...on to the future

It started out softly..

...and then it came down harder!! LOL I love this stuff when..

1. I am not going to work.
2. I don't have to clear off or warm up my car.
3. I can go out and enjoy it.
4. I don't have to mop up any one's drip spot but my own!

Does that sound selfish? Sorry bout that.  Well it doesn't snow that often here in SC normally its warm this time of year but this is the 2nd nice snow we've had this yr. IF you recall we had a 6-8 inch snow in February of this yr.  I went out with the camera but didn't take the girls this time.  Flossie's feet get impacted with snow so didn't want to deal with that this time but they did go out for a short run in the field by themselves early this morning.

Our trip upstate to my sister's was pleasant and I always love that drive from here to the foothills of the Blue Ridge...I was driving so no photos of the drive but here's another of our field...from a different vantage point the pines are always green---I like the way the trunks of the oaks look black with the snow painting the limbs white!


The clouds broke up a bit this afternoon then back to solid grey...that was pretty while it lasted.
The snow didnt stick to the sandy dirt roads that surround us...since this snow began as rain the road was too wet for it to stick.. it will dry out quickly once the sun returns.

The birds were really around
in numbers getting at the seed feeders!  We had lots of pine siskins,
 gold finches, & dark eyed junco around today as well as some others. I will save those for World Bird Wednesday! ...the air turned cold, the sun tipped westward, the birds went to roost, the squirrels curled up in their winter nests, and I went in for a nice hot cocoa-and to upload my photos on my new 3G Verizon Hotspot! Am I a lucky girl or what? 

Enjoy this last week of 2010! Wow that sounds so weird--I'm still stuck in the 70's!

In the Sand Box of Photography!

Ya'll know Im a photography buff, always have been, never took lessons most people don't they teach each other, and learn by doing. I love to learn! I get asked "how did you do that" sometimes, well the answer is I just try to get a good shot and sometimes I DO, it may take 30 frames...Thats one reason I blog--I read many blogs I like to leave comments, ask questions, and share what I know and try and continue to add to what I know on a dialy basis!

 Canyonlands National Park in Utah. One thing I love to do is use framing provided by nature--and this one was perfect, what a view this tree is protecting! The thing to watch here is Depth of Field or DoF, I wanted the tree & the landscape beyond to both be in focus so this shot was made at 1/800 shutter speed or .0001 of a second!! Now thats fast and the aperture was set at F/4.0


SO over at Flickr I enjoy the work of fine array of photographers from all over the world, and each one has a special technique, almost a signature style--THAT is something I cant seem to do...I cant find one thing that sets me apart--there are a multitude of things that set off sparks for me, but there is no way I can zero in on ONE thing, one style, or one kind of shot...I'm all over the place-I think the same way-- all over the place--my best friend calls it rambling---she is right.

This action shot requires that you have a very fast shutter speed to stop the action of the wings and I want the BIRD to be in focus and not the Background so 1/250 or .0004 of a second with f/5.0 and I used my Action High Speed Setting! (the one that has a icon of that guy running) see the tiny feet wrapped around the bamboo stick?


I love nature tho, and you can bet its always gonna be about nature--the very first Geo Cities Web page I made up I called myself The Nature Nut..lol I wonder if that page is still up? Anyways some of the photographers concentrate on Long Exposure shots only, Some on HDR Landscapes only, some on a particular part of nature, this one fellow I follow posts only photos of these white Deer that live in his area they are so beautiful too...Im so thankful that he posts those or I wouldnt get to see them!!

This shot is not about the camera, its about looking for something special like this lighting provided by nature!!! The shot was there I just had to find it and SNAP it!


I like to draw horses thats my speciality when it comes to art...I can do other things but horses are my thing, I could draw them over and over and never tire of it...but when it comes to taking photos I will take photos of ANYTHING I find in nature--not too many people in my photos and I have no sense of style, like one fellow I follow on Flickr he is in NYC -a lifer - he focuses on People shots, he has awesome shots of all sort of people from People pierced all OVER to kids skateboarding and he seems to capture the esssence of their soul...he seems to click just at that majik moment!!!

But I get a bigger kick outta getting just the right light on the face of a wood duck while he is out of the water waddling around looking very awkward on foot.


SO what I do is try to learn from everyone I take my time to visit! Each visit I learn something...even if I have to stare at the photo for an hr, I come away saying Ah'HA!! I dont have a fancy expensive DSLR camera, but I have one I enjoy, its what they call a bridge camera..and Ive even seen some Flickr groups that have in their RULES, ABSOLUTELY NO BRIDGES, and that doesnt mean like the ones of Madison County, it means only DSLR shot work need be submitted-no Bridge cameras!!

