willowdawn | Whidbey Island, Washington's Premier Photographer

I missed the sailboats.

willowdawn — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 04:18:49 +0000

Race Week just finished here on Whidbey Island and well, I missed all the boats in the cove and the photo ops that come along with them. First couple of days I was busy, yesterday I was held hostage by Comcast cable (and my internet STILL goes out… grrrr!) and today I was having such a nice time socializing that I got distracted and FORGOT to get down to the wharf in time. It’s not like it was an arduous journey, the wharf is only two blocks away! Oh well, I’ll have to be more diligent next year.

*paying respect where it’s due… I saw a similar shot on the Coupeville facebook page and HAD to go recreate it for myself. Theirs of course was filled with lovely sail boats racing and Mt. Baker is FULLY visible. I’m jealous and will have to make do with my partially visible Mt. Baker and the sailboats heading back to Oak Harbor.

I adore Poppies!

willowdawn — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 18:30:09 +0000

Well, OK, I love flowers. But Poppies definitely rank amongst my favorites. Just around the corner from our new home is a garden that was simply overflowing with the most amazing Poppies. Unfortunately for me, I was a bit distracted trying to get our new home established and so only recently had a chance to go grab a few shots of the flowers. The Poppies are definitely past their prime as many were gone, leaving seed pods in their stead, but there were plenty still to admire.

And who can ignore the lovely Queen Anne’s Lace. Though I’m betting most have not seen it so up close and personal before… I do love my macro lens!

Well, the bummer isn’t so big after all.

willowdawn — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 03:55:04 +0000

We are in our new home, and wouldn’t you know it, we are close enough to the local library that we can pick up their wireless! Yippee! So I am not without my computer as originally thought. We will still be excited to get our cable/internet/stuff – but knowing I’m not completely cut off from the WWW is nice!

And well, the obligatory photo…

This VERY COOL fence is created from 1000 iron wheels. It surrounds a barn in Uniontown, Washington that has been restored and transformed into an artists’ community.

Well, bummer!

willowdawn — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 15:25:41 +0000

Actually, it’s not ALL bad news – we are moving into our rental house today! Whoooo hooooo! BUT, and here’s the bummer part, our “stuff” doesn’t get delivered until the 29th. And the cable guy doesn’t come until the 26th. So… I’ll be on using my phone only for internet again. I’ll be unable to attach forms etc to emails… or send lengthy emails for that matter as my thumbs fatigue from too much “typing”! I really do marvel at the next generation and their ability to text so quickly!

And just because I don’t believe in posting without a photo… My family below the Deception Pass Bridge, connecting Fidalgo Island to Whidbey Island.

A little collage of our trip.

willowdawn — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 02:06:48 +0000

So our very very busy first week of June started with the sale of our home (closing) on May 28th, our daughter’s graduation on May 29th and then she and I starting our journey west, across the US. Starting in Virginia and ending in Washington, here are just a few pics of our journey and what we’ve discovered on our new island home. As I type this, I realize that I’ve completely forgotten some important stops along the way – that I do in fact have photos of, so I will have to update this when I figure out where I’ve put those pics. We are currently between homes, living in a couple (yes plural) small apartments whilst we await our move in to the house we’ve rented for the two years we will be here. So until I get my act together, enjoy the first installment…

AJ’s grandmother let AJ and her friend drive to lunch in Grandma’s BMW convertible. I’m pretty sure there is a rumour that the car was a gift. No such luck for AJ. We hit a lot of “big sky” in Montana, discovered the darling town of Leavenworth, WA – and then proceeded onto our island home. Our first night, I found a heart shaped rock and a couple of days later I found a crab, holding a crab town council. That amazing poppy is growing in my new front yard. Yep, I’m a happy girl!!!

