Recently, I have been working on kaleidoscapes again. Yes, you read it correctly – kaleidoscapes as opposed to kaleidoscopes. Bob Cole (robertcolephotography.com) pointed out that a kaleidoscope is a viewing device rather than a graphic image. So, a change in nomenclature seemed like a good idea. After some thought, I settled on kaleidoscapes as most descriptive of what I create. These symmetrical designs are produced by rotating and reflecting a sample from a photograph throughout a full circle. It is possible to approach these images on several levels. They are pleasing to the eye and can be enjoyed simply as graphic designs. They can also evoke deeply spiritual responses in the viewer. Over the past several weeks, I’ve been enjoying working with ever increasing numbers of reflections and exploring new images to sample. I’ve revised the Kaleidoscapes gallery on my portfolio page, retiring some images and adding many new ones. To see these kaleidoscapes,  click here.

I was inspired to get back into these images by Donna Bearden and her mandalas. Check out her work at www.donnabearden.com.

If you would like to try some kaleidoscapes yourself, go to www.lloydwphoto.com/downloads.htm. (This is an older page that still refers to the images as “kaleidoscopes.”) There you will find a link to a set of templates to download for free. There are instructions for using the templates on the Downloads page or you can view Mark Johnson’s Photoshop Workbench Number 288 for a video tutorial. Please note that the templates use Photoshop Smart Objects and will only work with versions of Photoshop that support Smart Objects. The templates do not work with Photoshop Elements.

 August 2016 – Mark Johnson’s Photoshop Workbench is no longer available online.

“When gifts are given to me through my camera, I accept them graciously.”

– Minor White

This quote from Minor White is one of my all-time favorites (I’ve used it before). It reminds me that the ability to spend time photographing, along with the photographs that I am given, is a gift for which I am grateful daily. This year has been filled with many such gifts. As I look back on the year, I am struck by both the locations I have been able to visit (Hawaii, the Olympic Penninsula, Minnesota, my own backyard – to name a few) and the variety of subjects (landscapes, flowers, old automobiles, wildlife) that I have been able to capture.

Each year, I typically post 18 – 20 of my favorite images to share them with you. This year, it was too hard to edit the list down to 18 – 20, so I’ve posted 24 of my favorites in a 2012 gallery. You can click here to view them. Many of these images have been the subject of blog posts and you can read more about them in the blog entries.

Also, this year I was invited to join a group of outstanding photographers who believe that art can be an important part of the healing process and are dedicated to filling hospitals, clinics, hospice units and skilled nursing facilities with healing photographic art. These images are offered to facilities for only the cost of making the print. Check out this collection of fine art photographs at healingimages.org. Please share the link with anyone you know in the healing professions who might be interested. I am both proud and humbled to be a part of this extraordinary group of photographers.

Happy New Year. May your life be filled with beautiful and healing images in 2013.