kris mcneil photography

Seeking the light. And other stuff. But mostly the light.
kris mcneil photography
  • About

  • Category: 7 on 7

    • 7 on 7 november 2018

      Posted at 12:01 am by Kris McNeil, on November 7, 2018

      7 on 7 is a photographic blog circle of friends posting 7 photos on the 7th of the month. Grab a cup of coffee or a glass of wine and walk through our circle with us. It will do your heart and soul some good.

      This month is photos from our amazing day at the Great Barrier Reef aboard the Ocean Spirit. The colors of the day were simply beautiful. The clear waters allowed for the fish and coral viewing to be so surreal. However, the most unexpectedly gorgeous part of the day for me was the colors of the water and just how stunningly blue everything was. I’d never seen true “navy blue” waters, and it was quite striking. The varying depths of the water allowed for it to change from this hypnotic blue to pale blue and greens that just took ones breath away. If I keep going on about it, I’m going to have to break out a thesaurus to keep describing it. It was a day we’ll always remember.

      We were out at Michaelmas Cay which is a small protected island. The birds own it and we were only allowed on one small portion of the beach. While we were there, a large predatory bird flew in and the island birds went nuts. The ones who weren’t protecting nests took to the air to take on the invader. It was wild watching them all in flight and the guides said they’d never seen this before. We were just hoping to not get pooped on.

      GBR (142)284.365.2018 Ocean Spirit at Michaelmas Cay, Great Barrier Reef, Cairns, Australia286.365.2018 Bird in Flight at Michaelmas Cay, Great Barrier Reef, Cairns, Australia

      I kept wishing I had National Geographic underwater photography lights. 289.365.2018 Giant Clam at Michaelmas Cay, Great Barrier Reef, Cairns, Australia290.365.2018 Coral at Michaelmas Cay, Great Barrier Reef, Cairns, Australia291.365.2018 Parrot Fish at Michaelmas Cay, Great Barrier Reef, Cairns, Australia

      Sailing back to Cairns.283.365.2018 Ocean Spirit, Cairns, Australia282.365.2018 Navy Blue Water, Ocean Spirit, Cairns, AustraliaGBR (173)

      Ok, that’s an extra two shots, but I couldn’t help myself.

      Up next is the always stunning gorgeous work of Kristina Rust!. (Still going to need that thesaurus!) Happy autumn!

      Share this:

      • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
      • Share on X (Opens in new window) X
      • Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
      • Share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
      • Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
      Like Loading...
      Posted in 365 2018, 7 on 7 | 4 Comments | Tagged Great Barrier Reef Australia Cairns Ocean Spirit Michaelmas Cay

    • 7 on 7 september 2018

      Posted at 5:14 am by Kris McNeil, on September 8, 2018

      7 on 7 is a photographic blog circle of friends posting 7 photos on the 7th of the month. Grab a cup of coffee or a glass of wine and walk through our circle with us. It will do your heart and soul some good.

      I’m late with this post as I am just getting to some good wifi, but I’m realllly late because it’s already nighttime on the 8th where I am. We are currently in Christchurch, New Zealand where tonight we have been watching the All Blacks beat Argentina 46-24.

      We have been in Australia and NZ for the past couple weeks, and finding time to download and do a little editing has been a challenge. The challenge today was which 7 photos. First 7 seconds in Sydney? First 7 beers? First 7 photos of the Sydney Opera House?

      I decided to go with the first 7 photos that came to mind when I thought about sharing a bit of this trip. For me “travel photography” is a misnomer. I shoot at home the same as I do when I travel. There is always something to see isn’t there?

      When traveling, it’s just more exciting because everything is new. The balance between wanting to capture everything and just being present in a moment is a struggle. In the end, I seldom regret taking a shot. Finding a happy balance of the stuff I “should take” and the stuff that will only mean something to me or my family because it made me laugh or caught my eye is the sweet spot for me.

