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.
Anna Surface - I like the little purple and little blue. Nice effects and composition. :)03/31/2008 - 12:08 pm
aullori - Very interesting coloring in this one - I like a photographer who is willing to take risks. (It always leads to something really spectacular!) p.s. the effect does indeed create a mood of a bridge I wouldn't want to drive over!03/31/2008 - 5:19 pm
gypsy-heart - Wow...these are all wonderful.
I think this is one is my favorite. It is as if you captured the energy, usually unseen to the eye! :)03/31/2008 - 8:37 pm
barbara - Anna ~ Thanks. Just a change of scenery for a bit. :-)
aullori ~ a day to be different, I guess!
monArch ~ never know what yo may see around the bend!
gypsy ~ fun!04/01/2008 - 1:01 am
Gandalf - i spy snow in the photo, but i think it's teal in color.
I like these photos. They always provide a different feel to the senses.04/01/2008 - 9:19 am
ladypercy - I love how the colors turn out in this picture.04/02/2008 - 12:45 pm
No nails, no screws, and no metal fasteners of any kind were used to craft the Thai pavilion that is the centerpiece of the Thai Garden in Olbrich Botanical Gardens in Madison, Wisconsin. It was assembled by Thai craftsmen in Thailand, then dis-assembled and shipped to Madison. The Thai artisans then re-assembled the pavilion...
Lesley Smitheringale - Love these Barbara, particularly the second close-up which captures the golden decorative artwork so beautifully.03/30/2008 - 7:21 am
davidlind - We will look forward to that. Such an impressive gift. There must be a very strong bond between Thailand and Madison, Wisconsin.03/30/2008 - 1:08 pm
Aiyana - Very interesting. And, the photos are gorgeous. Happy GTS,
Aiyana03/30/2008 - 2:01 pm
teresa - I will be visiting Madison relatives this summer. I am definitely putting this on my 'must see' list.03/30/2008 - 6:38 pm
mon@rch - Very cool for sure and love the photos!03/30/2008 - 10:25 pm
truddle - If no nails, no screws, and no metal fasteners of any kind were used, I'd love to know what they used. These are beautiful photo's of a beautiful pavilion and look forward to later pictures with the gardens all in bloom.03/31/2008 - 8:13 am
barbara - Truddle ~ wooden pegs! Can you imagine? I'm looking forward to spring in Olbrich myself.03/31/2008 - 8:42 am
HeyJules - I CAN imagine! My father built my entire bookshelf and fireplace mantle the same way. It is all held together with wooden pegs.
Beautiful photos B!03/31/2008 - 8:52 am
aullori - wow that's amazing! It reminds me (tho very rustic of course unlike these shots) of some of the log cabins built in these parts. (I plan to take a photo shoot of many of them this summer) In which only wooden nails are used and with a few none used at all! It makes for an amazing sense of both resourcefulness as well as bringing home the old adage of "they don't make things like they used too!" These are beautiful shots - I can't wait til your spring shots!03/31/2008 - 5:17 pm
Gandalf - That's a lot of work. I had enough trouble putting together play houses, bikes and the like late Christmas eve (or really early Christmas AM). I would have flunked the pavilion test.04/01/2008 - 9:21 am
ladypercy - I love the details you captured in these pictures and especially how you framed the first one. Great work.04/02/2008 - 12:46 pm
gscot - Having visited Thialand several times I am anxious to visit the pavillion when I am in Madison late July. It will again remind me of pleasant times and beautiful architecture
of Thialand.07/16/2008 - 1:42 pm
QuoinMonkey - Bo, that is a beautiful place, especially surrounded by Winter snow. And no nails, no screws, and no metal fasteners. I hope I get to visit there some time. It's not that far-fetched! Thanks for providing the link.03/17/2009 - 9:54 am
The calendar says spring. Who looks at calendars anyway? It’s time to rely on ancient wisdom and consult the snow dial.
Let’s see. Thursday, March 27, 2008, 10:52 am, CDT. Ah, the snow dial says it’s SNOWING. Those ancients are pretty darn smart. They are correct.
This photograph is brought to you by the...
ladypercy - I love how the color on the sundial is accented.03/27/2008 - 2:29 pm
ankush - awesome shot Barbara! i can just stare at it forever...03/27/2008 - 2:58 pm
AK_Adventurer - Beautiful photo, Barbara. I'd love to see it again, when the snow dial turns back into a sundial. :)03/27/2008 - 4:42 pm
montucky - Very nice! I really like the idea of a "snow" dial! (Not that I want one any more this year!)03/27/2008 - 6:36 pm
mon@rch - I will say it! "SNOW"!! Ugg, we are getting some also! Ugg03/27/2008 - 8:07 pm
Nicole - And I thought "S" is for snow....
