Creative Photography

When I am not painting I love taking photography so today I am going to share some creative ways I have taken portraits of my youngest daughter. I love using my digital camera and getting creative and  inspired by her growing. Looking for shapes and capturing your favorite person in various ways is a great way to chronicle the changes, places and fun things that happen every day, on trips or just firsts. Not all these are my best shots, but I am sharing them to give you an idea of thinking a bit about pulling out your camera and taking chances. All the images have a few details.  

* Note I have not taken any photography classes. This is all from self learning.

Just her legs on a swing

Close up holding the rope swing

Think about shapes. The first three images; one round, one square, one triangle.......

One day when Sam was taking forever in the tub. I went to see what was going on. She was making bubbles. I took photographs of her making these great bubbles and sticking her hands in them. Remember in the movie Blues Brothers 2000. When he goes in the rest room and comes out with soap all over his face and called it puff ball disease and told everybody to run. Well, I got some photo's of her doing just that too!  She loves entertaining!

 

This was portrait was taken at a botanical garden where I had her look through a sculpture

Here we were at the beach and I had her stand inside the tee pee made of drift wood

This photo she is learning how to use chop sticks

 

Outside I thought the contrast of the wood on the tree being rough and her hair and skin being soft

 Her hands again, this time learning to make goop at the science fair

 This is so she will have memories of the project of hatching brine shrimp

 Close up and colorful with part of her body leaning in

 Swim lessons Just reaching the wall after swimming across

 Close up face shot with a scarf on

Take a picture of the mirror with subject in it,  A hair cut

 Climbing under the hammock, I took images of her under, on and next to with her pet also

Her first teeth cleaning

The more you take photographs of your subjects the less camera shy they are. When taking photographs of children remember they don't have lots of patience so keep your shoots short. Take photographs of them doing activities they love. Whether it be playing in a sandbox, on a scooter, a first bike ride, the opportunities are endless.

Taking portraits doesn't mean you always have to have the best shot, although it would be nice. Take lots of photographs and edit them to your liking. Remember you are also capturing moments, memories and growing. And the key to getting better is doing it all the time, having your camera with you and learning about your camera. I am just beginning to use editing software. Another aspect you can add to your images lighting and textures as you want to get more creative.

I hope this helps you just dive in a capture some wonderful moments. I love taking photographs of family, nature and flowers. PS. with Earth day around the corner you might like to see this post with images of Sammie's first bike and a lovely You Tube Video! From Sept 09 Not Just Thoughts on a Bike.

When your done if you want great tips and to be inspired by great photographs visit iheartfaces. This is a place I just might be hanging out to learn a bit more about the art of capturing the face. Who knows maybe I'll enter a contest there one day!

What is your favorite subject when taking photographs? What is your favorite photography tip or site?

This looks like a good read. Have you read any good books with tips for photography?

"Stretching Creatively" Journal Prompt

Do you ever try and take big steps creatively and after you have attempted you are a bit let down. Almost discouraged as you know in your mind where you want to be yet things get in the way of that goal. This week for me in stretching I find myself seeing where I need more work, knowledge to help me be able to accomplish my goals. It is hard to look at the tools in front of you and not be able to master them in a moment. Whether those tools are your pencils, paintbrushes, photo shop, editing soft ware.......

So aren't the little struggles suppose to make things feel great when they are completed? Maybe. I know from my own experience if I don't stretch and go through those growing pains I am not going to reach my goals. So there are days when I am hard on myself, disappointed for where I am in the moment, pulling my hair out over things not being easier! But, when all is said and done I know I must keep going. This is what I am choosing to do, and without the stretching you might not find your end result.

I must be positive for the little pushes that help me grow. Open to the process, let the ideas keep flowing and nurture them. And mostly have patience with myself and trust that process.

