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Seeded Earth Studio bio picture

Bio






My grandmother gave me a Brownie camera when I was eight
years old, then proudly showed my photographs of her flowers to her Garden
Society. The joy I felt as a young child while taking photographs for others to
enjoy remains today, and it is this passion that keeps me immersed in
photography.


My husband and I moved to Wisconsin in the mid-1970s and,
on impulse, I borrowed a Pentax K-1000 to take my first photography course. I
later attended the Madison Area Technical College and Edgewood University in Madison
where I took both art and photography classes.


In 2007, I received a digital camera as a gift and the door
to photography opened wider than ever. My world shifted as I saw the
possibilities that could be created using a camera and lenses — infinite possibilities
to document the natural world, architecture, history, seeing everything with a
new perspective.


"Even the smallest of details became intensely
interesting. Maybe that's why I love photography. I try to capture what I see,
my own interpretation, not what someone else might see."


I also became a contributor to WisconsinNative.com, writing
and photographing for both the Wandering Wisconsin and Travel Green
features on the travel website through December, 2008. My photography has also
been published in regional magazines, national travel guides, and in a book on
Functional Architecture which was published in London in 2009.


Though I shoot in many genres, I most love the experience
of photographing the natural world. Nature grounds me. I can be myself  --
in the forest, the mountains, the desert, or the prairie -- in solitude with
nature.


My hobby is now a career, as I write and photograph as a
freelancer as the principal of Seeded Earth Studio, LLC.

 

Bo Mackison

Seeded Earth Studio LLC

Madison, Wisconsin

Photo Links Wednesday 3.10.10

03*10*2010 Posted in Madison ** Olympus E-3 ** Wisconsin ** photography ** photography links

Remember the Thrill of the Photo Booth?

Remember the Thrill of the Photo Booth?

A few articles from the last week. Anyone else have anything they’d like to share? Leave a link in the comments!

Photo Link Day!

Maybe this is a topic you give a lot of thought to, maybe it’s a topic that never crosses your mind. It’s an article from Digital Photography School on the quest for the perfect camera bag (for us women photogs). I’ve had several camera bags and I’m currently using a LowePro backpack with the zipper that is next to my back. But sometimes I’d like a little less of a camera bag and a litttle more of just a bag. Any female photog have an opinion on this subject? Have you found a camera bag that doesn’t scream “camera equipment inside!”? The comments are interesting, and it is a long comment thread. Lots of ideas.

Chase Jarvis encourages photogs to spill the beans, and share their favorite, secret locations for out of sight photography. I checked the comments –I’d like visit each and every suggestion.

A series by Matthew Kaufmann focuses on the business part of photography. I never thought it would be of any interest to me. Now that it is, I wish I had started paying attention a little sooner. There wouldn’t be so much to learn. The articles include writing your photography marketing plan, writing a marketing plan summary, writing a mission statement,  setting marketing plan goals, and analyzing your marketing plan.

National Geographic posted its top 10 photo favorites from 2009. I have a favorite (the photo contrasting the little girl with the women). Do you have one?

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by Bo Mackison

3 comments

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Marcie - Thanks for all of the great links. As for camera bags - you may want to check-out 'epiphanie' and 'Jill-e'. Unfortunately - I can't speak about either of them..but they do look good!03/10/2010 - 6:41 am

Gandalf - The wall of pix is great. Are you up there?03/10/2010 - 7:37 am

Molly - Awesome photo.03/10/2010 - 10:09 am

Cactus Pottery

03*09*2010 Posted in Memoir Project ** Olympus E-P1 ** Southwest ** photography ** travel

Tubac Arizona

Another Memoir Container (in Metaphor)

Here is another photograph of pottery to announce another article on collecting memories and assembling them into a multimedia memoir.

The second article is on Memoir Space at the Calm Space website, and it tells you how to find your personal writing muse using your favorite search engine. Really! It works. Grab on to those memories and fill up the nearest container.

This cactus pottery was seen on an adobe window in the town of Tubac, a few miles south of Tucson. I love how it appears to have a palo verde tree growing out of the container.

