Pretty Pictures

I have been a slack bum today. Honestly, it has been a bad day. I have been feeling off all day having had a head splitting migraine for part of the day. I did manage to get for a drive (well, my husband was driving as I was not probably safe to do so) as we visited the relatives. I managed to take a few photographs; so in place of witty comments (of which I am not capable today) or deep, thoughtful ponderings (which makes my head hurt too much), I give you pretty pictures.

Looking at them, I must apologise as they are from my old mobile phone. When my contract is up in October, I will be looking for something with a better camera; this one has been dropped a few times and I think the lens has been damaged. It also does not cope well with the low, afternoon sun hence some funky colouring...

Firstly a topic close to my heart. Do you have Suspended Coffees near you? When you buy a coffee (or soup in some cases), you pay for another one. This is then given to a less fortunate individual (often homeless) when they come in to the cafe. A way of paying it forward to those in need, especially over winter. Some of the cafes in Westfield are now are doing it... (finally!) https://www.facebook.com/SuspendedCoffeess?hc_location=stream

The second and third shots are from vapour trails seen overhead while driving home.  

And some shots from my garden. There are so many shots you can take close to home. The mushroom popped up this morning and is about 15cm in diameter. Won't be risking eating it though; there have been several reports of hospitalisation, this season, due to wrongly identified mushrooms. The mushroom shot is my favourite taken over the past few weeks.

Tomorrow I will have something more intellectual to present... as long as my head clears. 

Photo Shenanigans and experimenting.

The past few days, I have taken a break from writing and have been playing with different effects on some of my photos. I admit I love the 'toy camera' look (as some call it) and the effect of desaturated colours and increased contrast. I found a 'toy camera' setting that does this in-camera on my Canon. I really do like this effect (right: Writing)

Other effects I can do in-camera include grainy BW and fisheye. Interesting to know they are there, for future reference. I use BW a lot but the fisheye possibly won't be used often.

  

I had a play with the basic Irfanview program (something many should have), in an attempt to recreate the 'toy camera' effect above. Firstly, I increased the contrast to about 3/4 along the scale, then reduced the saturation by about 1/4. These are some of the results. The first photo had less contrast, the second (steampunk attire) had more contrast. 

There is less blue than in the in-camera 'toy camera' so I can't really claim it is recreating the effect above.  However, with more playing, I prefer the higher contrast photos and tried some more below. I think I will have to keep this in mind for some future work...

 

My favourite photo from today's experiments is this one below (of my husband).  

Thank you Mr Wells & Jeff Wayne

Last night a group of like-minded friends, and I Steampunk'd it up for a showing of Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds: The New Generation (Live!) at the local cinema. I have always loved this musical version of HG Wells' wonderful book. (I have it on LP and on CD.) It has been updated with new musicians, singers and narrator (Liam Neeson). It was totally awesome!

Here is a taste of what we saw: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=xBw9uEcYSm4

I first fell in love with the notion of steampunk in the early to mid-2000's with my first oufit being worn to a Costume Ball. Since then we have been collecting bits and bobs for varying outfits for varying events.

We could not miss the opportunity of attending War of the Worlds in steampunk attire, could we?

Traditionally, the group does a photo shoot before (and sometimes after as well). Yes, there is a serious lack of guns; we tend not to need weaponry for public outings to the cinema!

Here are just  a few photos for you!

 

 

Putting off til Tomorrow... Oops, it is today!

Procrastination. This is the bane of a writer's (and artist's) life. It is a familiar friend of mine. Yesterday I used the excuse of back and hip pain. (Well, it is hard to draw or write when I have a splitting headache!) I did some preliminary work on some calligraphy that I HAVE to finish this week so I will be on track for finishing the painting and illumination next week... So, I suppose that is not procrastination...

I went through my mobile phone looking for pictures I had not yet organised. I tinkered with some effects and here are some results (I like the effect of reducing the number of colours but you will need to view the images on a larger scale to get the full effect)

And that is procrastination...

I often do research for planned short stories. For example, my next short story An Eye for Detail, is set in the late 19th century. As the main character is female, I had to ensure that her trade was an acceptable one for a single woman of the times. (amongst other items I had to research). 

