Returning to the notion of discovering ‘the sacred in the ordinary’ I mentioned in an earlier post. I think one of the things that really excites me is the re-imagining of familiar objects or realizing the beauty of things you see often.

This photo of the horse and rider was taken near the office I worked in for 10 years - I went past it every day and although I have always liked it, I realized I had never really looked at it before, let alone photographed it, or payed attention to the  relationship with its immediate environment including the tree and the building.

This photo was taken on the lunch time photo shoot  I did with my colleague who brought her DLSR for me to experiment with. As we were heading back I stopped at the fish stall in the market to buy supper and took this picture of these beautiful Scallops - again not a subject I had previously considered.

My third example is of footprints in the sand  which I took last summer - something you see often if you spend much time on the beach but fascinating in terms of form and texture. 

Photographing something different was a bit of a challenge - after all I already take copious photos of nature, buildings, street scenes, art etc - what was left? The two things that sprang to mind were wildlife and portraits. I discounted the first, as until I get my new camera I can’t really get photos of anything except at fairly close range, and decided on the latter. Next problem how to find someone to pose, I somehow didn’t think my husband or son (home from uni for the weekend) were likely to be willing guineapigs.

Fortunately yesterday was a non-working day for me and I had invited a friend to lunch. I managed to persuade her to have her photo taken. After initial reluctance she really got into it and was so pleased with some of the results that she is planning to send a few to her daughter who is currently working in South Africa - she also very kindly said I could post some of them on the blog.

We started off with her posing, albeit in a relaxed fashion over a glass of wine, at the kitchen table - this clearly wasn't going too work too well - see below!

although in many ways this is an attractive photo - I don't really feel any connection with my friend's personality

So I decided to continue chatting and snapping and eventually she seemed able to ignore the camera as I walked round her to get shots at different angles - we were both pleased with the results and then spent some time processing them.

 I would be really interested in having your feedback re which version of this shot works best!

When it was time for her to leave we walked back to her car  (we can’t bring cars to the house at present in case they get stuck in the snow) and took  some outdoor shots. Again I tried the ‘chatting and snapping technique’ and am pleased with the results

Again I'd really love to know which one you prefer!

I've really enjoyed this assignment and experimenting a bit more with photoshop - I also can't wait to find more willing subjects for portraits!

Our plans for going further afield to look at an art gallery this weekend were scuppered by a weather forecast of heavy snow for Saturday afternoon, so we ended up going to our local town where a commercial art gallery had just opened in the new shopping centre. Newly opened, they were offering glasses of sparkling wine and I not really sure if this enhanced my critical faculties! 

The gallery was showing pictures from a number of artists and I guess I could describe my response to them in  categories - ones I loved and would have bought had I had £xK spare; those I liked but wouldn’t necessarily want to own; Those I could see the appeal of but really weren’t my cup of tea and those I downright disliked.

I will focus on the first and last category. I think what those I disliked had in common was that I found it impossible to feel any kind of emotional connection to them. The first ones were a set of boats and reflections (I normally like pictures of boats) but they didn’t speak of the sea at all - was not at all surprised to discover that the artist grew up in the land-locked Midlands! 

The second was a picture of a woman who I later discover was supposed to be a bride coming down a grand staircase. Everything was depressing about this picture the colours, the expression on the bride’ s face - she really didn’t look like she wanted to be there - the grand surroundings. I was astonished to discover that this artist’s paintings of brides were best sellers in the gallery. For me what the brides and the boats had in common was that they were joyless.

The two artists whose work I especially liked were Danielle O’Connor Akiyama and Nakisa Seiko. What I love about both these artists was their use of colour bright and glorious! Danielle’s picture was more abstract and Nakisas featured minimalist skeletal trees against brilliant deep blue skies. Both were modern, striking pictures which drew you in and made you feel connected and excited to be looking at them,  both also had a Japanese influence. 

NB this not taken with my camera but with a digital SLR I was lent during the week

Interestingly the third artist whose pictures would have I considered buying was very different. The artist was Henderson Cisc his pictures are of city streets notably NYC and London. What I liked about his work was the sense of urgency and movement the color which drew you into you into busy life of the city.

