one pink fish: IndieChic Designs... Blog Makeover

one pink fish: IndieChic Designs... Blog Makeover

Don't pass this opportunity to win a Blog Makeover! She's very talented and uses great imagination.

Change is upon us

Without being to boring, I decided to use this site as a way of expressing my personal beliefs and not have it totally reflect my business direction.

Don't get me wrong, my beliefs are the foundation to anything I do, but having a place to focus on the business is really necessary. I can still share pics and thoughts here - after all, I'm the blogger~

Optical Illusion or God's Provision?

I know we all feel like we have a list of what we need. I'm sure most of it is quite viable. But lately I've had to kinda rethink my list. I started thinking about what was already given to me and am I using it to it's full purpose.

While playing with my "Big Daddy" camera, I discovered this wonderful creature in my water pond. He's here every year and I can't wait to capture his beauty.

I named him Travis after my red-headed Grandfather. They are both strong and dependable sorts.

As much as I love this guy, in 9 years I've been unable to capture his partner "Celestine". Until now.

My Nikon D40 with the 55-200mm telephoto wouldn't quite capture her. She's fiercely fast and has lots of work to do. Just like my Grandmother. I tried hard to get a decent picture, but they're always blurred.

Then, she returned a second day and I had "Big Daddy" ready. I was so thrilled. Watching her, I learned how they mate and then where they lay their eggs. She dips rapidly into the pond and distributes the eggs on top of the lily pads or the water. To do this she must bend her body in half.

Now I don't know why they're called Dragonflies, but after capturing "Celestine's" friend, "Eva" (a green dragonfly) doing the same thing, this is what I saw:

Her torso provides an illusion of eyes, her real eyes become the illusion of a nose and you can even imagine you see large fangs!

Of course, she looks a bit daff with those huge floopy ears!

But she gave me a lesson. She knows her purpose. She needs protection while doing so. Although her partner "Albert" stays close and tries to distract you away with his glory, when left alone she must appear larger and more fierce. No time for make-up, so she uses what God gave her to do the best she can. What a great reminder.

Here's her mate, Albert just so you can see his wonderful self. He's much larger than her and I am grateful God brought these creatures to my pond. I am also grateful for the pond, water, plants, the home they go with, the community we share, the state we live in, the country we are a citizen of, the world we are given, and most of all, God's love He gave us in His Son.

Now, I'm back to taking inventory of what I have and look forward to discovering how to make the most of it.

Shuttered and Thinking...

Mustard or Mayonnaise?

I am so grateful each of us are unique. I am also grateful to have company in some of the things I enjoy.

When our rather large families convene, inevitably, there'll be food and lots of it. Out come the condiments and the most used sentence is "Mustard or Mayo?". Some prefer one or the other, and some want both. That's alot like the "condiments" of photography.

It is a thrill to point a black box, push some buttons, remove parts, use the parts in other equipment, and then negotiate software until you can see just exactly what it was you put in the black box to begin with.

Excitement builds when you realize it is useful and there are endless possibilities as to the way this item can be presented. Do I remove years, and if so, how many? Wrinkles...duh! Just how much retouching will be tolerated or expected. These are two questions and each must be addressed separately.

In post-production, I "fix" the clothes, straighten/whiten teeth, "comb" hair, remove hair, brighten eyes, adjust contrast & tone. Then...soften the skin. Whew! Not even half-way done. About here I get to start deciding what treatment will explain this capture the best.

Recently, I was privileged to spend time with some friends from the past. I met the young man when he was just starting grade school and it was the first time I met his fiance. What a dynamic couple.

I began shooting with the information we discussed. They knew I preferred natural lighting, organic captures (little posing), but, some posing would be necessary. I didn't know either of them, nor my style, well enough to do more than the basic retouches. These pictures had to be special. They're telling the world that they are planning on spending the rest of their lives together.

I processed the top colored picture in the more basic style. Then I added an "action" treatment to it. I actually liked the softness and enhancement. But would they. Here's that picture:

Finally, I wanted to see it in Black and White. They say a picture that is perfect in color is also perfect in Black and White. I thought so but which one will they like?

I sent them the first two pictures along with the rest of the best from the shoot and they did like the second version.

Now, I've learned more tricks so I went back, re-touched the touch-ups and converted it to Black and White. I think they'll like this one just as well. It has turned out to be my favorite.

It's just mirrors and lights...

Do you remember when magic was astonishing? It takes a lot now for someone to be astonishing. Really. We're so used to being shocked that most of the time what took so little several years ago, is nothing now.

When working with a client, I always ask, "How much magic do you want me to use?" Most reply with, "All you have!" Not many want to see the reality of how age has applied itself. Me? I'm behind the lens for a reason!

Look at this photo of such a beautiful baby. Perfect. Healthly. Active. The mother couldn't be more proud.

I see the little things that would make this picture much more appealing. No wrinkles; remove bugs; where's the eyes; etc.

So, I apply a few magic tricks from Photoshop. Viola! Here's what I came up with - smoother skin, brighter eyes, ironed shirt, debugged, and greener grass.

The mother will love this so much better. All I really did was hide the effects of life and showcase the beautiful structure.

Go ahead. Open that software and explore for help on the internet. I didn't know a thing about Photoshop and it took just a few "googles" to find videos, lessons, and tools to make my work so much better.

I hope it makes my clients' photos better, too!

Until the next one...

A New Day...

Well, here I go again! I said I'd post consistently and look whats happened!

I've been learning so much. Such fun stuff. Like how to use Karo Syrup to make tiny prisms. I love this shot. Thanks to Bryan Peterson & Jon Canfield at ppsop.net for explaining this process. So easy. Lay a printed sheet/fabric/texture under a sheet of glass. Mine was about a foot above. Works best with bright light shining on it.

Add dollups of cold syrup on top of glass then angle the camera to see the reflections. Isn't this cool. I called this one "Woman's DNA" since it's all about shoes, purses, hats, etc.

This tiny little flower revealed such humor. You can't see it with your naked eye (since when do we put clothes on eyes?) but with close-up lenses (I used all three extension tubes on a 28mm lens) you get to see such amazing details. This reminds me of little people just peeking over the edge to see who's entered their kingdom.

They really should have names...like Burt, Olley, Pete, Hank, & Tom.

This little flower blossom in about the size of a green pea. Can you understand how tiny these seeds are? Really fun discovery.






Now this one really made me giggle. Like wet my pants funny. I've had this star fish in my bathroom for years.

Never felt like I was being watched until one day, while dusting it, I noticed this cute guy. What a show he's been catching every day!

The textures were so nice and up close you can see the pattern emerge, but his little face was the prize.


Hope this encourages you to look at things in a whole new way. Maybe it's for a photo, or maybe it's that part of life that is boring, painful, or taken for granted.