*duck*
;)03/27/2008 - 11:05 pm
aullori - Brilliant - sincerely and smile, this beautiful shot made me do! wonderful!03/28/2008 - 2:49 am
Anna Surface - The snow with the colorful sundial photo is actually very nice. Smile.... Here in Kansas it is cold and wet and in between as in the transition between winter and spring. A little budding on the trees but no color. Gray skies and brown earth for the early spring.03/28/2008 - 7:37 am
Gandalf - Beautiful colors and landscape. Are you sure this is Wisconsin? The sky is mezmerizing, and you have snow.03/27/2008 - 7:36 am
Anna Surface - True on the proverb. :) This is a beautiful shot. I love the sky in the sculpted sunset.03/27/2008 - 7:40 am
montucky - Nice photo! You sure are making the best of the long lingering winter!03/27/2008 - 11:56 am
jpt - reminds me of duck egg yolks in mooncakes. i like the pink in the snow03/27/2008 - 1:27 pm
ankush - wow, very pretty. nicely done.03/27/2008 - 2:59 pm
gypsy-heart - These are all beautiful and moving.
I really love this one!!03/27/2008 - 7:12 pm
Kritter Girl - This is just so peaceful; I can just feel the serenity.03/28/2008 - 12:11 am
Nouveau fauves - What beautiful contrast of the pale yellow clouds and the powder blue sky and the still shaded snow, all cobalt and textured with umber grasses. I envy your being able to see something like this. I really want to go somewhere....somewhere besides this unscenic city.03/28/2008 - 9:31 pm
amuirin - That is a very, very, very nice shot. I wouldn't have thought of duck yolks on mooncakes, but I love that description up above.03/28/2008 - 10:37 pm
Ron in L.A. - Beautiful shot Barbara..
R(etc...)04/03/2008 - 12:34 pm
“Being born in a duck yard does not matter, if only you are hatched from a swan’s egg.” Hans Christian Andersen
This Tundra Swan, oddly enough named “Snowflake,” sits prettily in a pile of snow at the Baraboo City Zoo in Baraboo, Wisconsin. She lives there with two large flocks of ducks — the...
Gandalf - She looks magnificent - very self assured & proud. Wonderful detail and shadows.
I applaud her name. At least the powers that be in Baraboo have the appropriate vision of snow. So there is a snowflake in Baraboo even in the prairie Dog Days of August.03/21/2008 - 9:07 am
montucky - She's a beautiful creature! Your photo is complimentary to her.03/21/2008 - 9:55 am
ladypercy - I love the lighting on the swan.
I am the cygnet to this pale faint swan,
Who chants a doleful hymn to his own death,
And from the organ-pipe of frailty sings
His soul and body to their lasting rest.
~William Shakespeare, King John03/21/2008 - 11:08 am
aullori - This is a brilliant shot - and need I say more?03/21/2008 - 2:55 pm
mon@rch - Such an amazing Swan photo and I love how you framed this shot with the s of the neck! Bravo03/21/2008 - 3:11 pm
davidlind - Beautiful creature. And she has a lot of poise too.03/21/2008 - 5:19 pm
Anna Surface - Gorgeous! I love the soft black & white of this swan photo. :)03/21/2008 - 6:41 pm
Robin - She's so beautiful. Lovely capture, Barbara. :)03/22/2008 - 3:26 pm
barbara - Yes, Gandalf ~ if you want to see a snowflake in August, go to Baraboo.
montucky ~ sometimes the subject makes taking the shot quite easy.
lady ~ keep Wm. coming. I love the verse of th Bard.
aullori ~ I think it may have been the swan who was brilliant.
mon@rch, david ~ like she was posing, though I took 30 shots of her to get that one pose :-)
Anna ~ I'm trying more b/w, and some of it seems to work quite well. Thanks, Anna.
Robin ~ I think swans are one of my very favorites, until they fight with each other. They can be pretty mean. :-)03/25/2008 - 9:02 am
Gandalf - This is a riot of pattern - a quilt of pattern with the interplay of the shadows and the stone work. In spite of the lack of snow, I enjoy the picture.03/19/2008 - 8:05 am
HeyJules - It reminds me of a quilt also! Love how many textures you managed to fit into one photograph. Fantastic job, B.03/19/2008 - 9:40 am
Crafty Green Poet - this is beautiful, the colour and the patterns. You've got lots of wonderful photos here!03/19/2008 - 11:37 am
ladypercy - I love how you captured the texture and pattern of the wall. It truly does like quilt-like, especially with the shadows from the tree overlaying the pattern of the bricks in the wall. Great work.03/19/2008 - 1:52 pm
jeanabaena - i love the shadow. :D03/19/2008 - 8:16 pm
Anna Surface - Wow-wee! I really like the stone patterns mingled with the shadows. The square white windows really help contrast and set off the patterns. Very nice capture! :)03/20/2008 - 5:38 am
Paul - I really like this photo... lots of feeling in it.03/20/2008 - 7:25 am
Bernie Kasper - The shadows and the warm colors are wonderful in this Barb, great work :)03/20/2008 - 9:26 pm
aullori - I think you do an amazing job of capturing the area where you live (and this is no exception) I love the paleness to almost all of the architecture you capture - the buildings seem worn in but with warmth. It looks like and feels like home. Really beautiful.03/21/2008 - 2:54 pm
barbara - gandalf ~ didn't expect you to see a quilt in this photo - great eye.
