Photography, Year End

Looking back at 2020

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Every year, I do a year end summary of my year. I think 2020 turned out differently than expected for everybody. When I look at my goals for 2020 that I made in December of 2019, I laugh a little.

Those goals were:

  • Grow the Podcast
  • Be more present
  • Make Better Art

The podcast is a travel podcast, so I have a great excuse for not following through there. The year started out okay with a trip to Bristol, VA/TN in early January. I am sure I was the only tourist in town that weekend. But it was still nice. Visit the podcast to hear about it or read about it here. I did not go anywhere again until September and that was a family trip to the lake. And in October, I was chomping at the bit and had to go somewhere, so I went to Charlotte, NC. You can listen to that here. I will admit that I was not ready to travel yet. Lesson learned.

https://sharonpopek.com/things-i-did-and-did-not-do-in-2019/

https://1-sharon-popek.pixels.com/featured/sunset-at-cherokee-lake-sharon-popek.html

https://1-sharon-popek.pixels.com/featured/bank-of-america-black-and-white-sharon-popek.html

As for the be more present, I am doing well at that. Especially with my family. I’ve had little choice in learning patience.

Since traveling was not on the table much, I took photos of items that I had around the house. See some of those here and here.

https://1-sharon-popek.pixels.com/featured/double-vision-sharon-popek.html

https://1-sharon-popek.pixels.com/featured/hjkl-antique-typewriter-sharon-popek.html

A lot of dreams died this year. Mine were just put to sleep and went into hibernation. Some sad things happened this year, we lost one our cats (a cat very special to me). But I feel we have been very lucky. We’ve both kept our jobs and most of our sanity.

So, my goals for 2021 are a little bit different. They are more personal.

  1. I would like to be more grateful
  2. Work on my empathy
  3. Be more patient with myself

I hope 2021 brings blessings to everyone.

Photography

Blue Tones

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Since I can’t travel, I’ve been exercising my creative muscles at home. When I recently did a teapot shoot, I decided I really liked the blue toned finish. I always loved cyanotypes and these are an extension of that.

Blue rose image
Blue Rose

Rosy Love letters, single rose composite with love letters
Rosy Love Letters

Star shape with textured glass
Star Fall

Eyeglasses reflected in water puddle
Double Vision in Blue
The Palacio de Valle in Cienfuegos, Cuba
The Palacio de Valle

Each image has a different blue because it creates a different mood. As always, feedback is welcome. Be sure to visit my gallery to see more of my work!

Photography

Tea Time

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As a travel photographer, the last several months have left me lost. For awhile, my creativity took a nose dive. But lately, it’s been waking up and I needed to make some art! Looking around my kitchen, I found this tea pot and cream pitcher. Perfect! I took it outside and put it on my stairs, that are in need of painting and started to make some art.

Simple Teapot and Creamer

Teapot and Creamer Before

I decided to give it an aged look, laying a texture over it, and adding a vignette. I opted for a blue tone to give it the look of a Cyanotype.

Coffee and Creamer after

I thought maybe it needed a little something more. What is it that we like about good teapot? Some of it is memories, nostalgia. But for me, it’s the shape. That rounded shape with the spout reaching out and the handle balancing it. So, I added the words “The Shape of Tea.” I also noticed that my reflection is in the teapot and the creamer. I held up a cup, as though I had tea in my hand. It’s a little thing that you would only notice when looking closely. I love those types of details.

The Shape of Tea

Adding Something

What’s a good teapot without a good tea cup? Turns out, I don’t really have a good tea cup. But I did find a coffee cup that goes with my “fancy” dishes. I admit that don’t like the way my fingers are holding the cup. Maybe I’ll reshoot.

Hand holding cup before

Hand holding cup after

After working this one, I thought it needed a poem. I have fond memories of having tea with my husband before bed. He loves ginger tea. I buy it in the packets. Don’t “at” me tea people, I’m into easy living. One time, he saw me making it. He was destroyed. He had thought that all this time, I was making him ginger tea from scratch! I had never led him to believe this, he just did for some reason. I think he stopped enjoying it as much after that. LOL!

