2022 Thanksgiving is for Memories and......

Historically Thanksgiving has Always Been for Memories 

Taking your child or Grandchild out for their first Christmas tree cutting, is definitely one of those grand memories. 

And if your mail person is a kind one, perhaps their first sit in the mail truck, engine off of course and emergency brake on. 

I'm sure you can think of a few dozen more, such as their birth, then their first Birthday, and so on. 

Memories is why we give thanks to our families and friends and those special moments. But Thanksgiving dinners and gatherings can as well be about, what those memories can foretell to a degree about our futures. Our futures become a live topic all the day long on Thanksgiving, and for days after. Planning ahead, at least in our thoughts about what might become of our family and our extended families. Will a member stay local or move to a far off location? Perhaps college or university life beckons, or a new opportunity for a job, or a new career opens up or retirement sends us off to a warmer location.

I like spending time ahead of Thanksgiving thinking about these possibilities before the day of, so I can open up conversations, once our company has had the chance to settle in and perhaps after a game or before, but certainly not immediately and certainly not in a manner that is argumentative.  There are times for that type of approach. Thanksgiving is the time for bringing out older family photo albums, or connecting from phone to tv, digital photo frames running, perhaps sharing photos on your device with others. There are so many more ways today to share our treasured pictures. I have been known to bring out any special items that belong to a focused family members keepsakes to share and for family members to hold and treasure during their visit. Mementos are a gift to as much or more than photos depending upon the significance. I hold dear my Grandfathers Fire Chief badges and ribbons as well as my Father's war photos, his career photos and his wallet with items still inside. 

Here's hoping you will have these opportunities for both memories and future thoughts during this very special day.

Happy Thanksgiving and thanks for reading

If there's a lag in conversation and you prefer another shared experience, take a jump to my website

Veteran's Day November 11th Every Year

On Friday, Nov 11th we Give Thanks to all who Have Served in Defense of our Country

Memorial Day is the day we honor those military personnel who have sacrificed their lives. But we can, if you choose, honor both on both days. However it is best to remember which day represents the proper soldiers.  Memorial Day on May 30th (last Monday in May every year), and Veteran's Day on November 11th (every year).

It's always an honor to be told "Thank you for your service" no matter where I am. I was walking in a grocery store yesterday, when a man walked up to me, reached out his hand to shake mine, and used that phrase. I realized a second later it was doubtless because of my military ball cap I had just purchased a week ago at an Military Exchange store. Not why I bought it, and I will be aware on the next occasion I wear it of what to expect, perhaps.

So even though I'm not suggesting you shake the hand of everyone wearing a military cap, you might get a renewed sense of just how many we see as we are doing our daily duties outside of work. And knowing that, we might also get a sense of the vast number of those who have served, we can't recognize, without their cap. There are many. Some of which, too many in fact, who live alone, or don't have friends who might call or visit to just spend time together. And their are still the numbers of homeless vets out there.

For any of those Veterans you have in your family and extended family and friends, make it a mandate that you at least say hi, with a call, a text, an email or better yet, a visit to see them. You don't have to bring up war stories. But you might celebrate their service with that oh so common phrase again, " I just wanted you to know I appreciate your time the military and what you've done for all of us here at home, or something similar.

There are many other ways to say thank you too. A meal, a day invited over to your home, a walk, a movie, a game, a gift of any appropriate category. Because my specialty is photography I get to choose from my own portfolio. The best to you and your veteran 

1-rich-collins.pixels.com/

  

 

About my Photographic Art and Digital Image Rights

Purchase of digital image rights from any of my images for commercial use 

In making available digital rights managed image files I keep the rights managed part very simple. In offering digital rights use I assign cost to use on your end. Contact me with a question about a digital rights need or add comments below any photos you view or purchase. A few examples and a link to my website

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Veterans Day: forget Dinner for a Vet, Give them a Print they will Remember

Rather than Spending $$$$ on Dinner for Your Favorite Veteran, Gift them a Special Print that will last for Decades

Your Special Veteran, deserves a lasting memorial from you and your family. And instead of a surprise, ask them to join you in viewing you online at my website to allow them to pick what they want to hang on their wall.

So many to choose from, and you don't want to get this wrong. 

Here's just one to show them 

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A Photographer's Bio

    For years, all I have focused on was selling my photography. I mean that's what I do. But then I read a Bio of another artist in a different media, and got to thinking, well that really was interesting. Readers do care about the artists they follow and buy from.

