“Wouldn’t it be interesting if…” Photography

Trust that little voice in your head that says “Wouldn’t it be interesting if…”  And then do it.” ~ Duane Michals, “More Joy of Photography.”

This powerful quote says it all.  In photography, if we trust our inner knowing, we can create magic.  We can capture what we see in most unusual ways.  It gets us creative, it fills us with imagination, and we capture that wonder in our beloved photography.

Here are some photos I captured following my inner wonder:

Wouldn’t it be interesting if I would shoot an incredible sunset reflected in theater’s windows?

Here is the magical result.

Wouldn’t it be interesting if I would shoot sunset reflections in a far away building with my zoom lense?

A building becomes alive with a golden beautiful light.

Wouldn’t it be interesting if I would align the sun with crystals?

The beautiful necklace by Dalia Koss becomes full of crystal magic.

Wouldn’t it be interesting if I would align fishing Great Blue Heron with Super Moon’s pathway?

Even though I was tripping in the dark going down the slope, I had a vision in my heart and went for it.  This picture in my Flickr was overnight sensation, totaling 1000 views per night.  Right now, it has over 2,000 views.

Wouldn’t it be interesting if I would catch a sunlight in my fingers?

Magic catch.

Wouldn’t it be interesting if I would align the sunset colors with a spider web?Here is a colorful spider web palate

Wouldn’t it be interesting if I will integrate my friend Sandy in art?

Sandy becomes a part of statue. Art Deco.

Sandy becomes a part of painting.

Wouldn’t it be interesting if I would capture sunset through the window from inside the house?

The door window becomes enchanted.

Wouldn’t it be interesting if I align a sunlight with our Princess Adora?

Princess becomes an angel.

Wouldn’t it be interesting if I will capture Princess through my car’s reflection?

The capture makes an interesting composition.

Wouldn’t it be interesting if I will try to capture moon through the blinds?

Here is a result.

Wouldn’t it be interesting if I would align a crow statue against decorative lamp?

It becomes like fairy tale: a crow against the moon.

Wouldn’t it be interesting if we would take our cameras while parasailing?

The view was spectacular!

Wouldn’t it be interesting if I would shoot rain drops on my back car’s window lighted by the car behind while waiting by the red light?

Rain drops become hundreds of hearts.

Wouldn’t it be interesting if I would “train” a dragonfly to stand on my finger while taking a picture with another hand?

Ladies and Gentlemen, Dragonfly the Acrobat!

Wouldn’t it be interesting if I would align a sunlight on the dragonfly’s wings?

Golden Magical Dragonfly.

Wouldn’t it be interesting if I would come really close to the Brown Pelican, and snap the photo?

The light was incredible.  Brown Pelican trusted me to come closely.

Wouldn’t it be interesting if I would capture the wave from the low point?

Getting a close up.

Wouldn’t it be interesting if I would use a light post for support because I did not have a tripod with me for this night shot?

It is great to improvise!

Wouldn’t it be interesting if I would take this photo of sand castle against sunset and include a person to show the size?

Here is a dreamy dragon beauty.

Wouldn’t it be interesting if I would include a sunset and shoot this castle from the ground?

Picture becomes magic.  One woman yelled at me because according to her, I took the best spot.  It was my idea all along and after me, a few people started to follow my low point of taking picture.  Love to inspire people.

Wouldn’t it be interesting if I would see what is inside this rock?

Here is a result.

Wouldn’t it be interesting if I would shoot a sunset through my car’s mirror?

I was standing by red light.  Love to use these waiting moments for my advantage.

So, what would you see if you would follow your inner knowing, “Wouldn’t it be interesting if…?” Go shoot the magic!

Wish you lots of creativity!

