Inspiration in Humor

I just returned from a girls night out at the Terrace Gardens in Clarks Summit. My friend Jeannine Luby has been producing a comedy tour and tonight the tour came to Clarks Summit. Comedian, Liz opened and got the audience laughing and loosened up. Jeannine came to the mic had everyone laughing. many people, myself included, crying laughing. It's amazing that life happening is so funny because life happens to you too and you can totally appreciate the jokes because they are so true! It was a great evening and there's nothing like laughing to relieve stress!

Inspiration in color

Hello! Well, today I needed to reach a little deeper for inspiration. This image caught my eye simply because of the contrast in color and the harsh stucco look contrasted by the organic shapes of the plant which actually repeat some of the shape in the stucco itself. I took this photograph in October in Rehoboth Beach.

Happenings Magazine has asked me to discuss in an editorial about my Hand Tinting on not just restorations (shown) but about our new Oil Hand Tinted portraits. It will be in the March issue along with some photographs! About the photograph. While I have done many restorations with hand or digital tinting, the original goes to the client. In the photograph above I created a sample for the article, this is my aunt and uncle.

Inspiration soars

So this is how the day started out. With the promise of spring right in my windowsill as I sipped my morning coffee. The paper daffodils my mom gave me for Christmas have sprouted and bloomed rather quickly. So even in spite of the dreary day outside, it was a little ray of sunshine.  THEN it got better!

I decided a month ago that 2012 was going to totally rock. Although I have grand plans every year, I was determined to get out of my own way and accomplish what I set out to do with God's guidance and occasional kicks in the butt from my friends.  So today while I was working on all the things I had to do, the phone rang. I was asked to be part of an editorial for Happenings Magazine next month. I will be showcasing restorations and the oil hand tinting I've begun to do. Wow! So now I have to work diligently to get that information to the editor. THEN another call came in and it was the N.E. Pa. Business Journal letting me know that I was selected as one of the Top 25 Women in Business that they honor each year. WOW WOW! And let's not forget the opportunity to speak to the Northeast Photography Club next Wednesday. They asked about a specific topic and I'm excited about preparing that talk also!  Thank goodness it's Friday, I'm not sure I could handle more excitement!  Have a great weekend!

Inspiring quotes

I love reading various books and magazines for inspiration. First would be my various devotionals but also on my bookshelf is Success magazine and a variety of dare to dream kind of positive books. These quotes I thought were nice. I have so many great plans for this year and see it as a year of transition that I felt these were fitting. Enjoy.

"So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem imporbably, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable."

Christopher Reeve

"All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them."

Walt Disney

"Following the herd is a sure way to mediocrity."

Investor's Business Daily

Just a thought

Each day I try to find a nugget of inspiration that will be my thought for the day. Today was a big one one that I am going to work on being a new habit. It amounts to Stop-Look-Listen. For me this means to stop and think through things before acting or reacting. Look around at the blessings I have and the people that were brought onto my life and what they mean to me and Listen for that internal voice for guidance before moving foward. All to avoid acting on impulse which usually won't yield the best result to the decision or circumstance at hand. It stayed with me today and I am working to make sure I remember to use that technique going foward. It just seems to fit every kind of situation from losing weight to making purchases to dealing with less than desirable situations.

Who would have thought...

Who would have thought that one would see this kind of scene on a bustling, lively Bourbon Street? It was kind of interesting though. This sad lonely building even in its current state had character and color. It made me wonder. Why was it abandoned? Did something happen to the owner of the building? Did they just give up? Why don't they sell it or rent it out? I kind of felt sorry for the building...almost as if it had its own personality and it was sad. It makes you wonder...

My morning inspiration

Each morning I spend a little time by myself in reflection and prayer. Here is one of my favorite Sites to learn and listen - www.joycemeyer.org. I encourage you to check out her broadcasts and books

"The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in determination." 

Tommy Lasorda, Sportsman

About the photograph - I took this image during (obviously) a blazing snowstorm, a couple years ago in East Benton. It is one of my favorites. Cheryl

And what do you do with that inspiration?

Well, I arrived home happily from my New Orleans trip to the Professional Photographers of America national convention. My luggage followed by about 9 hours (woo hoo! we women all know how we don't want to appear in public without our cosmetics!).

This morning I arrived at the studio and spent several hours going over all sorts of things with Stephanie, my part time employee and idea bouncer-off'r. Might I add that I also warned her that I'd be coming home with lots of news! So much information that we had to take a break and I took her to lunch to continue the conversation. All my inspiration came bubbling to the surface....New lab to service us personally, new management software that we both have to learn...together, as well as lots of new ideas for custom backgrounds, newly purchased props, and books for fiuture ideas.

