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
Historic Quincy Casket Company Building
The Quincy Casket Company, also known as the S J Lessem Building, is a brick and stone, three story building perched on the bluffs of Quincy Illinois, and has a fine view overlooking the Mississippi River. Built in the mid 1850s in the Italiante Style, it was used as a factory and warehouse for its first 100 years. The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999 due to its architectural significance.
- Those are really no-nonsense fire escape doors. They almost give the impression of caskets themselves!03/14/2010 - 9:29 am
- Obviously, back in the good old days of quality building. What a gorgeous structure - classic and classy - with amazing details. Thank you for sharing this with us, Bo.03/14/2010 - 1:55 pm
- That is a lot of red brick and probably took a good number of brick layers to build this place. Great details with the fire escape.03/14/2010 - 2:47 pm
Melting
In Wisconsin, the first sign of spring has nothing to do with flowers popping out of the ground.
It is all about the big melt.
- That is so true. Here's to spring!03/12/2010 - 10:59 am
- Are those buds forming on the dripping branches? YAY for Spring!03/12/2010 - 8:35 pm
- You certainly had your share of winter this year!03/12/2010 - 11:46 pm
- Love the simplicity with the drops.03/13/2010 - 6:22 pm
- Ah, more squiggedly things with water - love this, Bo!03/14/2010 - 1:53 pm
Time for Reflection
Hard to imagine, but not 50 feet from here are the rocky shores of Lake Michigan. I spent nearly three days in this foggy setting, and not once did I see the lake.
Which was a good thing, as I was at this pristine setting for a workshop, and so I didn’t have to fight distractions too much. Once I took my early morning fog photographs, the scenery never changed, and so I was able to focus on the workshop.
The workshop, by the way, was superb. I attended a Marketing Workshop for Artists by Alyson Stanfield, the author of the book I’d Rather Be in the Studio and dispenser of wisdom on running a business when your business is art. Her Art Biz Blog is packed with great information if you can’t meet this dynamic lady in person.
Now that I have all these new tools and actions, I am committed to putting them into practice, a tiny bit at a time.
How exciting is that!
(BTW, thanks, Alyson!)
- Sounds like you are having fun. :) And that is indeed some serious fog. I like the solitary tree, though. Makes the photo.03/11/2010 - 11:17 am
- Gorgeous simplicity. And - I have Alyson's book and subscribe to her site. Would love to hear more of what you've learned. We seem to be in the same 'business'.03/11/2010 - 1:32 pm
- Sounds like a great seminar, Bo! I'll be sure to check out her blog shortly. Sounds like I need some of that information as well! Great shot, too, btw. Fog outside is good to make one focus on inside stuff.03/11/2010 - 3:13 pm
- Looks like you will be on an interesting journey, Bo! Love the fog!03/11/2010 - 11:41 pm
- Bo: Lovely photo. It looks incredibly familiar. I think we were lucky to have those gray days since there were so many windows in the room we were in. But I still would have liked to have seen the big lake! I loved meeting you and look forward to keeping up with your progress.03/12/2010 - 9:12 am
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?
- 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
- The wall of pix is great. Are you up there?03/10/2010 - 7:37 am
- Awesome photo.03/10/2010 - 10:09 am
- This post is chocked full of information, Bo. I DO have a nice camera bag that I use for business gigs - a Temba Rolling Carrier. It carries my laptop and business papers and has ample compartments for two camera bodies with lens' attached AND plenty of space for extra lenses, etc. AND, the camera portion lifts out making it a perfect overnight bag! That it rolls has saved my sanity, though occasionally I still have to schlep it. However, that said, I still need a good bag for in the field. Often, I choose one lens for hiking and need another that I simply couldn't carry. So yeah..I'm interested in hearing from other women photographers, too. THANKS for all these neat links! Very useful!03/11/2010 - 3:19 pm
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.
- 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
- 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
- The look through hole is a great visual.03/10/2010 - 7:35 am
- Haha, love this. Makes me smile for some reason. :)03/10/2010 - 10:07 am
- I love this one, Bo. It's my new favorite. :) I enjoyed the article, too.03/11/2010 - 7:11 am
- I loved that photo immediately and didn't see the tree in the background until I read your post. Way cool, dear. Love it!03/11/2010 - 3:21 pm
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!
- 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
- Love the green! Here now there are tiny green things emerging from the ground. So welcome!03/08/2010 - 7:45 pm
- 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
- great visual pattern, and alas Spring will come and ski season will be done dancing. :(03/09/2010 - 7:34 am
- Springtime! Gotta love it. This is a simple but very pleasing shot. :)03/09/2010 - 10:43 am
- YAY! for Conservancies! They keep us sane during the winter months!03/11/2010 - 3:22 pm
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.
- 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
- That's a beautiful piece of architecture! Great shot!03/07/2010 - 8:00 pm
- 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
- 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
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 Trash Can?
Nah, it didn’t quite work for me, but I’d love to see if HE got something better. Ha! Ha!
- 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
- 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
- LOL Great post...and funny too!03/07/2010 - 12:41 pm
- 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
- Great political commentary. Keep this one for election time. Unfortunately it applies to both parties.03/08/2010 - 8:16 am
- Haha, that's a great story. Made me smile.03/09/2010 - 10:40 am
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.
- I just got a crick in my neck with that photo. Nice sky.03/05/2010 - 8:51 am
- Great shot Bo, love the perspective and the reflections are wonderful, well done !!03/05/2010 - 3:55 pm
- 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
- Great composition, and I love the sky.03/05/2010 - 11:06 pm
- That sky is pretty, especially after all the gray skies we have had.03/07/2010 - 12:50 pm
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!
- 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
- Exquisite detail. WOW!03/04/2010 - 7:40 am
- Very lovely. I find orchids to be exquisit flowers.03/04/2010 - 7:54 am
- 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
- 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
- Simply lovely. And they are purple which makes them even prettier!03/04/2010 - 4:58 pm
- 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
- Sigh. I'm so ready for spring!03/05/2010 - 12:29 pm
- 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
- Wonderful color and detail. Lovely image.03/07/2010 - 12:38 pm
- So lovely and fun to photograph!03/10/2010 - 8:27 am
by Bo Mackison
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