So let's get going, if you will...........at the beginning

What got me started in cameras, at the age of 7, was a dragon fly, on our farm. I was sneaking off with my Mother's camera. She didn't like that but I was pretty careful about running out into our acres of alfalfa, oats or Timothy hay. We fed our cattle and horses, with these crops. But what was in our fields, was a lot more than oats and alfalfa. These crops were teeming with miniature wildlife, and which gave me a profound interest in them all. Spiders of many varieties, caterpillars, dragon flies, honey bees and Robins, crows and Gartner snakes. I couldn't take enough pics. Then there were the crops, the seeded heads, the wind bending them, the clouds and she shadows, it just went on and on. I was, quite simply, inspired.

Crimson Clover Fields

Mom figured it out pretty quickly

At seven I wasn't adept at pulling out each roll and replacing with a new one. nor did I have an income to do so. Either way it wasn't long before she eased her rigidity and allowed me to continue. She was in fact, my first customer. I recall she made cupcakes for me whenever she discovered a really good pic after developing a roll of film. That was all I needed to fall in love with shooting wildlife on film. Now I get that she was just being a loving Mother. And I miss her. She passed March of 2020 at 94. 

What are my beliefs, my politics, my goals? I think I'll leave politics out of this, because I've learned not to believe I have any control over what someone else chooses in that area. You can guess, but I won't respond. My goals? Hmmm, quite different than when I was in high school, like most all of us, fun was a hot topic. Once through college though my focus migrated to building an income, all the while still shooting, but wildlife had taken second string to landscape imagery. You'll see that when you visit my website

I've taken turns at many types of photography. I've enjoyed every one of them. And some of it has inspired me to become creative enough, to change what my subject is being shown to me at the time, to what I want to see it developed at. I've come to believe that hanging art in our homes should be as close to exactly what we want it to be. For example I took a shot of a roaring steam locomotive moving past me at 70 mph, while I was within 8' of it. Yup I felt the powerful air draw as it rushed by, and I won't ever do that again. But after the result of blur in the image, I then enhanced it some to get even better results than I imagined. But that shot was a once in a lifetime capture and here it is locomotive Wheels Roaring by

I don't only spend time shooting anymore though. I spend a fair amount of my time constantly remodeling, and upgrading the home. During the summer I also spend lots of time tending our 2 organic gardens, using 2 organic compost tumblers. My diet has changed to the leaner side and with lots of fresh garden veggies, my exercise is still going strong for my age, my sleep is so much better now, and my stress levels are as low as I can get them. I have been battling cancer for 5 years now and with all the changes I just mentioned, I am on the winning side of it. Knock on wood.

And I love to fish for Chinook, Steelhead, Coho in the Columbia River and land-locked-Sockeye in local lakes. I'll fish from the shore or from our boat. Both are equally enjoyable, unless it gets crowded, ughhh. So many more fishermen than there used to be.

So while I still love photography, I find myself considering gravitating from my Canon cameras, to the latest iPhone 14 with 48 MP sensor, for everyday use. But my Canon's are still the go-to because of the size of the 6.4 micron sensor pixels. The larger these are the more light is let in, given my choice of lens and its aperture setting and the White Balance setting in the camera. 

If you have any questions about me or my work, or just want to add anything, do so in the comments section below. Would love to hear you

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Home and Business Art Questions, You Wish to Discover Your Answers to

Answer these questions to see if you know about why you hang art 

Why is it important to understand the 'why' of hanging art in our homes and businesses? It is the essence of what sparks our desire, our need, our fascination for art pieces in our living and working spaces. Understand this, and you've made choosing what to hang, a much easier task. In fact a pleasurable one. 

Your answers can be a comment below listing the numbers along with your answers

1.  When you hung your last piece of art, be it a photo or a painting, or a print, what was it that inspired you to purchase and hang it? 

2. Was any art you've hung a preference to a media type, paper, wood, metal, glass, etc?

3. Have you found by visiting a business or another's home that you were influenced by the art hung in their spaces, that you purchased similar art hangings? If so why?

4. Do you go online or out seeking a specific look from art, or are you more spontaneous?

5. Do you find that once you've purchased and hung a piece, that you've regretted it? Resold, or gave it away and bought another? Or have you held onto it and why?

Answering these can give you insight to your psyche on what you choose to surround yourself with, what you have selected to present yourself to others impression of you, how you've decided to calm or energize yourself, what preferences you have in choosing wall hangings. You Amy also discover your tastes have changed. That perhaps ahead you will choose different styles of wall art.

After answering, I'll add my website for you to view, if this exercise deems appropriate, my website

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It's Never too Early to Size up Gifts for Christmas

 Feel free to view Wall Art for yourself or loved         ones Now..............you don't have to buy now, just prepare yourself for Christmas

A few to show you what's available, right now, at my site  Link through to see many more if you dare

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