Tags: art, beauty, Dalia Koss, Dalia Koss Unique Jewelry, friends, fun, http://www.daliakoss.com/, inspiration, journal, life, lifestyle, me, nature, opinion, personal, photo, photo gallery, photo inspiration, photo tips, photography, photos, picture, pictures, post and photos by Ineta McParland, random thoughts, reflections, Sandy Baumgartner, thoughts, wonderocity

Color Red Photography

Sometimes photography is all about a color, and the most that stands out is a color Red.  It makes a gloomy day more interesting.  It gives an energy and power.  It is a color of passion, love and life.

Red color flowers stand out in the garden.

In fashion, the touch of red brings out sexiness, like these Christian Louboutin heels.  (See shoerazzi.com for more great shoe goodness)

Red brings out fun, summer feel and vacation.  This is my friend Sandy dressed in Dalia Koss necklace

Deep red color top and turquoise makes a great match. Jewelry by Dalia Koss.

Red dress in this photo makes a woman beautiful, and mysterious.

Even red light reflection on the street makes otherwise gloomy rainy night like a painting.

Red accent like this red toy makes already cute picture more powerful.

This one is an interesting moment.  I captured a giant moon right next to the red light through car’s window.  It made the sky surreal.

Red paddle boat makes this scene even more magical by giving a great contrast.

Love is in the air. Red Macaws are grooming each other.

Red sea of flowers

Red dragonfly is a sure stand out in a green background.

Sometimes a red color is a great protection for insects.  It is warning for birds not to eat them.

Red sunset adds a drama to the sky.

This Red horse statue brings out excitement to the city.

Red strawberries add a delicious touch to this yogurt.

Red bromiliad looks like a natural firework.

Red color makes the overcast day so much prettier.  It brings a sense of adventure.

Red brings out a huge contrast into a magical day.

Of course, nothing can beat a red sports car.  This Ferrari makes my heart skip the beat just looking at it.  It has a sense of dangerousness, hotness, and adventure.

The red color adds a fire and passion in our lives.  Where can you find yours?

Color Green photography

Tags: art, beauty, Christian Louboutin heels, color red, color red photography, Dalia Koss Unique Jewelry, friends, fun, http://www.daliakoss.com/, inspiration, love, nature, opinion, personal, photo, photo gallery, photo inspiration, photo tips, photography, photos, picture, pictures, post and photos by Ineta McParland, random thoughts, red, red color, red color photography, red photography, reflections, Sandy Baumgartner, Shoerazzi, Shoerazzi.com, thoughts, wonderocity

Passion

A cold natural stone becomes warm and ignited once touched by caring hands.  Imagination comes into play.  Colors, design, and inner vision – all ties up into a beautiful masterpiece.  Dalia Koss is a master designer who makes every woman look beautiful.  Her energy is captivating and women feel it by wearing her necklaces.  Her shared love and passion radiates in every piece she creates.  The necklaces become a part of the women.  Instant connection make women feel special, beautiful, brave, fun, as if the masterpieces they wear have some magical power.

The expression, the mood, the pose, a sense of calm, a soft skin tone are all portrayed in Brent Twit‘s work.  His passion for detail and beauty make people real in his paintings.  His love flows in his works of art and it shows.

Eyes are windows to the soul, they say.  Chevas expresses that in his paintings.  Eyes are the most profound feature in his work.  It feels as if his paintings are watching over you.  His passion for life and fun personality shines in the most vibrant colors.  Reading people and finding their wisdom and goodness shows up in expressive eyes he concentrates on in his paintings.

Last week, I went to  William Wolk‘s gallery and felt instant love and passion for his work.  I am passionate about animals myself.  Therefore, I could feel his each brush stroke.  His paintings were works of love for nature and beautiful creatures.  Each feather, each muscle, the whole detail…  Each brush stroke made a magnificent creature come alive.

What these artists have in common?  They all have a passion for their work.  Passion – what a beautiful word.  It is something that can not be taught.  It is something that can not be touched.  It is only can be felt within our hearts.  We are either born with it or we develop it in later years.  Some of us might not even know what are our passions.  It is only because we did not awaken what is deep within our hearts.  It is because we live our lives according others’ expectations.  We are too busy working, taking care of business, responsibilities, etc., etc.  We do not have time to stop and ask ourselves “What is our passion?  What we would like to do today?  What lights up our inner fire?”

