Virtual Blog Tour

Today I am participating in something called a Virtual Blog Tour.  It has been going on every Monday for a few weeks at least; I was invited to be part of it by Terri Porter of Photographically Speaking and Focusing on Life.  I actually had the pleasure to have met Terri in person last month- you can read about it here. Terri is a super photographer and such an involved and connected blogger- I was flattered to be included!

The way the Virtual Blog Tour works is that everyone answers the same set of questions and then links to another blog or two or three, who will post the next week. Be sure to check out Terri’s blog to see how she answered the same questions I’m answering!

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So here goes:

1. What am I working on?

Well, I’m always working on becoming a better photographer- which is why I do this blog.  I started with a Project 365 in 2011, right after I retired, and published a photo a day for two years, with the goal of learning to use my camera. My partner in crime was my college roommate, Carol, who got her camera the same week I got mine and started her 365 when I started mine (check out her blog, In Focus Daily for some beautiful photography). I now post 5 times a week, most weeks, and try to publish my *best* work of the week.  Currently, I’m involved in two of Kim Klassen’s classes- Start to Finish 2 and Be Still 52. Both concentrate on still life, an area where I would like to improve my skills.  I’m also involved in two photography groups in my town, the first time I’ve had my photos *judged*- a scary prospect for me!  All my learning has been online, and that is my comfort zone.

2. How does my work differ from others of its genre?

Hmmmm- a tricky question! I’m not sure what my genre is! I would like it to be fine art photography, which is what I’m drawn to, but I am more of a generalist, I think.  And as for my “style”- I have no idea! I do a lot of closeups and macros of flowers, and, of course, hundreds of photos of my grandchildren.  I love the dreaminess of photos with a  shallow depth of field and the drama and emotional qualities of black and white photography.  I am comfortable with the journey I’m on and with not knowing where it will lead.

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3. Why do I write/create what I do?

Like most people, I have always taken photographs to record events.  I originally got my DSLR to take photos of my grandchildren, but found myself falling in love with my camera and Photoshop as a means of creative expression.  One of my grandsons once said intensely as he ran into his lego filled room, “I HAVE to build!”  That’s the way I feel about my photography- I HAVE to photograph this!  I HAVE to edit! It’s a passion for self expression that has been dormant since adolescence, when painting and drawing were a big part of my life.

 

4. How does your writing/creating process work?

I have found that my creative spark appears first thing in the morning.  It is not uncommon to see me setting up a still life with morning coffee in hand or running outside while still in my bathrobe to catch the best light. I would like to say that I have a disciplined routine for my photography, but I tend to fly by the seat of my pants- and that’s fine with me! After all, photography isn’t my job, it’s fun, it’s creative, it’s what I love to do! I also must say that I am so inspired by the online communities I’m a part of- Flickr and the Kim Klassen community.  There are so many talented artists out there creating beautiful images!

And next Monday, I hope you continue  the blog tour by visiting the blog of a wonderful Canadian photographer, Gracie Binoya, whom I’ve been following for several years. Gracie started started shooting a few years ago, mainly focusing on nature, and then moved on to portraiture, which is her current focus. As an amateur photographer, photography is something that she does on the side. She works as a second shooter for a wedding photographer friend and is also currently enrolled in a commercial photography program, hoping to learn more and enhance the skills that she’s acquired over the years. You will enjoy seeing her work!

 

 

 

Melinda8 Comments

Owls!

Before we came, my son-in-law texted me a fantastic iPhone shot of a great horned owl that he took from the front porch here at Yellowstone.  I knew from my experience a couple years ago that there was probably a nest in the very high tree by the Visitors’ Center.  I photographed mama and babies very unsuccessfully back then, and I really hoped to get a better shot this time.  This morning I saw the other photographers lined up with their uber long lenses and tripods, and I joined them with my 18-200mm zoom and no tripod (I do have it with me, but it’s not going to help me get any closer).  I did get a couple photos that are better than last time, and they are super cropped. I’m hoping to get a better shot when they are on a lower branch or a roof.

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Melinda3 Comments

iPhoneography On The Road

Our road trip to Yellowstone gave me plenty of opportunity to practice my iPhoneography skills.  The road was long, but scenic, and I had fun editing shots as my husband did the driving.  Of course my Nikon was my main camera, but nothing beats a cameraphone for instant results- photos edited with iPhone apps, uploaded to Dropbox during the drive and immediately available on my laptop to post to my blog.

We stopped at Hoover Dam on the way to Yellowstone- first visit for both my husband and myself.  Both these photos were edited in Snapseed using the HDR filter.  I also warmed them up and added a bit of sharpening and “structure.”

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We spent the night in Idaho Falls, a familiar stop for us.  After dinner we drove over to the falls, where I snapped this photo.  I used Snapseed again for a simple edit (contrast and sharpening) and also used the selective adjust feature to add a bit of a vignette (lightening the middle and darkening the edges).  On my wishlist for Snapseed is a vignette filter! I do love the selective adjust feature however; it is similar to the control points used in Nik software.

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As you can see from this photo (edited with Waterlogue, we arrived at Yellowstone!

Painted in Waterlogue

I’m linking up today with Barb’s “app” happy Wednesday.  I learn so much from reading her posts and the others who link to her.

