Schmap

I've been trying to improve my photography, particularly when listing items in my online store, or when hiking. My husband got me a camera for Christmas. Our trip to Key West at the beginning of the year was my first time using all the cool functions on the new camera. I was having so much experimenting with it and taking pictures of random things. I posted some of my pictures on my Flickr account, and someone from Schmap.com discovered one that I had taken of our drinks at Fat Tuesdays on Duval Street. If you've never been to a Fat Tuesdays, it is a bar that serves frozen drinks that taste like spiked slushies out of frontloaded-washing-machine-like dispenser.

Anyway, this is a picture of mine that they chose to feature in the Theme Bar section of the Florida Keys Guide on Schmap. I guess it's not a huge deal, but I feel a little honored!

Learn to Fly

Press Play to hear "Blackbird" by The Beatles

Some people have asked me where the inspiration for my work comes from. Many times the source of inspiration is as simple as a bead or pendant. Sometimes it's from nature, such as a plant, bird, butterfly or flower. My titles are often Google inspired... I'll type in the colors or shape and browse through pages until I see a word or phrase that seems appropriate. I also get name inspirations from songs - and sometimes it's just something that I think up. When all else fails I'll just give it a really lame name like Blue Egg Earrings.

My newest listing, a pair of earrings titled Learn to Fly, was my first photograph-inspired work from a picture that I took of a sunset in Key West in February.


While the it wasn't the best quality photograph, as I certainly am not a professional, I thought the picture was really cool because a bird happened to fly into the scene as I pressed the button.

I had a couple peach colored shell disks from a pair of ugly earrings that I dissected for spare parts, and I found some lead and nickel-free metal charms with birds painted on them. They are wrapped together with sterling silver wire and dangle from sterling silver ear wires. Too bad the birds are perched and not in flight!

Learn to Fly

Sunsets, birds, photographs... that was just in the design. The title was inspired by lyrics in part of the song "Blackbird" by The Beatles that I had recently been listening to. Where do you get your inspiration from?

Picture Perfect...

...well, almost

I'd have to say that the majority of the site seeing my husband and I did in Key West during our recent vacation revolved around my new and improved camera. These are probably the best vacation photo's I've ever taken. Of course I'm just an armature, the camera did all the work. Not all my pictures came out well, and even with the movement correction feature, I found that a tripod is still a necessity for me, at least in manual and macro modes. But I'm pretty proud of them!

Here are some of my favorite photography samples from my trip, using my brand new Canon.

Taken in "sunset" mode, a bird happened to fly into the shot


Also in "sunset" mode, I love how the sailboat appears to be engulfed in flames as it drifts in front of the sun


Macro shot at the Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory


"Aquarium" mode was used to take pictures of sea creatures in the tanks


Click on this picture to see a the enlarged image using the "stitch mode"

I also liked how this one came out

The whole photo set can be found on my Flickr page