Flashback Friday, Or FAQ #1.

I have a tendency to get into a "reminiscent" mood on rainy days, which today made me think of a question I'm often asked.

"How did you choose Birchtree Photography as your studio name?" Or some variation of that question.

The short answer is that I fell in love with birch trees while living in Moscow, Russia when I was a child. Yes, I lived there for 5 years when I was growing up--and no, my parents weren't spies--at least, I don't think they were. Since I thought "Mary Schwarz Photography" sounded boring (and was difficult to spell!), I decided on Birchtree Photography because I think birch trees are beautiful.

Four years ago this summer, I actually spent 10 weeks in Moscow as part of a study abroad program in college. Much had changed since I had been there in 1998, but surprisingly, much had remained the same.

At that time, I only had a point and shoot camera, but here are a couple of photos anyway.

Moscow has a number of great forests/parks located in the city. Birch trees are a common sight:


I've circled the apartment where I lived for several years. Note the drab concrete-slab architecture.


And a famous tourist spot--Red Square--with my twist on it.



You can actually find some more photos from that trip--and other places--here on my website.