At the same time, more mundane research brought me to the Scrivener program.  I have been contemplating obtaining a dedicated computer program, for my writing and hopefully this one will facilitate the associated research and save time and energy. Well, that was the plan. As usual, it took me a few days just to work out the basics it, via the tutorial. Last night, I was up into the wee hours adding in some of my research. The result? This morning every bone aches, my eyes are tired and I slept in. I am hoping this won't become a regular stand off - me versus the computer! 

However, the program does have some very nifty templates that will force me to actually write down aspects of my characters that have, until now, been locked away in my thoughts. After the marathon, of last night, I have also consolidated some peripheral ideas, changed some of the heroine's background and finally pinned down the date to a much smaller timeline. I have also changed some aspects of the basic storyline. Overall, this could be a good tool... if I can only get the hang of using the program...

So this morning, I wondered what to write for everyone. I procrastinated, had several cups of tea, tinkered with some photographic images and finally decided to just simply share my day with you.

Have a  productive day!

What a wonderful world.

Most people just see the world as just the stuff that surrounds them. The streets are just streets. Unknown people are just there, sometimes annoying. Plants are just greenery. They have not looked up to the sky and seen a building for more than its street level and doorways.  Such a pity. There is so much more to the world around us! 

There is a wonderful photographer who specialises in urban scapes which he photographs at night (usually about 3 or 5am!) giving the most beautiful colours and haunting scapes. I love his work and he inspires me to do more urban work. You can see some of his work on his FB page: https://www.facebook.com/waynegrivellartandphotography?fref=ts

The buildings that surround us, particularly here in Adelaide, have so much history. My family are getting used to me stopping and just looking up to see what some of the buildings reveal as they tower above us. I took this photo some time ago. It shows the contrast of our city.  Another was taken, while (my husband was) driving under an overpass that is currently being built. 

It pays to actually look at the world around you.  There are some beautiful and unique visions that are only there for a second and possibly only seen by you! 

A recent trip to the cinema, at Marion prompted me to borrow my husband's phone again. On arrival, we found that the New York bar and grill has changed  ands and is now a Cafe Primo but the architecture still stands (I don't know for how long). How often have moviegoers or shoppers just stopped to look at the retro signage, with that Disneyland feel. Unfortunately, the camera does not do justice to the intenseness of the red circle light. On leaving, I saw the reflection of the sunset , in our car bonnet. two pictures later and the red was faded. Gone forever.

I remembered my SLR for a picnic yesterday. Even such mundane things as food, can become an interesting image.

Finally, look at the wonders of nature that surround you. The tree was a mass of colour and texture. The huge flock of cockatoos took flight, during our BBQ picnic... reminding me of the Hitchcock movie Birds.   

I must admit I am often caught out seeing something that is begging to be photographed, and I don't have my SLR with me. Realistically, I cannot take it everywhere.  It does not matter what equipment is used. Just about everyone has an android or iphone, these days - most of which have decent cameras on them. There are even websites set up specifically for the new area of photography that is growing and gaining some respect in the traditional world - coined iphonography. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPhoneography

There is a flickr group specifically for iphone users: http://www.flickr.com/groups/iphoneography/

The world is a beautiful and interesting place. If only we have the eyes to see. 

Seeing pictures everywhere.

Over the past few days, I have been hit by multitudes of mental images and flashes of ideas for short stories. I have been exhausted trying to keep up with them and get them onto paper for later work. ( I did manage to finish a short story called Second Chances? which was sent off last night.)
What a dilemma to be in! The problem is being able to concentrate on one story at a time!  Too much, too quick. I am hoping I will remember some of them at a later time...

I have also been annoying my family, with constant 'wait up, I need to shoot something', when we have been out and about, this week. I have even resorted to borrowing my husband's mobile phone (which has a better camera than mine) as I am seeing photographs everywhere - in the shopping centre, on the street, just walking or driving around. It seems to be worse when I don't carry my SLR with me. Here are a few from 'iphoneographies' (but not on an iphone) from the past couple of days: (and we all love piccies)

1. waiting for the rain to stop. 2. Puddles. 

 

I do however miss the optical zoom of my SLR. The digital zoom is just not the same! The second set of images was at a local supermarket.