Rather metaphorical, like memoirs that can grow from writing just a few words every day.

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by Bo Mackison

4 comments

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Anna Surface - Love that photo! Simply lovely and great composition. I've clicked over and looked over the article at Memoir Space. I'm interested in something like this. I bookmarked this and will read more tomorrow morning when I am rested.03/09/2010 - 6:37 pm

Montucky - I love that photo too! The cactus pottery with its bright colors goes beautifully withe the rough textured wall. So typical of Arizona!03/09/2010 - 9:00 pm

Gandalf - The look through hole is a great visual.03/10/2010 - 7:35 am

Molly - Haha, love this. Makes me smile for some reason. :)03/10/2010 - 10:07 am

Green Places

03*08*2010 Posted in Olympus E-3 ** Wisconsin ** garden ** nature ** photography ** wabi-sabi

Green is Beautiful

Green is Beautiful

The sun is shining, the snow is melting. I always think of mid-March as the teaser. Sunny days, almost touching the 50˚F mark. The a dip back into the teens or 20s and frosty again. There are bits of my yard where there are peeks of grass, though much of the yard is under 6 or more inches of crusty snow. But it’s melting. Yes, it truly will be Spring soon.

I still have to find my green in the Tropical Conservatory, but I’m practicing for when those first bits of green shoots pop out of the earth. Ahhhhhhh!

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by Bo Mackison

5 comments

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Rosie leaves 'n blooms - Hello there and welcome to Blotanical - I hope you enjoy meeting new gardeners over there - normally I post on blogs and send a message through Blotanical but this week I don't have alot of free time. Pop over to my scottish garden blog sometime. I too am yearning for those spring days - they can't come soon enough03/08/2010 - 2:44 pm

Montucky - Love the green! Here now there are tiny green things emerging from the ground. So welcome!03/08/2010 - 7:45 pm

Marcie - Yes...we're being teased by spring as well. Love the repetition of pattern here. Almost abstract..but not quite.03/09/2010 - 4:24 am

Gandalf - great visual pattern, and alas Spring will come and ski season will be done dancing. :(03/09/2010 - 7:34 am

Molly - Springtime! Gotta love it. This is a simple but very pleasing shot. :)03/09/2010 - 10:43 am

Chicago’s Water Tower

03*07*2010 Posted in Chicago ** Olympus E-3 ** architecture ** photography ** travel

on the Magnificent Mile

on the Magnificent Mile

The Water Tower on Chicago’s Michigan Avenue has historically been considered the most significant survivor from Chicago’s disastrous fire of 1871. It has become a symbol of Chicago’s revival and fighting spirit to come back from tragedy.

The Tower, built as a pumping station in 1869, was designed by architect William W Boyington. It is on the US Register of Historic Places.

Two other well known, though significantly more modern buildings, loom in the background of the Tower. The Water Tower Place is to the left of the tower, and the John Hancock Center is on its right.

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by Bo Mackison

4 comments

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Marcie - Extraordinary architectural image. Love the symmetry..and how you managed to keep all of the lines from converging. A wonderful old building.03/07/2010 - 3:41 am

Montucky - That's a beautiful piece of architecture! Great shot!03/07/2010 - 8:00 pm

Gandalf - Great perspective. There are so many interesting visuals in this photo from the reflection at the base of the water tower to the shadows on the big buildings. Very nice.03/08/2010 - 8:18 am

Molly - My neck kinda hurts thinking of looking up to get this photo. Your effort was worth it. Very nice.03/09/2010 - 10:42 am

Off With Their Heads

03*06*2010 Posted in Chicago ** Olympus E-3 ** photography ** travel

Mannikens, Headless, on Michigan Avenue

Manikins, Headless, on Michigan Avenue

I was attracted to this window display, looked at it so long that my photo Sherpa dragged me away muttering that he hadn’t been fed lately. That was a true statement, so we went to dinner, but then I insisted on walking down Michigan Avenue, mentioning what a romantic street it was for a late evening stroll.

Ha! In all honesty, I wanted to check out those manikins again. Something metaphorical about  plastic models with fake binoculars, all posed as if to be noticing something worth noticing. Yeah sure, the best part – the no-brain part.

