After a nice long three-day weekend with the hubs, I decided to pick up my camera and continue taking shots that had to do with the assignment that is due this Wednesday. While my assignment is complete, it never hurts to explore more possibilities.

And since today is a school holiday (Presidents’ Day) it was nice sleeping in an extra hour and taking things a bit slower than my usual Monday morning.

And with that, I started off the day with my camera, even before the hubs left for work.

I think I caught the sentimental bug a long time ago. While just a young gal in my very early 20’s, (21 ish) I picked up this old “memories” book at an antique book store in Darien, CT.

It seemed the right thing to do.

After all, it was a keepsake of Bernice. The pages are filled with beautiful well wishes from the mid to late 1880’s. I wish I could find the closest family member to pass this beautiful book to. For now, it’s in good hands.

The little jot up the center of this page reads – Ber remember “small particles of dust” – I wonder what special meaning that has between these two girls.

I thought it was interesting taking a few shots in the shadows of foliage outdoors.

While reading such beautiful well wishes for this girl, I’m reminded how life is fragile, short and special. And that planting seeds of kindness are sure to reap something special.

Another idea was to shoot one of my favorite dolls. I’ve always been a nut about dolls. These days, my favorite dolls are the porcelain dolls we picked up in Asia many years ago.

It was a lot of fun capturing these images in the early morning light streaming thru the window.

Yi Sun-shin – April 28, 1545 – December 16, 1598 – Yi Sun-shin was a Korean naval commander, famed for his victories against the Japanese navy during the Imilin war in the Josen Dynasty.

We picked up this carving during our stay in South Korea to “remember” with them.

 Never forget…

May the memories we make last a lifetime and may we not forget to pass them down to the next generation.

Blessings – Debbie

That’s what I like!

I’m not one to learn by hearing, although it helps to hear it first, then go thru the actual motions.

So in class the last couple of weeks, I found myself struggling. I even told the hubs that I would be happy with a B in this class. And I meant it. While I’ve given all I can give, this class has really kicked things up a notch. And the more he kicks things up, I worry that I’m not absorbing enough to do all the requirements for this assignment.

But finally, today, we got to work on our projects. We finally got to go thru the motions of all that he’s been teaching the last couple of weeks.

And all I can say is this. I did not have a lightbulb moment, folks, I had the full fireworks grand finale!

By no means have I “arrived”, I’m just trying to say – now that I’m going thru the motions of the different actions we need to perform, I finally feel like I’m “in the ballpark”. And that, my friends is such a great feeling.

Cheers for today, as it has truly been my cup of tea.

And I spent all afternoon (at home) repeating the motions we went thru in class. So much so that I completely lost track of time.

And did not get around to checking my e-mail until 6 pm.

And felt really bad that my sick buddy e-mailed me earlier today and I didn’t get back to her until just now.

Crazy things happen when one gets absorbed in the things they love.

I look forward to losing myself more often this semester. I’m looking forward to great things happening, more fireworks sort of moments, the joy of learning and hopefully another A this year.

Blessings – Debbie

It’s the start of a brand new week. And it’s a really good start! I hope you too are making your way thru this Monday with a spring in your step.

Well I was so eager to start my photography lesson in class today. I had my pictures all ready such that I could jump right in and start processing. However, it seems I have some things to learn.

So it turned out to be an amazing 3 hour lecture. I was scribbling notes as fast as I could scribble. While listening closely with both ears. That sounds funny, who doesn’t listen with both ears? I guess what I’m trying to say, is that I could not pay any closer attention than I did in class.

And about the time I think I’m ready to edit, there is still cool stuff to learn.

But that did not keep me from starting up my Photoshop program once I got home.

And I played with some of the shots I took this week.

I cropped this a bit and tweaked it a bit. I still don’t know what I’m doing or if I’m doing it right. But I look forward to learning how to edit like a pro one of these days.

In the shot below (taken yesterday) I added a filter and made some cool adjustments.

I did the same with this shot. This is one of the many fruit shots I took last week. But how fun is it to change it up a bit in Photoshop? I’m sure this will not be allowed in class. Nor will I try to turn something in looking like this. But it sure is fun to play when the professor is not looking.

Sometimes I feel a ball of stress when I try to wrap my brain around the process. And I wonder “will I ever get there”. Then is when I have to slow my thoughts and try to just absorb this stuff one day, chapter and class at a time.

In the meantime, I’ll continue to snap pix, play in Photoshop (even if I’m doing it all wrong) and hope that I continue to grow and learn in the process.

Blessings – Debbie

What is it with never being satisfied when we discover a new thing. Just like children who want to “do it again” over and over and over.

It was a magical day as the sun came out. And how awesome would it be shooting this subject in the sunlight vs the cloudy rainy day we had yesterday? Epic, I just knew it would be epic! And I could not imagine not giving the splash another whirl, especially since I’ll be going to class tomorrow and need to have my subject ready for work.

And since the hubs was willing to lend a hand by dropping the lime and keeping the glass filled, while I shot and he dropped the lime on the count of three. It made me want to “do it again” over and over and over.