As I talked about the classes and people, I told her about how inspiration came bubbling forth in the form of offering to help with the Professional Photographers Certification Commission. I personally expressed my interest in helping on a national level to encourage photographers to become Certified.

As if that wasn't enough... Ten years ago I wanted to prove myself to me and the world, my capabilites and comittment by earning the Certified Professional Photographer designation. NOW I've made the next (and overdue) comitment to myself and my friends and clients that I now seek the PPA Masters degree. This is obtained through continued education and earning merits through print competion. My goal is that by the Imaging convetion 2015, I will stand before my family and peers as I earn this coveted designation.  I find this inspiration in my family, friends and you, my clients. I will earn my competition print merits on tthe images I make for you, my clients.

That is what I do with my inspiration....what do you do?

3 days of inspiration

As I sit waiting for my return flight from the national convention of the Prof. Photographers of America in New Orleans, I reflect on three very full but rather exhausting days of seeing friends from other parts of the country, classes, vendors, an early morning meeting, and evening gatherings. As expected I'm overflowing with ideas and insprations. The trick now is to return to the studio and put my new great ideas into play. I'm hoping that the flight home will give me the "downtime" I need to process some things. I made some major back-office decisions that will be implemented soon as well as have some great ideas that my clients will enjoy in the form of new types of products and sessions and new props. During the 3 days I had an opportunity to view the International Print Competition where hundreds of beautiful images were displayed - some of the finest in our industry. This convention also offered a few classes only offered to Certified Professional Photographers. The class last night revealed new details about being Certified (I have been a Certified Professional Photographer since 1999). It was very enlightening and I volunteered to be on a national committee for the Certification Commission that oversees all Professional Photographer certifications. I'm excited about being able to give back to my industry in this capacity even if I'm not 100% sure what the duties will entail. So full of inspiration, I return home. See you soon! my apologies for no images in this post, the ipad doesn't seem to want to load any :(

Inspiration as motivation

Inspiration can be the catalyst for motivation. As I prepared for my trip to New Orleans I needed the inspiration of things to come...the inspiration of the classes and instructors,the anticipation of seeing friends from around the country, and excitement over the parties and networking that are on the schedule...to motivate me to get all the things done yesterday in order to leave. I have my friend Jeannine Luby of Laugh to Live for her being there at a moments notice to give me direction on the newsletter that needed to get done. She was great and after going home and packing, the newsletter was uploaded at 1 a.m. I'm looking foward to this trip and to sharing some of my inspirations with you!

Pumped to be inspired

On Saturday I leave for New Orleans for the PPA national convention and I am PUMPED! Not nearly as pumped as I will be when I arrive home ready to take on the world! I will have a chance to not only learn from some of the "greats" of our industry but I'm looking forward to saying hello to my vendors that provide all the products that you enjoy in your home (and all take very good care of our studio) but I will have an opportunity to network also.  And let's not mention that I'll get to see friends that I don't see very often and be able to check out Bourbon St. again!  (The photo above is a scene from a previous convention presentation).  It will be 3 days of total inspiration!!!

Inspiration through playing

I've always been attracted to the graphic side of life. Many of my college projects included various forms of design in my photography. Photographing chrome (back when cars had chrome bumpers) and printing the images in black and white and then photographing buildings. Not the whole building but just certain elements using the building's architecture and the light and shadows to create design. Here are a couple images I took while in Rochester in August. Today I allowed my mind to wander and take a few moments to look at the images I had taken. These two jumped out from the folder full of landscapes of Lake Ontario and a butterfly garden at the zoo and some animals.

The one building that obviously is being demolished. I was taken by the textures and colors and how it's kind of tower-like. I finished it as a black and white for the graphic effect of the textures and patterns. This image makes me wonder who the last people were that walked those floors. Notice the top window is open.  Guess someone needed some air.

This image is a light fixture at a train station. I love the round shape agains the angled beams. I finished this as a "lith", or lithograph to flatten it out to its basic shapes. That makes an image (or the negative, originally) with blacks and whites, no shades of gray. I can't wait to dive in to the rest of the images and see what I can do! I love to play!  What have you done with your favorite images?

Inspiration in age

Back in October I had the priveledge of photographing a family on their farm. The property has been in the family for years. All the generations live on bordering properties along this country road. What a beautiful area. When you step onto the property it's like you are transformed to a day long ago when life was much simpler and you leave behind, even for a while, the craziness of the day to day thing we all do. I thoroughly enjoyed photographing the family. "Gram" was wonderful to talk to, I could have sat and chatted with her all day, she had so much character and you could tell she had great wisdom. She is in her 90's and very much part of the day to day family activities and "goings on" and is actually a great-great grandmother. It was my job to take her arm and escort her from the house while her chair was carried outside for her. Tucked under her arm was a book she was reading. An old book that has probably been on her bookshelf for 60 years. I love the contrast of the old book and the brightly colored bookmark in the one portrait below. It has been a priveledge to photograph different aspects of this family's life for years but it was a true blessing to record their moments on their generations-old farm. In the portraits below you see Gram interacting with her great-great grandson. How often do we come across these precious moments?