Ive gotten many messages from other Flickr users asking me HOW can I get such a close photo of the moon using my Bridge Kodak, the answer is--I just keep trying! This was taken at 1/25 or .04 of a second with an f/5.0




OKAY...thats fine I know when Im not wanted and I sure wouldnt want to rub elbows with the wrong class...(cough, cough) but anyways my photography is about ME-what I see that impresses me, a bug, a flower, a landscape, the sky, and all its components!! But I try all the tricks I learn when I'm out and about with my little camera and I can get lost in that moment and my reward is the tranquility that I receive when Im out there trying to find that unique thing that sparks my interest and excute the lessons Im trying to learn...and in the time it takes the shutter to snap & I've got what I wanted, the thrill of the moment that peaceful ZEN of Me & My Camera!--- is Heavenly~

Posters Arrived

  Im so excited about the posters!! They arrived yesterday afternoon!! I purchased them from an online poster printer called Short Run Posters The big deal here is the price--the posters cost me $2.00 each!! YES I said $2. The other deal is the shipping-you can order 1 OR 21 and the shipping is $10. They arrived rolled in a good sturdy cardboard tube---great to store them in too until I have Gallery Space...lol So I figured I would order at least 10 and thats what I did...I chose 10 of my favorites. That means my final cost is $3.33 per poster including the shipping charge..if I had ordered 20 posters It would have been even less!! I wish now I had taken the time to resize and pick out 10 more!!!


But I wanted to be sure the quality was worth my trouble first. The quality is very good for this price!! (you cant print these at home for 2 bucks! and you would have to have a large size printer to print this size) For the best results you need to have high resolution files I resized mine to actual size of 18" x 24" at resolution of 300. The files were pretty big but in order to get a good looking poster you really should do this...they say at least 150 dpi is preferred so the bigger the better! At first I had mine at 480 dpi and it was taking too long to upload even at the library on the high speed...so I resized them again to 300 and that put them in the 20-30 MB range file size.

YOU can place you order online and then mail in your photos on a CD rom--so there are many ways to order!! They also will take your photos from Flickr, I do have a Flickr account..but I wasnt sure if the photos would be as sharp if they pulled them off my Flickr since I usually resize them before uploading to Flickr-- SO I uploaded them directly to the website very simple to do--placed my order and they printed and shipped them right away-if you have multiples you can upload, save and return later and add more before placing your order!

 The reason I want posters is my son moved into an apartment and he asked me to frame up some photography for him...(like it grows on trees?) So I wanted to be able to do this for him, but Im on a very tight budget so I went looking for a cheap way to do it...NOW Ive got to find cheap ways to matt and frame--I have found if I buy some off the rack artwork, its cheaper than buying a frame alone--so I am going to have a look today for frames. He selected 2 posters he likes--I will try to remember to take photos of the finished framed project!! I have started painting again....been a while since I was excited about painting again...I really have to purchase some oil paints the acrylics are great for a fast clean up but they dont blend the way Oils do...Here is my latest 2 finished ones...these Frames are Virtual - here's  two new paintings..


   

                                                            Star Runner 11 x14 acrylic 

 

                                                    Over the Rise a landscape 18 X 24 acrylic

And I really like this  I call it Wing Ryder, it's like Im sailing on the back of a Golden Eagle, 

Mom has always purchased her artwork at retail stores so NOW she has a piece thats an Original!

The Coneflowers one of the posters!! Looks pretty dang good eh? We ended up Framing the Mittens in B & W. 

February Walk with the Girlz

We had an ice strom here over the weekend..its gone now but still cold. Mom has gone to spend 2 weeks with my SIS up in the foothill country...the same one I dog sit for...she is happy to get some time away and Im happy for the solitude--something I enjoy very much, although I miss her a LOT! The girlz miss her too!!

So I went out with my camera and took the girlz for their walk..they both got so much mud on them I had to wash their feet in a tub of warm water when we got home..lol IT just wouldnt come off otherwise..and these girlz come inside the house at night and we have some carpet so they endured the footbath!! (wish someone would give me a footbath*g*) So we brought back some photos--first I caught this Northern Cardinal-

and American Goldfinch

 Then we headed out to photograph the ice--

 Later the sky brightened....

