Upping Our Game

 

On a recent trip to the beach, I purposely left my DSLR behind. I do it more and more these days as I fall back on knowing that I’ve always got my iPhone. In this instance I was doing a photo shoot, but instead of doing the shooting, I was being shot. I figured taking the camera wasn’t necessary since it wasn’t really the plan for me to shoot.

Did I mention it was right after a storm and it was golden hour?

We get to the beach and it’s gorgeous. Not just any gorgeous. The gorgeous that doesn’t come along every day. And there I was, without my camera. But, I chose not to dwell on that little detail. Instead I was heightened to the experience. To the way the sky was perfectly covered with clouds, like paint on a canvas; each stroke, highlight and shadow placed by the artist’s brush. To the reflection of light and color on the water’s surface. To the cool, moist air blowing in my hair and across my skin. I didn’t want to forget everything I was seeing and feeling. I was photographing it in my mind.

And then I reached for my iPhone. How could I ever do this landscape justice with a mobile phone? Although I love what my iPhone does, I do know that there are limitations. For some reason I doubted that anything I captured in those few minutes could ever rival that of my DSLR or better yet, of my own eyes. But, I was determined to try my best. To capture the light and texture and water and sand. To paint the scene with my camera, as simple and small as it seemed, I took the time, and made the effort to up my game.

I am in love with the dozen or so images I captured that evening. Each one represents a shot I had etched in my mind. Because I could only rely on what I had with me, I used it to the best of its ability. It was intentional and I pushed myself not only to see things more clearly but to document them like that as well.

Are there times when you feel you’ve had to up your game? What was that like for you?

And speaking of upping your game; today we are giving away a spot in my soon-coming class The Art of Composition. All you need to do is leave a comment here on this post before Thursday at midnight EST for your chance to win a complementary registration to the Standard Version of the class, which begins on Jan 3rd. YAY! Winner will be announced on Friday. Good luck!

CONGRATS TO ALISON! SHE WON! Thanks everyone for your comments.

Todays prompt: sky

sunrise sunset

Sifting and sorting through the many images of starts and stops of each day, I was delighted and inspired by how much beauty the sunrise and the sunset offer. But for me, the start of the day that most touches my deepest soul are the sunrises that begin when I see pictures like this one. It's my own personal view of sunrise and it's as refreshing as seeing the first light peek over the highest mountain top.

But, of all the photos taken, of all the various subjects and times of day, my guess is that sunset must be the most photographed experienced to date. I have a feeling the inspiration that will come from the images we share today will be awe-inspiring, whether they are of sunrise or of sunset or both.

Share with us the very start to a day or the very stop...the time when nothing else matters but beauty and all the possibility a heart can hold.

the great outdoors

After five well-deserved, care-free days on a family camping trip, it was too much of a challenge to pick a single image that summed it all up. The great outdoors has so too much to offer; especially when time in this kind of picturesque locale comes only once in a while.

The thing about a trip like this is the simplicity of it all. There's nothing required except the ability to take it all in; one deep breath in and one breathtaking view at a time.

With summer still fresh in our minds (and hearts) my guess is you've got some lovely images in your recent archives you can share today. Or perhaps you're communing with nature as we speak. Whatever the case may be, today we are celebrating the great outdoors. Share your shots with us and tag them #sselevate.

something orange

Hanging in the warm summer sky over an Orange County landscape is the inimitable Orange Balloon of The Great Park. Approaching the large metropolitan park, formerly a Marine Corps Air Station, the balloon is one of the most surreal sights I have ever seen. No matter how many times I visit, I am still delighted by the beauty, enormity, and color of this curious work of whimsical art.

As we continue with our month of elevating the everyday, share with us today a pop of orange that stimulates your senses! Tag your images #sselevate and play along with us.

And because this image is taking the theme of elevate to a whole new level (literally), why not give away another copy of the book Elevate the Everyday. Leave a comment here between now and midnight on Sunday for your chance to win a copy. Marilyn won the last copy. Maybe you'll be next!

On finding your own way

 

In my bio you won’t find the words “I’ve had a camera in my hand since I was a child.” You won’t find the words “I’ve been an artist all my life.”

Because I haven’t.

At school I couldn’t draw or paint or stitch and if you’d asked me three years ago, when I was still working as a stockbroker, I would have told you that I wasn’t creative in the slightest. So when I decided, at the age of 32, to quit my job and go to art school to study photography it was as much of a surprise to me as it was to everyone around me.

But something was calling to me. Quietly at first, and then insistently. I was being drawn towards something that I couldn’t yet understand.

I adored being an art student, but I felt like a fraud. Still, I would try my best and hope for the extraordinary to happen. And happen it did.

One day, while sitting in the library pouring over late 19th century children’s book illustrations and lamenting my lack of ability to produce anything as wonderful, I began to wonder if I could create my own “photo illustrations.” Why couldn’t I use my camera to tell imaginary stories? Stories that had no beginning or end, but just a middle. Just a moment frozen in time, leaving the viewer to put the story in context, to create their own story.

This was the moment my series, “Tales from the Moors Country,” came into being. I took as my starting point the local myths and legends of Northern England and I created a series of silent and still stories that I submitted as my final portfolio piece.

They were all self portraits because I found that I just worked better when there was no one else around. Something I’d been waiting my whole life to share was finding its way to the surface and I couldn’t explain it to anyone else. But, more than that, I didn’t want to share it. It was such an incredible release of energy and I wanted to absorb every second of it.

Although my tutors found the work fascinating, I really think that they didn’t know what to do with me. No one could give me any advice on what to do with my work beyond suggesting I might try fashion photography, which was not an avenue I felt confident pursuing.

So I just started selling prints of my work at a local artists market. And then I added a line of greetings cards. Uplifted by the joy of seeing people respond to my work, I gained confidence and approached some local galleries. Then I tried entering some juried shows. And now, before I really know how it happened, I am a self portrait photographer.

That’s not something that any school careers counsellor would have recommended and it’s not something I could have chosen for myself when I quit my financial services career. It’s one of those magical things that happens when you just let go and allow the story to have an ending you didn’t envision.

So believe in happy endings. Believe in magic. Believe in hard work, dedication and the delicious joy of finding that thing you can’t not do. Believe in your dream. Because If a hopeless “non-creative” like me can find her own way, then I promise you, so can you.

Let's all share images today that remind us to believe in all these things and more....

Words and images courtesy of special guest Nicola Taylor. She can be found at www.nicolataylorphotographer.com, on Facebook, and on Twitter as @ZennicPhoto