Since I can’t travel, I’ve been exercising my creative muscles at home. When I recently did a teapot shoot, I decided I really liked the blue toned finish. I always loved cyanotypes and these are an extension of that.
Each image has a different blue because it creates a different mood. As always, feedback is welcome. Be sure to visit my gallery to see more of my work!
As a travel photographer, the last several months have left me lost. For awhile, my creativity took a nose dive. But lately, it’s been waking up and I needed to make some art! Looking around my kitchen, I found this tea pot and cream pitcher. Perfect! I took it outside and put it on my stairs, that are in need of painting and started to make some art.
I decided to give it an aged look, laying a texture over it, and adding a vignette. I opted for a blue tone to give it the look of a Cyanotype.
I thought maybe it needed a little something more. What is it that we like about good teapot? Some of it is memories, nostalgia. But for me, it’s the shape. That rounded shape with the spout reaching out and the handle balancing it. So, I added the words “The Shape of Tea.” I also noticed that my reflection is in the teapot and the creamer. I held up a cup, as though I had tea in my hand. It’s a little thing that you would only notice when looking closely. I love those types of details.
What’s a good teapot without a good tea cup? Turns out, I don’t really have a good tea cup. But I did find a coffee cup that goes with my “fancy” dishes. I admit that don’t like the way my fingers are holding the cup. Maybe I’ll reshoot.
After working this one, I thought it needed a poem. I have fond memories of having tea with my husband before bed. He loves ginger tea. I buy it in the packets. Don’t “at” me tea people, I’m into easy living. One time, he saw me making it. He was destroyed. He had thought that all this time, I was making him ginger tea from scratch! I had never led him to believe this, he just did for some reason. I think he stopped enjoying it as much after that. LOL!
I remember tea
I remember the scent
I remember the taste
The ginger
The mint
Chamomile in my mouth
I remember the feel
Safe and true
I remember tea with you
I am enjoying my new artistic endeavors. Stay tuned for more blue toned images and maybe even some tea related art. If you are interested in view more of my photos, you can click here
It’s my birthday month! That means it’s all about me! So, I decided to share some of my favorite images and the memories associated with them. Enjoy!
Sometimes an image doesn’t have to be complicated to stand out or be pleasing to the eye. I love these images because they are so simple.
I run a weekly photography challenge group and this week’s challenge is wrist jewelry photography. Things have been a bit crazy for me, so I had to whip an image out fast. I like to use an example for people to see, so I had to have something. I found this old bracelet and did some experimenting with it.
Our Wisteria bush is blooming like crazy this year, so I thought I would use it as a background. I originally planned on just taking photos of the bracelet. But thought I’d do a quick pic with it on my arm.
In order to change the color of the stones, I used hue/saturation in Photoshop. The color desaturation is done using a black and white layer with masks.
Feel free to share your own wrist jewelry images in the comments or share your link!
I had 2 pieces in a juried exhibition at the Salmagundi Club. So, we took the train up to NYC. Read about the trip up here. Once in New York, we ate and drank and walked. The walking was probably a sad thing to watch really. I was having back spasms and the mister had a cold. We did not take the town by storm. But we did have a good time. The reception for the show was packed. It was exciting for me to see my work on the wall with so many other beautiful pieces.
Before the show, we went to Burger and Lobster for dinner. The service was excellent. I also had the best Dark and Stormy ever. We both got lobster rolls and were fat and happy when we left.
When we got to the Salmagundi Club, we noticed a long line for the coat check. There is a restaurant in the club, so we thought it might be for that. Nope. Turns out all of these people were there for the show! We made our way to the gallery, where we found this.
We made our way to where my pieces were and took a few quick pics before the crowd swept us around to see the rest of the show.
We made it back home, despite the fact that we almost missed our stop on the way home. But that’s another story.
I recently did a post on the importance of challenging yourself to stay inspired and boost creativity. I ended with images from a pocket watch challenge, which led me to a book challenge.
The book challenge became an Open Book Challenge.
These are images I worked on this week for my open book challenge. I feel like there is more to pursue here. So, I will be doing more of these. I like the idea of featuring images that pertain to the book’s subject matter. This is why I try to continue to challenge myself. It always leads to something new and inspiring.
I would love to see your own challenges and inspirations! Share your links in the comments!
At the end of 2017, I wrote a blog about my first and last images of the year. I thought I would do the same this year. It’s a great way to see where I’ve been and if I have gotten better or worse or about the same.
The first image I uploaded in 2018. I love fantasy books and art. I have been attempting to create some of my own. Silver keys hang from an overgrown vine, just waiting to be plucked. It has the feel of a dream.
The last image uploaded in 2018. This started out as an image created for a stripes image challenge. But it turned out to be more about the hands. I see a series of hands coming soon.
Be sure to share your own 2018 retrospectives in the comments! Feedback is also welcome.
All images are available as prints. If you click on the image, it will take you directly to my shop.
A favorite subject for many photographers is doorways. I am no exception. Is because they offer a sense of the unknown? What’s on the other side? What will you find if you enter? What might come out? Small town doors, big city doors, wood doors, glass doors, they all fascinate me. Enjoy this gallery of doorways.
I don’t know why people are so fascinated by signs. But most people I know seem drawn to them. Especially if they are old or vintage. When I travel, I find myself drawn to them. Whether it’s a shop sign, a large sign, a small sign, or a road sign. I will take a photo of it. Some signs tell a story, a history of its location. Even if its just a one word sign, the color and shape can say a great deal about the shop or restaurant or even the area in general.
Maybe people are drawn to a certain sign because it’s got a place in their memory. Maybe they drove by that sign on the way to school every day. Or maybe it represents a happy memory of weekend trips to town.
I recently had the chance to enter a local photography competition. The theme was the human element in black and white. The only two rules were that it had to be black and white and have only one person in it. If you have seen my portfolio, you know that quite a bit of my work is dedicated to street photography. I was torn between entering a photo representing what I do best or trying to do something different. I decided to leave my comfort zone.
I do try to hide my legs because of the fact that I no longer shave them. I get angry with myself for not just owning it. I mean, I shouldn’t be doing it, if I’m going to be ashamed of it, right? And it’s not that I worry about people making fun of me. I don’t really care about that. But I know that it does gross some people out. I don’t blame them for that. It’s outside of their scope. We’ve been told that smooth women are sexy and clean. If they aren’t smooth everywhere, then they are dirty. The hair on my legs is course and thick. I had to use that horrible hair removal stuff that stinks and itches. Shaving too me ages and I would go through razor blades like cookies. So, I decided I just was not going to do it anymore. It’s been two years.
I entered “De Feet” into the Human Element competition. When I got there to drop off my image, I felt weird. I knew that people would ask who the model is. Most people thought it was a man’s legs in a skirt. Then the other photos were mostly portraits or street photography and they were amazing. I got a little angry with myself. The part that hates myself was berating, “why do you always get it wrong?!” But the part that loves myself, the one that’s been fighting to get out for years, said, “different isn’t wrong, dammit.”
And that is true. I won 5th place out of 28 entries, not bad for an image so different from the others. I had several people tell they love it. Although, one person said she loves it, but still “wants to shave them legs.”
