Sparrows…there’s so many of them you look out on your birdfeeders and start to think “Crap. It’s just another sparrow.” Then you walk out into the woods where it’s quiet and peaceful (except for the squirrels as they scamper from tree to tree) and, suddenly, your eye catches something exciting and you click the shutter and it’s then you exclaim, “Hey! It’s a sparrow!”
At least you do if you’re me. 
This orchid just begged for something radical. “Make me look hip. Make me appear intense and fashion forward.
Okay I said. You want extreme? I’ll give you extreme!
Presenting The Extreme Orchid.
When I look back on how far I’ve come in the past year of taking photos I’m just amazed. What used to be an occasional “lucky shot” has now grown to be so much more. I still have a very long way to go but I’m not worried because now I have this in my back pocket:
I just finished my first class - Photoshop CS3 for Beginners - and even though I knew 85% of what was taught here I still came away with PAGES of new information and helpful tips to make my time working in Photoshop produce even better, more consistent results. For $20/month (or $200/year) you have unlimited information at your fingertips concerning the art of Photography in general as well as classes on Photoshop (CS3 & PS Elements), and other Adobe graphics programs. Each class is hosted by someone who is tops in their respective field and you can take any class, any time. Each section of class lasts from about 3 minutes to 10 minutes, letting you start and stop as you have the time.
I really can’t say enough about how excited I am to have found this new resource (and no, I’m not getting paid to say that although Scott Kelby should certainly feel free to send me a free copy of Lightroom and I wouldn’t say no!) There are classes on how to use flash, how to process in Camera Raw, how to shoot weddings, and the list goes on and on. I’m going to set aside one night a week to delve in and really get my hands dirty in these new classes and then stand back and see where my photography will go from here.
It’s not enough for me to just get that lucky shot any more - I want to continually learn and polish my craft - both in the moment of shooting the image and at the post-production end - and these classes look to be able to help me do just that. Go check it out if you think you might be interested. You can view the first three segments of any and all classes for FREE just so you can be sure you’ll be getting your money’s worth.
Now my only question is…which class do I take next???
Caught some bubbles making their way across the surface of a pond today. This one just begged to be on display.
Our state tree here in Missouri is the dogwood. Until today, my friend didn’t realize dogwoods came in white, yellow, light pink and dark pink. And, besides being a tree, they are also a flower.
Back at Powell Gardens today, all of them were in bloom and they were magnificent. This one was off near a wooded area with the mid-day sun shining down on its bright white blossoms.
Taken two weeks ago in the little town of Correll, MO, this weathervane immediately caught my attention. It had been gray and overcast all morning but it made no difference to the gray metal horse.
Finally! The baby geese are starting to show their faces! Here’s my first beauty - caught her on a short trip out to Englewood Lake today. Life…it just keeps rolling on.
So you met Maya the other day…this is her family’s pug, Miss Elly. It was kind of strange photographing someone else’s pug for a change but I soon figured out where her good side was.
