So Long, Fare Well....

Does January feel like it lasts 465 days to anyone else? I’m not sure why that is. Maybe it is because the magic of the Christmas season is gone, or the weather is usually pretty bleak, but this month drags on forever. Usually, there is a few days that us Texans refer to as “WINTER” which in reality is just a couple of ice days and some cancelled school, if we are lucky.

And this year, we haven’t even received that.

So, I present a favorite icy photo of mine from last year, since it doesn’t look like January will be producing any icy this year. This print will be available in the Print Shop soon!

Ice Flakes ©2023 by Tabitha Gray - Eighty One Gray Prints/Eighty One Gray Photography

So, dear January, on this last day of this forever ending month, I bid you adieu on this sunny, dare I say balmy, 70° day. Here’s hoping to some wintery weather in February!

Best Nine and the Best of Instagram

Anyone else remember when algorithms and strategy posting didn’t really matter on Instagram? You and your friends could post images, add some hashtags, and the world and not to mention your friends could see your photographs, comment and catch up, or simply tap the screen to like it - just as a way of saying hey!

Now, unless you post a billon times a day, a certain time of day, or are a robot, it’s pretty much crickets. Not that I really post my photos much for the likes, but it was the engagement that made it fun. You were suddenly connected to this world of other photographers. Now it just seems it is endless “influencers” and ads to sell things.

Don’t get me wrong - I sell prints of my photographs, I get the game, but I just miss social media for what it was in the “good ole days” - gosh I’m getting old - a place to be social.

Anyway, here is a cute photo of baby Bella when she was a kitten - probably my most photographed subject on the 'gram these days - my user name is @tabithagrayphoto if you want still follow along, although it is my hope to transition to posting my photographic adventures here more than there.

xo, tg

Eighty One Gray Prints - Fine Art Photography Prints for Sale

Mid Afternoon, 2023

I absolutely adore a great photograph. It doesn’t matter what the subject of the photograph is - it could be a stranger walking down the sidewalk, the way the blades of grass glisten with dew in the morning light, or a light fog that hovers just above the ground shifting the world into another view.

Most of my photographs are just that - a moment in time that I see something that others do not see. While the world around me sees a foggy morning that perhaps is making it a bit more difficult to drive into work, or a bunch of weeds along their afternoon walk, perhaps something just in the way of the trail, I see the way the light shifts, the wind blows, and a moment that will not be like this exact moment again and feel the need to capture it, to document the beauty of it.

While not new to photography, I’ve been at this game for over a decade, I have finally decided to offer my fine art photographic prints for sale. I hope to use this blog as a way of describing some of the stories behind the prints, as I’ve always loved hearing about how artists create their work, or the inspiration behind it, so I thought I would give it a try as well. I hope you enjoy the photographs - if you have any questions about the prints, or need any questions about a purchase, please feel free to reach out. Thank you!

xo, tg