Stormy Weather

Went to bed Wednesday night after making sure friends and family were all OK following the storm.  Then woke up to the news that a tree fell on my mom's car, landing partially on the house.  Tore down a fence and took off some siding. It could've been so much worse and I'm very thankful nobody was injured!

Brian Skerry - Ocean Soul

I have always loved the ocean.  I spent much of my childhood as a swimmer, both recreationally and competitively (in swimming pools ;)  In my teens I was introduced to scuba diving and fell in love with what lies beneath.  Oh, the color!  The fish, the coral reefs and especially the way the water looked.  One thing I've always been especially drawn to was the way the colors changed, depending on whether it was cloudy or sunny.  I was mesmerized by all of this... & extremely jealous of the fish.  I used to dream I was a mermaid.  Later in life I tried scuba diving.  I could spend hours and hours on this blog post talking about just those experiences, and I've only scuba dived 3 times.  It's hard to believe that something I've spent so little time doing could impact me that much.  This is why I relate so much to Brian Skerry.  If only I could've known it was possible to have a career like the one he chose.  You can read more about him on his website www.brianskerry.com

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.