Posts tagged "art"

By shooting, of course, I mean photographing.

Our pets bring out the best in us.  They give us comfort.  They give us joy in our hearts.  They are like our children and we love them dearly.  Sure, sometimes they get us mad by chewing something or destroying something, but this is just the way they keep us on our toes.

Our pets do not care how we look.  They give us unconditional love, and know when exactly to cheer us up or comfort us.  When they give us that look, our hearts melt and we can’t help but smile.

As you can tell, I am HUGE animal lover.  I love to take pictures of them.  I love to capture their personality.  As if I become part of them reading their body language.

Nobody knows our pets as well as we do.  So how to capture their essence?  How to capture their personality?  How to freeze that moment of playfulness, that moment of smile?

First of all, we got to get down or up to their level.  We already know what they will do next by reading their body language.  Although, they still can surprise us.  The best way to shoot is when our pet does something surprising.  I must admit, though, some pets are camera-shy.  They freeze when we show up with that thing in our hands, especially if it is a large camera, or run away.  It is unknown to them.  So, my solution is to have pets get used to the camera.  Practice makes it better, and pets might usually get used to their pictures taken.

Here are some photos I took of our pets.  Each one of them has a different personality.

Here is Romeo when he was a cuddly puppy.  Sure, he will make you smile:

The boy and his toy

Sleepy dreams

Romeo’s first time at Siesta Key Beach.  Notice sand on his nose?

Even though he was tiny, it took two of us to catch him.

Sleepy puppy

Am I going to grow as big as she is?

You got to be kidding me?!!!  First time on a leash.  He still plans an ultimate revenge on his leash every time we walk him out.

Romeo in the back of Mom’s Jaguar.  The most saddest day was when he could not fit there anymore.

Sleepy time.  The work must be so exhausting.

Smile!

Romeo LOVES to take shower.

Let the fun times begin!

I just stole my Mom’s bra!

Waiting for dinner

What to do with Junk Mail?

Water+Romeo=Inseparable

At the speed of light

Gosh, that feels good! Let’s do it again!

And there he goes in the water again!

Introducing Smokey, the smartest African Grey Parrot on Earth!

Preening time!

Smokey talks, whistles, dances and shoots.  If somebody comes close to the house, she makes a real gun shooting sound, and they run away.  She and Romeo are the best protectors.  Here Smokey’s tail is lit up by sunlight.

“Good Morning,” Smokey says to Romeo.  They are the best buddies, and they give each other kisses.

What are you looking at?

Smokey LOVES broccoli

Here she dances and whistles to the tune.

I believe I can fly!

Even horses have a different personality.  Introducing Tango and Princess Adora.

Rock Star Tango.  He is Thoroughbred, retired racing horse and a rescue

Princess loves to run.  She is a Dutch Warm-blood and has a wild spirit.

Princess Adora and Tango after the shower.

Princess loves showers!

She loves showers so much, she goes into the dirt, rolls over, gets dirty and comes to ask for more shower.  Smart Princess!

Princess lets loose!

Best Friends forever!

It is great to capture pets from different perspective, by being creative.  Here stands Underwater Princess.

The hair in the wind!

Princess looks on in a distance

Princess loves the breeze in the air and a cooler weather.

Let’s kick start our day!

Jungle Beauty

Feeding time!  Tango LOVES to eat.

Princess gets wild!

In the splash of shower.

Princess is very curious in nature.  Everything fascinates her.  Did I mentioned she loves to run?  She can’t wait for cooler weather.  Right now she loves to splash in the pond.

So, whenever you would like to shoot your pet, look into their personality.  Capture not only what you see, but also what you feel.

See cat photography here.

We, photographers, love light.  The right light makes a photograph magical. Some of us even use an artificial light just to make that photo great!

What if the day is overcast, and there is no sunshine?  Does it prevent us to go out and create with our cameras?  Do we wait for sunshine days?

With overcast days, we can create different kind of magic.  Lack of light should not prevent us from doing what we love.  Life is all about ups and downs, right?  Different light creates different moods.  Bright colors stand out more.  Reflections are more profound.  Low light makes a scene more mysterious.  Some of our photos become like a painting.

Here are some captures that I did in a low light:

Look at that reflection in the water.

Peeking out dolphin has so much contrast.  The scene becomes magical.

Pelicans and reflections makes this photo like a painting.

This photo seems like telling a story.

