Pressure and Productivity

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There is nothing like facing a deadline to stimulate the creative juices. Of course, sometimes this works in reverse. Pressure also has the potential to shut me down. The alternative, then, to shut down mode is struggling with the other demon. The demon of unleashed possibilities. Suddenly, ideas come from anywhere and nowhere. The closer the time comes to "deliver the goods" the more possibilities pop into my head—all of them demanding attention—immediate attention, naturally.

I understand that this is mostly an escape mechanism. If I become immersed in a new project, how can I be expected to stay focused on meeting an approaching deadline? What a convenient excuse to postpone the less satisfying aspects of completing a job!

Most often I am able to maintain enough discipline to meet the requirements of a commitment, but it is often difficult to avoid the distractions. The deadline for the coming art show was no exception. I squeezed in work periods to finish the pieces for the show, but my heart was already in the next project.

What was demanding attention? Some things that I am not at all certain about. I don't have any fancy explanations for this exploration. Mostly, it boils down to the fact that there was a strong impulse, and I followed it. Obviously, it is quite different from what I have been doing for a very long time. Goodness, I rarely even experiment with monotones, color addict that I am. Furthermore, all my photography heroes (both famous and not so famous) inspire me with somewhat classic photography entailing a minimum of digital manipulation. Yes, I have made prodigious use of digital tricks to obscure distracting and downright ugly backgrounds in the case of equine photography. That large order completed recently included many examples of digitally altered backgrounds. Still, I have regarded those efforts, to some extent at least, as compromises.

Recently, I began looking at some old images in a completely different way. What I found myself wanting to explore was the full potential of using Photoshop techniques to strip out distractions and put the focus on what the image is about for me.  The image posted March 29 was the first piece that came out of this experiment. The resulting images are so different from my norm that I am not quite sure how I feel about them.

I enjoy honing my Photoshop skills, but I want even more to become a better photographer. In many ways, this feels like a detour. Yes, it is fed by some recurring back pain, nasty weather, and far too many health concerns at our house—all of which complicate photo shoots. Nevertheless, the real story is that the drive is there and I am going with the flow. I just get a bit nervous about being swept over the falls!

Oh, well, this is where I am and whether or not I am completely puzzled by the effort that went into all this work and end up tossing it out in a few months is beside the point. For now, this experiment pleases me, distracts me from all the nasty, nagging questions, and almost takes the place of my long hikes along the trail. It is another example of art as therapy. Besides, who knows where this exploration might be leading?

Ready for the Show, Finally

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On Friday, the final print was framed and ready to deliver for the show next Saturday. Since that piece is large and heavy (for me), the Husband pitched in and helped. Each time I finish even a medium-sized piece, I swear I will never do another. Why not make 11x14 my top size and save myself the headache? Why even go as large as 16x20? Not only are the larger pieces unwieldy to handle, but where do all those dust specks come from?! The piece just finished is 20x26 and every square inch was a dust magnet. I sometimes think, with a larger frames, that I will use an entire can of compressed air before turning the piece over to see a clean mat under the glass.

And speaking of sizes, I have become enamored of 6x9 prints in 11x14 frames. The 11x14 frame is the practical side of me. It's a standard, after all, and I am only slowly transitioning into some experimenting. One step at a time. The 6x9 prints certainly are not out there on some sort of frontier, but I had avoided that size in an effort to save money, frankly. Unfortunately, custom framing is an investment, for me, and I would rather be able to hang more prints by saving on readily available mats. Now, however, I have decided to indulge my affinity for the 6x9 print. After all, the more mats I purchase the better the discount. (See how easy rationalization can be?)

I never reported on my first order of framing kits from Frame Destination. They are outstanding. Every mat is flawless. The frames are beautifully built and they include excellent hardware. I could not be more pleased. I am expecting a package Tuesday and, yesterday, I placed yet another order. It appears that as long as I don't run out of money, I will be getting packages from the Dallas, Texas area.

