Reflections – A New Series

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I’m a reflective person, and I’m not just talking about the sheen from my sweating problem… da-dum-dum; I’m an overthinker. Such extreme thoughtfulness has its curses, but I’ve come to realize it’s what makes me so sentimental.

I cherish memories so much because I live them over and over again in my head, on paper, and then, sometimes, on this screen. It’s why photography is so important to me.

Every photo is a frozen memory. BUT every memory is also a reflection. AND every reflection is a distortion of the truth based on perspective.

In my next series I’ll be exploring all kinds of reflections, both literal and figurative.

 

Spring Scenery – Life’s a Blur – Behind the Scenes – Part 6

About Life’s a Blur: A photography series that experiments with long exposures and motion blur. Every photo is a combination of movement mixed with a still subject. I’d like to think of each photo like a meditation: stillness in a sea of chaos.

These photos are also part of my Photo and 100 Words project. Since January 2014, I’ve been creating a new photo and writing about it every week. If you’re interested in finding out what prompted me to begin you can read the introduction over here.

(If you’re new to this photography series you might want to read how it all began in Part 1)

The Best Photography for the ‘Worst’ Conditions

This is going to be the briefest behind the scenes post ever, because I’ve already totally explained how to create photos similar to these back in part 2. So I’m posting this mostly so you can compare the before and after shots and see what kind of scenery has the most potential.

I will say that this is the perfect kind of photography to do at noon on a sunny day, which is probably my favorite part! Most kinds of subjects don’t look great at all in direct sunlight, especially harsh, mid-day light. In the case of these blurred scenes, though, the harsher the light, the better. You’ll never be able to use the “golden hour” excuse with this technique… although, as you’ll see below, the golden hour works just fine too.

The spring set of Life’s a Blur:

As is usual with these posts I’ve provided links to the original 100 words I wrote to go along with each photo, just in case you want to dig deeper into my world =)

 

Magnolia Petal in the Breeze

The white bottom of a magnolia petal flies across a blue an pink windswept scene.

This photo is for sale… click on it for more details.

I don’t know what it was, maybe just the pink and blue, but this image sparked me to write about Baby Season.

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A snapshot of the background scene before I blurred it in camera to create “Magnolia Petal in the Breeze” and “Shell of a Flower.”

I really encourage you to experiment with each scene! In petal shot above, I got a little more blue by keeping more of the sky in my frame, and I got more pinks and purples by filling my frame with the flowers in the photo below. Both images came from the same scene, though, and you can alter the positioning of colors and the angle of the streaks by moving your camera in a different direction or starting and ending in different areas of your scene. Experiment, experiment, experiment!

 

Shell of a Flower

The hard shell of a magnolia tree bud - split open and empty, like a set of bunny ears flying across the sky.

This photo is for sale… click on it for more details.

I posted this photo along with a brief account of what it was like to sit under this majestic magnolia tree, I was Afraid to Blink.

 

Magnolia Petal Swept Away

Magnolia Petal Swept Away

This photo is for sale… click on it for more details.

I examined everything Bittersweet when I first published this photo.

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A snapshot of the background scene before I blurred it in camera to create “Magnolia Petal Swept Away.”

This image was shot during the infamous golden hour, as the sun was going down, if you like warmer colors you might still shoot for this time of day. Personally, I’m usually unavailable during this time, so if you’re like me and your schedule is booked during the oh-so-precious golden hour light, just warm up your white balance bar in post. (That won’t work at all for typical landscape photography, but with these abstract scenes, no one will know the difference, promise!)

 

Sugar Maple Flowers Blow Away

The flowers from a sugar maple tree in spring fly away in the wind.

This photo is for sale… click on it for more details.

In Flying Solo I travel back to my teenage years into a memory that was sparked by this photo.

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A snapshot of the background scene before I blurred it in camera to create “Sugar Maple Flowers Blow Away.”

 

Forsythia Flight

A forsythia flower flies away from the bush.

This photo is for sale… click on it for more details.

I realize this every year, but spring is not always as sweet as it seems, read my thoughts in A Stinky Spring.

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A snapshot of the background scene before I blurred it in camera to create “Forsythia Flight.”

