Camper

'Found' Studio Space

Still life is not really a strong suit for me but in winter, what's a girl to do? Besides, I'm in two of Kim Klassen's photography classes so there has to be some measure of still life being produced from my camera.

One of the reasons I've struggled with still life photography is that I couldn't really find a place in my home to work. But after seeing Kim's set up, I began to experiment. For a few weeks, I had a space set up near the southeast facing dining room window. It worked well enough but the dining room was always a mess and it just seemed so far removed from my center of operations: the upstairs computer room.

Then over the weekend, the light bulb came on. The upstairs room has the same southeasterly exposure as the dining room but how to set it up? There was a corner in this room that was driving me nuts. Totally untidy and a TV on a table that seemed insufficient to support it. My grandmother's old sewing table which formed the nucleus of the dining room studio space was moved upstairs to hold the TV and Campbell's ephemera. The small former TV table is, for now, the hub of the upstairs studio which is seen below.

The uptop photo is the first one I took yesterday in this newly created space. One of the selling points is that it's easy up, easy down and many of the photo props and linens are kept in the closet in this room. My cameras and lenses are up here, too, so it saves a lot of steps to and fro throughout the house.

This photo was taken today in the new studio, which, of course, is the setup you see in the diptych. So far so good. The challenge is going to come when I want to do a wider scene but perhaps a trip to the antique mall will solve this problem. It's been a while since I've been scavenging. {In case you're curious, this photo was textured with Kim's touch-a, multiply opacity.}

And finally, before I go over to link up with Friday Finds, I'll leave you with this photo that I took yesterday in the late afternoon light in my kitchen. These daisies have brought a smile to my face on more than one occasion this week. Hooray for the happiness of daisies!

An update to Tuesday's post: Krista and Adam both made it home safely although Adam's flights were cancelled and he had to take another airline, arriving later. But they're all safe. Now we'll hunker down for the nasty forecast that is headed our way this weekend, possibly including ice. {Please, no ice. PLEASE!!}

So enough about us. What have you found this week? And I hope it's not a four-letter word describing white stuff.

Staying snug and warm {I hope},

 

 

Going Nowhere Fast

In just three days we went from this:

to this:

The second photo was taken through the front window with my iPhone and then edited with BrushStroke. I thought it was kind of fun.

My daughter and son-in-law each had to make separate business trips so we've had the pleasure of Campbell's company since Sunday morning. School was called off for yesterday and today and  will be the rest of the week. We got between 12 and 15 inches of snow. Now, I know for my Massachusetts, other New England  and Maritime friends, that's a walk in the park. In Kentucky, it's stuck in park. As in, your car bottoms out because the snow is so deep and hasn't been plowed.

So Mr. Peepaw came home from work early because they closed down as did the whole town basically. Late in the afternoon he decided it was time to begin tackling the driveway so he could dig his car out of said driveway and put it into the garage, a feat he was not able to accomplish earlier. These next photos are impromptu, wrong lens, terrible light but in-the-moment pictures. No textures but I did use Kim's Lightroom preset, true color on the last two and was thankful for it. They needed it. I tried it on the first one but the details of the snow were lost so this one just had a bit of exposure adjustment.

When Campbell came down, we decided to measure the snow, which hadn't finished falling.

At this point, it was 11", in some places in the yard it was deeper. I made some videos of Campbell playing in the backyard. Honestly, she has never seen snow this deep. But it was bitter cold, wind chill around zero Fahrenheit so she didn't stay out long.

The snow has stopped and the sun is supposed to come out today but it's going to be a very cold day so this pile of white stuff isn't going anywhere fast. After a while, Mr. Peepaw will tackle the rest of the driveway.

All winter long, I'd been waiting for the proverbial other shoe to drop. We'd had a gentle winter so far and I just knew we were going to pay for it, especially when I watched what was happening elsewhere. Sure enough, Mother Nature has extracted a hefty price. I'm just hoping its a one and done affair.

Adam is supposed to be flying home from Austin, Texas, today, through Charlotte. It could prove to be a bit of an adventure for him. Krista is due to fly home from Orlando tomorrow, I think she'll have an easier go of it. But still, Mother Hen here will breathe more easily once they're all back where they belong.

Those are the latest adventures in Camperland. What adventures have you had in your neck of woods?

Holding down the fort,

Texture Tuesday

 

Mugged!

On Wednesday, I had to go to Lexington {aka the Big City in these parts} to order some new sunglasses and the vision center just happens to be in the same shopping complex as my favorite bookstore. And my favorite bookstore just happened to have some sweet mugs available for Valentine's Day. And we all know that I can't resist a good mug ... ever! So I did some Valentine's shopping for my girls.