I am working on some new pieces, but everything is still in flux. Eventually, I will share some of the work here, but for now I will post this photo from a brief outing last Sunday. We took one of those Sunday family drives down into Caliente Creek Canyon. The repeated rain storms along with the snow melt feeds a handful of waterfalls  dumping into the creek, and that trickle of water we have seen in the past is transformed. At end of winter the previously harmless stream threatened homes and tore up quite lot of road. I wished that I could have gotten out and walked more during this trip, but concentrated on being grateful for the opportunity to see the creek roaring along. By mid-summer it will, once again, be no more than a trickle.

Photos to Share and Photos to Hide

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Several recent comments here, as well as posts by other bloggers, have caused me to think more about the decisions we make regarding the fate of our photographs. For me, at least, it's usually fairly simple to identify the bombs that I really don't want to be reminded of. Ever. Those are deleted during the first edit.

Then, there are the ones that may someday work—they aren't exactly singing to me, but seeing them the next time I open the folder won't send me into a fit of depression.  A few of those get processed, sometimes reworked a time or two, and sometimes shared. Periodically one of them even becomes a new favorite.

Rarely, there is a RAW file that fairly shouts, "Me. Me." When that happens the picture is usually shared in one form or another. Sometimes those get printed.

Now, if only all the pictures fell neatly into one of these three categories. Unfortunately, I end up with too many in the "What Now?" category. In this case, I find that the dialogue runs toward, "I like it. I think. But, I'm not sure why. Is it because this reminds me of something that I have previously admired? That's probably it. Mine is a lousy imitation of something good. Yeah. I hate it. I think." When that happens, I spend varying amounts of time weighing the risks of showing something that I am drawn to, but have absolutely no confidence in. (This scenario fits the photo I published on March 23.) Sometimes, I am in a what -the-heck mood. On other occasions, I cave and the photograph remains in the folder sinking further and further to the bottom of the black hole that is my old folders. Eventually, most of those images are lost and forgotten.

Lately, I have posted a great number of pictures from my "drive-by" folders. I don't prefer to shoot that way, but we seem to always be on the road these days to some appointment or the other, and the camera helps me make the trip with some degree of calm. You probably recognize the picture above as another from the series taken along Highway 58 on the way down to Bakersfield. I have become self-conscious about posting so many of these pictures taken on the fly with the G7, but this is mostly what is happening in my life at the moment.

Do you ever have discussions with yourself about whether to share a picture, or tuck it away in your "private file"?

Good News is...Good News

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note: fixed the link

Last week, we did two trips to Los Angeles. Wednesday was a long day with loads of questions, more appointments scheduled, and lots of sitting in offices waiting. But, we headed home with a big piece of good news and filled with gratitude. On the way home, we stopped for a bite to eat and took a short walk. The lovely sunset further buoyed our spirits.  

Upgrades

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Most photographers enjoy gear talk and there is quite a bit of chatter online about upgrades to cameras and gear. I got to thinking. If there were ever to be an upgrade on Anita (you know, the Anita Jesse Mark II, let's say), I  just hope auto focus will be included on the next model. This old model is clunky to operate, at best.

Clunky in what ways, you ask. Well, you would think that I would be focused on the upcoming Art Show, since the work has to be hung April 16. Yet, here I am, not even close to wrapping all the work for the show, and I have veered off into yet other projects. Yesterday, I should have been clearing the studio of some of the junk that has accumulated in that room during the last several months. It is obvious that work space has to be cleared for the mounting and framing yet to be done. Still, was I focused on the show? No, of course not. I had the brilliant idea to try a new tutorial "just for a minutes of distraction and a bit of relaxation."

Well, one thing led to another and there went the day.  Sure, I had a great time following one idea to the next, and then another. Heck, I enjoy the journey, even though I sometimes end up in a familiar place with only a slight new twist. The image above is one of those cases. At the same time, this is one of those pieces that I have worked on two or three different times and had never discovered where it wanted to go.