Kinda like some photographers. Never really look, no I mean LOOK, at what they are photographing. Snap, snap, snap. Or even worse, snap because someone ELSE is snapping the shot. I LOVE when that happens!

A few days ago I was standing on a street corner and the metal rod structure of a trash can caught my attention. I liked the lines. Then I noticed a bumpy grille on the ground, painted orange. Hmm. I was composing in my head, trying for a combiation using the trash can and the orange street. I walked around a few times. Lined up some shots, checked a few settings on my camera, I was fooling around, enjoying myself, doing some low angles, high angles.

And darn if this guy, perhaps in his mid-30s, maybe 5′5″, wearing a below knee length imitation fur coat, walks towards me and slows. Then stops. I can see him in my peripheral vision, and he’s watching me. He has a camera slung around his neck–big SLR, heavy glass.

Damn, if he didn’t, in a 3 second move – lift, snap, lower his camera. He got off a quick snapshot. I’m quite sure he wasn’t taking a photo of me, which may or may not have been amusing, but of MY trash can!

Here’s the photo I took:

Standing in Line for a Shot of THIS Street Corner?

Standing in Line for a Shot of THIS Trash Can?

Nah, it didn’t quite work for me, but I’d love to see if HE got something better. Ha! Ha!

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by Bo Mackison

6 comments

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Anna Surface - LOL all the way around. Strange looking mannequins and some store person has a weird sense of taste and humor. I sure would love to have a pair of binoculars, though. That is too funny of the little guy with the big gun camera coming over to snap what he thought you were snapping. I've had that happen too. There is nothing like going to a well-attended event and rubbing elbows with the big-time photographers with lens way out there. I'd be there totally involved with some little detail and here comes one of the big guns sniffing around wondering what I'm seeing. LOL Oh, I've had my picture taken too and I'd turn on a dime and take their picture. Funny, how when out with a camera slung around the neck you run into other photographers. Fun post, Bo.03/06/2010 - 8:48 pm

Montucky - I think that trash can deserved a much more elegant location that what it has. The manikins reminded me of an old college prank a couple of friends and I pulled off one time in Seattle. We stood on a down town street and stared and pointed to a spot well up on a tall building. We didn't say a word, but a crowd soon formed, all looking up where we were looking, After a bit, we sort of melted away, leaving the crowd all looking up, by that time with their own momentum.03/06/2010 - 9:18 pm

Sue - LOL Great post...and funny too!03/07/2010 - 12:41 pm

debsgarden - This is so funny! I especially like the brainless manikins. I think the guy was taking a picture of you, so he could tell the funny story of the photographer shooting a trash can!03/07/2010 - 8:08 pm

Gandalf - Great political commentary. Keep this one for election time. Unfortunately it applies to both parties.03/08/2010 - 8:16 am

Molly - Haha, that's a great story. Made me smile.03/09/2010 - 10:40 am

Omni Chicago, Framed

03*05*2010 Posted in Chicago ** Olympus E-3 ** architecture ** photography ** travel

off Michigan Avenue

on the Magnificent Mile

Even though the morning was chilly last week when I walked the streets of River North just off Michigan Avenue, the skies were a lovely deep blue and there was plenty of cloud action to add some life to the buildings.

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by Bo Mackison

5 comments

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Gandalf - I just got a crick in my neck with that photo. Nice sky.03/05/2010 - 8:51 am

bernie kasper - Great shot Bo, love the perspective and the reflections are wonderful, well done !!03/05/2010 - 3:55 pm

Anna Surface - Great framing of the tall building by tall buildings pointing up. Nice reflections of the puffy cloud blue sky. :)03/05/2010 - 4:35 pm

Montucky - Great composition, and I love the sky.03/05/2010 - 11:06 pm

Molly - That sky is pretty, especially after all the gray skies we have had.03/07/2010 - 12:50 pm

Trio of Orchids

03*04*2010 Posted in Madison ** Olympus E-3 ** Wisconsin ** garden ** macro ** nature ** photography

Phalaenopsis Orchids

Phalaenopsis Orchids

The sun is shining more, and the snow is melting, though I still have over a foot of snow in my yard. It will be awhile before I see flowers popping out of the ground in my neighborhood.