Selective focus makes this photo vacation-like.

Pelican and low sunset light makes this scene dreamy.

Swan and cute cygnets.

Low angle makes people look like walking on the water.

Young couple and a dream.

Foggy conditions makes colors look more brighter, like feet and beak of this Snowy Egret.

Young fisherman-to-be.

Fog makes this scene look mysterious.

Sun peeking through the clouds.

Fishing frenzy

Look at those legs and reflections.

Gigantic clouds makes this boat so small.

Ready for fishing frenzy

Skimmers all lined up.

Diving Pelicans

Skimmers and sandpipers unite.

So, next time, there is a cloudy day, do not be afraid to venture out and create a low light magic.

A painter picks up a brush and expresses what is deep in his or her heart.  A photographer does the same.  The only difference is that photographer’s tool of creativity is a camera.  To an ordinary eye, it seems like it is a point-and-shoot, not a big deal.  However, it is not that simple.  See, the real photographer captures what is inside his or her heart using the outside world.

There are so many photographers with simple and gigantic with telescopic lenses cameras.  There are beginners and there are professionals.  Yet, some photographers stand out more than others, and not necessarily the ones with the best cameras around.  Why is that?  There are point and shoot and go people, and there are real artists.  What distinguishes artists from regulars?  They are masters of what they do.  They are masters of their craft.  They have an artistic eye and open heart and use them to create magical masterpieces.

How do they do that?  We can learn from them using these techniques:

1.  Capture what is in your heart.

2. Shoot with the feeling (this should come naturally).

3. Be aware of surroundings.  Notice things other people miss.

4. Use imagination, be creative.  Try different angles, textures, focus.  Do not be afraid to experiment.

5. Do not let anything stop you (rain, dark, etc.).

6. Follow your gut feeling.

7. Be patient.

8. Be your own boss (do not follow rules, be different).

9. Practice makes it better.  Know camera as your best friend.

10. Have a camera always ready. You never know what you’ll see.

First and foremost, capturing what is in your heart is a main and most important ingredient.  If you shoot what you do not love or like, pictures always will look crappy.  Now, if you capture something you love, it will show in your pictures.  You’ll give a special attention to your subject and even might find better angles to shoot.  The connection to a subject will make a whole world of difference.  If you love people and fashion, for example, specialize as a fashion photographer.  If nature and animals are in your heart, be a nature photographer.  Some photographers are skilled in various areas.  They bring love and undivided attention in anything they choose to capture.

Second technique is an extension of first.  If the first step is utilized, second technique should come naturally.  When capturing a subject, bring out a feeling.  Get to know the subject.  For example, in shooting a rose, smell it, admire its beauty.  Bring that awe and fragrance into a picture.  While capturing animals or birds, get to know them, study their behavior.  In shooting pets, play with them, bring out the cuddliness.  Look for traits of personality and capture the right moments.  In capturing people, get to know them to capture a real essence of them.  While shooting places, get to know the history and feel the energy, capture the light.

To have a great photographic eye, you got to be aware of surroundings and be present.  This way you can notice things that others miss.  Being in the now will surprise you what kind of things you start to notice.  You might be seeing the same things everyday.  However, if you look more closely, you can always notice something new.  For example, you go to the park and follow the same route.  If you are aware of your surroundings, you might notice a new flower or tree blooming.  In capturing people, you might use a different angle, different background.  Also, there might be an animal camouflaged.  Many people might drive or go the same routes, and they might not notice what is in front of them.  To be aware of surroundings all the time, it might bring some surprises.

In creating pictures, do not be afraid to use your imagination.  Be creative.  Try different angles, textures, focus.  Do not be afraid to experiment.  Bring your camera to the ground, shoot from up, sideways, upside down.  Let your creativity flow.  Make up backgrounds, shoot a splash of color in a dull places.  Capture different emotions, movements, surprising angles.  Sky is the limit to your abundant creativity.  Do not be afraid to be different, odd, unusual.

Once the sun goes down or starts raining or snowing, we find ourselves cooped up inside.  However, we miss some best shots.  Surprisingly, we can make the most creative shots in these conditions.  Rain brings the best reflections and raindrops that look like diamonds.  The night brings the splashes of colors.  Do not let any weather condition stop you.

Another technique is always follow your gut feeling.  If you do, you’ll find some great opportunities to take pictures in certain places at certain times.  That’s how I found much of wildlife and got pretty close to them.  Your inner knowing knows the best.  Never deny it.

