Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Every which way but loose

I’m sitting in my favorite chair, checking my mail and pricing calibration software. I’m going to end up buying it because it’s the right thing to do if I’m going to take my photography seriously.

Oh, geez. I never wanted to take my photography seriously.  But so many friends and family members are telling me that I should. I have no grandiose notions, and mainly just want to offer nature photography for sale on a decent site other than etsy. I may even do a couple of photo shoots and actually have one scheduled for Friday afternoon. I’m going to be photographing guitars.

I hope the light will be good.

First time visitors aren’t going to be very impressed with the photographic offerings in this post, however. But they weren’t meant to impress.

They’re just random shots from the past few days.

 

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I took this picture on Saturday. I can’t believe how many comments I got from people who were considering getting one of these.

Pool: WalMart, $25.

Float: BJ’s. $15.

The only problem, besides the float being too long, is having to take it down and set it up again. It’s worth it when it’s supposed to get really hot, though.

 

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Yesterday evening, my husband told me to come to the back door to look at the sky.

Yum.

 

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A bad hair day for a lady cardinal.

Look closer (you can click to embiggen).

 

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A good hair day for this red-bellied woodpecker.

Total rock star look here.

: : :

Oh, and as long as we’re on the subject of hair - after weeks of scaring myself every time I looked in the mirror, I finally broke down and made an appointment at the beauty salon. I had tried convincing myself that the streaks of gray were very becoming but it wasn’t until I shared my thoughts with my sister that I changed my mind. She just seemed so surprised.

And that was that.

I know I rarely do this, and after I took it, I thought that maybe I should have dressed appropriately, or put on makeup for Pete’s sake, but I yam what I yam. And my hair isn’t so scary anymore.

 

 

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And I have giant man hands.

Until tomorrow, then . . .

123 Signature

47 comments:

Reena said...

Good for you girl for stepping up with your photography! You've got some amazing photos!
As far as hair goes ... yours is looking mighty fine!
Have great fun Friday!

Nancy Grossi ~ Churned In Cali ~ The Wife of a Dairyman said...

As a former hairdresser {before kids} your hair looks fantastic! And your pool looks relaxing....I have one too.....the kids think I bought it for them:)

Anonymous said...

Well, I don't have a clue what calibration software is so you got me scratching my head on that one... and I need a hair appt. too... bleh! Summer humidity just ruins my do.

I love your pool... it's very cute!

Di

Bluebird49 said...

I do love your pool--that is such a good idea! But not for me--not at this point in my life--although I'd love to have it for my grandkids. At 61, my swimsuit days--well--over, I think. But my mom--would be right in there with you if she were still with us. She never got too "old" for her bathing suit-or anything else fun. I miss her.:( I so wish I had taken after her more, and not Daddy--who worried about everything.

And...your hair looks great and you have the most beautiful skin! How blessed you are--thanks for doing that; I love it when people do show who they are once in awhile. Hope this is a better day--cause we all have that disjointed feeling sometimes.

Ellen said...

All the best with your photographic venture. I'm sure you will be successful. You've got the "eye" - and not the evil one.

Is it me, or beside Ms. Cardinal having a bad hair day, she looks like she has a bit of a Cher beak thing going on too!

Ashley Sisk said...

That beautiful sky must be getting around!

Hilary said...

The reason you have big hands, if you do, is cause you must have embiggened them.
Sorry.....I couldn't resist.

Another Sister said...

Really cool "hair" pictures. I looked at them very embiggened. As I was thinking of asking to see a pic of the new do, I get to the picture of the new do! Way to go. Incredibly cute. And you do not have man hands. You have good, strong, capable hands.

From Beyond My Kitchen Window said...

I think what ever helps beat the heat is a fantastic idea. So, two thumbs up for the pool. Your photography is always lovely. I treasure my photo of the cardinal in the snowstorm.

Yvonne said...

Your photos are amazing....stepping up is good. I think your hair looks great. I struggle with the gray decision....not ready to be gray yet.