      Anyway, I’ll probably be editing the shots from this trip for a while, but I’ll try not to make this the entire rest of the year’s editing. On to the pics!

      Starting with the icons:
      Sydney Opera House & the Sydney Harbour Bridge

      sydney 7 on 7-1-6sydney 7 on 7-1-3sydney 7 on 7-1-2
      Places we went. This helps a lot later with the
      “Hey where did we eat that one time…?” discussions.
      sydney 7 on 7-1-10sydney 7 on 7-1-5sydney 7 on 7-1-9Things that made me smile:
      Little flowers
      sydney 7 on 7-1-7
      Lorikeets. Just a random flock of lorikeets.sydney 7 on 7-2-2
      Communal knitting basket at the The Tea Cosy in The Rocks. sydney 7 on 7-2
      Random Fabulousness.sydney 7 on 7-1-8

      The circle is small but sweet this month. Please continue around to see Kristina’s beautiful daughter on the beginnings of real adulthood. Kristina captures her so tenderly in these bittersweet days of letting kids go.

       

      Share this:

      • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
      • Share on X (Opens in new window) X
      • Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
      • Share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
      • Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
      Like Loading...
      Posted in 7 on 7 | 0 Comments | Tagged Australia

    • 7 on 7 august 2018

      Posted at 5:58 pm by Kris McNeil, on August 7, 2018

      7 on 7 is a photographic blog circle of friends posting 7 photos on the 7th of the month. Grab a cup of coffee or a glass of wine and walk through our circle with us. It will do your heart and soul some good.

      We escaped the Texas summer heat for a week in Wyoming. It was a lovely time with family and friends. Every view is a postcard up there. Really, it makes me want to do 70 on 7.

      Wyoming-9
      We took an atv ride up on Bald Ridge Trail.  
      Views for daaays.

      Wyoming-7Old burn.

      Wyoming-8
      Pilot and Index Peaks.

      WY Sony-16
      The view from Dead Indian Overlook.

      Wyoming-8 (2)Wyoming-14
      The aptly named Crazy Creek.

      217.365.2018 The Old BarnThe Old Barn.

      Please continue around our circle with the fabulous work of Kim Thompson Steel. She’s been up in Alberta and has some beauuutiful things to scenery you. 

       

      Share this:

      • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
      • Share on X (Opens in new window) X
      • Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
      • Share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
      • Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
      Like Loading...
      Posted in 7 on 7 | 7 Comments

    • 7 on 7 july 2018

      Posted at 5:36 pm by Kris McNeil, on July 7, 2018

      7 on 7 is a photographic blog circle of friends posting 7 photos on the 7th of the month. Grab a cup of coffee or a glass of wine and walk through our circle with us. It will do your heart and soul some good.

      In mid June I got to attend another of Jason Weingart’s photography workshops. The first was the bluebonnet workshop I attended in April. This time my husband and I drove out to Terlingua, Texas so I could attend one of Jason’s astrophotography workshops. My daughter-in-law met us out there and she and I did the workshop together. It was a little cloudy for us both nights, but it was such a blast.

      Why Terlingua? The light pollution is so bad in the states that the places where we have truly dark night skies are somewhat limited, and as you can imagine, somewhat remote and out west. This is a map where you can see how bright the places you live and visit are and you can see why we had to drive across Texas to find some dark sky.

      astro night 2Even as the sun was going down, the stars were appearing. astro night 2-2We got a fly over from the International Space Station.
      My nerd heart rejoiced.astro night 2-8Middle of nowhere.astro night 2-10Andrew the good sport.astro 2At the Terlingua Cemetery. Even with the clouds rolling in, it was beautiful.

      After the workshop, we treated ourselves to a couple nights at Cibolo Creek Ranch so I could practice a little more star shooting after I’d slept a little (I’m too old for this back to back all nighter stuff). The skies cleared up while we were there and made for some nice nights.

      cibolo night-3From Cibolo Creek Ranch. cibolo morning-3Leaving from Cibolo Creek at 3:00am to drive back to Houston.
      You can see the lights of Presidio, Texas over the hills.      cibolo morning-4Here comes the sun and I say it’s alright.

