Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Christmas is coming.....

I was deep in thought yesterday - thinking about Christmas - giving my inner spirit a little nudge to see if there was ANY Christmas spirit lurking in the deep dark recesses - and I realized that whether or not I have any Christmas spirit - Christmas is gonna come - ready or not here it is!!

Last week I got a text message from youngest daughter (who - for the record - LOVES Christmas - is a total Christmas nut). It was like a coded message no one else would get it - but "mom" did - and mom filled up with tears.  She wrote "Christmas is coming - the goose is getting fat - won't you put a penny in a poor man's hat - if you haven't got a penny a ha' penny will do - if you haven't got a ha' penny then god bless you".  When she was young I would sing that to her every week (sometimes every day) through Advent.  The song rolled around in my head for a little bit - then totally disappeared - POOF gone.  (kinda like my Christmas spirit)

When I was baking this week - I thought how I was really just going through the motions.... there was no Christmas joy to all this baking.  But Christmas WAS coming and the baking HAD to be done.................. 

Then last night I had my last photography class.  Just before I left I grabbed a Christmas CD and popped it in the player in the car.  (really there are no good radio stations here in Kingston - and certainly none I have found that play Christmas music)

We had the formal last class then teacher took us all downtown to photograph the Christmas lights - AND - she agreed to teach me how to freeze frame motion.  You do know what I am talking about - when you see all those photos of sports - where one figure is frozen in time and all the action around them is blurred - showing the motion the speed - the action.  I wanted to learn that.

I took the back roads to downtown (due to road closures) and found myself driving slowly over snow covered roads - soft snow flakes floating down - Christmas music softly playing - and down each dark street the Christmas lights brightened the way - glowing like magic in the darkness - each house offering some special sparkling moment of Christmas magic.

I spent about an hour in the minus freezing temperatures struggling with the freeze frame motion shots............ most didn't turn out - a couple sorta/kinda did - when my teacher came to speak to me - to see how it was going to check out my shots - it was like she woke me from a dream - I had been so immersed in the sparkling lights reflecting off the ice rink - so immersed in the skaters - the lovers - the magic of the moment.

And then - when the body couldn't handle the cold anymore - when my face was frozen into an ice mask - I made my way back to the car, dragging the camera bag and tripod.  I drove home along the same dark streets with the same Christmas lights sparkling - and as I turned into our lil street - my heart was glowing.  

Christmas IS coming - and it is starting to feel so very right!

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For those of you who are interested in my learning curve in photography - here are my first efforts at freeze framing motion  - skaters at city hall.............

The tree behind City Hall at the corner of the skating rink.............


my first efforts at freeze motion photography 

 





just some ghosts skating past

1 comment:

  1. Anonymous10:24 am

    I enjoyed today's blog (frankly, I enjoy all of them). I like the pictures, keep learning and clicking! You are an adventurous lady. I love that you have not stopped living.

    I read several blogs every day but yours is special to me. Your active interest and pursuit of personal growth have the "ripple effect" - You inspire me!

    In the past I had been making my comments as anonymous; today, I am a Lurker no more, my name is Sharon.

    Have a Happy Holiday Spirit every day!

    ReplyDelete

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