Happy Valentine's Day!

Okay, so there is something you should know about me.  I collect stuff.  No, not like "hoarders" kind of stuff, though I am certain that is what the people on "Hoarders" say also...but small, memorable collections of significant items!  Heart rocks, for example, I collect heart-shaped rocks...and sea shells.  And, oh, I love projects!  I am sort of hopelessly hooked on taking on a variety of projects, in fact!  I have a room dedicated to those projects in my home.  Sadly, it is where some of those projects have gone to die!  Basically, what I just admitted to is that I collect projects?!
I am not alone in this addiction of never-ending projects.  I know I am not...pick any person on Pinterest and you will find an assortment of boards entitled "to-do" or "creativity" or "someday" or, my favorite, "when I have the time"!  And within those pin boards there are imaginative photos to take, slipcovers to sew, furniture to stain, crochet patterns to learn, books to read, stories to write, recipes to try (there are lots of those on Pinterest!), rooms to decorate, gardens to plant and parties to plan! 

What we crave, I am convinced, is not only the creative, but the time to dedicate ourselves to creative pursuits.  It makes us feel accomplished, alive and utterly unique!

So, it's Valentine's Day!  Happy day of love to all of you! 

Awhile ago I found a great little art project on a blog I love to stalk,  Deb Schwedhelm.   She is an amazingly creative woman and I am always finding inspiration in her words and in her art.  The first picture in the collage below is hers...a creation she made with her kids.  And, I loved it so much I decided to create my own!
So, every morning, for about a week, while I drank my coffee and watched the morning news programs (and yes, I like a little coffee with my cream!), I sat with scissors and old magazines and began cutting and collecting...letters.  Lots of letters!  At first, it was I-L-O-V-E-Y-O-U...V's being the hardest to find, by the way.  And then, I decided to personalize my collage, with a few of my favorite quotes about love...and then a few special things we say to each other...  It was a LOT of cutting and a lot of sorting!  But kind of fun, like a scavenger hunt!
And then, on an old canvas I already had (a different project!) I began arranging and re-arranging, building a puzzle/collage...and then adhering the letters on with mod podge...line by line, section by section!  I do remember thinking, at one point, that I should've chosen a smaller canvas, but gradually, it filled in!  Then, layers and layers of mod podge...a canvas frame, I ordered online...and, in plenty of time for gift-giving on Valentine's Day...ta-da!!  Completion!!!!  It always feels good to complete a project!  Especially good because I made it for Mike for Valentine's Day...and he really liked it!  No, really, he DID! 
It's hanging in our bathroom now...fits perfectly on the wall over our tub (I think I originally bought that canvas for a project for that wall?!)...and it looks really nice...over my collection of seashells and rocks!

Happy Valentine's Day to all of you!  You are loved!

(Oh, and stay tuned...I have another project completed that I am dying to tell you about...!)

Confession...I've been a photographer for awhile...

I know it's crazy...but I actually shot film for many years!  Remember film?  I still have some in my freezer!  Do you remember the darkroom...not the digital one, but the one that smelled like chemicals and had that ever-present sound of running water?  And Velvia slide film!  Oh, I loved the saturation of Velvia!
Anyway, that's where I began.  In a darkroom, with black and white photography, then onto color slides...which is what these images were, until I scanned them for use in our digital world.  If you ever shot film you may remember being really selective about when to click the shutter, 'cause you only had 24 or maybe 36 images on the roll.  Nowadays it is easy to shoot through a 4 GB card (a couple of hundred images in RAW) without much thought.
One of the most important things I learned, as a film user, was how important is was to be selective about your composition.  Sure, you could crop into a photo to eliminate extraneous elements, but there was no easy "bandaid" for spot healing or "clone stamp" for erasing things you may or may not have even realized were a part of your image.
My style, maybe as a result of trying to eliminate all of the "noise"...became one of simplicity.  I prefer the simplest version of an image, whether it be a sweeping landscape, a personal portrait, or capturing a sense of place...my style usually reflects a sense of simplicity.  It isn't right or wrong, that is certainly not the lesson here, it is, instead, that you have to find your voice, in everything you do.  Make it your own. 



Photo-a-Day! Rusted metal!

As a photographer, I am always looking for cool textures...and color! This old truck had both!

Photo-a-Day! I little business promo today...!

It is getting to be that time of year...Spring (and hopefully warmer weather!) is just around the corner...and SeNioRiTis has surely set in...?! If you are looking for unique, customized graduation announcements, look no further!
I am currently booking mini-shoots for personalized senior graduation announcements!
Give me a call for details! Kris @ 339-4339!

Patterns!

I mentioned, in an earlier post, that my neice and I stopped by that big grove of trees between Pocatello and Boise awhile back...well, here are a couple of the PATTERN images that Gail captured on that windy, cold day!
Thanks Gail! These are great! (p.s. I still think we should visit them at night...?!!)

