Tuesday, May 24, 2011

July 9th Show

If you're going to be around on Saturday, July 9th, come on down to Smith's Olde Bar near Piedmont Park!

Corey and John will be doing a show along with The Deadfields and Jason Davis. Let's pack the place out! Come out, bring your friends, have a few drinks and say hey!

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

A "Serious" Photographer

I know I haven't been updating much on here about what we're learning in my Digital 101 class, though I have posted some pictures I've taken while being in the class. I'll get more into all of that later, but this week's assignment (as in, due today) was to get some of our photographs printed off (I liked the results I got from MyPhotoPipe.com so I'll give them a shout-out!). It was to help us get acquainted with that part of the whole photography process, as well as help us determine what pictures turn out best on what types of paper (glossy vs matte, etc). We also took a few pictures that were supposed to follow any one of the "rules" of composition... rule of thirds, patterns, leading lines, etc, for fellow photographers out there.

Well, both my assignments this week got a really good reception! I was very pleased/proud! Ryan said that I made good paper choices for the prints I ordered, and both he and my fellow classmates had good things to say about a lot of my photographs. To top it all off, at the end of class I was asking Ryan something about what methods he uses to select between several photos of the same subject (read: so I don't have to repeat my last post for every photo shoot I ever do!!) And the part of the evening that really made my day (which I'm probably waaaaay over-analyzing and reading into because, come on, I'm a girl and we just do that about everything, but still made me happy) is that he prefaced his answer with "Well, you seem more serious about this, so......" and proceeded to give me what, I guess, was a more thorough answer, or perhaps suggested tools (such as portfolio review/tutorial sessions) that he wouldn't bother giving someone that was less "serious".

It was just a compliment that he probably didn't even realize he was paying me by recognizing that I AM, or at least am trying to be, more serious about this. I'm not sure if it was my manner in class, the attention I seemed to pay to the lessons, my level of familiarity with some of the concepts already, or any amount of success that is already coming through in my shots (some combination of all of these things would I guess be ideal). But something tipped him off to the fact that I really am interested in this stuff for more than just weekend outings' sake. And whatever that may be, it made my day that it IS coming across!

So yay!!! :D

In other notes (and in an attempt to go ahead and get some other items out of the way on my to-blog list) the rest of my evening turned out pretty good too. My day started out kind of crappy. I showed up to work only to find that the power and phones were both out, my boss was elsewhere, and the only instruction or direction she would give us was that we weren't to leave and she would call after her meeting (which was supposed to go until sometime between 10am and noon.) I tried calling her after she had spoken with a coworker to see if she could give us any sort of timeline. Any idea of "If the power's not on by ___ o'clock, you can go work from home." But no- she cut me off before I could get the thought out, responded "I know the power's out. I want you to stay there. I'll call after my meeting." And that was that. So I started off my day very upset (I called John after that almost in tears out of anger) that my manager was showing very poor leadership skills by appearing to be "too busy" to acknowledge or deal with the fact that her employees did not have the resources they needed to do their job. The power did end up coming back on mid-day, just a little before she got back. I really wished it had stayed off. Not simply because the idea of being able to go home was enticing, but because the situation allowed her to show up and say "Oh, good. The power's back on. Looks like my plan worked. I was right to just have yall stay here." When in fact, NO, that is NOT good managing, and despite the fact that this situation turned out for the best, that kind of leadership should really NOT be encouraged. UGGG!

