Photo Art Friday

Still just playing around images I have on my hard drive. Here's a little abstract piece that came together using a floral macro I shot along with the Ephemeral texture from Bonnie at Pixel Dust. The Photo Art Friday theme is open so... anything goes.

What the Future Holds...

I saw this woman on the beach on my second trip out to photograph the snowy owl.  The original had the bones of something interesting but really looked more like a snapshot.  So I started to play.




What evolved is something that speaks to how I'm feeling these days.  We are still dealing with the uncertainty of no job for my husband in New York, no job prospects in New York, hundreds of resumes sent out into what seems to be thin air, no apparent interest in a lifetime of hard work and skill development and an ever growing fear and sense of hopelessness about the future.  I'm kind of loving this image but it also makes me want to cry.

I just discovered The Creative Exchange.  The mission "With Your Camera in One Hand and Your Heart in the Other" was my inspiration to develop this piece.  In my current state of mind, I really appreciate any and all sources of inspiration....ways to let out what's so scary it needs to be held in.

Iphone Before and After

We're stuck in the doldrums of the most disappointing winter.  No snow...just blah...gray.  I've been out looking to shoot a few times and come home with next to nothing.  It's very uninspiring. 

So, I'm turning back to my iPhone and the creative outlet it provides.  It's truly an escape from reality.  Here's a quick before and after.

Snowy Owl on Jones Beach

Reports of snowy owl sightings on Long Island began to appear shortly after Thanksgiving.  It seems almost absurd to traipse out to the general vicinity of a point on a map and think you'll really find what you're looking for, especially when that thing is a bird.  But there are a few of us....enthusiastic birders and/or nature photographers who do just that.

The snowy owl sightings have been reported at three locations on the island and I have visited them all.  One, I've visited twice.  The first two excursions were a bust...no owl to be found.

This week, I made a trip way out toward the east end of the island and low and behold, I found an owl. It was right where the reports had led me...on the bank of a small island in the south bay at least 600 yards from where I was standing.  These owls are SO white, I could see that tiny white dot on the opposite shore.  But even through my long telephoto lens, it was nothing more than a fuzzy blob.  A bit of a disappointment.

Yesterday, Arielle and I were heading off the island to visit friends in Allentown.  We decided to start out early and take a detour to Jones Beach where several sightings had been reported.  It was a beautiful day, more like fall than winter, and a hike at the beach would not be a bad consolation prize in the event no owl was to be found.  But it was a lucky day.  The beautiful bird was perched right on the top of a dune posing cooperatively.  I think he was just barely awake but certainly in no way distressed by the small audience of bird enthusiasts staked out on an adjacent dune just to admire him.

First Portraits

One area of photography where I feel I am a complete novice is portraiture.  I've never pursued it and I believe I've shied away because I'm so uncomfortable in front of a camera myself.  But I've been thinking about it a lot lately.  One, because it is a viable option for work without the cost of extensive travel, and two, because I need something new to explore.

I think I've also been intimidated by believing that you need to know a LOT about light and how to manipulate it.  You have to understand how to use your flash.  So over the past few weeks, I've been doing some studying and learning that while this is true...one can still do successful portrait work without a huge set up.  I have finally learned some new skills with the flash, but I now know more about making the most of ambient light.

I made one equipment purchase.  Being that my primary photography pursuits center around nature and wildlife, I've got a nice telephoto zoom in my arsenal as well as a decent macro lens.  But I started looking at lenses that were preferred for portraits and selected a fast 50mm 1.4.  Time to play.

Turns out, I only have one family member who is willing to let me practice on them.  Arielle is a champ!  Here are a couple of my first attempts...



Definitely some room for improvement here. What's with that background? Love her smile but I think the exposure should come down just a hair. I'm kind of loving the next one though....

Blogger Community Photo Challenge - Festivities

The current Blogger Community Photo Challenge is Festivities.  I'd almost forgotten to do the challenge, but was reminded tonight as I watched the Hannukah candles burn low.  I thought it would be fun to play around with textures in post processing and here is the result.

Happy Holidays Everyone!



Visit the Blogger Community Photo Challenge here for links to other participants.

Photo Art Friday 02

It's the last Photo Art Friday for 2011.  I'm so glad I found this challenge and look forward to participating next year.

Naturally it's a holiday theme.  This image was taken with an iphone and processed with a variety of iphone apps.





For links to other digital holiday art, please click the link listed above.