The next best thing is taking a drive across town to Olbrich Botanical Gardens and spending a couple of hours in the Bolz Conservatory which is Madison’s answer to tropical paradise. Yes, even in the snowy northern climes, we know how to grow hot house orchids!

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by Bo Mackison

11 comments

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Karen Wallace - What beautiful blooms Bo! I'm thrilled that even in the snowiest of times you can see a little 'tropicalness'...03/04/2010 - 2:52 am

Marcie - Exquisite detail. WOW!03/04/2010 - 7:40 am

Gandalf - Very lovely. I find orchids to be exquisit flowers.03/04/2010 - 7:54 am

Anna Surface - Bo, you are so fortunate to have Olbrich Botanical Gardens close by. These are exquisite orchids... as others have stated. Lovely close-up, composition and detail bringing the flowers forth in a pop with hello faces. :)03/04/2010 - 8:41 am

debsgarden - You have some beautiful photographs on your blog! This orchid s a wonderful color. I just happened upon your site in a roundabout way through blotanical. I will visit again!03/04/2010 - 9:50 am

Molly - Simply lovely. And they are purple which makes them even prettier!03/04/2010 - 4:58 pm

Montucky - How beautiful! I would love to have a place like that close enough to visit on a cold winter's day.03/04/2010 - 8:03 pm

Debi - Sigh. I'm so ready for spring!03/05/2010 - 12:29 pm

bernie kasper - Beautiful image Bo..I can never photograph Orchids to my liking but you really nailed this one, fine work !!03/05/2010 - 3:57 pm

Sue - Wonderful color and detail. Lovely image.03/07/2010 - 12:38 pm

joey - So lovely and fun to photograph!03/10/2010 - 8:27 am

Photo Links Wednesday

03*03*2010 Posted in Chicago ** Olympus E-3 ** architecture ** photography ** photography links ** quotations

Celebrating Spring with Window Display Color!

Colorful Window Display at Crate and Barrel

I love these spring colored banners at this store entrance on Michigan Avenue in Chicago. And all those curves and lines makes me smile at all the energy. I always find so many things to photograph when I visit Chicago!

As far as photography goes, I read dozens of articles a week on photography and such. There is always much that I’d like to share, and so I’m going to start posting a list of links every Wednesday.

Photo Link Day!

  • Joe McNally’s article, We Just Can’t Help it! Are we photographers different from regular folks? Here’s a quick quote from the article, but the whole article is worth a read:

“We [photographers] don’t stop seeing things.  We try to push reality into a better composition.  We keep shooting until we’re satisfied that we captured the story we’re trying to tell.”

  • I know it’s a little late in most areas of the country to be photographing snowflakes. Still…it HAS been a crazy winter and March generally has a storm or two saved for many of us, especially in the northern states. Here is an article from EarthSky, in case you want to know the REALLY cool way to photograph snowflakes. It’s either now or wait ’til next December.
  • Anyone ready for Baseball’s Spring Training? (Me! Me!) These great photos from DenverPost.com of  baseball players in their spring digs sure got me in the mood! (You’ll have to click the link after you click this link–I don’t know why!) Spring Training starts. . . TODAY!  (But the Milwaukee Brewers don’t play their first game until tomorrow. Boo hoo!)

“People ask me what I do in the winter when there’s no baseball. I’ll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring.”  —Roger Hornsby  (Roger must have been very single minded – perhaps he would have enjoyed a Polaroid.)

  • PhotoCritic talks about a subject that I used to feel guilty about, because I hadn’t done it – yep, backing up photographs! – but I’ve finally gotten my act together. Now I’ve backed up ALL my photos. In two places! Here’s a good article, and a good reminder, on backing up your photos properly.

