{Photography} Inspired by Life & Light

I never considered myself an artist....ever...in my entire life. There may have been hope when I was a just a little one and my kindergarten teacher complained to my mom that I spent too much time drawing and coloring. That may have been where my artistic efforts began and ended. Until I discovered photography, of course.

But for the first time in my life I just may be an artist, after all. One, a lot of nice people tell me I am artistic. Two, I am my own worst critic and agonize over image editing and production (definitely the definition of an artist, right?). Three, I see everything through the eyes of my camera view finder, CONSTANTLY. I'm constantly thinking in my head what would make a good image when I am viewing the world. For example, I will be teaching in my classroom and notice the light streaming through the back window creating a halo around a student of mine....and I'll think, "that would make such a beautiful portrait." It's constant, seriously.

I chase sunsets. And I would chase sunrises too...if I could only rise that early. I'm obsessed with sun flare. I see it everywhere! I love reflections. And repeating patterns. I look at beautiful scenery and I want to freeze it in my mind...just like a photograph. I see laughing children, couples, and elderly....and want to take their picture and give it to them...so they too will remember this moment for eternity. I feel life in all it's joy and pain...and I feel incredibly blessed to capture it with my camera. And when my camera is not with me...I'm just happy that I've learned to actually see it. I see so much more...now that I am a photographer.

{Photography} Dream Job

I've always said that photography is the dream job I never knew I wanted. So I just love this quote that I saw on Pinterest and wanted to share here...

Found of Pinterest | Original source HERE

You can read the story of how I became a photographer HERE.

{Escalate 2010} A photographer's workshop

So you might have heard me agonize over the fact that I did not attend WPPI in Vegas this year (or any year for that matter). So I can't tell you how excited I was to hear that an amazing group of industry photographer leaders were joining forces for a workshop in Newport, only miles from my home. Escalate 2010! So here's the line up...

[B]ecker
Dane Sanders
David Jay
Jasmine Star
Jerry Ghionis
Jessica Claire
Jeremy Cowart

Are you a photographer? Do you want to be inspired? Do you want to network with other photographers like you? If so, you need to come! I'm most impressed with the registration cost, a mere $179 until April 15th. A-muh-ZING! It's super difficult to attend so many workshops due to costs. But to get this many established photographers, under one roof...for a reasonable price...is an opportunity not to miss. So, who's coming? Leave me a comment if you are? If you are on the fence, and are from out of town/state...I am always able to host you here at our home (assuming you're not a crazy wack-o).

Escalate - Episode #1 from Dane Sanders on Vimeo.

Here Dane introduces Escalate 2010, A practical conference to inspire and equip you to uniquely define and grow your creative business. On this week's episode, Dane shares from the Lido Theatre the venue for Escalate, about what is exciting to him about the event. Go to http://escalate.eventbrite.com/ to purchase your ticket.

Escalate LIVE- Episode #2 from Dane Sanders on Vimeo.

Hear Dane and Becker share what they are excited about Escalate 2010, A practical conference to inspire and equip you to uniquely define and grow your creative business. On this week's episode Dane and Becker share about why they are excited to be a part of this event. Go to escalate.eventbrite.com/ to purchase your ticket.

26 Things Photographic

#69 on my 101 list is to complete the 26 Things Photographic project. I have done so many photo sessions this past month that I almost never pick up my camera otherwise. I miss taking random pics for fun...so this project couldn't have come at a better time for me. Here's my first day's attempt at taking photos of the alphabet, the project theme for this month. Check back as I update.

Flickr Fanatic

So I'm not sure how many of you have ever heard of Flickr? If you have, you probably know it as a photo hosting site. Well, it is so much more. It is a community of photographers that post their images, comment on each others, participate in themed groups, and post discussions on a variety of photography topics. It's the most encouraging group of people that are genuinely interested in helping one another and improving their own craft. I'm a complete addict! I can spend hours participating in discussions, looking at others' pictures, and commenting on them. I sometimes have to kick myself off the computer because my eyes are about to pop out of my head. I've recently been getting a lot of hits, comments, and people "favoriting" my images. One day I even had 476 views in my photostream. Crazy.

Well, they have this daily thing called EXPLORE. The top 500 photos of the world are chosen and featured on their Explore page. I've always wondered how all the amazing photographers get featured on there. Just for the heck of it I decided to do a search to see if I've ever made explore, and low and behold...I HAVE! I was shocked. Here's the image that made the EXPLORE page. It was #267 of 500 on January 18th, 2008. This made me very happy.

 

Here's the original picture...

 

BLUE

Click on collage to see larger...

 

RED

 

 

So I was playing around with my photo editing software, Picasa, and I discovered that I could search for photos of a certain color. So I decided to search for red in all my pictues, and in .020 seconds 4899 pictures were displayed with the color red. How cool is that? Anyways, here's a collage with only a few of them. It's kinda cool to see them altogether.

My new cam bag

 

I'm so excited! I just ordered my new camera bag for everyday use, thanks to the generous gift from the cheerleaders for my 33rd birthday. Thanks girls! I absolutely love Jill E camera bags, they're super stylish and made especially for women photographers. I bought the large one recently to carry all my equipment for long travel trips and I love it!

Sunset View from Signal Hill

When was the last time you watched the sun set? I can't think of the last time I watched the sun go down for that purpose alone(if ever). That is what I love about photography. It gets me out of my routine and inspires me to do something new. Kristi mentioned to me today how beautiful it is up there and what a great place it would be to shoot from. Minutes before the sunset I decided to grab my camera and drive to the top of Signal Hill. I barely got there in time to see the sun setting behind Palos Verdes (if only I had been there moments before). I watched the sky change and the city illuminate for the next hour. It was incredible. Beautiful. Peaceful. Here are a few favorite captures from the night.

 

 

 

 

Photographer Blogs of Note

There are a few photographer's blogs that I frequent for inspiration. They are absolutely amazing and it is evident why they have found such great success in this industry. In addition to posting stunning images, they frequently give business advice. In what could be a very competitive industry, you find so many photographers dishing out free advice and their ticket to success. Check them out here...

Jessica Claire (see her 101 list)
Melissa Jill (see her 101 list)
Jasmine Star
David Jay
Me Ra Koh
Dane Sanders