Saturday, May 5, 2018

It's Photo Contest Time! by Alison Henderson

This past week has been super busy for me, and next week won't be much better. I'm finishing the final read-through of UNDERCOVER NANNY, and my mother is coming for a visit on Tuesday. She doesn't make the trip often, so that means lots of yard work, cleaning, etc. so we'll be looking our best. And this weekend, right in the middle, is the Carmel Valley Garden Club annual show.

This year, I've made two fairy gardens for the silent auction fundraiser and entered four photos in the photo contest. Last year, my photos didn't win any ribbons, but I did sell one, making me officially a professional photographer. Woohoo!

I thought you might like to see them, so here they are:




Goldfinch on the Birdbath

Thunder Across the Valley


Winter Afternoon at Whaler's Cove

Bee in Pride of Madeira

What do you think? Any favorites? I'll let you know if I win or sell anything.

Alison
www.alisonhenderson.com 


16 comments:

Leah St. James said...

Alison, I read your headline and mentally cheered.:-) I love your photos! My favorites (in a virtual tie!) are Thunder Across the Valley and Winter Afternoon at Whaler's Cove. I'm certain you'll at least make a sale and hopefully will take home a ribbon or two. (BTW, have you considered the new metallic print process? I've ordered a few for work gifts and they are stunning.) I love the fairy gardens and wish I were close enough to see them in person. Have a wonderful time with your mom!

Diane Burton said...

Love your photos. Whaler's Cove is my fav. The fairy gardens are awesome. My fav has to be the one with the windmill (not only am I of Dutch descent, I live in west Michigan where the Dutch settled). Congrats on being a professional photographer. Big congrats on finishing Undercover Nanny. Can't wait to read it. Enjoy your visit with your mom.

Jannine Gallant said...

The fairy gardens are adorable. I love all the photos for different reasons. The cove looks like a painting, which is awesome, and the little goldfinch makes me smile. The other two have really striking color. Have a great time at the show and report back on how your photos do.

I'm glad you're wrapping up edits, and I hope you're pleased with the end result. I need to know if you went with my headless monkey (stuffed people, I'm not an animal hater!) suggestion. I was pretty sure you wouldn't, but figured it would make my point that you needed something more dramatic than a note in that spot. LOL

Rolynn Anderson said...

Love both your arts! When I was a kid living in Sendai, Japan (3 years...my father was an Army officer), I learned flower arranging and miniature garden making (Zen gardens). I loved this art and put an article/pics about them here: https://www.topdreamer.com/awesome-miniature-japanese-gardens-that-will-amaze-you/ Your photos are great...the Whaler pic looks like a painting! Well done, you multi-talented woman! I'm in edit mode, too. AARG!

Alison Henderson said...

Thanks, Leah. I hope other people (the judges?) will like them, too. I've never heard about a new metallic print process. Where do you get them done? OG just prints mine on our color laser printer.

Alison Henderson said...

Diane, when I saw that windmill, I knew it had to go in one of this year's fairy gardens. It's too cute! I took the photo at Whaler's Cover when I went hiking with my sister in December. I wish I could take my mom there next week, but it's a little to rugged. I'm afraid she might lose her footing.

Alison Henderson said...

Thanks, Jannine. I loved the goldfinch because of the reflection in the birdbath. I finished my edits and have set the MS aside for a few days. I'll give it one final read-through for copy edits I might have missed after my mom leaves. Can I just say I LOVE IT! I took many of your suggestions--including the headless monkey--and added a number of plot changes of my own. I decided, however, not to change anyone's age. Grace reminds me of my daughter at that age, and I didn't want to change her, since I don't have to worry about mean NetGalley reviewers. Don't worry--I made everything work. I'll send you a print copy when they're ready. I don't expect you to read the whole thing again, but your mom might enjoy it.

Alison Henderson said...

Rolynn, I visited Japan in college, and I love ikebana and mini Zen gardens! We even have an ikebana category in the garden club flower show and a bonsai exhibit.

Brenda Whiteside said...

They're all beautiful, but Whalers' Cove hooked me.I want to sit there with a cup of coffee and a book.

Margo Hoornstra said...

Thunder Across the Valley is my favorite. So powerful. Those gardens are adorable, as has been said. And the book sounds fabulous. That didn’t take you long to finish rewrites. Yeah, do enjoy the time with your mom. Lucky you.

Leah St. James said...

I've been purchasing from Sam's Club. They're very reasonable (relatively speaking) and look fabulous, really striking on that medium (if that's the right word), but you have to have a membership. Because of the cost, I reserve for special gifts.

Andrea Downing said...

Great photos Alison, and I love the fairy gardens too. I'd think selling a photo would be even more exciting than winning (?) . Good luck this year.

Alison Henderson said...

Brenda, Whaler's Cove is one of my favorite places. However, it's in Point Lobos State Park wit lots of visitors, so not a very peaceful place to sit and read.

Alison Henderson said...

Margo, I ran out in my pajamas early one morning to take Thunder Across the Valley. The color of the sunrise was stunning, and thunder (which is VERY rare here) was rolling across the valley from Big Sur. It was quite an experience!

Alison Henderson said...

Thanks, Leah. We're not members of Same's Club, but I bet you can get them other places. I'll have to check.

Alison Henderson said...

Andi, you're right about selling a photo being better than a ribbon!