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...?!

LOVE!

Thanks Tyler, for answering the challenge...and so quickly!!! I haven't even done my own assignment yet, but now you've inspired me to go out and shoot!!! Fun pictures! And how appropriate a word for Tyler, as he is married to one of my favorite people!
Stay tuned...more images to come! And please, take me up on the challenge...create and share your own images (email them to me @ heartandsoulimages@cableone.net)!! Get inspired!

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!!!

Happy Birthday Grandma!

So, I don't really "do" resolutions, persay. I am not a pessimist by nature but somehow I see resolutions as doomed to fail! However, I did make a promise to myself in the recent past to make family, both my own immediate family, as well as extended and "long lost" family a priority.

In keeping with that spirit, I recently had the pleasure of reconnecting with a few of my relatives in that "long lost" category...my aunt (who, just by seeing the resemblances, reassured me that I will, in fact, age quite beautifully), my cousin (whom I haven't seen since we were kids) and my Grandma (who is a joy)...all on the occasion of her 90th birthday.

My daughter and I only got to stay for a few days but...the warmth was certainly a welcome change for us, the sunset "pink moment" in the valley was remarkable, the beach was lovely...and the opportunity to spend time with my family, well, as the commercial says, it was priceless. My intention is to return, soon and often...and my wish for everyone is that you never forget where you came from, appreciate your past and love the people who were always there for you. Oh, and laugh a lot! :)

Engaged!

These two braved the bitter cold for a fun engagement session! You can't even tell their teeth were chattering! They were eager to snuggle into each other...to stay warm, of course! Thanks T & S!

Okay, so here are a few more images, and information, from our lovely trip to North Caicos Island, part of the British colony nation of Turks & Caicos.

We stayed in a great little condo (http://www.hollywoodbeachsuites.com/) right on the beach on the north side of the island in an area known as Whitby. The condos were a perfect home base, with virtually everything you could ever need to feel at home. From there, we ventured out every day, on bikes (every condo comes with two!) or our rented Jeep, to explore the islands of North and Middle Caicos!



We fixed our own meals on most days, but also discovered a nice little hideaway called the Silver Palms where Karen fixed us a really great spiny lobster dinner! (www.oceanbeach.tc/northcaicos/restaurant-bar/silverpalm.htm) On another evening the manager or our condo unit, Alveda, prepared for us a local specialty, a yummy conch dinner with beans and rice! And during our travels to the island of Middle Caicos, a bumpy drive over the causeway, we had a great, and entertaining, meal with the owner of Daniel's Cafe. (www.middlecaicos.biz/daniels-cafe.htm) Daniel, and his son Devon, proved to be very gracious and a lot of fun!



Let me just say, I could, and might, do a whole book of sky scenes...




There aren't a lot of mammals on the island...other than humans, there are plenty of dogs (and a great non-profit organization working to find homes for some of the many strays on the island...http://www.potcakefoundation.com/) and we saw a few cats...and then there are lizards, little geckos everywhere...and crabs tucked into every hole in the brown sugary sand...and a variety of birds...flamingos and herons and pelicans and sandpipers among others.



And there are the people, who are humble and kind and helpful and really lovely...including my new friend Aaron! They live simple, but hard, lives on the island...with a great deal of pride about their culture, their spiritual beliefs and their families.

It was a really lovely trip to a very remote part of the world. I highly recommend it for your own "Bucket List" if you love adventure, sunshine and absolutely stunning skies! I can't wait to go back!

How I spent my winter vacation!

Remember those essays we all had to write at one point or another in grade school…"what I did for summer vacation” or something along that line…? There was always some kind of fabulous adventure to write about…a new bike, a new best friend, a trip to see the grandparents in Chicago, a trip out west to see the Oregon coast for the first time (I grew up landlocked in the Midwest).

It is only now, more than a few years after grade school, that I know…I never really did anything that spectacular during those vacations, though it was surely spectacular to me at the time…never really saw anything that unique…and I know this now because I got to experience a truly spectacular, wonderfully unique place…the island of North Caicos.

I will write about it a little more, in a later post, but here is a visual preview of my “how I spent my winter vacation” essay!

It was a very cold and very windy day...

...no wonder the hardest part of this shoot was to get this beautiful, energetic family to stand still! We thoroughly enjoyed this family shoot...it is always great to see families who love and appreciate each other! And who don't mind a little fun!

Merry Christmas to everyone! Enjoy your families!

New gallery!

I have finally added a very small sampling of my nature portfolio to my webpage! www.heartandsoulimages.net I will be adding more after the holidays, along with pricing information for limited edition prints and fine art cards, but for now, just a teaser!

Happy Holidays!

"Oh my, how you've grown!"

...that is something my Grandma said all of the time...and now I find myself saying it!
Have you ever noticed that everyone else's children seem to grow up faster than your own...? Especially true of kids you don't get to see every day...they seem to age really quickly...certainly quicker than I do!? These young ladies are no exception...I haven't seen them in nearly a year and they are growing up right before our eyes! Such beauties and so much fun!

A really great family we always enjoy visiting with! Oh, and how cute is their new puppy?!

Paul

I enjoy teenagers! I really do! And this particular teenager is certainly no exception. He was a bit reluctant at first, as all boys are, but once we got into the shoot he seemed to actually enjoy it! A fun guy, with a lot going for him. Thanks Paul, and mom, for a fun afternoon!