Love, Love, Love

I guess I have love and Valentines Day on my mind..lol. While I was sleeping last night I kept coming up with "love" image ideas. I guess I didn't sleep much - ha.
In this weeks Beyond Layers  class we worked on photographing in our home "studio" with natural light. One thing that Kim Klassen talked about was evaluating your image...walking away and coming back to see it with fresh eyes. It's amazing how much this helps. Take todays image. I reworked this 3 times to get the image you see above.

The 1st image: After walking away and looking at this image again the back heart seemed to be too bold. Sometimes you're so intent on working on the image that we don't see the most obvious.

2nd Image: softened/desaturated the back heart
Better, but it still bothered me. I felt my eye was still drawn to that heart and it certainly was not where I want the attention of the viewer to be.

3rd Image:  (Same as 1st image) I decided to remove the back heart. I used a large soft cloning brush to do this and then used the eyedropper to select a darker beige color and used my brush with a low opacity to paint and soften the background making it a bit more even.

What do you think? Do you see the difference?

Great advice Kim!

Camera Setting:
Lens: 50 mm 1.4
ISO: 200
Aperture: 1.8
Shutter: 1250th
Texture: Kim Klassen - Magic Scratches and Plastersquared

The little things you love

Have you ever thought about the little things in life that make you smile? ....the things that tell a bit about who you are? For me, there are so many things that I would love to take home with me when I find them...just because they make me feel good when I look at them. They may serve no other purpose other than to make me smile or stir up inspiration. Vintage books, old bottles, tea cups,  flowers, wooden spools of thread and oh....buttons have all found their way into my heart and home at one time or another.  ...and there something magical about old photos and handwritten vintage postcards! It's so much fun to search for these little treasures, take them home with you and create an image or two. Three times the joy!  Surround yourself with the little things you love..just for you!

Treasure the Memories

To me it's such a treasure to look through old family photos! Over the years I think people have come to realize how important it is to capture life's moments and preserve the memories of our lives. Take time to care for your family photos old and new - scan them or create scrapbooks to keep them safe so your families future generations will be able enjoy them for years to come. Don't forget to record who's in the photo and if possible the date taken. A project well worth the time - Treasure the memories!!

This image was created for my 2nd assignment: Vision and Blurr for Beyond Layers inspirational e-course by Kim Klassen. The 1st part of our assignment was a 6 word Memoir inspired by Smith Magazine. Kim asked us to create our own 6 word memoir. Try it - once you start....you can't stop. Here's mine for today.

Capture the Moment,

Treasure the Memories

Would love to hear yours!

K

So this is my story...

It's been a year now since I've finished my 365 project on Flickr - a photo a day for an entire year!! And yes, I did it!!  I didn't miss a day and I have to say, it was one of the best experiences - the doors of  inspiration opened. I was exposed to many talented photographers all over the world. I already had a passion for  photography but found myself falling deeper in love with creating art from my images.

So here I am a year later, back to work in an office (yawn) and finding little time or energy to shoot. A sad time for me. I had put so much time and energy into my photography the past few years and it's all  come to a halt. so this is my story....

It's been a year now since I've finished my 365 project on Flickr - a photo a day for an entire year!! And yes, I did it!!  I didn't miss a day and I have to say, it was one of the best experiences - the doors of  inspiration opened. I was exposed to many talented photographers all over the world. I already had a passion for  photography but found myself falling deeper in love with creating art from my images.

So here I am a year later back to work in an office (yawn) and finding little time or energy to shoot. A sad time for me. I had put so much time and energy into my photography the past few years and it's all  come to a halt.  

Well... now it's time to make a change!!  2012 a new year and I need to make time in my life for creating. Are you with me???  Last night  I stumble across the e-course being taught by the talented Kim Klassen "Beyond Layers". It's all about  inspiration, encouragement,  motivation, creativity.. .everything I'm looking for!  It's a 52 week course with 2 assignments per week. So I'm jumping in with both feet.  I'm soooooo excited!!

 My artistic journey has not been the success story that I see so many photographers write about. I've struggled to find my place but haven't given up hope yet.  I  dream that someday it will all come together.  Deep within I'm being pulled to create more. I feel the need to expose more of  my creativity. There's lots more just itching to get out!!  I know many of you can relate.  I'm hoping  this course will help me to overcome the things that hold me back from achieving my dreams and finding a clear vision of where I belong.

Join me as I create and explore.  Stop by,  say hi, leave a comment and tell me about your artistic journey.

K

#1 Assignment:  Simplicity

Time ...never enough

Where does the time go? Last I remember we had lost electricity and internet for 5 days in the October snow and now we're are 5 days away from Christmas! Every week I say I'm going to take the time to shoot and post some photos but before I know it I'm starting a new day. I happened to click on a photo that I had saved to my desktop a while back. It made me feel warm - thinking of the day I took the photo in the woods..the softness and texture the fall leaves. Thought I share it with you today. Don't wait to capture the perfect shot - set it up yourself and make it happen. Think outside the box. Try to capture a feeling through color, texture and the subject you choose.  I'd love to see your creations.
Go create!

K

Autumn Apples

Ahhhhh my favorite time of year is here! The leaves are all turning and the air is starting to get brisk - A few weeks back we went apple picking. It's always a fun thing to do and even better is the week following- apple pie and apple dumplings - yum, yum yum.
What's your favorite apple dish?

"Autumn Apples"

Inspirational Walk

Welcome to my new blog! I've been so excited to create a blog to encourage creativity and inspiration for myself and others. While doing my 365 project last year-yes that was a photo a day for a year, I came to realize that beautiful images are all around us. Everyday object can take on a new life through the lens. While on a photo walk in the town of Kent, CT I came across this jar of buttons - I knew that it would make a beautiful image. It was a little more challenging taking it through a window, but I manage to capture an image that I was happy with. Hope you enjoy it and it brings new ideas to you -
K