alison bickel photography

So after mentioning my love of art & photography books yesterday I thought I might as well go ahead and share them.

I have random stacks of the books around my house.  Maybe it’s because I am such a visual person, not sure really, but I’ve always loved looking at photographs and art.  My very first book was the “Puppies” book above.  In first grade I gifted it to my school library as part of a birthday program they had.  I would pour over the pages of that book.  It seems I wasn’t alone as it is now held together with tape and has very tattered pages.  :)  A few years ago the retiring librarian gave it to my mom (she teaches at the school) thinking we would enjoy having it back. I love having it in my collection.

Many of the books have been gifts.  In high school my best friend went to Paris and brought me a Monet book from one of the many museums she visited.  Now my husband has figured out they are a sure thing in the gift department so I get them often.  :)

Lately I’ve been reading the most recent book published by National Geographic.  It isn’t just pictures, but also a written history about the start of the magazine and what a key role they played in the development of photography.  Just reading this has made me appreciate the art of film photography as well as the great advancement and chances that the Geographic photographers took in their image making.  If you are at all interested in photography I would definitely recommend it!

You can read more about the Afghan girl on the cover here.  It is amazing how they found her again after all these years!

Have a great weekend!

alison

So this was pretty much the mood around our house this morning…

After 2 days of amazing warmth and SUNSHINE we woke this morning to cold, grey and rainy weather. Winter just seems to be teasing us and it is not going over well with these boys of mine.  :)  

Days like this the cold just settles in my bones.  Since giving up Diet Coke (oh, yes I did) a month ago I’ve been drinking tea.  Given how cold this winter has been it has filled the Diet Coke void perfectly.  On the recommendation of a friend I tried Stash and it is now apart of my daily routine.  Below are my favorites. Give me a cup of chai, my grandma’s quilt and a photography/art book and I am in my own little heaven.  :)

Have a good Thursday!

alison

Yep, it’s Monday again.  Time for another entry into the i ♥ faces weekly contest.  This week the theme is b&w.  I know I posted this image a couple of weeks ago, but it is simply one of my favorites.

Last week was my first time entering their weekly contest.  It was fun to see everyone’s interpretations of the theme.  Check out the site at here.

alison

What better way to pass a cold, winter morning than playing a little with the camera remote?!  The cloudy, gray sky created a great diffuse light this morning that made me itchy for some picture taking.  A goal of mine for 2009 is to be in more pictures with my boys and finding creative ways to make that happen.  Given that everyone was in pretty good humor today seemed like a good time to give it a try.  

It didn’t take alot of persuasion on my part to get them to sit with me, especially when I told them they could press the shutter.  :)

This is one of my favorites.  As mothers aren’t we always there in the background, a soft presence, providing security for our children?  

It was getting toward the end of our fun when I got this one.  He is very ready to snuggle and go down for his nap.  I often wonder, being my baby, how much longer he will be that way–hopefully awhile!

alison