Red Dress, Derby Street Shoppes, Hingham, Massachusetts, USA

Sometimes, red is the only color I see.  Like this woman strolling in a red dress along the Derby Street Shoppes. Red dress, red umbrella, almost anything red is difficult to resist to my photographer eye.

"A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum," Priscilla Beach Theatre, Priscilla Beach, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

On August 4th, Priscilla Beach Theatre (PBT) will open the classic favorite, "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum," for 11 performances. Returning again to PBT as the show's director is Ron Fassler, whom you will remember as the director of last summer's premier of "Fiddler on the Roof,"on the newly renovated Barn Stage. You probably don't know that Ron performed at PBT in 1976 as part of the summer stock - talk about coming full circle 40 years later.  From that foundation at PBT, Ron is still enjoying a successful career in New York and Los Angeles as an actor, writer, and director in television, film, and theatre. The show is produced by Bob and Sandy Malone, owners and guardians of PBT.



We did a photo session recently to get some stills out for publicity. The set construction was not complete yet so we used the main curtain for the background. Somehow something is missing.....a sense of place, perhaps ........



.....different facial expressions but still, something's missing. Let's try a different approach.



I found this image of the Coliseum in Rome on Google Images and it did not seem to contain any copyright restrictions so.....

.....for you photo geeks out there, I cut out the performers from the curtain background in Photoshop Elements using the quick selection tool, then I refined the edges, then saved it as a .PNG file.....



.....then I merged the two into a composite image and - voila! - a sense of place. (It's a lot more cost effective than flying them to Rome!) And yes, maybe it does look a little hokey but, it was still a fun exercise.



Here I darkened the background so the performers would "pop" more.



Or, how about a completely different look. Not!



The sky's the limit - literally! But, it's difficult to avoid it looking hokey; I have more to learn about successful composite images.

Other images from the photo session follow below:



I have only seen a little bit of rehearsal but I can tell already the energetic young cast is full of life and creative energy and will make it another great show at PBT!



Owners and guardians Bob and Sandy Malone breed a joyful approach and deep love and appreciation of theatre that permeates the cast and entire campus.











The above images were posed statically, the following are during live action sequences, thus, some slight motion blurring.



































Contact PBT at this link or by phone at 508-224-4888 for tickets and/or information. They're going fast, better hurry. Support this precious community resource!

Barn Show, Holmes Farm, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

Barn Show Music Series continued its season of outdoor concerts at Holmes Farm on this warm summer evening. Co-presented by Hayley Sabella and Brewster Productions, the concert series features original music from folk to country to rock. There are four shows, one each during the summer months. Tickets are $12.



You can buy them online or at this quaint ticket booth on site, complete with an old fashioned flip-lid metal cash box.



It's a few-frills kind of venue - mostly bring your own - for these people it included their own dining table. I especially like the funky sign that gets nailed up before each show.



Bring your own includes dogs and kids, too.



Holmes Farm occupies a lovely rolling hills location on land now owned by Manomet, Inc., formerly known as the Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences. The edge of a thunderstorm to the north just narrowly passed us by - more on that later on.











But on to the music - while keeping an eye on the sky and the weather radar as severe thunderstorms are building to the west and north.



I wonder if anyone has ever done a study about the differences between people who prefer lawn chairs versus people who prefer a picnic blanket.



Opening act Jordan Renzi.....



....and her accompanist who gets my award for one of the coolest beards ever.



The Western Den was up next.















As we waited for the headliner act, Billington Sea, to take the stage, a gust front pushed through stirring up dust clouds and blowing all kinds of little stuff around.  The weather and sky were looking and feeling more foreboding minute by minute.  If I owned all that fancy electronic and musical and sound equipment I think I would have called it a night at that point but.......



.....the show must go on so Billington Sea took the stage for their set. (And yes, I know these last few images are grainy and blurry - I blame it on the fading light).



The multi-talented guitarist/vocalist Hayley Sabella is the very same woman who co-produces the Barn Show series.

Guitarist/vocalist Jake Hill.



The backstage view of Billington Sea.



But enough was enough - after a few (but not enough) tunes, they decided to call it a night and pack up before the rain arrived.  Notwithstanding the stormy weather, the Barn Show is a wonderful experience to enjoy great live music outdoors on a warm summer evening in Manomet. Only two more shows remaining this summer - August 20th, and September 4.

Come on out and support outdoor live music in our community!

Hummingbird, Bartlett Pond, White Horse Beach, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

I can't tell you how many times this summer I have tried to take a picture of a hummingbird for the few seconds it stays still to feed.  I want to capture the green iridescent coloring next to a red bee balm flower. That requires the bird be positioned at a certain angle relative to the sun for the color to pop. Mostly, I have been unsuccessful - but, this one, I like! It's fairly sharp for a point and shoot camera. And if truth be told, I was sitting in a chaise lounge about 15-20 feet away and didn't even get up for fear I might scare him away.  The ultimate in lazy-man photography!

Amy's Garden, Bartlett Pond, White Horse Beach, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

As summer reaches it's peak, it's time to capture the wonder and beauty of Amy's garden for this year.



I like an intermittently cloudy sky - it reduces the contrast that bright sunlight would otherwise create.







The clouds were dramatic, both in the sky and reflected in the water, and are a nice complement to the colorful beauty of the flowers.



Tinman lurks in the background, most of his arms and legs rusted away. Like the flowers, his beauty is fleeting.



As I was framing an image of the flowers, this hummingbird flew right into my view.  Who would have thought? Too bad I couldn't focus on it quickly enough before he flitted away.



Same bird, different angle, hovering seemingly with no wings attached to his body.



And here's the proud gardener, posing amidst her's and nature's creation! Life is good in Manomet, especially in the summertime!

Note:  all images in this post were captured with my Samsung S5 smartphone - one of those times I was without a camera at hand.