As always, it's the process that is exhilarating and satisfying. And, I won't kid you—I do enjoy the adrenalin high that comes with ideas popping. No doubt there is a downside for me. By the time I have worked until I'm bleary-eyed and there is no more adrenalin to pump, I am left worthless for about 48 hours. Only after I begin to recover can I fully enjoy the residual inspiration and sense of renewal.

Returning to the upgrade notion, maybe this Mark II version of Anita should have more power, as well. Longer-lasting batteries that don't wear out over the years, perhaps?  It wouldn't hurt to include more memory, definitely an improved sensor, and maybe....

Spring Brings The Local Art Show

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Lately, it has been easy to forget that spring is around the corner. Days of rain, followed by days of snow that melts only to be replaced by more snow, then followed by rain. Gray has been a dominant color with the exceptional sunny days serving as welcome reminders that this won't really last forever.

I haven't had time to fret over the gloom, as I have been immersed in preparations for the Bear Valley Springs annual art show. Since I missed the event last year, I have only participated in this show once and that time I entered pieces that were conventionally matted and framed. It was basic gallery style frames, standard mats, and your typical color prints for me. This time around, I am trying new things.

For instance, I am experimenting with prints on metallic paper (finally, I might add—the paper has been around for ages now). I also am ordering one piece printed on metal. Of course, like a child, I will be waiting for the delivery truck tomorrow when I get to see my sample pack from Bay Photo. They offer so many finishes in the metal that I needed to see samples before placing my order. While I am catching up with the rest of the photography world, I will test out one print on canvas. I decided why not have fun with this show and check out what everyone else has been playing with for several years now. When this show is over, I will not only have had the fun of participating, but I will have learned a great deal.

Beyond the new print materials, I am also placing my first order for frames and mats from Frame Destination in Dallas, Texas. I have read good reviews about the company for years and thought it was time I found out for myself how good they are.  A few weeks ago, I placed a small order with them and was impressed with the way they handled it. It happened that one item in my order was temporarily out of stock. They called me to inform me of the delay and I was already impressed that a real person called to let me know. Then, the item arrived, having been shipped Fed Ex 2-day, although I had not paid for the expedited shipping. Their handling of the situation gave me an idea why reviewers have given them raves for their customer service. I felt the service warranted further investigation.

You will hear some of those last minute howls of "woe is me" as the deadline nears for hanging pieces, but you know I will be having fun, as well. I remember the opening day reception as a marvelous party where I met a number of delightful people. Why should 2011 be any less a day of celebration?

Making Art as Therapy

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I'm not great at handling stress. My usual tactic is to wrap it tightly in a huge, hard knot, and drop it in the pit of my stomach. This is not a strategy that I recommend. Of course, I am also well practiced in the art of locking my shoulders somewhere up above my ears. There is another brilliant move, that I can't, in good conscience, advise for healthy living.

Because the stress level here rates pretty high on the Richter scale, I knew I had to find a way to divert some from the stomach area. Too late on the shoulder business. Originally, I had the bright idea that I would set aside all my creative work and all the crazy plans I normally have for yet another project and just deal with the business at hand. Well, that lasted about a day and a half. By then, I was exhausted from screaming silently and moping, had the shoulders locked, and was hard at work on the knot. I decided to reverse field.

Saturday, I dove into the files from that shoot last spring at my friend's horse farm.  For the moment, I have no perspective, but I think that I have found more images worth working on. These are the ones that either simply didn't register previously, or I had liked the potential but could not see a solution to the native problems at that time. After all, I had what seemed to be an embarrassment of riches after one quick pass. The client's package, all done up in a handsome archival box with acid free tissue, and tied with a beautiful wired ribbon, contained 47 prints. I didn't have to get past the first cut to please her.

Now, I am obsessed with possible overlooked "treasures", "could-bes" or "maybes" and free to spend all the time I need experimenting with heretofore unimagined solutions to nasty backgrounds. (Nasty backgrounds at SKF are part of the game. This is a functional farm, not a Kentucky show barn.) I cannot say that I worked in an organized and smart manner—this is therapy now. The final product isn't the focus. The doing is all that matters. While I am absorbed in an image it fills up the corners of my mind, crowding out everything else.