3.Cleanup. 4. Stuck in a corner. 

photos: copyright Karen Carlisle.  2013

(sorry for the short post, not well today)

Creating art with living things

Art is  not just seen or created on the easle, paper, the potter's wheel or the computer it can be seen in the everyday things around us. This is what my photography has inspired me to do - look for a beauty in everything I see, even something that is mundane or appears ugly at first glance. A shadow, a curl in a vine - all can be unique and artistic in just being. this sort of art is fleeting, ephemeral and once missed, is gone forever. The chance passing, as the sun glistens on a spiderweb; there for but a brief time, but providing the most glorious dance of light, as the web wafts in a slight breeze. 

I do not have to venture very far at all, to have inspiration for photographs. Within the confines of my very own garden, I can find many beauties - unexpected views, colour, light and shade.

It is not just photography that benefits from my garden. Today, I was cleared my head, with an hour of  graft, in the garden. I removed my beloved summer tomatoes and dug in some compost and maure.  This time is like a regeneration of my soul - the birds, the bees, the colours, the sunlight, the smell of the dirt and the endorphins; even the regular traffic noises seem to align my thoughts and emotions, grounding them to where they belong. Within the hour, the words were writing themselves. Back inside, they spilled out onto the page. (if only the computer would now behave)

But it not just recording beauty, or writing prose that is borne there. It inspires me to visual creations as well. As an artist, I see the garden. not just as a collection of plants, but as a tapestry with each view creating its own portrait. Sometimes, I can sit for hours manipulating the scenery, in my head, until a pleasing picture presents itself. Then is the task of trying to recreate the vision with landscaping and flora.  Views from the back door:

Views from the front door:                       :                                                                                

If anything, my garden has taught me to see beauty and art, in many varied places, to appreciate the moment and to enjoy it while I have it. It has also inspired me to words, pictures and living creations... and provided some food along the way.

Portrait of a convention

Today, is the second day of a pop culture convention here. Day 2 of taking more photos! I decided to try to restrict myself to only my prime 50mm lens so I could concentrate on composition and have the added bonus of a larger aperture; there would be a lot of people, in the background, and the smaller depth of focus meant that the subject would 'pop' with clarity, leaving a more unfocused background so the viewers' attention is less distracted. 

This lens also seems to be a favourite for portrait photography and I can see why. It has become my favourite, as I have mentioned in previous posts. As you may also be suspecting, I love getting in close and personal, with a lot of my photos. This lens is perfect for this. However, occasionally I want a full length shot, I have to take several (and then a few more) steps away from the subject. This is interesting as much that I have read, about this lens, usually mentions that the photographer has to be willing to step in closer for a shot. 

I have been attending SF conventions, since the 1980s. I love meeting up with friends, dressing up as my favourite characters (and the buzz and satisfaction of creating the costume myself). Secondary, but I cannot deny a big part, is meeting the actors that create my favourite characters. We used to attend fan cons, with any (usually little) profit being given to charity. We had fun and interesting panels, often with the GOH (guest of honour) participatining, discussions on scripts, characters, sometimes even philosophy and metaphysics! And the charity auction, often with momentos donated by the GOH. These days, the panels are now just 'talks' by the guests, with some questions. While entertaining, is not really the same intellectual fodder. (oops, that is sounding really old and grumpy)... I do miss those smaller, more personal conventions, I must admit. What I don't like now, is the commercialism of it all. Large lines that take hours to get to meet/see the actor for 3-5 seconds. 

Conventions have changed. I cannot do anything about that. I can just sigh heavily and reminisce about the past.  What I can do is try to find other things to enjoy about them. Yesterday, Richard Dean Anderson greeted us to the photo session, with open arms "Welcome to the Carlisles!" (my thought was how the... then realised our SGU uniforms had our names on them. Duh!) J G Hertzler (General Martok, Star Trek), in full Klingon regalia (it was so cool, I have always wanted a Klingon costume of that calibre!), passed us in the hall. I had my hair in a long braid. He stopped, smiled and asked it was my own hair. I confirmed the fact. He gently tugged it and told me about his sister used to have braids and he would pull them.  I have also found that the larger conventions can provide a smorgasbord of photo opportunities. So many people, so many costumes, so many colours! 

