope my eyes hold up through the seige.

  THESE ARE MY NEW 'GET-WELL' SLIPPERS!

A very happy welcome to my new followers ... will send a proper thanks soon.

THE BEAUTY OF LIGHT FROM BEHIND

There's no denying the part light plays in making beautiful photographs, and if landscape photography and images drawn from the natural world are what make your heart sing then you're probably already well acquainted with the beguiling soft light of early morning, and the depth of it's layered descent available in the evening hours; each end of night and day so capable of evoking either a subtle, dreamlike aura, or dramatic definition to what might otherwise be just another ordinary image.  

Over the years I've found my personal preference to light leans entirely towards a naturally available source, where I almost always forego the use of strobes, on-camera flash, fill flash, and the harsh, oftentimes unflattering effects of bright sunlight ...  although all of those artificial means of lighting certainly have their uses, and do make for some very wonderfully dramatic images in their own right ... so, first and foremost, it's always the mood your after that counts.  I suppose it's readily apparent I gravitate toward the more romantic end of the photographic spectrum, especially in portraiture, and in still life shooting as well ... where subdued window light (occasionally reverting to a soft, reflective surface to help alleviate shadows), or shooting on an overcast day can give the most pleasing effects.  However, if you're hoping to convey an even a broader, more hopelessly romantic, timeless appeal to your images, or imbue them with that glowing 'light from within' impact ... then the art of backlighting (my absolute favorite) just might be the best way to highlight your subject matter. In photography there is nothing quite so intriguing and delicately defining, as the use of backlight for beautiful imagery.  In it you can find the eternal promise behind every vein on a new leaf ... or in the pastoral beauty of sheep grazing in low-light, their haloed, unshorn bodies partially silhouetted against the setting sun, or in the wonder of glory-bound clouds rimmed by a hidden sun. There is too, the tender, subtle magic of a child's countenance rendered soft and lovely beneath a crown of curls, each tendril (whether dark or light) picked out to perfection. And as well, in the details of old linens and tattered lace held up to the light, exposing a finer view of the handworked hours recording the past ... and, I would be remiss failing to mention the enduring, mystical splendor of the sun in full eclipse.  All of these magnificent sights, and resulting photographic captures, owe their wonder to the 'beauty of light from behind'.  

It may take you a few hours or days of practice to make the most of this timeless art ... but it's a skill you'll never be disappointed you took the time to learn ... and the first lesson in learning to use backlight is to toss away all your preconceived ideas about photographic light shining directly onto your intended subject, and that it must come from behind the photographer ... rather by placing what you wish to photograph directly in front of your light source, ambient or otherwise, with and the sun shining directly (or slightly obliquely) into your lens (many will warn you to beware lens flare, but I have made some wonderful images incorporating it into the atmosphere of the whole). Your second lesson will be to go 'online' and search 'backlighting your photographs' where you'll be able to find several tutorials illuminating the art of it all much better than I could ever hope to.  It may take a few hours or days of practice and experimentation, keeping in mind that practice and experimentation make photographic art, if not close to perfect, then ever so much more interesting and diverse ... especially considering how much easier and less costly it is to discard mistakes with today's digital equipment.    

I'll leave off here by saying ... that the study of backlight is a lasting gift you can give yourself, and one you'll never regret taking the time to learn ... I promise!   Now... give me some mist, fog, haze sheltered sun, and other inclement weather conditions (especially those appearing after a clearing storm) and I'll be off and running, camera in hand, for as long as it takes to capture the ephemeral and fleeting that have the power to vanish as quickly as the 'blink of a camera's eye ... to become nothing more than momentary memories. So, be quick on the trigger finger and keep your eyes peeled for 'the beauty of light from behind'. 

All images below were rendered by backlight ... 

 1:12th scale miniature display clothing

Antique child's summer dress ... ca. 1860

 Embroidery detail on a 1920's China silk kimono

 Private portrait 

 Detail of an Edwardian corset cover (camisole)

 Skirt detail on an Edwardian, organdy graduation dress ... ca. 1915

 Sleeve and button detail on the same dress

 Portrait featuring antique children's clothing ... ca. 1910

 The Petticoat Ballet ... antique slips billowing in the wind

 Private portrait ... using backlight and lens flare for softening effect

Private portrait ... using backlight to highlight a crown of curls

 Antique crib (cot or lit de bebe) illustratating backlight for atmosphere and illusion 

Isabella's Antique Bonnet ... backlit hair and profile

 Mary at Aine's Window ... Co. Wicklow, Ireland

Photographic illustration for 'The Changeling' (a faery child) ... from W. B. Yeats' poem 'The Stolen Child'

Roses floating in water near a window

'The Mists of Avalon' ... taken in the Scottish Highlands

Old fisherman, almost silhouetted by backlighting ... Port de Nice, France

TWO MORE NEW FOLLOWERS!

