see(more) photography blog

Happy Belated Holidays

2011-12-30T19:28:00.000-06:00

Thank You Veterans

2011-11-11T15:50:00.004-06:00

Today we honor all those who have served or are currently serving our country. Thank you. We are the land of the free because of the brave.

Instagram Photo App

2011-11-04T18:50:00.005-05:00

Recently I purchased my very first Apple product – an iPhone 4S – and it arrived this past Monday. Since then I have had a little frustration, but also a lot of fun learning to use this device. One of the things I have by far enjoyed playing with most on my phone over the last few days is the Instagram Photo App.

My creativity as far as photography is concerned as been greatly waning over the last year or so. This is partly due to no longer being physically up to sifting through and editing the vast number of images that I used to take – so at times I have refrained from even attempting to take any. However, it is also partly due to feeling like I’ve reached the limits of what I can do with my current photo equipment (and I do not foresee myself being able to obtain anything new/better at any point in the near future).

My new iPhone + Instagram has kind of changed both of those issues for me though. Instagram makes it easy to quickly edit my photo to my particular preferences (though I will admit that some of their filters – due to their retro style - are incredibly over-the-top for the typical photo - but hey, it's free!). And also I find I’m challenging myself to see what I can really do with this little cellphone camera.

Most of the shots I’ve taken with my iPhone and Instagram so far aren’t really worthy of appearing on a blog attached to my portfolio. But I wanted to blog about it, because I’ve been having a whole lot of fun being creative and playing around with it this week. Here are a few of the photos I’ve taken:

Since I am a visually impaired user, I do feel a duty to mention that the Instagram app is NOT fully accessible. The App does seem to work fine with the iPhone’s Zoom feature, which may come in handy for some users. However with the Voice Over screen reader tool on, not everything is labeled properly. Most of the buttons for using the app to take and edit photos are labeled well enough to get the basics done. However, not much, if anything, seems to be labeled to help users who need the text/info read to them while browsing through profiles or checking out the photo feed.

Halloween Photo Shoot

2011-10-31T18:47:00.003-05:00

Last Summer Day

2011-09-22T13:51:00.002-05:00

It's the last day of Summer, and I, for one, will miss it dearly.
Today is also my last day of being 30,
and I'm almost a little sad about that too.
All things considered, it's been a pretty good year for me. :)

Tiny Dew Drop

2011-09-21T13:53:00.002-05:00

Braille Dog Bling

2011-09-19T13:54:00.001-05:00

Autumn Snack Mix

2011-09-15T13:56:00.001-05:00

Hot Air Balloon

2011-09-10T13:57:00.002-05:00

Work in Progress

2011-09-07T14:00:00.002-05:00

Emerson Lake Sunset

2011-08-26T22:17:00.003-05:00

White, Red, Blue

2011-07-04T00:23:00.000-05:00

Happy Independence Day!

Happy Summer Solstice!

2011-06-21T18:56:00.001-05:00

Four Leaf Clover

2011-05-18T17:16:00.002-05:00

Pretty in Pink

2011-04-19T11:54:00.003-05:00

Spring has finally sprung! Well, sort of; it's a bit chilly today. Nontheless, this little Redbud tree is doing a great job of brightening up an otherwise gray day.

Puppy Sponsorship Project

2011-04-07T14:47:00.006-05:00

Because this blog is a place to feature my photography, I have been hesitant to post about my new fundraising project here. But because my dogs (both pet and guide) have played such a huge role in my photography over the years, I decided to share this anyway:

I know, with all that's going on in the world right now, it seems like everybody is trying to raise money for something these days, but I’m throwing my hat into the ring anyway. Why? Because my second guide dog (pictured above) and I just celebrated our six-month "Gotcha-Day" anniversary, and I want to do something to help support his school, Guide Dogs of America (GDA). Unfortunately, since they are located in Southern California and I'm in the midwest, I live too far away to do any direct volunteer work with them. Plus, I live on a very limited income. Thus, I can't afford to make many out-of-pocket donations to support the organization. However, I am willing to try to support them with fundraising efforts.
I don’t want to just fund-raise randomly though. I have my mind set on a more specific project for GDA, in the form of a sponsorship. According to the sponsorship list on their website, the total cost of each team that graduates from GDA is now approximately $42,000. That's A LOT of money, especially when you consider that they give each guide dog to their blind or visually impaired partner, like me, for FREE (and they receive absolutely NO federal, state, or local government funding to help them do this)! While I highly doubt that I alone could raise enough to sponsor an entire working team, I'd love to at least raise enough money to sponsor a future guide dog puppy = $5,000.

Why do I want to sponsor a puppy?
Well, partly it's because my chocolate boy was a sponsored pup, which I think is very cool. Also at one time I had hoped to be able to raise an assistance dog puppy as a way to "give back" for the gift of my first guide dog. That project never happened, because I just could never get all the logistics worked out. So, I supported her school in other ways (most of them revolving around my photography). However, in my mind if I can’t raise a puppy myself, a puppy sponsorship is the next best option, since this money will go to provide everything a puppy in training needs while living with his or her puppy raiser.

What exactly does the money pay for?
The specific associated costs can vary for each puppy (ex. my boy was a donated puppy from a Chocolate Lab breeder, so GDA did not incur any breeding/birthing expenses for him). Generally though, donations to my puppy sponsorship project will help cover care costs for the pup from whelping to 18 - 20 months of age when the puppy goes back to GDA for formal harness training. This includes the cost of breeding & delivery, medical care (vaccinations, spay/neuter & veterinarian visits) Heartworm preventative, locator microchip, hip & elbow x-rays, dog food, small puppy bib, larger puppy jacket(s), obedience classes, raiser's puppy kit (which includes all necessary supplies for new puppies – dish, collar, leash, ID tags, puppy raising manual etc.), plus periodic evaluations by the staff of GDA's puppy and training departments.

How much should we donate?
However much you want to donate would be great! If, in addition to myself, 99 other people each donated $50 we could easily meet the sponsorship amount. However, obviously not everyone can afford to contribute that much, but every little bit will help me reach my goal of $5,000. GDA is a non-profit (501 c 3) organization, so all donations are tax deductible. If you’d like to have a little fun with your donation amount, here are some suggestions for figuring up a total:

Donate $0.10 for every ounce of chocolate candy you consume in a year (or for every photo you take!).
Donate $0.25 for every puppy kiss you receive in a month.
Donate $1.00 for every puppy in training to be an assistance dog you meet/know.
Donate $2.00 for every assistance dog (guide, service, hearing, therapy, etc.) you meet/know.
Donate $5.00 for every four-footed friend you share you home with.
(more suggestions will be added as I receive/think of them. )

Where/how can we donate?
If you would like to make a donation for my puppy sponsorship project you can:

Donate directly to GDA by:

Mailing them a personal check (Guide Dogs of America 13445 Glenoaks Blvd. Sylmar, CA 91342) + IMPORTANT: be sure to include a note with your check designating your donation for my project, which is registered under my name, Laura Landry, but will ultimately be from “Friends of Guide Dog Jack”.
Calling them, (818) 362-5834, with your credit card info + IMPORTANT: be sure to tell them that you want your donation to be put toward my sponsorship project (again it’s registered under my name, Laura Landry, for “Friends of Guide Dog Jack”).