 

 We headed up Timber Creek Rd..one of my favorite walks its about 3 miles round trip a bit much for the girlz but I got caught up in taking lots of photos so they got a chance to rest!

Flickr Ate My Photos 

   

 We had a great walk and they napped after dinner...then I went out again to catch the sunset, because its hard to find open space among the forest...I head to the right of way for a long shot of the sunset and the rising fog on this very cold night!!

  I have more of my twilight sunset shots but will save them for next time. WOW its February already-time is flying~ and daylights a burning~ Hope everyone has a great week!

The First Day of Christmas

On the First Day of Christmas... My true love gave to me... A partridge in a pear tree. 
Or would you settle for a Blue Headed Vireo in a Cyprus tree?

The First Day of Christmas - My 12 Days of Christmas in Art and Photography Project

Postcards from Dixxe!

HOWDY THERE! I was home for one day and then off to dog sit upstate SC for my other sis...so Im writing from there. My sis's dog is quite old and he is not feeling too good so it's a pretty intense regiment of pills and such...but he is resting comfy right now so I am taking some time to update my blog! OH I had such a wonderful trip out west and even tho I was there for a bit longer than 2 weeks it wasnt enough! We took a fantastic road trip once I arrived in Colorado where big sis lives-we took the rental car and put 1800 miles on it! IN A huge circle--and although we didnt follow the entire Grand Circle most of the attractions we did see are in that vicinity. We traveled through some of the most beautiful scenery in the world in my opinion. I simply cant get enough of Canyon Country in Utah--so much magic there in those rocks of many colors. I took so many photos...omg and Im so happy to have those images to keep my memories fresh of what I saw and what I did. Of course Colorado is not half bad either! Check out this magnificent fall color the Aspen trees shared with me before I had to leave! This photo was taken in the area of Greg Mace Peak, not far from Aspen Colorado.

 ANd this was taken inside a slot canyon near Page AriZona-- if you are even in the area I highly suggest taking a tour with Chief Tsosie and his Navajo Guides!..Fantastic spot. The curves and the striations in the rock are fantastic!

   

 you have to see this for yourself!! and you have to see this guy--I dont know what his official name is but he is super fantastic to look at!

   

 And this was a highlight...not just seeing this fantastic arch, but the boat ride thru the Glen Canyon and over Lake Powell to get to this arch--The Rainbow Bridge Natl. Monument--so worth the price--a must see and do!

   

1/2 boat ride to the Rainbow Bridge, so much fun.  They weave in and around the rocks to you us there and sometimes we zoom over open water..

 I know you guys are gonna be sick n tired of me and my trip photos...but I hope You love the landscape as Much as I do!.. And here are a few of the birds I saw--I didnt get a shot of the Pygmy nuthatch a new life bird for me!..but here is the western blue bird, the mountain blue bird, and the western meadowlark

    

I hope to share more of these adventures. 

FLY EYES!

Its been so hot, I haven’t been out with my camera...sweat dripping onto the digital screen is not a good thing! So with the heat comes afternoon and evening showers, this fly found a few drops of rain to drink on the deck planking! It’s funny how with our naked eye (always wondered about that term) we cant see the beauty of the fly! The camera shows all the loveliness about the fly....those wings are amazing too, with that swept back neatly tucked look, this guy must be very attractive to a mate-- I have no clue if this is a male or female! Look at those iridescent colors of the large compound eyes! Image the size of those lenses! How would it feel to have eyes like that? Not like I’m making a wish here…lol but wow—just imagine! Hopefully my modem is going to work now Ive been out of commission for a couple of days-

Artful Marriage

Today I need to get my mind off the real world and just seek out a peaceful place to enjoy my hobbies. This week has been plagued with bad news both for the World and for my family personally..we lost one of our own this week....my sis's dog Jake has passed from an Earthly Journey to a Spiritual One...rest in peace my old friend.. Artistic endeavors are just the answer when Im seeking solace from reality. I have been working on a project that I hope will be finished in the very near future! I had this brain storm idea over a year ago to sort my photographs, edit them to my liking and combine shots I took of junk yard cars with landscapes taken while on my travels...so I've made some progress. It has been so much fun "marrying" the car or truck with the landscape that best suits it... I will make up at least 13 of them and for a calendar-- I HOPE!.. Its been a challenge to find a landscape that matches the month/season it represents which I hadnt even considered...thankfully I have something from every season-- I think! Im a bit short of snow scenes but do have a few that may work.

Jake RIP 

APRIL for calendar project 

AUGUST