Photographing Emotions...

We came across this sweet guy while wandering around the other day. It seems he is waiting for his ride (parked outside a mini-mart)! I was going to post it as my photo-a-day, but while editing the picture decided he was perfect for my emotion assignment...
So what emotion does this photo portray...? I choose PATIENCE.

Photo-a-Day! Just monkey business!

Random photo for the day! I am pretty sure that if this little guy, who sits on my desk every day, could talk, he'd be telling me to do something more fun than taxes, right?! That either means that I am getting really desperate to get my taxes done...or going out of my mind imagining the voice of a little stuffed monkey! Either way, I should probably seek professional help!

Photo-a-Day! On being "fully awake"!

I love cats. Even this one, who is kind of our house-bully! (Thanks Allison!) :]

Along with my photography assignment posts, I've decided today that I am going to do my best to present a "photo-a-day"! I need an excuse to set aside my long list of things to do each day (taxes have been on that list for weeks now!) and spend some time thinking creatively!

Sometimes the photo I post will be of projects I am working on, portraits or landscapes and such, or maybe even past projects, and other times, like today, just something random that catches my eye...like, for example, the kitty who is now sitting on my lap listening to me type!

I think it is important, as a photographer, or anyone involved in a creative craft, (whether it's painting, writing, dancing, playing music, or whatever) to do something, even a little thing, every day...to remain "fully awake".

So, in the spirit of being engaged in the present...meet my kitty!

Love these....

I love architectural photos...and these are just really cool!
Tyler and his lovely wife spent the weekend in Boise, while he attended a RMSP weekend workshop. He was able to take a little time to wander with his camera and got these great shots at the Boise Temple.

Finally...!!!

I feel really badly when I don't make the time to complete my own assignments! But finally, I have some photos to post...for the latest assignment...PATTERNS!
When you look for patterns, you really do begin to see them everywhere...in nature: flowers, pine cones, tree branches, and even clouds have patterns formed by the winds!
My niece and I stopped by this grove of trees between home and Boise on Sunday afternoon. You've probably seen them...rows and rows and rows of trees! If it hadn't been so cold and windy that day, we would've spent a lot more time...and we decided it would be fun to come back and wander in the dark...!!!



And then there are man made patterns...these being in my game closet! I kind of like the purposefulness of patterns, orderly patterns as well as RaNdOm ones! Makes me feel like things are under control!

Tread lightly...

One of the best things about photography...well, really, any kind of creative field...is that we all see the world so differently from each other. Case in point, Tyler turned in a great couple of photos for the latest assignment, that of PATTERNS! Tyler "sees" things differently than I, not better, not worse...just differently! It's so fun!!
It would not have occurred to me to photograph my car's tire treads as part of an assignment about Patterns. I don't think it's just that, well, I am a girl...and, even more, I am a girl who doesn't pay much attention to treads or tires...(ask my husband who has to remind me to rotate them or replace them when they look like racing tires!)...but I just don't "see" them! But look at them...they are kind of cool! And what a unique pattern! (Perhaps Part II of Tyler's assignment would be the imprint of this tire in mud?! Kind of a negative version to this positive...?)
Anyway, nice job Tyler! I have to find some time to work on my own assignment...been keeping busy enjoying my daughter's visit home from college...and celebrating my other daughter's birthday...and other fun stuff!
Enjoy!

Assignment!!!

I am certain you are ready for your next creative photography assignment...?

We're going to call this one simply "Patterns". Your assignment, photograph patterns! Patterns exist everywhere...in nature or man-made...macro or in landscapes...physical patterns or metaphorical patterns (oooh, got you thinking now, huh?!).

Keep in mind, these challenges are designed to aid you in your creative thinking...aimed at not only your skills as a photographer, but also your willingness to "look" at things differently...and to translate what you see, and how you want to express it, through the lens of your camera. In order to do that, you should be practicing your previsualization skills as well as familiarizing yourself with the mechanics of your camera.

Think before you shoot! What do you want to show...what should you leave out...is there a better angle to shoot from...how is the light affecting your image...? Lots of questions...and I certainly don't want you to lose the spontaneity that photography can often be...but I do want you to think a little about composition when creating your PATTERN IMAGES!

So...email me your images... heartandsoulimages@cableone.net And, have fun!!!

Moving objects!

So Tyler sat out by the freeway to complete his assignment...?!! I guess I should put a disclaimer here, that I am not responsible for any harm that may come to the participants of these photography assignments, etc., etc....! But thankfully, he wasn't hurt! And he came up with some cool shots of 65 miles an hour speed! That is harder than it looks...?! Good job, anticipating just the right moment to click the shutter!


And then, Tyler looked up!

And this one is my favorite...motion through stillness... Very cool composition!

Thanks Tyler!

Car creeper!

Gail felt like a "car creeper" following alongside these cars...! But what a great combination of frozen motion and blurred movement! Nicely done!