Or if, for whatever reason, you would prefer to send/deliver your donation check for GDA to me instead:

Email me at yellowdogphotog[at]gmail[dot]com, so I can get you my address if you need it. I have to mail items to GDA from time to time anyway, so I will include any donations I’ve collected for the project in with those mailings.

Online Donations:
DO NOT use the donation form on the GDA website, because apparently there is no way to designate your online donation for my project – if you do use this, they’ll still get the money, but it won’t count toward my goal.
Instead, I have set up a fundraising page for this puppy sponsorship project with FirstGiving to collect online donations. It is located here: Guide Dog Puppy Sponsorship. Unfortunately, FG does deduct a 7.5% fee to process donations before sending them on to GDA. Also, 2.5% of that processing fee can be covered by contributors, so if you are able to, please check the box to cover that part of the fee for processing your donation too. This will make the surcharge only 5% of the total donation. Thanks! FirstGiving accepts Visa, Master Card, American Express, or Discover credit cards for donations. They also accept U.S. debit cards, but not international debit cards. (All donations made through our FirstGiving fundraising page are in U.S. dollars.)

International Donations:
Yes, GDA can take international checks. The school's bank will convert the currency into American dollars (and of course, charge them a small fee to do it), but they say this is not a problem. Also, any international donation made with a credit card is billed in U.S. dollars.

Other ways you can contribute:
If you want to have something to show for the money you give, you can make a purchase that will support my project: During the months of April 2011, July 2011, August 2011, October 2011 and November 2011, all direct sales through my Cafepress Photography shop will go to the puppy sponsorship project. NOTE: I only earn approximately 10% of the total purchase price of each item I sell in my shop, but I'm willing to donate those meager profits to help sponsor a puppy, if people are willing to make purchases in support of my project.
Special Items for Sale:
In addition to the above mentioned Cafepress shop profit donations, an artist friend has suggested and generously given me permission to take a high-quality photo of an awesome oil painting she did recently of my guide dog to use for fundraising purposes. The painting photo has been added to certain products in my cafepress shop and ALL profits from ALL sales (direct and marketplace) of these special items (at any time from now until we reach our fundraising goal) will be donated to the puppy sponsorship project. HERE is a direct link to the items featuring the guide dog painting in my Cafepress Shop.
NOTE for our international friends: Cafepress does automatically convert currencies, so if you’d like to contribute by making a purchase, you can easily do so no matter where you are in the world.

*NEW* Denise's Collar Raffle:
Our GDA puppy raiser friend, Denise - maker of these awesome dog collars - has offered to donate THESE 4 of her fabric, custom-made dog collars for me to raffle off, and the proceeds will go to the puppy sponsorship project. Thank you, Denise!!!
Here’s how the collar raffle will work:
Each entry for the raffle will be a $5.00 donation. (So, if, for example, you donate $20 your name will be put on 4 entry slips). All raffle entry donations will be taken through our Puppy Sponsorship Page on FirstGiving. So, if you would like to enter:

Make your entry donation through our FirstGiving page.
And in the comment box, please include something like "collar raffle," so I know for sure that your donation is an entry for this raffle.
*Updated* Please don’t select the option to hide your email address from me. I promise I won’t spam you, but I need a way to contact you if you win.

Note: If you don't use a credit or debit card (like my Mom), but would still like to enter the raffle, contact me [yellowdogphotog(at)gmail(dot)com] and we'll try to figure out a way for you to enter too. I want everyone who wants to participate in the raffle to be able to do so.
All entries will be put into a container and, if I can actually get him to do it, Jack will draw out the winners:

The first collar winner will be drawn on May 10, 2011.
The second winner will be drawn on June 10, 2011,
The third winner will be drawn on July 10, 2011.
And the final collar winner will be drawn on August 10, 2011.

If you don't win the first time, your name will remain in the box for the next drawing, and thus, potentially, 1 entry could give you 4 chances to win. ;-)

By the time this collar raffle is complete, in August, I might possibly have a neat crochet project or two finished that I’ll raffle off, so if you’re not interested in dog collars stay tuned for that!

Other ways you can contribute will be added/announced as I come up with them.

What if I don’t raise enough for the puppy sponsorship?
If this project seems to be going nowhere during the next six months or so, I may be able readjust the goal for a smaller sponsorship (newborn litter: $2,500, newborn puppy: $1,000 etc.). Ultimately though, however much money I raise will still go to GDA to support a future guide dog.

How much have I raised so far?
I have created a ticker gadget, HERE, to track my fundraising progress. I’ll try to keep it as accurate as I can - GDA can provide me with an update on my collection total whenever I ask for one, but I don’t want to pester them too often. ;-)

THANK YOU so much to any donors
for your contributions to my
guide dog puppy sponsorship project!
Guide Dogs of America, me, and my guide dog
appreciate your support!

Final Snow (Hopefully!)

2011-03-14T14:13:00.001-05:00

I Heart Cookies

2011-02-14T21:10:00.000-06:00

Lime and Grape

2011-01-26T21:10:00.000-06:00

All-Weather Guide

2011-01-19T21:11:00.000-06:00

Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night will keep this dog from doing his job.

Welcome Twenty Eleven!

2011-01-06T20:09:00.002-06:00

Sorry for the delay in this post, but as you might have noticed I've been making some changes around here, including switching blogging platforms. And more changes are in the works, on the blog, the website, and my Cafepress shop. More soon...

Hope your year is off to a good start!

Happy Winter Holidays

2010-12-23T21:00:00.005-06:00

Winter Solstice Eclipse

2010-12-21T02:06:00.001-06:00

Late last night/early this morning there was a lunar eclipse (where the earth's shadow passes over the surface of the moon). I hadn't expected to stay up for it, since the sky had been mostly cloudy all day and evening here. However, not long before the eclipse was supposed to start, I happily discovered that the sky was mostly clear (just a little hazy at times), so I ended up staying up to watch a little over half of the event after all.
Of course, as an astronomy nerd, I've seen plenty of partial and full lunar eclipses before, but I still think they're neat, and never pass up an opportunity to try to watch at least part of one. Lunar (and solar) eclipses themselves are actually not rare at all (like the media would have you believe); eclipses like this one are visible at least every couple of years in North America. However, what makes this particular celestial event kind of special is that it's the first total lunar eclipse to occur on the Winter Solstice since the year 1638!
From beginning to end, the eclipse lasted about three hours and twenty-eight minutes. Where I am, in the central part of the U.S., the eclipse lasted from about 12:33am through 4:01am, and totality (the time when the earth's shadow completely covers the moon) lasted about 72 minutes. I called it quits a little over half-way through (around 2:30am), because my fingers and toes were frozen. But then I ended up catching most of the rest of it via the internet while I uploaded images from my camera. The last half of the eclipse looked like the first half, just in reverse. ;-)
Below are a few of my photos of the eclipse. As I said, the sky was a little hazy at times, so they're not the greatest, but I had fun taking them anyway. It was quite chilly outside, so at first I just bundled up and went out on the front porch with the camera every now and then to take a few shots and then came back in when I started shivering too much to focus the camera properly. However, eventually the moon got dark enough that I gave in and stayed outside, setting up my tripod in an attempt to get less-blurry images with long exposure to capture the deep rusty-red color of the earth's shadow on the moon. (I was happy to see this color appear, because sometimes it's just a disappointing gray).

