In my previous post about photographing peppers, I mentioned that they were intended for a commission that didn’t work out. This is the reshoot for that commission. I had a much more specific talk with the client about the look they were after. It turns out, it was pretty much the exact opposite of…
Category: Photography
Setting Up a Pepper Still Life for Painting
Painting from life is a great way to keep those observational skills sharp and is a useful skill to learn. It is a tool that should be in every artist’s tool box right next to photography. All throughout my artistic career I’ve always created from both life and photos and used them interchangeably. Right now,…
Negro Bill Canyon
The hike up Negro Bill Canyon to Morning Glory Arch in Moab is a really beautiful 4 mile round trip hike. The trailhead recently got a name change to Grandstaff Trailhead, but the canyon itself is still named Negro Bill Canyon. I read somewhere that a name change for the canyon is currently being…
Porcupine Ridge
This is one of my favorite photos lately. It was taken from our campsite on Porcupine Ridge and overlooks Castle Valley, Utah. I’ve entered it in a calendar photo contest and would love to win. The competition is steep and I could use your help. You can help me out by voting for my…
Genesee Country Village
I was apparently still in still life mode on a recent visit to the Genesee Country Village and Museum in Mumford, New York. Most of my photos consist of all of the beautiful old paraphernalia people used to keep in their homes. It is a beautiful living museum with actors portraying the people who…
Photographing Lightning
Call me silly, but I’m super excited to have finally captured my first lightning photos. These were taken on a whim. It was storming a few nights ago as I was getting ready for bed so I decided sleep could wait. Since I hadn’t prepared in advance, it took me almost the entire time…
Bear Sighting
On a drive up to the mountains with my husband and kids last weekend, we got to see a sow and two cubs right from the road. This was my first ever bear sighting in Utah. I watched one of the cubs climb down from the tree it was in before running off with…
Whiskey
Whiskey has been a part of my family now for a week. I briefly mentioned him in my last painting post. It has really been an exhausting week too. My older dog, Shanzi, hasn’t been a puppy for 10 years and I’m reminded of how similar they are to babies just learning to walk…
How to Photograph High Gloss Artwork
I love, love, love the look of glossy, varnished paintings. The problem? All of that gloss is hard to photograph, especially when the artwork in question is also very dark. Almost every painting I’ve painted in the last 6 months just so happens to fall in that very dark, very glossy category. My previous…
Hunter Canyon Hike
Hunter Canyon is a nice little canyon down Kane Creek outside Moab, Utah. It’s a quiet hike with a campground at the mouth of the canyon and tons and tons of bike, side by side, and jeep traffic. It’s best to hike in the spring in fall unless you want to be eaten alive…
Perspective in the Desert
Find the dog. The dog is a reference to how big the area is because otherwise it could look small. It could mean that house crushing boulder on the left looks a little less impressive. Those boulders on the right like inconsequential little rocks. Perspective is everything. The first and last pictures are made…
Change on the Horizon
This is far from my usual posts, so I apologize in advance. Last week had me reeling. I couldn’t for the life of me figure out my emotions and as a result it was a very unproductive week. Early Wednesday morning, there was a loud noise and a yell before someone opened my front…