      As of now our little circle is a bit on vacation with the 4th being just a few days ago. I admit I lost track of days since we just got off some traveling ourselves. Whew! Busy days.

      Share this:

      • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
      • Share on X (Opens in new window) X
      • Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
      • Share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
      • Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
      Like Loading...
      Posted in 7 on 7 | 7 Comments | Tagged astrophotography, Cibolo Creek, Jason Weingart, Terlingua

    • 7 on 7 june 2018

      Posted at 12:03 am by Kris McNeil, on June 7, 2018

      7 on 7 is a photographic blog circle of friends posting 7 photos on the 7th of the month. Grab a cup of coffee or a glass of wine and walk through our circle with us. It will do your heart and soul some good.

      Summer is here! And with that is the arrival of the Texas blueberries. Yummm. My friend Linda and I went to the opening day of the picking season at Moorhead Blueberry Farm in Conroe, Texas. Went arrived right after sunrise, because, like I mentioned, summer is here! It was a beautiful morning for picking and we got out with a good haul.

      blueberry-27It was a lovely dewy morning. 

      blueberry-43The bushes were so heavy with berries!

      blueberry-42

      blueberry-31This wee cutie asked “Do you mind if I pick by you?” Yes, we were thoroughly charmed and her dad said it was okay if I got a shot of her rockin’ boots. She was a very good picker of, quite literally, low hanging fruit. 

      blueberry-50More dew. How does one resist. 

      blueberry-36Dreaming of desserts. Linda and I were a little like Forrest Gump and Bubba out there. “Blueberry pie, blueberry cobbler, blueberry jam, blueberry cheesecake,
      blueberries and whipped cream, blueberry ice cream…” 

      blueberry-60blueberry-64These will be ready for picking on another day, but were beautiful to look at this day.  

      Bonus pics!

      blueberry-65blueberry-66Warm Blueberry Cobbler. There almost weren’t photos of this one. 

      blueberry-69Blueberry Cheesecake. According to my friend Jill Hejl, I made the cheesecake on National Blueberry Cheesecake Day. I know, right?! 

      I may or may not have gone back to the blueberry farm the next weekend with my friend Terri to pick twice as many berries which may or may not be frozen in my freezer awaiting another cheesecake craving.

      Hey locals, Moorhead Blueberry Farm is only open for about a month. They kind of wing it as to when they’ll close, but it you want the goods, get out there this weekend! They’re only open on the weekends and gates open at 6:30am. Go early because as I told you, summer is here!

      Please continue around our blog circle with the always fabulous work of Janice of Shine Photo Design. 

       

      Share this:

      • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
      • Share on X (Opens in new window) X
      • Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
      • Share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
      • Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
      Like Loading...
      Posted in 7 on 7 | 3 Comments | Tagged bluberries, blueberry, cheesecake, cobbler, Conroe, rainboots

    • 7 on 7 may 2018

      Posted at 10:16 pm by Kris McNeil, on May 6, 2018

      7 on 7 is a photographic blog circle of friends posting 7 photos on the 7th of the month. Grab a cup of coffee or a glass of wine and walk through our circle with us. It will do your heart and soul some good.

      Oh April!! What a whirlwind you were! So much so that I am like a month behind on posting for my 365. Still editing, just haven’t been posting. I’m home for a little bit now, so I’ll catch up.

      So what was so cool about April?? Lots of things, but two of the most fun were going to Galveston for the Tall Ships Challenge and going on a bluebonnet tour.

      Tall Ships in a nutshell is a gathering of selected Tall Ships and they race from city to city. The Gulf Coast Challenge started in Galveston this year, then went to New Orleans and Pensacola. We went down for the opening day “Parade of Sail” where all the ships sailed up and down the coast for all to see. It was quite a sight even though it was cloudy and windy. There were six ships in all. I may have to do a separate post about this. They were all so beautiful.

