Called to a Passion

Someone once said, "Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive" I've come to expand this a little with the word 'Passion'. This is because I find that with most people what they have a passion for does indeed make them come alive.

Now some may say, "No Shoot Sherlock, you're just coming to realize this now Angel?" And I would have to admit that for the full affect of the meaning here - yes, I'm just realizing this now in more of a personal way. For most of you that have been reading this site know that I have a passion for photography. What most of you don't know is how I struggle in the area of not only making time for my God given passion, but in accepting that others do appreciate the images I do create. Whether it be doing a friend's family portraits or find some landscapes and creating a mood or feeling to pass along to the viewer. For example the picture to the left is one of my latest creations. It speaks so loud and plainly to me the message that there are some paths that only a few are invited to travel. Kind of like someone else I know. He was given a path that no one else travelled; it was not an easy path, yet He did it for me and everyone else who calls him friend, teacher and Lord.

So today I would like to encourage you to follow your passion and come alive. You will feel so much joy I can't even describe it.

In the mean time study the picture for yourself and see what it speaks to you about. If you feel so led leave me a note and I would be happy to encourage you in your passion as well.

Don't forget to Clean Your Lens

While I was going through some vacation shots I recently did I was shocked to find some of my photos with a smudge mark on them. It took me a while to realize that some how I had gotten sun screen on my lens. Quite the nasty surprise I must say. It did bring me to think that camera care was something I have not talked much about. So here are a few brief things to look into to help make your memories as sharp as possible.

Clean All Your lens'

Before you start any project for the day; take some time to clean all of your lens' that may or may not be in use. This includes any you don't plan on using as something may come up that you were not expecting and it is helpful to have your equipment ready to go at a moments notice. Also through the course of a day with opening your camera bag/gear your equipment will get dust on them eventually. It's just a matter of time.

So what you may want to look into is a small spray bottle of lens cleaner NOT Windex or anything with ammonia in it; as this type of chemical will strip off important layers on your lens. It is no different than if you wear eye glasses with any coatings on them - the chemical will strip off the coating and then you have expensive corrective glass without the hardening coating or maybe even a tinting. Not good. You will also want a micro fiber cloth to help with the cleaning process. Again the ones that can be used with eye glasses are great for this as they are not big and do not take up much room in your kit.

Dust out Your Camera Body

Another cleaning item to have on hand is a retractable brush as well as a small air bellows. These can be found in any of your local photo finishing stores. The air bellows is to blow out the dust in your camera body. You want to use this instead of blowing from your mouth because of the moisture factor. Our breath has moisture and like most electronic devises moisture is not the cameras friend. When using the bellows be sure to hold the opening of the body downward so that any dust particles that are dislodged can fall out instead of finding a new place to hide.

Like wise the retractable brush will help remove dust particles that you can see. You will want to use the brush instead of your fingers for the obvious reason of body oils and yet I still see photographers use there fingers. When using your finger you can leave oils in the housing of the camera and in time prevent your camera from working at it's optimum.

Consider Mid -shooting Maintenance

If you are shooting for more than a couple of hours you may want to consider taking a ten minute break or so to go through and clean the lens that is currently being used; as well as if it happens to be a windy day, like it tends to be in the southern end of Alberta, dust out your camera body away from the wind. This little consideration can save some frustration later on and help you keep your photography at the best level possible. This was the lesson I forgot while on holidays, thus why I didn't notice that I had a smudge mark on my lens until I got home.

You see the preview screen on your digital camera (even the bigger ones) is not going to show the smudge mark or other possible problems well if at all. They are meant to give a basic preview. Even then unless you take the time to enlarge parts of the photo and scrutinize every part you will still miss some distractions in your photo. So as you learn from my forgetfulness take a peek at a couple of the photos that I am proud of this time around.

So until next time have fun with your summer memories.

It's In the Eye...

When you look at a picture that someone has created; what is it about that picture that either catches your eye or lets you just pass it by without another thought. Is it something like, "Oh, it's just a picture anyone can do that" or the other end of the spectrum "Wow that is just so breath taking - where is that?"

There are some people out there in both sides and some in the middle on this subject. Unfortunately for the ones that think anyone can do that are also the ones who don't go out there and try it either. Now don't get me wrong there are some pictures out there that I wonder why on earth did they shoot that? But that also brings me to my main point that an acquaintance reminded me of the other day. And that is all art including painting, photographs or even digital design "beauty is in the eye of the beholder". One day something like the above photo will be the most popular style going the next day it could be something totaly abstract or even something like this next photo. It seems at least lately that a lot of people are attracted to the more rustic looking pieces. And if they happen to be framed in some of those old wood looking frames all the better.

