{PHOTO} The Dried Roses Trio

I've had these flowers sitting on our dining room table since Valentine's Day. They dried in their vase while the  petals were repeatedly knocked off and I just kept telling myself "You need to take pictures of these flowers - and soon - or there will be nothing but stems left". So, on a wonderfully sunny day I set the vase on the floor of our front doorway, to maximize using the light coming through the side panes around the door, & proceeded to lay on the tile floor to try my best to photograph the flowers with the right angle of light and the perfect grouping of flowers. As I twisted and turned the vase, I returned to this trio of flowers almost perfectly lined up with the purples framing the yellow/pink rose. 

While doing this, all I kept thinking was: If a neighbor decides to come to my front door, they probably will panic & think I am passed out by the door. Luckily, no one visited the house but I did come away from this session with a lovely knot on my head from when I hit the door stop while trying to angle myself for the "perfect shot". 

Doorstop -1 / Rachel - 0

{PHOTO} Florida Fall

I know I've been quiet in regards to Facebook/Etsy/Twitter/Blogging. It's been a long couple of weeks at my day job, so my night time was my much needed downtime. I'm getting back into gear again and thought I'd present a photo of the day (an oldie but a goodie). This was taken last year at this same time of year and it shows what Florida's Fall season is like. Not quite the same rich red and amber tones of the North but definitely a noticeable change nonetheless.

{GIVEAWAY} WINNER!

Thanks so much for your participation in the giveaway. There was a FANTASTIC response from everyone on Facebook, Twitter, and here on the blog. So, now the good stuff. And the winner is. . . . . . . 

LISA MIQUELI!  

She let me know her favorite photo is Beach Cabana:

Yay for Lisa! She will have her choice of ANY photo in my shop as an 8x10 OR a set of 10 Photo Greeting Cards, with any photo of her choice on the cards.

Again, I appreciate everyone's responses and feedback. It was great to hear which pictures of mine you liked the most. We had such a great response that I promise to hold another contest soon.

{SNEAK PREVIEW} Photo Greeting Cards

I thought I'd give a little taste (aka sneak preview) of the greeting cards I have been working on. Some of these are actually from an offline order (thanks MOM!) after I sent a text picture of one of the cards I was working on.

Some notes on these: The greeting card photos are hand mounted, not directly printed onto the card, with a background and envelope liner to match. They are available in white or cream. All of my photos can be made into greeting cards.

Hope you all enjoy!

And some fun with the leftover scraps!

Guess what's next?!? POSTCARDS! Stay tuned. . . . .

{ABOUT ME} What's My Style??

Let's Go Swim

Every time I visit a photo site/blog, the question that always seems to pop into my brain is "What is my photography style"? I look at these amazing photos and I quickly see a consistency in them, a look, that I immediately attribute to the photographer's "style". I then ask myself "what is MY style" but every inch of me wants to avoid the question, so it just kind of bounces around my head for awhile and then I wrestle it back into some tiny drawer, tuck it away, and just let myself enjoy whatever I am looking at.

Boardwalk Hotel

Recently, I was asked this question by a well-intentioned person and I struggled to come up with an immediate answer. The only thing I could stammer out was "colorful?" (while shrugging my shoulders and kicking the non-existent dirt with my shoe). I responded like I was confused, ashamed, guessing, and also like I felt I was giving the wrong answer. Well, duh - my style is MY STYLE. So why am I confused? I think it's because what I see is instinctual. It comes straight from inside and is so natural that I don't know the categories to process it into. I should probably learn, so when it comes time to give a textbook written response I won't yammer away like a parrot. I also get nervous because I see all these amazing artists out there who are just so sure of their "style" and seem to quickly and neatly throw it all into these lovely categories, with some possible sub-categories to boot.

A Storm Is Approaching

So, let's go back to this "colorful" answer I gave. I think this answer truly deserves some merit because it was the very first thing that came to my mind. I will admit, my entire life I have always been drawn to really bright, fun, primary colors. Ask my college roommate, Emily, who endured my party-store Tropical themed decoration, with the main colors being bright pink, bright green, and bright yellow. Wow - that was fun on the eyes at 7 A.M. My wedding is another good example, with the colors being red, orange, and yellow. Most people I told this to, prior to the wedding, would look at me with fear in their eyes and say "Oh, that's nice". My greatest satisfaction came when those same people kept telling me after the wedding how beautiful the colors were. I really really like COLOR. It only makes sense that this craving for color would make its way into my photography

Taxi Interior

I admit, when I look at other people's photos online, if there's a bunch of thumbnails the one with the most captivating colors is the first one I will open. I am naturally drawn to those photos and my heart just soars when the colors in a photo envelope my eye and brain. Don't get me wrong, I also really appreciate a well done black and white photograph. I, personally, have not been able to trust my black/white photography eye and I can honestly say I haven't really given it the ol' college try, so that is definitely a someday goal. So, I apparently know more about my "style" than I originally thought. I still need to sit down more and really give this some further thought outside the scope of "colorful", but I definitely am off on a great start. I just need to stop getting myself mentally twisted based off the awe other photographers photos inspire in me.

Swirls of Fire

Classic Rachel, I need to remind myself to take this one baby step at a time and stop getting lost in the overall goal. What's that saying again? Oh yeah, one day at a time.

{IN THE BEGINNING} So This Is It. . . .

Westminster Abbey, England

I don't know when it happened, but recently my days became about a big checklist. It's a mental checklist I have been keeping for many many moons and, until recently, kept thinking it would stay right there in my brain. Who knows how or why - but this list has become reality.

Let's see, what have I done:

• Set up my Etsy shop? DONE  
• Create a Facebook Fan page? DONE  
• Begin a Blog (the scariest part for me)? DONE  
• Edited photos like a crazy lady? YEAH, PRETTY MUCH - BE VERY EXCITED (MANY NYC PHOTOS TO COME)  
• Got all my artsy craftsy items? AMAZINGLY, YES  
• Recruited a side-kick to assist with these artsy craftsy items? GO, CASEY, GO!! 
• Printed the photos for my cards? INK IS LOW (NO BUENO).
• Written any remaining "To-Do's" down so I won't forget them? NOPE

It's definitely getting there. At the very least, I am really really enjoying what I have been doing. It's a great way to keep my "artsy fartsy" side (as I so lovingly call it) fresh and awake. We'll see where this ride takes me. Don't they always say it's about the journey and not the destination?
 

Well, that's a very promising situation.

Neighborhood Sunset, Merritt Island FL