Category: photography

Anticipating Autumn

Posted on by Bree

The days have been getting shorter and the temperatures cooler and it is obvious where I live… autumn is on its way. I have seriously mixed feelings about this. Autumn is one of my favorite seasons, but I also really love summer. And spring! There is only one season I can’t get “into”… winter. And that’s the problem with autumn – winter comes right after it. Ugh. Cold, snow, ice, shivering, short daylight hours… not my thing.

But since I have not yet achieved the magical power to extend summer, I decided that I would focus on the many things I love about autumn and completely block my brain from thinking about the “w” word. In fact, I found some photos that I took last year with a point-and-shoot during a beautiful fall hike and hadn’t processed yet, and went to work on them. Ahh, autumnal bliss…

It begins with a winding mountain road and a gorgeous blue-sky day….

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That leads to a trailhead bursting with aspen trees and deliciously yellow leaves….

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Ahhh, the joy of hiking. An abundance of mountain yellows and greens make for great infrared-style photos, no?

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As the sun began to set in late afternoon, my attention was captured by the interplay between light and dark, snow and vegetation in this little meadow.

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And I let my Impressionistic side come out. (This one is my favorite in the series.)

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Art is truly found in the season of fall…

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And in all its little details.

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Crispy pigs, hula dancing, tiki torches and… sweaters?

Posted on by Bree

I shot a luau during a recent family celebration, and while the event was pretty authentic, the weather was decidedly less than tropical. It was a brisk 45 degrees Farenheit, in fact. Thankfully, the rain had stopped a couple of hours before the feasting and dancing got underway. And the leftover clouds combined with the sunset made for a spectacular backdrop to my luau pictures, which got me excited. (Hopefully, the clouds make up for the background trailer and equipment that couldn’t be avoided.)

Although it was really fun, shooting an evening luau that had lots of quick action and dancing without a formal lighting setup proved challenging. I spent most of the evening dreaming of a super fast, kick-butt, “L” series Canon lens to better achieve my artistic vision with. Maybe if I’m really good, the Camera Fairy will bring me one for my birthday.

I’ll post pictures soon on my website. In the meantime, here’s a little piggy preview. Anyone hungry?

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2nd Annual Scott Kelby Photo Walk – The Results

Posted on by Bree

If haven’t mentioned before in this blog how much I love Scott Kelby (and even if I have), I will say it now: Scott Kelby ROCKS.

He’s smart, humorous, an entertaining speaker, a great instructor, a good writer, a good shooter, and an all-around nice guy. He’s the kind of photographer that makes me (almost) think that I could just call him up and say, “Hey Scott! Let’s go out shooting tomorrow.” And then I’d come away from that photo shoot with my brain stuffed with information and my face sore from laughing.

But I hear Scott’s pretty busy.

So, I substituted. Last Saturday I participated in Scott Kelby’s Worldwide Photo Walk as part of the Provo group and tried to channel Scott’s energy as I explored downtown Provo and a farmer’s market. I would like to say it was the next best thing to shooting with Scott himself, but that wouldn’t be true. Maybe if I win the truckload of camera stuff that goes to the Grand Prize winner of the photo contest after the walk, then it would be the next best thing!

Ahh… listen to me. Dreaming big dreams throughout this post. I don’t know that I have a grand prize winning photo from the Photo Walk. But it was a nice day to get outside with my camera. Below are the photos that I’m considering for the Photo Walk contest. I have to choose TWO. No more than two. Hmmm… I’m feelin‘ Monty Python all of the sudden…

Thou shalt count to two, no more, no less. Two shall be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be two. Three shalt thou not count, neither count thou one, excepting that thou then proceed to two. Four is right out. Once the number two, being the second number, be reached, then lobbest thou the photos into the Scott Kelby Photo Walk contest and prayest that they may be accepted.

Let me know which pictures you would vote for!

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Who knew a rooster could be so cool?

Posted on by Bree

I am currently working on processing the photos that I shot during last weekend’s Scott Kelby Photo Walk, and hope to get those posted soon. In the meantime, I thought I would share one of my favorite recent images. It is currently posted on my website, but I’ll re-post here in case you haven’t seen it.

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I fall in love with this rooster a little more every time I look at this pic. Like it? Does it jive with your style? Order a fine art print of this image here.

A goat, some ducks, one bee sting, and plenty of golf

Posted on by Bree

I just finished processing some photos that I took while having some Memorial Day fun with friends and family. Yeah, I know, Memorial Day was almost a week ago. But I’ve found it is little difficult to process pictures when you’re trying to finish buying a home in addition to all of your everyday duties. Hoo boy, if only there was a way to photograph all the drama and chaos of the adventure called “Buying a House Without Endless Cash Reserves!”

Thankfully, though I worked on Memorial Day, I also had some extra time to play and relax and shoot for fun. On a farm! Okay… ranch. Not a working ranch, though. Would you call it a Just-For-Fun Ranch? Regardless, there were ducks and kittens and dogs and horses and goats and roosters and white fences. An outdoor fire pit. And a great big field for hitting golf balls into that will be found by archaeologists sometime in the year 3013.

Below is one of the shots that I captured that day. Check out the rest on my website in my “Recent Work” gallery.

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1st Place Photo at “Bring Your Best” Competition

Posted on by Bree

On Monday, I submitted two framed photos to the “Bring Your Best” competition being held at Utah Valley University during the school’s Summer University conference. Faculty and employees from many different departments submitted art work and other crafts to the competition, and the work was reviewed and judged by a panel. I was thrilled to find out that my image, “Hidden Iron”, was given the blue ribbon in the Photography category. Woo hoo!!! It really made my day.

Below is a look at my winning image. This photo looks terrific sized 20×24 in a dark wood or black frame. Contact me by posting a comment or e-mail me through my website if would enjoy this fine art print in your office or house! (The copyright symbol, of course, will not appear on your print.)

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Shootin’ with the fishies

Posted on by Bree

I almost named this blog post “Swimmin’ with the fishies” but that wouldn’t be accurate, because I was dry and fully clothed, photographing aquatic life with a handheld camera in a darkened room behind a thick plastic window while 5- and 6-year-old kids I didn’t know climbed between my legs and up through my arms to get a closer look at Nemo (squeal!).

Aaaaaah…. another relaxing day at the aquarium.

In spite of the challenges of shooting in this environment, I came back with a few fine art favorites that I will be posting on my website soon. In the meantime, here is a sneak peek for my blog friends:

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This is a “Four-Eyed Fish,” or Anableps Anableps – found in Central America. If you like the life aquatic and have plans to be in the Salt Lake Valley, stop by The Living Planet Aquarium – fun for all ages! If you prefer not to become a human jungle gym for the visiting kiddies, avoid going there on a Saturday afternoon. At all costs. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Best Photo at the Signature Squares Art Show

Posted on by Bree

I attended the opening reception at the Red Plum gallery on Friday night and was thrilled to discover that the image I submitted was chosen for “BEST PHOTO“! How cool is that? Furthermore, it was a great show… I was impressed by the quality of the other submissions by local artists. Stop by Red Plum Designs to check them out… all of the artistic pieces are going to be displayed until sold. You can buy my winning image (titled “Peaceful Flower“) there – 12″x12” with double mat, or if you want this same photo custom-sized for your home/office, you can order it through my website.

Here is the image that won Best Photo at the Signature Squares Art Show:

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My thanks to Rochelle, Sue, and Virginia for the opportunity to be part of this show.