If you live in the Unites States, your calendar is probably marked for Thanksgiving on November 26.   It is one of our country’s favorite holidays.   No religion.  No patriotism. Just family.   In fact, Thanksgiving is the most traveled holiday of the year.   Everyone comes home to celebrate.

So what are Thanksgiving Holiday Cards?

Well, they’re like Christmas cards, or Holiday Season cards or New Year’s cards but they are sent in late November, in time for U.S. Thanksgiving, instead of late December.

Why in the world do people send them?

Thanksgiving cards are great if you want to be different.

If you want to stand out from all the others, send a Thanksgiving card.  If you want to present your message at at time and place when people will take notice, send a Thanksgiving card.   If you want yours to be the first card they get, Thanksgiving holiday cards are the way to go.

The average family receives 10 to 22 Christmas cards and the average business receives 21 to 42 Christmas cards.   If your card arrives with all the rest, and doesn’t stand out, you may not make that coveted spot on the mantel.

What Do You Think?

How many Thanksgiving cards did you get last year?  I got zilch, zero, none, not-one!

If you want to stand out and get noticed, especially if you only send one card a year, maybe a Thanksgiving holiday card is the way to go.  What do you think?

View our collection of Thanksgiving holiday cards here.

How else can you explain these images? Every time I see them, something deep inside me jumps for joy.

The world looks different through the eyes of Allison Trentelman.

Is it just me? Or is there a subtle sense of bliss pervading everything she photographs?

One friend describes her nature prints as soft and feminine. To me they are full of consciousness and light.

Take her birds in flight, for example. I am mesmerized by these snowy photos. So simple, but she captures something that I can’t describe. Seeing these photos I almost know what it’s like to fly.

Or take a look at her nature mandalas. The world becomes a kaleidoscope. Tree branches beckon to a realm I’ve never visited.

I’ve been following Allison’s work for two years and she never ceases to amaze me. Recently, I’ve gotten to know her better.

When I asked her about her photography, I got a clue about what makes it special. Sure she focuses on nature. Who can go wrong there? But more importantly she says, “No matter what the subject, I’m generally interested in capturing a mood… A certain magic or beauty or sweetness that I see in both plants and animals.”

That magic, beauty and sweetness comes through loud and clear to me.

If you ask Allison about the creative process she says, “You just can’t help but create what’s going on inside you.” She describes how her work changed dramatically once from black and white to color, and from simplicity to vibrancy just as she recovered from a long illness.

She continues, “I find my best work is whatever I’m truly excited about in the moment, and it can’t be faked. Right now I’m truly inspired by gardening and the plant world, so it’s just natural to photograph flowers and plants.”

“I have many journals filled with my ideas and mock-up sketches from the last 10 years or so, and sometimes I find myself photographing something I remember dreaming up years ago. When I go out with a specific shot in mind, I rarely find it, but if I just go and wander and follow whatever interests me along the way, I’ll end up finding a completely different shot that I’ve always wanted. There’s a wonderful magic to photography like that.”

What a way to live!

Maybe that’s why her work feels so full of life. Maybe that’s why people fall in love with the animals she photographs, as if they had a personal relationship with them.

Take a look through Allison’s gallery on Etsy. You will find great wall art, nature prints, and cards.

Located in Maine, she goes by Rocky Top Studio and NatureMandalas. Check out her nature prints today.

What’s your experience with Allison’s work? Please leave a comment below.

I’ve been thinking about this blog for a couple of weeks and have decided to redefine it.

So far the blog has been about sharing new photos and random thoughts, along with group participation selecting photos, frames, etc.

I now want to make this blog more practical and stimulating for you. I have changed the tagline to “Brighten Your World with Photography.”

Really everything I’ve ever done with photography has had this motivation. The reason I take pictures is to share the joy of life with everyone. And that’s also why I offer cards and calendars and wallpaper in addition to prints. That’s why I write my newsletter. I want life’s rich colors to greet your eye on the wall, the computer screen and in your correspondence.

That’s what this whole website is about. Each product shares a ray of light.

But the blog can take this one step further. It will always be a place to see my new work. But it can also be a place for us to share how we use photography to make life brighter.

How do you use photography to brighten your world?

Here are two new topics that will be added to our discussions here:

1. How to Decorate with Photography
2. The Art of Correspondence

I will be asking interior decorators to help out with the first, and writers and designers to help out with the second.

I also plan to share the work of inspiring photographers here from time to time.

The result, I hope, will be a stimulation for you.

In last week’s newsletter, the golden hills of California at the end of summer were in the spotlight. Come for a walk with me on the crunchy, powder-dry earth. These hills are delightful.

Here are a few more images from that series.

Some of these golden hills of California images are now available as unframed or framed prints. And all of them are available until Tuesday, Oct 6, 2009 as free wallpaper photos.

How’s the weather in your area? We’re starting to dip into the low 50’s / high 40’s at night here. Good sleeping weather!

Well, she looked like she was about 7 anyway. I was at a soccer game in the park next door to where I live. This is a Hispanic neighborhood and the park is always full of people hanging out, celebrating birthdays, jumping on moonwalks, playing soccer, volleyball and basketball. I love to walk through the park in my bare feet at night to wind down before bed.

Last night, while I stood captivated by the skill of the soccer players, a little voice came from somewhere around my knees, “Querría un chocolate?” I told her, “No, gracias,” and watched as she quietly went from one person to another. No fear in her face. No remorse when she didn’t get a sale. And by the third person she sold a chocolate.

Wow! The perfect salesperson. She had something people wanted, but she didn’t push. And she didn’t discriminate between one person or the next; she just quietly asked them all.

I started thinking about how I tend to believe that selling is rude. I don’t want to “get in people’s faces” and annoy them. What I witnessed was just the opposite: I didn’t want a chocolate, but did I think that girl was rude or annoying? Not for a second. In fact, I was inspired by her.

How about you? Have you ever seen that selling can be simple, even heartwarming?