Attend an art exhibit…

This was one our “assignments” in our photography journey with Kat Eye Studio.

My first thought was “oh, a nice trip to Boston to visit the MFA or the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum”.  But after an extensive on line search I was reminded about all of the artistic displays and events here in Metro West Boston.  My husband and I visited the Decordova Musem and sculpture park located in a neighboring town.  Fortunately for us, it was a sunny, mild day and a treat to spend time wandering around outdoors in the fresh air.

There was an outdoor interactive display of what my husband referred to as musical pipes and I referred to as a standing xylophone.  There was no way to resist picking up a stick and running it along the pipes to make music.  I observed two elderly gentlemen stopping to play, and one of them complimented the other telling him “that was very nice”.  You couldn’t resist and it made you happy.

Bubbles floating through the air caught my eye.  I went to find the source of the bubbles, and called my husband to come see.  There was a man with a rope attached to two sticks.  He dipped the rope into a bucket of liquid and made the greatest bubbles.  Grownups and children alike had their arms stretched out in delight, trying to catch them.  Again, something else that you can’t resist and it makes you smile.

I was excited to photograph the bubbles and really wondered what they would look like captured in a photo.

Our favorite outdoor sculpture had to be the Two Black Hearts.  I don’t think it would have been nearly as appealing if there was only one heart.  My last name is Hart, my husband proposed to me on Valentine’s Day and gave me a heart shaped engagement ring … and so I am partial to hearts. ♥♥       

As a piece of art work, I appreciate the fact that the artist chose to create two hearts.  The texture of the hearts and all of the objects embedded in the surface give your mind and eyes a lot to look at and absorb.  And the size of the hearts provided impact.

The next sculpture appealed to me because of its colors and surface texture.  I looked at it for a while and then exclaimed “it’s a pinecone perched under the trees!”  When I looked at the photograph later, I thought it looked like many breasts, but I like my perception of a pinecone more.

The sculpture/exhibit which least appealed to me was an actual bed encased in a glass structure.  It did nothing to resonate within me.  But, for some reason, I really like the way the photograph turned out!

I was disappointed with what we found inside.  The rooms were small and choppy, and some of the hallways abruptly ended and you had to turn back.  The only large room didn’t feel large and open.  I saw one oil painting, and my reaction to it was “oh finally a painting.”  In retrospect I know that I react to what my preconceived ideas of what art is.  I once had a VERY lively discussion with friends about “What is Art”.  It was one of my favorite conversations. Many points of view were expressed but no one answer was agreed upon.  The perception of art is so individualized.

In reviewing the photographs I took at the museum, it confirmed my previous post declaring what I like and am drawn to.  I am drawn to shiny and reflective objects, textures both smooth and rough, color opposites and the enjoyment of editing a photo.

Attend an art exhibit... you won't regret it.

photo-heart connection january 2012

This month, my heart sings with this photograph

It sings because I am so pleased with the results

It sings because of the shades of robin’s egg blue and aqua

It sings because it feels like a painting to me

It sings because it is a beautiful orchid

It sings because a dear friend gave it to me

It sings because I edited it

It sings because I enjoyed the morning I spent experimenting with my camera and new tripod

It sings because I started experimenting with aperture

It sings because I didn’t have a preconceived idea of what it would look like after editing and I was so pleased with the results

The results were more like an unexpected present than intentional and that is ok

I sing because I continue to learn and grow and create

Kat from the Kat Eye studio came up with a fun monthly photo prompt called

The Photo-Heart Connection

Each month we will post the photo that most captured our heart and explore why it did so

Visit Kat's site here to learn more:  kateyestudio

I think I’ve been coloring outside of the lines..

The first rule of photography I remember learning is probably the same one that everyone was told, which is to position yourself with the sun behind you.    Since then, I’ve learned more about composition, the rule of thirds, not centering an object, and leading your eye into a scene. 

I can’t say that I really think much about these rules before I take a photo though.  And with the ability to crop our own photos, it is easy to edit an image and make it more visually pleasing post shooting your photo.

