Merry Christmas from Smyrna!

Downtown City of Smyrna Christmas Tree

E very Christmas season, the City of Smyrna decorates the Village Green with a tree and various lighted figures. They also string lights in many of the trees, so it's quite pretty. I drove by there one morning, and it hit me that I've been wanting to photograph the tree for a couple of years now.

We Salute You

Marietta National Cemetery

I rarely watch the news anymore—too depressing, but I just happened to catch a segment before changing channels that caught my attention. They were at Marietta National Cemetery and wreaths were being placed in front of the headstones. This was part of a nationwide tradition: Wreaths Across America. Although 5,000 wreaths sounds like a lot, they explained that they didn't have the funds to have one for every one of the over 18,000 that are buried there.

Gobble, Gobble, Part Two

Wild turkey in the cul-de-sac.

When I was working on the calendar project, I went to a farm in rural Georgia to photograph turkeys. Who knew that I could have photographed them outside my house. I live in a typical suburb where there really should only be domestic animals—and on leashes. But lately, it seems that every time I turn around, I see some type of new wildlife. Wild turkeys, however, were very unexpected.

The Wee Ones

A couple of the regular residents of Kennesaw Mountain.

I absolutely love hiking at Kennesaw National Battlefield Park, aka Kennesaw Mountain. There are several trails for all skill levels, and it’s just so scenic. Whenever I am there, I have a hard time not taking my camera, but if I do, a one-hour hike can quickly–or I should say slowly–turn into three. You don't really get the heart rate up when you're constantly stopping for photos; although, the leg squats are quite good.

Gobble, Gobble, Gobble

Turkeys at Darby Farms

I’m still trying to get a “harvest” photo for November for the calendar project. I was chatting with a friend and he said, it's too bad you can’t photograph a turkey in the wild. But that gave me an idea—so it was back to the internet for some research. I wanted to find a free-range turkey farm. We may have more in Georgia than I found, but I couldn’t have found a nicer one to visit than Darby Farms.

Ice, Ice, Baby

Center Ice Arena in Sandy Springs, Georgia

When Atlanta has ice or snow, it either shuts down the city or it’s just a dusting. Either way, we usually don’t get out in it, and I really hate winter, so the only snow photos I have are from my yard. For the calendar project, they wanted ice or snow for January. So I had to come up with some options and that brought to mind the local ice rink. I was thinking I could photograph a recreational skating session.

There's "Corn" in Them Thar Hills

Copper Creek Farm Sign

The next photo I needed to take for the calendar was a "harvest" scene for November. Well, this could be easier in November, but with an October 1 deadline, I had to improvise. I had an idea that if I could find a barn somewhere in rural Georgia that is surrounded by a corn field, it could work. Lots of online research gave me a list of possibilities, and after making a couple of calls, I decided on Copper Creek Farm in Calhoun, Georgia—a little town in northwest Georgia.

Oh Say Can You See

Georgia Capitol & Liberty Plaza Flags

For a couple of months, I have been working on getting my photos in a calendar that a local business sends to their customers. I was given a list of preferred subject matter for each month, and I did my best to send something for every month. Unfortunately, I just didn’t have what they wanted for July—fireworks or something patriotic. I had fireworks, but there was nothing else in the photo, so they could have been from anywhere. The main theme of this calendar is Georgia and that had to be apparent.

Up, Up, and Away

Looking Inside of a Hot Air Balloon

I love reflections and when I heard that the Callaway Gardens hot air balloon festival is held next to one of their lakes, I wanted to see it. I had heard about this festival about three years ago, but weather and other obligations had prevented me from going. This festival is wrapped around the Labor Day holiday with the activities varying by day. I went Friday night specifically for the “balloon glow.”

Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot

Stars at Zibriskie Point

Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to assist a fellow photographer on a scouting trip to Death Valley, California. This is not necessarily a time of year that I would recommend for a visit. I don't care what they say about it being a dry heat. Yeah, I know, 120 degrees would have felt a lot hotter in Georgia with our humidity, but hot is hot. Still, I'm glad I went.

Welcome

Welcome to my new blog. In early 2012, I started a technology blog (www.jgoriginalsblog.blogspot.com), and I had a lot of fun with it. But I had also just started to discover my passion for photography. I built a website (www.judygarrard.com), entered a lot of exhibits, and participated in a few festivals. As a result, I just didn't have time to continue with the other blog.