Anyways, like I said... my evening DID turn out fine. I promise! First, class went well. Then I came home and, it not being too late, decided to get in some exercise, so I hopped on my gazelle (the exercise machine, not the African animal, for anyone new to my blog), and finished Little Black Book. (I started it earlier this week while also on my gazelle.) I ended up doing 35 minutes, working up a little bit of a sweat- enough to feel like I was doing myself some good- and enjoy a good movie! Because, yes, this is a VERY good movie. Not if you're a guy probably, but it's a great girl-power movie. Not in the sense of shoot-em-up, killer (literal) heels, poison lipstick, etc, like you'd find in Sucker Punch or any Angelina Jolie flick. But more along the lines of *possible spoiler alert* I can have my happy ending with or without a guy *end of spoiler* kind of way. And, while there is technically no random breakout musical number like most of my other favorite movies include, music does play a large role, and the last scene leaves a smile big enough and tears bright enough on your face to make you think it ended with the musical number of the decade! So if you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. :)

So that was what made my day so good. :) Now I'm all showered, and done with my post, so I'm going to head to bed and read a little of my latest Anne of... book. :)

Sweet dreams!

PS- Ryan DID say that asking other people for their opinion when you just can't decide between youe last few good photos is actually a good method, so I can't promise that I won't have ANY repeats of my last post, but I'll try to keep them to a minimum! :P

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Which One?

So I have finally gone through most of my pictures from this weekend. I took a little more than 400 on Saturday at Oakland Cemetery, so it took a while. Of those 400, I came away with around 75ish that I like, some of which are repeat subjects. In some cases, I got several different views/angles on something and honestly came away with multiple results, all of which I was pleased with.  But in other instances, the difference between 2 pictures is really not worth "favorite"-ing both of them. So I'm enlisting your help for a few of those. Let me know which shot you prefer in each of the following pairs. I was going to give an explanation of why I like each, but I think to begin with, I won't and I'll just see who likes what. Then maybe later I'll come back, let you know what the results were and why I was torn between them all.

Some of these are a matter of focus and some differ in composition. This first pair falls in the former category:



The next 2 vary in composition and orientation:



This next pair differs only in exposure:



This pair varies more in composition again:



Another slight composition difference:



This pair differs in composition a little more drastically:



Here is another composition/orientation difference:



And this last pair differs again simply in the focus:




So that's it for now. Let me know which ones you like best!

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Today I...

-Went on a photography fieldtrip to Oakland Cemetery (pictures to follow sometime later this weekend)
-Filed a claim with my insurance after my car got broken into while I was on said fieldtrip (nothing important was taken, thank goodness)
- Hit up Ace to get supplies to patch up my window and made an appointment to have it replaced while at work on Monday
-Went grocery shopping and spent enough to then save $.10/gallon when filling my gas tank next
-Chased a roll-away apple juice down the driveway (This is actually what inspired me to post today. It was just too funny that I had to put it out there for someone else to visualize and laugh at with me!)

Next I'll be getting ready for John's show with Corey tonight down in Macon. I'm looking forward to turning my music up on my drive down there in order to drown out the flapping of my temporary plastic window :)

Friday, March 25, 2011

Another Beautiful Spring Afternoon

So this still isn't my catch up posts but I felt very inspired when I got home today and went out to take some pictures in my front yard. I'm going to try and be productive for the rest of the evening as well- get in some exercise, maybe some journaling, maybe painting, or even one of my catch up posts. lol. But for now, here are some of my faves from this afternoon:





















Wednesday, March 23, 2011

The Bend in the Road

I just finished reading Anne of Green Gables, a favorite of a friend of mine and a fun, easy read between book-club books. And it really was a wonderful book. I've still the rest of the series to finish- and I truly do look forward to finding out what other adventures lay in Anne's future- but this book stands alone just fine as is. It definitely makes you think about an older time, when things were simpler but responsibilities came earlier in life. The writing is wonderful and the young girl who went on and on about fairies and other imaginings earlier in the book is speaking sensibly and maturely by the end without you ever noticing the shift. And as she and her peers go on- at the age of 16!- to begin their adult lives as college scholars, farmers or ministers, or even teachers to other children just barely younger than themselves, it really makes you wonder if today's youth could grow up that quickly if the times still called for it!