{ T G L } said...

Don't be silly - you only have 'giant man hands' because of the perspective of the photo!

That kiddie swimming pool photo looks so enticing. You can just see the heat of summer ooze of it.

Good luck investing in the equipment. And yay guitars! (I play, and write songs :)). I look forward to seeing new photos with your new equipment!

Blessings,
This Good Life

Deb said...

love the pool..love your photos...

Low Tide High Style said...

First of all you look great and you don't have "man" hands! Second, I love that you are taking your photography to the next level, and I have a photo shoot on Friday too...but I'm shooting a person (not literally!). Third, I think that Mrs. Cardinal has the whole royal hat thing going on...maybe she's a princess?! ;-)

Kat :)

Alli said...

Your nature shots are beautiful. You inspired me remember? I wish you all the best luck and make sure to tell us when you find a site you're selling on!

tj said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
tj said...

..."And I have giant man hands." - You do not! *giggle*

Pool: WalMart, $25.

Float: BJ’s. $15.

Having a place to cool off when it gets really hot. PRICELESS
*snort* ;o)

...Love the pool. Adore the sky photo. LOVE the red-bellied woodpecker photo - Gorgeous! :o)

...And btw, you are pretty and I love your hair! That should so be your new profile photo here on your site, mmm hmm. ;o)

...Blessings

JaneK said...

I am very disappointed with today's shots: b/c there is not one of YOU on the float :) Before kids, we had a backyard pool almost just like that. Now we joined the neighborhood pool but I liked having my own little oasis.

And what a hoot on the bird's hair! And.... I like yours.... I hope you enjoyed your visit to Hoitytoityville :)

Unknown said...

I have giant man hands, not you. I'm constantly giving spell check a stroke with my FFT. The girls gave me a chair similar to that one, only with lumbar support for my bad back, for Father's Day. The first time I used it was when we went home on vacation. I set it up in calf deep water on the beach and it was a fabulous way to beat the heat.

beth said...

man hands.....oh please.
{i just reached over and mussed up your hair while i said it....plus i was jealous it looked so good}

is that just a feather in the cardinal's cap.....lol

and i'm totally impressed with you taking your photography to a new level....if anyone can do it, it's you !
i hope you'll share more about the calibration stuff when you get the software.....ox

Linda said...

You look great and so does your pool:)

becky up the hill said...

hair looks so cute~! I like your 'hot pool'..its a cutie

Chesapeake Bay Woman said...

You most certainly do not have giant man hands. That twenty five dollars is a small price to pay for such welcome relief from the heat and humidity. I'm considering purchasing one after reading this.

Jan's camera said...

Hi, I am happy to hear that you may be starting a small business with your photography because it is so lovely. Thanks for the great bird photos and your self-portrait is pretty.

Karen thisoldhouse2.com said...

You look maavelous in that picture, I like it enought to say, use it as your prof pic whereever you have one!. There is a smile in your eyes...

You do know that no one would think "WOW that woman has big hands"...Funny how we pick ourselves apart. I have short legs that don't look great in shorts. I think I'de rather have embiggened hands. Just sayin.

Karen thisoldhouse2.com said...

PS.. what the heck is calibration software? I guess I can google...

Anonymous said...

We have 2 woodpeckers that come several times a day to our nuts; we love watching them and feel so sorry for the other garden birds that get pushed aside!!

I reckon you'd make a fortune from your photography - good luck with it all.

CJ xx

Sarah said...

Great post today! I'm glad you are forging ahead with the calibration software. I'll follow your lead ;-) And I'll also look forward to even more beautiful photos. Especially the guitars - that sounds very interesting and I can't wait to see what you do with them. I did a series on trumpets several years ago and it was a lot of fun.

Nice hair! Good for you!

Daryl said...

SHUT UP.

I want your copper curls .. and I am loving the pool and float ..

Cheryl said...

