Talk about the weather

Hi ya'll. Well I have not been posting much lately because this is an art blog and I have not been artsy. I have been working in my novel mostly and I am not ready to share any of that yet. So what to share? What to share?

OK. When people don't have anything to talk about, they talk about the weather. So how 'bout some pictures of weather? In the Seattle area we have had freakish snow and flooding. Here's a few recent pix.

This is Snoqualmie Falls which is usually about 1/4 this wide and never this murky looking. The power of the water was amazing. If you were anywhere near it, you got soaked from spray. I had to cover my camera in plastic - shoot - and run!

Speaking of spray, this is a picture of a tree quite a ways away from the water. It was not a rainy day, but all the trees were dripping like a rain forest. It was actually my favorite part of the scenery.

See the mist? Hard to judge scale in this pic but the water is a long ways down there and I was getting soaked. I loved it. I'm weird like that. I love rain, storms and fog. Especially fog.

This was the first day of the snow. We ended up with well over a foot. Several people had 2 feet. This is really really rare for around here. We were stranded in our house for one week. There was no way to get around. Seattle is very hilly and it was a sheet of ice. Pretty and icky.

Hope you are staying cozy wherever you are.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you have a blessed Thanksgiving with those you love.

Photos copyright Lisa Whipkey, Kamera Kat Studio

Pretties from the Past

As I mentioned in previous posts, I love Fall. I am usually out there in the midst of it with camera in hand snapping pictures of leaves like I have never seen them before. But this year, I have not had one single day of Fall photography frolicking. Too busy, too tired, too sick (had e-coli). So, I will just have to settle for some pix from previous seasons for now...

I Was A Poet and Didn't Know It

Well, maybe I'm a poet - maybe not... the jury is still out, but I try on my poetic hat on occassion. There is a new magazine called Life Images by Somerset that is part of the family of artsy publications by Stampington and Company. It features 99% reader submitted content. They are looking for emotive photos with accompanying poetry, short stories or journalling. I decided to give it a try.

Now I know that not all poetry has to rhyme and that there are certain patterns (meter) or stanzaic rules I probably did not follow, but I had fun. Here's what I have submitted so far:

Sweet lonely child of stone and moss;
Anyone can sense your loss.
Your broken wing, your broken heart;
The sense of mourning you impart.
You guard a grave so small & deep;
As the shepherd guards His sheep.
Now safely in His loving care;
The soul you guard’s no longer there.
~Lisa Whipkey

Lines connecting - intersecting.
Yet divided - still two sided.
Parallel and paradigm,
As evening is to morn in time.
~Lisa Whipkey

So just what are the various forms of proper poetry anyway? Good new for me... there are LOTS, so my style is sure to be covered in there somewhere. AND more good news... puctuation rules are out the window when it comes to poetry. It's true. It is up to the writers discression whether to use a period, comma, semi-colon, dash or no punctuation at all. The one consideration is that poetry should be written with recitation in mind, so if you want the reader to pause, you better punctuate accordingly. This site illustrates how "Every poem you write has the possibility of being a new poem with the addition (or deletion) of just a few punctuation marks." which is kinda fun to play with.

While doing a quick research on writing poetry, I found this fun exercise that got my poetic juices flowing. In the end you end up with a poem written in the "Constructivist " form.

1. On the first line write a noun of your choice


2. On the second line write two adjectives joined by "and" to describe this noun


3. On the third line write a verb and an adverb to describe this noun in action


4. Start the fourth line with "like" or as followed by a comparison


5. Start the final line with "if only" followed by a wish

Rose
Gentle and Soft
Smelling Sweetly
like a baby's breath
If only your thorns were as endearing

Give it a try! It's pretty fun and kind of addiciting.

Learn Photoshop for Free

Hello, Photoshop CS or Elements & Lightroom are pretty much industry standard software for working with photos these days. If you are a digital photo pro or graphics person, scrapbooker, etc. you pretty much have to know PS or an equivelent (which in my opinion, there are none, but that is only because I know PS best).

There are classes offered at any self respecting art or vocational school and most community collages, but they can be pricey and time consuming. Don't forget there is a lot you can learn from library books and online resources for free. I just added a resource on this blog offering some tips on PS that you might find helpful. Please check it out in the side bar.

