Timber! Outdoor Music Festival - a weekend of camping, friends and music in the woods

I just had the best welcome back weekend with my Tacoma family of friends.  We camped at Timber! Outdoor Music Festival July 17-19, 2015 out in Carnation on the Tolt river.  Everywhere we went there was something fun to try (and loads of kid friendly activities - a huge plus!), but we mainly enjoyed a weekend together lazing on the river and chatting in the shade while our kids disappeared into a make-believe world in the woods.  Oh, and there was some pretty great music too.

My personal favorites were The Dead Milkmen and David Bazan.  The kids really enjoyed dancing to Beat Connection.  I thought it was a really diverse and well curated weekend of performances.

I was relieved that they had cold Sierra Nevada on tap at the main stage and food trucks so that I didn't have to cook over the hot camp stove the whole time - cooking is usually my least favorite part of camping.  The Russian dumplings were especially delicious.  :)

But the best part was just being with friends.  It's so hard when we have kids and jobs and responsibilities to really spend quality time together.  I laughed more than I had in a long time.  I'll cherish these memories for a long time to come!

summer in the pacific northwest: a few favorite photos

The past few weekshave been full of activity, including a visit to the Pacific Northwest.  Here are just a few of my favorite images from the last month.

I also gave my website a makeover and have opened an Etsy shop with my kids selling jewelry our new hobby/addiction.  Take a look and let me know what you think.

The coming months will be full of excitement.

Faeries and Fairy images - new work

A lot of the new work I'm generating centers around portraits of faeries (or fairies, if you prefer), fae folk and the faerie realm.

I never realized how it would influence my work, but I've always enjoyed fantasy and faeries and magic. Growing up I loved to pretend in the woods (by "the field" in our old neighborhood - where all the kids would always meet and play).  Fantasy movies in the 80's also sparked my imagination as a child and I was constantly on the lookout for any sort of movie or book with a fanciful theme.

I used to review books for a small fantasy/sci-fi/horror publication.  Once I reviewed a retelling of Thomas The Rhymer, a minstrel who was spirited off to the faerie realm by the beautiful and somewhat terrifying Queen of Faeries.  I've often thought of that book, and after I created this image I knew this was my vision of Mab herself.  (If you're in Arizona, you can see this work entitled "Form of Spirit" this month at the Firehouse Gallery's "Geek Love" exhibition.)

I'm sure some part of it's because I have two imaginative, unicorn/dragon/fairy-crazed children that it's come back into my consciousness.  We definitely connect over all things fantasy.

Photographing butterflies at the Desert Botanical Garden

Last month I visited the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix with some friends. It's one of the most beautiful places in the area. There are so many incredible plants and birds and critters to see, but by far my favorite part this visit was the Spring Butterfly Exhibit.

Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfly (Battus philenor)

Buckeye Butterfly (Junonia coenia)

As you walk into a lush, tropical and colorful tented area you see the exhibit is chock FULL of these amazing winged creatures. They are very fast and I was ill-prepared to take photos, but I did my best with my limited camera equipment.

Gulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanillae)

Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfly (Battus philenor)

All of these photos were taken with my Nikon D3100 and a 50mm f/1.4 lens (my favorite) and I think it did a pretty good job!  However, I'm still looking forward to the purchase of some new equipment in the near future that I've been scrimping and saving for.  UPDATE: I am very happy and excited to announce that I have finally upgraded my camera to a full-frame - it was part of my birthday present this year! Yay birthdays! 

Julia Butterfly (Dryas iulia)

Julia Butterfly (Dryas iulia)

Buckeye Butterfly (Junonia coenia)

Luna Moths mating! (Actias luna)

 I love macro photography.  I could have stayed in there all day. It was so peaceful and lovely to watch these gentle creatures flit about and glide through the air.  Ahhh, nature.

South Mountain Horsemanship - a photo essay and photographic business profile

I feel very lucky to have been able to profile this incredible business in Phoenix.  South Mountain School of Horsemanship is an intimate riding school with a huge heart for teaching students the ins and outs of all things equestrian.  With a wealth of knowledge and experience along with a heap of patience and kindness, Cassandra Smith is an accomplished horsewoman who provides fun and valuable lessons that are relaxed and never rushed.  The love and respect she offers her horse companions is reflected in their well-groomed appearance and gentle demeanor.  Pru, Sassy and Coconut are three of the sweetest and loveliest horses I've ever met (and the most photogenic).

Here's a few of my favorite images from our photo shoots.  

To see more from this shoot, you can visit my new website at sarahbethsmithphotography.com!  That's right, I'm finally taking the plunge and starting a photography business.  I'm offering artistic, slice of life portraits and photography services in the greater Phoenix area Fall through Spring and in the Seattle metro area during the Summer.

You can still see my visual art/fine art photography at sarahbsmithart.com.

arizona in black and white

This place feels like the landscape of a beautiful, alien planet.  On the complete opposite spectrum from the Pacific Northwest.  I am intimidated, reverent and intensely curious.  The desert, hot and dangerous, is teeming with extreme and rugged life.  I don't know that I've ever been anywhere where there is so much wildlife everywhere I look.

The very bright sun has been a challenge to learn to photograph in, but I've found the light lends itself to dramatic black and white photos and helps create the feeling of that beautiful alien landscape I see when I look through the camera.

I wish I was a book cover

In November, my world was turned upside down when my family made the arguably crazy move to Arizona.  I've hardly been able to catch my breath, let alone work on anything creative since we started packing.  But, I've taken a few photos here and there as we explore the area, and I know that I'm subconsciously influenced by the desert.  The colors here are amazing.  Soft, ethereal and airy but vibrant at the same time.

I started dabbling with edits and layers in Photoshop and suddenly found myself creating images that were unlike any art I've ever created.  I felt skeptical of myself, but kept going, and feel like I'm finally starting to hit my stride and really enjoy what I'm making.

When I began looking at them in a series, I was reminded of book cover art.  I for one have always appreciated a beautiful and inspiring image to go with the text and usually end up choosing a book with a great cover (same with wine labels!) over something boring.  Plus, I like fantasy and strong female characters, and there's definitely that element in these new images.

I've taken some time in the last couple weeks to sift through old images I've always wanted to work on and am experimenting.  Not all are my favorites, but some I love.  Like this one.

I for one would LOVE for my art to be on a book cover some day.  But if not, I'll keep working on this collection, and keep you posted as it evolves...