Day 16 – Daffodil

Daffodil

The challenge with daffodils is trying to get a unique look and to get around how overwhelmingly yellow they are. I think I succeeded with this image though I might wish for just a little more depth of field. I processed it as a black and white with high structure and contrast then added an ambrotype tone to bring back a hint of the yellow.

Today’s quote is from Gabrielle Roth:

We have to be able to be gods, lovers and artists, we have to be soulful if we’re goin to be happy, if we wnat peace – and the soul is the part of us that is the creative process.

Day 15 – Grape Hyacinth, Painterly

Grape-Hyacinth

My neighbor’s grape hyacinths have been calling to me so I finally took the macro lens over this morning. Unfortunately, I did not quite nail the focus on this one so I decided to give it a painterly look. I also photoshopped out some flowers in the foreground. 

I’ve decided that instead of jumping around from book to book looking for creativity quotes I should just stick to one book for a week and then switch so that I can get more of a feel for the book and not just be looking for quotes.

So, I decided to start with Roderick McIver’s book, Art as a Way of Life.

Today, from Page10, a great one from Albert Camus:

A person’s life purpose is nothing more than to rediscover, through the detours of art, or love, or passionate work, those one or two images in the presence of which his heart first opened.

Day 14 – Garden Gnome

Gnome

I came across this little guy when I was out looking for flowers the other day. I took his picture thinking, “Well, now I have something in my back pocket if I need it.” Didn’t take long. I got my income taxes done today, I finished up an oral history transcription for the North American Nature Photography Association, I got two chapters read for that book group tomorrow, and just as I was settling in for a well deserved glass of wine I realized I hadn’t posted an image. So here he is in all his soulful glory.

On the Creativity front, I turned again to Matthew Fox:

Creativity is not a noun or even a verb – it is a place, as space, a gathering, a union a where – wherein the Divine powers of creativity and the human power of imagination join forces.

Day 13 – Sparrow

Sparrow

I keep thinking of places I should go and photograph but somehow it has gotten very hard to get in the car and leave home. I noticed the birds in the blossoming trees in the neighborhood this morning and decided to see if I could capture them. I had this one in my sights in amongst the blossoms but it decided to retreat to the top of the tree. If forced to put a specific name to it I would say it is a Sage Sparrow but I didn’t get a good look at it’s back or tail so I’m not positive. I had some goldfinches in my sights as well but then the neighborhood kids came out to play and it was all over for me and the birds this day.

It is almost straight out of camera. I did open the shadows to make its eye more visible and then brought down the blue luminance to darken the sky a little.

I turned today to Rod McIver’s book, Art as a Way of Life. Chapter one is titled Your Inner World: The Repository of Creativity and he begins with a whole page of quotes, one of which I have already used but today this one spoke to me:

Construction on a purely spiritual basis is a slow business. The artist must train not only his eye but also his soul…    Wassily Kandinsky

 

Day 12 – Hyacinth

Hyacinthw

I took the big girl camera with the 180 mm macro lens out for a stroll around the neighborhood this morning. Lots of daffodils but I’m a little bored with photographing daffodils so the Hyacinths got my attention instead. Processed with just one texture which helped give it some pop. I also did some photoshopping in the upper right hand corner to get rid of some distracting blemishes on the flower.

Today I turned again to Nancy Rotenberg’s book and found another great quote from photographer Freeman Patterson:

The camera points both ways. Images reflect the light that the photographer brings to the relationship.

Day 11 – Birds

Birds

It was another busy day and I came home from my volunteer work at the Genealogy Library with no idea what I would post tonight. then I took the dog for a walk and felt like I was entering the film set for The Birds. I exchanged the dog for a camera and got to work. I love the one bird flying off and I wanted to include the ones in the tree to keep it from being too symmetrical. Processed it as a black and white with some blue toning and high structure to bring out the clouds.

Today, I turned to Matthew Fox for my quote because I knew it would not take long to find something suitable and Cody wants to go to bed.

Creativity is intimate because it is us most truly, spontaneously, and totally.

Day 10 – Succulent

Succulent2It was a busy day today so I’m drawing on yesterday’s image of a succulent I found in a neighbor’s garden. Succulents are always so photogenic and I liked the drops of water from some showers we had. In processing I just brightened it up a little, added some sharpening and a texture to darken the lower corners.

Today’s quote is from the Tao of Photography:

Looking is a gift, but seeing is a power.  Jeff Berner

Day 9 – Blossoms

Blossoms

The first tree on my street is starting to blossom. I once again pressed the M100 into service with the 28mm macro lens. Judging from my results I need to take the big girl camera and tripod next time. So hard to nail the focus when working this close. I cropped this one quite a bit and added a texture and vignette.

I turned again to Julia Cameron for today’s quote:

Our creations are like children. They can be pushy about what they want and what they need. If we neglect them, they neglect us. If we ignore them they ignore us. Sometimes, they sulk and pout and cry and squabble until they have our attention. In the end, we have to do what they want. It’s the only way to make peace with them. Making peace with our creations is an artist’s primary task.

Day 8 – Mandarin Oranges

Oranges

Well, this one was a longer time coming than I had planned. I had a bowl of mandarin oranges out on the patio and they caught my eye so I grabbed the M100 which still had the macro lens on it from yesterday and clicked off four shots. Many textures and a few trips through Topaz later, I finally came up with something I at least didn’t hate. I did crowd the top edge of the frame a little too much but I wanted to capture the citrus in the table cloth too so there you go.

Today’s quote is from Roderick McIver’s book: Art as a Way of Life. The quote is from Andrew Wyeth:

What I was after is what you get sugaring off maple from the maple tree. You keep boiling it down until you have the essence of purity.

 

Day 7 – Succulent

Succulentw

I have been walking the dog by this succulent that has leaped from a neighbor’s yard into the public landscaping and thinking I should photograph it for weeks. I needed something quick for today so I put a macro lens on the M100 and headed down the block (with protests from Cody who wanted to come along). Now that I see some of the amazing detail in the flowers (?) I think I need to go back and get even closer. In processing I added a preset that mainly just sharpened thing up and then a vignette layer to darken the corners and edges.

Today’s quote is from Nancy Rotenberg:

…there are dragons that roam the wilderness of creative quests. If left to run amok, they can inhibit the most determined artist. The creative process transforms you, the artist, into a creative warrior – arming you to slay the dragons or at least keep them at bay. Empowered with truth, the creative warrior discovers the place where beauty, magic, and fire live.