When I moved my camera horizontally along this scene I ended up with ugly black stripes where the power lines were, but if I moved in any other direction they disappeared. Diagonally seemed to work best for my tastes with these colors!

 

Dogwood Petal’s Dream

The pink petal from a dogwood tree flies across a green and pink windswept background.

This photo is for sale… click on it for more details.

Sometimes I have A Sick Sense of Humor about the world…

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A snapshot of the background scene before I blurred it in camera to create “Dogwood Petal’s Dream.”

 

Pink Petals Fly

Three pink petals fly away from a redbud tree that has just flowered in spring.

This photo is for sale… click on it for more details.

I suddenly realized that the entire theme behind the Life’s a Blur series is has gotten so far away from me! Isn’t it Ironic?

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A snapshot of the background scene before I blurred it in camera to create “Pink Petals Fly.”

This scene was tricky. I had to get in really close to get enough of that pink and purple color I was aiming for. This redbud tree was pretty small and there weren’t that many flowers on it, especially at a distance.

 

Redbud Flower Flight

The purple pink flower from a redbud tree flies across a pastel spectrum of spring color in this surreal photo.

This photo is for sale… click on it for more details.

Read Slowing Down in this Blur to experience one of my most memorable moments!

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A snapshot of the background scene before I blurred it in camera to create “Redbud Flower Flight.”

This scene is similar to the last one, but the slight angle change mixed with a diagonal movement of the camera creates a whole new abstraction!

What’s Next?

Well that’s it for Life’s a Blur, but the good news is that you can now access all the behind the scenes content in the links listed below!

How it All Began – Life’s a Blur – Behind the Scenes – Part 1

Fall Scenes – Life’s a Blur – Behind the Scenes – Part 2

Water Flow and Flowers – Life’s a Blur – Behind the Scenes – Part 3

How to Photograph Snowflakes – Life’s a Blur – Behind the Scenes – Part 4

Creating Surreal Showers – Life’s a Blur – Behind the Scenes – Part 5

In the meantime I’m creating a whole new series right now! In honor of my business name, Reflective Photos, I’m going to be playing around with reflections and distortions to create some fun abstract art. This is partially because I’ve recently become fascinated with reflections, in both the literal and the figurative senses, but also because I know that “reflective photos” is a popular Google search term that finds this site. So why not give the Googlers what they want?

If you want to get my new photos, and more behind the scenes info, like this, delivered to you inbox, make sure to sign up below.

 

Creating Surreal Showers – Life’s a Blur – Behind the Scenes – Part 5

About Life’s a Blur: A photography series that experiments with long exposures and motion blur. Every photo is a combination of movement mixed with a still subject. I’d like to think of each photo like a meditation: stillness in a sea of chaos.

These photos are also part of my Photo and 100 Words project. Since January 2014, I’ve been creating a new photo and writing about it every week. If you’re interested in finding out what prompted me to begin you can read the introduction over here.

(If you’re new to this photography series you might want to read how it all began in Part 1)

Three petals seem to reach out from this pink spider mum to touch the blue rain falling down.

This photo is for sale… click on it for more details OR read the original post I wrote about it:  “Reaching for Dreams

The concept seemed simple: make it rain. The execution was a bit more complicated, but that was mostly my own fault…

I started out with a bouquet of flowers, a purple backdrop, and a pile of homemade confetti made by sending some construction paper scraps through our paper shredder. Shout out to Nick for simplifying that process! I had intended to use scissors.

I planned on taking long exposures of the flowers and dropping the confetti in the background to create a streaky, rainy effect.

It was only as I was pulling my flashes out of my bag, that I realized I had already run into a problem! I forgot to bring home hot lights from the studio.

A Lesson in Lighting

For those of you who are new to off-camera lighting, there are generally two options: strobes and constant light. The main difference being that constant light stays on and strobes only flash when the camera takes a photo.

There are lots of reasons you might consider using one over another, but for the purposes of this example I needed constant light because I intended to capture long exposures. Flashes tend to freeze motion and would totally negate the soft effect I was going for.