In thinking of what this means for my own pictures I can see elements of all three artists  in my love of colour, structure and/or abstract, my preference for the unconventional and need for emotional engagement in what I am doing. I have also realized that I don’t much like complete realism ( at least in paintings) but much prefer an impressionistic view.

Never having been taught anything about photography either formally or informally (or even read anything) prior to this course, I don’t really feel that I subscribe to any rules - I did, however, connect to Kate’s comment about art v reportage. I think that sometimes you want to capture a record of what you actually saw and other times your main driver is the desire to create a beautiful picture - this operates even when taking holiday snaps. 

 There is an ethical issue in here to explore in my view. For example if I buy a calendar of a place I know well or plan to visit  I want that calendar to represent reality, I want to be able to find the places in the pictures. I can cope with the elimination of the odd pylon  but I want to be able to recognize the location in the picture. For example I recently had a conversation with someone who had amalgamated two sections of a Northumberland beach moving huge boulders from one location to another - you could never find that place in real life! Maybe its something about transparency, being clear about what is represented here. 

It’s also about capturing the emotion of the moment - the sunsets on my blog haven’t been photoshopped and I would feel much less attached to them if they had, as they are more to me than a great picture; they represent the precious memory of a beautiful evening with one of the most stunning sunsets I have ever seen.

That said if the enhancement doesn’t interfere with the integrity of the picture I think its fine!  in this example I took a photo of an unusual variety of potato at our local potato day - the first picture is a I took it, the second has benefited from an instant fix and  the application of a vignette - in this case I don’t feel the integrity of the picture, whose main aim was to display the vivid colour of the potato, has been compromised. As although the colour on the second picture is slightly different it is not more vivid than the original.

On Monday I had to go to London for a meeting ( for the day job) and found I had a little time to spare on the walk between Charing Cross station and Cockspur St where I was headed. The walk itself was very short and took me across Trafalgar Square where I decided to look for inspiration. When I got home I decided to spend some time experimenting with processing - see the results below!

First of all a non processed picture (I'm not counting auto enhance which I usually try but don't always keep) featuring a giant orange which was suspended by a crane and appeared to be  advertising an orange drink - it looked a lot better when you couldn't see the crane - like a huge orange sun!

I then moved on to the Fourth Plinth (it doesn't have a permanent inhabitant, rather a changing installation) which currently has a giant ship in a bottle on top of it  - I tried taking it from a number of different angles but I think these were the best - I have also included info from and about the artist.

On my way back to the station in the afternoon I was struck by the view of these classic buildings with the millennium wheel poking over the top - when I got home I decided to process it using an antique finish - I rather like the result as it looks like an old photo initially and then you are taken by surprise when you notice the wheel!

Finally I took a picture of St Martin in the Fields filtered through a tree and am including the non- processed colour picture as well as the one processed for contrast & sharpness and turned black & white - I would be interested in feedback re which one you like best.

Review the photos in your inspiration file and look for connections - sounds easy enough but for some reason I have found it quite difficult, perhaps because of the diversity of photos I find inspiring. Eventually I began to find some common themes: lots of nature especially sea and plants / flowers bright colours and variegated textures and in terms of composition often something in the foreground. Many of the shots are focusing on small details of the scene

First of all I compared three beach pics the first two were taken on the same beach on the Isle of Wight, the third at Bamburgh in Northumberland.

I think what they have in common is water (obviously!) big skies with cloudscapes which I love, and plenty of texture both from the clouds and the sand and rock pools. The colours in all of them are striking too. I was brought up by the sea on the Isle of Wight ( this very beach in fact) and I didn't realise how much I missed the light and space and the big skies until we started going there regularly again when my son was small.

Moving on to texture and detail I have chosen three contrasting pictures but with a common core focusing on the small details. The first one was also taken at Bamburgh

the second is part of a kind of bench / installation in a designated wild flower meadow

and this third one is again an image from my garden

I love the textures and the colours in these three pictures the frosty leaves, the rich colour on the bench blending in with the pine cone and the 3D effect of the footprints in the sand.

