Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Gathering Acorns


Portraits From My Heart I

I don't know about you , but I thoroughly enjoyed the artist portrait series from my friend over at St. Louis, Mo Daily Photo.  Unfortunately,  my portfolio of  portraits is still a work in progress.  However, I do have a very small collection I would like to share.    I have photographed each one since the first day they came into this world and my life..... my grandchilden!   I hope that each photograph gives you a glimpse of their sweet spirit.

My granddaughters found some baskets in the basement and set out to harvest acorns in my yard last week.  Hard to believe that the squirrels that reside in my trees had left them even one, but in no time they had quite a collection.  Great fun was had drawing faces on them and decorating them with fern leaves.  The pleasures of summer.

The Tune du Jour is from the movie Forest Gump, one of my favorite tunes. Enjoy!

30 comments:

RaleighKat said...

What an absolutely stunning photograph! It drew me right into your site, and I'm so happy it did. From Katonah, NY, congratulations on beautiful work.

Jim Klenke said...

Beautiful picture. Looks timeless.

Anonymous said...

This is a really nice portrait and I like it in this color too. As for the acorns...my squirrels eat them almost before they are fully grown. But I see a lot of them left on the ground. The squirrels prefer peanuts in the shell, unsalted of course.

Abraham Lincoln
—Brookville, Ohio

melanie said...

Très belle petite fille et cliché sympa

Rob said...

Beautiful portrait! I am looking forward in viewing more of your portrait work. I will be ataking portrait lessons from you.

Halcyon said...

The sepia tone adds an air of nostalgia and old-timey-ness to this photo.

I definitely think you've caught her spirit and the innocent pleasures of childhood as well. Great photo!

PJ said...

Virginia,
You are a great photographer and a great grandmother. I really enjoy the Tune du Jour. As for squirrels and nuts, I have a post scheduled for tomorrow on my main blog all about my nutty squirrels. It's silly but I had fun writing it.
Pensacola Daily Photo

T said...

Lovely image...and her dress makes it hard to determine if this is current or vintage...love that.

First visit to your site and noticed we have a lot in common. I too am fascinated with all things French...still waiting for my first trip to beautiful Paris.

mouse (aka kimy) said...

brilliant portrait!

Victor said...

Just a wonderful (and loving) portrait Virginia. Bravo!

Laurie Allee said...

Beautiful work, Virginia. You captured an honest, candid moment in a gorgeous shot -- not easy with kids!

SHe looks close to my daughter's age. Three? WHat a wonderful, personal photograph. THanks for sharing.

Livio Bonino said...

Very pretty portrait indeed

Felicia said...

A beautiful photo, and I can't wait to be a grandma if this is what I have to look forward to! ;)

GrandAnglais said...

What a beautiful picture, children are such great subjects particularly when they're just doing their thing not aware that anyone is photographing them. Black and white really gives it a timeless quality...

Clueless in Boston said...

Lovely portrait of your grand daughter. Adding the warming filter to the B&W was perfect and gives it a timeless quality.

Petrea Burchard said...

It's a charming photo, and I love your choice of the sepia tone. I never know when to use sepia or black and white. This is an example of the perfect time for sepia.

Katie said...

Charming photo of a really sweet girl! I too can't wait to see more of your portraits. I'm not much for taking photos of people so I love to see it when others do such a great job like you do here. And I agree with Petrea that the sepia is perfect here.

Virginia said...

Many thanks to all of you for you kind words regarding my first portrait today. As I said, portraiture is not one of my strengths although Bob, along with photography friends here in Birmingham, continue to encourage and give me much needed advice . Family portraiture is how I began my newfound love of photography. As the family historian of sorts, I have honed my skills on thousands of grandbaby photos over the last 7 years. Now I hope that I can branch out from the familiar to the unfamiliar. I will depend on each of you to keep me on the right track!

Bob Crowe said...

Virginia, this is just gorgeous. Beautiful child, soft focus, pose, warm sepia - there's so much in this photo. Don't apologize for your work. You are a talented portraitist.

Eki said...

V, the moment you captured here is so heartfelt and intimate, it could only come from the deepest feeling of love you have for her. I'll be looking forward to the next posts in the series.

Olivier said...

ce portrait est superbe, très poétique. et j'adore ton choix de sépia.

this portrait is superb, very poetic. and I love your choice of sepia.

M. CHRISTOPHE said...

Good artistic choice. Waiting for the next one !!

D said...

This is so precious and timeless. Wonderful work!

Anonymous said...

Being the mother of the "angel" i must agree with the posts here. Yet, being the mother of the "angel" i must add that this captures a moment in her dear demeanor that is rare yet precious. as the third girl in three years to our family, she is the one who keeps up in check and out of department stores. You know instantly where you stand with Laura-Kate. Her dress is a nightgown which we like to stay in all day sometimes in the summer. childhood, like summer, is so fleeting. we like to grab hold of it, wallow in it, and drink in each day of it at our home. I cannot wait to see mumsies/mom's pictures here of her beautiful eyes that take you to the heart of her mischief! Thanks mom-you did it again! i love you-kat

Rose said...

Well, it is late and you have already heard this a number of times, but it is a great shot of your daughter--I mean granddaughter. I love photos like this that show them as they are and not posed sitting stiffly! This will bring back a flood of memories years from now.

Jane Hards Photography said...

It is one of the best uses of sepia I have seen on the dailies. It's much harder than B&w to match to the image. Beautiful portrait. It puts in mind of those old British Victorian and Edawrdian images we often see in the UK from those eras. A wonderful timeless memory that will no doubt become a family treasure.

Unknown said...

Simply and absolutely stunning, now this is a great picture.

Little's one they are soooooooo precious.

Marie Reed said...

Your grandbaby is just picture perfect. She looks so vintage postcardsy to be! I almost want to slap a spia tint and a vignette on this shot:)

Janet Kincaid said...

Gorgeous! I'm excited to see your portrait series of your grandchildren.

Knoxville Girl said...

coming in late on this one, but still want to tell you how stunning this portrait is. this is gonna be a great series!