Happy Winter Solstice!

Let's Play Ball

2010-11-24T07:58:00.001-06:00

Red Daisy Chrysanthemum

2010-10-29T09:31:00.001-05:00

Autumn is here and with it has come bright blooming Mums.

Chocolate Labrador Retriever

2010-10-26T09:30:00.001-05:00

What I See

2010-09-27T06:11:00.001-05:00

I made a similar post on my "anonymous" personal blog probably 7 months ago, but it has come to my attention that it might be a good idea to share this here too.

As a person who is considered blind, and yet still has some vision, I have often been asked questions about my sight.

What can you see? How do you see?
How blind are you? What's it like to see how you do?

Having never had good vision, I've found that it can be difficult to explain, especially since a lot of what I "see" and/or how I recognize things is based on knowledge from previous experiences. As an example I sometimes reference the tree in my front yard: Because I know there's supposed to be a tree there and because I know that what I'm seeing is supposed to be a tree, I can usually end up correctly identifying it as a tree, even though what I'm actually seeing doesn't look much, if anything, like one. Over the years I've developed some pretty good guessing skills, but, like I said, that usually only works if I have prior knowledge of an object similar to the one I'm supposed to be identifying. And along those same lines, when in a new/unfamiliar situations I really appreciate good descriptions of my surroundings from others - it helps me to make more sense of what I am seeing.
I've often wished I had a pair of glasses people could put on to make them see the way I do - that sure would have been handy when dealing with ignorant/arrogant classmates and teachers in school. Lately, the best way I've come up with to explain what or how I see is to use the super-macro (up close) setting on my camera, since this setting makes the camera extremely near sighted, like me - I can see pretty well when I'm up very close (1-4 inches) from something, but more and more details are lost as the distance increases. Color is basically the only thing I see at distances of more than a few feet. This photo method is not totally accurate, of course, because there are other issues with my eyes (including Glaucoma, Cataracts, horizontal Nystagmus, Chronic Dry Eye, and Photophobia) that all affect how well I see what I see, and also because a camera is only a moderately good imitation of a real human eye. However, it's better than my usual vague or confusing, and sometimes snarky answers to these questions.

So, below are a few snapshots of my first guide dog blending in with the kitchen floor (3-4 feet away from me), as well as my keys laying on a table (an inch or so away from me), and my first guide dog sitting in our living room (about 1 foot away from me) to illustrate. On the left are photos representing sort of what I see, and on the right are photos of what I can only assume to be good/normal vision:

Like I said, it is NOT at all a perfect representation (some things I definitely see worse that what is depicted here, and some details I might see a little bit better), but maybe it'll give a slightly better idea of what my sight is like for anyone who is curious.

After the Rain

2010-09-25T15:20:00.001-05:00

Big Three Zero

2010-09-22T19:20:00.001-05:00

Well, I've officially reached the big 3-0, also known as the first anniversary of my 29th birthday. ;-)

Super Harvest Moon

2010-09-22T18:20:00.001-05:00

For the first time in almost 20 years, autumn in the Northern Hemisphere began tonight on the same night as the full Moon. This coincidence is often referred to as a "Super Harvest Moon". It's pretty hazy/cloudy here tonight, but I still had fun trying to get a somewhat decent photo.

Life Goes On

2010-09-05T20:16:00.001-05:00

My sincerest apologies to anyone who may be visiting this site regularly looking for updates and not finding any. This year has been quite a roller coaster and the last couple of months have been no exception, leaving little extra time for updates here. And with a new guide dog on the way next month, I don’t foresee things calming down again anytime soon. I am still here though, life goes on, and photography goes on... sometimes. I have added a few new (backdated) photo posts today, but in all honestly (as I expected and warned at the beginning of the year) I haven’t done as much photography this year as I normally do, This is due, in part, to the many changes going on in my life right now, and also to my eyes not being able to keep up with me as well these days. At this point I know that taking pictures may never be more than the hobby/side-job it is now for me, but I still love photography and will continue to do it whenever I can.

Skeins of Yarn

2010-08-29T21:05:00.000-05:00

I’m not sure I’ve ever written about it here, but one of my other favorite hobbies is crochet. I have been an avid crocheter since I was a small child and have made many projects, big and small, over the years. I am currently using this fuzzy, colorful yarn to make myself a new winter set of matching hat, scarf, and fingerless gloves.

Parsley Eating Worm

2010-08-13T07:05:00.001-05:00

This is another good example of how photography enables me to see more. We found this tiny, fat worm in my Mom's garden, but I never would have even begun to notice all the details in its camouflage without the aid of my camera. To me it just looked like a tiny green thing.

Tesla the Cat

2010-08-03T21:05:00.001-05:00

No, this pretty little girl is not mine. I'm allergic to cats, but that doesn't mean I won't photograph them whenever I get the chance. :-)

Retirement Home Found

2010-07-27T07:05:00.001-05:00

Today my sweet retired guide dog is leaving for her new "retirement home". It is not easy to let such a special girl go, but I know it's the right thing to do for her.

Down Hill Nap

2010-07-20T07:05:00.001-05:00

We had a visit from my former pet dog recently, during which she took a rather down-hill nap. :-)

Fish-Eye Flowers

2010-07-13T10:44:00.001-05:00

In honor of my Sister's birthday today, here's a fun photo that includes two of her favorite colors: blue and orange. :-)

Bursting in Air

2010-07-04T10:43:00.001-05:00

Happy Independence Day, USA!