Passion is our inner knowing, love for what we do.  Passion can be expressed in infinite ways.  We express our inner world into the outside world.  We express what we see, what we feel, what we hear, what we touch, what we taste.  It is about endless imagination and creative ways.  We create for the world to enjoy.  Some people might not understand what we create.  That’s O.K.  It is not their time to understand it yet.  Yet if we put all our heart into creation and our whole passion, many people will be awed and even inspired.

So, what is your passion?  What would you like to do more than anything in the whole world?  Awaken what is inside of you, and let your heart bloom.

Tags: art, beauty, Brent Twit, Chevas, creation, creative ways, Dalia Koss, Dalia Koss Unique Jewelry, design, expression, fashion, fun, gallery, inner knowing, inspiration, life, lifestyle, links, love, men, nature, outfits, passion, passionate life, people, personal, photos, pictures, random thoughts, reflections, self-expression, shopping, stories, style, thoughts, William Wolk, women, wonderocity

Star Within

A Star…  What comes to your mind when you think about it?  Sure, there are stars at night…  What else?  How about Movie Stars, Star Athletes, Rock Stars, You Tube Sensations, famous artists, etc.? We all look up to our role models.  We want to be just like them, or we just admire their talent and creativity.

Now, can we think of ourselves as Stars?  Can we become one?  Do we want to become one?  For those who say “No,” why not?  The reasons will pour, “Have no resources, no time, being too old, too young, too late, not good enough, kids is priority, too broke, nobody sees our potential, and many more.  These reasons are just butts.  The stars we look up to are just ordinary people leading extraordinary lives because they chose to follow their dreams.  Most of us did not see their struggles, their rejections, their failures.  We only see their successes.  Everybody started from somewhere and for most of them it was not easy.  The breakthrough came when they stuck with their dreams no matter what.  They persisted and they won.

So, can we be Stars? Do we see our family and loved ones as Stars?  Some of us already are.  We just do not look at it this way.  For example, my Mom Dalia Koss is a famous jewelry designer whose creativity is never-ending.  Her unique jewelry are not only works of art, but women feel renewed and rejuvenated when they wear Dalia Koss jewelry.  Many women ask why jewelry feel so good and so comfortable to wear.  The answer is Dalia puts her heart and loving touch into her creations.  That’s why they feel magical.

Photo courtesy of daliakoss.com

My brother Markus Urban is a star extraordinaire.  He is not only a world traveler, he is an inspiration to everybody.  He touches everyone’s life with his love, passion, generosity, giving, wisdom and creativity.  He does everything with open heart and expanded mind.

His girlfriend Ashley at Shoerazzi.com is a Shoe Princess.  With her insightful and creative blog, she satisfies every shoe-lover’s desires.  Ashley is giving, kind, smart and really passionate.  It shows brightly in her work.  She is a Shoe Star.

I am so fortunate to have my Star family.  You probably ask how about me? I put my heart into my writing and photography.  I am work-in-progress Star, I see myself as being published writer and photographer.  My photos are already published in stories, were used for creative artwork, and in the ads and in magazines.

How about you?  What Star do you have within that can’t wait to come out? What makes you come alive and gives huge sparkles in your eyes?  What is your passion?  What is in your heart that you wish to share with the world? Who you want to be, no “buts” and “somedays” about it?  Dreams are attainable if we persist.

May you be a  Star because Anything is Possible .  Best Wishes and Thank you for being my reader.

Tags: Ashley Spiker, beauty, being star, Dalia Koss Unique Jewelry, dreams come true, family, fashion, friends, http://www.daliakoss.com/, inspiration, life, lifestyle, LivingonImpulse.com, Markus Urban, opinion, passion, people, personal, photography, photos, pictures, post and photos by Ineta McParland, random thoughts, reflections, Shoerazzi.com, shopping, Star, star within, stories, style, success, thoughts, wonderocity

What is a True Art?

