Follow your Dreams, your Passion, your Heart

I have long been encouraged by my friends to pursue photography as a means of earning some extra income, and until now I thought they were just being kind. On Tuesday December 8, 2009 I was introduced to the Gray community as a local artist/photographer. It was the first public display of my photographs. I had no idea what to expect, was at times excited, worried, anxious and even scared. What if I invested all this time, energy and money into this and nobody showed up? I would never know until I tried and then I wouldn't always wonder IF!

Tuesday evening turned out to be the night some other events were taking place. Events I had no way of knowing about until people started to e-mail me and let me know. Only slightly daunted, I forged on with my plans. Monday I watched the weather forecast which informed me that Tuesday evening was going to be a frigid, wet and stormy night. Tuesday morning I loaded up my photos and took them to Power's Coffee Express in Gray, where the showing was to be held. I wanted to get set up early so that I wouldn't be trying to carry things into the shop in the storms. It turned out to be very good that I did, by that night it was pouring down rain the wind was blowing a steady 30 MPH with gusts up to 54. The temperature had dropped into the high 30's and I just knew that not a soul would venture out in this. I knew I wouldn't.

But they did, and the show was a success and I learned many lessons that night. I learned that planning and hard work do pay off. I learned that the Lord has blessed me with wonderful and supportive friends. (I keep having to relearn that one. I get complacent and forget). I learned to continue having a positive attitude and forging on, even when things seem to all go wrong. But the best lesson I learned is to follow your heart and your dreams.

Here are some pictures of the show and I must admit I'm still amazed that people were out in that weather looking at my photographs.

Rick and his wife Zella; without their support, encouragement and help I could have never done this. Rick taught me to follow your dreams with passion. Thank you Rick and Zella.

Donna, my biggest fan. It was Donna who first suggested I should sell my photos, and pushed me until I did. Thank you Donna for your friendship and unwavering belief in me.

My first sale, an 16 X 20 framed print of the James Oliver Cabin in Cades Cove, Smoky Mountain National Park in Tennessee. And so it begins........

Did I really draw a crowd?

As you can see;

Follow your Dreams, your Passion, your Heart and they really Do Come True!

Thanks for stopping by.

Merry Christmas,

Laura

Learn to Play, Play to Learn

Recently I have been working on expanding my skills in photoshop. I have watched some of the online tutorials, purchased a disc on some of the basics and last but not least I have played and pushed bars and buttons, slid sliders and observed what changes were made to my image by doing this. One of the best features of Photoshop CS4 is the ability to work in layers never really altering the image unless you decide that is what you want. Therefore, if you don’t like something you simply go to your history tab and delete the last change which is in its own layer and poof, it is gone. No harm done. Really neat stuff. Furthermore, I have learned more about this program and its abilities through this playing method than I have with all the time spent reading and watching tutorials, which often times assumes you know more than you do or are so basic it is of no use at all.

So........What is my point? Simple; learn to play and play to learn. I have had hours of fun playing with photoshop and have created some really cool effects.  Below I have posted some of the the resulting images from my playing to learn, and expect to have hours more of cheap entertainment with photoshop as I learn more about the plethora of filters, textures and other tools I don’t even know how to categorize.

Above are two shots, one is the original shot taken straight from the camera. This shot was doomed from the very beginning. It was mid afternoon and the sun was shinning straight into the lens. I angled around to get into the shade and then the lens distortion made the old train station look like it is leaning back away from me. I took 5 shots intending to do an HDR. I processed it in Photomatix and the sky has a halo around the building. (I still haven't figured out how to fix that) First though I wanted to correct the lens distortion so I opened the HDR image in Photoshop and clicked on Filter--> Distort--> Lens correction. The image appears with a panel to the right with all manner of sliders bars. At the bottom you may choose to use a grid if you just want to perfectly align the image either horizontally or vertically. Just play around with these sliders some of the effects are interesting and it's good knowledge to have when you do have a nice image you want to save from lens distortion. The last button I clicked in the section was the on the bottom right, labeled Edge. There are three choices, background color, edge extension and transparency. I chose edge extension and it produced what you see in the image on the right. Kind of added to the story of the Old Train Station falling into decay.

