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...

the bed.

The bed in the photo belonged to my folks and was passed along to my kids when they needed a bed frame.  It always reminds me of the comfort of my parents' room, decorated with long billowing sheer curtains and a floral comforter.  One of my earliest memories is standing at the foot of that bed in my parents' room, an an angle very similar to the view in this photo.  It's in my daughter's room now, and while I was looking through my test shots, I was struck by this photo - because it reminds me so much of that memory.  I wonder if somehow I subconsciously decorated her room to look like theirs because of this bed, perhaps to fill the room and create in her a comforting memory like my own.

poultry glamour.

Some glamour shots of our chooks, because I needed a challenge, and thought it would be fun to capture images of these twitchy, busy little creatures in a thoughtful way.  Plus, I hadn't spent much time with my feathered lady friends lately and thought some beauty shots could give a much needed boost to their egos...

experimenting with artificial light - a first for me

I took this photo of Rose after assisting her all afternoon on a fashion shoot.  She had the backdrop set up, so I asked if I could use it and take her photo using her camera.  We used the window light and a spotlight above her head, and she was laying down on her very cool and kitschy wood slice coffee table.  In Lightroom, I turned it on it's side, and used a pre-set to give it that cool blue, desaturated effect.  It turned out to be much more dramatic than I originally thought it might, but I'm happy with the end result.  It looks kinda futuristic, which is awesome.  She's a gorgeous model!  So much fun when I get to do stuff like this.

dress up photo shoot in the garden

Here are a couple shots that were warm-ups to the staged photo from my last post on the new photo series I'm working on.  My adorable model is wearing my great great aunt's communion gown from 1916, and a crown of lavender and roses we made together, which smelled amazing.  We went out alongside my neighbor's house, where the tall foxglove bloomed and captured these images.  I think she looks like a little fairy.  So much fun!

Happy 4th of July!

50 photos a day - summer begins

We've been spending a lot more time outdoors lately now that the weather has warmed up, so I've been attempting to shoot more landscapes.

50 shots a day

I thought I would set a new goal for myself and attempt to take at least 50 shots (photos, not booze) a day to keep my camera work fresh.  I figure that even if I take 50 crap photos, at least I might become more adept and sharpen my skills, scout locations, learn how to better set up shots, so on and so forth. The process has been a great learning experience.  Learning more and more in Lightroom, and have begun to dabble in Photoshop with more specific adjustments and actions I've found as well.

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

learning

self-portrait with cat

 Here is what I've been working on today in Lightroom.  I literally know next to nothing about the program, but have watched a few tutorials on YouTube, read through a few workflows and tried my hand.

unexpected visitor

I set up a tripod in my workroom with granny pink walls and used window light to capture these images, along with a little imagination, to try and create a painterly look.  It was loads of fun.

I officially can't put my camera down.