TangledWings

Monday Mosaic and a tag from Mindy

This weekend I finally pulled my camera out of its bag after a week and a half in hibernation.  I haven't taken any pictures since my uncle's funeral and although I don't think I have been associating the lack of use with his death I really haven't felt much like photographing anything.  Plus my creativity right now seems to really want to find it's expression in words so I've put a lot of my energy into writing as opposed to picture taking.  But this weekend I strapped my camera around my neck and went for a two hour walk around the neighborhood (and by the way, alleys are much more interesting to photograph than streets and front yards).  Once home I pulled out the large sketchpad and created a makeshift seamless studio in the kitchen just to get in a little more camera time.  The above mosaic is just a handful of shots captured this weekend.

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I was very pleased to see Mindy's recent return to blogging.  Her blog and her sweet, honest words have always been an inspiration to me.  Today I discovered an e-mail from her letting me know she'd tagged me to play along on a meme.  I decided to take her bait because 1) well it's Mindy, 2) it's been awhile since I've posted a meme on this blog, and 3) it's about all I have energy for tonight.  So here is my list of 5 things I want to be when I grow up, because it's never too late to live your dreams!

when i grow up i dream of...

1. spending weeks, maybe even months, exploring Paris.  I traveled to Paris with my 9th grade French class years ago.  I was really too young to fully appreciate a trip of that magnitude.  But I've never forgotten it...and I often dream of Paris.  One day I'd like to return.  I'd like to spend my days exploring the back streets, the museums, the cemeteries, the cafes.  I'd like to write all day long and stroll through the moonlit streets at night...and then fall into bed exhausted from the sheet delight of it all.  Would you like to join me?
2. taking my son to see the ocean...and not the Gulf of Mexico...that doesn't count...I mean the Pacific or Atlantic ocean.  I saw the ocean for the first time with my grandparents when I was a child.  When I became a mother I knew one of the things I couldn't wait to do with my child was take him to see the ocean.  I can't wait to see the look on his face when he sees so much water stretching as far as the eye can see.
3. being out of debt...no more credit card debt...no more school loans to pay off...i dream of being debt free.  It would feel so good to have that weight off my shoulders, to have some breathing room, and to live in that kind of sweet freedom.
4. bumping along the desert roads of New Mexico in a pick up, a little Lucinda Williams blaring, in dirty jeans, a worn t-shirt, and comfortable boots, my camera beside me on the seat, in search of interesting things to photograph.  I'd like to spend all weekend just roaming the desert looking for cemeteries, abandoned buildings, adobe houses, cactus flowers, and rusty things of all sorts and sizes.  I'd be a regular Georgia O'Keeffe...only with a camera instead of a paint brush.
5. writing my little heart out, getting everything that's stuck deep inside out on the page until there's nothing left and the only thing I can do is close my journal, put down my pen, and leave this life for the next one.

Usually with these tags I leave the tagging open and ask anyone to play along that would like too.  But tonight I think I'll actually tag 5 other lovely bloggers.  So I tag Stefanie Renee (one of my first blogging loves),  Erica (one of my favorite photographers, Jenica (one of my newest loves), CK Girl (one of my most loyal readers), and Kim (one of the bloggers I can't wait to finally meet at ArtFest in April).

A Food for the Soul Kind of Day

Do you ever need one of those mental health days.  You know, one of those days you skip out on work to do nothing other than things that make you feel alive and happy and satisfied?  Yeah, me too...

Yesterday I sent an e-mail to one of my very best friends/co-workers about a very interesting episode of Oprah that would be airing today (237 Reasons to Have Sex.)  I told her we were going to have to find someone to tivo it for us so we could watch it, learn from it, and maybe even take a few notes.  She suggested we forget having someone tivo it and the two of us just take the day off, spend time doing things we love and end our day watching Oprah.  At first I thought she was kidding.  Take off on such short notice?  What?  I've never done that before.  It wasn't until she sent me another e-mail letting me know she'd already put in her time-off request that I realized she wasn't kidding and that yes, we really were going to do this.  And we did.  And we loved it.  And we're seriously thinking we need to do something similar to this at least once a month.

