Kat Eye Studio

Archives for October 2011

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Share Your View: The Color Wheel, Part 2

On the Line {1/365}
On the Line {1/365} by Dorian Susan
Color, color and more color! We continue with The Color Wheel, Part 2 this week. Today’s images are a couple of triadic color scheme images shared in the Flickr pool. Isn’t it fun to see these “found” color combinations?
You still have lots of time to share your view! You can link in below or share in the Flickr pool. An easy way to participate is to go through your archive, and see what color combinations you find. I believe you learn as much from a good archive review as you do from going out to shoot new images. And, you take that learning with you on your next shoot!
And a side note, today is my 700th post! Wow! Who would have thought, when I started my blog in 2008, that it would lead me to the place I am today. I could have never guessed. Thanks for being here with me!
“Produce great pumpkins, the pies will follow later.”
“Produce great pumpkins, the pies will follow later.” by CindiK.

');FYI – Links will be moderated. Please use a permalink, ensure that your linked image is on topic, and include a link back to this site in your post through the Exploring with a Camera button (available here) or a text link. Thanks!

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What’s going on around Kat Eye Studio…

  • I am over at Mortal Muses today, musing on Blur. Come by and say hi!
  • Registration is open for Digital Photography Basics! Class starts October 16. Visit here for the details.
  • Want to know what’s going on in the studio? You can subscribe to the Kat Eye News to stay up-to-date on all the activities.

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Tied up in Knots

The thing that is really hard, and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect and beginning the work of becoming yourself.
— Anna Quindlen
I was surprised by the response to yesterday’s post. It seems that many of us feel that we are the loner much of the time, different and outside of normal. I thought it was just me. It is ironic that we may feel excluded by our differences, yet in our feelings we are experiencing the same thing.
My current morning reading, The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are by Brené Brown, speaks to the universal human desire for love and belonging. We want to be in the bucket, with the other flowers. The irony, she points out, is that we often strive to achieve love and belonging by fitting in and “hustling for worthiness” and acceptance. When we strive to fit in, acting like we think others want us to act, we no longer honor our authentic selves and we short circuit any true connection. She says, “… To fully experience love and belonging, we must believe we are worthy of love and belonging.”

In the light of that lone flower, we must each embrace our own differences and take them to heart. Stand alone with confidence in our own value and worthiness. When we say, “Here I am, with all of my quirks and differences, take it or leave it,” we are accepting ourselves as we are. From that grounded place, when we reach out to others and feel a connection, the connection is real. It is whole. It is sustainable, because there are no pretenses to keep up.

Have you ever tried to keep up pretenses in a situation? Yeah, it ties you up in knots. After a while, you don’t know which direction you are going. You don’t know where you are, in the midst of it all. It’s not sustainable.

I’m learning, again and again, how important it is to occasionally stand alone, in order to be myself. Whether it is in my art, sharing the photographs I love regardless of technical perfection or perceived photographic ideals, in my relationships, being honest about who I am and what I need, or even at my corporate job, sharing an opinion that may be contrary to the group, I have found the result of standing alone and embracing my differences is true connection. Instead of connection built on the unstable ground of insecurity, it is connection grounded in confident stability.

When I value myself for who I am, others value me too. Go figure.

To all of you who identified with that less-than-perfect lone flower I say: Congratulations. All you need to do now is untangle the knots and stand tall, confident in your uniqueness. Not an easy process, I know from ongoing experience, but so worth it. The reward I have found is connection, with people who are equally as unique, like you.

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What’s going on around Kat Eye Studio…

  • Did you recognize today’s photo as a triadic variation? The current Exploring with a Camera theme is The Color Wheel: Part 2. Check out the post and join in the exploration.
  • Are you ready to get your camera off of full auto and see what you can create? Registration is open for Digital Photography Basics! Class starts October 16. Visit here for the details.
  • Want to know what’s going on in the studio? You can subscribe to the Kat Eye News to stay up-to-date on all the happenings.

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The Loner

One lone flower, tossed aside. 
It makes me ask, can an image of a “thing” evoke emotion? As a “thing” photographer, I would answer yes. This image speaks to me through the isolation of the flower, discarded for not being perfect. The flower is not even in the bunch with the other discarded flowers, it is off on its own. Truly alone. But in its isolation, the remaining beauty of the flower can be seen. The gorgeous color and the shape, jump out at me against the concrete in a way that would be lost in the group.
It seems there is a message here, that can be brought into my life. It’s ok to be less than perfect. It’s ok to be out there, on my own once in a while. Once in a while, being outside the group can help me shine my unique beauty. My unique view on the world.
What do you take away from this image?  Does it speak to you too?

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What’s going on around Kat Eye Studio…

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Expectations Lost, Happiness Found

What is it about photography, that makes me happy? I’ve noticed lately, that whenever I go out and photograph, even if it’s just for a walk around the block in the rain, that I return in a good mood. I am smiling and there is a spring in my step. I feel buoyant. The sheer act of capturing photographs, whether they end up good or not, makes me grin.

Thinking more on why photography makes me happy this morning, I found that photography is one area of my life where I don’t have huge expectations or plans. I’ve learned to embrace the fun of letting myself be surprised. I follow my intuition and interests, as they pull me along in new directions. I find great joy in discovering what catches my eye on any given day. Amazing things have resulted as I follow those internal nudges – in photography, writing and my study of art in general.

Take Saturday’s photowalk visit to the Farmer’s Market, for example. Of course I photographed the colorful vegetables, but what really interested me were the flowers on the ground as the vendors sorted and tossed and created beautiful bouquets. Normally I would be attracted to the finished bouquets, but at this moment I was captured by the haphazard nature of the flowers scattered on the concrete and in the buckets. To me, on this specific Saturday morning, these images were the most interesting to explore and compose. These were the images that held a story. Next Saturday, in the same place, it will be completely different.

This gets to the “heart and soul” aspects of photography, or any art. Creating has the power to change how we feel. When we let go of expectations or plans, wonderful things can result. There is an interesting parallel here to the rest of my life I’ve needed to focus on as well: Letting go of control and expectation. It’s something that I am slowly, and surely, learning to do. It’s been a long road, but I am lucky to have something like photography to show me the way, with a smile on my face. 

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What’s going on around Kat Eye Studio… 

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In the Interest of Color

This morning I participated in the Scott Kelby Worldwide Photowalk, through with 1117 photo walks were planned in local communities today and tomorrow. The Corvallis photo walk was organized by one of my local photography friends, Jones Oliver. It was great to get out and meet other photographers! We had local folks from Corvallis and a few from other towns in Oregon, as well as my brother from out of state. 
I captured this image of the purple chinese eggplant and the orange peppers specifically with our current exploration of the color wheel. It’s a triadic scheme, purple, orange and green, in approximately the recommended proportions. Do you think it works?
More images of the photo walk to come later! Hope you are having a great weekend.

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What’s going on around Kat Eye Studio…

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