                                
In attempting to create an image for my Christmas cards I have met with many hours of frustration because I can't get the exact look I want. The first image is an HDR of 3 exposures. The problem with shooting Christmas trees is the varying degrees of light and the different types of lighting. I was hoping that HDR would help solve that, but there obviously is need for Photoshop. Once again I have not succeeded in achieving the look I want but while playing around with different features to see what they do, I got the second shot. Not Christmas card stuff, but fun, at least I like it! This was achieved by opening the image in Photoshop and clicking on Filter--> Stylize--> Glowing Edges. From there all that really needs to be said is have fun.


Here are a couple more images. See if you can figure out what filter was used.

 

I hope you enjoyed your visit and have been inspired to leave your comfort zone to play and learn.

As always, Have fun with Photography and don't forget to visit me at PhotographybyLauraLee.com

Till next time,

Laura

Fall Fun

Fall is a wonderful time of year and especially for photography. The temperature is perfect for outdoor activities, such as a day hike on your favorite trail, or an adventure on a new trail. For those less inclined or unable to make such a trek a late afternoon drive promises to yield a plethora of photo opportunities. The shorter days insure that perfect lighting without having to get up in the wee hours of the morning or staying out until 10:00 - 10:30 P.M. for the golden hours of perfect light.

I began in my back yard this year by shooting the mums in the pots on the back deck. These types of shots are fun, and good practice exercises with lenses and lighting and the results make a perfect desktop shot on your computer. The next subject to catch my attention was foliage behind an antique bell mounted on a 4 X 6. I like the colors but felt that if I were to maintain a sharp depth of field the bell would be lost in a busy mass of brush. I decided to blur the background and focus on the bell alone. This resulted in a colorful shot while the bell remains the unquestionable subject.

Leaving the backyard we notice scenes that throughout the majority of the year are mediocre at best, become spectacular as the fall colors take over. It is difficult to take a picture during the fall season that isn’t filled with color and beauty. However, what many of us neglect to do is to take advantage of it by pulling over and snapping a picture. Here are some I have taken as the season progresses and I’ve made no effort to search for these shots on trails, I simply took a moment to pull over and snap the shot.

Enhancing Filter used for 5 Exposure HDR

In the Library Parking Lot

Last but certainly not to be overlooked are the Fall shots that we go out and search the parks, walk the muddy, rocky trails; in short go to extremes to capture. I have been known to drive and walk for miles every week just waiting for the peak color. So far this year I haven’t found anything absolutely out of this world yet, but I’m still looking. Looking though, shouldn’t start when the leaves begin to turn colors, but rather all year, taking note of what trees are in an area, barns or just whatever suits your fancy. Then, when the time arrives all that needs to be done is to check out the chosen spots frequently. It took me two years to get the shot below, to arrive on the day when everything was just right. A short one mile hike up the hill and finally, my diligence and patience paid off.

I hope that you're now encouraged to carry your camera, and take those shots that you see regularly but never do anything about. So get out there and Shoot, Shoot, Shoot! Above all else though, Enjoy yourself!

Photography by Laura Lee

My new web site, "Photography by Laura Lee" is online with a holding page that is currently linked to this blog. The web site URL is http://PhotographybyLauraLee.com and the e-mail address is Laura@PhotographybyLauraLee.com.

I am working diligently with the web designer in order to have it fully functional as soon as possible. What is the site going to contain? It is a simple site with only photos that I will sell prints of. Not all my photos, even some that look good on flickr, are of a good enough quality to enlarge and print. I will have a pricing list of the ones I'm selling with various options such as print only or print with matting. Initially there will not be a shopping cart, so my sales will be by e-mailing me and arranging the purchase. If I get a favorable response, I will add a shopping cart feature.

Be sure to check back regularly for the announcement of the completed site and please let your friends and family know as well.