Throughout the day, I skipped wildly from one passion to the next with no order and no sense of a plan, but simply letting my heart take me from one impulse to the next. It was healthy and when (and if) I finish one of these pieces of therapy, I will share it here. Meanwhile, I felt like posting one of the pictures that had been ignored in the first cut. On that fine spring morning, this bay gelding called Louie, exulted in his power and the joy of freedom. It was a contagious celebration of life.

Bad News and Customer Service

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We got some quite disturbing news this week. I will leave it at that except to say that I know myself well enough to know that I will not be at my best for a while. I am almost certain to have more bad days than good ones, until the news is encouraging. I apologize in advance if I am slow to respond to comments, erratic in posting, and miss many days of making web rounds. 

Meanwhile, some thoughts swimming around in my head: Do you love your bank? Probably not. I know that I wasn't feeling too kindly toward mine. I won't mention the name, but they are one of the biggest in the country and certainly have California pretty well tied up. Specifically, I was ticked off because a business account of mine had recently been whacked with some outrageous monthly fees. I had not dealt with it—just a couple of things on my plate recently. That was my fault. But, that did not stop me from being annoyed by the exhorbitant deductions from my balance every month.

One of the many things we dealt with, while in Los Angeles Tuesday, was banking. Amazingly, this megabank doesn't have a branch in our nearby small town. When I sat down with a lady at one of those lobby desks, I was only there about an ATM card that had expired right around the time I had surgery. (Another thing that hadn't been dealt with, because it wasn't high on my priority list.) Well, lo and behold, this kind lady preceded to ask me about that account with the nasty fees and volunteered that she could switch the account so my required balance would be quite reasonable. Whoopee! No more irritating deductions. I jumped on the opportunity, of course. 

It is one thing when a company takes care of a problem because we have requested said action. It just feels so much better when the company representative spots the situation and offers to solve a problem that wasn't even on your radar at that particular moment. Today, I am still feeling all warm and fuzzy about that big bank with B and A in its name—at least about the representative at that one branch.

Long, Long Days

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Lately, I have been terrible about commenting, and genuinely miss making my daily web rounds. Tuesday was another one of those days that took me completely out of the loop. Our trip to Los Angeles was a particularly long, hard day. In my opinion, any day that begins at 4:30 AM is apt to be an exhausting one.

Now, I don't like sleeping in and can rarely stay in bed past 6:30AM, even if I am not well. But, this 4:30 stuff is a little outside my range. The stress level was high enough most of the day to stifle impulses to yawn in anyone's face, but I wasn't exactly bubbling with energy. Since we didn't roll back into our garage until after 9:30 PM, I was glad to see the day end.

Meantime, Galen becomes better friends with all the folks at the day-boarding facility in town. Everyone there loves him. The adrorable manager of the kennel section (the pet food store is up front) is crazy about our pup and always has to be the one to deliver him to us. She brings him along with his personalized "report card" and a little bag of treats tied with a colorful ribbon.  Galen's report cards are always filled with glowing remarks about his good humor and excellent behaviour. Thank goodness he likes everyone there. (Little secret: Galen loves everyone. He thinks people are keen and that surely everyone lives to play with him.) We missed him desperately for two whole nights, a day, and two mornings and are relieved to have him home with us. I think he like us okay too.

My Photo Lab Search

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Over time, I have tested a couple of photo labs, but those early results discouraged me. So much so, that I never really made a thorough investigation of possibilities. Recently, I began thinking, once again, about the option to send out printing. For one thing, I would like to test printing on various materials, but I am not interested in trying it at home. I think I have found my answer, Bay Photo Lab.

There are a couple of advantages to using Bay Photo. Because they are located in California, it means faster delivery. But, here is one of the best things about this arrangement: Their profile is so close to the one for my printer that I can print proofs on my home printer and get a solid reading on what adjustments need to be made before sending files to the lab. My first test order arrived quite promptly and, most importantly, I am happy with the prints. So far, so good. Next, I am ordering some samples on different materials. I will keep you posted.