Shadow Shot Sunday - February 19th, 2012

A short break from my usual Shadow Shot Sunday programming this week. Until now all of the photos I have taken for Shadow Shot Sunday have been from around my house and yard (both front and back) and have been taken on the day with my Nikon D3100. I will probably return to that format next Sunday. I like imposing some limits on my creativity. Today though it is time for something a little different. These photos were taken last Monday, at the beach, using Hipstamatic on my iphone. I went for a walk at the beach after the school drop off. It was beautiful there and the shadows were stunning! 

Immense beauty...where was my camera?

Immense beauty...where was my camera?


Sometimes it can feel scary to really look. When you actually do look though and get over the bump of initial dizziness, the fear eases and you notice the raw beauty in the immenseness before you. 

Well, almost. I didn't quite get to that point. A few days ago I went to the beach with Alysha. She was keen to go for a walk and climb over some rocks. I was keen for the walk part. Go me - following that intention to walk more! I wasn't so keen on the climbing over rocks part but I gave it a go. Well, I'm not as used to climbing over rocks as I was once. I was feeling a little dizzy and it was hard to look down. I made it from the beach to the path at the top. We walked along the path for a while and then Alysha thought it would be a good idea to sit on the rocks and look out at the sea. "No way" was my first thought (along with the worry of her sitting out there). I sneaked a little look and recognised the immense beauty. I thought that perhaps it would be nice to sit there for a while. I struggled to get there though and after scraping my toe on the rock gave up, along with lots of (over) complaining about my slightly bleeding toe. The view was quite breathtaking and I started to wish I had my camera. Actually my iphone. I have been taking lots of photos lately and posting them on instagram. I am particularly fond of Hipstamatic and trying out different lens and film combinations and recently discovered a great community (Hipstaroll) where you can share shots each week using certain film/lens combinations. Fun! 
That time though I'm glad I didn't have my phone/camera because sometimes it gets in the way of just enjoying the view. Sorry I can't share it with you. 


Here's a different Hipstamatic shot of the beach though - from yesterday. The beach makes a great subject for taking photos and I am enjoying it much more as a result. I never considered myself a beach person but perhaps that is changing. I've even been swimming a few times lately. 

Shadow Shot Sunday - October 30th, 2011

Shadow Shot Sunday is hosted by Hey Harriet. Head over to her blog to see many more great shadow shots.

Despite the need to be in a strange crouched position and crawling around near spiders and piles of dead leaves, getting these shadow shots was lots of fun.

  

Six Word Saturday - October 22nd, 2011

Have rediscovered my love of photography

I have loved the process of photography for a long time. Especially looking for and deciding on the subject and then finding out if the finished product is as I imagined or perhaps better. The actual technicalities of that process has changed a lot, particularly in terms of time. As a young child I loved using my homemade pinhole camera, choosing what to photograph and counting for 60 seconds with the 'lens' was open and then developing my photo in the darkroom. Watching the image appear was so exciting. Things have changed a lot since then. Now the results are a lot quicker. The past few weeks I have discovered that I can take great photographs using my iphone. The results are instant. Thanks to instagram, people around the world can see a photograph I have taken within seconds. Now, I didn't imagine that when I was in primary school writing those essays about what the future will be like. This rediscovery of how much I love photography has been greatly due to my participation in Bindu Wiles' The Photo Essay Project. I didn't realise how much I could do with my iphone before this course. This week is Hipstamatic week with a theme of lost and found. I have loved discovering Hipstamatic and experimenting with all the different lens, film and flash combinations. Here's a few of my photos from this week. 

You can read more about these and see some more at www.kylie-joy.tumblr.com or see you on instagram - kyliedin. 

Six Word Saturday - October 8th, 2011

Poetry, comedy, photography - I'm having fun!

Earlier today I went to a poetry group which meets once a month. I read one of my poems and it was then workshopped and I received lots of great suggestions. Each person has the chance to do the same. It can be very challenging to receive feedback on my poetry but I usually leave feeling very inspired and motivated. Today was no exception. I now have lots to think about and rewriting to do! I am very grateful for this group and feel my poetry has improved a lot since I have joined this group. I am looking forward to next months meeting already. 

Another thing I am looking forward to is a comedy show tonight. My eldest daughter and I are going to see "Lawrence Leung wants a jetpack". I recommend taking a look at his website - very funny! I am sure it's going to be an evening of laughing. Afterwards I think we'll have some late night pancakes at the Pancake Kitchen. Another funny website! I loved that place when I was fifteen. It is great to be able to share some of what I used to do as a fifteen year old with my daughter now. 


Lately I am also enjoying experimenting with images. I am participating in Bindu Wiles' The Photo Essay Project. The internet really has opened up a lot of opportunities for a lot of people! The Photo Essay Project is all about taking photos using an iphone and combining them with words to tell whatever story it is that you wish to well. I'm still working on exactly what that story is but in the meantime am having a lot of fun playing with different applications on my phone. I've set up a tumblr blog for my experimentations. You're very welcome to take a look and follow me. 
The address - www.kylie-joy.tumblr.com. Here's a sneak preview of what you will find there: 

Happy Six Word Saturday everyone!