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by Bo Mackison

9 comments

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Gandalf - Interesting photo and great idea linking to articles.03/03/2010 - 11:28 am

Joanna Young - Bo, thanks for the links - it's a nice addition to your material - and useful for the likes of me. Re the quote on not being able to help it... I'm no photographer but I know I can't help it either! Looking, searching, trying, climbing down into ditches, lying in the mud to get that little bit closer up... I just can't help it ;-)03/03/2010 - 1:19 pm

Bo Mackison - Yes indeed, Joanna. I so get that. I can't help taking photographs --anywhere, everywhere. And yes, Joanna, you too are a photographer. Stop denying it! :-)03/03/2010 - 1:34 pm

Debi - This is a great idea! Thanks for the links, Bo. I read a lot too and it's great to add even more photo sources. We can't learn too much, can we? Nope.03/03/2010 - 2:36 pm

Montucky - Excellent image, Bo! The scene has a wonderful fresh and bright look to it!03/03/2010 - 10:25 pm

Marcie - Love the lines..the curves..the color. What a wonderful architectural image rendered abstract!!!03/04/2010 - 7:40 am

Anna Surface - Oh, I really like the sweeping and colorful curves. I read a lot in photography too.I appreciate these links and I'm bookmarking Joe McNally’s article. Great idea, Bo. :)03/04/2010 - 8:37 am

Molly - I love the lines and light of this shot.03/04/2010 - 4:56 pm

Sue - Beautifully composed image. Love it! And, thanks for the links. I'm off to check them out!03/07/2010 - 12:37 pm

Hub Caps

03*02*2010 Posted in Madison ** Olympus E-3 ** Wisconsin ** photography

at Texx Tubbs

at Texx Tubb's

I think every display of hub caps should be lit with Christmas lights –especially when they are wall decorations at the local taco place.

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by Bo Mackison

8 comments

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Gandalf - A very fun photo.03/02/2010 - 10:49 am

Marcie - What fun..and a great find!!!03/02/2010 - 12:54 pm

Montucky - Those were the days and the Christmas lights are very fitting with them!03/02/2010 - 9:47 pm

Susan See - Love the lighting and reflections!03/02/2010 - 10:29 pm

Debi - So freakin' creative - LOVE this idea!!! Gotta show the teenager when she gets home!03/03/2010 - 2:35 pm

Susan - Love it...shiny and sparkly...and of course, Mexican food...yummmmm!03/04/2010 - 1:56 pm

Molly - This photo made me smile!03/04/2010 - 4:55 pm

Sue - Fabulous and fun!!!03/07/2010 - 12:34 pm

Hot Stuff

03*01*2010 Posted in Madison ** Olympus E-P1 ** Wisconsin ** macro ** photography

Mild, Medium, or HOT!

Mild, Medium, or HOT!

Pick your pepper.

We were near a local hangout that offers a Tex-Mex weekend brunch, so we headed to Texx Tubb’s Taco Palace on Atwood Avenue after an early morning photo shoot. The food was fine, a Mexican omelette filled with cheese and peppers, but I was more interested in photographing the place. After the manager gave me the OK to shoot whatever I wanted, I wandered around. Tabasco bottles, vintage metal water pitchers, hub caps on the wall rimmed with Christmas lights, a neon yellow refrigerated case for beverages, and an entrance decorated with photo strips, vintage 1960s Kresge’s. Pretty fun!

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by Bo Mackison

5 comments

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Molly - Decisions, decisions, right? LOL03/01/2010 - 1:24 pm

Anna - An omelet with cheese and peppers with a good dash of hot sauce would taste very good! I like photographing bottles... with stuff or not. Nice hot stuff shot. :)03/01/2010 - 4:46 pm

Montucky - An omelette sounds good, and of course plenty of the good stuff to put on it. That looks just a little like one of the shelves in our kitchen.03/01/2010 - 9:27 pm

Gandalf - great photo. Love the hot sauce.03/02/2010 - 10:48 am

Debi - This makes me hungry. Everything tastes better with hot sauce on it, and I'm crazy about Mexican omelets with hot sauce. Tabasco is KING in my world but I'm up to trying them all! Next time I visit Wisconsin I so need to try this place - I'm salivating!03/03/2010 - 2:34 pm