This one as you might guess is for our little reader, Campbell. She has read all of the Harry Potter books plus The Beadle and the Bard. They're her all-time favorite books ... and she has a long list of favorite books. So I thought it only appropriate to use some of the HP books as props for this mug shot. {Sorry ... couldn't resist.}

Next up on my shopping list was my daughter, Krista. And this one says it all.

This mug is for me but it's not a new one, I've had it several years and it has been sitting on my desk holding little trinkets {aka junk}. A few days ago I decided I should wash it out and use it for tea. And the rest, as they say, is history.

No, I didn't get a mug for Mr. Peepaw. He seldom drinks hot beverages and if he does, he has plenty to choose from. He's a serious iced tea drinker but no hot tea or coffee for him.

There is one more mug that I found but to see it, you're going to have to join me at Focusing on Life where I'm posting today.

I'm off to link up with Friday Finds but first I want to wish a ...

Happy Valentine's Day to you and all those you love!

The Sun'll Come Out ... Tomorrow

Last week we had quite a lot of sun for this time of year. It made for great fun shooting indoor photos. This photo was taken in the late afternoon light in my kitchen. Backlighting on these tulips just seems to fill them with radiance. I did this photo a few days ago and saved it for Texture Tuesday because I knew I'd be pressed for time to get a post up so I've had to go back into Lightroom to see what I did. Using the Fader plug-in, I applied a couple of different presets to this {not KK} and then went into CC to add a texture, this was Kim's kk_venice, soft light 75% opacity.

This past weekend we took our girls to Biltmore for the Dressing Downton Abbey exhibit. We had a grand time together! The exhibit was fun and we enjoyed the restaurants, shopping and taking photos. Campbell, who dislikes being in front of the camera, decided to get behind the lens. I haven't had time to cull and process photos but here is one that she did so I'll share it today.

The weather was superb and we did quite a bit of clowning around during our photo shoot. I'll have to share those another day.

Today it is very grey and overcast so I've not even attempted to take photos. But ... the sun really is supposed to come out tomorrow so I hope to get some photo work done then. I have several ideas brewing ... You'll just have to check back later in the week to find out what they are.

But for now that's all I have for Texture Tuesday. I hope you get some sunshine tomorrow, too. I hope we all do.

With gratitude for family and fun and love ... and sunshine,

Snail Mail is Best {FF}

Do you like snail mail? I do. But it seems to me that one of the sad things about the world wide web is the demise of snail mail. Oh, don't get me wrong! I'm happy to handle all my bills online and could still do without junk mail, even though it's reduced. But how often do we send much less receive real snail mail from our friends?

Well, this week I got a lovely surprise! My sweet and creative friend, Carol, whom I met at Shutter Sisters Oasis in 2012, sent me this beautiful Valentine. And, oh! It is just so lovely and creative. 'All you need is love and a cookie!' And look at those cookies! Couldn't you just gobble them right off the page? Carol and I have maintained contact since that gathering in Palm Springs in various classes and working together on Focusing on Life. So even though I haven't seen her since then, I still consider her a dear friend and I know we shall meet again 'for real'. What fun that will be!

What have I learned this week? Some of you will get this, others will wonder why it took me so long to figure it out but here it is: I've finally gotten my head around the Lightroom cataloging system. At the start of 2015, I installed a new external hard drive on my computer because my other EHD and my computer drive were getting too full. The intention with the new drive was to keep my 2015 photos on it and move over some stuff from my computer drive.

Long story short, I figured out some months ago how to begin a new catalog on a new drive but I couldn't figure out how to migrate my old catalog to the new drive. Then, this week, the light bulb finally came on. And so I have begun moving all my 2014 photos to my new EHD so that I can delete them to free up room from my computer. I have no desire to buy a new computer so I want to help it run as smoothly as possible for as long as possible. But to me this was a major breakthrough in my understanding of Lightroom. Just had to share that.

And finally, we've been fortunate to have an abundance of sunshine this week and I've spent a good bit of time chasing the rays around my house with my camera. This is the early morning light in our bedroom. I love the slant of the sun this time of year {it just doesn't come out often enough} and could chase it around all day.

And what about you? Have you had plenty of sunshine this week? Or too much snow? I know there is an ominous snow forecast out there for the East Coast over the course of the next few days. I don't believe I've ever heard of a snow storm lasting for so many days. I do hope the weather guys and gals are wrong. But in any event, I'm hoping all my East Coast family and friends stay warm and safe as this freak storm occurs.

That's all I have today.

With gratitude for sunshine,

Friday Finds

Spoonin' {TT}

Are you a collector? If so, what do you collect?

There are some things that I collect {think mugs, teapots} but spoons are not among them. My mother has a terrific collection of antique spoons. Not I. It's just never interested me. But a couple of years ago, I found this little spoon and couldn't resist. It called my name and said, 'Photo prop'. Yes. I promise you. It did!

