Sharing a Favorite Photo, with Love

Welcome!

Someone recently asked me what my favorite location for taking photographs was. My answer is that I really don't have a favorite location because I just love taking pictures wherever I am, both at home and away from home. There's an opportunity for picture-taking everywhere if we just look around us.

Also, I was asked to share my favorite photo. I could answer it this way:
"Which of my photographs is my favorite? The one I'm going to take tomorrow."-Imogen Cunningham

With that said, I did select one photograph from several of my favorites to share on this blog post.

It's one of the photos that I featured on my "The Art of Positive Living" blog, a post entitled "Positive Memories" (8/7/16). I took this photo at my niece's beautiful wedding a couple of years ago in one of the most romantic cities in the world, Savannah, Georgia.

Although there was a professional wedding photographer there taking pictures, the family had wanted me to take photos, as well, since my photographs, in their words, "make the ordinary extraordinary."

Even though I wasn't a professional photographer* then, I did my best, and I took a lot of pictures, trying not to miss any important shots.

In the above photo, the couple is taking a stroll around the beautiful grounds after the ceremony. I followed them around, and was lucky to have captured the image with my camera.

My steps in taking this photo are:
"I walk,
I look,
I see,
I stop,
I photograph."
-Leon Levinstein

The above quote really is pretty much how I take all of my photographs.

In case I need to tweak up any photos, I go to a free online editing site for lightening up, etc. the images.

However, I'm investigating something I just heard about, an innovative compact camera that a new company Light has developed since I'm always looking for new ways to improve my photography. It even works really well in low-light conditions.

From taking a family group photo when I was only nine years old, to taking informal photos of my parents opening gifts from each other when I was a teenager, to taking pictures with my husband, Greg, during our travels, I can happily say that I'm hooked on photography.

In fact, photography is in my blood since my father was an avid photographer when I was growing up.

In conclusion, model Christie Brinkley in her book "Timeless Beauty" sums up my feelings about photography this way: "I love to grab a camera and walk around looking for beauty. I find beauty everywhere....I am transported by the magic and light, and I...feel enlightened both physically and spiritually by the beauty."

I couldn't have expressed it any better myself!

*To check out more of my photos, please see the heading "Photography" on my website, www.beckyarnottartist.com . Many of my photos are on iStock .com which is part of "Getty Images."

Positive thought: "Photography is the only language that can be understood anywhere in the world."-Bruno Barby
Thanks for visiting! Until Sunday, September 4, 2016, Becky

(This blog post is under the copyright of Becky Arnott, 8/27/16.)

A Bell Buckle Celebration

Recently, Greg and I returned to one of our very favorite places, Bell Buckle, Tennessee. I've written about this quaint little town on other blog posts. (These are the 12/6/15, 6/21/14, 2/23/14, and 4/28/13 posts.)

This time, we were there to celebrate a very special occasion for us, our wedding anniversary!

"Our wedding was many years ago. The celebration continues to this day."
-Gene Perret

Our first stop in Bell Buckle was, of course, the Bell Buckle Cafe.

There, we know that we'll always get an excellent meal...

It was sooo good! Southern home-style cookin,' Greg's and my favorite kind!

Of course, we had to top it all off with an anniversary dessert, a grits cake with strawberries and whipped cream. Fantastic!

After our wonderful, filling meal, we decided to take a stroll around town.

This is just one of the neat shops we visited.

Inside "Perfectly Painted" was an unexpected bonus, this cute little guy.

On our way out, after yet another visit to Bell Buckle, Greg and I noticed this pretty B&B, the "Walker Inn."

We thought that it would be great to spend the night here on our next visit so we could enjoy an even longer stay in this charming little town.

"Love does not consist of gazing at each other, but in looking together in the same direction."
-Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Positive thought: "An anniversary is a time to celebrate the joys of today, the memories of yesterday, and the hopes of tomorrow."-Author Unknown
Thanks for visiting! Until Sunday, September 4, 2016 (or sooner!), Becky

Positive Memories

Welcome!

These days, it's almost essential to have positive thoughts about things. One great way to have those thoughts is through our pleasant memories.

Something that happened just recently made me think about how these positive memories are actually an important part of our lives.

Yesterday, Greg and I met with an aromatherapist to help us with a couple of things we wanted to improve on, and she told us that if a particular scent appealed to us, it was meant for us to have.

There was one fragrance that I particularly loved, that I definitely wanted. When I smelled it, I felt transported to an especially happy time in my life. All of a sudden, it was Christmas at my old childhood home. Our family was gathered around the dining table, and the smells of Christmas dinner wafted through he air. I could also see the pretty Christmas decorations, and gifts around the tree.

More Recent Christmas Memories at Greg's Brother's House

Wow! Who wouldn't want something like that! Just think, with a simple whiff, it can be Christmas every day!

It's really amazing that the sense of smell is that powerful, and, in fact, the sense of smell is the best of the five for helping one recall the past.

Of course, there are other ways to access your pleasant memories. Greg and I started talking, reminiscing about fun things we used to do when we were growing up.

We both loved similar candies like "Reese's Cups." Also, we went to a lot of similar places on trips, like the old "Howard Johnson's" restaurant (with its 28 flavors of ice cream) and motor lodge. (For more info about this "American icon" check out: www.hojoland.com .

Once, when I was about four years old, my parents and I went to church for a program that I decided I really didn't want to be in, so after I got all upset and started crying, Mama and Daddy promptly took me to a nearby drug store, and we all had milk shakes. That really calmed me down. To this very day, a milk shake is one of my favorite comfort foods!

"Becky, remember the good times."
-The comforting advice of my "philosopher" uncle on the passing of my father

I was always fascinated with my grandparents' beautiful, almost magical back yard. It was a sight to behold, with its lovely roses, trellises, bird bath, and grape arbor, complete with a swing that could hold two people. In my little-child mind, this just had to be the most wonderful place on earth.

Yesterday was our wedding anniversary which brought back fond memories of when Greg and I first met and our beautiful wedding at my parents' house.

Positive memories can also be triggered by watching old TV shows, visiting an antique shop or memorabilia store, listening to old songs, being at a restaurant with retro decor, researching online,  reading books, magazines, diaries, or emails about "the good old days," and looking at photos, etc.

"What I like about photographs is that they capture a moment that's gone forever, impossible to reproduce."
-Kale Lagerfeld

These positive memories are a gift to us; they are our go-to places that can transport us back in time, that help us put things in perspective; they are a comforting place that can be with us forever.

What are some of your pleasant memories?

Positive thought: "Life brings tears, smiles, and memories. The tears dry, the smiles fade, but the memories last forever."-quotesgram.com
Thanks for visiting! Until Sunday, August 21, Becky