SEEKING THE RAINBOW New Fine Art Print Released Today

Hello, I have just released a new art print today called "SEEKING THE RAINBOW". It is a digital painting made from 2 of my photographs worked together in Photoshop CS3. It is available as a fine art print with or without custom framing in my ImageKind Gallery (under my photography name "Kamera Kat").

(Note - It's difficult to see the rain in this small image. You can zoom in on the print on the ImageKind site.)

I would love to hear what you see in the picture. Leave a comment! =o)

This is what I see... When the storms of life rain down, delight in the promise of finding a new rainbow at the storms edge. Then, realizing that the rainbow did not exist until this storm created it, we can be thankful for the storm even while we are still in it.

"And God said, "...Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life." Gen. 9:14

A Rose By Another Other Name... Would still be featured in a zillion photographs and peoms.

Last week I mentioned I was on a bird kick and had created a lot of art featuring the little chirpers. I just realized I have a second recent obsession too...roses.

I have just released 3 new rose prints in my ImageKind gallery. I also have greated several pieces of jewelry featuring this romantic flower.

Though roses have been featured over and over in just about every medium imaginable, we never seem to get tired of their beauty and the romance they represent. At least that's true for us chicks. ;o)

The rose has always been the inspiration for artist, song writers and poets. Maybe because it is so intricate but just simply beautiful too. I guess there is a lot you can say about something that is complex and simple at the same time.

"You love the roses - so do I. I wishThe sky would rain down roses, as they rain from off the shaken bush. Why will it not? Then all the valley would be pink and white and soft to tread on. They would fall as light as feathers, smelling sweet; and it would be like sleeping and like waking, all at once! " ~ Roses by George Eliot

Cool! Free Publicity! I'll take it!

Well this post is about 1 month overdue, but I'm posting it anyway because I am exicted. A fellow ImageKind member emailed to tell me that a daily art review blog called "Art Sweet" featured me as the artist of the day May 26, 2008. What a nice surprise!

Quote: "Today’s featured artist is Lisa Whipkey. Lisa is a wonderful multimedia artist. Her use of color, texture and layering is simply fantastic! My favorites are “Love Grows”, “Opium” and “Venice Vase”. - ArtSweet"

I have been blessed to have my work featured on many blogs in the last couple of years (love that free publicity!) and I have had a few kind art reviews, such as this one from the "Naked Genius", but I am always excited every time I am ego surfing (google myself) and find that someone liked my work enough to give it some special attention. I believe every artists work speaks to someone and we all like that affirmation that someone out there "gets" what we do. So thanks Art Sweet for making my day!

How to Take Better Photos for Scrapbooking, Part 2

Hey there photo phriend! In yesterday's "How to Take Better Photos ....Part 1", I talked about 8 tips to improve the photos you will be scrap booking. I have a few more tips that will surely help most of us take "photos" rather than "snapshots".

FYI - though the focus of the articles is for scrap booking pix, the truth is these tips apply to anyone for all photos for pretty much any situation, whether the photo will be scrap booked or not.

Please review the steps in "Part 1" and then let's pick up where we left off... Here we go!

9. Pay attention to the background. Try to position the subject or your body and the camera so that the background that will show in the picture is not distracting. Try to avoid extra clutter in the picture that could detract from the subject. If you are able to adjust the aperture on your camera, use a very wide aperture (low number) to turn the background into a nice silky blur.

10. Use the flash outdoors when taking people pix. I know in a previous step I said to avoid using the harsh light of the flash, but outdoors the light is dispersed enough so that it just fills in the shadows on nicely. Also, if you are somewhat close to the subject, a flash can stop motion blur. For example, take a pic of a flower blowing in the wind using the flash to freeze the image for a split second.

11. Focus on focus. I know that it seems obvious. Of course you have to focus! Right? But, sometimes we get so excited to capture a picture we don't pay attention to which part of the picture the camera is focused on, then when we see the resulting pics we are disappointed to find that a unimportant part of the photo is tack sharp while the subject is blurry.

12. Be aware of shadows. They can be an interesting feature or ruin a picture. It's cool to capture the elongated shadows of trees & people when the sun is low in the sky. It is usually not cool to have an unintentional shadow covering 1/2 of the subjects face. In situations where there is a partial shadow that cannot be avoided, use the fill-flash (item 10 above)

13. When possible, use leading lines to draw the viewer in to the photo. Lines that start near the lower corner of a picture, continue to the subject or diminish in to the distance help to pull the eye into the photo.