Well, a week or so ago, our challenge in Kim's online classroom, The Studio, was spoons. I knew this one would be perfect to use for February. It usually hangs on a pin on my bulletin board waiting for me to notice it and take it down for a photo shoot. Well, today was the day!

Processing. I knew you'd ask so here it is: as with all my photos, it landed in Lightroom first. There I did the basic edits and then used Kim's 'breeze' preset. I didn't want anything too heavy. Then there was the trip to CC where I applied Kim's texture, petra, one I have never used before. But it was perfect for fading out the background. I didn't want the whole photo to be faded so I brushed off texture from the cuppa tea and the spoon. Next up in her journey: linking up at Texture Tuesday.

In other earth-shattering news:

It was piano tuning day at our house. I can't recall if I blogged about this but last year at this time, Campbell was determined to begin piano lessons. Our piano hadn't been tuned in over 20 years. Yes, I'm ashamed. I know. Not very prudent on my part. So I vowed to have it tuned once a year and today was the day. It gave me a great excuse to hide up here in my computer room so the racket wouldn't be overwhelming but when all was said and done, it sounded good.

And a little secret: I have started playing the piano again. It's been more years than I can count. But I'm enjoying it and I think I need to dig into the music basket to find something to challenge myself just a little bit more. I don't play for other people. In fact, I have severe stage fright at the thought of playing or singing anything by myself in front of people. But I enjoy doing it just for myself. That, after all, is the most important reason to do it.

How about you? Are you a closet pianist or vocalist? Do tell.

Staying in tune,

Tea Bowls or Candy Bowls? {FF}

How has your week been? It's been a pretty ordinary week around here.

This is what I found this week: red tea bowls. But ... are they tea bowls or candy bowls? Or both? Maybe ice cream bowls, too. Or I could fill them with nuts ... I think the possibilities are endless!

Anyhow, I came by these bowls when Campbell and I stopped by the tea shoppe on her snow day, the one where we had a very light dusting of snow. Yeah. That one. We already had the turquoise bowls which I shared with you earlier.  I wanted to get pretty blue bowls, Campbell wanted the fluorescent green. Then we spotted the red and compromised on these. I'd say it was a pretty good compromise.

But I do think I'll go back and get those blue ones. After all, there is no end to the ways I can use these bowls.

What do you think?

Until next time,

Linking up with Friday Finds.

I'm also over at Focusing on Life today talking about ... L.O.V.E. Come on over!

 

Camper: Snow Edition

{kk_presets breeze, whisper; texture kk_daisy}

As I write this {Monday}, I realize a lot of you are getting hammered with real snow. Blizzard conditions, in fact. Even though we only get that kind of snow once every 20 years or so, snow is still a big deal in Kentucky. One, because we don't typically get a lot of snow and are not equipped to handle it. Two, because when it does snow, the forecasters generally miss it by a country mile.

The forecast was for the possibility of 1" of the white stuff overnight Friday and into the wee hours of the morning on Saturday. We were greeted Saturday morning by a wonderland of white, you know, the big, white, fluffy soft kind of snow. Perfect for snow angels and photographs. And several inches more than the 1" that was predicted.

It's a well-known fact that I don't like cold weather, I prefer the warmth of the indoors to the chill of winter outdoors. But this was too good to pass up so I ventured out before breakfast with my camera and iPhone.

{kk_presets warmandslight, truecolor; du Chemin preset toxic warmth light}

I loved the pop of the red ball on the tree limbs that were covered with snow. This ball is an unused hummingbird feeder which we use just as an ornament. If you look closely, you'll see me in my white jacket with my hood pulled up. Hi, there! It really was not that cold, right around freezing but I am a wimp. In fact, 24 hours later, the snow was mostly gone. And we are far enough west that we were not affected by the Nor'easter rumbling up the East Coast today.

For my last two photos, I had a little fun with photo apps. This bench photo was processed in Waterlogue, using the Illustrator filter. I really do love this old bench even as it gets more and more broken down. But it's so great for photos, so much character, so much texture. When it finally collapses, it will have to be sent off with an appropriate farewell.

This photo was processed in the BrushStroke apps, one of my favorites. I really love what it did to this tree. Who says dogwood trees need to have flowers on them to be pretty?

That's about all I have for today. For those of you in the East, be warm, be safe. Drop in and let me know you're okay, I want to know. For the rest of us, let's just breathe a sigh of relief that we didn't get what our East Coast friends have experienced. And you can drop in and let me know that you're okay, too. I do want to hear from you as well.

With love and gratitude,

Texture Tuesday

 

 

 

Why? Because polka dots are fun! {FF}

Before we left on our girls' trip, Mr. Peepaw and I were having lunch or dinner {don't remember which} at a favorite bookstore cafe when I 'spotted' this teapot just outside the cafe area. I knew that before we left the premises, I would own that teapot.