Thank you,
Laura

Name that Web Site Contest

I'm going to be putting up a web site for my photographs and am in need of a name. I have tried using my name in it's various forms and find that they are all taken. My creative juices do not seem to be flowing very well so I have decided to turn to my friends and followers for help.

I'm having a name that Web Site Contest. The winner will receive a free matted 8 X 12 photograph. Submission can be posted on my Facebook or here on my blog. I will be accepting submissions through October 19, 2009.

Good Luck to you all,
Laura

Shenandoah National Park

Shenandoah National Park offers some spectacular views, awesome sunsets and sunrises as well as an abundance of wildlife. I spent three days in the park and was able to photograph deer, bear sunset, sunrise and the full moon rising over the meadows. All this without having to walk more than just a few hundred feet from the road or parking areas.

The wildlife is busy feeding, fattening up for the winter. They are so accustomed to humans that they allow you to come within feet of them. They are so curious as to what you are doing that they will come right up to you to check out your tripod and food coolers. I had one particularly bold buck attempt to open my cooler while I was cooking and standing only five feet or so away. Clapping and waving my arms at him to leave did little more than earn me a look from him like I had lost my mind. Perhaps that thought alone persuaded him to move on. However, prior to this incident I was able to obtain some shots of him in the surrounding grassy area along with some does feeding.

The photo to the left was shot with an iso 400 at 400 mm. The photo to the right was shot with an iso 400 at 220 mm. Both were hand held with the image stabilizer on.

With the conclusion of the meal I went over to the Meadows and staked out my spot on the top of a hill to await sunset. I was not disappointed. The deer were feeding all over the meadow and I captured this doe standing on a ridge. 

This also was a hand held shot using an iso of 400 and 400 mm lens.

While I was waiting for the sun to set a group of about 15 deer came running up and when they crested the hill and saw me sitting there they all came to a halt and just starred at me. One doe's curiosity got the best of her and she walked up to the tripod to give it a good inspection. After concluding that it nor I was any harm, they began grazing on the grass paying absolutely no attention to me. Soon the sunset began a wonderful and ever changing light show. I shot numerous sequences for HDR processing. 

Shot from a tripod with and iso of 200 at 22 mm.  A sequence of 5 exposures was used for the HDR processing.

Also shot with a tripod with and iso of 400 at 19 mm. A sequence of 5 exposures was used for the HDR processing.

After the sunset mother nature provided an additional treat, a beautiful moon rising in the east.

This is a single exposure shot from a tripod with and iso of 800 at 30 mm.

The next morning mother nature proved again that she isn't finished with her displays of beauty and she delighted me with an equally fantastic sunrise. I went down into the lower sections of the meadow and found an old dead tree that is a fitting tribute to the Halloween festivities. Armed with my tripod and bag full of lenses the choices were unlimited. I shot so many of these I had difficulty choosing which shot to post.

Shot with a tripod, a series of 5. iso 200 at 43 mm.

Shot with a tripod, a series of 5. iso 200 at 22 mm.

After such a glorious sunrise I was sure that I had seen the best of what the day could offer. Yet again mother nature rose to the occasion and delighted me with even more. I decided to drive along the skyline parkway just to see what the park had to offer. I had not gone but a couple of miles and there in the trees was a mother bear with her three cubs. I pulled over grabbed the camera and just started to shoot away. The lighting was below poor, the bears were in thick leaves moving all over feasting on acorns. However, I stress, this isn't about perfection but about having fun and fun I did have. I'm posting only a couple of shots here for your enjoyment, but if you want to see more I'll be posting on Flickr as I can get them processed.

 

The shot on the left is the mother bear and the shot on the right is her rebel child. He was off on his own, a dare devil climbing out on twigs that I was sure would not hold him. Meanwhile the other two cubs remained  close by mom and were well hidden in the leaves.

I hope you enjoyed this and will chose to continue to follow me as I have Fun with Photography, and don't forget to visit me at my Flickr page http://www.flickr.com/photos/lauralee733/