Vital Imagery Blog

They say, "Write what you know." Sometimes, though, when you're trying to turn the mundane aspects of your life into a blog that might be of interest in some way to other people, you have to step outside your comfort zone. Today, given a major event happening this weekend, I decided to leap a great distance beyond those boundaries.

Super Bowl Sunday is days away and the New England Patriots will be taking on the Seattle Seahawks for the championship.  When it comes to football this is what I know.  All that I know.

When I started high school,  it was brought to my attention that game days meant an afternoon off school.  The sport befuddled me, but who could resist such inducement?  I attended but never came to feel the love.

Recently  hearing this,  a colleague did her best to instruct me in the finer points of the game. And she  actually succeeded in getting me to see what the attraction might be. I came to appreciate that this is a sport not just about athleticism, bu…

Romance is an important part of any successful relationship. At least it is to my mind.  Finding the time to fit it in, of course, is often easier said than done. Between work schedules, appointments, family, and other social commitments there is very little spare time to dedicate to nurturing the bond between you and the person with whom you have chosen to spend your life.

These thoughts ran through my mind last night as my honey and I finally plopped down in front of the television sometime around the time we probably would have been better served going to sleep. Exhausted, we spent a couple of minutes trying to connect before turning our bleary-eyed gaze to lose ourselves in mindless entertainment. As I stared at the screen, my mind strayed to the daydream of time for a quiet leisurely dinner,  long, meaningful conversation, and being close.

Perhaps it's the fact that we're racing towards Valentine's Day that has my brain wandering down this idealistic path. It is a ti…

It was grocery shopping day and as I sauntered past the produce, dairy and meat, between the rows of  packaged goods and toiletries, and shivered my way along the frozen food section,  my mind was full of my bare cupboards and what was needed to replenish them. Rounding a corner, however, I was distracted by a display rack.

While not especially eye-catching,  its hues of red and pink, visions of flowers and hearts shouted out a reminder to me that Valentine's Day is only a few short weeks away. 

Now, my sweetie and I might not make a big deal out of this highly-commercial occasion, but we don't ignore it either. A chance to remind ourselves to not take what we have for granted and be a little romantic in this busy world in which we live, is not a bad thing.  It only takes a bit of effort to sign a card and attach it to some chocolates, flowers or, if honey's feeling particularly generous, jewellery.

The starting point is typically finding the 'right' card, the one…

I enjoy taking pictures. My focus is generally family first. Then when they're not around or the scenery is spectacular enough to grab my attention away from them for a second or so, nature.

At this point in my life, busy as I am still with gainful employment and few spare hours, my interest in photography is a somewhat passive hobby, one of little investment or educational nurturing. I own what I own and achieve what I can.  While my very nice Canon with its basic lens has  effectively handled the photos of kids and grandkids so far,  flora and fauna has been more of a challenge. As a result I've been thinking a bit about adding a telephoto zoom to my limited equipment.

Spare time these days then is spent researching, comparing and thinking so that when I finally make the decision I feel confident it's been the right one for my needs. Do I require something for low light? How much zoom will do? Does the use justify the price?

Needless to say, there has been a bit of shop…

There's one thing that keeps me sane during the winter — thinking about spring and summer. And one of the biggest mind-wandering fixations is daydreaming about our annual vacation to the gorgeous French River.

This is a place where only the sound of serenity breaks the silence. It's a world without cellphones and internet, television or radio.   It's a restful example of Mother Nature's handiest work, a backdrop to cure the ills caused by the insanity of this fast-paced world in which most of us are living.

Thus it is too, a perfect place for me to hone my photography skills. With virtually no distraction from modern technology,  I am, to pass the time,  at ease to wander the woods and ride the river in search of something beyond my usual family shots. 

The results over the years have generally satisfied me.  Let's face it, the landscape pretty much guarantees success at some level. However, last year I realized that unless I'm going to be content to keep tak…