Today's Ah Ha

So for a while now I've been wrestling with what to do that would create a one of a kind product. Now as a matter of background, in my deep dark past I did years of craft shows, selling my photographs and one of a kind hand tinted photographs. As my business grew I gave up craft shows - probably 10 years ago. Many may remember seeing me at the Moscow Fair for the 9 years I displayed there. Anyway, last June when Carbondale had their Art Walk, my friend Donna (owner of Art Strands Jewelry and Gifts) basically shamed me into displaying my work on the sidewalk outside her store for the evening. Heck, that's not what I've done for years. My work is stored in totes in the studio basement...why now. Well, I displayed only my hand tinted work. Funny how thing happen. I did some demos of tinting - like I did back in the day. Then as people admired my work I found myself using the dialog of days gone by..."these are hand printed by me in my darkroom and hand tinted using brush and dyes.." BAM there it was. Hand printed....hand tinted... Wow, hadn't thought of that in years. I was actually asked if I'd be interested in exhibiting in a gallery!!! That was the bolt of lightning that I needed. Sort of.

Well, since then I've learned to oil paint too. My goal was to offer oil painted portraits as a one of a kind portrait product to my families but having some issues getting exactly what I wanted. THEN this morning...I was looking at a newsletter from a mentor and an image I saw rekindled something inside me that reminded me that   1. I love, love, love hand tinting. 2. I'm not as good at painting and don't want to rely on a computer for a truly artistic product. 3. With my hand tinting experience and newly formed oil painting techniques - oil based, hand tinted portraits are what I'm meant to do as a one of a kind product. Gee, why didn't I see this all along? I've posted some photos here showing well, not the most ideal prints for tinting but I was totally in my element creating them. I tried one at my desk at the studio - not the ideal lighting. Where did I end up working? Well, my old darkroom-turned-art room! The place where I have spent 20 years creating either by light or safelight. It's not a darkroom anymore, but I'm working on that.

What's next? Well, some trial and error with particular labs to find the perfect paper to create the perfect final piece. The plan is these one of a kind pieces will be available 16x20 and up, matted and framed. My goal is to be able to offer this by April. What do you think?

My working oil tinting pallat 

 the couple different portraits I sampled. The large one is actually printed a little too dark for proper tinting but I had to try!



This cute little guy...the small print is tinted, the larger one is an original. This doesn't do it justice. I'm so pumped and feel the artistry just flowing! More test prints to be uploaded tomorrow!!

Past inspiration helps with new

I painted this a couple months ago as I took oil painting lessons. Taking these one-on-one lessons with my friend Mary Lou Chibirka (a wonferfully talented painter)refreshed my eye to color and detail in what I was seeing. This freshed vision has helped in so many ways including my photography. In November, I took a break from my Monday morning lessons for holiday season. I promised to paint on my own and have a finished piece when I returned in January. Well here it is, January and no painting. But by having this piece hanging in my dining room im constantly reminded how much I enjoy oils and to call to restart my lessons and pick up my brushes tomorrow...

new life in winter

It's wonderful and inspiring to see some signs of new life popping up from the bulbs I planted after Christmas! It was a kit I received from my mother and soon they will be paper white daffodils. (my apologies for the sideways photo)

January 6 - A different Point of View

Sometimes it just takes simply sitting in a different place with a slightly different view to give you some inspiration. You see the world around you from a different perspective. You may even notice things you didn't before. Working on my 2012 planning, I set up at a table only about 5' from my desk and computer. That's all it took to keep me focused.

Inspiration and a brand new year!

A new year, a clean slate. I just love "starting over". It seems like the perfect time to implement new ideas and learn from others too. There are lots of new ideas coming very soon so we will keep you posted. Today I had lunch with some friends who are also studio owners. These lunches usually go for a couple hours, especially if it's been quite a while since we were together last, as it was today. I alway come away with some new ideas or a new outlook on something. A conversation we had got me thinking. What inspires us each day? Think about it. There is always SOMETHING that either inspires us to be creative, to get out of bed, to stop and think...so my new idea is to blog every day about what inspires me that day. I hope you will enjoy!  (Thank you Chrystal!)

After returning to the studio from lunch, I worked on an order for a newborn that I photographed just before Christmas...like the 23rd of December! As I looked at this precious face, it really inspired me to stop and look and reflect on the innocent peace that we each are born with. Isn't she sweet?