For The First Time

September 04, 2025 by Donna Hopkins

Of course, we expect challenges the first time we do things. The first time we try to pedal a bike, bake a cake, or make a friend. We anticipate that we will make mistakes and somehow that makes the hurt a little more tolerable. But for some reason, aging seems to be something we are simply expected to know how to do. As though we should intuitively know how to relate to adult children who no longer need us, how to make our time meaningful when we retire, how to navigate the changes in forty year marriages. How to let go and shift roles. How to age without apology. We do not. We are doing this thing for the first time. It’s easy to forget that.

For a while I felt emptied out from the inside.

Living in the shape of everyone else’s needs.

I keep shaking myself and reminding myself. It’s okay to be happy.

This is not the first time I have taken this photograph. By my estimation, this car has not moved for 5 years. I’ve taken the picture at different times of the day, different seasons, with different lenses, with digital and film cameras. I never get tired of playing with the composition. There is something about orange that makes me feel joyful.

This is not the first time I have taken this photograph either. But it is the best one to date. I love the little porta-potty located on the side of the tiny post office, neatly camouflaged with patches of wooden lattice. There are picture opportunities that only present themselves once in a lifetime, as if by some miracle or magic. But there are many pictures that show up over and over again, like old friends, ready to pick up where we left off.

What Color Goes With Melon?

September 02, 2025 by Donna Hopkins

One last watermelon picture for this season. The Farmers Market was busy and too crowded for my liking. So I walked along behind the booths and stopped to take a picture of the watermelon. Cut fancy style, to show off its sweet and juicy interior and entice buyers. I wonder just how you cut a watermelon like this. I’m sure there is YouTube video that demonstrates the technique, but I do not need to know everything. At least not immediately.

Running errands, I had a little headache which usually means I’ve waited too long to eat. We stopped to grab coffee and a slice of banana bread. I always feel better when well-fed and more able to see the bright side of things. The turned around stop sign against the red swinging gate door caught my eye (near the Sonic drive-thru). A sign shape that speaks its meaning even without the words being visible. A lovely shade of red, just like the watermelon. A last hurrah for summer.

More Moka Pots!

September 01, 2025 by Donna Hopkins

It’s Labor Day weekend, and I am noting the unofficial end of summer by playing like a kiddo.
Cutting and pasting, mixing colors, turning things around just to see how they might look differently. Thank you to artist/painter Kenny Harris for the inspiration to espresso myself.

Taking these pictures is harder than it looks. Securing the paper to the wall (this requires thumbtacks and a level). Moving things around in the garage to make a little studio. Dragging the table that used to be my son’s desk into the light. Trying different lenses to figure out which one produces the least distortion and allows me to get somewhere near straight (just in case you are interested, the 50 mm lens worked best). Twisting the top and bottom halves of the pot to get the view that kind of lines up but does not show the logo on the pot. Making sure the handle wasn’t reflected in the pot. Trying out different color combinations.

Trying to place other things in the frame that might add interest to the composition—like cherry tomatoes or strawberries or a small coffee cup—none of which worked to my satisfaction. Checking to see if morning light or afternoon light might give a more interesting result. Dragging the tripod out of the closet and trying to remember how to use the Live View feature. And then figuring out how to best process a photo that could work in many different ways.

In Living Color

August 31, 2025 by Donna Hopkins

“Living in the moment
is learning how to live
between big moments.
It is learning how to make the most
of the in-betweens
and having the audacity
to make those moments
just as exciting.”
—Morgan Harper Nichols

I cannot recall exactly how I came across the work of painter Kenny Harris, though I think it was by way of a substack newsletter. I was immediately drawn to his whimsical paintings of Moka Pots, those little Italian espresso makers, with various reflected colors, shapes, and patterns. Studying Harris’ entire portfolio, I was struck by how many of his paintings had a kind of photographic style. But where pictures often depict sharp edges and contrast, Harris’ paintings are soft and muted so that the subject often blends seamlessly with the background. Many of his paintings are devoid of people and yet full of life; the scenes function as invitations, welcoming the viewer to create their own narrative. In some respects, Harris’ work reminds me of the paintings by Edward Hopper. His work provides me with inspiration and fresh thoughts on how to portray the fleeting things in life as forever things.

I am attempting to create my own little series of Moka Pot prints, using my camera, some colorful paper, and a lot of experimentation. This is my first attempt. More to come . . .