I could stop here and just talk about inanimate type subject matter, however this topic spills over into other types of photography as well. A prime example would be portraiture; more specifically I think would be Wedding portraits. There is so many different styles out there it boggles the mind. Suffice to say though that it all boils down to particular taste just as with the nature/rustic types. A good friend of mine is also a photographer but we have too somewhat different styles. She's what's called a Photo Journalist and I lean towards what is called a Portrait Journalist. The basic difference would be the photo journalist style keeps to "the as things happen" mode where as the portrait journalist will have a bit more hands on involvement in the posing especially after the ceremony when the formals are taken.

With Wedding season fast approaching I also thought I would mention some things for some of the Brides to be to keep in mind.

1) Book the photographer as early as possible. Most of the more popular photographers book at least a year in advance. More importantly scrutinize the particular photographer's, that will be working your day (if it is a bigger company), portfolio. Don't just go by what is on the wall's.

2)If the choice is to use a friend or family member be sure to take a good look at there people type photos and not just there holiday photos. Taking wedding portraits are quite different and even though it is definitely cheaper to go this way; there are no guarantees to have the photo's to turn out. Not to mention having to re-do them and not be able to catch the same moments or feelings again.

3) Consider having a prospective photographer take some engagement pictures for you. This can help to make sure a) you feel comfortable working with them and b) both of you like the style of the photos taken.

4)Once the photographer has been booked keep in regular contact with them. Talk with them about your ideas of what you would like in your package as well as in the photos themselves. This will also give you early warning signs if things aren't going to work for you with that photographer's service. Consider making a list of what is important to you to have included (i.e. special members of the family). Once you have gone over it a few times give a copy of the list to the photographer to keep on file for your day.

5) Above all - this is a day that you want fond memories of, so be honest about what you see and if at all possible don't settle for less than you want for the price you can afford.


If you haven't guessed already, I do love to take wedding portraits just as much as the landscape /nature type pieces. In some ways a lot more. So if there is anyone out there still looking for a photographer and you like what you see here, I do encourage you to leave me a note. I would love to help you make your day special.


Another option for those of you on Facebook is to check out my portfolio there as well. The address is:http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=870200116#/album.php?aid=23381&id=870200116

Loved Ones

Over the last couple of weeks I've been thinking a lot about what kind of keepsake photos I wish to have or wish I could have had. I want to encourage each and everyone who reads this blog page to take some time to ponder that thought. You see I almost lost two special loved one's this week - thankfully in some ways I only lost one. Let me explain...

You see this lovely lady to the left is my Grandmother. My last grandparent. She was about to turn 83 in June of this year, unfortunately she has just passed away. I am thankful for some special things that my Grandmother taught me. One of those things was that she encouraged me not to take things just as they were. Experiment she said - don't take things at face value. So I did. You know what - I learned that this was good advise no matter what I did; be it baking, cooking, or even photography. You could say that my Grandmother taught me how to let my creativity out. I am thankful that I was able to get a couple of photos of her last year. The other one with her is even more special to me as an adult. You see it is a multi generational photograph. It has myself, my Grandmother and my Mom. This is special as we can't re-create this possibility anymore and more importantly I remember doing it. It's not perfect but at least I have it. I'm not one to boast, but it also just happens that my cousins are not able to have a similar memory now. So that is one.

The next love one some of you may think I'm a little nuts on. You see the love one is my older cat Spiffy. But before you say something along the lines of 'oh bother'. Let me explain. When it comes to avid pet owners the pets are as much a part of the family as a human and there loss is felt just as deeply.

Spiffy is 13 years old, in cat years this makes him a Senior Citizen. He had stopped eating this last week and we weren't sure if we were going to have to say good-bye to him as well. However, after some dental work he is now starting to be his old self and I don't think I've seen him look more attentive in quite some time.

So I also encourage you to include in your family photos your pets. They are such a special part of the family. Who else gives that unconditional love to you when you need it most. For me it seems like both my cats seem to have an inside scoop on me so to speak. They seem to know when I'm feeling low or just plain crabby. Because its then that they come up to me and just stay with me. After a short time I'm petting them and they are of course loving the attention so much that they begin to purr. All of a sudden the world doesn't seem so grey (pardon the pun - both my cats happen to be grey).

So to sum up this time remember all the members of the family in all aspects from human to feline or canine. They are all special and should be remembered in a special way - after all they were all created by the same creator... Who would have thunk?

To finish off I leave you with a cute photo of Spiffy and Spunky (Spiffy's adoptive brother). Is love any better than that

So as you take the time to think about the love ones in your life - let's also take the time to make sure we have the memories to go along with it; as they won't be with us forever and then it will be too late.

What do You See?

When you go walking about around town or in your local park what do you see? Do you see things like the people around you, children playing, or the flowers in bloom? Or maybe like some out there it maybe we just want to get from Point A to Point B. Sometimes it is necessary to stay focused on the activity at hand, but I think that there are also some out there that use this as an excuse, to not see what is going on around them. So they don't have to get involved or maybe even care.