Both of us were so excited about the prospect of a day together that neither one of us slept very long or very well last night.  We met for a leisurely morning spent on the patio of my favorite coffee shop--me drinking some kind of yummy jasmine tea, her drinking some kind of mocha something-or-another that was almost too pretty to drink.  After soaking in the cool morning air we explored a few shops we'd never visited before...finding several gorgeous articles of clothing we both want to purchase...some day.  Then there was fair food because well, as I mentioned yesterday the fair is here and it's only once a year so who can resist.  We worked our fair food off with more cutesy shop exploration.  Our day ended on my couch at 3:00 cst watching Oprah, a piece of key lime pie for each of us, laughing and talking about the issues the show brought up for us which I want to blog some more about once I've had a bit more time to think it all through.

It was wonderful.  It was perfect.  It was soul nourishing.  But you know, after a day like this one who wants to go back to work...ever...

Would you like to join us next month?...

Monday Mosaic--the County Fair edition

It always seems like a good idea at the time...the county fair that is.  I love the idea of eating greasy, calorie laden, heart attack causing, sinfully delicious fair food.  I love the idea of making memories with the ones I love.  I love the idea of a photo ops around every corner, surrounding you at every turn.  But it also always seems like we start arguing the minute we pull into the parking lot.  I get mad at T because he's a little bit too frugal for his own good.  T gets made at me for not being frugal enough.  And we both get mad at the B-Dog because he starts whining a mere 10 minutes after our arrival..."It's too hot.  I can't walk anymore.  Somebody needs to carry me.  I just can't make it any further."  Add to that the exorbitant cost of everything which leaves you feeling more than a little bit ripped off...and even more whining ("I need an ice cream.  Somebody please buy me an ice cream."--but who in god's name wants to pay 3 bucks for a simple soft serve cone you can get at McDonald's for under a dollar?), and well you have a pretty emotionally loaded afternoon.  I think at one point I completely lost it when the B-Dog, begging to be carried by someone, anyone, sat down on the pavement and refused to move and I promised him that if he didn't get up he would never eat ice cream again as long as he lived under my roof.  And I think I'm also guilty of swearing that next year when the county fair rolls around again I was leaving both of them at home and going by myself.  But then you get home and later in the day start recalling the moments when you weren't at each others throats and you actually did enjoy yourselves...and almost didn't mind paying an outrageous amount of money just to play a game in which you throw one single measley dart and a wall full of small, somewhat flaccid balloons.  And yes, even though you feel completely sick to your stomach because you haven't inhaled that much grease in one setting in a very, very long time...and your also a little sick at the thought of spending the equivalent of a week's worth of groceries in one afternoon, an afternoon in which you have absolutely nothing to show for it except slightly tighter jeans, you know that next year at this very same time you'll being doing the exact same thing--stuffing your face while arguing with your family members.  Maybe we have a short memory span.  Maybe we're gluttons for punishment.  Maybe we're hopeless romantics who swear this year will be different.  Whatever it is, it keeps us going back year after year after year.    

Monday Mosaic

by the way...I posted over here yesterday...

A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words

Do you ever feel like the images you're drawn to, the ones you keep find yourself creating, the ones that catch your eye and pull at your heart, whisper softly...and sometimes scream loudly...about the way you're feeling about life?

favorites from coaldale, co

Monday Mosaic

1.distant relatives, 2.fuzzy handles, 3.a bug's eye view, 4.duplicates, 5.velvet flowers, 6.life in macro, 7.meet me for tea, 8.purple on purple

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This is all I have tonight--a simple, colorful mosaic.  Last week seemed to slip away from me.  I held on to it as tight as I could and yet it still wiggled loose and disappeared.  My list of things to accomplish before I can take a much needed summer vacation is growing faster than I can handle.  I'm shifting life around to make it all happen.  Sleepless nights, piles of laundry, unfinished tasks, and tiny moments of panic are building and I'm trying to pull myself through them, trying to find what's waiting on the other side--a tent pitched next to a stream, reading poetry on a mountain side, sleeping under the stars, and soaking up as much of nature as I possibly can.  But in the meantime, before I can pack my bags and start on that long road north, there are things that must be done...things that take my time and energy and steal my days from the palm of my hand leaving me with only a mosaic of broken days and the blur of time unraveling.

