Travelin' About

This blog was originally inspired by the brilliant writings of Joe McNally and David Hobby . I had been reading both of their blogs religiously and wanted to reach out to an audience of folks who were just beginning with tips and suggestions so that they, too, would come to be inspired by Joe and David, who, to this day, remain my heroes. I just read a McNally blog – do yourself a favor. If you  truly love photography, and hearing a good tale along the way – go read his blog and soon you'll find yourself buying his books and seeking his videos and You Tube. But, if you are just starting out and are looking to become better, let me share the wisdom that was given to me years ago. • Shoot Daily.  I once asked Michael Nelson to mentor me and he said "just go out and take pictures every day. Select ONE that you like best and throw the others away.  I did that in the beginning and I look back now and marvel at how I have improved over time.  Shooting daily is a...

I have been enjoying posting a photo a day on Facebook, every day since January 1st. It is a challenge that is making me a better photographer and hopefully more in tune with new concepts and details.  Some days are frustrating and I feel like I have no pictures "good enough" and other days I get 3 or 4 great ones and can't choose which ones to post. Certain friends have suggested that I "save" those really good ones for the "less creative" days, but that feels to me like wanting to reread "Hamlet" and having someone hand me the Cliff notes. Not good enough. They are only MY rules but I have a sense of integrity and who am I cheating by posting an older image? Me, that's who. So, I stick to my own rules - a new photo every day - TAKEN that day. So, what to do with the "good" ones that didn't "make the cut?"  I thought I'd show some here and discuss why they didn't get posted on Facebook.    This on...

OK. Here's Day #12's Photo of the Day.  My breakfast.  It's a delicious combination of my husband's homemade granola, milk, banana's and pomegranate seeds - crunchy, sweet and oh so yummy! We are expecting the grandkids later and I had my camera with the 105mm lens already out and on the tripod, so I figured I'd be an early bird for once. Lately I've been taking lots of photos and downloading them late in the day and having a difficult time trying to select which one to post on Facebook for the day. Day 7 was especially confusing since I started off the day by seeing this on my way to the gym. Now that's not something I see every day.  Guess they are advertising their new development to the commuting crowd. At any rate, the tethered balloon wasn't there very long, but I did have time to shoot it. I later stopped off at the Barton Creek Mall where you get a pretty good vista of the Austin skyline.  It was a gray day, so this is what I g...

Had a great time shooting with Photographers Adventure Meetup Group on Sunday, Day 6 of my 365 project.  There was a fairly large group of photographers.  Tim Babiak brought along a model, Sarah,  and gave an excellent tutorial for shooting portraits in the bright outdoor light.  The group split us into two groups, some of whom shot along Austin's Congress Street, and some of whom stayed to get some shots of Sarah. I chose to work with Sarah since I have been focusing a lot on the other kind of photography lately and I'd like to do more portraiture.  After many shots of the beautiful Sarah, I still chose the shot above for my shot of the day. I love reflections and the Capitol Building is such a cool building. The sky was a magnificent deep blue and the view from across the street just seemed to be "picture perfect" to me. Still, I believe I captured Sarah rather nicely.  Here are some of my favorites. It's always fun to watch the ot...

A friend, +Sandy O'Shea of Wings of Love Photography ,  posted a new image every day in 2011 and I was inspired and intrigued. I loved checking her Facebook page every day to see what she had come up with.  On the last day of 2012 she pondered whether she should take up the project again for 2013. I thought it would be a great idea to do it myself, since I had just looked over my Lightroom library and wondered why I take over 10,000 photos a year. I saw it as a challenge for growth and by Day 3, I was I was already regretting it. Suddenly it seemed like a burden. Another friend sent me a link to 366pixels.com . It seems photographer Todd Warshaw took on this same challenge last year and I enjoyed reviewing his beautiful photographs today. I've decided not to be overwhelmed by the prospect, but to try and use what I've learned to share with others and perhaps learn a thing or two more. Todd stated oh his blog that he learns something every time he takes a photo. That...

The nice thing about Photo Meet-ups is that you learn from the folks you hang out with.  I guess I've always taken pictures of unusual signs. I have one in my office that I got in Hawaii that says "Quiet. Trees at Work." And here's one we found in Big Bend this past spring.  Good advice if you should run into a lion (and there was an absolute possibility that could have happened there). It's also useful when traveling to photograph signs that give you information about where you have been. I could never have remembered the name of this place without my helpful image. But my photo buddy just loved taking photos of murals and letters and symbols for her own personal archives.  She pointed out my initials as we walked around in downtown Austin. That's pretty cool! She recommended keeping an archive of favorite signs and words = "you never know when you're going to be able to use them."  So, now I am prepared for anything as I gr...

"Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new."                                                  –Albert Einstein I am feeling totally inspired after reading an ebook provided absolutely free (for a limited time) by one of my favorite photographers, Robert Rodriguez, Jr.  This 45 page .pdf book, "Insights from Beyond the Lens: Inside the Art and Craft of Landscape Photography" can easily be downloaded for an ipad or as a .pdf. I actually did download it onto my ipad a month ago, and immediately enjoyed looking at the pictures.  Rodriguez's stunning landscapes are always amazing – he captures breathtaking images of seemingly perfect settings. His philosophy, "less is more," and his holistic approach to enjoying th...