I could’ve waited for the next weekend to come around… or maybe not, I don’t really remember what I had going on at the time, but I don’t have that kind of patience anyway! And so the problem-solving began…

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I decided to use my living room lamp as a constant light source. It had three bulbs on it and they were semi-adjustable, so I turned all three of them on and pointed them in the same general direction to even out the lighting on my backdrop. More importantly, the lamp was also going to be lighting the confetti in the background.

The next problem was two-fold. I only had one lamp, so that meant I had to use at least one flash to light up the flower.

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First of all, mixing light sources is generally not a good idea because every light has its own colorcast. The lamp was putting out yellowy light compared to the bluish light my flash puts out.

I fixed that issue by balancing the lights with gels, which are just colored sheets of transparent plastic. It just takes a bit of time and experimentation to get it right, but I ended up covering all of the lamp lights with blue gels to negate the yellow, and I did the opposite with my flash by covering it with a yellow gel.

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The second problem with using a flash on the flower was that I was also blasting the confetti with the flash too. This created a simultaneously soft and frozen look; there were streaks of color from the confetti lit by the lamp, but there were also hard dots specked across the background that froze when the flash fired. Awesome effect, but it’s not what I wanted.

I had to experiment with some matte board to find the sweet spot where I would block the flash from hitting the confetti but still allow enough light onto the flower. Eventually I got it right!

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Then I added in another matte board, covered in aluminum foil, to fill in the right side of the background and bounce more lamp light back into the confetti. I’m sure I had to tweak that angle too, in order to avoid bouncing any light from the flash into the confetti as well.

You might also see that I have a giant reflector above the whole set, and I can’t remember what that was for, but I’m going to assume it was further flash blockage, and lamp light bounceage, on the background area.

 

More Photos Made from this Setup:

Click the links below each image to read the original 100 words of reflection they inspired! Each image is also available in my art shop, so just click on the images if you are interested in purchasing any of these for you wall.

 

Warm Rain on a Cool Night

A soft surreal rain fills the background of this siberian squill - the blue flower against the warm background, and the street light shape of the flower lead me to create the title of this photo.

This photo is for sale… click on it for more details.

This image came out alongside my 100-word perspective on why “Rain is Never Gray.”

 

Towering Twin Flowers

Two bright green button mums side by side against a shower of surreal rain.

This photo is for sale… click on it for more details.

I have a strong dislike of green backgrounds… and you can read why in “Naturally Unnatural.”

 

Surreal Showers on Flowers

Two siberian squill flowers on a single stalk against an abstract background of surreal pastel rain.

This photo is for sale… click on it for more details.

I’m constantly amazed at how much more I have yet to discover in my own back yard, that’s what I wrote about in “Spring Sprung New Flowers,” when this photo was first published.

 

Starfighter Lily Fights the Blues

Want this hanging on your wall? Click the photo to buy now!

This photo is for sale… click on it for more details.

I hate when my fellow creative use lack of inspiration as an excuse not to create, and that’s what I wrote about Inspiration is for Lazy Artists.

Learn from My Mistakes!

If I had it to do over, I would NEVER do it this way! It’s a great example, though, of how anything is possible with a little creativity and what you already have.

This is also the last time you’ll see behind the scenes photos in my old studio – ahem – kitchen/living room. All future photos will show off my new studio space! I don’t know about you, but that gives me reason for celebration!

What’s Next?

You’ll get to see what my spring scenes looked like before and after I blurred them in my camera. The technique is the same one I used for parts 2 and 4 in this series, so check the links below if you want to learn more.

This will be the last behind the scenes post about the Life’s a Blur series. If you’re new here, though, you might’ve missed my previous posts on creating motion blur with long exposures!

How it All Began – Life’s a Blur – Behind the Scenes – Part 1

Fall Scenes – Life’s a Blur – Behind the Scenes – Part 2

Water Flow and Flowers – Life’s A Blur – Behind the Scenes – Part 3

How to Photograph Snowflakes – Life’s A Blur – Behind the Scenes – Part 4

Update: Part 6 is now available if you want to get a glimpse behind the spring set of Life’s a Blur!

 

How to Photograph Snowflakes – Life’s A Blur – Behind the Scenes – Part 4

About Life’s a Blur: A photography series that experiments with long exposures and motion blur. Every photo is a combination of movement mixed with a still subject. I’d like to think of each photo like a meditation: stillness in a sea of chaos.