jules, lady ~ I love to get the textures in photos, like you should touch it.
crafty ~ thanks for your visit and comment
jeanne ~ I love shadows, too. But you know that.
anna ~ amazing what you can see on a wall of a house if you look - hmm?
paul ~ thanks. it nearly tells a story, doesn't it?
Bernie ~ if there is nothing but white and brown in nature, gotta go for the gold...
thanks, aullori ~ no mountains or oceans, but still plenty to see and share. Plain fare, but I think secial in its' own way.03/25/2008 - 10:12 am
Hmmm. No. No green here. Sure, I know it’s St. Paddy’s Day, but the truth is – I live in Wisconsin. You know, Wisconsin. W-I-S-C-O-N-S-I-N! You got it. Yeah, up north. If you live in most of the good ol’ US of A, you think I live somewhere near the...
montucky - Hang in there, Simon! Won't be too long now until you can wash your face and stuff it with clover!03/17/2008 - 9:09 am
davidlind - Good shot! You can see his eyes so well. Reminds me of Bunker Hill. And I feel for the little critter right now. But it's coming. Spring is coming.
But I never knew that Wisconsin was so near the arctic circle. Interesting..03/17/2008 - 10:59 am
bookbabie - He's cute as long as he and his critter cousins stay out of my garden this summer:)03/17/2008 - 11:11 am
ladypercy - Aw. I love how you used the focus on him.03/17/2008 - 12:04 pm
Gandalf - Top O' The Morning To Yea and a Happy St. Paddy's Day indeed. I'll have a rootbeer or perhaps its name sake in honor of Simon.
A real nice touch would have been some green snow. The Cat in O'Hat could help.03/17/2008 - 1:01 pm
amuirin - Ohh, poor simon. You can tell he's jealous about the rootbeer.
To me, St. Patrick's day means one thing: Karaoke contest at McIntyres. If there's a beverage less appealing than warm, green beer, I can't think of it.03/17/2008 - 6:47 pm
mon@rch - Happy St Patties day and just love seeing these guys!03/17/2008 - 9:09 pm
Nicole - Drink enough beer and you'll see green ;)
Beautiful shot, despite the brown :P03/17/2008 - 10:37 pm
barbara - jpg, lady p. ~ as far as that focus, miracles do happen.
Jules ~ amazing how cute rodents can be :-)
montucky ~ Simon would love some clover. Wouldn't you, Simon?
David ~ Prairie Dogs are NOT the best of geographers. :-)
bookbabie ~ yours and mine both. They've all PROMISED!
gandalf ~ I can be certain it weren't root beer ye be drinkin' :-D
amuirin ~ karaoke? I only do that on cruise ships, and I have no clue why I participate there. anonymity, I presume?
mon@rch ~ cute in their own way!
Nicole ~ I promise green, but I have no clue when...
aullori ~ thanks. :-)03/26/2008 - 6:20 pm
Twenty-seven years ago this morning – 10:31 am to be precise – I gave birth to my first child. I look back and remember those early days of motherhood as being among the most precious of my life.
Here are my Happy Birthday wishes to my older daughter.
Enjoy. Laugh. Love.
Aiyana - Amazing photo. You always have wonderful photos.
Aiyana03/16/2008 - 12:46 pm
Gandalf - The golden light reflecting on the spines of the thistle head seem to be candles all aglow with tiny flames and make this an apt BD Pix. I think, perchance, that I spy snow in the backgroud. Very nice.03/16/2008 - 1:37 pm
Anna Surface - I love this... great capture of glowing seed heads. I tend to photograph seed heads too... sometimes they smile. :)
Best birthday wishes to your daughter... and to you, too, as mom, Barbara.03/16/2008 - 3:11 pm
jpt - that's an uncanny resemblance03/16/2008 - 4:24 pm
montucky - That's a terrific photo! Well done!
Please tell Jeanne Happy Birthday for me too!03/16/2008 - 6:12 pm
Nicole - And a happy birthday from me :D!!!
