Being Still

and these posts are for my year-long Be Still 52 class (KimKlassenCafe.com) which combines the art of BEING STILL and producing ART via photography. We are "learning to be still".

[loisd77]

Autumn Gather

Our assignment to get outdoors and gather autumn items to make a "seasonal mood board" proved to be quite interesting.

We tend to think of Autumn colors as orange, red and yellow.  After arranging my items, I noticed that what I chose was not the typical fall colors, but included shades of pinks and purples.  I love the vivid colors that are still hanging on even as the season is changing! 

[loisd77]

Organic Find

The question was posed, what does "organic" mean to me? Several phrases came to mind:  found in nature, not man-made, "as-is"

I took time on a Saturday afternoon to shoot "organic" shots in my yard. Afterwards, looking out my kitchen window, I saw an amazing sight - a single leaf suspended on a spider web!  Seemed to be floating in air. To me, this summed up my definition of organic pretty well - found in nature, not man-made and "as-is".   (Week 18)

[loisd77]

Family Portrait Still-Life

I do not even have a photo of my Grandmother Walker. She died before I was born, and this is the only thing I have of hers. It has her name engraved on the back of the glass and "Washington, DC 1908" on the front. I know a little of what she was like by something that she choose to have engraved on such a big trip - Alabama to Washington, DC - at the turn of the century.  I am hoping she would have liked the fabric accessories I used here. (Week 17)  

[loisd77]

Composition

A huge part of successful still-life photography is positioning the subjects in a pleasing way as well as yourself, ie: your point-of-view.  This week was to see what we can do with "Milk & Cookies".  After about 50 different shots, this one stood out as the composition I liked best. (And yes, these are the ready-made store-bought cookies...)  (Week 16)

[loisd77]

Moments...gratitude

These flowers in my yard change from pale green - to pale pink - to bright pink - all in a few weeks in the fall. Every year. Someone else planted these, yet I get to enjoy them. A thankful moment...  (Week 14)

[loisd77]

Just for me...

Real-life Still-Life:  When I can, I like to steal away a few minutes to just sit and play - just for myself. I'm not a great musician by far, but it's still nice to be able to work out kinks in my mind with a nice tune or two. What a great subject for a "Real-Life Still-Life" - complete with dust and scratches.

(Week 15)

[loisd77]

The Gnome Knows

Project - create a series:  What fun - working with these little guys. You're always wondering what they are thinking! (Week 13)

[loisd77]

C'est Moi

Life Unstaged:  We aren't to use any props or set up the shot this week. Just document a real-life scenario. This is my stack of stuff that keeps me company and probably sane. Little piles of stuff - that's me - C'est moi... (Week 12)

[loisd77]

Quiet Beckons

Assignment: What would my perfect "Be Still" day look like? This was an intriguing question which took some thought. I had snapped this photo with the idea that it represented peacefulness to me. I suppose that having time to just come, sit on my porch and enjoy my yard would be a good place to start on my perfect "Be Still" day. I challenge myself to just do it...  (Week 11)

[loisd77]

Beauty Comes

We were to use spoons in this week's assignment and experiment with lighting angles, where soon I discovered that spoons cast very cool shadows. I had fun digging around searching for various interesting spoons at my house. I thought at the time how many different shapes and sizes I had collected. So I chose this photo to represent that initial thought. 

(Week 10)

[loisd77]

Fulfilling

Although I embrace the digital age and all that technology affords us, there's still nothing like holding the prints in your hand. The best of both worlds!  Taking the time to stop  and enjoy the fruit of one's labors - that is fulfilling.  (Week 9)

[loisd77]

Old and New

After a dear friend passed away, her daughter gave me this vase as a memento from her mother's collection because they knew I loved Depression Glass. It's as timeless, classic and beautiful today as it was nearly 100 years ago, even though it was a free give-away inside boxes of food during the Depression.

Backlighting this vase (and last year's hydrangea) in front of a window brings out such nice detail. It's lovely to make some that's old - "new again".  (Week 8)

[loisd77]

"the Present"

"Today is a Gift; that's why they call it 'the Present'."  

Experimenting today with a sharply focused subject with the rest of the image in 'focus fall-off'. It's a lovely technique and gives your eye a break. 

My take-away from this assignment is just because we may not be "front and center" in a situation does not mean that we are not equally important in the overall scene. (Week 7)

[loisd77]

Wabi Sabi

"Wabi-sabi is the marriage of the Japanese wabi, meaning humble, and sabi, which connotes beauty in the natural progression of time. Together, the phrase invites us to set aside our pursuit of perfection and learn to appreciate the simple, unaffected beauty of things as they are. To create a true wabi-sabi environment, one must slowly strip away excess and learn to be satisfied living in the moment."

Wabi Sabi - imperfect, impermanent, incomplete

"Finding beauty in imperfection..."

I do not feel the need to add anything to these descriptions. And...I love to say this...."wabi sabi"....   (Week 6)

[loisd77]

Live Life Daily

I'm not sure where I heard this quote originally, but it's simplicity speaks to me. The process of looking for various lighting scenarios has likewise taught me much about just seeing the world around me. This image utilizes side light, which brings out the details in the flowers. I was so pleased with the purple/green combinations of these flowers and can't help but smile. 

Little things like enjoying an unexpected flower arrangement that turn out well - yes - this is living life daily. It's amazing what all is out there to enjoy if we are looking.  (Week 5)

[loisd77]

Being Quiet

"Don't wait for inspiration.Take action! Actions generate inspiration." Frank Tibolt

"If you want prettier pictures, time is key."  I have found this to be so true. It takes time to learn my camera, find the best light, decide which photos tell my story...

I love to shoot outdoors in the early morning light. It's so quiet and peaceful.  And so I just go. Quietly taking action, which generations inspiration - it all seems to works in tandem.  (Week 4)

This makes me happy. 

[loisd77]

Be Centered

Week Three - A Reflection of You

“The creative is the place where no one else has ever been. You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you'll discover will be wonderful. What you'll discover will be yourself.”  Alan Alda

Because we are surrounded by photographic images constantly these days, it becomes hard to recognize ones own "style". This week's class helped me to be more confident and experiment with these three elements:  white, round & minimalist.  

When I saw this particular shot, it spoke to me. In our crazy, busy merry-go-round world - the way I have learned to keep up and not get dizzy is to remain "centered". I focus on my blessings and take time every day to "be still".