14. Use a tripod, especially when there is low ambient light. The lower the light, the slower the shutter which means if your hand shakes at all the picture will be blurry. Built in anti-shake features found in cameras and lenses help, but there is no substitute for a tripod in low light.

15. Love your camera. Hug it, learn it, keep it clean. After all, it's THE tool required to take good pix, ya know? Learn how and when to use all the settings and features of your camera. Read the manual and play around to see what the settings do. Maintain the camera by keeping it dry and store in a stable temperature. Carry in a padded camera bag. Keep batteries charged and store them outside of the camera if you will not be using it for a while. Protect LCD's with clear protective stick-on covers. Be really careful not to get dust or scratches on the lens. Clean it carefully and often with a cloth or tool designed especially for cleaning lenses. Never clean with tissue, paper towel, etc. All of this is pretty basic, but it is important so worth mentioning.

Here's a few pictures that are good examples of what is covered in this blog and Part 1:


Why it's good: LEADING LINES & OFF CENTER SUBJECT

leading line
Originally uploaded by audi_insperation

Why its good: INTERESTING USE OF SELECTIVE FOCUS

"B" is for Bokeh
Originally uploaded by Steve Pearce

Why it's good: UNCLUTTERED BACKGROUND, OFF-CENTER, UNPOSED PICTURE, GOOD SIDE LIGHT

Argenit's First Portrait
Originally uploaded by azem

Why it's good: RULE OF THIRDS APPLIED. (Subject is placed at one of the four intersections where the lines meet.)

Rule of thirds
Originally uploaded by Pablo Montesdeoca

Why it's good: INTERESTING CROP + FUN COLOR/FILTER APPLIED IN PHOTO EDITOR

Rockstar
Originally uploaded by maureenwilson

How to Take Better Pictures for Scrapbooking, Part 1

What makes a page POP!?

If you are in to scrap booking or thinking about scrapping to do something cool with that giant box-o-pics you have at the bottom of your closet, then you have probably spent some time looking at other peoples scrapbook pages for ideas and inspiration. I'm sure you have admired the colorful papers and embellishments, and journaling, but I am willing to bet that the pages that truly 'grabbed' your heart the most were the ones with one or two quality photos where the photos were the star of the page. Right?

So now let's think about this.... What makes a quality "photo" vs. a snapshot?

Here are some really high-level, simple rules that will immediately improve most photos:

1. Fill the frame with the main subject. Get close or zoom in.
2. Take candid shots instead of rigidly posed shots.
3. Take the photo at a fun angle. Don't take a picture standing with the camera straight on every time. Tilt the camera, hold it high and have the subject look up, hold it low and angle up to the subject. Get down on the ground with kids and pets.
4. Don't force a smile. The most moving images are when the person has a natural expression.
5. Catch mid-giggle pics of kids.
6. Make sure there is lots of natural light. Avoid the harsh light of the flash whenever possible. Daylight with the subject near a window works great or outdoors on overcast days or at sunrise/sunset when the light gives the subject a warm glow.
7. Don't center the subject in every shot. Move the camera so that the main subject is off to one side. Also, don't center horizon lines when taking outdoor shots. Follow the "Rule of Thirds".
8. Use interesting crops to show just a portion of the photo, like maybe the whole body without the head in the frame, or just show the hands or feet.

and more...

Please check back to this blog for photography tips on how to take better photos part 2 coming soon.

Here is an example of some pages found on flickr that I think exemplify some of the tips mentioned above(permission to blog granted by the owners):

Sweet Tender Moments Digital Scrapbook Page by Christine Smith
Originally uploaded by Christine_Smith

Cute Digital Scrapbook Page by Christine Smith
Originally uploaded by Christine_Smith

Kitty 6"x6" scrapbook page
Originally uploaded by smiling.jessica

The pages above, IMHO, are embellished in a way to bring the photo more attention vs. draw attention from it. The memory is the foremost subject of the page, and that is what tugs at our hearts, makes us smile, or gives us warm fuzzies!

More tips coming soon! Subscribe to get automatic updates!