Years ago, I was a young professional ballet dancer about to go on my second tour of the United States armed with ballet slippers and a cheap camera. I desperately wanted to record what I saw on tour. I enjoyed composing rehearsal images to test my skill at capturing the essence of the movement or choreography and the stage lighting, as well.

Though most of the images in this portfolio were taken during more recent travel, I have included one from my days as a dancer. Looking back, I remember the enthusiasm with which I saw the single lamp on the piano illuminating the pianist’s face in Franklin Demonstrating. Although not the focal point, it adds depth and meaning to the picture. To this day, it is a wonderful reminder of that rehearsal. I’ve included this because I love its movement and because it shows me that the way I saw things then is not so different from the way I see things now.

The rest of the portfolio images are from diverse places ranging from Texas to Italy. Two in particular are my favorites, Gondola Tips because of the calm motionless water with its reflections and the front of two gondolas on either side of an off-center pier; and Shop Window in Venice, because it is a serene and historic-looking image with a square stone near the canal to disturb the regularity. A pedestrian walked into another frame of the same scene and the second image did not have the timeless feel of the first.

Hands and faces also interest me. The grace of hands against a shop window in Terri’s Reflection are prominent but create curiosity about what’s behind the glass that you ever so slightly see. The expressive face of Rick Moon is characteristic of someone who has done many things in his lifetime and wants to talk about them. After giving his permission to take the picture, he went on to do just that, giving me the perfect opportunity for a candid portrait.

Since I can’t always travel to take more pictures, I’ve been scouring the neighborhood for images while walking our dogs. Most of the time it’s difficult to see an image in what becomes so familiar but more than once I’ve stumbled across interesting moments when everything came together. For some reason the dog fails to understand why I want to stop at all to play with a camera. When there are enough images to choose from, I’ll do a portfolio of South Austin.