Minteriors @Pie-in-the-Sky
and Mieke @ petitevictorianrose
Many thanks to both of you ...

A FEW HOURS LATE FOR MOTHER'S DAY ... but a poem worth reading nevertheless.

"The Lanyard" by Billy Collins

The other day as I was ricocheting slowly

off the pale blue walls of this room,

bouncing from typewriter to piano,

from bookshelf to an envelope lying on the floor,

I found myself in the L section of the dictionary

where my eyes fell upon the word lanyard.

No cookie nibbled by a French novelist

could send one more suddenly into the past —

a past where I sat at a workbench at a camp

by a deep Adirondack lake

learning how to braid thin plastic strips

into a lanyard, a gift for my mother.

I had never seen anyone use a lanyard

or wear one, if that’s what you did with them,

but that did not keep me from crossing

strand over strand again and again

until I had made a boxy

red and white lanyard for my mother.

She gave me life and milk from her breasts,

and I gave her a lanyard.

She nursed me in many a sickroom,

lifted teaspoons of medicine to my lips,

set cold face-cloths on my forehead,

and then led me out into the airy light

and taught me to walk and swim,

and I, in turn, presented her with a lanyard.

Here are thousands of meals, she said,

and here is clothing and a good education.

And here is your lanyard, I replied,

which I made with a little help from a counselor.

Here is a breathing body and a beating heart,

strong legs, bones and teeth,

and two clear eyes to read the world, she whispered,

and here, I said, is the lanyard I made at camp.

And here, I wish to say to her now,

is a smaller gift—not the archaic truth

that you can never repay your mother,

but the rueful admission that when she took

the two-tone lanyard from my hands,

I was as sure as a boy could be

that this useless, worthless thing I wove

out of boredom would be enough to make us even.

In the contemporary child's world a 'lanyard' is a woven plastic keyring attatchment ... and, if you ever went to summer camp, you probably made one too. 

Pencil sketch by Leslie Frazier

In memory of my beautiful, beloved mother ... you are missed beyond belief.

 MOTHERS

Mothers must draw a subtle line

Finer than any thread is fine

Must firmly hold, but never clutch

Must freely give, but not too much

Must stand apart, but not too far

Must heal the wound, but bless the scar

And falsely speaking, truly tell

And guarding, never guard too well

And hearing, fail to overhear

And fearing all things, have no fear

And loving, love each child the best

Yet not one child more than the rest

How wonderful ... five new followers. Thanks so much for joining in!
Maria  @ pretty thinks ireland
Rosamargarita  @LA TAPATÍA
Kati  @ lasituvan miniatyyrit
Suzanne ... so sorry, I can't find the link!
Catherine  @ Blogger (Blogspot) - lemondecratifdecatherine

It's lovely to have four new followers ... a grateful thanks to all of you!

Catherine @Le Monde de Catherine

Heleni @Blogger (Blogspot) - heleni-trespetitblanc

Sans @My Maharajah's Palace

Arantax @Las miniaturas de los Talis

SOMETHINGS ARE JUST BETTER IN WHITE

A few lovelies hanging about the house ... except for Maudie Blanche, my sheepish Irish lass, who's busy mowing the back forty over in Co. Cork!

ALL THE THINGS I MANAGED TO SAVE FROM

IMMINENT DISREGARD

AT THE MORRO BAY CITYWIDE YARD SALE

AND JUNK FEST ... !

An abondoned shoebox of forlorn miniatures,

SAVED for a rainy day of creative speculation

and little daydreams.

Discarded charm, SAVED to pillow weary heads

and secret nighttime readers.

Price tags still attached.

A clear shot of the Guerlain bottle ... almost six inches tall!

SAVED for the colour of its sky blue stopper and tarnished label.

An old Edwardian candy box and French perfume bottle,

SAVED for the beauty of it all.

Two lovely, tarnished silver ladies, SAVED for Christmas next,

and everyday before and thereafter.

A sweet Saint, dressed in satin lustre and sparkling stars,

SAVED from the hands of someone who should

never have let it go!

Two beautiful old French books ... dated 1718 and 1774

SAVED from a life of dust and mold and jaded eyes!

A ruched 1940's bedjacket,

SAVED for a lifetime of complementing

a favourite pair of old, tattered, faded Levis.