It was a dark and stormy night...

The first of, what is promised to be, many entries in the "motion" assignment...as this one is a fun one to experiment with...! While driving down Highway 1, California's scenic coastal route, in a dark and relentless rainstorm, I distracted myself from being a backseat driver by experimenting with shutter speeds and tail lights! Some very funky results! This one, for example, was about 3 seconds of shutter time, hand holding to allow that jiggled perspective...! I love that you can still differentiate between the sky and the hillside, you can make out the arrows painted on the road, and the leading lines of the lights...! Mostly, it was just fun! And so much better than me worrying about the hydroplaning we were doing on that wet road!
So...email me your own "motion" photo! (heartandsoulimages@cableone.net)

Okay folks, here's your next challenge!

Thanks to those who turned in their "assignments" and those who gave great feedback on them....and now, we are ready for a new challenge, right?! Okay...

Photograph Motion

This is another sort of open-ended, think creatively, use your WiLd imagination kind of assignment...but one in which you will need to particularly pay attention to your shutter speed when composing your image(s). What will your subject be? Do you want to show movement? Do you want to freeze motion? Blur it? All of those decisions are totally up to you, and all should involve some thought as to what you choose your shutter to do...so you must think about your compositon, available light and your final image; what you want it to look like! (Ansel Adams used the word "previsualization" to say that you should see the image in your head, then create it using your tools.)

I can't wait to see what you can come up with...and I am going to do some "previsualizing" myself! Email me your images, as many as you like, heartandsoulimages@cableone.net and look for them here on my blog! Perhaps, if we get enough responses, we'll do a contest with this one?!! Tell your friends!

Yay!!!

I love it when I open my inbox and find fun stuff!!
This submission is from Gail Bolander, a Visual Arts student at Boise State University (Go Broncos!), who happens to be my fabulous niece! How appropriate for a college student, close to mid-terms, to choose the word HOPE!! She, however, does not simply "hope" for good things, but instead is working really hard in school and impresses me consistently with her creativity (I especially like the shadow, Gail!) and diligence!
Thanks Gail!! Love you!
Aunt Kris

more WoRd aRt!

I wish I could say that I was as diligent as Tyler who turned in two more fun pictures for my cREaTiVitY AsSiGNmEnt this weekend!
Instead, I was visiting my Grandma & Aunt in Southern California! I have some lovely beach sunset pictures, which I will post later, and am working on a project about my Grandma and her wonderful friends (speaking of "memories"), but since Tyler was so good about turning in his 'assignments' I thought the least I could do is to post them first! They are so cool!
He says his wife, Vashti, deserves some credit too, as they did it together...and spending time on a playground with your spouse sounds like a very "happy" idea indeed! Thanks Tyler!
(And thanks, everyone, for all the positive Facebook comments and emails about these assignments...looking forward to seeing what you all can do too! *hint*hint*)

iNSpirE!

Okay, so I was feeling pressured that Tyler had already turned in such a cool image...so here is my first attempt at the "Photograph a Word" assignment! Is it still homework when you assign it to yourself?!
Would love to see yours...?!

Is it Spring yet?

It is snowing outside, again, still...and don't get me wrong...I do love the snow...at Christmas-time!!! This is definitely the time of year when I get a little antsy...awaiting Spring!

So, I've decided to challenge myself (and YOU, if you are willing) with some fun, experimental, weekly photography assignments...not just to pass the time while awaiting warmer days, but also to hone my (and your) skills as an artist...as a challenge to visualize things differently, creatively, uniquely. You can participate in these weekly exercises on your own and simply consider my suggestions a little creative push to get you through some of the doldrums of the in-between seasons...or, I would LOVE IT if you would participate actively in these exercises by emailing me your own photos (heartandsoulimages@cableone.net) ...and I will post them generously on my blog! Perhaps we'll even make a contest out of it!!! Prizes anyone?!
Let's have a little fun...!

Are you ready for your first photography assignment???

Okay, this is just a fun one...

Photograph a word!
The parameters...each photo must represent a letter (but never literally a letter!)...and the letters collectively must spell a word (more than 3 letters please, and no profanity!)...no Photoshop (or other software) manipulations...photograph what you SEE! Examples: have you ever noticed how many X's are on a tree? or that some doorknobs are a cool swirly S? That sometimes you see a C in the clouds? Get the picture?!
Choose a word that might tell something about yourself, or your mood, or where you are...choose items that exist naturally (rather than items that you've placed)...think outside of the box...look up or down, look at things differently...BE CREATIVE!!!
So, grab your cameras...you don't need anything fancy for these assignments...just a point and shoot will do...and go see what you can find! I'd love to be able to share your photos so please email me or tag me on Facebook (Heart & Soul Images) with your own interpretations!

My intention is to do a photographic assignment weekly, so check back often...and I'll be announcing prizes soon!!!