Another Monday Mosaic and Archiving

1.vintage daisy, 2.broken, 3.lollipops in the window, 4.pretty papers, 5.crafty hands, 6.cradling the rain, 7.words&wallpaper

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So last Monday I gave you the basics about my photography--the equipment I use and a little bit about my process.  In the comments Dona (go check out her beautiful photography) asked about organizing and archiving.  Unfortunately I'm not a good person to ask about this.  Because I shoot in RAW my little laptop can't handle much more than a month's worth of photos at a time...and sometimes not even that much.  I have a DVD burner and at the beginning of every month I have to burn the previous month's images on to a DVD...or two...or three...depending on how many pictures I've taken throughout the month.  Now, in addition to this I also have to regularly transfer the photos from my portrait sessions as well.  These tend to be my largest files and often one photo shoot can fill an entire DVD.  I organize my DVDs into two categories--date (these are the pictures I take for myself throughout the month) and portrait sessions.  I try to keep the portrait session photos separate in order to find what I need more quickly.  I'm hoping that with time I'll be able to find a system that works a little better for me but until I have a computer with the disk space I need this will have to suffice.  It's annoying to burn DVDs as regularly as I do and I wish I had a system that was more effective and efficient but I'd rather give up the convenience to keep the quality of the RAW format. 

Since I am not a pro when it comes to archiving and organizing I would love any tips and advice you might have to offer.  Some of you who have been doing this a lot longer than I probably have a system that works a lot more efficiently than mine.  I would love to know how you archive and organize your images...especially if you shoot in RAW.   

Guess what I discovered today...

Every raindrop has it's own little world hidden within it. Do you see it? Look closer... There are green fields, picket fences, secret pathways, towering trees. Each drop holds a tiny little universe with it's own poems and stories, it's own mysteries and wonders, it's own rich goodness. Maybe I'm in there somewhere...maybe you are too...we can meet for tea under the branches.

Monday Mosaic and the Basics

Remember a few weeks ago when I said I was going to post mosaics from the weekend on Mondays and then never posted another one?  Well, I'm trying to get back on board.  The past couple of weekends I have taken a lot of photos but it's been portrait/wedding type stuff and nothing really mosaic type.  So here is a little mosaic from this past weekend.

1.sign an artist lives here, 2.having a Frida kind of day, 3.a taste of Mexico, 4.i love ribbon, 5.baby shower goodies, 6.a treat for me, 7.it's a girl thing

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Now on with the rest of the post...

When I started this new blog I had two real purposes in mind: 1.) to share the process of becoming a photographer and and the struggles involved in starting my own business and 2.) to offer other photographers out there what little knowledge I have about photography.  You would not believe the number of e-mails I receive that goes something like this: "If you don't mind would you tell me what kind of camera you use.  If you don't want to share that's okay."  Mind?  Why would I mind?  Maybe if I push Canon products enough they'll decide to send me a really super cool camera.  Hey, it's worth a try.  I think there is a bit of a fear that if we share what we know/the products we use then others might not only copy us but be better at it than we are.  It's a valid fear because when you're just coming into yourself you still feel very vulnerable.  However I really want to work at being open.  I know when I first started out I would see amazing photographs and wonder how the photographer did it.  What was their secret?  I want to be open to sharing what I know, what I'm learning, and what products I'm using.  I don't want to be afraid of your questions or fear that if I share you'll be better than me.  I hope you are...then you can teach me something.