For me I like to try and make a habit of finding things that most others would just walk by or even walk on and not even notice. This is an exercise that surprises me every time I do it. I just never know what I'm going to find. Take for example the shot to the left here. A fallen poppy (this photo is called "Left Behind") on the ground somewhere around town. It's not only fallen off of someones jacket, but it has also be trampled on in the hustle and bustle of the day. I then find myself asking questions like: What does this tell me about the society in which I live? What does this tell me about how, in this case, we think about all of those soldiers that have fought and still currently do fight for our freedoms that we so easily take for granted? So just from this one instance I found myself in a bunch of questions and even sometimes a story of life.

Similarly, when I was taking photos at some of the weddings I attended last year, I found myself taking a few photos of some of the decorations around the whole event. You know those things that help capture the magic of the day, but don't really give them a second thought as to who took the time to see to those little details or even maybe lovingly crafted them so that the couples day could be even more memorable. Here are a couple of examples:

These are all examples of different artists work. And all should be remembered and not just taken for granted.

So I challenge you the next time you go to an event or just go out for a walk to take the time to look around you and truly see what is there and to be thankful that we have artists in the world. As well as so many others that work behind the scenes of our everyday lives so that we can enjoy all that life has to offer.

One final person that works behind the scenes of us all that I would like to give tribute to, as He is the one who gave me, my gift of expression in these photographs. He is the ultimate in creativity of everything around us. Here is an example of His mighty work.... Let's not take Him for granted too.

"I lift up my eyes to the mountains - where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth."

Psalm 121:1-2

Happy New Year!!

Happy New Year indeed! I do hope one and all managed to have a safe and fun celebration of the birth of a new year...
Well it is now 2008 and I am finding some great subject matter for some of 'my' more creative type of photography. This tends to be slightly a little more out of the box, I guess you could say.

Recently my husband and I took part (like most I imagine) in a local fireworks display for New Years. What I mean by taking part is we watched the fireworks as well as I took pictures of said fire works as you can see to the left.
I've been noticing in things that I have been photographing lately that I've been attracted to subjects with a large amount of texture. It's almost like the subject of texture just jumped up and said pay attention to me.
So I will ask the question - what exactly is texture when it comes to photography? Texture is defined by the 'Oxford Canadian Dictionary' this way: "the representation of the tactile quality and nature of a surface in a photograph, painting, etc". So now we ask the question - How does one 'show' texture that you cant feel? This is were the art comes in. You see for photographic work, or sketching or even painting texture is represented in few a ways at least. We will start with the following: composition, lines, and depth as there are so many attributes to go through all at once. Not to mention that they are all equally important to great pieces of art. Let's go through these together to start with.

COMPOSITION

Composition is the overall placement and look of your subjects final product. This is easier to see so let's take a look at a couple examples. As you are able to see this is an example of poor composition. It is poor because of the placement of the subject on the 'canvas'. As one of my instructors would say this picture does not capture your attention because the flower placement is on the far left. What else is there to see? Our next example of the same flower show a bit better placement. You will notice that placement helps direct your eyes where to go. Basically just follow the lines. This brings us to our next point on how to 'show' texture.

LINES
Lines come in many different ways. There are the traditional physical lines that you can see and then there are the lines that are implied. Let's take a look. Here we can see more of the physical line I was speaking of. The palm leaves show this very well. Our eyes start at the bottom and travel all the way up to the top of the picture. The other reason our eyes will do that with this type of example is that the bottom starts off on the wide/broad side of things and then tapers as you follow. Kind of like when you look off in the distance on the high way. Our next example shows an implied line. Basically what that is, is an imaginary line that helps to direct the eye through the whole picture. Like our orchid to the right. The second flower behind the main flower helps keep the eyes moving in the picture, as it is slightly off to the side. It isn't a real line but it is definitely implied and give the picture some depth.

DEPTH:

Depth is what give the photo life. I guess you could say makes it look 3D instead of being as flat as the paper it was printed on. You see depth is all of the above plus having layers to give the complete look. I tend to find the 'flat' picture in some portraits like my friend to the left here. Even though by looking at him you know that he is not one dimension, he looks like it in the picture because it was taken strait on. (like your pass port picture if you will). So how do we make him look like he truly is? We give the picture depth and dimension through that depth. Take a peek at the next photo. In portraits of people or animals you need angles to give you depth. It doesn't need to be huge just enough to give you the idea that there is more to the subject than meets the eye at first glimpse.

So now when you pull all of these elements plus more (you guessed it this is just the tip of the ice berg on this topic) you will be able to create some wonderful examples of art.

Here is one last example of what can happen when you try to put everything together...
Can you guess what else gives texture to a picture?

The answer next time.... until then happy shooting and here's to the New Year of possibilities!