Tea with You

Tea with You

I remember tea

I remember the scent

I remember the taste

The ginger

The mint

Chamomile in my mouth

I remember the feel

Safe and true

I remember tea with you

I am enjoying my new artistic endeavors. Stay tuned for more blue toned images and maybe even some tea related art. If you are interested in view more of my photos, you can click here

Americana, Photography, Tennessee

Bristol Tennessee Virginia

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Wow! It’s been awhile since I posted here. Yikes! I’ve been concentrating on my podcast, Tourist in your Town. Be sure to check it out! A recent episode of the podcast was from Bristol, TN/VA. I thought I’d hop over here and share some of the photos that I took while there. It rained while I was there. But I got some great photos of the historic train station, the Paramount Theatre marquee, and lots of other cool places around town. Enjoy!

The Bristol Sign

Bristol is a town that is split between two states, Tennessee and Virginia. The split is right down the middle of the street that runs through downtown. The Bristol Sign sits across the road with one side in Tennessee and the other in Bristol. This sign was placed in this location in 1915 and originally said “Push!…That’s Bristol“. In 1921, the town held a contest to select a new slogan. “A good place to live” was the winner.

The Bristol TN / VA sign.

Bristol Train Station

The historic Bristol Train Station was built in 1902. Passenger service to the station ended in 1971. The station is currently an events venue.

Bristol Train Station at sunset.
Bristol Train Station on a rainy night,

The Paramount Bristol

The Paramount Theatre in Bristol was built in 1931. The first showing was “It Pays to Advertise” with Carole Lombard and Norman Foster. The theatre is now a concert venue.

The Paramount Bristol marquee at sunset
The Paramount Bristol after dark.
The divide between states

Thanks for stopping by and checking out my images! Prints are available of all images, just click on the image. You can also visit my gallery for more of my travel art.

Photography, Year End

Things I did and did not do in 2019

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I think most people take time the end of year looking back and considering what the years end signifies for them. What did they do? What did they want to do but did not? Last year, I did a year end blog. As I read through it now, I realized I didn’t even put my goals for 2019 on it! But that’s okay. I don’t remember them now. But I will tell you what I did do and what I hope to do in 2020.

Travel

Early 2019 brought quite a bit of travel for me. I had several pieces in a juried show in NYC, so my husband and I took the train up for the opening reception. We stayed several days in a very cold and rainy New York. The train trip up was amazing and definitely something I would love to do again.

We also spent a couple of days in Pensacola Beach for a memorial service for a family member. We visited downtown Pensacola and spent some time walking on the beach.

I visited friends in Boston and Providence, learning a great deal about my country’s history, good and bad.

Something New

Around mid-summer, I came up with a new idea, a travel podcast. So, not being one to research or plan, I started one! It’s called Tourist in your Town. It started out to be just about what to see and do when you visit a place. But it quickly evolved into a combination of travel and history. Check it out!

Tourist in your Town travel podcast

I did talk about starting a commercial photography studio in that late 2018 blog. I sort of did that. I have the gear and the space. I even did some freelance work over the year. But I discovered that I had two options. One was to leave my full-time paying job and hope that I could get enough work to pay my bills. Or two, stop taking freelance work, keep that full-time gig, and pursue my true passions, travel and art photography in my spare time. I chose the second option. Probably because I’m not the kind of person to take big chances. I would, of course, take the right kind of freelance work if it landed in my lap. But I’m not pursuing it and I am saying no to things that just aren’t worth it. I value my time too much for that.

Me with my Tourist hat on

My aha! moment

I did spend most of 2019 angry and sad about losing that dream that I didn’t know I had (lost job in 2018). But towards the end of the year, someone posted a meme on FB that said something like what would yourself from 10 years ago think of yourself now. And my brain popped. Myself from 10 years ago had no clue of any of the things I’m doing now. That person’s goals looked very different from my current goals and wins. Now, I all I can think is how excited I am for the next 10 years!

Goals for 2020

So, what are my goals for 2020?

  1. Grow the podcast
  2. Be more present
  3. Make better art

Feel free to share your own goals in the comments or just post a link to your own blog!