Lovely shot as well :)03/16/2008 - 7:13 pm
mon@rch - stunning texture in this shot! WOW . . . Happy Birthday Jeanne!03/16/2008 - 8:21 pm
Catherine - Another fantastic capture of seed heads..love all your fabulous pics!! ~We seem to find beauty in the same things!
Fantastic colors captured in this one also!!
Happy B~day to your daughter Jeanne!!
Happy St. Paddys Day!!
Cat03/17/2008 - 12:40 pm
Stevo - Amazing capture. I shot something similar a year back. Your allusion to self-portraiture is apt.
This is my first time here (thank you, amuirin), you have a great eye.03/15/2008 - 2:31 pm
montucky - I think your statement about self-portraits may be more true than we realize!03/15/2008 - 8:11 pm
ladypercy - I love the lines that the trees make against the sky and snow.03/16/2008 - 12:44 pm
Gandalf - Many faceted and coy would be a good additions to the description. You see many paths to the end of the picture, but enough is hidden so you cannot get a complete picture of the distant image.03/16/2008 - 1:33 pm
Nicole - Neat idea and yes, I can relate!03/16/2008 - 7:14 pm
amuirin - Well, I see a lot of art and originality and meaning in what you dub 'tangles'. So there.03/17/2008 - 6:49 pm
Kritter Girl - It really caught my eye. It so reminds me of how my days can feel at times. You have some great photos :)03/21/2008 - 10:11 pm
barbara - Stevo ~ Welcome.
montucky ~ there's a little self-portraiture in all our best work, I think.
lady p. ~ stark, very telling isn't it?
gandalf ~ thanks, it's great to have you visiting so often.
nicole ~ we are what we post??? is THAT true?
amuirin ~ you are a sweetie to not see all these tangles. :-)
kritter ~ thank you for visiting.03/26/2008 - 6:32 pm
Holding Hands – A Self-Portrait » Seeded Earth Studio - [...] But when I saw the photograph, it seemed to be much more than a few leaves, it seemed to be another one of those self-portraits I occasionally take that aren’t an actual self-portrait, but a [...]01/18/2010 - 3:11 pm
Nicole - Aww - I wanna shoot them too.
They look so great!
Well done!03/14/2008 - 2:38 am
Gandalf - It is a sad time of year when we speak of snow almost in the past tense. I do find the scene peaceful and calming. The texture of the buildings is marvelous. Alas the snow will go soon, and I'm pretty sure the result will be mud. I'll take the snow.03/14/2008 - 7:22 am
HeyJules - I'm a sucker for a good barn photo. Make me want to peek inside and see if there's hay in there that I can jump into. :-)03/14/2008 - 9:27 am
montucky - I really like this photo because it conveys the mood of winter isolation at a farm or ranch.03/14/2008 - 9:53 am
Robin - I'm so glad people are capturing photos of these old barns. They're going the way of the dinosaur.
Wonderful shot, Barbara. :)03/14/2008 - 10:40 am
ladypercy - I love the colors on the barns and the isolation portrayed by showing the empty ground in front of the barn rather than focusing on only the barn itself.03/14/2008 - 3:00 pm
jpt - very patriotic shot03/14/2008 - 3:12 pm
AK_Adventurer - Great photo, Barbara! Reminds me of the barn my parents used to have many, many years ago. Sadly, it was torn down and replaced with a garage by the new homeowners.03/14/2008 - 3:31 pm
nouveaufauves - So very wonderful! I can't think of what to say about it. I just want to sit and look at it.03/14/2008 - 11:51 pm
davidlind - Still so much snow! Oh No! Mr. Bo!03/15/2008 - 1:14 pm
Stevo - Great composition and colors. Old stuff is a hobby of mine.03/15/2008 - 2:37 pm
amuirin - I love this so much, and I don't even know why. It's like a rainbow on the snow, but nothing you could make. It had to be that way through time and weather and trouble, and..
I really, really like this. I'd like to have it framed in the living room.03/17/2008 - 6:52 pm
barbara - Nicole ~ no snowy farms in the desert?
gandalf ~ I too, choose snow over mud. But it will be here before you get to the grass.
Jules ~ jumping in hay? hey! :-)
montucky ~ some of these farms are near nothing...
Robin ~ ya wanna see farms, Wisconsin is a good place to visit.
lady p. ~ just the feeling I felt when I saw it.
jpt ~ red, white and blue, just for you!
AK ~ a shiny new garage, huh?
nouveau ~ you shouldn't just sit there, you should paint it.
David ~ yes, snow!!! And that's Mrs. Bo to you. :-D
Stevo ~ old is good.
amuirin ~ thanks amuirin. a rainbow on the snow - cool!03/26/2008 - 6:45 pm
aullori - I just cannot get over how much I just love your barns and farm scenes.... beautiful! Keep them coming!03/31/2008 - 1:39 pm
by Bo
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