Love Thursday Featured Fotographer: Kristal

 "Heart," by Kristal.

I was looking through the Shutter Sisters Flickr pool for an image to feature in today's Love Thursday post, but when I got to this one, I stopped cold.  I mean, seriously, for the Thursday after Independence Day here in the United States, could there possibly be a more perfect image?

And lest you think this image was a fluke, one quick glance at Kristal's Flickrstream will convince you it isn't.  She's a fabulous photographer.  Be sure to check out her blog, as well.

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Happy Love Thursday, folks.  Don't forget to leave your links to your images of love in the comments below.  And may you create your own fireworks today. 

Beyond the Bloom

I love a garden in full bloom as much as the next photographer and yet I find myself equally compelled to capture the phases of plant life that are less about the obvious grandeur and more about the subtleties of growth and change; the various stages that celebrate the entire journey of life, from beginning to end.

Flowers in full bloom boast and brag through vibrant color and a round and robust shape, but as they wane they often leave behind curious shapes and textures. Petals soften and slowly let go. Colors change and fade as mysterious curves, curls and creases begin to appear altering the plant into something that can be even more captivating, more poetic than before.

And as flowers in their heyday boldly declare their magnificence to the world, the shrinking bloom speaks in a whisper, to only those that will listen, revealing it’s secret that the muted and understated offer an unmatched and inimitable beauty that deserves to be recognized and held in reverie.

Have you had the privilege of capturing a part of life (of a flower or otherwise) that might have normally been missed if it hadn’t been seen by your lens? Something perhaps less than perfect that murmurs softly of the unseen, proving that the delight of life can indeed be found in the journey. Do share it with us.

"mistakes"

Do you ever feel like your images are not the ones you'd envisioned? For me, they're usually better or worse. And it makes me think about the idea of expectation. We can plan out our lives and photographs, but things never play out exactly the way we think they will. I don't delete the planned photographs more than the lucky mistakes. But if they don't "turn out", there seems to be more dissapointment associated. When you step in to arrange things, you're more attached to the results. But lately, I like the "mistakes" most. They're like little glimpses of the parts I didn't know, or didn't see. And that's more exciting than what I was expecting. Do you have any lucky mistakes to share? We'd love to see them!  

the nova scotia quilting mafia

...and my mother? She’s the godfather. Teacher, retreat organizer, gallery star, historian, ball-busting unionized steveodore complete with warm-from-the-oven rhubarb swirl cake. All that and she’ll whip up a mobile in a weekend, ‘just a little something’ (or at least littler than a handpieced, handquilted 20-year warmth-giving work of art), and there it hangs at our front door, swinging and spinning with every arrival or screendoor breeze.

I know, I’m bragging. But she’s my mom. And she loves polka dots. And stripes. And she points to the little one all by himself at the very bottom, the blue one, and says that one’s for Liam, you see, there are his stars. I got the fabric from an old pair of flannel boxer shorts from Frenchy’s.

Memory box shmemory box. This is love, right now, that of a grandmother.

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This week, I’d love to see your creative shots of creativity—funky weekend projects, canvases, fabric creations, sketches, cakes—yours, or someone else’s. Tell us about it—where did the idea come from? Did it turn out as you’d hoped? Nothing against utilitarian snapshots, but can you capture it with the verve it deserves?

'Cause the more we see each other retreating to create art that’s not needed but wanted, the more likely we’re apt to postpone vaccuming that can wait. And that, my friends, is time finely spent.

Sunday School: Shooting From the Hip

When I got my first digital SLR a little over a year ago, I did something kind of sily.  I called Nikon's technical assistance and asked the gentleman how to get my LCD screen to display the digital viewfinder.  I had been using a digial point-and-shoot  for over 5 years and had forgotten how to take photos looking through that tiny little peephole.  I can't tell you how embarrassed I was when the Nikon techie gently broke the news to me that as far as he knew, there was no digital SLR that had this feature*.  I was crestfallen.  To be unable to take photos from all kinds of crazy angles and perspectives and still be able to see what I was capturing before I clicked on the shutter?  I thought my photog days were surely over.

Well, I did get used to putting my eyeball to the peephole like the good old days with my film SLR but I still toyed with the idea of getting one of these really expensive puppies.  I'm glad I didn't, though, because I soon learned the joys of what folks call Shooting From the Hip.  That's when you shoot photos without looking through the viewfinder or composing the shot on the LCD.  I personally don't consider it shooting blind, however, and it's not the same as Just Shoot It when you click click click that shutter button without aiming or thinking. 

Shooting From the Hip is a skill that takes patience and practice.  You have to try it a LOT to learn how to angle the camera to aim it at what you actually want to shoot.  The more you try it, however, the easier it will get, and you'll love the freedom of being able to shoot without always having an eyeball glued to the tiny viewfinder or constantly looking down at the LCD.

One tip I have for Shooting More Accurately From the Hip is to use the focus-lock feature that most cameras have.  You can focus on what you want to shoot while looking through the viewfinder and then keeping the focus locked on it, reposition the camera and shoot.  In the photo above, I locked the focus on the pizza through the viewfinder, and then I positioned the camera at my chest level and pressed the shutter.  Another tip is to use the autofocus assist light (if your camera has one) to give you an idea of where your camera is pinpointing.  That should give you a clue as to whether you're aiming the camera at what you actually want to focus on. 

Whether your viewfinder is a tiny peephole or a digital LCD that twists and turns and does somersaults, Shooting From the Hip may become one of your favorite pastimes.  No matter how good your aim is, you never know exactly what you'll get, and THAT is the fun part.

Ready?  Aim.  Shoot!  And don't forget to share your Shooting From the Hip images and tips.

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*Edited to Add:  Actually, there are now dSLRs that come with a live view LCD.  Thanks to Laura of Dolce Pics for the heads up!