Love your "new do" You look fabulous!! Your photos, as always are beautiful.
Congratulations on your decision to market your amazing photos!! They are stunning.
I can't wait to hear how the process goes!!!!

Debra said...

Scott Kelby recommends X-Rite's Eye One Display 2 calibration tool. It is available on Amazon...I am thinking of ordering it myself. Your photography is lovely without it! I wish I had half your talent, girl.

Ocean Breezes and Country Sneezes said...

Love the pool, so refreshing! The woodpecker photo is fantastic!

Your hair looks great, worth every penny! Another way to save money on hair coloring is to go to your local cosmetology school. They are ready to graduate, are closely supervised, and it's a fraction of the cost!

Mary said...

Ooo, I'm so excited for you! You will have to tell me how you like Redbubble. It is Redbubble, right?

My hair is looking a lot like Mrs. Cardinal's this morning. Yours looks wonderful. How nice to see your pretty face!
xoxo

Connie in Hartwood said...

It's awful to have the Mid-summer Blues during the second week of summer. This doesn't bode well for the rest of the season, does it.

Man hands? Not here, but I DO have freakishly long fingers. Always got asked if I play the piano ... I wish.

George and Emma would have made a great team in her younger years. She felt that it was her destiny to rid the world of squirrels. She never actually caught one, thank goodness, but she did do a great job of treeing them whenever she was outside. I had to remove my bird feeders because the squirrels would hang out there and Emma would leap from the deck to get a flying start on her chase. The vet bills for stitches to repair the wounds caused by the things that dog ran into .... it would have probably paid for that much-deserved vacation.

Love the wading pool. We used to keep ours set up on our low deck ... no grass too kill there, and it's perfectly level. A cap or two of Clorox every so often, and the water stayed clear.

Carolynn Anctil said...

I LOVE your pool! That is one happenin' spot you've got there. If I have to get calibration software and learn how to use it, I may never take my photography seriously. Tell ya what, I think I'll just put any weird colour variations down to 'artistic license'. Problem solved. Yay!

dorothy erdely said...

kate - i love your new hairstyle.....i wish i looked as good with makeup as you do without!!!!! stop putting yourself down - it takes away from us putting ourselves down!!!!!! your blog is wonderful - you're one of those "i wish i had her life" girls....you have inspired me in so many ways!!

The JR said...

I think I could be totally gray or bald and my man wouldn't care. Cause I don't. Dyeing my hair is too big a pain and it's going to turn ALL gray anyway....that is if it hangs onto my head!

Good luck with the guitars!

sharon said...

I need to clean out our little pool. talk about bad hair day...let's not! love your hair color, looks good!

The Irish Barn Girl said...

Should have a pool party! Pics are great...inspiring me to invest in a good camera. Keep'em coming.

Marcie said...

Wonderful series of images..and I love the self-portrait. Well done!!!

Achieve1dream said...

LOL you don't have man hands and you look great! :)

Good luck with your guitar photographing. That would be so fun!

Donna S. said...

Cute picture of you!!! Stop being critical!! (said with love)

wayne15575 said...

OMG Kate, I love that photo of you and your camera...and NO, you don't have man hands.
hahaha

mrs mediocrity said...

You do not have giant man hands! That poor lady cardinal, I wondered what happened to her?

My husband always asks when I am going to stop dying my hair and I say: never. :)

Anonymous said...

You know SuperGuy and I are SO on the same page with you on wading pools, ie "spas". Can't beat 'em on a hot summer afternoon...with a book and a beer...

A Scattering said...

Could the cardinal be a juvenile male, maybe?

Lili said...

Hey pretty lady, loving your beautiful curls, and I'm not seeing anything close to man hands in that shot. Oh and the cardinal reminds me of my Simon who has scratched all the feathers from his head that the vet said was due to an allergy, but to what we're not sure of yet! ~Lili

GailO said...

Love those red curls!

Love that pool! I can just imagine you lounging in it:)