The good, the bad, the random . . .

"From where we stand the rain seems random.

If we could stand somewhere else, we would see the order in it."

- Tony Hillerman

I don't know, I think only about twice have I ever been on the other side of the rain.

You know, when where you're standing it's not raining but 10 feet in front of you it is. So very strange.

Not sure I saw any order in it though - it still seemed pretty random to me.

But then again maybe I was just standing too close.

I enjoyed my 50mm class and decided to go ahead and delve a little deeper into abstract. I have already

been in the last year enjoying experimenting with slow shutter speed and swiping - painting with my lens.

And I love the abstract feeling I find in water reflections. I'm interested to see how this open my eyes even

more to lines and shapes and sometimes to just how I feel about something rather than what it is in reality.

This rose was done both in camera and post processing. A slow shutter speed allowed for softer shapes, and textures added later for a painterly feel. (anyone else having issues loading photos and having them look different here than in your photo folders? The color is a little off in this one)

This one of the same rose with a very shallow depth of field done in camera.

This one is quite different for me. Our prompt for the monthly Photo Art Friday is graphic/angular, and I started with a photo I took last summer while on a boat tour on the Chicago river that went through downtown Chicago. I used two of Bonnie's textures (Graphique and Art Smoke) after I did a little posterize to the photo. It took several different photos and textures to find a combination that I was pleased with. And I have to say I quite like how this turned out.  

"Chicago Meets van Gogh"

Yesterday I started a new Beth Moore bible study called 'Exploring the fruit of the Spirit." In her video she talked about how if we are still drawing a breath then we aren't done and how God is still happening . . . only it's on his calendar. I love how He gives me concrete examples of these things and yesterday was one of those days. When I got home I just happened to feel the need to look at this chrysalis, a black swallowtail, that has been in this state for at least 10 months maybe more. I know I've mentioned before that they usually emerge about 2 weeks after pupating. I kept this chrysalis because I'm a die hard hopeful and if after a year it hadn't emerged it would be enshrined in resin. I had to cut a little square off the netting as I replace the netting after each new generation and I placed it over a bowl where I keep my not so fortunate butterflies. There just might be a little dust that gathered and stuck to the silk from the other caterpillars rambling on and around it when it was in the enclosure.

And don't ya know it has started changing color, getting darker, and if you look closely you can start to see some of the wing pattern showing through. As I was holding the square up to take a photo for instagram the darn thing, it wiggled. After 10 months it's still alive and all I can say is this must be one special butterfly!!

Moral of the story . . . He gives us daily examples and we need to slow down long enough to see them. That patience isn't something we teach ourselves, but instead surrender to. 

I got to immediately put this little lesson of patience to the test when I got a call from my son's Rheumatology doctor. About 7 weeks ago she decided that since his blood work was consistently coming back with normal numbers - white blood cell count, inflammation markers, sed rate - and had been for nearly 6 months with next to no breakthrough symptoms, that we could discontinue his infusions. We just had blood work taken the day before as he has been having intermittent pain and stiffness and fatigue. The numbers are going back up and to avoid getting out of control quickly he started back on steroids and we have an infusion for next Tuesday. I guess I can't say that I'm surprised, I've seen it coming, but it pains me none the less that it didn't go into remission. Now, what was I saying about God's timing? Oh yes, reminder to myself that He is going at the perfect speed and I am not. It seems patience is easier for some things than others.

Last but not least, last weekend we were missing our girl, so we drove over to see her and spent a family day at the zoo. A good time was had by all, but with nearly an 8 hour round trip drive it makes for a long day. Next year she will be even closer as she'll transfer to UT Austin.

Have a great weekend y'all!

Love, Kim

sharing with Little Things Thursday, Thursday Favorite Things, Friday Photo Journal

Random Five Friday, Photo Art Friday 

Abstract flower painting . . .

Good morning, and happy Tuesday!

I'm behind, again, well maybe I'm just not ever not behind? Is that to many double negatives?

*** (insert smiley face here) ***

I had fully expected to get this post done last night, or better yet after my metals class yesterday,

but I stayed all day...and playing with fire and glass and saws, well that tends to wear a person out.

In a good way, a very good way....I slept well last night!!

Last week I shared some fun stuff I'm doing with my lens, painting with movement. But I've also

found that I can get a "painted look" without movement as well. I love flowers, I love the way they

look, the way they feel, and smell and I just love taking pictures of them. Since I never planted any

cool season flowers in my garden, I've been enjoying the $4 specials at the grocery store and we've been

spending quality time together on my front porch. I've been playing with my 40mm macro lens with a wide open aperture to get lots and lots of blur.

