Reflection

This weekend, I was in the middle of changing up my mantle (I don't like it to stay the same for too long), when I got what I thought was a pretty good idea to attempt some self portraits.  Awhile back, I had refinished this mirror that I had found at Goodwill (click to here to see how I did it).  I decided to have some fun with it out in the community area across the street from my house.  Although I'm not usually one to take a lot of pictures of myself, I wanted to do something that really represented me.

This was my initial idea - capture my reflection using the mirror I had redesigned. While looking at Touch Up Tuesday last week, I found this blog about converting photos to black & white.  Stephanie at Behind the Camera and Dreaming did a great tutorial on this conversion using PicMonkey (which is my newest favorite tool for photo editing...if you haven't tried it yet, go now!).  To see this tutorial, click on the Behind the Camera and Dreaming link.

The picture on the left was converted from the original above, and then I decided to play with some other effects as well on the right.

I wanted to represent as much of myself as possible in these photos.  I started with the mirror to show craftiness.  My initial vision for these photos kind of developed as I went along - trying different angles and views.

Obviously my latest love is for my camera, so it needed to be present in at least most of the pictures.

I also wanted to express my personal style fashion-wise.  I'm a sucker for a comfy pair of jeans and flip flops - but if at all possible, I go barefoot.  Sunglasses = sunshine (I am not much of a winter or rain person - so why do I live in the NW?!)

You may have noticed the tattoo on my foot.  Awhile back, I became extremely aware of my inner strength and wanted a reminder of that awareness during times I may be feeling weak.  I also had been toying with the idea of getting a second tattoo for awhile but didn't know what I wanted.  One morning, though, I woke up and knew that was the day I was going to do it.  The infinity knot is a Celtic symbol for inner strength.  After going online and searching around a bit, I found a design that incorporated a heart into the knot and knew that was the one.  It really has become an encouragement for me and represents my journey to explore who I really am.



Like I said before - the purpose of these photos were not to be conceited or self-centered, but to express who I am and just have a little fun with it.  It was also good practice for my composition and editing skills.

Produce

Yesterday my trek to continue to find new environments and subjects to photograph took me to the local Saturday Farmer's Market.

Every Saturday throughout the summer they block off a few blocks downtown and welcome in various farms and other local businesses to sell their products.  Although it is extremely convenient to have a Safeway right behind our house - you can't beat the prices and freshness you find at farmers markets.

At the risk of sounding like a complete "foody", one of my favorite parts of the farmer's market is all of the samples.  Being able to try out the fruit or bread before buying it is a huge plus compared to going to the grocery store.

A close second to the samples would have to be the gorgeous flower arrangements.  It makes me wish I had looked into one of these small farms when I got married!  Some of the smaller arrangements start at $8, while the largest ones are only $15 or $18.  These arrangements are absolutely beautiful!

I do want to share some of the "treasures" I came home with, as well as show some of the great deals that you can find at these markets.

As you can see, these zucchini are absolutely HUGE - and I didn't even pick the biggest ones!  Not only were they massive, but three of them cost me only $1.

To see what I did with some of this zucchini, go check read A Trip to the Farmers Market at Delectably Home.

These are some of the best blueberries I have ever had.  Just last week, I bought a small package of berries from Safeway to make a dessert.  They were pretty good - but inconsistent.  Some were really sour.

I have not had a bad berry yet out of this pint from the market that was only $3.

The flower booths reminded me a lot of the stands that they have at Pike's Market in Seattle.  When I was going to school in Seattle, I used to venture downtown occasionally just to bring home some of their beautiful flowers.  This arrangement was only $10.

I would definitely encourage readers to go out and try to find local markets in your community.  You would be amazed at some of the things you will find.

Composition

This weekend, I had a few hours to spare Saturday afternoon.  We were staying at my in-laws and I decided to go out and "explore" my hometown to see if I could find any interesting subjects to capture.

My father-in-law suggested visiting a cemetery.  I thought of this older church out in the country that has an old cemetery on property.  Part of the charm is that the church sits on "Life Lane".  I was disappointed to find that the street sign appears to have been removed - possibly by a passing vehicle.

There is an old fish station outside of town that is built out over the river on piers.  I believe the building is roughly 100 years old.  Just over a week ago, and ship came by, and the movement of the waves was apparently the straw that broke the camel's back - one section of the building collapsed on top of itself:

From there, I took I drive along many gravel, dike roads - just to see what I could find.  My goal: try to find "different" subjects, experiment with various angles to add interest, and pay attention to the composition of the photos.

The middle photo in the above set was the original, while the two on the sides have been edited using various techniques.

These old buildings are really fun to work with!!

It was fun to spend a little time in a place that I have lived most of my life, but to see it differently.  It's amazing how much you can miss when you are in a particular environment on a daily basis!