Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Psst...



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Society6 is offering free shipping WORLDWIDE through Sunday, making this a great time to pick up that iPhone case or framed print you've had your eye on - or even stationery featuring fine art photos from, you guessed it, Around the Island Photography. Go on over and have a look around.


Happy shopping :).


Monday, March 26, 2012

Poppy and Fence

Yikes, I am really falling down on the whole blogging thing lately. Real life is getting in my way (oh the nerve!)...

In the meantime, can I distract you from my abysmal visit-returning record of late with this poppy? Yes? Okay then, here we go - and oh look, it's red too :).


Poppy and Fence would make a wonderful Mother's Day gift, just in case you're trying to get an early start on things... ;)
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Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Spring Meadow

We don't have them here in Israel but doesn't this seem like the perfect spot for an Easter egg hunt? Or maybe just the perfect spot for a Cadbury egg?


Visit Wordless Wednesday to see what other people aren't saying this week, and Wordful Wednesday to see what they are.
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Monday, March 19, 2012

Drawn to the Scent of Spring

Sorry for the lack of blogging - I was away on a much-needed overnight girlfriends getaway (yes, it was as fabulous as it sounds), followed by an art sale at a local music retreat (great fun and quite successful too, so a double win), and then followed that up with the worst migraine I have ever had in my life. Nothing I took made a dent in it, and believe me I took... Jay finally ordered a doctor to the house to make sure I didn't have meningitis or something, it was that bad. I literally hadn't been able to lift my head up from the pillow for the entire day. Eventually an additional pill (and a valium from the doctor) finally put enough of a dent in it that I was able to sleep. Today I still feel like I was hit by a truck (and still have a bad cold, which is not adding to my fun...) but the light at the end of the tunnel isn't hurting my head quite as badly.

In the meantime, here are some gorgeous almond blossoms I was lucky enough to catch between downpours this weekend - conveniently tinged with red.


Pssst... Did you know that Society6 is now offering stationery too?
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Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Purim, Tel Aviv Style


Last Saturday we took advantage of the beautiful weather to go for a walk along the beach in Tel Aviv. The water was filled with kite surfers zipping back and forth, and sometimes straight up -


And of course it was Purim weekend, a time when you need to expect the unexpected, so...


You didn't know that Superman was a kite surfer, did you?

Visit Wordless Wednesday to see what other people aren't saying this week, and Wordful Wednesday to see what they are. Oh, and with a quick albeit belated backtrack to Ruby Tuesday 2 as well. Better late than never. At least it's red.
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Monday, March 5, 2012

Dreamscape

I hope you're not getting tired of anemone shots. The weather has been so utterly craptastic here all winter that opportunities to get out and shoot something new have been few and far between.


On a happier note, I had the wonderful opportunity today to begin helping out a group of Palestinian women who make the most beautiful textiles, combining traditional embroidery with more modern design. They're looking to put out a catalog to begin selling their products internationally and have asked for some mentoring-style help in learning how to photograph the items. 

After an explanation of the program and how it seeks to empower local village women who would otherwise not have very many opportunities to earn a living and support their families, followed by a delicious traditional Palestinian lunch (yellow lentil soup, a type of chicken musakhkhan (I think), and lots of homemade pickles, followed by cookies and a chocolate cake the women in a cooking and baking workshop had made the day before (they also host meals for both small and large groups, if anyone is interested contact me for more details)) we talked some basic photography - composition, natural light, the basic building blocks of a good image. While I'll be returning next week to shoot some of the production process for the most part they'll be doing their own photography using a small point and shoot camera, so I kept the discussion focused on simple methods and techniques they'll be able to implement on whatever equipment they have available. Their textiles are really lovely, and I was very touched when they insisted on giving me a beautiful embroidered bag that was just the right size for that wide-angle lens that was sitting bagless in my camera bag (and then I was completely taken aback when the director insisted on giving me another bag as well after that, what a treat). Of all their projects, one of the ones that stood out the most was a joint effort with an Israeli women's organization to produce desk accessories (memo pad holders, etc.) that combine swatches of Palestinian embroidery with recycled cardboard accessories made by the Israeli women, all in the name of peace and mutual understanding. 

All in all, a really special way to spend a day (once I finally managed to meet up with the friend who'd invited me and head to the village just outside of the city! My GPS went utterly insane when it entered Jerusalem today and sent me on an hourlong wild goose chase all over East Jerusalem, complete with bumper to bumper traffic, competing directions from passers-by, and my ever-increasing frustration as I saw my much needed bathroom break growing farther and farther away! When I finally found the meeting point - an hour late - my GPS was STILL telling me to keep driving, that I'd be there in another 12 minutes!).

Visit Ruby Tuesday 2 for more red images from around the world.
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