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Havana, Cuba

When boys become men will they still climb trees?

Deadliest Catch or Fish on a Stick ?

On this road trip, while RV-ing Across America, I had been driving pre-dawn for several hours, heading west towards Seattle all the while hoping for a coffee shop to appear – a rare find on any desolate highway that runs through farmland in the middle of what feels like no-where USA.

People ask me all the time to take photos of weddings, family reunions and even corporate portfolio shots but that’s not my cup of tea. I prefer environmental portraiture and absolutely love my subjects rumpled, dusty, a bit streaked with dirt and in natural light. The images here were taken with a Canon 5D Markll. I’ve recently switched to the smaller Olympus OMD EM1 which, I feel, narrows the psychological distance when doing street photography.

I’ve had a number of jobs in my life – you name it – I’ve pumped gas, roofed houses and waitressed… I’ve cleaned hospital toilets, worked as a newspaper photographer and painted house exteriors (wasn’t very good at that) …

We all have them – don’t we?

I like to think that this little guy is one of the next famous major league baseball players. Things are changing so fast in Cuba that it’s not unlikely by the time he grows up the embargo will have ended and he’ll have the opportunity to travel freely between the US & Cuba.

“Let my soul smile through my heart and my heart smile through my eyes, that I may scatter rich smiles in sad hearts.” Paramahansa Yogananda

It’s always sad when something goes amiss in nature.

Driving through the rural countryside in northern California, I happened upon this historic American landscape.

As my 3 month cross-country journey in a 21 foot camper unfolded I’d sometimes wonder how I got so lucky. Not only was I fortunate to have time off for leisure travel but now I found myself in places like Grand Tetons National Park in Wyoming and had it (almost) all to myself!

Why is it that humankind, almost universally, is infatuated with the luminosity, hue, tint and intensity of sunrise and sunsets?

Every morning I have the privilege to witness the sunrise. On occasion I’ll experience beauty so profound it can not be expressed in images alone. On these days I turn to our poets, those inspired or ‘in-spirit’ writers, who provide me a saucer for my overflowing cup.

You can never miss as long as you’re still aiming.” Mike Dooley

“Have we gone stark raving mad?”

The Universe told me today she’s going to put me in charge of the planet!!

What she said exactly was:

Ever have on of those days where your head feels like it’s in a swirl? Vera Nazarian, has THIS to say about THAT:

“We are all glorified motion sensors.

Some things only become visible to us when they undergo change.

Many thanks to Michele Elvy & Sam Rasnake for choosing my image SHADOW PUPPET BAND as the feature image for their March issue of BLUE FIFTH REVIEW! Link: http://bluefifthreview.wordpress.com/2014/03/31/flash-special-march-2014-14-6/

If only I could tell you this journey started without glitches. That we hopped into our RV and drove off into the sunset joining the mass of summer travelers and situating ourselves into an RV site like the one pictured above.

A beginning such as this would have been ideal but the gods of fate had other ideas in mind.

I love the thought of an empty highway that stretches through the open landscape. It speaks to me of our amazingly scenic countryside, the beauty of nature, the great outdoors and an escape from the ordinary where a route to freedom lies on the horizon. Next time you need a change of pace, take to the road and make sure you buckle up for an adventure to infinity and beyond – for the road, it is certain, is where you venture into your deepest self.

In the Autumn of 2011, I traveled 9,600 miles through 21 States in 72 days in a 21 foot Coachman-Freedom-Express RV, aka recreational vehicle, with my husband and his son.

In Cuba, playing games is serious business and the game of dominoes is no exception!

Do you ever feel overwhelmed by your day? Sometimes an overstuffed chair offers the best retreat!

If, when, and how we make judgments usually determines how we treat others – it’s a personal affair that originates from a place deep within ourselves. Choice at this level is crucial as it can either imprison or free us.

“… And these children
that you spit on
as they try to change their worlds
are immune to your consultations.
They’re quite aware
of what they’re going through…”
― David Bowie

It was after midnight when I entered the park directly across the street from the Hotel Presidente in Havana, Cuba. My intention was to grab a shot of the hotels’ marquee for my photo-log. I was also testing the night time capabilities of an Olympus OMD EM-1 camera & a 75mm f/1.8 lens.

These days, it’s no secret that what you choose to eat has a direct correlation on the shape of your body.
But what shapes the thoughts you ingest throughout the day?

Current Exhibits/Events/Publications

4/10 - 10/27/2013: Impressions of the Lower Cape Fear @ Threads Gallery - Cape Fear Museum of History & Science, Wilmington, NC
Cotton Harvest & View From Level 5
http://www.capefearmuseum.com/

8/26 - 9/21/2013: Images of Distinction Bellamy Mansion Museum of History & Design Arts, Wilmington, NC
Photographic Society of America awards for Teton Morning & Rock of Ages
http://www.bellamymansion.org/

8/26 - 9/2720132013: Images of Distinction @ The Upstairs Gallery, Southeastern Community College, Whiteville, NC
Photographic Society of America awards for Teton Morning & Rock of Ages http://www.sccnc.edu/alumCommun/UpstairsGallery.aspx

Recollections of Southeast Asia @ Inis Spa Wellness Center ,Surf City, NC

2013: Blue Fifth Review Art Banner: Bottles & Branches http://bluefifthreview.wordpress.com/

PAST EXHIBITIONS/CREDITS

6/7 - 8/10/2012 : Capturing The Light @ Cultural Arts Gallery, University of North Carolina, Wilmington, NC
http://uncw.edu/art/documents/AFB-CAB_gallery_mailer.pdf

7/25 - 9/14/2012: The Collection 3/1 – MC Erny Gallery @ WHQR Public Radio, Wilmington, NC
http://www.whqr.org/post/jo-ann-tomaselli-and-barbara-synder-cape-fear-camera-club

2009 / 20010 / 2011: Exhibit Chair for Cape Fear Camera Club Annual Members Exhibit
New Hanover Public Library NE, Wilmington, NC

2012: Blue Fifth Review Summer Collection: Bottles & Branches selected as masthead for 2013 http://bluefifthreview.wordpress.com/2012/09/19/the-blue-collection-2-music-12-19-summer-2012/

2013: Blue Fifth Review: Blue Marsh & Birds & Fence will be published in August & November.

Tomaselli created Images of Distinction Annual Cape Fear Camera Club Photography Exhibit, Wilmington, NC .

Images of Distinction 2010: Ghost Trees 1/22 - 2/52011 @ Projekte Gallery
http://www.encorepub.com/welcome/going-for-the-gold/

Images of Distinction 2011: Stairway To Heaven 6/24 - 7/31/2011 @ Caffe Phoenix
http://capefearcameraclub.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=87&Itemid=204

Images of Distinction 2012: Initiation 7/2 - 31/2012 @ Caffe Phoenix
http://capefearcameraclub.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=127&Itemid=211

2012 / 2013: Volunteer photographer for Coastal NC Run/Walk for Autism, Wilmington, NC