Focusing on composition I am posting three examples where I have composed the picture with a tree or plant in the foreground. Since starting this course I have realised that for the most part I am a 'happy snapper' and haven't focused enough attention on the composition of my pictures. These are three where I have given it a go, all taken whilst on holiday in Sicily last summer.

My favourite of these is the waterfall picture where I have, (entirely by accident) ,managed a sharp foreground and blurred background which I think suits the subject well.

Have just realised that I take different pictures while on holiday as am trying to 'capture the moment' whereas at home I am often trying to see the 'sacred in the ordinary' and focus in on small details of everyday life.

When I looked at my inspiration folder I noticed  that  in the majority of my photographs the subject was some aspect of nature, often just a small detail. I think that one reason for this is that I haven't got a great camera (roll on my birthday) so that pictures I take of buildings or more panoramic views  often don't come out very well ( this may not be the only reason of course). Bearing that in mind, I decided to go on a photoshoot in my garden.

This presented a number of challenges as the sunlight was very bright and my camera doesn't have a view-finder, only an LCD display, and I was shooting 'blind' a lot of the time. Also I was trying to take photos from different angles above, below, through etc which was also challenging in terms of knowing what I had actually taken. I was rather surprised to find myself in one of the Hellebore pictures below, although I think the pink in my hair blends in quite well with the colours on the plant!

When I arrived at the processing stage I had fun playing with these photo's of a Hellebore taken from above and below, with and without the photographer!

In this third one I was trying to hold the camera under the plant without lying down on the freezing soil.

What I most enjoyed about the photo shoot was searching for details to wonder at in the winter garden. I particularly liked the diversity of colours and textures in this section of the frozen pond.

similarly I was drawn to this tangle of dogwood and corkscrew hazel because of the richness of the textures, shapes and colours.

Its been a while since I posted - blame Christmas ! its been fun but hectic with limited time for art and photography. I did manage to complete the third Magical Myth Making Lesson -  Mermaids which I found quite fun as it used some new techniques.

Last Sunday saw the start of Lifebook  and I have completed the first assignment and posted it to the group page, however the more I thought about it the more I didn't like it very much so I have had another go at my goddess - results below.

Today marked the start of Kat Sloma's Find your Eye course. This requires that I start keeping a photo journal and I have decide to use this blog for that purpose - this means that some entries will be solely focused on photography and the course. However I think that is OK as it is in keeping with my aim of documenting my creative journey.

I wish everyone reading this page a happy healthy and peaceful new year.

The new Exploring with a Camera theme is holiday lights which I covered to some extent in a past post. However I did visit the Winchester Christmas Market last week and took a few photos on the way there and back. the christmas market is right in the cathedral close and has a great atmosphere. I really like the christmas lights in Winchester which are all white and look lovely when seen from the top of the hill.

I might try some more on this theme when we have our own decorations up, but that won't be for at least another week!

I had to go to a meeting in London on Wednesday and took the opportunity to try out the  camera on my new phone. I took a couple of general views of the street and then some of store window displays.

 The puppets, sleigh and swans are from Liberty's,  my all time favourite store. If you are in London and haven't been there go and see it  - an arts and craft building full of gorgeous things (most of which I can't afford but looking is free!).

I honestly can't remember which shop the model with the the baubles was in - more interested in composing the photo than noticing who the window belonged to!

Just got back from a fab weekend on the Isle of Wight. The weather today was absolutely stunning for November. While I was out and about I managed to take a couple more photos's showing  opposing lines which I am posting below.

Those two were taken yesterday  when the weather wasn't quite as good. But today we went for a walk up on to Headon Warren with its stunning views of the Needles rocks.  My interest was caught by a number of huge toadstools which I would normally associate with woodland rather than coastal heathland. I am adding a couple here and also some to the autumn photo set.

At the weekend I headed  over to Kat Eye Studio to check out the latest challenge. The new theme is 'opposing lines' which are interesting but harder to find than 'found texture' particularly when the sun is in short supply. As it happens I was in East London on Friday visiting the Westfield shopping centre which overlooks the new Olympic stadium.  I took a couple of pictures while I was there that I felt demonstrated the opposing line theme  ( below) is that lucky or what!