Art is our expression of love, passions, imagination.  It is a language of our heart and soul.  What we cannot express in simple words, we express it in a visual sense.  Through art, we touch other people’s hearts who speak our language; we inspire them; we lighten their world; we lift them to reach their full potential.

Art comes in different shapes and forms: paintings, drawings, statues, photography, movies, writing and even jewelry, clothes, shoes we wear.  We do not need to be artists to be creative.  In everyday lives, we create in unexpected ways:  the way we dress, cook, walk, the way we present ourselves.  We are creators of our lives.  We are masters of our destiny.

There is so much art everywhere if we look more closely.  Nature is the best example.  The sky is ever-changing masterpiece.  The way sunlight hits the water can take our breath away.  Even a simple leaf has so much detail, patterns and structures in it – it’s nature’s true design.  The key to art is to see what is around us, to be a seer, a feeler, to have an expanded vision.

A true art, whether seen or created, has to be felt within the heart.  It is a major first ingredient that textbooks or instruction manuals never tell.  We can have the state of the art equipment.  If we will not follow our hearts in creating, if we will not put our feelings in it, the work will be mediocre and unaffecting.

The second ingredient to a true art is imagination.  Seeing art in unexpected places takes a broad vision.  This capture above is taken on the rainy day.  It is reflection of traffic lights on the street.  Below are the shadow of blinds in the room.  Seeing ordinary in extraordinary ways can make the whole world of difference.  Art can be captured in unusual angle, in a special light, in details easily missed.

It might take a special eye and imagination to put an exquisite design together, or to dress according the personality and mood.  We are all artists in different ways.  It is an expression for who we are and wish to be.

The third ingredient to a true art is a meaning.  It might be something from our past experiences, something we imagine, something we wish that grabs our hearts and souls.  It gives a sparkle in our eyes.  It makes our souls sing and inspires us.  It might be something simple as capturing a certain movement, a special Aha moment, a wondrous look.  It is a picture of  life the way we see it.

A heart, imagination and meaning are the three major ingredients in creating and seeing a true art.  Having this magical formula, what can we create and see for ourselves?  Using our expanded vision, what can we make out of our lives?  What in it that we can touch, see, smell, feel?  Life is our creative process.  What is our inner vision?

For artistic inspiration, unusual imagination, and exquisite design, you can visit these sites:

Unusual Shoes,

exquisite jewelry design,

lifestyle like nothing like it,

paintings from the heart.

Tags: art, art tips, beauty, creativity, Dalia Koss Unique Jewelry, daliakoss.com, design, fashion, fun, heart, imagination, inspiration, life, lifestyle, LivingonImpulse.com, love, meaning, meaning of art, nature, passion, people, photo gallery, photo inspiration, photo tips, photography, photos, pictures, post and photos by Ineta McParland, Shoerazzi.com, shoes, style, thoughts, vision, wonder, wonderocity

Happy Halloween!

Have a fantastic Halloween, filled with lots of candy!

Have fun being dressed in costumes!

Wear something unusual and unique!

Find mystery after sun goes down!

Find magic in unexpected places!

But do not forget to watch for creepy crawlies!

Watch out for mad squirrels!

and just know you are being watched! Really watched…

Happy Halloween, my friends and family!  Have a great, sweet, creative, happy and somewhat scary day!

Tags: art, Dalia Koss Unique Jewelry, family, friends, halloween, happy halloween, http://www.daliakoss.com/, humor, inspiration, photo gallery, photography, photos, pictures, post and photos by Ineta McParland, reflections, thoughts, wishes, wonderocity

Sun Halo

Today sun took my breath away.  WOW!  That was amazing phenomenon!

