What To Do, What To Do...

I like winter for a whole lot of reasons but none having to do with photography.  It's one of those fallow times of the year for me.  The winters here are a gray, and broody.  The perfect recipe for curling up on the couch with a good book and a hot cup of tea but not very interesting for photography.  But that's just me - I'm sure others will disagree with me and I'm alright with that.  Winter is just not my Muse.

The other day I went to the beach with Amar (my husband) and Bruce (my dog) and took more than few photographs of them, the beach, driftwood, the trees, boats, people, sand - you name it - if it stood still for me I shot it.  However, I was more than sorely disappointed when I downloaded them last night.  None of them excited me, matter of fact, they were downright boring (how can a beach be boring?).   I'm sure when I look at them again I'll see a few things that I missed and after a little (or a lot) post-photo editing there will be an an image or two that I like. 

I wish that weren't the case - I wish I could turn out a photograph that I liked "Straight Out of the Camera".  To me it would be fantastic to have developed my skills well enough to not have to rely on photo editing - it would make me feel like a "real photographer" and not someone who sort of "Forrest Gumps" her way through photography.  So, that will be a goal that I'm working towards - developing my skills.  Hopefully, I'll find a photography class that fits my schedule soon.  Until then I'll be perusing the photography tutorials on this blog "The Pioneer Woman Photography".  If her photographs and those who have participated in her tutorials are any indication of her ability to teach then pretty soon I'll be back at it with my camera turning out one stunning photograph after another. 

I'll keep you posted.  

Hello!

Hopefully, this post finds you in good form and good health.  I've been pretty busy lately with a full-time job, a three hour daily commute during the week, household responsibilities, writing for three blogs, running two on-line business' and leading a life off-line.  There are times when I just need to step away from my on-line life and recharge my batteries.  Last weekend I took a 3 day break from the computer - it was absolutely lovely - but now I'm behind schedule and I'll be working at getting back on schedule.  Lately, I've been concentrating on my BellaFaire blog.  If you're into gardening please visit it - I'm working on gathering all sorts of resources for gardeners.

Anyway, I just wanted to let you all know about this great web-site I found called zenhabits - simple productivity.  The author is Leo Babuta and here is what he has to say about his blog:

"Zen Habits is about finding simplicity in the daily chaos of our lives. It’s about clearing the clutter so we can focus on what’s important, create something amazing, find happiness. It also happens to be one of the Top 100 blogs in the world, is uncopyrighted, and goes well with anything chocolate. Zen Habits features three powerful articles a week on: simplicity, health & fitness, motivation and inspiration, frugality, family life, happiness, goals, getting great things done, and living in the moment."

My favorite post so far is about how to motivate yourself when you're in a slump "Get Off Your Butt:  16 Ways to Get Motivated When You're in a Slump".   Take a moment to check out this great blog, you'll be glad you did!

Photographs from my collection

A flower vendor and her flowers at Pike Place Market in Seattle, Washington.

I'm on a quest...

What does yogurt have to do with photography. Nothing really.  I've only just resumed my blogging and I'm already hitting a brick wall in regards to scintillating photographic topics.  Heck, I'm even plagarizing myself as most of the contents from this post are lifted directly from my Dancing Monkey Jewelry Chronicles blog.  So, what's up with me?  Nothing, just general fatigure due to lots of late nights and early mornings. 

However, I digress and let's get back to the subject at hand:  Spega Yogurt -  Here's what's really on my mind right now - Spega Yogurt - specifically the little jars it comes in. How many of you are still with me? 

I'm on a mission (read: obsessed with) to find some empty jars. I just know there's this little cult following that buys this yogurt and either has kept the jars (because they're so cute but haven't a clue what to do with them) or have kept them because they know exactly what they want to do with them. Then there's the group that I fall into: I haven't bought the yogurt because no one sells it in Washington State and I would know what to do with those little jars once I consumed my yogurt. I have a little project in mind and those little jars would work quite nicely. If had some. Which I don't. Do you?

I'm willing to trade some hand-crafted sterling silver artisan earrings or a photography for some of these little yogurt jars - no matter the brand - French, Italian, England - it doesn't matter. Can somebody help me?  Let me know.

Perfection...

I believe a blog should be as much as a visual treat as it is a good read. I'm not sure if I'm there or not - but that's the great thing about progess - you can always move forward. I'm trying to keep this blog about photography but I'm going to go off on a different path with this post. I believe it will serve my readers because I think I've found one of the prettiest blogs that ever - the photography is sublime and it's one that I actually read and not skim.

