04 Monday May 2015
Posted in inspiration, Masks, Photography
I get an opportunity every now and then to work on my more artistic photo project, “Girl in the Polka Dotted Dress,” and today was one of those days.
The dress is actually my sister’s; and a little too big, so I have to pin it to keep it from falling off of me. A real trick when I’m out in public. But today I stayed indoors.
I used to shoot a mask series, and this rabbit mask is one of my favorite props. He was just staring at me today begging to help me out with my photos.
I had a lot of fun.
02 Saturday Feb 2013
Posted in Dog in snow, Groundhog day, inspiration, Photography
Not so sure of the snow, Murray surveys the backyard on this year’s Groundhog’s Day. Ironically, we’re told there will be an early spring.
26 Saturday Jan 2013
Posted in 4x5 Camera, inspiration, Photography
Ok. I have given myself a project. We’ll see if I can pull it off. My goal is to take a photo – just one – every day for an entire year. No do-overs, so I will have to make it good. It will be like it was when I was in school and shooting with film. Not much money, so every frame I shot was well-thought out and worth the exposure. At least that was the intent. That didn’t always work out. But anyway, this is my plan. I may not be able to upload them here every day, but I will definitely shoot SOMETHING every day. The idea is to get me shooting and thinking about photography instead of my being totally wrapped up in work, renovations, laundry and litter boxes.
So here is my first image. It’s a self-portrait with a lot of meaning. It resembles the very first photo I ever took (posted on my very first post here), but it also is a statement on where I was in my photography vs. where I have to be now. Digital is great and cool and all of that, but I will always be old school at heart. I miss the darkroom.
Me with my old friend.
04 Sunday Mar 2012
Posted in inspiration, Photography, Street photography, Vivian Maier photographs
Champy's on M.L. King Boulevard, Chattanooga, Tenn.
The good news is the house my husband and I have been renovating for the past two years has finally sold. To celebrate the day we closed, we went to lunch with his sister at a fairly new restaurant in town called Champy’s. Even though I work one block away, I had never been to this restaurant before. They serve fried chicken, and lots of it. Oh, and blues music. But the decor is what caught my eye. I went back the next day with my camera and caught this man painting part of the menu on the side of the building. I love places like this. They have a life of their own. But the main thing for me is it got me photographing again. It felt good.
Meanwhile, I have become aware of a “new to us” photographer. Her name is Vivian Maier. She was a nanny in Chicago, and in her spare time wandered the streets taking photos. She had them developed – well, most of them I think – but NEVER showed them to anyone. Ever. She placed them in a storage unit years later; and when she was unable to keep up the payments, her belongings were auctioned off….thank Heavens! The man who purchased them discovered her images and has made them public. There are over 100,000 images. One book has been published so far, but it seems many volumes will be needed to display her wonderful work.
I’m not sure she ever had any formal training in photography, but she was beyond good. I can only assume that since she never married or had a family of her own that she studied people on the street. I can picture her feeling invisible to them so she could uncover their personalities. At least that’s how I would handle it when I lived in New York. Unfortunately, she has passed away and will not see how her work has inspired and moved us.
As much as I love Diane Arbus’s photography, I’m going to say I think Vivian was better. Well, Diane took a different approach. Vivian took street photos of strangers. It doesn’t see like she ever interacted with them. Or so the images make me think. Diane talked and interacted with her subjects – even followed them home. I think Vivian was more of an observer. All speculation on my part, of course.
Anyway, here is a link to her work. I cannot stop looking, and the images keep coming. And I love them all! http://www.vivianmaier.com/
28 Wednesday Dec 2011
Posted in inspiration
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Being the Christmas season, I have not had the chance to create anything lately. Therefore, no creative posts to this blog. But this post is more about faith anyway than it is about creativity . . . but it does have creative inspiration to it; so take away what you will.
This is my Story of the Day:
"The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" by Barbara Robinson, 1972
Even though I was 10-years old when this book was published, I had never heard of it until a few weeks ago. It was being performed at our local theater, The Chattanooga Theatre Center, http://www.theatrecentre.com/ and my husband really wanted to go. I say, “Sure. That would be fun.”