Each new shot speaks to me in different ways. When I look at the splash in this shot, the water almost comes across as ice in the glass.

And there is something about the way the water is falling in this shot. It’s almost as tho the glass is making a performance with a hula-hoop.

I love the grand splash, there is just something special here.

It looks as tho the water formed a bird taking flight.

Splash…

It’s hard to tell where the glass ended and where the water begins in this shot. It almost looks like a crystal vase.

I’m still amazed how there are no two shots alike.

Up close…

It’s shots like these, that cause me to want to find other things like this to shoot.

At the end of the day, I feel blessed to have my willing hubs to do whatever it takes to ensure I get the shots I want.

It’s days like this behind the lens that make me wonder, what in the world will I come up with next?

On that note, I have over 60 favorite shots (I don’t plan to share them all on the blog) on my thumb drive. Hopefully by the time I get to class tomorrow, I’ll know which one I want to process in Photoshop.

Cheers to having too many, than not enough!

Blessings – Debbie

Good afternoon! Its been a day of homework for me. I’m just happy when I talk about homework, that it feels more like playtime. As I’m doing something I love.

Our day started off with a nice rain shower.

And I thought it was in my best interest to start working on my Masterpiece Assignment.

So I practiced with the rain.

During the rain, I was thinking about something else (mundane) around the house that I could use for the masterpiece assignment.

And that is when the fruit hit me. I thought of oranges, limes and lemons. My how they would make a nice colorful masterpiece.

Then I thought, how shall I display them.

So I searched high and low and as I looked up on the very top shelf of one of the cabinets, this cake plate said “pick me”! So I did.

This assignment is far from finished. I have yet to apply the Photoshop requirements to get a good grade.

But for now, I’m just shooting around while I figure out what I want to use.

I have a while to work on the assignment as it’s not due until Feb 13th.

I also have an assignment to read the first two chapters of my Photoshop book. I can’t get over how much I learned from reading today.

They say “you learn something new every day.” Well I can’t begin to tell you all the cool stuff I learned, just today alone. Cheers to learning and a brand new semester.

Blessings – Debbie

It’s the first day of school this spring semester and I’m sitting on the edge of my seat with  anticipation of all the things we will learn.

We covered a lot of ground in the three hour class, but I can only begin to imagine the ground we will cover by the end of the semester. I’m so excited!

Professor Bob, I like that he is a no guff sort of guy. He laid out the ground rules for the class and emphasized the manner in which he expects students to be respectful in his class. That starts with the golden rule of no cell phone use in the class. After one reminder, he stated that he would show that student to the door.

In reading over the Expectations…Class Rules, I got tickled when I read “Dear students, I know when you are texting in class. Seriously, no one looks down at their crotch and smiles…”

We got our very first assignment today. It’s a bit more detailed than just taking shots like last semester.

Photography assignment titled A Masterpiece From The Mundane: Around your house

Home can be a place of refuge and relaxation. Maybe it is a place of tension. Is home a place of creative seeing? Many times we do not look at our places of familiarity with the eye of a photographer. This assignment is to turn your eye toward the mundane, familiar and often overlooked potential of your home space. Use your photographic vision to transcend the ordinary and create something special from your common place.

He has a list of requirements that he expects us to perform in Photoshop as all images need to be shot in RAW and each photo must be adjusted to his standards. Each photo we present during critique, will be graded on the criteria as seen below.

• Image
• Concept
• Presentation
• Structure
• Focus
• Print Quality
• Evocative
• Craftsmanship
• RAW
• Follow Photoshop Directions

My wheels are already turning as I’m beginning to brainstorm about the masterpiece I get to find around the home. Actually, we will be presenting in class two matted pictures as well as a total of 40 shots total on contact sheets. Professor Bob said it can be anything from indoors to our yards. Should be fun!

And with that, I’m off to create a masterpiece.

I leave you with the shot I took while making the hubs lunch. My favorite way (for years) to leave a note for my hubby. I took this shot to remember what I said on the first day of my class. He deserves much more than a Thank You. And I really do appreciate his support behind my passion. I’m one blessed lady.

Blessings – Debbie

One thing I do know is this. Photography is a work in progress. And I’m learning something new each day.

I took a boat load of pix over the holidays of family and friends. But some of the picture quality is not what I had hoped for.

So today I took myself out in the light and shot from several locations.

 And I found first hand that shade is my friend in the bright light.

 And I learned that facing the light source is also my friend.

And since I was in the shade And facing the light source, I was able to open my eyes without so much as a squint.

I see so many of my photography buddies out there (in my blog world) who use their children/family as subjects to practice on, but I’ll be using myself as I study and learn more about lighting.

So bear with me while I post and learn.

As I look to the future, I’m excited to think about all the stuff I get to add to what I already know.

I’m also excited that our spring semester classes start today. I’m looking forward to making some major improvements this year.

These shots did not require editing in photoshop. I tell you, lighting and position make all the difference in the world.

Blessings – Debbie