All posts in category Photography

That’s Life & Photography

I had originally intended this post to be called Beetles Everywhere! but as you can see there is barely a Beetle to be found. One day on my way to the library I happened across a car show dedicated to Volkswagen Beetles of all shapes and sizes. There were so many makes and models that I had never seen before and some so customized that I would likely never see again. Needless to say I was excited, but there was a problem. I didn’t have my DSLR. As I walked around admiring the VW goodness I realized that I did have my smart phone, the Motorola Atrix 2. I took pictures, or tried to take pictures as I would with my Nikon and then I was going to turn it into a blog post with a photo gallery discussing the experience and quality of the images.

What happened to the VW photos? That’s what I would like to know! Retrieving the images from my phone was a bit of a nightmare. I tried to download them directly to my computer via USB cable, but the computer wouldn’t recognize my phone. I went to developer options and set my phone to Debug Mode when the USB is connected which makes it easier to copy files. Still no luck. I downloaded the Motorola Helper. Still nothing. I tried emailing the photos to myself, but there were 73 of them. My phone could only upload a few at a time and even then the upload failed.

This is the point where things went from bad to worse. I moved the photos from internal memory to my SD card and they disappeared. I removed the sd card from the phone and inserted it into my computer. There was no trace of the images. My phone also said I had no images. Desperate, I ran the sd card through the file recovery program, Recuva. The only files it found to restore were music files that weren’t lost.

What is left for me to do? Any suggestions? Are my photos gone for good?
The only ones I have are the two that I uploaded to facebook.

This incident did help me realize a few things:

My phone is not a good back-up camera.
I should be carrying my DSLR around with me regularly.
I hadn’t been taking pictures on a consistent basis.

The third point is odd for me because I LOVE taking pictures. To help remedy this I’ve decided to post a photo project every two months. It’s my new goal to find something interesting to document and of course improve my skills. I can tell that my proficiency and reflexes have taken a hit from lack of use. To get back into the swing of things I took pictures around a local bridge (and encountered a really big bird). Please feel free to give feedback!

Don’t Call It Cake & Easter

cake1 So I’m going to be a bridesmaid in my friend’s wedding in May and one of my duties is to look for quirky wedding photos as examples to show the photographer. This of course required a new Pinterest board! Well the other day a photo wandered into my inbox that I thought would be perfect to add. Little did I know this would spark the beginning of a new artistic internet adventure. That photo led to another photo which led to even more wedding related photos, but I slowly found myself not paying attention to people anymore. Wedding cakes were stealing the show. Actually I felt wrong calling them cakes, they were works of art! Imaginative, beautifully handcrafted, ornate, luscious, over-the-top, spunky, vivacious, delicate, delectable… all of these descriptions were flowing through my mind.

At first I would just add them to my Artsy Stuff board, but increasing cake numbers demanded their own platform. So I present to you Not Your Average Cake! It’s not something I would have created normally, but now I think I’ll be taking “cake breaks” every now and again.

What do these stunning cakes have to do with Easter you ask? Absolutely nothing. Although I highly encourage the eating of cake on said day (or any day for that matter). Easter was last weekend and I wanted to share with you some moments from mine. My church White Chapel, had it’s third Easter Sunrise Service on the beach. It’s always such a beautiful and humbling affair and I’ve been honored to take pictures at each service. This one was particularly special because two family members were baptized. The water was surprisingly warm, but the waves weren’t what you would call baptism-friendly. Here’s a video of with pictures of the service. Most of them were taken by me.

To see images from the very first service check out What a Beachiful Easter!

2 Comments

by pindsha21 on April 8, 2013 • Permalink

Posted in Art, Personal Work, Photography

Tagged artistic cakes, baptism, beach, crazy cakes, daytona, decorative cakes, easter, easter sunrise service, Photography, postaday, quirky wedding photos, wedding cakes, white chapel

Posted by pindsha21 on April 8, 2013

http://pindsha21.wordpress.com/2013/04/08/dont-call-it-cake-easter/

Fun with Small Objects

Gumby to the Rescue! When graphic designer Castro-Yves Arboite got his first digital camera, to test it out he took photos of the bendable little toy. However these weren’t your standard portrait images. They were taken from Gumby’s perspective as he explores our very large world. Arboite’s first set of pictures received such a positive response from friends that Gumby became his constant companion and he looked for new scenarios to stage. Some of my favorites are included below, but you can see his full project here Gumby VS The World. Arboite is also another artist I follow on Behance.