I have to say the shoppping centre was a bit of a disappointment - lots of shops but 'same old same old' I guess no young creative businessess can afford the rent!

The next set of pictures were taken on holiday in Sicily in June and are the result of my trawl though this years photos trying to discover somthing that would fit the theme.

I got my new workspace sorted out and am really pleased with it. One real bonus is that I can follow lessons on the computer and paint at the same time without being too worrried about getting paint on the screen! This week I have been concentrating on painting rather than photography creating my goddess on the Willowing course. I am having a lot of fun with it, which has surprised me as I really didn't think figures was my thing, never mind faces! It also seems to be going a lot better than I expected and I am learning lots of new techniques - still time to mess it up though!

I have decided to concentrate this year on trying out as many different styles and techniques as possible, even if they don't initially appeal to me, in the hope that  I will be able to take what fits best with me from all of these ideas and create a style of my own.

New workspace with embronic goddess!

I have also added a couple of new photos to the autumn 2011 collection - do take a peak.

Well it's been as busy week in lots of ways. First of all I signed up for two new courses starting in the New Year. Initially I signed up for Willowing's Life Book course which lasts all year. It seems like a great way to celebrate my 60th year with lots of creative stuff. Then I signed up for Kat's Eye View intoductory photography course 'Find your Eye'. I think this will be more within my comfort zone as I am a lot more confident with the camera, but time will tell!

One of the really good things about Life Book is that you get an extra class included that you can start straight away so I am taking Magical Mythical Makings. Not really quite my thing in some ways but excellent teaching and lots of new ideas and techniques. In particular I have been introduced to water soluble crayons which I had never even heard of and which are just fab!

Also this weekend I have been rearranging our study / spare bedroom to become more of an art / craft space. I found my Dad's old desktop easel in the attic, which was really good as he died around 15 years ago and I wasn't sure if I still had it, and rearranged the desk and filing cabinets to make space for a small art table (IKEA here I come!) There isn't as much room as I would like but hopfully I can make the space work for me.

The absolutely best thing to happen this week, however, is that my son passed his driving test - Yeah!

Finally I am just going to add a couple of photos from last weeks beach trip as I think they are rather fun.

Last week I found a fab new website belonging to Kat Sloma in it she has a page dedicated to 'exploring with a camera' and suggests different themes around every two weeks. You can then link you pictures to her website. (I am going to try this but given my current lack of success with importing badges I'm not overly optimistic!)

The current them is "Found Texture" and I had a fab weekend on the beautiful Isle of Wight going for walks with my camera. I honestly thought I was quite good at noticing stuff and finding the 'sacred in the ordinary', but I was amazed at how much I noticed that I wouldn't have done before.

I have put the picture in the 'Textures Album' which can be found on the right sidebar of this blog, but can't resist sticking a couple of my favourites right here in the text. These are all from the beach and as you can see the weather was fantastic for October in the UK.

Hope you like them enough to have a look at the others in the album!

Today is the last day of Amelia Critchlow's experimental art e-course. I have had such a great time doing it over the last 6 weeks! I couldn't have started from a much lower base, ie thrown out of art classes aged 12, but I have so enjoyed myself and been amazed at what I have managed to produce.

My favourite bit was learning to use acrylics - so much more fun than water colours - particularly when you use your fingers or sponges or virtually anything you can lay your hands on to apply the paint!In this one I used cinamon sticks and stuck them on the picture at the end! It was also great having the Flickr group for feedback, from Amelia and course members. I feel I have learned such a lot.

Have been trying to add the Experimental Art badge to my blog but for some reason its not working - will keep trying. I would really like to personalise the blog design but haven't worked out how to do this yet. Maybe for now it's enough to have got the blog up and running!

Hi, my motivation for beginning this blog is that in 2012 I will hit 60, so maybe this is a good time to pause and reflect!

I'm not ready to give up the day job just yet, but I feel I need to begin to plan for a different kind of a life in the future. One thing that struck me was that I would need to find different outlets for my creativity. I use a great deal of creativity in my work as I develop projects and organise and run events amongst other things. I like to innovate and be at the cutting edge.

 
Question: how to engage with my creativity in retirement?
Answer: begin a journey to find my creative core now!