If you were to ask me what are my favorite things to do in the world are I would tell you the following: Eat, cook, read (especially "food memoirs" and cookbooks), photography (either looking or taking) and mucking about on the computer. Where am I going with this post? Well...let me tell you - I think I've found the perfect blog - Orangette. Really. This one combines many of my favorites: Eating, cooking, photography and it's a good read (there's a book - of course). The author of the blog is Molly Wizenberg - she and her husband have just opened a little restaurant in Seattle called "Delancey". I was familiar with the restaurant before I knew about the blog and book because a good friend of mine lives around the corner from the restaurant. I haven't been there - yet. I can't vouch for quality of the food and describe the restaurant experience. But I will visit the next time I get together with my friend.

In the end, if I can raise the quality of my blog to the level of this blog I will have considered myself successful. Which means I've got a lot of work to do: improve my writing skills and my photography, create an interesting life and establish a strong presence on the web.

Gotta go! Lot's to do.

Inspiration

Blogs. You either love them or you hate them. But do you read them? If you're like me, you probably have several that you visit frequently and every now and then you actually stop and read what has been posted but mostly you are attracted to the photographs. After all, something has got to get your attention and a good photograph will do the trick. Every now and then I come across a blog that I actually do read and enjoy immensely - it all has to do with good writing and if your style speaks to me I'll return time after time after time. People write blogs to have an outlet to express their opinion, a way of creative expression or to promote themselves. You name it and I'll bet there's a blog about it.

One of my favorite blogs is Exit133 - a local blog focusing on the doings in the where I live, Tacoma, Washington or as it's described on the home page "Exit133 is about Tacoma. It's about Politics, Civic Involvement, Urban Development, the Arts, and the many interests of our readers."

When ever I visit this blog I make a bee-line to the blog posts of "Mise en Place" written by John Idstrom. He writes about one of my great passions: food. His writing style is engaging and clever - and it conveys a wicked sense of humor and is a joy to read. In short, I'm in love with his writing and jealous of his skills.

Here's a passage from one of my favorite posts - it begins like this:

"Norman Maclean opens his full-of-grace novella “A River Runs Through It” with the beguiling line “in our family there was no clear line between religion and fly-fishing.” Having recently driven Route 200 in western Montana, skirting the Big Blackfoot River that was Maclean’s spiritual inspiration, I had the opportunity to consider that opening line, as well as his summary judgment “I am haunted by waters."

and then ends like this:

"Salvation is a tricky issue and if you are like me, the lines are seldom clear. We all find our own road to get there and some of us take a more circuitous route than others. But we’re all saved by grace one way or another, however that may find us. I am haunted by food." -- John Idstrom from "Mise en Place: Confessions of a Food-ophile"

If only my writing skills were on par with Mr. Idstrom - the words I could write, the ideas I could express, the stories I could tell. That is my dream.

Our Summer Vacation

Amar's sister and her family spent their summer vacation with last year. We really enjoyed spending time with them and I was there with my trusty camera to document just about every waking moment we had with them. I hope this video goes beyond your ordinary, average vacation photo album.

IPhone Because I Can

After putting my on-line life on hiatus I've decided it's time to return and get down to the business of blogging. (Yeah!!!) In my last post I talked about being laid off from the university where I worked for 15 years and was feeling a bit anxious about "being cast out in a sea of uncertainty". My emotions were all over the place - one day I felt fine, then there were times I would curse the managers that laid me off and wish nothing but ill will towards them and then there were the dark moments of almost despair (I wobbled on the brink but never went over the edge). Of course there were days where I was happy to have some time to myself and actually enjoyed being unemployed. Oh, I had plans, glorious plans on how I was going to spend my time: such as working on my blogs and my online shops, networking with all my contacts, creating fabulous jewelry, improving on my photographic skills - becoming a very successful photographer, and just so I had company I wanted to a part-time job at Starbucks - good plans. Aside from the two craft shows I participated in I accomplished NOTHING! I've learned that I'm the type of girl who doesn't like to be alone and needs the structure of an office and an employer. Thankfully, three and half weeks later I was back at work, back at the university and I'm quite happy to be employed again.

Now I can relax and get down to the business of spending some serious time indulging in my hobbies - like photography. Lately I've been having lots of fun with my iPhone camera and all the various iPhone photography apps. Nothing like being able to take a great photograph, edit and upload to Facebook or Flickr - it's fun! My favorite is Lo-Mob - it give a retro look to your digital photographs. My favorite is the TTV filters. For me it's easier than using Photoshop or the camera/contraption for real TTV photography. One of these days I'll break out the DSLR and take myself on a proper photo safari. Also, I'll start packing my point and shoot with me when the days get longer and I have time before and after work to take photographs on the campus - but until then my iPhone is providing me with a pleasant photographic diversion.