Not as We

2010-07-03T10:40:00.001-05:00

Today marks the eighth anniversary of the day my first guide dog and I were introduced during our training class. Since her retirement this past March, as well as increasingly for six to eight months before that, I have been navigating my world as "I" not as "we" and yes, it has been a bit lonely.
Since my guide dog almost always lead the way on our daily adventures, it was tough to start leaving her behind. On those rare occasions during our partnership when she didn't go along it always felt odd, like something was missing. But since she retired, I've had to go it alone all the time, while I continue to wait to be matched with a new guide dog.
I knew my dog would struggle with this change, but I have actually had a more difficult time adjusting from "We" to "I" than I had expected. So, I decided to take an Orientation & Mobility refresher-course (white cane training) right after my dog retired. This course provided me with up-to-date skills and new tools (white cane & Trekker Breeze GPS system) to help me travel more comfortably and confidently on my own. However, I have to say that I still really don't enjoy traveling by myself much. Despite having brushed-up my O & M training, I still feel more comfortable traveling with a guide dog. So I am very much looking forward to that time when I'll finally be able to start traveling as "we" again.
Despite my dog's retirement from guide work, she is still a large presence in my life. Since my pet dog went to her new home in March, my guide has been soaking up all the attention, loving being the only dog in the house again. She still looks after me, she still guides me, she still "protects" me, but her general mood and actions are that of a much more happy puppyish nature than a serious working dog these days. We still walk together occasionally, but now my white ane accompanies us as well. The dog doesn't seem to mind the extra companion though - she's just happy to be included in the activity. She seems to feel better now that she's not working (having to walk) all the time. However, she still misses being with me - she still wants to go wherever I'm going - which still complicates things when I need to go somewhere and she needs to stay behind. We're working on it, but at almost 10 years old, little Miss Dog is quite set in her ways.
At this point, I'm not sure what the future may bring for my first guide and me, but we are definitely still enjoying our time together, even though our relationship has undergone some big changes in the last year.

Happy Flag Day

2010-06-14T10:39:00.001-05:00

Sky at Sunset

2010-06-08T10:37:00.001-05:00

Sniffing the Flowers

2010-05-26T10:22:00.001-05:00

Happy Yellow Lab

2010-05-14T05:09:00.001-05:00

Lovely Purple Lilacs

2010-04-30T14:53:00.001-05:00

I Heart Trees

2010-04-22T14:50:00.001-05:00

Happy Earth Day! Are you doing anything to celebrate today? I don't have anything specific in mind to do today (especially since it's supposed to be rainy all day), like I did last year, but this week I sure have been enjoying all of the pretty blooming trees in my neighborhood. I've always loved trees, even though I can't see the details of them (other than color) unless/until I take pictures of them.
When I was a kid a used to climb (and occasionally fall out of) one of the six trees in my parents' front yard. My Sister and I also had a rope swing in another big tree in our yard, so we grew up playing in and around the trees. I've tried my not-always-so-green thumb at growing quite a few trees over the years too. One of my favorites, was actually an Earth Day "gift". When I was in elementary school I was given a small Silver Maple tree (that basically looked like a scrawny stick stuck in a bowl of dirt) at a local Earth Day event and I added it to my parents' yard amongst their tall, old trees where it grew slowly but surely. Sadly, that cute no-longer little tree got demolished during a nasty winter storm while I was away at college a dozen or so years later.
Anyway, what got me to thinking about trees today is that I've always wanted to grow one of these pretty Redbud trees (like I photographed above), because I love their bright purple/pink spring flowers. Maybe that will be my Earth Day project someday when I have land of my own to plant it in. Right now though, I'm not sure one would do so well in my apartment. ;-)

Tiny Blue Flower

2010-04-11T14:24:00.001-05:00

Spring has sprung here in North-Central Kansas and everything is in bloom!

Milk Chocolate Eggs

2010-04-04T08:11:00.001-05:00

On the Lookout

2010-04-02T08:11:00.002-05:00

Accelerated Mobility Program

2010-03-17T06:53:00.001-05:00

Happy Retirement Day!

2010-03-12T05:51:00.001-06:00

Today my guide dog is retiring, after 7 years, 8 months, and 9 days of excellent work and loyal partnership. My life would not have been the same without her. Despite her quirks I sometimes worry that she may have spoiled me for any future dog that comes my way. After all, they say that your first guide dog is the one you always remember the most — it’s the one that “changed your life”. The idea of not having her next to me all the time is a little frightening, but what reassures me is knowing that the path she started us on as a guide dog team can continue with another dog. Even though another pup will take up her job someday (hopefully) soon, she could never be replaced in my heart. I will always carry with me the knowledge of that love, friendship and tremendous bond that we have shared.

"Don't cry because its over, smile because it happened" ~ Dr. Seuss

Goodbye Sweet Girl

2010-03-11T05:51:00.001-06:00

Sometimes I think I hold dog ownership to higher standards than a lot of other people I know do. I want this dog to have the structure and security she thrives on as well as the attention she craves; I want her to not only eat great quality food but be kept on the specific diet I’ve struggled so hard to figure out works best for her sensitive system; I want her to be both physically and mentally well taken care of; and I want her be an integral part of her family’s life. I want her to feel like a partner, a friend, a trusted companion.
I understand many people just do not view dogs in that respect, but that is something I have a hard time accepting. Because I have known this dog since she was two days old (actually, I sort of knew her even before she was born, because my Sister's dog is her Dad, and their friends' dog is her Mom) and because she’s the first dog I’ve raised all on my own, I feel even more responsible for making sure this dog gets what she really she needs in life.
I know that no situation is entirely perfect, but over the last eight months or so (since I began a new home search for her) I've felt like I needed to try to find her the best situation possible since, unfortunately, I am no longer able to provide that for her myself.
However, because of her “issues”, I was extremely skeptical that I would ever find her the perfect home - the kind of home she needs, one that I would be satisfied with, one that would be willing to deal with her exuberance and allergies appropriately and effectively - basically a home that I could send her to without too much more guilt than I already have about choosing/needing to give her away.
But very suddenly and unexpectedly this week a great new home with a loving family was found. So, my sweet but crazy pet yellow Lab left for her new home today. It was a tough decision to make, but I think everyone will be happier with this arrangement. I know that this dog will receive all the care and exercise she needs, as well as the love and attention she desires, and that knowledge gives me peace.

Happy Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T09:53:00.001-06:00

May the light of your soul guide you.
May the light of your soul bless the work that you do
with the secret love and warmth of your heart.
May you see in what you do the beauty of your own soul.
May the sacredness of your work bring healing, light and renewal to those who work with you
and to those who see and receive your work.
May your work never weary you.
May it release within you wellsprings of refreshment, inspiration and excitement.
May you be present in what you do.
May you never become lost in bland absences.
May the day never burden.
May dawn find you awake and alert,
approaching your new day with dreams, possibilities and promises.
May evening find you gracious and fulfilled.
May you go into the night blessed, sheltered and protected.
May your soul calm, console and renew you.
- Celtic Work Blessing

Waxing Gibbous Moon

2010-01-29T14:40:00.001-06:00

(NOTE: This photo was taken Monday night, I think – by tonight the moon should be very full.)

It's a late night and I'm standing at my front door waiting as my guide dog wanders around through our snow and ice covered yard in the dark, looking for the perfect spot. And suddenly I can’t help but grab the camera to try to take some photos of the bright moon hanging overhead. The photo I’ve posted is definitely not the best, since I didn’t have my tripod handy, and I was shivering as I stepped out onto the front porch in my stockinged feet to focus the lens up into the night sky, but I enjoyed seeing the results nonetheless.
Once upon a time I dreamed of being an astronomer and an astronaut someday, in part so I’d be able to have or could at least use the necessary equipment capable of showing me all those beautiful things in outer space that I know so much about, but have rarely, if ever, been able to really see well, if at all. Various Digital cameras (and computers) have come closest to easily being able to show me the sky, but using these tools ended up leading my dreams in a slightly different direction. Sometimes though, I still manage to merge these two loves, photography and astronomy, into one. And when I do, that makes me very happy. :-)

Happy Twenty Ten!

