Freaking out!

Had the talk about the student show and the final and it just seems like a lot of stuff all crammed together. We were forewarned it would be a whirlwind during the last 3-4 weeks, and it surely is just that!  It's scary, yet also exciting.  I know I can do this!  I'm not a perfect photographer and I really have alot more to learn, but I feel I have come so far since I first started this.  I very nearly gave up in the first month because I didn't feel like I would ever "get it." Now, it is very hard to believe this will be over in a couple of weeks. I'm really going to miss coming to class.  I sincerely mean that.

My Eye

"I came to believe more and more in this wonderful thing, the eye! Before falling asleep, with my eyes closed, I observed my eye with my eye, from the depths of my eye; and little by little, I came to 'see' my eye." Salvador Dali

Dirty Light Trash

I find this absolutely fascinating!  These artists use trash and a projector to create these cool light sculptures.  The pile of trash doesn't look like it would result in the images that project on the wall!  It makes me wonder if I can use this idea with my photos somehow... hmmmmmm.  
Check out their website!

http://www.timnobleandsuewebster.com/artwerks.html 

Skulls and Police Dogs

I took some pretty cool pictures of random skulls at my house. That sounds ominous, doesn't it? Our professor, Kate, said we could use any kind of skull, even a picture of a picture. That opened up so many ideas because of Devyn's collections and her drawings. I'm happy I was able to do this project, because it will be considered extra credit.

I've been worrying about my service/narrative project too. Then Kate took us on a little walk the other day to show us an event on campus featuring police dogs. I had a lot of fun getting some pictures of that event! I wish I could have stayed longer, that is the field my oldest son is entering in another month or two. The bonus is that this series of pictures will qualify for the narrative project.

I'm very happy to have gotten these pictures taken. I went to lab for a couple of hours yesterday and printed them. So, I'm all ready for Monday and the next phase: Portraiture and Lighting.

The Sights Along the Way

Let me tell you something people... This class is teaching me to "see" so much more that I ever did before... I kept a journal of sorts when I was on my road trip to help my son move. Normally on a trip like this, I would spot random things here and there... But I have never before tried so hard to really see things...

Cool sights and other observations:

---Several 'waterfalls' in the cliffs along the highway
---An abundance of Outhouses
---Birds, particularly on a wire
---The Batman Bldg - Nashville
---Several painted barn roofs (should that be "rooves"? LOL...)
---A lot of trees are flowering already
---Several fallen, dead trees (I really love trees)
---More Cracker Barrel's per square mile than there are Mickey D's
---Passed exit 333 !!! (You have to know me to understand why that's important ;)
---It's illegal to text and drive in Georgia
---Devyn snores in the car
---I want to stop at these antique malls!!!!
---I love audio books
---My mom worries a lot... I'm checking in once per hour :)
---The bridges are much cooler looking out this way
---If I was driving it would take 4 days to get there. We are passing up SO many photo opps!
---Lots of overalls
---Semis galore!
---Tightly packed carnivals
---Many many antiques malls (but we can't stop)
---BaseBall caps are changing to hunting caps
---Camo and fluorescent orange
---Lots of curves in hwy overpasses and exit/entrances
---Churches
---Almost no hotels in Georgia.  All 3 of us were calling & all were full, finally got a good one!  It was due to Spring Break Week.
---Bed was super soft and room was huge, only downside was Devyn had a sleeper sofa
---When in Florida, it seems I am always on the lookout for a gator's head sticking up out of the water, in ditches along the highway, swimming pools, crossing the road at Kennedy Space Center... (I actually witnessed the third!)

I'm very drawn to:

---Trees
---Dilapidated bldgs
---Railroads
---Rusty things
---Farm houses and barns
---Junk
---Abandoned things
---Things with emotional impact (visually)
---People who are joyous, even in seemingly bleak conditions
---Sunshine
---People that are crying
---People that are laughing

Fast forward to the end...

I started this blog entry to be like a daily journal of the move and we were so busy I never got a chance to do it daily.  So instead it ended up being observations, listed as bullet-points.

I had a great time, despite the hard work involved in moving.  Also despite having to realize, AGAIN, that Tyler lives AWAY from home.  I miss him terribly.  I dream of moving there with him.  Then I'm in despair once again because I realize I'd have to leave other family members behind.  I can't win no matter what I do.

The Crit #2 (Light & Form)

Critique today (Wednesday, April 3rd) was amazing.  Much better than last time.  I learned a lot about what doesn't work, and what does.  I posted my funny trees from the SLU area, the stairway to nowhere, the fire-truck reflection and the SLU church through the branches photos.  Kate loves the tree that looks like it's "raining light."  Several people liked the SLU church shot.  Many could not figure out the fire truck... it looked like a bus, according to one person.  But once it became clear it was a reflection of firemen in the side of the truck, they liked it a lot.  Kate told us that this class is doing very well compared to her other classes.  She's aware of how hard we are working and I can tell that she's proud of us.

Tyler's Move

We got on the road at 5am to go move Tyler into his new apartment in Orlando.  Sam will come down next week.  This is kind of a bittersweet moment.  I'm happy for this chapter of his life, but sooooo sad to know that his permanent home will be in another state, so far away.  I guess it gives me an incentive to go to Orlando more often ;)

The trailer is swaying so much.  It's packed correctly but I feel it's going to whip us off the road soon. I called U-Haul roadside assistance. They sent a text to us, I clicked that link and they were able to pinpoint our exact location.  That's way cool. They told us to try going a bit under the speed limit (55-65) and that really does seem to be helping a lot. Sometimes we have to change lanes and speed up to avoid getting crushed, and as soon as we go over 65 it starts swaying again.  So we will arrive at our destination later, but at least James can relax his grip on the steering wheel.

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