Americana, Massachusetts, Photography

A Quick Visit to Salem MA

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I recently visited some friends in Massachusetts. While I spent most of my time in Boston, I did spend half a day in Salem. One thing I learned is that maybe a Saturday in October isn’t the best time for me to visit this historic Massachusetts town. I will definitely go back, though. If you’d like to know more, you can listen to the podcast episode on Touristinyourtownpodcast.com

There was rain. There were lots of people, although they were all at the other end of this street in this pic.

Salem Street scene

Historic Buildings

The John Ward House was built in 1684 and is considered First Period architecture. The historic Salem home is on the National Register of Historic Places.

The historic John Ward House

The historic Old Town Hall in downtown Salem. The structure was built in 1816-1817.

Old Town Hall

The Pickman House was built in 1664. The home is owned by the Peabody Essex Museum and is not open to the public.

The Pickman House

This clock is attached to the Legends restaurant. I could not find any info about it, so if you know anything, please share!

A cool old street clock.
Americana, Photography

Buildings with Character

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Fellow travel blogger, Tatiana, runs a Thursday Travel Photo Challenge. This week the challenge is Buildings with Character. If you’ve been following me, then you know I love architecture.

Big cities always have great architecture, but so do some small and medium sized towns.

Providence

Providence, RI has some very unique architecture and is just a beautiful town. This medium size college town is a must see!

The Turk’s Head Building

Asheville

This beautiful Art Deco building is the Asheville City Hall. The small southern town of Asheville, NC has a lot of great character, even in the buildings.

Asheville City Hall

Bardstown

This unique building is the Old Courthouse in Bardstown, KY. The buildings itself resembles a church, but it was built as a courthouse. It is now the home to the local tourism board.

Old Courthouse in Bardstown, KY.

Prints are available of these unique buildings with character, just click on the photo!

Americana, Massachusetts, Photography

Historic Downtown Boston

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In the first blog about Boston, I talked about rain. The first part of my full day there, I walked around Back Bay East, following the Women’s Heritage Trail. As I made my way from Back Bay East to Faneuil Hall Market Place where I was meeting a friend, I found some great photo ops in historic downtown Boston.

Boston Common

I made my way through the massive central park in downtown Boston. It is considered the oldest city park in the US, as it dates from 1634. The park is 50 acres. I found the carousel to be sad and lonely on this rainy day in October.

The carousel in the Boston Common
Boston Common Carousel

Chinatown

As I made my way out of the park, I found myself in Chinatown. Boston’s Chinatown is the largest outside of New York City.

The large ornate gate at the Chinatown entrance in Boston, MA
Chinatown entrance in Boston
The brightly lit marquee for the Empire Garden in Chinatown.
The Empire Garden was once a movie theatre.

Old State House

I finally made my way to Faneuil Hall but was not able to take pics as it was getting remodeled. From the Marketplace we decided to do some indoor activities as the rain and wind was getting intense. We decided to visit the Old State House. The Old State House was home to the Massachusetts General Court until 1798. It is one of the oldest public buildings in the US.

The Old State House one of the oldest public buildings in the US.
The Old State House

Thanks for reading about my Boston walk about. Interested in learning more? Visit the podcast to hear about it.

As always prints are available for each of these photos.

Americana, Massachusetts, Photography

Boston Back Bay East

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When I visited Boston, I knew that I wanted to find out more about historic women in Boston. My podcast, Tourist in your Town, specializes in historic women and minorities. There are several different areas featured on the Boston Women’s Heritage Trail. So, I decided to walk the Back Back East tour and try to find some of the historic places associated with these women.

I discovered that most of the homes associated with the women did not have markers, so a handy printed map would have been helpful for me. I tried to use my phone, but that just didn’t work well for me. But I did find some beautiful doors and entrance ways in this historically residential area.

Iron and glass doors in the arched entries are eye catching, but the vintage looking bicycle is what really grabbed my attention.
There’s just something about a simple bicycle, waiting for someone to take an adventure.
Side by side blue doors against a decorative white arched entry and a single, un-carved pumpkin on the stoop.
It’s that sad, lonely pumpkin against those heavy blue doors.
The French Cultural Center.
Fisher College

Be sure to listen to the episode featuring these women and historic locations in the Back Bay East area of Boston.

Fine Art Photography by Sharon Popek