I think when we first set out on our journey with our camera, I know this is true for me, we are happy to get photographs that are half way decent and NOT blurry, as in in focus. I didn't understand aperture, speed, and ISO and how any of it worked together. I just knew I had a new camera and wasn't getting results like others, like I wanted. And then after much practice I was beginning to get the shots I was looking for AND with some added bonus of the beloved bokeh, but I was just using my camera as a tool to record.

Revelation number two: My camera is a tool that can help me "create" rather than just record. It's taken me some time to realize my photographs don't have to have anything to do with exactly what the subject looked liked at the time, but rather about a creative vision based solely on my heart and my experience in that moment. And you know I'm all about the moment.

I'm just letting my heart create, rather than thinking too much about any of it . . .and taking full control

of the camera. Because so many of the times, "Nicki" just doesn't see things the way I do! lol

These were all taken on my covered front porch at different times of the day, in indirect light, on cloudy, sunny, and or overcast days.

{ Kim Klassen textures: Camomile, minus 43 and Oh my }

(Sooc), and slightly cropped

Added some textures to give the feel of a canvas.

(Sooc) and cropped.

Kim Klassen warm sun 

Slight exposure adjustments, love this the way it is with the dark and muted background.

(Tones on Tuesday)

But I had to play - I was going for a an old painted look here.

I don't think I've ever gotten my moneys worth out of anything like my $4 finds at the grocery store, or killed so much time! But I have been having fun...You really don't need a macro lens to try this. Just grab a lens, one that you can switch to manual focus, find some good light and really pay attention to your background.

Ready...set....click! And P.S. - things just might get a little foggy on Thursday, just sayin'!!

Have a great day...

Love, Kim

XO

Sharing with Texture Tuesday, Sweet Shot Tuesday,  Tuesdays Around the World, Tones on Tuesday

Painting in abstract . . .

Painting: the works of art painted in a particular manner, place, or period

"Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep."

- Scott Adams

I chose the part of the definition of painting that didn't mention "paint" for a reason . . . 

I have had somewhat of a revelation about myself. I am a creative person. Well not that part, I've known that. But I'm also a pretty frugal, creative person. And by that I mean...there are many times that I hold myself back out of fear of making a mistake and wasting materials. I remember when I took a watercolor class, I would paint a little bit and stop out of fear of messing it up and when I got a little more confidence I would paint a little more, until I actually finished it. The only thing that would have been lost if I had messed it up, was a sheet of water color paper. But still, I tend to hold myself back from creating with abandon, that is until I discovered that all I have to do if I mess up with my camera is hit the delete button. That's it.

Like the next person I do like camera gear, but my gear doesn't make me an artist and it surely doesn't define my creativity, but my control of that gear does. In fact I feel like photography finally allows me to create with abandon, without fear of failure. (Disclaimer: But I'm not saying I haven't been frustrated) : )

One day last fall, while at a sunrise by the bay I decided to try a long shutter speed to get that nice blur in the water. And that created a chain reaction. I took my camera off the tripod, and took control of my camera and ever since then I've had a little obsession with speed, or lack of it.

The photo above was my first keeper in my first attempts at painting with my lens. It's taken me several months of practice to get a feel for what kind of movement and how fast or slow to make it to like my results. 

I'm kind of obsessed with reflections too...but that's another day. That same morning I got the one above, I went to the boardwalk overlooking the bay and caught these incredible abstract reflections in the slightly wavy water from the flags up above. I didn't purposely put movement into the camera on this one but I allowed my speed to drop lower than the minimum required for my focal length ( in order to hand hold an in focus shot ) so I got a slightly out of  focus, slightly blurry image. It created some interest though from people passing by wondering what on earth I was taking a picture of! ;)

I've never really thought of myself as someone who liked abstract art, but I believe that has changed as I have been experimenting and practicing. The next images are some of my more recent ones....slightly cropped, and the exposure adjusted for a bit more contrast. I happen to have a thing for trees...but have some different things to share with you next week. More painted looks, without movement of the camera.

I chose to use this one as my Photo Art Friday submission.....adding 2 very subtle textures.

( I used Bonnie's textures at Pixel Dust Art, Raw Linen and Warm Glow - love these Bonnie!)

As photographers we are already using light in which to paint and by using speed to our advantage we

are "painting" works of art in a particular manner we wish.

"Life is a great big canvas, and you should throw all the paint on it that you can." - Danny Kaye 

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend...

Love, Kim

XO

Sharing with This and That Thursday, Little Things Thursday, Thursday Favorite Things,

Cool Clicks Thursday, Photo Art Friday, Friendship Friday, Friday Photo Journal,

{1440} Finding Serendipity