2010-01-01T16:47:00.001-06:00

Happy New Year!!!
I hope 2010 is a great year for everyone.
The new year will be bringing me a new camera,
but unfortunately there may be some things happening
in my life this year which might keep me busily away from
my beloved photography more than usual.
But I will still try to do and share as much as I possibly can.

Celebrating the Season

2009-12-20T11:39:00.001-06:00

May the light of this holiday season
Remain in your heart the whole year through.
Happy Holidays from us to you!

Labs Loving Snow

2009-12-12T11:38:00.001-06:00

We've had over 12 inches of snow at our house within the last week,
and my dogs are LOVING it. :-) I'm NOT at all a fan of winter, but I must confess
I've had fun taking pictures of the dogs enjoying it.

Pretty Red Poinsettia

2009-12-08T11:35:00.001-06:00

Full of Thanks

2009-11-27T11:34:00.001-06:00

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

On this, one of my favorite holidays, I am thankful for many things, including: my friends, my family, my dogs, photography, music, and much, much more. One of the biggest things I'm thankful for this year is the opportunity to find a lesson in everything and to make changes that allow me to grow. I've made a lot of good changes in my life in the last year that will hopefully continue to help me achieve some of my goals. Change is good - I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to learn this first-hand - and to realize that sometimes I just need to be a little more brave when opportunities present themselves.

Nine Years Young

2009-11-23T11:33:00.001-06:00

She's looking a bit more gray around the edges these days,but I can tell you that my guide dog is still young at heart. She's still a sweet, smart, happy, eager to please pup, even if her poor old body can't keep up with all our fun quite as well anymore. Happy Birthday sweet girl!!!

Day Honoring Veterans

2009-11-11T11:32:00.001-06:00

Thank you.

All Howl-o's Eve

2009-10-31T12:31:00.002-05:00

Beauty in Autumn

2009-10-17T12:29:00.001-05:00

I'll be honest, autumn is not one of my favorite seasons. I don’t know why exactly but I’ve never been a fan of cold or even just cool weather. Maybe it comes from having lived in several old drafty houses where I never really felt like I could ever get warm enough. But even now that I'm in a much more energy efficient living space, I still seem to feel the cold more than most other people do. And every year, the first time I notice that "crispness" in the late-summer/early Autumn air, I start to dread the coming of winter. Occasionally throughout the winter months there will be a day that is sunny and nice enough to spend some time outside without getting Frostbite. And I do my absolute best to enjoy those days as much as I can. But still, there’s that niggling knowledge in my head that more gloomy cold weather is just around the corner.Recently, a friend and I were talking about the incoming chilly weather and my desire to someday move to a bigger city located someplace where it’s relatively warm year-round – to escape the cold. As we commiserated about winter’s approach, she told me I should just pack my bags and go! If only it was that easy…. In the meantime I am doing my best to appreciate the beauty of autumn.

2009 Insights Show

2009-10-10T12:13:00.001-05:00

I wanted to make a quick post to let people know about the Insights Art Exhibition, in San Francisco, California just
in case anyone who is in the area would like to attend.

This year's show, the 20th exhibition, will be held in the San Francisco City Hall
lower level from October 05 - December 11, 2009. It's open,
free to the public, Monday - Friday 8am - 8pm.
There will also be an Opening Reception on Thursday October 15, 2009 (5:30 - 7:30pm)
at which time the public can meet some of the artists.

Here's a little more info about the art show from a press release sent out late today, in case you're curious:
"The LightHouse and the San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery at City Hall are pleased to present
Insights 2009, an international juried exhibition featuring 118 works by
38 artists who are blind or visually impaired. Celebrating its 20th year, the exhibition includes an audio
tour, accessible materials including Braille signage and a Braille catalog, and nearly one-fourth
of the works are tactile.

Insights combines artistic excellence with advocacy
and is a powerful way for the LightHouse to demonstrate the abilities
of individuals who are blind or visually impaired."

Once again this year a couple of my photos will be on exhibit and for sale in the show. However, as usual,
I am unfortunately not going to be able to attend the Artists Day and Opening
Reception. We had really hoped to go this year (especially since it is
the show’s 20th anniversary), but it ended up not being feasible.
So, we’ll have to try again to exhibit in and attend this unique Art
Show featuring works by blind and visually impaired artists next year

UPDATE: 11-24-2009

I received an email yesterday confirming
that the 2009 Insights Art Exhibition has been extended and will now
remain open until Friday January 15,
2010! So, I thought I should I share that information here
just in case anyone is still interested in attending. If you're going to
be in San Francisco during the holiday season, this gives you an extra
month to check out the awesome artwork by blind and visually impaired
artists - including two of my photos. :-) I still won't be able to get out
there to see it, but I'm very glad that it gives more people the opportunity
to check out the show.

All Fall Down

2009-09-30T12:28:00.001-05:00

Nine and Twenty

2009-09-23T12:27:00.001-05:00

"Anybody can grow older. That doesn't take any talent or ability.
The idea is to grow up by always finding the opportunity in change."

Yes, today is my birthday. Unfortunately, whoever said that your twenties will be the best years of your life was
sadly mistaken, as far as my case is concerned, at least thus far. But who knows, maybe I can make this year
- the last year of my twenties - the best one by trying more to live in the moment, be happy with what's on
my plate, and do my best to accept those changes that will inevitability arise as positive opportunities
not hurdles hindering my journey.

Reading by Touch

2009-09-20T12:26:00.001-05:00

Facing the Obstacles

2009-09-18T12:25:00.001-05:00

Joy of Life

2009-09-17T12:22:00.001-05:00

Day of Remembrance

2009-09-11T10:06:00.001-05:00

Let us never forget

Late Summer Sunset

2009-08-28T08:58:00.001-05:00

“Nature is not only all that is visible to the eye – it also includes the inner pictures of the soul.” - Edvard Munch

The Dog Days...

2009-08-10T13:07:00.003-05:00

I haven't updated this blog in a really long time, but I have a good excuse... I've been very busy! For most of the summer I've been dealing with dog-related stuff for my two yellow Labs pictured above. Luckily, most of that work has paid off. But anyone reading this blog is probably more interested in what I'm doing photography-wise. Well, since I last updated:

I've sold one photo at the Tourism center

One of my photos - of my guide dog - won a contest and was turned into a neat little custom drawing for us, which I matted and framed and it's now hanging in a prominent place in my apartment.