A vintage memory ... SAVED from a life lived

at the bottom of a dusty, musty keepsake box.

A molly-dolly in a red-checked dress,

SAVED from a depressing future as 1950's has been.

Why, why ... why?

A very warm welcome to my three new followers ... and a thank you too!

Cheryl @A Miniature Place

Jeannette @Blogger (Blogspot) - gardenofminiatures

Patty @http://patty-petit-orphelin.blogspot.com/ (thanks Patty)

A FEW MORE STERLING SILVER PIECES TO SHARE

BEFORE I HIT THE ROAD AGAIN!

Pierced bride's basket, and oval picture frames by ... could it be Gordon Blacklock?

Porringer, silver capped inkwells, chased hairbrush all by Obadiah Fisher

Ivory and sterling baby teether by David Edwards

Engraved 'Baby' cup by Pete Aquisto

Candlesticks by various artisans

Occassional table by Warren Dick

CLEANING MINIATURE SILVER

Even though I like a bit of tarnish and patina on my human-sized pieces of silver, miniature silver should never be left to tarnish long, as it's almost impossible to restore its original shine without a lot of tedious, time consuming effort. When I do polish I use a dampened Q-Tip (cotton swab) and a bit of silver paste (Wrights is good, or any other non-abrasive brand), but never a liquid dip, as it will remove all that lovely dark tarnish that has gathered in the nooks and crannies to outline the details. I keep a glass of hot water handy to drop the pieces in when finished, and after the water bath use a fine, soft brush to remove any residue that may remain in a few tight places ... rinse again, then use a tea-shirt like fabric (preferably 100% cotton) to polish gently. If you've missed some of the paste it will show white when dried, and you can remove it then. Word of warning ... never do your cleaning near an open drain! You will cry yourself to sleep fretting over some little lovely that took a notion to explore the dark underbelly of the kitchen sink ... trust me on this one! When you've finished polishing it all, there's nothing quite so satisfying as the lustre of old silver mixed amongst all your beautiful weensie crystal, and embroidered linens.

Hello and Goodbye ... all in the same breath!

Just a short mini (ha!) post between a stop-over at home, and leaving for another job tomorrow. Glorious weather to work in ... finally, and just enough time in town to frolic through our annual Morro Bay citywide yard-sale last weekend! What fun, although I didn't find nearly as much as I did last year ... will post pix as soon as I return. Thanks everyone, for putting up with all this sporadic blogging ... hope to settle down, and have more time at home soon. Here's wishing everyone a sweet few weeks whilst all this lovely air is upon us and hoping too that springtime holds court longer than usual! This is my favorite season, and it seems to be rushing by way too fast for me to keep up!

A TRAY FULL OF BEAUTIFUL BABY SILVER

What a lousy record keeper I turned out to be! I'm so sorry I can't remember the name of the gentleman who made the wee cup (about the size of a pencil eraser) and porringer (charmingly dented due to an unfortunate vacuum tragedy). I suppose I thought my memory would last forever, since I hardly ever use it, but alas, no such luck. However, I do remember he was from England, and that I bought it at the 'Good Sam' show in Santa Clara, California. The practically infinitesimal, curved handled baby spoon is by Pete Aquisto, whom I'm assuming has had to order new magnifying glasses rivaling the Hubble telescope, in order to have actually crafted a pattern on the handle of it. I also have a beautiful little cup Pete made that has 'Baby' engraved on it ... yup! ... new glasses for sure! All these pieces are sterling, and another porringer I have (a bit larger than this one) has a hallmark I'm sure no human can possibly read ... Hubble or no! For those of you unfamiliar with the term porringer (pronounced poor-en-jur) ... a porringer is a little bowl with a pierced, decorative handle (or sometimes two) made for baby's bit of porridge (e.g. oatmeal, mush, cooked cereal ... remember Goldilocks?). Nowadays they are almost always done in silver or pewter, and many times a spoon, a cup or a porringer, or all three in a set, are given as traditional christening gifts, meant to endure being passed down through several generations as treasured family heirlooms. I know one family whose little silver bowl has felt the grasp of so many tiny hands you'd be hard pressed to find space enough to engrave the name and date of birth of yet one more single newborn! In colonial times and earlier, porringers were used by adults as well, and came in a variety of materials. Hand carved, turned, or shaped by hand in bone, wood, ceramics and porcelain, they rarely survived the rigors of everyday use, so much so that serviceable antique pieces like them are extremely rare today and therefore quite collectible. Okay, I've worn my brain out trying to think of all these official sounding words! So ... grateful that you all must be ... I won't even begin to go into 'pap boats' during this lifetime, or the next.