      Tall Ships-1The Elissa is based out of Galveston.

      Tall Ships-10The Oliver Hazard Perry is based out of Newport, Rhode Island

      Tall Ships-13

      We spent the next day touring the ships and getting our Tall Ships passports stamped like 6 year old kids. It was delightful getting to chat with the crew members who work aboard these ships. Some are used as school ships to teach people how to sail them.

      Ahh but what else was great about April? I got to spend two days with Jason Weingart on one of his bluebonnet tours. There were only a handful of us in the workshop (a “van-full” if you will), but we all got along swimmingly and had a delightful couple of days. It was nice to be with people who are so willing to share tips and make sure each other is getting the shot they want.

      Bluebonnets-151

      Bluebonnets-176

      Bluebonnets-115

      Bluebonnets-65This is Baby. I swear this cow posed for us like a pro.

      Bluebonnets-42

      That might be eight photos, but I really loved the field of little donkeys. They were adorable. Ahh April! Such good stuff.

      Speaking of good stuff, keep clicking around our circle to see the always fabulous work of my friend Kim Thompson Steel. See you next time!

       

       

      Share this:

      • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
      • Share on X (Opens in new window) X
      • Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
      • Share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
      • Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
      Like Loading...
      Posted in 7 on 7 | 5 Comments | Tagged bluebonnets, Elissa, Jason Weingart, Oliver Hazard Perry, Tall Ships

    • 7 on 7 march 2018

      Posted at 12:03 am by Kris McNeil, on March 7, 2018

      7 on 7 is a photographic blog circle of friends posting 7 photos on the 7th of the month. Grab a cup of coffee or a glass of wine and walk through our circle with us. It will do your heart and soul some good. 

      The only cure for my rainy day blues is to grab my big rainbow umbrella and get outside to shoot in the rain. I have to go on “new growth” seek to calm my cabin fevered brain. I balance the umbrella on my shoulder and shoot at the same time, but then I need a massage to loosen up all the muscles in my neck and shoulders. Small price to pay for a little happiness and a good excuse to get a massage. (Like I need an excuse – hah!)

      The sun is starting to break through the clouds that have overstayed their welcome in south Texas. The only consolation is that rain brings a good wildflower season and the blooms are just around the corner. Welcome, Spring! We have been waiting for you!

      Rain spring-27

      Rain more-47

      Rain more-19

      Rain more-40

      Rain more-25

      Rain spring-46

      Rain spring-48

      Rain spring-55

      Please continue around our fabulous circle. Up next is the beautiful work of the super talented Kim Thompson Steel. Enjoy!

       

       

       

       

      Share this:

      • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
      • Share on X (Opens in new window) X
      • Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
      • Share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
      • Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
      Like Loading...
      Posted in 7 on 7 | 5 Comments | Tagged Houston, new growth, rainy day

    • 7 on 7 february 2018

      Posted at 12:00 am by Kris McNeil, on February 7, 2018

      7 on 7 is a photographic blog circle of friends posting 7 photos on the 7th of the month. Come take a walk through our circle. It will do your heart and soul some good. 

      We’re Baaacck! The 5 on 5 Circle of 2016 had become the 7 on 7 Circle for 2018. Two more years, why not two more photos. We also have some new people in the circle whom I know you’re going to love. Woohoo!

      At the End of January I took a 36 hour trip to New Orleans with a couple of dear friends. Well, we were in New Orleans 36 hours. We won’t talk about the drive from and to Houston nor the rain nor the traffic. The only good thing about that drive is the Cajun food along the way. Oh yeah. I definitely ate my way across Louisiana and back.

      New Orleans never disappoints for cuisine nor for people watching. There is always something good to see. One of my girlfriends had never been there, so we did a bit of N.O. 101 walking around.

      New Orleans-1Jackson Square musicians. 