For more information about it, you can read here: Sun Halo

Tags: beauty, circle around the sun, cirrus clouds, Dalia Koss Unique Jewelry, event, nature, out of this world, phenomenon, photo, photography, picture, post and photo by Ineta Mcparland, rainbow, Sun Halo, taking my breath away, wonder, wonderocity, wow

Being Open-Minded

It is interesting how we base most of our decisions on the past.  Starting with basics, like buying new clothes or jewelry to picking out partners, to having the same job we chose when we were eighteen years old.  We love familiar and comfortable.  Most of us do not like change.  Unfamiliar scares us.  So, we get stuck in the routine, wearing our comfortable clothes, tiny chain with pendant (that you can barely see), keep meeting people that resemble our past, and we get stuck doing the same job we know for years.  We tell ourselves, it worked before, worked in the past, so why change it?  If it is not broken, why fix it? So we keep going in circles, but we keep going…

Pretty boring, ah?  But it is familiar.  Well, if we do not want to grow and learn new things, and experience life, that’s fine.  It is a safe way of living.  For those who want to get out of boring routine, to wake up to life, to risk in order to learn something new, here is a suggestion:  be open-minded.  Sure, it is easier to live by our set-up rules and opinions.  Now, unless we’re open-minded, we never know what we can learn and experience.  We might be surprised.  It is not necessary to change a whole life.  All I suggest is to change the attitude in everything we do: be open-minded.

If someone suggests you different clothes or bigger expressive necklace, try it.  You might enjoy the bolder look.  What you wear is what you are.  Express how you feel inside.  If you feel boring, that’s how you will project yourself to the world.  Change your attitude to adventurous and fun, and dress like it.  Experiment with new, unfamiliar.  Be wild.  Be open-minded to how you want to feel, and dress the part.  Now if you surprise someone, or even shock, just laugh about it.  If you feel self-confident in who you are, it does not matter what other people think.  The most important is how you feel.

photo courtesy of daliakoss.com

Relationship-wise, we usually keep attracting people who are reminders of our past.  Say, we break-up with someone, or someone broke our hearts.  For awhile, we keep seeing that person everywhere in strangers:  their appearance, their manners, the way they walk, talk, etc., etc.  We know that’s not the same person, but we keep being reminded of him or her.  Some of us might even fall in the same trap: start dating or even marry the same version of (insert name here) or (name) in disguise.

I believe we all have a built-in radar.  If we learn from our past mistakes, we can follow this radar to give us warnings as “red flags,” that we should never ignore.  Be open-minded in meeting different kinds of people, even outside our comfort zones (more smarter than us, more attractive than us, more… than us).   The key is to know what we want and don’t fall for the first one who resembles familiar, our past.  Unless we’re open-minded, we never know who we would meet.  He or she might challenge us, but it will be worthwhile.

Job-wise, some of us may be stuck in the same job we thought will be good for us since we were 18 years old.  Some of us are happy with it which is great.  Sometimes teens do know everything.  However, some of us are miserable doing the same thing over and over, year after year.  We console ourselves with a great pay, benefits: insurance, vacation time or we’re just grateful to have a job, yet deep inside, we’re miserable.  We know we are worth more.  We know what our passions are.  Yet we stick with familiar, and we torture ourselves with “what ifs…”, hoping that we will be happy and make a change “one day” that never comes.

Now, if we open our minds and follow our hearts, we may turn our hobby into profession, or find a new hobby outside our job.  What are you passionate about?  What you always wanted to learn?  Do it now.  “Some day” as you know, will never come.  The time to do it is now.  Most importantly, not only do it, share with people what you’re passionate about.  You never know, you might make the right connection.  Keep sharing and be open-minded in everything you do.  What surprise is waiting around the corner?  Only for you to find out.  Without a risk, you don’t drink the champagne…

Tags: attracting new people, beauty, being open-minded, career, clothes, Dalia Koss Unique Jewelry, decisions, don't depend on past, dress, experience life, familiar, fashion, friends, hobby, inspiration, jewelry, job, life, lifestyle, love, new ways, old ways, open mind, opinion, passion, past, people, personal, photography, photos, pictures, post and photos by Ineta McParland, profession, reflections, relationship, relationships, risk, self-expression, self-improvement, shopping, thoughts, what we want, wonderocity