I've had a couple of sales - including a custom photo name collage - from my Cafepress shop

I've taken LOTS of dog photos (since we've celebrated both my pet dog's birthday, and my 7 year working anniversary with my guide dog this summer)

And I've printed, matted, framed and packaged my photos to be shipped off to San Francisco for the Insights Art Exhibition.

Kansas Tourist Center

2009-06-26T07:12:00.001-05:00

If you're traveling through the great state of Kansas and you happen to pass by the Kansas Travel/Tourist Information Center just north of Belleville on Highway 81, you will soon be able to see/purchase my photography there! Next Monday morning I'll be making my first (of hopefully many) deliveries of matted and framed photos to the center. :-)

Insights Art Exhibition

2009-05-27T04:52:00.001-05:00

Sorry it's been so quiet around here lately. May has been a rollercoaster of a month so far. With the exception of having to purchase a new computer instead of the new camera I intended to buy, nothing of importance has happened worth posting here until now.
Last Friday afternoon I received a call from The LightHouse in San Francisco, informing me that two of the photos I entered earlier this Spring have been selected to appear at the 2009 Insights Art Exhibition! :-)

"Confetti Streamers" and "Leafy Ledge"

This year's show, the 20th exhibition, will be held in the San Francisco City Hall from October 05 - December 11, 2009 with an Opening Reception on Thursday October 15, 2009.
As usual, I would love to attend the artists' day and reception, but since I live so far away (and travel from Kansas to California is pretty expensive with my meager income) I more than likely will be unable to go again this year. Nonetheless, I am honored to have my photography included (and on sale) in this exhibition, which features artwork by blind and visually impaired people of all ages from around the world, for a fourth year.

What and Why

2009-04-22T06:44:00.001-05:00

While working on my website earlier this month, I thought a lot about what I shoot and why... I have always taken the stance that you should do what you love and love what you do. But unlike a lot of other things I HAVE to do whether or not I enjoy it, I am most able to follow this philosophy with my photography.

My immediate surroundings contribute greatly to what I shoot; everything inspires me. Since the first time I ever looked at a picture, I’ve loved the ability that photos have to show me the world in a way that I have never been able to fully see it with my own eyes. So, I continue to challenge myself to find and image anything and everything around me, in the hopes that I might get a good look at it via the resulting photographs. Living in a world that I can’t fully see and holding a tool in my hands that helps me to better see that world is inspiration enough for me to shoot frequently. Even if I think something won’t be interesting, I tend to shoot it anyway. I never cease to be amazed by what details I see in the resulting pictures of things I originally thought were “boring”. And even if I never come up with any other use for those photos, they have allowed me to better see something, so they have served their purpose well.

Growing up, my family’s cameras really only came out on the special days - holidays, birthdays, school activities and honors, etc. However, for me, photography has become an every day love, because I think the in-between days are just as important. The Photo-a-Day project I undertook in 2008 really emphasized this. Each day I tried to look for a new, unique scene to photograph that distinguishes that day from any other one. I never knew what the next day or the next week would bring, but I was watching, with camera ready, every day - not just on those “special” days.

As any photographer will tell you, I developed my technique with lots and lots of practice. However, I tend to be pretty relaxed about it all. I like to forget the camera settings and just try to capture the emotion. Knowing the technical side of photography is crucial, but oftentimes I think people obsess on that instead of really seeing. I think photography should be FUN and rewarding, but a lot of people seem to focus too much energy on the technical aspects of it, which detracts from that enjoyment.

Also, I know some people feel like it's faux-art if you don't put enough thought into it, but making art is not really my biggest goal with photography. For me, it's a tool that enables me to see more. So, I like to just go for it! I usually don't spent too much time thinking about what I want to photograph and how I want to photograph it before I actually get behind the lens.

Unlike the photos my parents took of my family when I was growing up (and the kind my Mom still pretty much always insists on taking), I generally dislike posed portraits. I like to capture moments in life, as they happen. Some people think it’s insane that I take 100-300 pictures of my dogs while they are running around at the park (especially, because my dogs are well-trained enough that in theory I could just ask them to sit/stay for a good picture), but then I show them the results – like the collage of them that I recently posted – and I hope that one day they'll understand. I know some people who would never take a photo like those, because this kind of thing can’t be staged. This was in the midst of the action. This is real life – my dogs excited, happy, running wild (and slobbering) - and I love it all the more because of that.

This is why I guess in some ways I am like photojournalist. I strive to capture moments as they happen, careful not to pose my subjects. Even though occasionally I do give myself permission to make little adjustments, I tend to be drawn much more to a style that shows life in its natural state. This is why (at least, right now) I love shooting animals, nature scenes, and everyday objects best (and thus, these are the things I take pictures of most often). These things can't be posed and primped like people; you have to capture the scene that is given to you, as it happens. I’ve discovered that, for much the same reason, photographing babies and young kids can be fun too (if the baby/child is in a good mood - nobody likes a crying kid, do they?), but I definitely would never want to do that exclusively. This is also why I have no ambition to shoot weddings, high school Senior portraits, etc. I have and will continue to photograph people and events when someone I know asks me to do it for them (since I have the technical skills to do it), but being a fairly un-girly girl, events like weddings and perfect prettily posed portraits themselves hold little appeal for me. Thus, it's not something for which I would ever exclusively market my photography skills.

Visitors to my website may have noticed that I tend to do a lot of macro work. The moment I saw a picture I had taken with the “super-up-close” setting on my very first little point and shoot digital camera, I knew I was in love. This setting/lens allows me to be really close to my subject, like I need to be in order to frame it in the viewfinder (I am extremely near-sighted), as well as get shots of the intricate details that I cannot see on my own. Although macro photos reveal to me many more details of my subjects than my poor eyes can perceive on their own, macro photography is by far my favorite kind, because this is more like how I see the world - either from very close up, or not at all. If something is too far away its details are lost to me, kind of like how the background details of a macro shot are lost to the bokeh.

Redbud Tree: “Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures.” - Henry Ward Beecher

It’s kind of odd. For a while now I have been following numerous well-known photographer and/or photography blogs, and it seems to me like so many people who leave comments on them think they have to do exactly what that photographer is doing. And I find that incredibly frustrating, so much so that I just want to scream - "think for yourselves!" every time I peruse the comment sections (so I've basically stopped reading the comments). Don’t get me wrong I enjoy these blogs (or else I wouldn't be spending my valuable time reading them), but I don’t really have any desire whatsoever to become an exact copy of them or even do a lot of the types of work that they do. That doesn’t mean I can’t still learn plenty from them, though since they are experienced, successful professional photographers. I just take the knowledge that I’ve gleamed from them and apply it to my own unique situation; I use it in the way that works best for me.

I know that these photographers do not only take weddings, or posed portraits of babies or families or whatever their main market happens to be. No, I’m sure they take tons of other photos all the time, just like every photographer (professional or otherwise) I’ve ever known, but it irritates me when I see a majority of the people who read these sites talk about how since they love photography they MUST become wedding or family portrait photographers - I think mainly due to the fact that these seem to be areas where the most money is for photographers -like that’s the only option out there. Yes, my photography interests may not lie where the money is in the business, but it is another option for expressing creativity with a camera. It seems like a lot of photographers think they need genres, concepts, statements, and/or hype to get them noticed, but I guess I'm just not that kind of "artist". I just like to take pictures of the world around me.

