Kat Eye Studio

Archives for September 2013

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Carleidoscopes

I never thought I would see the day. I really didn’t.

I never thought I would see the day my son asked me about photography, wanting to learn seriously. But it happened. Last weekend I found myself supplying him with my old camera body, a starter lens, camera bag and manuals. After reading for a while he asked, “What’s ISO?” and out comes my Digital Photography Basics eBook. Fun.

Sunday when my son suggested a drive to go take pictures, I couldn’t say no, could I? Not only for the photography, but I was dying to drive my just-purchased car a little bit. I wanted to see how my dog Zoey would do riding in the hatch back, since she was a good part of the reason I switched cars in the first place. Turns out regular hiking + exuberant dog + sedan with cloth seats = a giant mess of a car no one wants to ride in, no matter how hard I’ve tried to protect the back seat.

So off we went… Brandon, Zoey and I. With no real destination, we drove for a while, stopping for a break in the woods to let Zoey out a bit and to photograph. And what did we photograph? The new car, of course.

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Brandon is obsessed with the show Top Gear lately, so he worked on getting some of the interesting camera angles they always use on the show. (The show has quite good photography, if you’ve never seen it.) I played around with capturing some abstracts of the forest reflections in the shiny red body. Carleidoscopes, I call them.

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A sunny afternoon, a beautiful drive, a happy dog, sharing time and something I love with my son, and a few interesting photographs. Does it get any better? Why yes, it does. There was no dirty, panting dog at my shoulder, mucking up the back seat. Absolutely lovely!

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Drifting Away

Ahhhh, summer is slowly drifting away. With Labor Day Weekend behind us and my son’s school year starting tomorrow, there is a decidedly different feel in the air. I’m ready for the routine of fall but not for fall itself. The weather can stay warm and dry for a little while longer, I won’t complain.

But on to more important things… It’s time for the announcement of the giveaway winner: Comment number 14, Rita Barton. Congrats Rita! Rita chose “Lighter than Air” as her print, which was overwhelmingly the favorite of those I shared. It’s always interesting to see what everyone chooses, and why!

Today I’m sharing the last of the hot air balloon images for this year. One last balloon, drifting away, just like summer…

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Photo-Heart Connection: August

Bold. Strong. Dynamic.

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There is an energy to this image that gives me a “zing” every time I look at it. I created it this way. From the choice of the rainbow colors, to the multiple exposure/zoom effect. It was all chosen. And it needed to be this way… I had a softer, dreamier version of the same tree in progress but this one stood proudly and said, “Who are you kidding? You know I’m it.”

So why does it make me uncomfortable? Because it does make me uncomfortable, in some weird way. I shared on social media but never shared it here on the blog. I did a test print and took it down from my wall after a week because I didn’t want to look at it any more.

It makes me uncomfortable because it is bold. There is an in-your-face nature to this one. You have to make a choice. Do you like it or not? It doesn’t allow you to sit back and scroll by, saying, “That’s nice, ho hum.” You have a reaction, good or bad. That’s what makes me uncomfortable. I don’t want to make you, the viewer, uncomfortable.

And if I’m uncomfortable with that, if I’m uncomfortable with asking the viewer, myself included, to make a choice, what does that say about me as an artist? Am I playing it too safe? Am I making pretty pictures when I could make bold, dynamic ones? Ones that jump out and ask for a reaction?

Maybe, just maybe. Something I’m going to have to think about a good long while. I’m going to have to be sure I’m not pulling away from the uncomfortable, just to be safe. I need to make sure I’m not avoiding confrontation or conflict, even within myself.

The best art asks the viewer to make a choice. And that’s what I want to create.

August was an interesting month. I didn’t take as many pictures as in July, but it was so much better in terms of creativity. That feeling of productivity and creativity probably came because I was pointing my camera at and editing subjects I liked better, rather than mostly family vacation. But maybe also because I was pushing myself in some new directions, like with this month’s Photo-Heart Connection. I really can’t believe this one came out the strongest, after writing it off as a failed experiment earlier in the month. But my heart knew better, it had a message for me. A strong one too, that I’m going to have to consider.

What’s your Photo-Heart Connection? Was it hard or easy to hear this month? Was it a gentle reminder or a bold sharp poke like mine? There is always something for you to learn in the process. I look forward to reading what it was for you.

A few reminders...

  • I have a giveaway going on right now! Visit here for the details and to enter. I'll announce the winner on September 3rd.
  • It's the last few days of registration for Find Your Eye: Journey of Fascination. We start the journey on September 8th. Join us to build a stronger connection between photos and heart.
  • Did you know you could sign up to receive the blog via email? You won't ever miss another post! You'll find the sign up on the top of the blog sidebar.

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