I came across this quote and I think it says it all for me this week. Maybe if I take some time to be with nature this week, step away and come back it will give me a rewed spirit and her secret of patience will come visit me as I press on with my new learning.  Do you ever get frustrated learning something new? What do you do to push through the hard process?  Take time away and come back? Push on, although frustrated? Find help? Read a book? Take a class? Or a combination there of?

Journal Prompt: Create a journal page about your stretching, growth process with your creativity. The feelings you have about it and things that may help you with it. 

Quote: Adopt to the secret of nature: her secret is patience. Ralph Waldo Emmerson

Food for thought:
If you have an i tunes there are quite a few pod casts on art and creativity for free at the i tunes store. 
                               
                          

My Painting Video & You Tube Channel

Hello Dear Readers, Honestly I have been wanting to do a video for ever! I was gifted a Kodak play/sport which means I can make videos now! And that I did. So I created a You Tube Channel and the link is on my side bar for future visits! I hope you can visit and subscribe to my channel. I will be creating more videos.

My first Video is of me working on my gnomes painting

I want to learn an editing program and need to find a simple one. The one I borrowed was pretty complex and I was literally ready to pull my hair out by the end of the night. I also found out I need to have a good stash of music files.

So when you view this please know it was made from a 17 min. video down to 3min. Music was added that I had. It took an entire day, including creating my channel! What a learning experience. Next time I am sure it will be much easier! So If you like it ; Please leave me a comment, subscribe and give it a thumbs up and spur me on to create some more videos for you to enjoy! Maybe even a tutorial will pop up down the road......

I will post the final painting when done so you can have a better look! PS. Let me know if you have a You Tube Channel!  Have you made an art video? What is your favorite editing program ?

Limitations live only in our minds. But if we use our imaginations our possibilities become limitless. James Paolinetti

Here is what I used:

Organizing & Newsletter News

Sometimes there is nothing worse than having a repair person come and all you have been doing is creating art or things for my daughter's upcoming wedding. So this morning I spent my morning just straightening up and cleaning where they would be working. "Sigh" Well at least the television area is all cleaned now and you can see the top of my dining table. All is swept and mopped.  So many projects so little time? Only partially true.

 Now this is what I call organized!

WideOpenSpaces

Part of it has to do with organization. I know it can't be perfect all the time, but I must find a way to take some time to organize and have things more efficient! Often sharing a computer area isn't easy. I need to organize a desk / office space for being ready to move forward with my Etsy shop. Something like this may just be the solution.

Then I need to set up my paperwork for tracking expenses for supplies, purchases and other taxable information so when I open up shop at year end I am not scrambling. Yes, anyone with a little shop knows what I am talking about!

Turbo Tax

I just came across this website that has some helpful articles on starting a small business, tax provisions and other information from the IRS.

Source: possiblydreaming.tumblr.com via Theresa on Pinterest

Are you signed up for my newsletter?

Today I made a decision to make my newsletter life more organized. I decided to use a host for the first time. I had been running my little newsletter myself, collecting emails via sign up and managing it all. It has gotten to the point where it was so time consuming and  I wasn't staying on track. Feeling guilty of not being able to just put something nice together without worrying about doing the rest I was getting in my own way. So I stepped outside of my box while the repairman was here and got my new host! My new newsletter sign up is on the side bar. Thank you MailChimp for making my life easier! I am excited to create lovely newsletters, with creative goodness. I hope you sign up. They will  stay bi-monthly for now and I am going to have a new one coming out soon! * sorry for the delay subscribers, I just sent you information on our new host, watch for it in your in box today!!

Do you have favorite resources when it comes to your art / craft business?  What is a tip you could pass along if you have experience opening up a shop?

Self Portraits & Journal Prompt

This week Inspiration Alley had the prompt to do self portraits. I decided to play along. I think it would be a great journal prompt too so I decided to post it today as both coincide. First to create my self portrait I really had to capture the essence of who I am even if it is not exactly how I look.

Completed Self Portrait

I wrote an entire page about my self, how I feel about my self, what I stand for, my strengths and insecurities trying to capture the essence of me. Then I decided to start to create me on the page.