If you want to consider the art of photography though, I have to mention composition. To me a big part of the “art” of photography is about seeing things in new ways, by finding interesting light/shadows and angles. No matter what I'm photographing - a dog, a person, the Moon, or a flower - for me, the coolness of a given shot often has more to do with the composition than the subject - capturing an extraordinary view of an ordinary object. A lot of people's (snapshot) photos are boring because they show a view from the same way most people see things every day – for example looking down at a flower or a child. That’s not to say that you can’t ever get an interesting shot by shooting down on your subject. I just mean that when you change the angle a bit (like moving down to shoot at eye level with your subject it oftentimes gives a more interesting perspective, because you are showing us the subject in a way that most people aren’t used to viewing it on a daily basis.

My Canine Kids

2009-04-21T16:28:00.002-05:00

For those of you who don't know them, below are some photos of my girls. They have been excellent (though not always so willing) subjects, helping me to hone my photography skills over the last few years.

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Up to Now

2009-04-16T16:35:00.001-05:00

I have written quite a bit about this on my personal (anonymous) blog, but since most of the people visiting this one haven’t/won’t ever view that one I thought I should share a little about how I got into photography here.

I guess I’ve always been a little artsy: drawing, painting, ceramics and pottery, crochet, writing, music… I think photography is just another branch of that creativity tree growing inside of me. When I was a kid I dabbled in a little bit of everything, but ultimately colored-pencil drawings became my favored medium. I never quite got the hang of painting even though there were times when I would just crave the activity. I always watched those Bob Ross shows in total awe of how easy he made it all look. Ceramics, crochet, and crafts came into my life with my many years as a 4-H member, while music, writing, and pottery sprung to life with classes in school. However, I didn’t discover photography as an art form until much later.

I always enjoyed others’ photos (I come from a family full of camera-happy people), but I didn’t have a camera of my own for the first half of my life. As I mentioned the other day, my Grandpa was also into photography, but it was actually my older Sister who gave me my first camera - a cheap little Kodak 35mm - when I was about 14 or so. And I don’t think anyone (including me) realized just how much I would actually use it; I took pictures of everything. Unfortunately, more often than not, I was disappointed with the results when the film was finally developed. Even though I had fun taking the pictures, I felt like I usually just wasted money by doing so, because (being severely visually impaired) I couldn't see well enough to get the shot I wanted with this little camera. Also, I never knew if they were going to turn out well or not, so I ended up taking multiple pictures of the same thing, just in case and then of course I had to somehow come up with the money to pay to get all of the film developed.

As a result these experiences, I never really appreciated the usefulness of photography until my fourth year of University when I mounted a CCD camera to a telescope to image asteroids and star fields in outer space as a part of my Senior Physics Research Project. Looking at these beautiful (black & white) images on the computer screen in front of me, I was finally able to really see what was up there. That which I loved so much and had worked so hard to understand was finally made accessible to my broken eyes. It was like the best kind of photograph I had ever seen! Not only did it tell me the information that the gigantic nerd in me sought to know, but it allowed me a new/better view that the visually impaired girl in me yearned for… This is when I had that realization that I could use a camera for more than just the archiving of the occasional family event or data collection for research.

Before this time the art, writing, music, etc. that I had always enjoyed were all seen as just hobbies to me - nothing I ever considered turning into a career. Science (specifically astronomy) was effectively my life; It was all I 'd ever wanted to do as far as future careers were concerned. And honestly, even at the end of my College days when I stared taking more of an interest in photography, I never thought I’d try to make anything more of it than just another way to occupy my time while I sorted out what to do with myself now that I was required to live in the "real world".

But over the last five years, while living behind my digital cameras, a new goal has evolved. And this blog and it‘s accompanying website are the first major steps I’m taking in seriously pursuing that goal - to be a professional photographer (or at the very least have a more photography-related job) at some point between now and that ever-elusive someday.

Ultimately, it was the upgrade from that first little 35mm film camera to my first little digital one (a University graduation present to/from myself) that really encouraged my exploration of the artistic aspect of this hobby. And upgrading from my first point-and-shoot to higher-quality digital cameras has stoked the passion even more.

So, even though I’m still paying for an education most of which I rarely, if ever, use in my current line of work, I don’t regret pursuing that in the least (as long as I keep reminding myself that "education is never a waste" whenever I'm looking at how much money I've paid out just for the interest on my student loan), because it was (in part) my love of physics and astronomy that, in a circuitous way, led me to photography. And thanks to my education, I have a much better understanding of the science (or should I say math?) behind exposure: f-stops/aperture, ISO, shutter speeds, etc. - the foundation of photography. Because, whether we’re considering the human eye, a telescope, or a camera body/lens system, the basic optics are similar. And I studied a fair amount of optics during my time as a physics major.

And honestly I think I might even love photography more than astronomy, because photography is a combination of science and art, of planning and creativity... I still get to be a nerd (ogling the ever-evolving technology of all the equipment) and do the optics (using the Manual mode on my camera), but I also get to express my artistic side too. What could be better than that?

As far as my limited eyesight is concerned, I’ve always been this way so doing photography seems as normal to me as anything else I’ve ever done. Although, I think, perhaps, I enjoy photography more than some other art forms because of its ability to show me the world in a way that I have never been able to fully see it with my own eyes. I am constantly challenging myself to find and image anything and everything around me, in the hopes that I might get a good look at it via the resulting photographs. Photography is just one more interest on a long list that I am willing and eager to explore in spite of the difficulties such a visually oriented task may pose. It is a creative outlet that I find extreme enjoyment in, even though everyone else I know who does it sees far better than me. I love the challenge of capturing a scene that with one glance tells a story which is unique, interesting, and moving from my perspective, as well as (hopefully) for any other viewer.

Well, I hope that gives you a little more insight into how I got here. I'll have more to share soon, so stay tuned.

Honoring My Grandpa

2009-04-13T12:07:00.001-05:00

Today is my paternal Grandfather's birthday; If he were still alive he would be 83 years old. Unfortunately, I don't feel like I knew him very well, since he passed away when I was 10 (and was my last living grandparent). Whenever we would go over to his house when I was a kid, I was always occupied by the television (they had the Disney Channel, we didn't have cable at home - and, unlike at home, we were allowed to watch as long as we wanted) or otherwise engaged in games and fun with the numerous cousins of my large family. I was very young, and easily distracted by the excitement of being somewhere other than at home, and thus basically took for granted the presence of my grandpa until it was too late.