These photos are also part of my Photo and 100 Words project. Since January 2014, I’ve been creating a new photo and writing about it every week. If you’re interested in finding out what prompted me to begin you can read the introduction over here.

(If you’re new to this photography series you might want to read how it all began in Part 1)

Why Snowflakes?

I really didn’t know what I was getting into when I decided that snowflakes were the subject I’d be approaching. The truth is, snowflakes were the only subject I could think of that would be flying across a winter scene, so I was determined to make it work.

It took me 2 snowfalls to get anything at all, and it wasn’t until my 3rd attempt that I actually got the images that were used in this series. It was not easy, and it certainly tried my patience… but it was worth it. I learned a lot and, in the end, I was really happy with my results!

How to Photograph Snowflakes

Patience and persistence… that’s the real answer, but if you’re really going to attempt to capture some snowflakes this winter, maybe I can help you to avoid some of the mistakes I made!

 

You’ll Need:

  • Camera with macro lens – but you already knew that right?
  • Clean, cold, and dry surface – I recommend plexiglass in order to backlight with an LED light, but for a simpler setup a piece of black fabric will give you the best contrast in natural light.
  • Towel or paper towels – to wipe your surface clean so you can catch more fresh flakes.
  • Toothpick – you don’t want to use even gloved hands to try and move snowflakes, they might break or melt.
  • Index Cards – or something similar to transport the snowflakes
  • Tripod
  • A cooler (optional and only if you want to replicate my setup)
  • LED light or other continuous light source (optional)
  • Colored Gels (optional)

My Setup

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The photo above is a recreation of what I set up last winter so that I can show you the general idea. I guess my brain was frozen when I shot these, because I totally forgot to take photos before I broke down my set and took my numb ass inside. Whoops!

I used a cooler because it was the perfect size to support the small piece of plexiglass I wanted to use. The white interior gave me some extra light too.

I was using an LED ring light that has the option to put out continuous light. I covered half of the light with a blue gel and the other half with a magenta gel.

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I really loved the effect of the colored light, but I ended up altering the color later on because it didn’t fit right into my snowy scenes. Here is one of my snowflake captures before I processed it and removed the background.

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Here are a few tips you might want to consider before you make an attempt at snowflake photography:

 

Tip #1 Get prepared now!

Even if there’s no snow in your forecast, you never know when the first flurries might start to appear, and if you wait until then, you’ll probably be too late.

You want to put all of your materials outside right now, preferably under cover. (All except your camera and lens, of course.) You have to remember that snowflakes are delicate and your materials will melt them if they haven’t had enough time to chill down from indoor temperatures.

 

Tip #2 Fresh snow is the only good snow

You really have to catch the snowflakes as soon as they fall out of the sky. You can’t use the snow on the ground because the crystals will clump together and all you’ll get are chunks of ice that aren’t too attractive.

Sometimes, even the fresh snow is ugly! Not all snowflakes have those beautiful six-sided designs you’re thinking of. I got only 1 recognizable snowflake after three hours of snowfall the first night I tried.

 

Tip #3 Get under cover

It may seem obvious, but you will want some protection from the elements. You don’t want fresh snow falling on top of the snow you’re trying to photograph, and you don’t want the wind blowing your snowflakes away. Plan ahead for a space that will protect your set without melting your snowflakes. A covered porch, a shed, a garage, a tent, or even the back of your car could work.

 

Tip #4 Move your snowflakes, not your camera

At first my set was completely different. I had a bigger piece of plexi, propped up at a 45 degree angle so that I could easily move my camera to the snowflakes without moving them. I don’t know why I thought this would be easier, or if I even thought, haha, but turns out moving the snowflakes is waaaaaaay easier.

Just make sure you have a toothpick and a few index cards pre-chilled so you don’t melt the flakes. Eventually I used another piece of plexi to collect and search for good snowflakes, and simply pushed them onto an index card and carefully transported, and slid them in front of the lens. Practice with a few damaged snowflakes before you go for the precious good ones.