But more than anything, I just enjoyed reading about a "kindred spirit", as Anne would put it- a young girl who daydreams and loves reading, and has such big plans for herself in the world. And the closing passage touched my heart more than anything... as if it was meant just for me to read it. (And after all, aren't all things truly enjoyable in any innocent way sent by God as gifts to us, and therefore mightn't He include lessons for us among those as well?)

And so, in order to save it for myself as well as put it out there for anyone else that might get some sort of joy from it, I'll include it here:


Anne's horizons had closed in since the night she had sat there after coming home from Queen's; but if the path set before her feet was to be narrow she knew that flowers of quiet happiness would bloom along it. The joy of sincere work and worthy aspiration and congenial friendship were to be hers; nothing could rob her of her birthright of fancy or her ideal world of dreams. And there was always the bend in the road!

"'God's in his heaven, all's right with the world,'" whispered Anne softly. softly.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Best News Ever!!!

Holy crap.... this is the best news I've heard in a really long time!!!! Thanks to Sarah for sharing!!!!

http://www.kidglue.com/2011/03/14/nickeldoeon-brings-back-rugrats-doug-pete-pete-and-more/

And yes, the link in there referencing Thundercats is just as amazing!!!

My day is made!! I'm going to have to seriously consider expanding my basic cable now...

Monday, March 21, 2011

A Good Kind of Southern Evening

So, I know I'm behind. Sorry. In an attempt to get my blog/online journal back on track in as little a daunting way as possible, I've decided to just do one post for each week that I've missed and catch up that way. However, that is not what this is. I just wanted to post real quick about the Corey Crowder show I went to this weekend. I got a few pictures, though it was with my phone and the sun was setting, so they're not very good. But it gives you a little bit of an idea of the setting.


This was a partial band show. So Corey on his guitar, someone on mandolin I believe it was, and then John on just a djembe (pronounced jim-bay. I had to look up the spelling. lol) instead of his whole drum kit. And it also wasn't the typical bar show. It was something put on by the Arts Association in Newton County at The Oaks Golf Course down in Covington.

The weather was gorgeous. Not too hot, not too breezy. Corey got started a little before dusk and it was just perfect. They set up outside, right on the edge of the parking lot, with the golf course behind them. There were tables and chairs set up for everyone to sit on, as well as all the golf carts parked around the edge as extra seating. There were drinks for sale and people coming around to the tables to see if you needed anything.

It was an hour-and-a-half long set, and as the sun went down, the stars came out, and the crickets and cicadas came out to add their music to the songs as well. Off in the distance a great thunderhead hung low over the horizon and added a light show to accompany the evening's concert.


There was just such a sense of peace throughout the evening that made it so enjoyable. I definitely left that show thinking that it was one of my favorites to date. It put me in the mood for similar evenings to come. Nights spent outside- perhaps not always with the live music- but enjoying the weather and all the wonderful little details that make up a true southern night. :) Here's to many more to come...

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Gorgeous day

This is the kind of day you wish would never end. I can't wait til every week is full of them. :) Hope you're out there enjoying it!

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

More Pictures!

I forgot to mention yesterday that I finally signed up for my first 6-week course through Showcase. I'll be taking the Digital 101 course with this guy: Ryan Nabulsi. I looked through the bios of all the instructors for this course and I'm really excited about this guy cuz I can relate so much to his background- the abrupt change in career course, etc. so it'll be cool to hear what he has to say in that arena.  Plus he also teaches 102 courses, so I'll be able to have a consistent teacher for the first couple classes while I get used to the camera settings, etc. Then once I hit 103 and expand into specialty courses, I'll have different instructors and have a chance to see some new points of view.

So I'll be sure to include any pics and results of those critiques once I get into that. I don't start til early March.

For now, here are some pics from my Chimpsy class the other week. Our instructor, Ben Rollins, was really cool, laid back. I really enjoyed his style when he showed us some of his work. We met at Front Page News for a while to go over camera settings, etc. (Remember, this was for the point and shoot class I took with Mom. I'm taking another class for my SLR through them later this month.) Then we just roamed around Little Five Points for a while taking shots using the new settings and composition guidelines Ben gave us. I was pretty pleased with a few I was able to get.










Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Weekend Wrap-up

Hello again happy people- both to those of you still on a happy high after a weekend of love and hearts and candy, and those of you happy it's all over ;P

I would definitely fall into the first category. So anyone that's avoiding Valentine's tales feel free to move on now (though, I promise not to get too gushy. I'm expecting this post will be mostly pictures.)

But yes, I had a wonderful weekend with John. I managed to leave work early on Friday. The plan was for John to leave even earlier and get to the yurts early to check in and get his truck unpacked and everything set up by the time I got there. The traffic god had other plans though, and John didn't get there til about an hour after me. So I checked us in, unloaded my car, got the interior all cozy (turns out everything John was bringing was mostly outdoorsy grilling type stuff anyways) and once John got there we hit up the grocery store and settled in the for night!

It was a weekend of hot dogs and burgers for dinner, scrambled eggs and maple flavored bacon (mmmmmMMMMM) for breakfast. Not too shabby :) Over the course of dinner Friday and Saturday night we watched How to Train Your Dragon. Very cute movie. The main dragon reminded us both very much of our cat Coco. If you've ever met this cat, go watch the movie. It's a bit redic. But anyways, Saturday we took a long walk with our cameras to see what we could see. Then came back for an afternoon nap, followed up with another sunset walk to grab a few more shots. Sunday after packing up we went and played a round (my first ever) of disc golf. I sucked. But by the end I had gotten a little better at throwing my disc underhanded and hoping it rolled farther than if I threw it frisbee style :) (My right upper arm was pretty sore all day Monday as a result. I'm so weak.) After all that we called it quits and headed back to John's place. His sis is spending a week down in Tampa with his parents so he's watching her dog for her. So sweet. So he was there when we got home. Took it easy for the evening- John and I played his game and caught up on our DVR'd shows, respectively, and had one more hamburger each for dinner.

Monday morning I had to get up for work. Blah blah blah. But I got to come back to John's place afterwards, which was nice! I don't think I've left for work in the morning from there and come back after work to his place both on the same day in a loooooooooong time, if ever. I almost felt like I lived there too! I stopped by Publix on my way and grabbed everything I needed for a carpet picnic spread. I must say, I think it turned out pretty well. Even if we had way more food than was necessary for 2 people, it was a nice spread and gave both of us left overs for lunch today. We had Publix chicken fingers (yum!!!!), pinwheel sandwiches, fruit, crackers with cheese and deli meat, shrimp cocktail (that was just for John. I don't like shrimp), and a few hard boiled eggs. For dessert: chocolate covered strawberries and bananas and some banana pudding. And I'm even more excited about the fact that I've stumbled across a dynamite spread for next time I throw a party! It was all served cold and had minimal prep- all I did was make the pinwheel sandwiches, dip the fruit in the chocolate, and set everything else out on plates. But once I laid out a blanket on the floor and let a bunch of candles, I think it turned out pretty nice :) After dinner and conversation, we played a few rounds of Rummy and called it a night. Overall, a pretty good Valentine's Day, if I say so myself. :)

So that's it. That was my weekend. Today after work I went and visited my Aunt Elaine, who had a stroke last weekend while watching the Super Bowl. Thank God (literally- there were a LOT of people praying for her) she is fine now and does not seem to have suffered any permanent damage. She's just taking it easy. So that was nice. They live so close to my new place but that's the first time I've stopped by to see them since I moved in, so I must get better about that. They really are wonderful, good Christian people that anyone would be lucky to have in their lives as mentors and have praying for them.

Now, an easy evening and early to bed perhaps. Until next time, here are some of my fave shots from this weekend :) Enjoy!!!








































And lastly, last night's carpet picnic: