Gone to the Birds

I'm reminded of those essays we had to write as kids: "Here Is How I Spent My Summer." This blog is How I Spent My Blizzard.

Knowing that the bad...okay, intense, since I don't consider snow bad...weather was coming, I decided to get prepared. We got bird seed, and I took home a camera with a very long - and heavy! - lens.

Then I went semi-insane. We've had a bird feeder in one of the trees in our back yard pretty much since we moved in 16 years ago, and I've gotten a few good pictures over the years, but hey, nothing like a blizzard to drive the birds to your feeder! I perched myself in an open (!) window in our dining room, and began shooting. For hours. And hours. And days. And I've never been happier. Half-frozen, fingers stiff, DH bringing me the occasional hot beverage, bless him, and me with no idea of the amount of time going by.

Obsession? Check the dictionary. I think my picture is there.

But oh, gentle readers, how I think it was worth it. I culled literally hundreds of images down, then sorted out some more, and I was still thrilled with the number of images I felt were good. Then I showed them to DH, and got his opinion, pulling out a few more. The rest he felt were good enough to offer for sale, and I put a few in my Etsy store.

But he did me one better than that, opening a gallery with all the images. We sorted them by type of bird (mostly cardinals - at one point I had over 20 in one tree!). If you visit the gallery, there is a drop-down menu on the bottom right you can use to view different birds. If you're interested in ordering...and I hope you will be!...click on the cart button under any image to view options and pricing. We can do standard luster prints, fine art linen paper and even canvas wraps. The prints are mounted on strong art board, and the canvas wraps are ready to go on the wall. Of course, we can frame and mat them for you, either separately, or with multiple images in one mat. I have one up in the studio that I love that is a male and female seated together in the center, flanked by the facing male and female you see above. Just ask, and we'll work with you. And soon, we plan to have note cards and other items available.

Then the DH blew me away. He has a blog for his work at our studio, and he featured me. To quote a bit, and stroke my ego more:

"I’m going to go out on a limb here (pun intended), and tell you about Diana’s nature photography. (snip) The results, quite honestly, are stunning. Diana’s eye at capturing wildlife has always been spot on. But the nuance she shows in this gallery is pretty much the eye of a years-experienced professional."

Can you imagine how moved I was? Understand, I don't just adore this man, I truly respect his opinion and admire his work. His words meant the world to me.

I hope to get several more types of birds up too, so keep the site bookmarked. These make great gifts. That's a subtle hint.

Comments are most welcome, but remember, your Goddess is sensitive. ;-}

In Living Color (not the show)

A lady came into the studio today with this 4x6 print, and a story.


The woman pictured is the client's sister. She was a ballerina - I don't know how professionally or anything, but since she's not a child here, I'm assuming (yes, yes, I know!) that she danced for at least some of her adult years.

Unfortunately, all of her pictures were lost in a flood. Need I tell you the devastation she felt? If I do need, you aren't appreciating your photos nearly enough. Go, now...appreciate them and I'll wait.

Okay. My client found this picture about two years ago, and as she says it, desperately wanted to have an 8x10 made of it, and have it tinted as a surprise gift for her sister. She called all over the place; no one did this kind of work.

Then she called us. Oh, yes, the DH told her, we can do that. Just bring it in for a quote. Once she did and I told her that I could do just what she wanted, she was thrilled. To the point of tears. Awwwww. Dammit, I was moved.

I hate being moved. Costs me money. I know this because I only charged her for about two-fifths of the time I actually used. Now, I could have done it in the hour I charged, but not to my satisfaction. And your Goddess simply MUST be satisfied. Ask anyone. Go ahead, I'll wait again.

So here you have it. The client specified the colors she wanted. She said she wouldn't care if only her sister were colored, but I don't think she really would have liked how that looked. The only thing I left as it was, barring cleaning up dust and scratches, was the sofa.

It does look tinted, of course - I defy anyone to colorize a black and white where you can't tell at all that it's been done. Heck, even Ted Turner with all his money couldn't do it. But I am pleased with it. Skin tones are especially difficult, but I think they look very natural here. Her face is sharper, and the contrast is much better too.

On the knitting front, I finished the stocking I was knitting. My younger daughter's birthday was Sunday, and I had found a hat/mitten combo I liked and thought I'd knit her. I sent her to the site to see it.

She emailed back showing me a pattern on the same site for gauntlets (think fingerless mittens) that she preferred. Since I love gauntlets too, I have about a dozen patterns for them. I sent her the .pdfs so she could choose one.

Being my daughter, she picked the most intricate set made on the tiniest needles. *sigh* They're my favorites too. They are by Rosemary Hill, aka Romi, and are called Verdigris. If you've never seen her shawl pins, I utterly love the ones I have. As well as my yarn ball earrings. Anyway, I'm almost done the first one...DD knew she wouldn't get them in time for her birthday...making them from Louet Gems in Pewter, one of the skeins Witt gave me in a color she likes and I don't. So that works!

Pictures of that, and the stocking, soon. I know you have nothing else to anticipate this time of year.

Doh!

One of the types of photography we do in our business is sports, including action work. Usually we go out, take pictures of the kids playing, then have the edited shots printed, and take them to the field and sell them toward the end of the season. Once we've sold at the field, we also put the images online to garner additional sales. This isn't just good for us...think of the bitterly divorced parents you know - Dad snaps up all the pictures before Mom can get there, and you KNOW he's not sharing. Or Grandma lives at the other end of the country but wants to get pictures too.

We hand out flyers as we shoot telling people what we're doing. We enclose flyers in the envelopes with the pictures we sell too. It tells them specifically that the password-protected photos will be available online after a certain date. So of course we get the semi-literate dweebs who call us three weeks before we even sell the photos, complaining that they cannot find them online. Yeesh.

But today the DH shared an email that had us both in stitches. A lady wrote in, wanting to know how to find the football pictures of her son online. The DH sent her a list of instructions, ending with "enter the password shown." The woman writes back a few days later saying she still can't get into the pictures, because the website wouldn't accept the password when she typed in "shown."

I laughed till I cried, but that wasn't the kicker. Oh, no. As DH checked the rest of his email, he found an order from her! Can't you just SEE the lightbulb going off, and her desperately wishing she could retrieve her prior email?

I can, and it's absolutely made my day. LOL!

I Love My Job

But before I get into that...thank you all for your kind words on the loss of Twilight. I still look for him when I get home, but you don't get to be my age without knowing that the sense of loss eases.

One of the blessings of our new studio is that it has long been established as the place to have senior portraits taken. Last year we moved in right as the first mailing should be hitting. Although the previous owner was very helpful in providing marketing templates, everything was done in Adobe InDesign. I use Photoshop to beat the band, but the two programs are more different than similar. So your favorite Office Goddess had to move a studio, learn (partially) a very complex piece of software, familiarize myself with the marketing materials, search out and adjust images to plug into them and have it all done in time to go to the printer. I was NOT amused. But I know you're not surprised to know that I did it, and we had a very successful senior season.

Now it's time to gear up for the class of 2010. The man who puts out the marketing materials we're using is running behind. See the not amused line again. But he did get out the catalog, which is what requires the most work, and it's what I spent about seven straight hours working on today. It would have been less if I were more familiar with InDesign, but since this is my only use for the product, I don't spend a lot of time in it. I got my bearings again, and then really got rolling.

I had a blast. I went back through the images for over 1oo seniors, picking and chosing the ones that would fit the theme, and provide a good balance of race, sex, and builds. No, I don't want everyone to look perfect. That discourages the majority...but I DO want to make them feel that they will look their best when they come to us. We work very hard to make sure that they do; senior pictures are a very lasting impression. Some of the images in the catalog are positioned in such a way that they need a knock-out picture for maximum impact, and I was having trouble deciding on one of them. My difficulty was that I needed a real close-up, but horizontal. Most of the DH's work is vertical unless it has to be otherwise.

So I found this. This was not an image that had been ordered, so it hadn't been retouched yet. She's pretty, but she's not impossibly beautiful. The image has potential.

I cropped in tightly, and cleaned up her few blemishes. Her skin texture was a bit uneven, and her lovely eyes needed to be brought out. Ordinarily this would have been most of what I would do. But remember, I said the image I used had to have real impact because of its positioning. I decided to go a bit further....

And this is the result. Nothing that makes her look unlike herself...no 'glamour shots' effect where her own mother wouldn't know her. More like she had a really good night's sleep, maybe a facial, and visit to a makeup counter. I'm really pleased with it. The catalog is all set, and tomorrow I'll open it up and look at it with less blurred eyes.

Bet I will still like this, though!