I am participating in my second online course with Kat Eye Studio.  One of Kat's recent posts  included her photo of a scooter, which only shows part of the scooter.  I have noticed lately, that it isn’t always necessary to show the complete subject in a photo.  Having a piece of it missing is ok.  Maybe it even helps to draw your eye into the photo.  I don't know if this was ever a photography rule or not, but probably one of mine. 

It's ok if you don't see the entire flower and all of the petals

or if you can't see the entire balloon in this photo

or even the entire bodies of these children

Thankfully, I don't think I have any preconceived photgraphy rules that are holding me back in this journey.  And believe me, I have always been a rule follower.  ♥

I like.......

Flowers






contrast in color and textures

softness

brightness

a scene you can see yourself walking into





reflections and store window displays

sharp, crisp and clear

and I love editing photos

all this decisiveness from a woman who could never even pick a favorite color...

I highly recomend you check out Kat Eye Studio and the online courses offered.

Start the journey to finding your eye - like I did !  Thanks Kat !!! ♥

flowers in winter

I enjoy taking photographs of flowers. 

Last weekend I spent the morning photographing a beautiful orchid my dear friend had given me for Christmas.  I don’t have a very green thumb, well maybe an aqua colored thumb – but not a green thumb.  So I am happy that the orchid still looked as nice as it did on Christmas.

My dear hubby gave me a tripod for Christmas.  I set up the tripod and experimented taking photos in different rooms, with different lighting and different backgrounds.  Close ups and from a distance.  It was early in the morning and I was the only one up and about and I was easily lost in what I was doing.

My only frustrations were that I hadn’t taken the time to think about the light coming in the backdoor and casting shadows on the orchids.  I eventually opened the backdoor – but it was cold outside! 

I love photo editing.  I’m pleased when I have a nice sharp and crisp photo to start with. Often times the results are soft and muted.  I ended up editing a lot of the photographs, but I went with the flow and that’s where it led me.

Pixel Dust Bonnie's free texture "one life"

I recently downloaded GIMP, which looks like an awesome free photo editing software.   I haven’t had enough time to practice with it as much as I would like to.  And as Bonnie expressed in her post, it is hard to get back into the swing of things after the holidays!  I am really looking forward to using layers. I have read a few tutorials that cover layers, but some of them make my head spin!

For editing this photograph of a beautiful white orchid from my dear friend, I once again used Photoscape, which is another  free photo editing software.  It doesn’t have the same layering feature, but it does allow you to add textures (including adding your own textures) and placing objects on top of  your photograph and changing the opacity.

For this photo, I used the auto level, which lightens it up a bit, and then sharpened.  I find that I almost always use sharpen.  I then used color enhance and saturate.  I added  Bonnie’s free texture “one life” as a texture and then added it as an object on top of my photo. I reduced the opacity to 141 and saved.

I love the nice soft feeling it has and the white writing of the words “one life” blends in nicely with the white petals of the orchid, rather than standing out in sharp contrast.

Thank you Bonnie at Pixel Dust Photo Art, for hosting Photo Art Friday, for sharing so much of yourself and your creativity, and for hosting a great spot for all of us to share.  Having a spot to share what I do gives me some sort of validation and meaning.  So, Thank you again!  Happy Friday to us all!  And I've got the number three tucked away in my head for next week!

thoughts on photography

While driving to the bank this past Saturday, a small group of canadian geese sitting on an iced over pond caught my eye.  My first thought and reaction was to reach for my camera, pull over and take a photo.  I didn’t have my dear camera with me.

When something catches my eye, it generates a feeling and a response within me.  I want to capture that feeling in a photograph and convey and share that feeling with others. "this is me, this stirs me, do you feel what I feel?”

Photography has been in my life for a long time.  Years ago I took a photography class and learned how to develop photos in a darkroom.   Many times I went out with a camera in hand, looking forward to taking photographs.  

I appreciate the freedom of digital photography.  If the photo doesn’t turn out the way I had hoped it would, I can delete it.  And it satisfies my need to create.  Editing the photos is the icing on the cake.

My initial response to the question – why do you photograph was “because I have to”.  But that’s not quite right.  But, I do have to be creative.  And photography fills that need quite nicely.

 I went through my house and took photographs of some of the things that I’ve painted, sewn, refinished and made.

I think it’s an appropriate photo for this post.  ♥