Photography & art making HAVE been going on behind the scenes despite a blog postings drought the past two years. I’ve been working intensively on photography ~ challenging myself with new subject material, upgrading my skills & equipment, entering competitive shows and winning awards!

Santa Rosa Mall entry courtyard with hand sculpture and flowering pear tree (2012)

Was genuinely surprised ~ and DELIGHTED ~ over winning two first place blue ribbons, a second, and fifth place award at the Sonoma County 2011 Harvest Fair last October!! Significantly, this was the first time recently, I’ve entered conventional photographic images along with my D’Gravure™ digital etchings. Both approaches won awards. Quite an honor given all the incredible photographers we have in the area!

I’ve also been building various photo albums on Facebook. It’s great fun getting feedback from family, friends, and friends of friends ~ a wonderful opportunity to meet folks virtually, and occasionally in person. One goal for 2012: get my image collections on-line here, important since Facebook is changeable and ultimately participants – artists – photographers don’t have any say over the FB venue.

My newest photographic theme is Suburban Sonoma County. I’m always photographing flowers & trees, then added landscapes and seascapes in the past decade….but found myself surprised when my sister commented “An unusual photo for you. Really great” about Sebastopol Autumn Reflected (NOV 2010), one of my Harvest Fair entries :

Sebastopol Autumn, Reflected (2010)

Her comment made me realize I rarely photograph any local ‘suburban’ scenes even though it’s what I often admire in Victoria’s ‘Brooklyn’ album on Facebook. So here goes! Read more

Welcome 2012! My new year’s resolution is to post regularly to the three blogs I write: on art photography, gourmet vegetarian food, and natural healing with essential oils.

Though my SpringMoon blog has appeared utterly neglected (no posts / updates since April 2008), I’ve been VERY busy with photography and art behind the scenes. Was gifted a new camera: Nikon 5000D and a 28-300mm lens by my incredibly generous sister in this time period. Have been teaching myself to use it and investing in professional quality equipment such as:
~ a Vanguard carbon fiber tripod and pistol grip swivel mount
~ a tabletop lightbox for food and product photography (still need better lights)

Also, with the encouragement of a Facebook friend, Ethan Tweedie, who does spectacular landscape photography in Hawaii, started taking a Lynda.com course on shooting in RAW, which is improving what I can do with my photography ~ preserving max exposure details in the highlights and shadows and a wide range of color hues. More on this in specific articles I have planned.

Sunny Gerbera Daisy ~ A summery flower to brighten your New Year.

Images to greet the new year: This pale ivory Gerbera Daisy shot several years ago is one of the first ‘high-key’ images I’ve taken with it’s dark center being the only strong point of contrast. Liked the image and have wanted to make Read more

'Crabapple Blossom & Buds' Copyright 2004-2010 Cynthe Brush All Rights Reserved.

Brooklyn Botanic Garden is celebrating its Centennial in 2010. This summer a Garden-wide exhibition 100 Years, 100 Stories including a special selection of photos and memorabilia in the Steinhardt Conservatory Gallery display will showcase BBG’s history—important achievements and lesser known milestones, as well as personal stories from members, visitors, neighbors, volunteers, and staff.

The 100 Years, 100 Stories Opening Reception is scheduled for:
Sunday ~ June 13, 4 to 6 pm.

The exhibition will run:
Tuesday, June 8, 2010 – Sunday, September 5, 2010

With their goal of making the celebration personal, Brooklyn Botanic Garden solicited photo entries via a special Flickr group with accompanying stories of folks’ recollections: what they especially enjoy about the gardens, how they’ve spent time there.

Here are the images I shared on the BBG Flickr group: Read more