PAI Friday

We're in the studio alone this morning, the DH and I. SuzyG is off galivanting with others from the direct sales company with which she is affiliated, and we're quietly getting things done. Okay, the DH is getting things done. I'm goofing off on Facebook sending a Friend from History to Jake. I felt he deserved the Marquis de Sade, mostly due to my sick sense of humor rather than any proclivities on Jake's part....of which I'm aware. But instead I sent him Rasputin, seeing as how he was just re-elected president of the local university history honors society despite claiming not to want the honor again. I think he cast a spell. I'm sure he's capable of it.

BTW, he sent me Mary Shelley, the woman who dreamed up Frankenstein and his monster. I choose to believe it's because she was an intelligent, creative woman who was ahead of her time. If it's something to do with the subject matter, well, let's just say that Jake is safer with my chosen interpretation.

Anyway, nice and quiet, until we hear someone clomping up the front steps and across the porch. DH goes out to greet him. Have I mentioned the staff as a whole tries to avoid having the Office Goddess deal with the general public? I, of course, am bemused as to their reasoning. Sure I am. So, this man says he has pictures to pick up, under this or this name, and that we've called him a few times.

I should think we have. The pictures have been here, and paid for, for SEVEN MONTHS! Mind you we have orders that have been here, again, with the money already spent, for years. As the DH goes into production to pull the order, I hear the guy comment that he was here at nine, because "he expected we would be open at nine."

Oh, really? Because everytime we leave a voice mail, and he's admitted to getting several, we state that we're open from 10-6, Tues. through Sat. That information is also posted on the parking lot side, and the front of the building, is on the voice mail message at the studio number, and is on our website. Secretive about our hours we are not. We don't do a traditional 9-5 so that people who do can come by after work and ...gasp!...pick up pictures. Actually, a lot of area shops don't open till 10, probably for the same reason.

DH ignores the comment, which is why he's out there and I'm selecting a friend for Jake. I hear him hand the man his photo order, and the guy remarks, "That doesn't seem like much!" Um, dude? You ordered three pictures back in JULY, and you're getting three pictures. They didn't atrophy over time, we didn't deduct pictures for a storage fee (hmmmm! note to self to look into that!), and if you think it doesn't look like much, maybe you should order more photos of your dimpled darling dancer daughter.

I was doing a slow burn. Actually, maybe this is why Jake got Rasputin.

Change of topic....

A small worrisome note...we're not sure where our feral kitty, Twilight, is. Yesterday morning he wasn't acting like himself. He didn't herd Jack, his favorite Scottie, nor did he leave his nest in the alpaca-fur-mulch in the front hedge area, not even for food and fresh water. When we checked on him, he looked at us sleepily but didn't budge. I joked that perhaps he'd been catting around the night before. Witty, no? No? Okay, have it your way.

But last night he didn't greet us by rolling around on the walkway as he usually does, and although food had been eaten, there was no sign of him at all. This on a very cold blustery evening, where he'd normally be scarfing down the kibble for warmth. This morning, still no sign, and the food was untouched.

So the DH, big softie that he is, and I are pretty concerned. If the weather had warmed up considerably, I'd say he was off hunting more interesting things to eat, but it was brutal last night, and the couple nice days we did have, he was still around. Maybe he's moved on, but it seems odd when he has steady food and water.

*sigh* I'll let you know if Twilight shows back up.

Fun with Photos

In one of our latest marketing campaigns, we've been sending a mailer to Realtors, attorneys and the like, suggesting that they "upgrade your image!" The impetus behind this was driving past some truly appalling photographs on billboards. People trying to tout their services as bankers who look as green as the money they refuse to loan out. Women leering out with lipstick on their teeth in their '80s hairstyles telling us to join their churches....they need to pray for a new haircut.

Two of the biggest marketing boo-boos are not marketing when times are tough, and using such an old image that, when people actually meet you, causes them to wonder aloud when you became the Crypt Keeper. Vanity is all well and good. It keeps a lot of people employed in the cosmetic industries. But you have GOT to keep that in the framework of a) age-appropriateness; b) reality of what God gave you; and c) "damn, girlfr'en'!" (or boyfriend; men are certainly no strangers to vanity!)

We had a really nice lady in here today. Dawn sells insurance, and actually was one of the billboard images at which we shuddered. Not that we told her that. LOL She's a nice-looking lady of a certain age - I love that French phrase, so tactful, so not me - and she has some sun damage from a youth misspent in the sun of Florida. Repeat after me, "Sunscreen is our friend." But she didn't know that then, and she wanted some issues fixed. Well, hell, so would I if my image were going to be twenty feet tall!