      New Orleans-38Jackson Square tarot readers. Nope, no readings were done. Mama does not play with that stuff in New Orleans. I mean, I’m not superstitious, but nope.  

      New Orleans-43More musicians. They were all over town that weekend. What a treat!

      We were there during Carnival Season. For those who do not know, Carnival Season starts on the Feast of the Epiphany (January 6) and ends on Mardi Gras, or “Fat Tuesday” which is the big party day before Ash Wednesday and the Lenten season. Most people think of Mardi Gras as a one day party with fun and parades, but really it’s the finale of the whole of Carnival Season.

      New Orleans-55Commuting.

      New Orleans-54Couldn’t resist this bit of sweetness.

      New Orleans-93A must stop was Cafe du Monde for their famous beignets and coffee. There may be better beignets in town, but for a first visit, Cafe du Monde is the way to go. 

      New Orleans-141And the streetcars! I have such a thing for them.
      We took a ride into the Garden District for dinner. 

      Ok so why New Orleans for 36 hours? Well, I’ll tell you. I love true crime and I love the podcast My Favorite Murder. The podcast hosts (the awesome Karen Kilgariff & Georgia Hardstark) were doing a live show in New Orleans, and I made my girlfriends go with me. They think I’m a little crazy, but it really was a lot of fun!

      New Orleans-1 (2)Bonus pic for you MFM fans! 

      Please continue around our circle with the amazing work of my friend Kristina Rust. Kristina has fabulous eye and I have been a big fan of her work for a long time.

      Share this:

      • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
      • Share on X (Opens in new window) X
      • Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
      • Share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
      • Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
      Like Loading...
      Posted in 7 on 7 | 7 Comments | Tagged 2018, 7 on 7, New Orleans
    Newer posts →
    • Follow kris mcneil photography on WordPress.com
    • February 2026
      S M T W T F S
      1234567
      891011121314
      15161718192021
      22232425262728
      « Nov    

    • Flickr Photos

      315.364.2018 Auckland Harbour Marina, New Zealand316.364.2018 Auckland Harbour Bridge at sunset, New Zealand314.364.2018 Auckland skyline under rainbow from Auckland Harbour, New Zealand
      More Photos

    • Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

  • Recent Posts

    • 7 on 7 november 2019
    • 7 on 7 september 2019
    • 7 on 7 august 2019
    • 7 on 7 july 2019
    • 7 on 7 june 2019

  • Recent Comments

    Kris McNeil's avatarKris McNeil on 7 on 7 november 2019
    Kris McNeil's avatarKris McNeil on 7 on 7 november 2019
    krust37's avatarkrust37 on 7 on 7 november 2019
    Renee Stengel Photography's avatarRenee Stengel Photog… on 7 on 7 november 2019
    Florida Getaway | No… on 7 on 7 november 2019

  • Archives

    • November 2019
    • September 2019
    • August 2019
    • July 2019
    • June 2019
    • April 2019
    • March 2019
    • February 2019
    • January 2019
    • December 2018
    • November 2018
    • October 2018
    • September 2018
    • August 2018
    • July 2018
    • June 2018
    • May 2018
    • April 2018
    • March 2018
    • February 2018
    • January 2017
    • December 2016
    • November 2016
    • October 2016
    • September 2016
    • August 2016
    • July 2016
    • June 2016
    • January 2015
    • April 2014
    • March 2014
    • January 2014

  • Categories

    • 2019
    • 365 2017
    • 365 2018
    • 365 Blog Circle
    • 5 on 5
    • 7 on 7
    • Alaska
    • Antarctica
    • banner blanket project
    • Free Mom Hugs
    • Mama Bears
    • Uncategorized
    • Vancouver
    • video

  • Meta

    • Create account
    • Log in
    • Entries feed
    • Comments feed
    • WordPress.com

Blog at WordPress.com.

  • Subscribe Subscribed
    • kris mcneil photography
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • kris mcneil photography
    • Subscribe Subscribed
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...
 

You must be logged in to post a comment.

    %d