 

Tip #5 Work at night

If the sun is your light, then obviously you can’t take this tip. Personally, I like to have full control over my light, so my setup photo is a little misleading because every one of these snowflakes was captured at night using only the one ring light. This brings me to…

 

Tip #6 Backlight your snowflakes… or don’t…

I personally found that shinning light through the snowflakes instead of at them brought out more detail and gave them a more translucent look. If you want a more opaque look that might not be for you. I suggest you experiment with your light to find a look you love.

Next time I do this I will probably use two lights… the possibilities are endless, play with them!

 

Please Note: I learned about snowflake photography from the genius behind snowcrystals.com – last time I went to share this website with a friend, however, I found that all of the content regarding snowflake photography was gone. I’m guessing this is probably because his new book includes all of his amazing tips… I feel lucky to have come across the info before he deleted it! Kenneth Libbrecht’s snowflake photos are far superior to mine, though, and if you want more detailed information on this topic I’m sure you can find it in his new book, The Snowflake, Winter’s Frozen Artistry… but even if you don’t want to buy it, you’ll certainly be able to see some gorgeous snowflake photography over there, so check it out anyway!

Blurred Scenery

As I’m sure you’ve guessed, the background images were shot separately from the snowflake images. Unlike my fall leaf photos, earlier in this series, the snowflakes didn’t come from the same snowy scenes I photographed. Unfortunately, this just wasn’t possible, especially because my favorite backgrounds were created on sunny days without a snowflake in sight. Finally, I’ve discovered a photography technique that thrives in sunny, mid-day light!

Here are all of my final winter scenes followed by a snapshot of the original scene. Keep in mind that all blurring was done in camera and no Photoshop was used to blur these backgrounds. If you want the details of exactly how I created the background images, you can get the nerdy photo details in part 2.

I also added links to the original story each photo was published with, just in case you’re interested in getting more!

 

Crystalline to Crusty

Crystalline to Crusty

This photo is for sale… click on it for more details.

Obviously, you can see that this snowflake isn’t exactly perfect… you can read about this OCD lady’s battle with accepting imperfection in Seeking Perfection.

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A snapshot of the background scene before I blurred it in camera to create “Crystalline to Crusty.”

 

Beachy Snowfall Scenery

Beachy Snowflake Scenery

This photo is for sale… click on it for more details.

I guess I just can’t keep my mind from seeing summer, even in a snowflake! Come on, you know that looks like a sand dollar… but no it actually is a snowflake, and that background actually is a snowy scene, see? Life’s a Beach was the original writing that went with this photo.

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A snapshot of the background scene before I blurred it in camera to create “Life’s a Beach.”

 

Breezy Snowfall

Breezy Snowfall

This photo is for sale… click on it for more details.

As I compared all of my finished photos, I noticed that they all had one thing in common, and it has to do with my favorite number, Six.

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A snapshot of the background scene before I blurred it in camera to create “Breezy Snowfall.”

 

Swept Away Snowflake

Swept Away Snowflake

This photo is for sale… click on it for more details.

I think I somehow ended up making a feminist statement with Girls Who Cry Snowflakes. I got a little personal too…

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A snapshot of the background scene before I blurred it in camera to create “Swept Away Snowflake.”

 

Hexagon Crystal

Hexagon Crystal

This photo is for sale… click on it for more details.

In Simplicity I wrote about the difference in achieving minimalism in photography and in writing… they are actually total opposites when it comes to approach, at least my approach.

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A snapshot of the background scene before I blurred it in camera to create “Hexagon Crystal” and “Icy Flames.”

Note: This image is the scene I used for both “Hexagon Crystal” and “Icy Flames” – I simply spent more time on the trees in the darker version and more time on the sky in the lighter version. I may have also reversed the direction that I blurred the image (from top to bottom and vice versa), but I’m not completely sure, my memory is shaky on that.

As I’m sure you can see I also added a blue tint by favoring the cold side of the white balance bar in my post processing. I did this to all of the images I shot on overcast days because everything was just so bleak and gray. I’ve come to find that the best days to do these blurred scenes are on sunny days with a few scattered clouds. These conditions make for the best contrast, which is ideal for visible blur lines.

Icy Flames

Icy Flames

This photo is for sale… click on it for more details.

Persistence pays off was me whining about all the hard work it took to get my first snowflake, like I said, it wasn’t easy… but you can check out what the original image looked like on my 1st ever snowflake!

