Good Morning! Getting an early start… there’s so much to fit in today, some of the usual holiday activities… and some not so traditional like catching my son’s very first 8k Turkey Trot this morning; I do love when a new tradition starts. Then there’s some cooking, the family gathering, and of course the big finish, the turkey dinner. It’s quiet now, a good time to reflect on all that I am thankful for… which is so very much! I truly am blessed for everything and everyone in my life.
It’s National Color Day! Actually, I had no idea, just stumbled across that one. But I love color and who doesn’t like an excuse to celebrate. Maybe a coincidence, but I also came across a new publication coming out by Stampington & Company, The Coloring Studio! Apparently coloring books for adults is growing in popularity. I’ll admit, I didn’t quite get it when my daughter picked up a couple coloring books a little while back…
But after spending an chilly afternoon with my 4-year-old nephew & tween-niece coloring (can you guess which one is mine), I think maybe they’re actually onto something here.
And so to celebrate National Color Day, what the heck, I ordered my very own coloring book … The Coloring Studio 🙂
Image from The Coloring Studio
Wait! I almost forgot, while we’re on the subject of color, I also came across this post from SLR Lounge on Color Theory and photography. I keep a color wheel handy. It can really help from choosing a texture to changing a hue… another handy tool to add to your photographic toolbox.
Change is in the air… Time to get while the getting is still good.
It’s been blustery and cold here today and I’m guessing there are only a few more days, maybe a week or so (she says optimistically), of the beautiful fall color we had this year. Here’s a few more of my favorite fall finds
I’m not the only one that loves fall around here
and you just never know what you might find . . . with a little imagination 😉
… or so some may have thought at one time. So how does someone who has grown up in technicolor and who stops in their tracks for bright bold color . . .
a splash of color on a rainy day
learn to see in Black & White?
I love B&W photography and there are photographers whose B&W images will stop me just as hard, both from the past when that was the only option to the present and B&W photography like that by Cole Thompson. A powerful or even serene black and white image does not need color to draw you in or set the mood. This is all accomplished using shapes & elements, contrast, composition and, of course, light. But even though I know of these key points, seeing them, for me, in B&W can be a challenge.
So I’ve recently gone back to the proverbial drawing board… again. Rewind about five years ago, I took a B&W film photography course (wow, that was five years ago already!) and even then, according to my post at that time, I struggled a bit. So, I guess it’s not surprising that I quickly gravitate back to all things color. However, like Jenny here,
one of my first film subjects
who has hung in there, now at 14, so have I… and every now and then I give it another go… exploring my world in B&W. Learning is in doing…
Finally… catching my breath. The last month or two have been such whirlwind… not in a bad way… more like a summer carnival ride that leaves you dizzy kind of way. I knew I needed to take advantage of the family’s annual end of summer “retreat” this past Labor Day to reconnect with my camera and shooting the nature that I love.
And it really turned out to be just the jump start that I needed. Since then, my head has been spinning with ideas and with fall right around the corner (my favorite time of year… notice the hint of it in the photo above ♥), this rejuvination could not have come at a better time.
Do you have a photo “bucket-list”? Well, mine I have to admit is pretty long and getting longer. I have now added light painting to that list. In anticipation of our guest speaker, Harold Ross http://haroldrossfineart.wordpress.com, at last night’s photo club meeting, I tried this thing called light painting on my Labor Day “retreat.” It is an amazing and fun technique…who knew photographing in the dark could be so much fun. In all the hectic craziness, I completely forgot to do some research prior to the weekend, so all I really knew is that I needed a longer exposure and a flashlight. I was pretty surprised with this very rudimentary outcome (with just a tweak of the exposure & noise reduction in LR). What really struck me most about using this technique is how it makes colors pop. Like in the tree trunk above; I’ve photographed this tree many times before during daylight hours, but I don’t ever remember seeing those variations and that color in the trunk quite like that. For more examples on how color pops with light painting, check out Harold Ross’ blog. So after learning a few tips last night, I plan to practice in preparation of a club meet up and Lunar stroll at Laurel Hill, a historic cemetery in Philadelphia, later this month. Nothing like hanging out in a cemetery on a moonlit night with fall in the air to get you in the mood for Halloween. Oh, the seasons…
something here.
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