Week 37: Distorted Portrait and a Black Widow Mug

What a week.  Ginger's battery was going out last week, so we took it in and got some repairs done.  Then my battery started going out, lol.  I changed that myself.  And then I was working with fast drying enamel paint this week, spraying it, and hating it.  It atomizes quickly out of the spray gun so it is tricky to use. I had never used that particular paint before.   But with mistakes you learn what to do and what not to do.  And it also is a good way for God to work on me and my perfectionist issues!  I was also working with the one helper we have who feels the need to talk all the time.  Oh my goodness, do you know what that does to an introvert?  Drains us.  Definitely had to exercise patience.  So I definitely needed a weekend to unwind.  And as you can see by Sunday night I was smiling and relaxed.

Canon 16-35mm f4.0 Distorted View

Ginger just loves this picture.  This is what you get when you get up close to a 16-35mm lens!  It is also an effect I wanted for a while and one of the reasons I got the lens (of many).  It has been a heck of a week but on this Sunday night Ginger and I are smiling.  She is smiling because she has been watching Hallmark movies all afternoon and evening.  I have a happy wife indeed.  I gave up watching football on the TV (keeping up with it on the computer), because, well, for Ginger there is healing power in watching Hallmark movies!  And I am happy because my wife is happy.

Bipolar had decided it wanted to rear it's ugly head on Friday.  It happens.  There is usually a trigger and coupled with hormones can cause the sharp deviations in mood.  All is not lost, however.  There are ways to help Ginger.  Those that know us well know we rely heavily on our faith.  It is my belief that God gives me the help to help Ginger.  I have been a student of Ginger's bipolar and know it's many faces.  For each one there is a certain way to handle it.   Yesterday it was letting Ginger sleep, running to go get food so we could eat dinner in our pj's, and then making an ice cream run.  Today it was talking to get to the root of the problem and then surprising Ginger by putting the TV on the Hallmark Channel so Ginger could get lost in some feel good movies.  A friend of hers said she needed chocolates and tissues as well!  Hubby did good she said.  Indeed, to see the smile on her face is priceless.  Another storm that we can see the rainbow on the other side.

So on the photography front I decided to try out a company called Shutterfly to make some prints and a mug.  I was not disappointed:


Seeing my Black Widow Print on the mug was just the coolest thing ever to me.


 I had some special offers to make 8 x 10 so picked some of my favorites.  Anyone surprised that I have two bug pictures there lol!  I just look at the mug and go, I made that picture.  And it was not Photoshopped. 

I also had a coffee interview with the Communications Director at our church for the possibility of joining the Story Team.  It was validating to have another creative recognize my niche in photography.  Most of my photos are very controlled, precise, with attention to molding the light (To think at one time I did not want to use flash!).  From portraits, to still life, to macro.  What they are looking for is more in the lines of Street Photography style and more of an extrovert style.  I was not sad, in fact my prayer from the beginning was that if it was not the right fit I would know, and they would know as well.  Who knows, I may be able to be an outside contributor at times.  But the talk we had was fantastic.  You see, if I try and pretend to be what they want, extroverted and off the cuff, it will show in my creative work.  Plus the most applications have been for photographers, so with that kind of a pool of talent you have choices to get the team you want.

You see, look at the works above.  The picture on the left is a Cicada coming out of it's shell.  I took about 40 shots to get that shot.  The next shot, the depression shot, took 79 shots.  The black widow, about 20 shots.  The picture of me I processed with the Dragan Effect and it took a good 1 to 2 hours to make it right.  3 shot in the studio, 1 in the field.  For all, I was in my own world, in my element. Finally I don't have to be what other people want me to be, I can be myself, a quirky, introverted, artist who feels most comfortable behind the lens.

Also in that picture is a ceramic haunted house I am painting.  Just taking my time.  And it shows that I can cross mediums as an artist.  Funny thing is, with the same precision with photography I am using in painting it.

So now I am typing my blog and Ginger, well, she is lost in another movie. God is good.  Thank you for all your prayers, we definitely feel them!  I cooked a ham this afternoon with brown sugar glaze, so now it is time to go eat!

Baa


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