Keeping With The Times

 

Melinda8 Comments

a rose is a rose is a rose

This might be the last view of these beauties.  In Lightroom, I  did a black and white conversion (to go with the black and white theme for this week’s Texture Tuesday), and some split toning to add a hint of pink. In Photoshop, I applied three textures at very low opacity (jacob, lovely lavender, and patina) and called it done.

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Melinda9 Comments

Roses- and Moonlit Wind Turbines

My Mother’s Day flowers came just in time- I was running out of things to photograph for a still life!  This is my favorite shot so far of the beautiful roses given to me by my husband.

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Since this is App-Happy Wednesday over at Keeping with the Times, I’m also including an iPhone photo.

This week, I got a fun new (to me) app called Distressed FX; I tend to pick new apps when I see others using them on Instagram.  I confess I fell in love with the app when I saw you could add flocks of birds to your photos.  Two things about this photo: 1) the subject is wind turbines in the moonlight (I’m kind of obsessed with photographing wind turbines on road trips) and 2) I wanted to fade the texture, but couldn’t find my original to blend with it (and besides, the birds would have faded too).  I know I could have done something with Adobe Photoshop Touch, but didn’t take the time to figure it out. I have a lot to learn!

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Melinda12 Comments

Yellow Tulip

I haven’t totally abandoned old books as props; here’s a “basic reader” from 1931 with a tulip from my Mother’s Day bouquet (thank you, Matt!) as bookmark.  As a former first grade teacher, I have a small collection of old primers and readers that I bought at garage sales or somehow acquired over the years.  The theme for this week’s Texture Tuesday is yellow, so I added the yellow tulip. This image is textured with teatime by Kim Klassen. I’m also including another shot in black and white.

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Melinda12 Comments

Books, Shells, and Keys- and the Mystery of Room 217

This week I can honestly say I thoroughly enjoyed doing my still lifes for Kim Klassen’s Start to Finish class. I am slowly getting into my groove, and I think it’s because I’ve been photographing some of my old books, which I dearly love. And for a little twist, I’ve added keys and shells into the mix of props. As I’ve taken my photographs over the course of the week, I found myself imagining they were book covers for books I want to read, which made it even more fun. One of the keys (which my friend, Debbie found at a garage sale) appeared to be a hotel key- for Room 217. My imagination went wild with various ideas of what the story would be that featured that key on the cover.

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All except for the last photo were textured using rue, retreat, or teddy from Kim Klassen.  I think my favorite shots are the last two.

I’m linking up with Kim’s Friday Finds today. What did I find? A still life subject I’m comfortable with- and a bit of confidence!

 

Melinda15 Comments

This and That

My camera has been out a lot the last week; here are a few photos that didn’t make the blog.

A couple Blue Ridge cups

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A macro of a leaf, snapped while watering

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And from Chalk It, Prescott’s chalk art festival last weekend

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Have a Happy Thursday!

Melinda2 Comments

Happy With Apps

I’ve become a mad collector of photo apps for my iPhone- it’s amazing how many there are! I think I need to stop until I fully understand the ones I have.

starfish

I took a shot of this starfish on my bathroom counter. In Snapseed (my go-to app that I mostly DO understand), I cropped it to a square, sharpened it a bit, converted it to black and white and added a vintage filter, which added some warm tones.  I then added a texture in Mextures and the text in Phonto.  Pretty simple!

I’m linking up with Barb’s App- Happy Wednesday!

Keeping With The Times

Melinda10 Comments

Morning Tea

The sun streaming in the window this morning made it easy for me to decide where to set up my shot today.  I actually photographed my Texture Tuesday photo on Texture Tuesday- just like I did in the years I was doing my Project 365, when the photo posted each day had to be taken on that day.  No such self-imposed pressure now, but I just somehow never got to it until this morning. This was one of my grandmother’ teacups and one of my mother’s old books.  The key is one I borrowed from my friend, Debbie. The textures are Auineau, anna, and celebrate. Have a great day!

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Melinda8 Comments

We’re off to see the lizard . . .

Our walk at Willow Lake was for exercise, but of course I brought along my camera.  I always like watching the ducks and other birds that hang out at the lake, but I had not thought about photographing the lizards.  The lizards around our house started to emerge around the same time our grandkids were here, so they had fun catching (gently, as taught by their daddy) and releasing them.  But in the last week with the hot weather, they have really come into their own- holy cow! Welcome to Arizona!  I appreciate that lizards are part of our ecosystem and are actually kinda, sorta cute, but I am not particularly fond of them.  So, of course, I am leading up to my lizard photo. . .

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My husband spotted him first from afar as he posed atop a high rock, and we debated about whether it was really a lizard.  But then I got closer and zoomed in- and yes, it was a lizard!  He was pretty big by my standards, and was definitely basking in the sun. This is cropped- I was not that close.

We also watched the ducks and a great heron, who was stalking slowly through the waters, concentrating intently on the water. I wasn’t sure if he was a heron or crane until he took flight.  Cranes fly with their necks straight out.  That is one of the two or three facts I know about birds. As usual, one of my more learned friends is welcome correct me on my bird fact!

All in all- a successful photography outing!

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Melinda4 Comments