And that was the last I thought about it. . . until Wednesday night at 5:45. My better half calls me from the car asking if I had gotten tickets for that night’s performance. Crap. “NO, I forgot all about it. . . I’m sorry. I’ll check right now.”
And then my heart sinks! The last three performances are all SOLD OUT! Wednesday, Thursday and Friday night. “Oh, JOE! I’m so sorry!” I was so mad at myself for letting the week go by without getting those tickets for him.
But Joe is not deterred in the least. He says, “Meet me down there. I bet there will be someone who will want to sell their tickets.”
I say, “I’m leaving right now.”
It is now 6:00 p.m. We live no where near the theater. And the play starts at 7:00. But I have no doubt we’d be watching that play. Why? Because Joe is better than an Arab trader when it comes to this pastime. He can wheel and deal with the best of them. It comes from decades of attending SEC football games to watch his beloved Crimson Tide.
Tears stream down my cheeks anyway because I am exhausted; stressed, and feeling like I mess up more than my fair share of things. But halfway there, my cell phone rings. It’s Joe. “Got ’em!”
I say, “REALLY?!!!
Joe: “Yep! No problem. I ran into some people I know who happen to work there. They said there were a couple of single tickets left.” Me: “Are we getting to sit together?” Joe: “Well, we’re on the same row….but I’m sure people won’t mind moving for us!” Me: “….ok….”
Thrilled, I speed up a bit. Then Joe announces he’s hungry. Great. It’s after 6:00 at this point, so there’s very little time to eat and make the curtain. I suggest a little place a block away called The North Chatt Cat https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-North-Chatt-Cat/187809904606080 hoping we’ll have time to eat a bite and get to the play on time.
As I’m parking, Joe texts that he’s gotten a table, ordered a sandwich and a Coke for us to split, and is waiting on me. It’s packed when I get inside, and I learn there is only one waitress. Great. “We’re never going to make this play! They won’t seat us after the curtain goes up,” I obsess in my head. But our waitress is great and gets us our food and check, and sends us out the door. We walk over to the theatre, find our row and immediately ask a family to move down for us. They oblige kindly. “Well, that was easy,” I think. But that was for the right side of us. We still have to wait for the people on the left side of us to arrive. When they do, Joe gets up and asks them all to move down – along with the rest of the row – all so we could sit next to each other. I sink down in my seat out of embarrassment. But Joe is not bothered in the least. He gets to sit next to his girl.
Ah! The music starts and the play begins! I just can’t believe we are actually getting to see this play. The perfect crime!
Or so I think.
During intermission, one of the main characters comes out on stage and announces the theater is giving away a bag of food to an audience member from one of our local grocery stores – a sponsor, of course.
Oh no. OH NO! I knew where this was heading.
I look at our seat numbers: H111 and H110. But our tickets say H105 and H115.
Oh no.
Oh YES! The man draws a ticket from the bowl and says: “H…..”
I cannot believe this.
“……110!”
And the spotlight shines down on Joe.
Crap. Busted. Joe says in front of the entire theater, “Well, that’s my seat number, but that’s not the number on my ticket. We made everyone move.”
The people in front of us say, “Well, at least you’re honest!” And the entire place laughs. Or so I think my embarrassed mind. But the people to our left who actually had the number, had left, and they never came back. The man draws another number and all is well with karma.
The play was great and we had a wonderful time! And I learned a little thing about faith that night.
Will I obsess the next time we’re in a situation like this one?
Yes, but it won’t be as badly… I hope.
23 Wednesday Nov 2011
Posted in inspiration, Photography
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This gallery contains 1 photo.
On my birthday this year, I woke up to a bouquet of flowers and a big plate of homemade pancakes! …
16 Wednesday Nov 2011
Posted in inspiration
This gallery contains 3 photos.
I got my love of art from my very talented and creative mother. She worked as a graphic artist for …