I've received a few e-mails in the past couple of weeks/months that I haven't replied to yet because I thought I would just answer the questions here.  If one person wants to know then I'm sure there are others who'd like to know as well.  So I'm hoping to use this blog to share a few things...and hopefully you'll share a few things with me in the comments.

I want to preface this by saying you must remember I am a beginner.  I've only had a digital SLR for about a year and a half.  I'm still discovering the really cool things it can do.  I've only had PhotoShop since February.  I definitely have a lot to learn in regards to this program.  In other words, I'm learning right along with you.  Some of you out there who have been doing this a lot longer than me may read my words and think, why is she doing it that way?  She's got it all wrong.  Well, please pass along your knowledge.  I'm basically self taught and can use all the help I can get.  I hope this will be a place we can all share and in sharing become stronger, bolder, more creative and self-assured artists/photographers.

So here are the basics:

• I have a Canon Digital Rebel XT.  I do all my photographing with this camera and while people definitely have their opinions about camera manufacturers I will say I'm a little biased towards Canon.  Other than a couple Kodaks I had as a kid/teen I've never had a camera that wasn't a Canon.
• I have three lenses--1) the lens that came with the camera (18-55mm) which is not that great a lens but it will get the job done, 2) a 50mm/1.4 f which I use for most of my portrait taking because the low f stop (low f stop number=large aperture opening--seems a little backwards but if you think about starting with a large opening and every time you close it down as a stop then it starts to make a little more sense--so the more you close the aperture the more steps you are taking and the higher your f stop number will be--don't know how 'right' that is but that's the way I remember it) lets in a lot of light (great for low light situations) and gets amazing depth of field, 3) a 100mm macro which I use for most of my up close shots of flowers, etc.
• I have a 430EX flash which I'm still trying to figure out how to use so if you have any advice please pass it along.  I purchased a diffuser for the flash (cost about $24 but honestly I think an index card strapped to the flash works just as well if not better).
• I use Photoshop CS2 for all my post processing.  As I mentioned earlier I am very new to this program and really know very little about it.  A couple days ago I decided to purchase a new book about this program as the one I had been using was way too technical for me and pretty much sucked.  So we'll see how the new one fairs.
• Since I know so very little about PS I do use Actions.  The Actions I use the most were purchased through Itty-Bitty Actions (and I must admit I don't use them nearly as well as the creator or some other photographers but I'm learning.)
• I always shoot in RAW.  I was intimidated by the RAW setting until my friend and fellow photographer Thea encouraged me to give it a try.  I'll never go back.  I love RAW for several different reasons: 1) you have so much more flexibility with your images.  With RAW you can adjust white balance, exposure, etc after you shoot the pic so if you do find you had a setting screwed up or a certain white balance just didn't work you can adjust it, 2) when editing/enhancing the images you don't loose image quality as you can with a JPEG, 3) you always have the 'negative' and can work with it over and over again.
• I bounce back and forth between the P(program) Mode and the AV(aperture) Mode when shooting.  The AV Mode is great to work in because it allows you to adjust your aperture (which impacts the light you let in and the depth of field) while the camera adjusts the shutter speed to match.  The only problem is I'm just not fast enough or experienced enough to use this mode all the time and when I'm under pressure I'll often let the camera do the thinking for me and resort to the P Mode.  With experience I'll be able to explore the other modes but for now if I'm under pressure I use P and if I want a certain look or can take my time creating an image I'll use AV.

So now it's your turn...  I hope you will feel free in the comments to ask me questions about my process, my photography, or about specific photos.  I'm hoping to use your questions to create future blog posts.  I really wanted to start putting information on my blog about the photographs (i.e. f stop, etc) but found that too time consuming.  However if there are ever any specific questions I'm open.  I want this to be a supportive place.  Also if you have any fabulous photography advice I'd really love to hear it and I know there are also many other struggling photographers like myself who would benefit from the advice too.

Let's keep shooting and sharing...