 

A Fine Flurry

A Fine Flurry

This photo is for sale… click on it for more details.

A Glimmer of Hope is me trying to be positive when everything else seems to want me to go the other way.

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A snapshot of the background scene before I blurred it in camera to create “A Fine Flurry.”

Once again, make sure you check out part 2 if you want the details on how to create abstract scenes with motion blur.

What’s Next?

In the next blog post I’ll be showing you how I made surreal rain for the colorful background of my latest flower photos… any idea what I used? This post is coming soon, if you don’t want to miss out, make sure you sign up below to be notified!

Happy shooting!

Update: Part 5 is now posted, find out how to create surreal rain for the backgrounds of your images.

 

A Sick Sense of Humor – Photo and 100 Words 81

The pink petal from a dogwood tree flies across a green and pink windswept background.

Want this hanging on your wall? Click the photo to buy now!

The old security guard was puffing on a smoke, and staring out at the parking lot with faded blue eyes, as Nick and I approached his bench.

“It’s nice out, huh?” Nick asked.

“Oh, it’s beautiful,” Neil said, and I swear the blue in his eyes brightened as he said it. It was 8:30 am on a mid-December morning and I guessed it was 60 degrees in the sun.

“Global warming ain’t so bad, right?” I asked, and Neil let out the first chuckle I’d ever heard.

“Not bad at all,” Nick said, “my house will be beach-front property soon.”

“Ahhh, HA-HA!” Neil let out, and his contagious laughter infected me nearly as much as Nick’s joke.

You already know my feelings about this horrible time of year but, even though I’d welcome an ice-free winter with open arms, I have to admit the abnormal weather does make me wary.

I even feel a little guilty for making the joke…

I totally expected to share this last photo by telling you that I’m holding onto spring with all my might, but I haven’t really had to this year. I’ve even been hoping for snow.

What are these numbered posts all about? Read the introduction to my Photo & 100 Words project and find out!

 

Isn’t it Ironic? – Photo and 100 Words 80

Three pink petals fly away from a redbud tree that has just flowered in spring.

Want this hanging on your wall? Click the photo to buy now!

I’ve used a constant metaphor throughout the Life’s a Blur series, “each photo is like a meditation,” I say, but what do I know about meditation? In the past year or so, I’ve felt more like a twig in a tornado than a bellyfull buddha, chillin’ in the center of a storm.

Life’s a Blur is over, done, onto the next thing, and I just realized that I lied to you. I said that I would begin meditating again, months ago, and it’s only been this past week that I’ve actually done it.

I almost forgot what it was like to live inside my body in a world that’s ruled by outside achievement… even a few minutes makes a huge difference in my perspective.

Do you meditate? What do you do to chill out? I’m curious!

What are these numbered posts all about? Read the introduction to my Photo & 100 Words project and find out!

 

Lily & Olive’s Sneak Peek: Cat Photography in Yorktown Heights NY

Within minutes of walking through the door I was belly crawling all over the house. With big dogs I might be able to get away with kneeling, but with cats the camera just has to be touching the floor. It was while I was squirming, belly-down, for a better angle that John said something about people thinking he was a crazy cat person for hiring a pet photographer. If he’s crazy, though, then what exactly am I? I’m not sure, but to me, being on the floor with my camera and some furbabies is normal, and I love it there!

This is just a note to all the self-professed crazy animal people out there, you should know I’m crazier than you, and just maybe I could make you feel sane for a day AND photograph your pets. Ya know, feed two birds with one scone. (Totally stole that from another blog, but isn’t it great?!)

Anyway… meet Lily and Olive, two gorgeous cats who posed for me last weekend. The more I photograph cats the more I notice that they are the artists that create my art. Just the simple fact that cats love to be in, under, and on everything makes for some really interesting compositions. Although I had a hand in finding the best angle, Lily and Olive picked out their props all by themselves.

Here are a few of my favorites from my latest kitty photo session:

Lily Chillaxin' on the patio.

Lily Chillaxin’ on the patio.

Olive Striking the pose - love that tail!

Olive Striking the pose – love that tail!

Left: Lily Right: Olive - Both kitties managing to find their own take on how to pose with the chairs.