The sun DOES shine in this part of the world!

willowdawn — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 21:55:14 +0000

And I’ve got the sunburn on my shoulders to prove it! Seriously though, we’ve had some amazingly beautiful days and I’ve been taking full advantage of them to discover as many hidden gems on this island as I can. Yesterday, my youngest and I hit Fort Casey to check it out – and to enjoy the weather! WOW! Fields of flowers, concrete structures, a lighthouse and a beach. It’s a photographer’s one stop shop for locations! Though the fact that it closes at dusk does throw a bit of a damper on it. I still think my faithful readers should get used to seeing it!

We have arrived!

willowdawn — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 16:14:01 +0000

We arrive on Saturday to a positively GLORIOUS day on Whidbey Island. I couldn’t resist sharing one photo from that evening as my husband and I hit the beach at sunset, as he was giving me my nickel tour of the island.

Lots of exciting and amazing sites to see on our new island home, and I can tell that our family will thoroughly enjoy our time here. Once I get a bit more settled and established, I’ll share some photos from our trip cross country – but first I need to find the cords necessary to make all my gear talk to one another.

So long…farewell…auf weidersehen goodbye…

willowdawn — Mon, 24 May 2010 22:03:14 +0000

The time has come to leave Virginia. We’ve enjoyed almost five years here (a lifetime in our Naval career of moving!) and now it’s onward for the next chapter of our lives. Many mahalos to all the amazing people I’ve had the pleasure of meeting and working with. I truly have had the greatest clients. I appreciate that each one of you trusted me to capture your loved one(s). Many of you have jumped from client, to friend and I treasure each of you. To each and every one of you, I bid you ALOHA!

*oh, and please don’t judge the photo! I took it with my iPhone!

Sweet Family of Seven!

willowdawn — Tue, 18 May 2010 12:02:30 +0000

The above is what happens when you tell five children to “pose themselves”. The real, relaxed and genuine “kid” comes out. These gorgeous children belong to another local photographer and friend – and if you read photography blogs at all, I’m sure you’ve heard about “Photographer’s Child Syndrome” or PCS for short. The children of photographer’s have become immune to having their portraits made… and can become shall we say, less than co-operative. Not bratty, or belligerent, just easily bored. The excitement is long gone for our children, and they know that another session is still in their future. And as a result, we often walk away from sessions with our own families without the beautiful portraits we create for our clients. Sometimes, having a photographer other than “mom”, is just what is needed to be sure that the “cobbler’s children will have shoes”. And as an added bonus, Mom gets to be in the photos too!

Macro Monday

willowdawn — Sun, 09 May 2010 18:30:14 +0000

So I’m a day early. I’m quite sure tomorrow will be to busy to remember to post these so I’m doing it today! By utilizing my macro lens, I’m able to photography tiny details at lifesize. And then of course, blow them up larger than life.

My favoritest flower ever is the Peony. I was presented with a bouquet of them when my oldest daughter was born and it’s been true love ever since. With both my daughter and the flowers. I planted a few peony bushes a couple of years ago, but it takes about 5 years for them to become truly established. Last year I only had two blossoms. But this year I’ve got 12 buds. YEAH!!! I had heard that peonies require the assistance of ants to open their buds. Though after a bit of research, I discovered that this has been proven untrue, but rather that the sticky sweet sap on the blossoms, simply attract ants. The blossoms however do not NEED the ants to open. I did notice that the buds were in fact attracting ants.

I’ve been following the progress of my lovely flowers and with the hot days we had last week, the buds began to open. Aren’t they lovely? I have a weakness for ruffled flowers. Which is rather funny, as I’m not really a ruffly kinda girl in the rest of my life. But ruffled flowers are so soft, romantic and feminine. I’m so glad I am able to enjoy these blossoms before I move. And I truly hope the new owners of our home will enjoy them for many years to come.

Whilst I was out with my macro lens, I noticed some tiny tiny dew drops on the leaves of my hostas. The hostas are only about 8 inches long and the dew drops were probably no larger than the head of a sewing pin. Not the tiny flat pin heads, but the slightly larger round heads. If you notice, in the dew drop, you can see the hosta plant, a tree trunk and the sky – all reflected in the drop.