Over the last few years I find myself thinking of him more often. I suppose it's due (at least in part) to the tiny bit of information about Grandpa that was passed to me by an Uncle a couple of years ago - that Grandpa loved photography too. Unfortunately my Grandfather never made anything more of it than a hobby (after the military, he worked for the railroad to support his large family). However, I can remember my Grandpa always taking pictures of us Grandkids on our birthdays with his big ol' Polaroid camera. And sometimes he would let us shake the prints while they developed (although the act is actually unnecessary). Then, he would proudly display his newest family portraits out on the dining room table for everyone to see. After he passed away, his photos were disbursed among the family, and I have an album full of his old, faded Polaroids showing me and my family frozen in time on special days long past.

Nonetheless, I had never made the connection that he had an interest in photography like mine, until this Uncle made a point of telling me about it. And actually, as I recall, he too shares more than a passing interest in it. How cool is that?! I guess I inherited a few good genes after all. :-) (Is it ironic or just an odd twist of fate that I inherited blindness from one side of the family and an interest in photography from the other?)

Anyway, in finding out that we have more in common than I ever knew, I can’t help but think about how I missed that opportunity to really get to know my Grandfather. Nonetheless, that little bit of information about him shared with me during a time of mourning for another loss in our family has not just stuck with me, but has served as encouragement.

So, I guess I shouldn't be all that surprised that I started thinking of him (and this picture of us taken in April of 1982) again while preparing to send out an e-mail to my friends and family about my new online portfolio.

Welcome to any friends and family who may have found their way over here. Thanks for visiting!

New Business Cards!

2009-04-11T07:37:00.001-05:00

Even though it’s not a full-fledged business (yet), I recently designed and ordered Business Cards via Zazzle, that feature one of my favorite photos, my site logo, web address, email, etc. to hand out locally, in promotion of my photography.

Front and back views of See(More) Photography business cards

Well, the "business" cards arrived in the mail today, and I couldn't be happier with them! Who knows, these cards may prove to be very useful for me in actually turning this whole endeavor into something for me. If it doesn't turn into anything, at least I’m enjoying it and learning from the experience.

My Online Portfolio

2009-04-09T10:02:00.001-05:00

I thought it might be a good idea to share a little about why and how I finally created an online portfolio....

For some time now I have been looking for ways to branch out with my photography - to make it more than just a hobby. However, I have done little, beyond my Cafepress shop and a handful of non-local exhibits/projects, to promote my work. The only portrait and event photography I've ever been commissioned to do came to me via family members' recommendations. And in the meantime I've been reading books, teaching myself, honing my skills, and begging for saving up money to buy a better camera, while at the same time working at a fairly unrelated job in an attempt to pay off a student loan for the two physics degrees I earned. So, needless to say, it's been a very slow process.

One of the biggest reasons I have not been promoting myself much was that I did not have much with which to actually promote myself. I could have given people the link to my other blog, but then they would have had to wade through silly yellow dog tales, random rants, and overly-introspective personal analyses just to see some of my photos. I suppose that would have been better than nothing but the idea still made me cringe. So the only thing I've had to show thus far is a sort of mini-portfolio that I occasionally carry around on my mp3 player (which has been most well-browsed by the staff at my eye doctor's office).

However, I know that any decent photographer nowadays needs an online portfolio. And I have wanted to put together a separate portfolio for a while now, but just never had the time and most importantly much money to put into it. There are a number of hosting companies that offer photography portfolio sites, but they (of course) are not free. And I am of the "starving artist" variety. So, I pretty much immediately gave up the dream of a professionally designed site, knowing that they can cost thousands of dollars. However, I also knew that what I wanted was probably more complex than I - a self-taught blog/website template designer - could create on my own using Blogger or Wordpress. So, I began looking into companies that offer customizable templates.

After A LOT of time and internal debate, late last month I finally pushed myself to go forward with the pursuit of an online portfolio. I had perused several popular template companies, but ultimately settled on one that, although quite a bit cheaper in price, was not lacking in features, which had been recommended by a friend quite some time ago: portfoliositez.

I also began to think long and hard about a domain name. And I actually ended up knowing what I wanted to do with my site long before I settled on an address I could live with for it (I knew I didn't want it to be my own name or initials because I plan on keeping this site for quite a while and I'm a girl, and I suppose there's still a slight chance that my last name could change someday...). Actually, I think choosing the name just may have been the most difficult part because so many of the domain names I loved were already taken.

I finally narrowed it down to two options, but ultimately I chose See More, because I thought it really related to my approach to photography. (See the "Photography Style" info page on my website for more on this).

Anyway... after that was finally settled, last week I took the plunge and spent a bit of time creating an online portfolio to showcase my photography. Within a matter of hours of submitting my template request (and payment) I was already happily customizing my portfolio site. No, I didn't get much rest that night and neither did my computer, but the main portion of my site was up and running by the time I went to bed.

There still might be a few minor adjustments that I'll continue to make (like cutting down the number of photos in each of the various galleries just to make them load up more quickly), but I’m pretty excited about what I have done with it so far - the galleries, the info pages,... it's cool to see my pictures in such a professional looking setting. And even though I modified the appearance of my chosen template to be extremely simple, it really does look uniquely mine (something I worried about when considering using a template design). Also, even though it is a flash site (which is great for slideshows), there is also (supposedly) an exact copy of my site in html, so those who choose not to run flash programs on their computers or who use screen readers can still visit (and this also allows it to be indexed by search engines).

As a portfolio should, the site features some of my best/favorite photos from over the last five years or so that I’ve been dabbling in this beloved art, although most come from just the last year or two (a.k.a. since I really started to figure out what I am doing).

I do think I might still like to put together a physical (notebook) portfolio too (as well as update the small one I keep on my mp3 player), but that will require not only more time but more money to make prints. So, it is going to have to wait. For now, though, I'm just thrilled to finally have an online portfolio!

Purchasing My Work

2009-04-06T15:36:00.001-05:00

Even though I purchased the "premium" package so that this feature would be available to me, I haven't quite figured out how/if I want to use the shopping cart portion of my new portfolio/site. So, until I get all the business stuff figured out, my photography is still available for purchase on the internet via my old CafePress store: L^2's Photography.

Just thought I'd put that out there, in case anyone is interested. ;-)

Hello and Welcome!

2009-03-29T14:56:00.002-05:00

Wow, it seems a little strange to be writing in a new space (not to mention via a new blogging platform) after posting at the same personal blog for almost five years now, but here I am. Though, not to worry fans of my personal blog, I'm not leaving you behind. This is blog is just geared more toward my professional endeavors. Today I purchased the domain name, and tomorrow I am ordering the customizable template for a new website, and I feel like no site of mine would be complete without an accompanying blog. So, this is the new blog for my photography portfolio/website, See(More) Photography!

Although I'm not exactly sure what will be posted yet, here are a few things you might find:

sneak peeks at new/recent work
stories of the inspiration behind photos
photography insights
business info/updates
and more!

So, stay tuned! And of course, be sure check out the site, http://www.seemorephoto.com

You can also follow See(More) Photography on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/SeeMorePhoto

See ya 'round!

- L.