Patience plays an important role as well.  It is easy to shoot a bird and animal standing.  Now, if they are in action, it is so much more interesting.  It brings out aliveness and personality, a moment.  Sometimes, we got to wait for a right timing, right light, right motion.  Also, the same goes with people.  We can take numerous shots and may not like any of them.  Now, if we have a subject to relax, or surprise them unexpectedly, or taking candid shots, we can capture their essence and personality.  I remember one winter my toes were getting cold in the water to the point of numbness, but I captured the most incredible pelican family fishing photos.  Patience is the key to find that right timing and right moment that pays off tremendously in creative shots.

If we would follow all the rules, there would be no creativity left and all the photos would be the same.  Be innovative, create something that nobody created.  Rebel because in being a rebel, all creativity comes out.

Of course, then comes practice.  In shooting constantly, we get to know our camera as a best friend.  We start from basics.  Then we get closer, then we try out creative shots, then experiment different angles, different lighting, different moods.  With practice, our hands become more steady in cases where we do not use tripod.  With practice, our pictures become better and better.  We see our subjects differently; we incorporate different techniques.

At last, always have your camera ready.  You don’t want to miss what you suddenly see.  You don’t want to miss opportunities that present themselves.  If you do miss the shot, just take time to enjoy what you see.  Do not beat yourself up that you have no camera ready.

My camera is my constant companion.  It taught me to be in the present, to enjoy every moment, to see things that many people miss.  Through camera, I capture moments that take my breath away, surprise me.  Through photos, I tell stories what I see, feel, touch, experience, hear and love to share with others.

See how to shoot your beloved pet here.

I love photography and the imagination that comes with it.  It is great to capture a bird in action and freeze that frame.  I follow a bird closely and see what it will do next.  It takes patience, but it is well worth it.

Here I created an album of birds that seem like dancing: the elegance, the beauty, the gracefulness.  Birds can awe us and surprise us.

Anhinga is doing a tap dance.

Brown Pelicans dancing Rumba

Ballet dancing lessons

Line dancing

Shall we dance?

Thank you for all the ovations.  You are too kind.

Yoga s-t-r-e-t-c-h

Ballet on the water

Gulls are break-dancing

Dancing with the Stars

Ballet

Acrobat Act

Reddish Egrets are the best dancers.  When they fish, they spread their wings, they jump, they go down, they turn to one side than other.  It is amazing to watch them.  While spreading their wings, they create a shadow to better see fish from the sun’s glare.

World, here I come! Fish beware!

Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake”

Cha-Cha-Cha

Bird version of “Dirty Dancing” episode in a lake.

Dancing is just discovery, discovery, discovery. – Martha Graham

There are shortcuts to happiness and dancing is one of them. – Vicki Baum

Dancing is like dreaming with your feet! – Constanze

The dance is a poem of which each movement is a word. – Mata Hari

To touch, to move, to inspire.  This is the true gift of dance. – Aubrey Lynch

Dance is music made visible – George Balanchine

Dancing is silent poetry – Simonides

To watch us dance is to hear our hearts speak – Hopi Indian Saying

You can dance anywhere, even if only in your heart – Author Unknown

Tern teasing dance, “I got a fish, come and get it.”

Life is a dance.  Let’s enjoy it.

Dance like there’s nobody watching, Love like you’ll never be hurt.

Sing like there’s nobody listening, And live like it’s heaven on earth. – William W. Purkey

See Right Timing photography here

It is been raining.  When there is a lack of sunshine, there is usually a lack of energy and a lack of smiles.  On a rainy day, we tend to curl up in the bed and read a great book, or watch programs.  Perhaps, it is a time to relax and take it easy.  For some reason, we are programmed to escape rain.  Some of us even dread rain.  We cover ourselves with huge umbrellas and run as fast as we can.  Well, of course, we do not want to get wet.

Have you ever walked in the rain?  How about dance?  What if we think, we have a sunshine in our hearts, would rain still bother us?  Let’s look at the nature.  Rain refreshes everything around us.  The grass and leaves become greener.  The flowers start to bloom.  The bright colors become even more brighter.  The air becomes fresher.  It washes away all the dust and brings a new energy.  Everything becomes alive.

