Rose Coloured Glasses, Week 1

So Rose Coloured Glasses began on Monday. I'm back into the regular practice of shooting for class and it feels good. I just realized that I've been shooting now for 22 straight months. This is by far the largest body of work I've ever created and I'm pretty pleased about it.

I shot these birch trees up at the lake. They are one of my favourite trees because they remind me of home (the prairies) and you don't see too many of them here in BC. Yes, I have favourite trees. I'm weird like that. My other favourites are blue spruce, (my grandfather had them on his farm, so they also remind me of home) arbutus trees, and of course, Canada's beloved maple trees.

Autumn berries, up at the lake.

The trees are just beginning to turn now. We had an Indian Summer, so it was sunny and warm right up until a couple days ago. Now we're socked in with fog and it's supposed to rain. We haven't had rain in ages.

I love this sunlight and blur shot. I paired it with the Harvest Prayer I posted on Thanksgiving. 

 The secret world on a sunflower.

I think this is my favourite shot this week. I took it in my studio. I collect vintage scissors and pieces of old quilts. I love shooting still lifes.

Getting Through the Grey: Week 1

Today is a hodge podge of still life images I've shot for the first week of Getting Through the Grey.  These berries are from my trip to the salmon graveyard. I thought they were interesting because they hung in clusters on branches that were otherwise utterly bare. I have no idea what they're called, but they're pretty. The words are a Dickens quote.

Another shot from my trip to the wilds. If you keep your eyes open, nature offers up beautiful still life tableaux for you to photograph.

This is an antique crockery bowl that belonged to my Grandmother, which houses my onions. There is a larger one that I keep potatoes in. These bowls remind me of home.

And lastly, a small snapshot of part of my day on Friday. I was nibbling the last of some Hershey's Hugs (white chocolate with milk chocolate stripes) and playing Words with Friends on my iPod. This is my version of a coffee break.

It's Monday today, so that means this week's lesson for Getting Through the Grey will be arriving in my inbox any minute now. I'm ready for some fresh inspiration! Bring it on!

Unlimited Potential

Unlimited Potential 

Yesterday was the official first day of Light Hunters: Getting Through the Grey. This week we're working on still life shots, which is something I haven't really explored. It's interesting that I shy away from certain things and then Vivienne says "here's what were doing this week" and I dive right in.

I don't know why I feel resistant to certain techniques. For example, when I started Swan Dive in the summer, I was resistant to working with my photos using textures and all that good stuff. I thought I was a purist, but 2 classes in and I was sold on the merits of being able to transform my photos using the same artistic instincts I use for collage, only in digital form. It's opened up a whole new world for me.

As you can see, I am happily using all the skills I've gained in the 3 classes I've taken so far this year. It's exciting to feel the progression while trying something new. I live for learning. The excitement for me is in challenging myself and taking risks.

Odd Doll

I bought this odd little doll in an antique store in my travels because I like Kewpie dolls. It's always baffled me as to why someone made it naked, clutching a lolly and looking kinda scared. It's just plain weird, but it does make an interesting subject to play with. I sat it on an antique trunk in my livingroom, in a beam of afternoon sunlight that was peeking through the blinds, to get the shot.

I'm really diggin' still life shots-it's a whole other way to create art!