Lavender and Lime

This photo has only been listed for about a week, and it's been featured in three Etsy treasuries already!

Many thanks to all those who have included my pictures with their favourites on Etsy!

When LIfe Gives You Lemons... Or, A Windy Day

I actually got mad at the wind yesterday.

Foolish, I know, considering I can't exactly control it. But I wanted to.

Try making stills on a windy day. Doesn't work so well. I even tried holding a branch in one hand while I pressed the shutter with the other. Not exactly effective.

So, once I'd given up wishing I could control Mother Nature, I decided to embrace the wind. Rather than futiley trying to capture pretty flowers, I sought out subjects that like the wind. It didn't take long - clothes on a clothesline love a breezy day.

And this is what happened...

Made It, But Missed It!

It's been over a year since I opened shop on Etsy. There are so many sellers that it can be difficult to compete at times, and I have been logging on daily to do what I can to increase visits to my shop. It seems to be working - to some extent atleast - since my work has been featured in several treasuries lately. This is always exciting, as it is satisfying to have my photography recognized.

Every day, I check the home page of Etsy, wondering how in the world people have their work shown there. Then, yesterday, I had a message from another seller (thanks, Julie of Such a Pretty Dress!) and she had put together a treasury that was picked for the front page. And one of my photographs was in it! I was a mixture of disbelief at having missed the treasury and excitement at having made it to the front page. Mostly excitement, though!

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4bffb64f07196d919aca8c41/a-punch-of-red

Make Some Noise!

There are certain "rules" of photography... Several of which I no longer follow.

One of these has to do with noise. Ideally, photographs do not have noticeable grain. I have found, though, that increasing the noise in my photos often gives them more interest and softness. It also allows me to be creative with my post-processing, lending my pictures more of an artsy feel, I believe.

These photos may not be stock quality or be desirable for some publications. The noise is also more obvious the larger the prints are. However, from the moment I turn on my camera to when I finish editing, the creative process is mine and the finished photo speaks to the way I feel about the subject.

Besides, who says I have to follow the rules?

Visual Literacy

A strange coincidence happened a few weeks ago...

I received an e-mail from an unknown sender, and was surprised to read that they were looking to use one of my photographs in their online publication. So I checked out their website, and was both surprised and pleased to find out that not only were they an educational site (I am a teacher), but one that promotes visual literacy (the main focus of my photography project last year).

Needless to say, I happily provided permission for them to use my photo.

And I have been making great use of the site in my classroom!

Check it out: www.literacyhead.com

Many thanks to the creators of this site for such incredible material!

My Perfect Day

Of course, it would have to be sunny and warm.

And there would be no cooking, cleaning, or laundry. But especially no cooking.

The coffee would be made when I woke up and I would have it curled up in bed with a good book. A breakfast of hot oatmeal, fresh fruit, and bacon. A long, steamy shower with no one knocking on the door.

Then I would spend the morning out picture-taking.

Lunch with my family at a good restaurant, kids on their best behaviour.

An afternoon shopping with a coffee break (with chocolate).

A relaxed supper with my husband in a nice restaurant, followed by a romantic movie.

A massage to end the day, then curled up in bed with a good book.

Sounds good to me!

Blooming Begonias!

My goal, each time I take out my camera, is to make photos that are better than the ones before. I am really excited about these ones... I think they speak to how I felt when I first saw these gorgeous blooms at the garden center today.