A VERY WARM WELCOME TO MY NEW FOLLOWERS ... THANK YOU SO MUCH !

Jaana @Printtejä nukkekotiin and Nukkekoti Kirvesmäki - Dollhouse Kirvesmäki Jaana's Dollhouses and Miniatures

Rosa Maria @ Blogger (Blogspot) - contrastes-rosamaria and Álbumes web de Picasa

Sherry Raines @http://www.wonderhowto.com/

Marian @MundoMarian and Mi Agenda Mini

Araceli Reyes ... can't find a link

Karin @ Karin Corbin Miniatures

Flora @la casa delle bambole di flora

Catherine @Kilmouski & Me

Surely hope I haven't forgotten anyone, but if I have please know how happy I am that you've joined.

* I HAVE TO GO RIGHT NOW *

BUT I'LL BE BACK SOON!

I RECEIVED THIS EMAIL FROM MY FRIEND MARY THIS MORNING ... AND I THOUGHT IT IMPORTANT ENOUGH TO SHARE ...

Sendai, Japan ... March 15, 2011

Hello My Lovely… Family and Friends,

First I want to thank you so very much for your concern for me. I am very touched. I also wish to apologize for a generic message to you all. But it seems the best way at the moment to get my message to you. Things here in Sendai have been rather surreal. But I am very blessed to have wonderful friends who are helping me a lot. Since my shack is even more worthy of that name, I am now staying at a friend’s home. We share supplies like water, food and a kerosene heater. We sleep lined up in one room, eat by candle light, share stories. It is warm, friendly, and beautiful.

The famous Matsushima bay near Sendai - one of Japan's most scenic spots. The tsunami most likely will have caused devastation to the villages along the bay, to the islands as well as the oyster farms in the area. Image by David Ooms via flickr.

During the day we help each other clean up the mess in our homes. People sit in their cars, looking at news on their navigation screens, or line up to get drinking water when a source is open. If someone has water running in their home, they put out sign so people can come to fill up their jugs and buckets. Utterly amazingly where I am there has been no looting, no pushing in lines. People leave their front door open, as it is safer when an earthquake strikes. People keep saying, “Oh, this is how it used to be in the old days when everyone helped one another.”

Quakes keep coming. Last night they struck about every 15 minutes. Sirens are constant and helicopters pass overhead often. We got water for a few hours in our homes last night, and now it is for half a day. Electricity came on this afternoon. Gas has not yet come on. But all of this is by area. Some people have these things; others do not. No one has washed for several days. We feel grubby, but there are so much more important concerns than that for us now. I love this peeling away of non-essentials. Living fully on the level of instinct, of intuition, of caring, of what is needed for survival, not just of me, but of the entire group.

There are strange parallel universes happening. Houses a mess in some places, yet then a house with futons or laundry out drying in the sun. People lining up for water and food, and yet a few people out walking their dogs. All happening at the same time. Other unexpected touches of beauty are first, the silence at night. No cars. No one out on the streets. And the heavens at night are scattered with stars. I usually can see about two, but now the whole sky is filled

The mountains are Sendai are solid and with the crisp air we can see them silhouetted against the sky magnificently.

And the Japanese themselves are so wonderful. I come back to my shack to check on it each day, now to send this e-mail since the electricity is on, and I find food and water left in my entranceway. I have no idea from whom, but it is there. Old men in green hats go from door to door checking to see if everyone is OK. People talk to complete strangers asking if they need help. I see no signs of fear. Resignation, yes, but fear or panic, no.

They tell us we can expect aftershocks, and even other major quakes, for another month or more. And we are getting constant tremors, rolls, shaking, rumbling. I am blessed in that I live in a part of Sendai that is a bit elevated, a bit more solid than other parts. So, so far this area is better off than others. Last night my friend’s husband came in from the country, bringing food and water. Blessed again. Somehow at this time I realize from direct experience that there is indeed an enormous Cosmic evolutionary step that is occurring all over the world right at this moment. And somehow as I experience the events happening now in Japan, I can feel my heart opening very wide. My brother asked me if I felt so small because of all that is happening. I don’t. Rather, I feel as part of something happening that much larger than myself. This wave of birthing (worldwide) is hard, and yet magnificent.

Thank you again for your care and Love of me,
With Love in return, to you all,
Anne

WHAT AN INCREDIBLE LESSON FOR ALL OF US ... IN ACCEPTANCE, PERSEVERANCE, SEFLESSNESS, AND COMPASSION FOR THE HUMAN CONDITION.