If you’re looking for a new photography project, developing scenes with small objects could be an entertaining possibility. Terry Border created the now famous Bent Objects scenarios using everyday items and cheap wire. It’s a great way to express yourself and challenge yourself at the same time. Maybe you’ve already produced your own small object project, share a link in the comment section below!

The Return of Bent Objects

Surfscape Contemporary Dance Theatre

Some of the best surprises in life are free. On March 24, 2012 I got a visual treat from the Surfscape Contemporary Dance Theatre (SCDT) at the Deltona Library. They had a free show sponsored by Volusia County Libraries and the City of Deltona. To be honest, I had no idea what to expect, but I thought this would be a great event to attend and bring my teenage cousins. Simply put, it was thoroughly entertaining. The dancers were graceful, powerful, and multidimensional. They performed to pieces of various styles and storylines and they fully committed to the plots, facial features and all.

There wasn’t a dance that I didn’t love but one of my favorites was actually performed to classical music. The concept was quirky. A male and a female are riding in an elevator dressed for work (quite prim and proper), but when the elevator music comes on they transform into dancing machines. I found myself laughing out loud to music that’s usually very serious. Laughter could be heard throughout the entire show and then there were the moments of mesmerized silence viewing beauty in motion. I was torn between taking pictures and simply just sitting and watching. Below are some shots from that night (I still need to work on how to capture motion). It was a great show. I loved it and so did my cousins. I would like to see them again. They have an upcoming show in Daytona in May. I’ll provide an update when I get more info.

Update: Surfscape is offering a performance called Tribute. There will be 3 showings.
May 4, 2012 at 7:30 pm
May 5, 2012 at 4:00 pm
May 5, 2012 at 7:30 pm
Mary Mcleod Bethune Performing Arts Center
Daytona Beach, Fl

I just got my ticket online from Ticketmaster. Prices range from $21 – $28. I’m excited!

A little about the company: Surfscape is a non-profit professional modern dance company founded in 2005 by Rachael Leonard and Kristin Polizzi. Both Art Directors, they work together to choreograph all the innovative dances. SCDT is based in Volusia County, but tour nationally. Their dancers are from all over the United States and are paid for all performances, rehearsals, and community outreach work. They put on full scale concert events and offer demonstrations, master classes, open rehearsals, intensives, and more. SCDT aims to bring dance to the masses through performance and education, regardless of age, race, or economic status. Learn more about Surfscape Dance Theatre: visit their official site.

Want even more of SCDT? Check out their photos on facebook.
One song they danced to that I loved was Nina Simone’s Sea Lion Woman. Although, I was more familiar with the version by Feist.

Silly me, I just missed it: Ten Collection Artist Elroy

What’s life if you can’t laugh and learn from your mistakes? Fotolia, the stock imaging site, hosts the Ten Collection for which they’ve asked 10 French artists to create a unique high quality piece using images found on their site. Their Photoshop File is available to download free for the first 24 hours (regular price $9) and I just missed it. I was actually on the site in time, but I mistakenly thought the clock was counting down the time until the file was available, however it was really telling me the time I had left. Oh well, I sense a purchase in my future. Enough about me now, check out the artist Damien Vignaux a.k.a Elroy. He’s my favorite so far.

Elroy is a freelancer that got his start creating artwork for friends (posters, cd covers, etc.) which eventually grew into a full-time enterprise. Now living in Berlin, his clients are from all over the globe. His creativity extends to not only print, but to photography, film, music, and motion graphics. Add VJing into the mix, I’m not really sure when he has time to sleep. Elroy is also the co-founder of the Play Collective and Studio Incog. In his interview he states that he loves constantly pushing himself to be better, fresh, different and diverse. Watch the interview and see examples of his work below. He gives some good advice to other designers.