The intent of a self portrait is to display the likeness, personality, and even the mood of the person. *

Once I started painting I was able to convey the passionate side of me and the blue side of me by the use of color. I used collage tissue paper almost like a jig saw puzzle  to represent the many pieces of me. To finish it off I chose to highlight the focus on me and blend the background by use of paints and inks. I would not be me without my paintbrush. I also chose to leave readable the most vivid parts of my daily life on a tag around the neck. Only because society loves to label people.

I hope you use the journal prompt to write about yourself and explore creating a self portrait. For more inspiration visit Inspiration Alley to see what other artist's created.

Here is a collage of the process.

  

To read more about self portraits and see some examples and history visit Wikipedia.

I also came across this great article with 4 tips to Mastering Self Portraits at ScottsdaleArtsSchool.org  which I linked directly to the article. I found it after I did mine, but tip #4 suggests making a self portrait more than once and doing it differently. They have some great tips for creating self portraits.
Have you created a self portrait?  

Click to enlarge

 I took a photographic self portrait too

I am never without my camera

Journal Prompt: To write about yourself and create a self portrait.

Quote: A portrait, to be a work of art, neither must nor may resemble the sitter... one must paint its atmosphere. Umberto Boccioni 

Food For Thought: 

Mixed Media Self Portraits

Mixed-Media Self-Portraits: Inspiration & Techniques

Mirror Mirror: Self-Portraits by Women Artists

Gnomes

Hello Readers & Paint Party Friday Folks. Welcome to the Forest of Work In Progress, meet the gnomes. I thought after my last painting I needed to do something fun and whimsical. Recently I have been inspired by gnomes and mushrooms. Thinking of visits to the forest. In my little scene my two gnomes are going to have a little gnome meal and then enjoy a fire. Of course they will have little forest dwellers visit. But we'll have to wait and see who. 

Here you can see I have sketched a table setting.

My girl gnome has just fixed strawberry tea. 

I am thinking this gnome needs a bow and arrow. We'll see. Maybe he's vegetarian.

Oh the bunny has arrived! lol We'll have to wait and see who else will be here.

In case you are interested I posted my progress on my purple girl and ending up naming the painting Spring  Garden. If you would like to see the post about her, I think I may be finished just visit yesterdays post here. 

PS. I'd like to invite you to visit another day to a craft blog I write. I like sharing crafty and sewing inspiration over there. My address is MsartistSewCrafty.blogspot. Drop by sometime if you like, the door is always open.

Do you love gnomes? or fairies?

Spring Garden "Artwork In Progress part 2"

Today I thought I would share with you where I am at with my painting of a girl with flowers in the background. If you want to see my first post about this painting you can read about it in this post - Artwork in Progress.  I am at a stopping point. Is she completed? I think she might be. She is soaking in all of springs glory. The jasmine, lilacs, exotic blooms.....

I ended up changing her eye and nose, after getting my little model to sit still for a minute. I also made a collage of some before shots next to the completed painting. So you can see the differences.

I think I need to photograph this painting outdoors to capture its true colors, but I may have taken the photo above before adding pastels making the greens and yellows pop a bit more. I'm loosing track lol, with the science fair and talent show stuff going on for Sammie.

If you close your eyes and smell spring blooms do you see them in your mind? This is how it would look to me if I could capture the word fragrance.

Before are the three photographs on the left, stacked. The purple acrylic paint had more blue and white in it. After on the right more purple added to the acrylic paint. So here she sits like a bloom waiting in the garden to see if she is done evolving and growing like a spring flower. I will share her photograph when I get a chance to get out in the sun and take a good photograph in day time sunlight.

What is your favorite spring garden's fragrances?

Mine favorites are Narcissus 

 

 

Lilac & Jasmine

I hope you are having a wonderful and creative week! 

To be overcome by fragrance of flowers is a delectable form of defeat ~ Beverly Nichols