Left: Lily Right: Olive – Both kitties managing to find their own take on how to pose with the chairs.

Slowing Down in this Blur – Photo and 100 Words 79

The purple pink flower from a redbud tree flies across a pastel spectrum of spring color in this surreal photo.

Want this hanging on your wall? Click the photo to buy now!

I had just relearned how to eat ice cream from a cone, chocolate evidence was all over my shirt, and the laughs Nick and I shared energized our spirits as we drove home from Joe’s Dairy Bar.

Occassional sparks illuminated the fluffy, dark purple clouds and zig-zagged down through the pink sky. I slowed the car and we gawked at the gorgeousness of it all.

At home, we sat in the backyard, watching those windswept wisps fly by and listening to the magical sound of the wind chimes for the very first time. The pink sky turned periwinkle, then deep blue, and two bats’ dancing silhouettes fluttered against it.

Something bounced on the patio and Gracie was on it like the black on those bats. The toad got drooled on, but we saved him from becoming a doggie snack.

The sky darkened and something swooped into the bushes and hovered there. A hummingbird? No. A moth the size of my fist, swaying with the branches to hide from the bats.

Friday nights are for us. Movies, video games, or maybe just a snuggle chat… oh my. This was, so far, the most memorable, magical of those nights.

What are these numbered posts all about? Read the introduction to my Photo & 100 Words project and find out!

 

A Pack of Rescued Pups Part 3 – A Sneak Peek: Dog Photography in Wallkill, NY

If you read my art blog posts, you know that I recently wrote all about finding both the bitter AND the sweet in every situation. The bitter truth is that Darcy had to say goodbye to her old girl, Ruffles AKA The Queen, and then, quite suddenly, a rare genetic disease took Spike away too, leaving two holes in her heart.

It’s obvious there is always room in Darcy’s heart for more love, but when Ruffles and Spike passed away they left her with more room in her home too. Darcy invited me over to meet her two newbies, Baron and Daisy. Two more dogs have been rescued, and that’s the sweet part that runs alongside the bitter pain of loss.

Congrats on your new bundles of fur, Darcy, they are lucky to have you, as were Ruffles and Spike <3 I hope you enjoy your sneak peek.

Left: Baron being a perfect gentleman - he acts far older than his mere 18 months! Right: Daisy being an adorable goof!

Left: Baron being a perfect gentleman – he acts far older than his mere 18 months! Right: Daisy being an adorable goof!

 

Left: Holly Right: Pooh bear - It was so nice to finally get  a new background behind these pups - two separate snow storms swept through the day before both of our previous sessions!

Left: Holly Right: Pooh bear – It was so nice to finally get a new background behind these pups – two separate snow storms swept through the day before both of our previous sessions!

 

Left: Daisy relaxing after a romp around the yard with the community ball. Right: Rocky caught mid-kiss, he's so silly!

Left: Daisy relaxing after a romp around the yard with the community ball. Right: Rocky caught mid-kiss, he’s so silly!

 

Left: Ruffles Right: Spike RIP sweet angels <3

Left: Ruffles Right: Spike RIP sweet angels <3

Reflections of an Artist: Fine Art Photography with a Splash of Prose (78) – Sentimental

Want this hanging on your wall? Click the photo to buy now!

Want this hanging on your wall? Click the photo to buy now!

As we count down the days to our big move, all my excitement is stilled by this nagging nausea. I start to slow, I sit still, and look at things a little longer.

What will I miss?

Our cramped apartment gave us a certain closeness; I will miss Nick being just a glance away when he’s laughing at Reddit – or a glare away when he’s screaming at pretend people.

I might miss not knowing who Gracie’s favorite is… if it doesn’t end up being me.

I may miss other things that I won’t miss until they’re already gone, so I’m trying to take it all in, and appreciate it while I’m still here.

I’m dragging out my spring photos like a sentimental spring hugger, which is an excellent description of me. The truth is, though, I have no time to make summer photos, and I overdid the spring ones. Lucky you. =)

What are you sentimental about? What do you miss about a change in your life? Tell me, tell me, I really wanna know!

 

What are these numbered posts all about? Read the introduction to my Photo & 100 Words project and find out!

 

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