blogs of photogs

Shannon Holden’s blog and site feature photographs that just seem to glow from within. The quality of light is phenomenal, she does such a breathtaking job of capturing the light, and almost wrapping it around her subjects. After looking over her whole blog and site, I finally read a bit about her, and found that we share some similarities in that we both lost our beloved moms to cancer. I have to think that our mothers can see our love for them shining through, in each of our work, capturing beautiful images for others. Life does go by in a blink. Hugs from one who knows your loss Shannon.

Anyway, I know you will enjoy her work, it is truly superb! 

Mary

Ps: 

On a completely unrelated side note: I’m sure most of my readers don’t know this, but for each blog I review, I have probably looked at over 15-20 blogs that day before I find one that I want to review. Its a hugely time consuming process, even before you add in the moderating comments, the 30+ emails I get each week asking to be reviewed, or the emails wondering why I haven’t gotten to their blog yet, or suggesting a friends blog, or asking me to give them photography tips, or wondering what are the requirements to be featured, etc, etc. You get the picture. Anyway,  during this busy holiday portrait season especially, I’m really hoping that I have time to post a few reviews a week, and I just wanted to ask for my readers patience in remembering that I’m a full time photographer as well, and a mom to three kids, and overly politically active, and some of the recent emails I’ve gotten are rather unkind. I really hope that this blog is a source of knowledge and inspiration to everyone who reads it–I love doing it and am so very grateful for those who are reading.

best,

Mary

Since so many of us photograph children, and many of us are parents, I wanted to bring this wonderful group to the attention of my readers:

Parents for Ethical Marketing (PEM-click here for link)

Here is a snip from their website to explain their focus much better than I could:

Why Parents for Ethical Marketing?

Consumer marketing is everywhere. On television. In magazines and newspapers. On the Internet and on school buses. On billboards and on bus shelters. On milk cartons and cereal boxes.

In our public schools.

And it’s almost impossible to buy anything for a child without a “brand identity.” Barbie, for example, can be found on everything from band-aids to board games to backpacks.

As parents, we know there’s a problem. We argue with our kids about what to buy, what to wear, what to watch and what to play. We know what is best for our kids, yet sometimes we give in when we know we shouldn’t.

Of course, parents are ultimately responsible for raising healthy children. But corporate marketers would have us believe that combating their damaging commercial messages is exclusively our problem

Parents for Ethical Marketing thinks it’s about time that corporations take some of the responsibility.

Through parental awareness, public pressure, and legislative initiatives, Parents for Ethical Marketing encourages corporations to adopt responsible marketing standards and practices that sustain the health of children and families.

If this is a topic that is interesting and important to you, as it is to me, you can join PEM’s mailing list for updates and action information. Thanks for reading!

Mary

I hope not! If all goes well, and my little wordpress calendar doesn’t fail me, there should be three new posts published while I am gone on my two week vacation! Cross your fingers that they show up on July 30, Aug 4 and Aug 7. I worked my butt off the past two days getting all the posts reviewed and lined up–(wish I meant that literally, but alas, the life of a digital photographer and blogger causes my butt to be a bit too generous, lol)

I will be swimming, fishing, hiking, and relaxing with my terrific husband and truly enjoying (and photographing!) my three amazing children… seen here:

Hope to check in by iphone, but who knows? Happy Summer!

Mary

I wanted to share this nifty new application I found on one of the blogs I looked at recently (sorry that I have forgotten where I found it!) Its called Wordle and you can find it at wordle.net

Basically, you can create a beautiful word cloud out of any site or blog that has an RSS stream. Here is the cloud I created from recent blogs of photogs posts:

Click the image to go check it out larger at flickr. I even picked the colors to match my blog. I think it is a fun thing to add to your photo blog….so I wanted to share it here for my readers. :) 

Enjoy!

Mary

Ok, I know, I know. I hear the blogs of photogs purists screaming and sloshing their starbucks in indignation. Dooce (aka: Heather Armstrong) is not really a photographer, because she pays her bills with blogging, not portraiture or wedding work, etc. But, she does do the Photo of the Day, and is amazingly talented at both photography and blogging, (and hilarious to boot) so, there you go. Plus, I’ve been a fan for years and years, so: She is our featured photographer of the day!

If there is actually someone out there who has not read Dooce, I’ll be a bit surprised, as there are so many people who I know, who have been faithful Dooce fans forever. I’ll bet many of you have not read her blog in a while, or have forgotten how funny her blog is, how addictive and interesting it is, and sometimes even feel like she is a friend IRL, in that weird way that blogs (and their authors) that we are familiar with become a part of us. Either way, check it out, for the first time, or find it again. Its singularly fabulous.

~enjoy!

Mary

Ok, all of you who have emailed me encouraging me to feature the Pioneer Woman, here she is so you can sit back, smile and stop asking!! I have never gotten so many emails about *one* blog. I haven’t read her blog in so long, used to check it out regularly a long time ago, but its gotten even better. Witty, smart, funny, beautiful photography, recipes, you name it. I won’t even go on, but know that I could. Get your coffee, and head on over. This is one to add to your feedburner for sure.

~enjoy!

Mary

Been busy and a family emergency, my brother is in the hospital, emergency surgery, etc. Keep him in your prayers if you could. Hope to post a new blog soon. Thanks for good thoughts and patience.

From time to time we will spotlight a blog of a photographer we love. Check it out often and feel free to submit your favorite photography blog to showcase it here! Email to blogsofphotogs@gmail.com
~Mary