How about life?  When troubles enter our lives, do we run as fast as we can from them?  Do we hide from them?  Or we take them how they are and take charge over them?  What if we look at our troubles as rain – underneath of it all there is something refreshing hidden.  There is always the way.  There is a great change waiting to happen, if are willing to see and act upon.

There is a beauty inside of us that might be sleeping for now.  The rain might awaken it, if we allow it.  We just got to trust ourselves and follow our gut and see where it will take us.  Let’s go dance in the rain.  Let our aliveness get loose!

“A crown is merely a hat that lets the rain in.” – Frederick The Great

“Rain is grace; rain is the sky descending to the earth; without rain, there would be no life.” – John Updike

“A poet is someone who stands outside in the rain hoping to be struck by lightning.” – James Dickey

“A rose must remain with the sun and the rain or its lovely promise won’t come true.” – Ray Evans

“I am sure it is a great mistake always to know enough to go in when it rains.  One may keep snug and dry by such knowledge, but one misses a world of loveliness.” – Adeline Knapp

“I’m singing in the rain, just singing in the rain; What a wonderful feeling, I’m happy again.” – Arthur Freed

“Anyone who says sunshine brings happiness has never danced in the rain.” – Author Unknown

“And when it rains on your parade, look up rather than down.  Without the rain, there would be no rainbow.” – Gilbert K. Chesterton.

“Some people walk in the rain, others just get wet.” – Roger Miller

“Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather.” – John Ruskin

“Life is full of beauty.  Notice it.  Notice the bumble bee, the small child, and the smiling faces.  Smell the rain and feel the wind.  Live your life to the fullest potential, and fight for your dreams.” – Ashley Smith

Interesting, I found this quote that resembles my morning thought:

“Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine.” – Anthony J. D’Angelo.

Low light and overcast outside?  No problem.  Here is a post about photos in Low light:

Low Light Photography

If we look closely, we can see the most beautiful paintings created by nature.  They are filled with color and detail, and they are ever-changing.  Nature clears our mind and fills us with wonder.  Here are some of my photos of water.  The reflections and ripples cause an incredible effect that leave us inspired and awe-struck.

Reflections of forest

Reflections of the sky

Reflections of fence in rain water.

A pond full of stars

Reflections of tree in ripples

Fish swimming in Monet.

Colors of trees in reflections

Sun stars on a cloudy day

Huge ripple

Moving water in the creek

Little Blue Heron fishing on a sun path.

Two turtles looking on in our Princess reflection

Fish point of view

Rain water in the creek

Floating leaf creates a 3-D effect.

The next time you are by body of water, look more closely, and you’ll see the most amazing paintings created by nature.

Blue hour happens right after sunset.  After sun goes down, all the drama unfolds before our eyes.  The colors become dark bringing out the mystery of the night.  Usually, people leave after sun’s touchdown.  I like to stay for a moment, and capture what is left of the day.

Right after sun goes down, the horizon becomes green.

If shooting at the low level, we get an interesting perspective.

Motion of sandpipers.

Bird’s point of view

After feeding frenzy resided.

Glowing eyes are kind of spooky.

Lone shell at the beach.

When the sun goes down, what will you capture?  How do you see the world?

Sunsets always take our breath away.  They capture our imagination, fill our world with colors, and leave us awe-struck.  It is like a huge canvas filled with different colors and textures.  Some of them are dramatic.  Some of them are cloud-less.  Some sunsets set a cheerful mood.  Some of them brings out our uncertainty.  It depends on our mood and what we see and feel inside.

How to capture this beauty?  How to capture what we feel inside?  As in every art, capturing the photos always reflect our inner state of being.  Do we focus on dark colors and drama? Or are we drawn to cheerful orange and red?  Do we have our imagination play with the clouds?  Do we use our imagination how to shoot creatively and in extraordinary ways to capture that awe-inspiring moment?

Here are my captures to inspire you, my readers:

Timing is everything.

Golden hour is the best time to take pictures.  Golden hour happens an hour before the sun goes down.  It makes everything aglow and the colors become warm and pleasant to the eye.

At sunset even ripples in the water become like a masterpiece.

A setting sun through palm tree leaves adds mystery and makes a photo like an abstract painting.

Sometimes it takes a little creativity to see a beauty in unexpected, but ordinary places.  This is a reflection of sunset on my car’s window right after the rain.

The storm cloud is lit up before the sun goes down.  Sometimes incredible views are right behind us.