... and just occasionally a brilliant shot that I will treasure. Just like the new memories I collect.

Weekend is a bust, but there is always tea!

It the Monday of a long weekend here in South Australia. I had planned to do a steampunk circus photoshoot, at an unofficial gathering of friends at the Adelaide Fringe, and do some gardening. But plans change when we are looking at a record run of hot nights in March. We have already had 10 nights (in a row) where the minimum temperature did not go below 20 deg C. The was news reminding us that the record, so far, was 14 nights in a row (1890). I also found an interesting snippet - from 10th March 1935 - "the 3rd hottest March night known since records started in 1858. ugh...

Not much sleep, overheating (the air con in the bedroom is defunct right now) and the fact that I have never really acclimated to South Australian summers, means I missed out on a photoshoot I really wanted to do! The garden is getting singed and all I can do is try to stop it from dying. It is just way too hot to start digging and preparing the soil right now. 

So I started some more dooding and have a few more ideas for my Ocotopus/Kraken series and, in lieu of any really profound or vaguely funny blog post (it is just too dang hot to think atm!), here is the second t-shirt in the series: Deep Sea Ballooning.

I have also started printing out some of my artwork/photos to sell if I get a booth at an upcoming event in Adelaide... But I don't know which ones you guys would prefer to see/buy. If anyone wants to put their 2 cents in, let me know! Would people want to buy tshirts as well, or just prints? 

So while my brain is boiling in this heat, my dear hubby rummaged through the pantry and found some Black Rose T2 tea...  Ah, perfect...  The weekend may have been a bust, but let me have my teatime for the soul...

Making pictures while the sun shines...

I love gorgeous, white fluffy clouds. I also love dark, brooding storm clouds. I have seen cyclone skies and the most glorious sunsets. Sigh... Most of all, it is the contrast of dark, ominous clouds to the brilliant silver linings, especially when they are combined, creating the most wondrous contrasts that I absolutely adore. However, this can play havoc with the camera's light meter, more noticeable on automatic mode.

With automatic metering, the camera is sampling and averaging what it sees in the frame (check your info/instructions for your camera) It tries to match a brightness to neutral (18%) grey, so an all white scene will become dark and underexposed; an all black scene will become lighter and overexposed. The human eye can appreciate so much more variances in lighting and adapt so much more quickly so what you see is not what the camera sees. If you aim for a midway shade/darkness , in the clouds, can help to reduce an under (too dark) or over (too light) exposed photo.  You can also set the camera to adjust its light metering, using a piece of cardboard with 18% grey. In this way, the automatic metering will compensate for scenes which are excessively bright or dark. (You should check your camera instructions on how to do this)

Usually, I prefer to use manual metering. That way, I can control and adjust the brightness, making it easier for me to pick a midway tone/brightness and use this. I can meter the light on the area, of the photo, that I want to be exposed more accurately - eg. ambulance  - in the composition. I can also use this for keeping an area in silhouette (or almost silhouette), if I wish.  Both photos below are straight from the camera and not adjusted in post production.

I have started to shoot in RAW which captures more information (not compressing/reducing to jpg), giving me more room to wiggle later.  As I have mentioned, in other posts, I do not usually use computer post production for photos. This is one exception. I am not au fait with photo enhancement programmes. I have only recently started using GIMP for colouring up my artwork and must admit, I only really know how to to basically tweak the contrast and satuaration (how much colour)  as I don't own a polarisation filter (which can help to improve contrast in photos where the sky fills the frame, also for bright days which can bleach out contrast).

 

The first photo above, is straight from the camera with no enhancement. The one on the right (above) has only had some simple contrast adjustment. Both were taken on the same day, at the same location, with just a slight movement in the camera.

My favourite trick was learnt, 30 years ago, when I was using a film SLR: bracketing. I take 3 photos - one on the camera's  light metered setting, one under exposed and one over exposed. I usually use 1-2 stops difference.  That way I can choose the best shot, when I get home, and am less likely to have missed out on the shot when on location. 

It takes practice and I am still only happy with a third to half of my 'sky or cloud' shots, but photography is like that. You very rarely can go back and take the photos again; the lighting has changed or the event has passed.  

The moment is ephemeral and fleeting... a bit like life..