When I told Mr. Peepaw, he said, 'Why?' When I showed it to my daughter, she said, 'Why?' When I showed it to Campbell, her eyes popped and she said, 'I love it!'. So it's nice to know that someone in this family 'gets it'. And why this teapot, when I have an ample stash? Because polka dots are fun! That's why.

This is a photo I did for Kim Klassen's new space, The Studio. The first prompt was cuppa. Well, those of you who visit Camper regularly know that this prompt set my heart aflutter. It is processed with two of Kim's presets, chocolate and gentle, then finished off with a du Chemin preset to brighten it up a bit.

As I told you in my last post more than a week ago, we three girls went on a cruise to the Bahamas. Here we've finally arrived and have just finished our lunch when I decided it was a good time to get a photo of my two girls because I knew the busier we got, the harder it would be to do that.

For our day in Nassau, we opted to visit Atlantis, which if you've never been there, is just as amazing as it looks in the television commercials. As we approached the dock, the girls were gazing at Atlantis off in the distance. Yes, the sky was grey. When we got off the ship it was raining and blowing and we got, shall we say, a bit wet. But when our bus let us off at Atlantis, blue skies began to pop through and Campbell and Krista had a delightful day playing on all the assorted water slides and rides while I wandered around taking photos and just watching people ... and drying off.

The following day was an at sea day which translated into more water time for the kid. The weather was perfect, just as you expect the weather in the Caribbean to be. I hung around with my camera for a while but then wandered off to a quiet, shady deck to read for a bit, which was just as delightful to me as pool time was to the girls.

Finally, on the way home, we stopped in Savannah and ventured down to River Street to find some lunch. All the buildings on River Street are old warehouses, as in 1700's. Savannah was at one time an important port down South. All of the interiors are similar to this in that there are abundant bricks and textures. The light in this room was so warm and mellow that all of these things created a perfect blend of elements that I love.

So that's it. All of my Friday Finds in one place and a brief summary of our very special girls' trip. Thank you, Krista, for such an amazing Christmas gift and for sharing your wonderful adventure with me!

{Friday Finds}

With love and gratitude,

 

In Our Home {{ TT }}

So how about it? Do you like winter? Although winter is my least favorite season, I have to admit that we often get some beautiful light shining into our home ... that is when the sun is shining. Many of our winter days are grey but when the sun does shine, my heart shines as well.

The other day when Campbell and I came in the door from school, the sun was lighting up these tulips so I grabbed my camera {which I keep nearby in the family room} and shot just one photo. This is it. I loved it so I stopped right there.

For post processing, I did use a David du Chemin preset and then one of Kim's textures, stamped right, multiplied at 25% opacity. Pretty simple edit but I like it. It was just one of those photos that clicked.

In our home, so far this month, in addition to my chasing light, New Year's Day saw us serving pancakes to our girls. Our son-in-law was busy at home getting ready for his traditional open house with country ham, black-eyed peas and greens {a Southern tradtion meant to bring good luck in the new year}. But the girls wanted something, well, a bit more palatte pleasing first. These are my pancakes with Maine blueberry syrup. Yummmmm! Mr. Peepaw is the pancake chef extraordinaire.

Campbell was happy with her pancakes, too, but doesn't she look so big? She's growing up way too fast for this grandma heart.

Seriously, when the sun is shining in the winter, I could chase the light just about all day. I walked into the dining room to see the light shining on the dry sink and snap, snap, snap I went. You'll notice that my furniture has a protective covering called 'dust'. If I had to do it again, I would not buy cherry furniture for my house. It's a dust magnet. Terrible.

In our house, the late afternoon sun in winter has a magnetic pull on me. The angle and direction of the light results in gorgeous lighting for photos, so again, grab the big girl camera and snap, snap, snap.

We had a pretty serious cold snap last week as did many of you so Campbell and I have been drinking not just cups of tea but pots of tea. And a chocolate chip cookie ... or two. I used Kim's true light preset on this to soften it just a bit.

And that's pretty much what's been happening 'in our home' this month. Tomorrow, we three girls will be heading south. A road trip will take us to Port Canaveral where we'll board a cruise ship for a three-day cruise to Nassau, Bahamas. This is Krista's Christmas present to Campbell and me. Pretty nice, huh? I was a bit nervous about undertaking such a long road trip this time of year, but right now the long-range forecast is predicting good traveling weather for us. And I have promised not to grumble about the weather this winter if this lovely forecast holds for us. {Why do we always think we can bargain with God?}

So there you have it. I'll be back in a week or so to report on our girls' trip. In the meantime, I hope life treats you kindly and gives you lots of sunlight.

Texture Tuesday

Still chasing that light ...