Life: Through the Lens

I find myself trying to decide what my next photo venture will be. I would like to learn more Photoshop skills, and I would also like to try some of those techniques you see in magazines and say, "I'd like to try that." In fact, I have two such photographs I plan on creating...and maybe now I'll have more time. In the meantime, I am going through the archives and revisiting some of our work. This photo is one my husband took, and it gives me the chills just looking at it again. What a thrill it was for him to fly in formation. A passenger, not the pilot, Daryl got some extraordinary shots of historic aircraft, reliving history. We take photographs together, and enjoy the commonality of the joint interest, yet there are photos only he will take. This is one of them.

I keep using the word "interesting" to describe this course. It's been 8 long weeks photographing in unfamiliar territory and I have enjoyed almost every minute. I don't mean "enjoyed" like - oh how fun:). I mean enjoyed as in stretching my way of thinking. There were many great photo shoots, and an equal number of frustrating ones. My last assignment was "cake." So how many ways can you photograph cake? I chose the cupcake option. What do you think? I also created my first photo collage! I think I'm more excited about that than the cake (Well, except for how much of it I ate while making it. And the left overs!).

Color week really got me looking in all directions, noticing things in more detail, and giving me lots of ideas for photos. Actually, it's spilling over into my wardrobe thanks to Kendalee , who focused on that theme for the week. I love my neutrals still, and when I took this photo of marbles in a fountain I began thinking about sea shells as a lovely subject. And sand. Association is a wonderful thing:). However, it will be a while before those subjects materialize. I seldom make prints of images such as these, and I don't know why not. Or at least greeting cards. I might play around with a border of some sort, or a cut-out? Does anyone else use images such as these for a specific purpose? I'm thinking it could be a great look, on the right wall, or with the right decor. Actually, does it always have to "go" with something? I'm not a decorator, but I do know what I like in the way of photographic images. Let me know your ideas on this subject. Have a wonder...

In keeping with the neglected monthly theme of "sweet", I need to share one of yesterday's finds. We took a road trip to a lovely town on Lake Huron, spending the day walking the pier, eating ice cream, and trying to stay warm. The sun was out and it was a beautiful day, other than the cold wind:). Oh well. As we walked the pier we came upon three families of Mallard ducks, all a bit territorial, all trying to share the same waterfront. This family in particular caught our eye. Enjoy!

I loved the Color Week challenge, and find it's important to keep trying new things, and looking around at our environment in new and interesting ways. This is one of the reasons we like to take photo workshops, and classes. I am currently finishing up an Online course, through the Picture Perfect School of Photography , on taking images for Stock Photography. This is an interesting business, which I was totally clueless about. A member of our camera club has been selling stock images for a couple of years and did a presentation on the process, and results. Intriguing. Basically you take a certain "type" of photo, depending on the agency you're interested in, upload a few images for approval, and once you're "in" then they handle sales, taking a cut of the profit. The idea is to sell your images multiple times, so your sales increase over time. Interesting. Here is a sampling of one type of image. I have noticed that the white background is important f...

Each year on Memorial Day weekend, our community hosts a Highland Festival and Games event. Parade, arts and crafts fair, Highland Dancing competition, Highland games competitions and exhibitions, reinactment demonstrations, Scottish fare, including a traditional Ceilidh. In other words....a rich cultural cavalcade, and photographic challenge. Here is a sampling of our very busy day, which ended with our 4 1/2-yr-old granddaughter competing in her first Highland Dancing competition...she was SO excited:). Enjoy. Some of many bands and drill groups who participated in the events. I was amazed at the variety of wares available...including this tea pot chime. What a lovely sound, though I personally don't care for the shiny display. I was looking for pottery or something more subtle. Maybe wood. But this must be a new rage. What do you do with old silver? I have a box of my mother's and another two boxes of my mother-in-laws silver. Lovely at the time, I'm sure. But we just ...

Here we have it...the last, and most distinguished, day of c o l o r week. Thank you for orchestrating it, Lisa . It's been such a great photographic journey, one we should definitely revisit. The greatest challenge of this week was finding a purple door..or entryway...or something. I actually wish I had a cafe, such as Lisa, to use today:). As it is, here is my best shot - a two-toned purple house in the middle of renovations. Spring is a perfect time to shoot colors, isn't it? The floral display at this time of year is amazing. Here are a few of my favorite purples right now. Taking pictures of flowers is tricky, as you have to take into consideration all the natural elements at work around you. But when the timing is right, and the light is perfect, and you have a fabulous subject, and no wind....the results are very rewarding. I love using natural light when working with still-life photography, and being able to capture the essence of a mood. I got a new lens for Christma...