Sunset colors reflect of the building.  Reflection effect was caused when I put my camera on the top of my car.

Mickey Mouse sunset

Sail into your dreams sunset.  It has that vacation feel, isn’t it?  The sun rays adds that extra touch.

The clouds at sunset runs our imagination wild.  This is one of my favorite sunsets that I captured.

Sunset-colored sand turns into gold when capturing at low angle.

Golden sunlight, blue water and seagulls at low level makes this moment magical.

Romantic moment

Enjoying the a spectacular sunset

The spectacular sunset with incredible clouds

The little girl playing with the sand and water.  This heart-warming moment seems like has a story behind it.

Fishing at sunset

At golden hour, the whole beach might turn into gold.

Sea grass at sunset on the windy day

A peaceful eve.

Who is walking who?

Sometimes sunsets are out of this world.

Brushstrokes of orange

We can make a great framing for a sunset.  I zoomed in my camera in the peek of trees and buildings

I believe wild fires caused this unusual sunset.

Even buildings become beautiful at sunset

This incredible sunset was caused after tropical storm.  Again I used the top of the car to cause this unusual effect.

Go capture a sunset tonight.  Use your imagination.  What will you see? How can you create your magic?

Like shadows, silhouettes add mystery to photography.  The silhouettes appear when the light is low and when it is behind the subject.

A silhouette of David at Ringling Museum

We were having fun with different poses when the sun went down.  This is my friend Sandy.

Great Blue Heron at sunset.  The colors of sun down makes this picture warm.

As the sun was going down, I spotted the lone pelican.

A couple was having fun.  I shot this from low angle.

This photo seems have a love story behind it.  The elderly couple sits at the park while sun protrudes through the tree.

Dolphin statue at the park in sunlight makes this picture magical.

This one is interesting.  There was a light at Black Bird Gallery.  I lined up the decorative tree and a statue of black bird against the light and this is what I got.

Here I aligned a bench with reflection of the sun on the water. The silhouettes of bench and sailboat and stars make the scenery enchanted, relaxing and dreamy.

Here is Raj, our cat on the car roof against sunset light. He is waiting for the dark to come, so he can cause trouble.

Brown Pelican at sunset.

Palm trees against interesting sky makes this tropical scene inviting.

I really enjoyed to make this picture.  I aligned the path of sunset with fishing Little Blue Heron.  The night was cold, that’s why the colors are subdued on the water.  It looks like the bird is walking in the painting.

Wish you lots of creativity.  There is always a magic near us if we look a little closer.

Photography is a great way to be creative.  We can paint a picture of what we see in artistic ways that can capture our eyes and our hearts.  I love sun and moonlight.  I love to create magic using light and my imagination.

Here I captured couple’s hands creating a heart at sunset

Crystals are a fine way to capture sunlight.  Jewelry courtesy of Dalia Koss Unique Jewelry

Added sunlight makes a beautiful Swarovski crystal jewelry come alive.  Jewelry courtesy of daliakoss.com

This one is magical way to capture sunlight.  I took some water from the pond and I aligned reflection of the sun with my hand.

The sunlight and aligned branches forming a heart makes this scene amazing.  Isn’t it?

This one looks like a diamond.  It is a drop reflecting a sunlight.

These two pictures got lots of attention on Flickr.  I aligned Super Moon light with fishing Great Blue Heron.

A true Elegance in Moon light.

This one was a fun way to create magic:  sun rays in between my fingers.

Reflection of sunlight in the bay and sun among the branches made this picture colorful and interesting.

The sunlight reflecting from glass table on an orchid petal made a rainbow effect.

The palm tree branches in a sunset light.

Rain drops in a sunlight made this moment like an enchanted forest.

Sea of stars.  I caught them when the breeze blew at the pond making star ripples.

Spiderweb at sunset makes a rainbow of colors

Even man-made light can be magical.  This is an interesting light show and a reflection of it.

A statue at art show.  Add sunlight and reflections, and it becomes magical.

This is one of my favorites.  I caught a sun halo and a sun though the hole of this paper heart.

It is amazing what we can do by adding our imagination to every day life.  What do you think?  What can we create today?

In making sunlight magic, I got to warn you, though:  Do not point camera directly at a strong sun, be careful not to damage your camera’s sensor.  Also, do not look at the sun directly.  Use common sense.  All else is a great fun.  Enjoy.