Here's the original image.

You can see some issues here, some simple, some, not so much. For one, as you look at the image, her right eyelid droops more than the left. I sympathize; I inherited the same characteristic from my Dad, and it's more pronounced when I'm tired. She wanted that evened out if I could. Ha!...if I could, puh-leeze.

Next, her skin tone is uneven, and on her chest, badly freckled from the sun exposure. She's self-conscious about that. And although she didn't point it out, her hair highlights have grown out some, and it's fairly noticeable on the left of the picture. I decided to give her a touch-up on them.

And of course, she wanted to look a bit younger. DH told her I would be her best friend. :-D Again, remember that this will be BIG, so minor flaws that I might ignore for a 5x7 print have to be addressed for this. One thing I do not do without being asked is to remove beauty marks. Goes back to that reality thing again.

So here's the enhanced image. It's still recognizably Dawn, the lines are still there, but more like she would have had them a few years ago. The skin tone is better, the hair fixed, but natural looking, and the eyes are brought out a bit, as well as being more symmetrical. Let me know what you think; I love feedback on my work.

And in another bit of niceness for the day...my eldest daughter called. She had just gotten a message from the mother of one of her best friends, Lindsi. Lindsi married her long-time S.O. on Saturday, and I was the officiant. Much to my daughter's distress, she couldn't be there, because she has a strained back. I felt badly for her, knowing that she really wanted to attend.

Anyway, Lindsi's mom sent this to my daughter: "I just wanted to tell you: You have a beautiful Mother with such a kind heart, she touched me yesterday and for what she conveyed to me, I will be forever Grateful. Please tell your Mom, Thank You from the bottom of my heart."

Awwwwwwwww. So sweet! So thoughtful! So....she doesn't know me too well, does she?

Bird-Brained

Saturday, we had a photo shoot to do for a magazine layout. It was at an old farmhouse that is on the National Registry. When we pulled up, my eyes bugged out. Perched on a wall ahead of us was a peacock! But that wasn’t the best of it. As I got out with my little digital, I saw WHITE peacocks!


The lady of the house came up to greet the DH, and I asked if I might wander around outside. She kindly said I might, and I discovered I hadn’t seen the half of it. There were at least nine white peafowl, and perhaps two dozen of the brightly colored ones, plus turkey,

Guinea hens, and some I can’t even identify.

The DH took some shots with the good equipment, then went into the house while I kept shooting with my bitty camera. I asked him to ask the owner, Pat, if I might keep any feathers I found; there weren't many, not being molting season, so I thought I wouldn't be depriving her.

After he went in, I managed to get one shot he didn’t; one peacock in full display. I didn’t know the stiff feathers that hold up the corona effect feathers actually make a rattling noise against them. It was so COOL!

Here you can see what prompted the display; a little, but very vocal, Guinea hen.

To me, one of the most fascinating things was watching them perch...in trees! As Pat said, "Why not?" Why not indeed, but you just don't think of such large birds flying, let alone doing trees. Aren't they glorious?

I wish I could have gotten closer to some of the white peacocks, but the two pictured above were skittish, and the rest were penned. Unfortunately, the wood beam makes it harder to see them. If you look closely, you can see one of the regular peacocks (can there be a "regular" peacock?) perched on the roof outside. I'm pretty sure it was saying "Nanny nanny boo-boo!" to the captive birds.

The DH got some nice shots inside, including an antique spinning wheel, which is not in use. I'd have liked to have seen it, but I was busy being bird-brained. I don't mind. As the owner and he came back out, she handed me what looked like one of those huge rose arm bouquets, but all peacock feathers! She'd had to catch a bird for a new owner, and usually they stop when you get their tails. This one didn't, and left half its tail with her, and the new owner didn't want it. My lucky day!

I scraped bird crud off my Danskos and got back in the car feeling very content. Yes, I wish I'd been using a better camera, but I still got some nice shots, and so did the DH.

But *I* got the display shot! :::smug grin:::

Back to Life

Much of what I do is actually making my DH's dream come true. No, not THAT dream (although I do :-} ), but since he was a young man, he wanted to be a photographer. He is, and a good one, and I spend my days preparing his work for uploading to the lab, sometimes giving it a bit of a wow factor that is best done post-photography. Like this from a boudoir sitting for a Christmas gift for her hubby. All well and good.

But I have carved a bit of a niche out for myself in our business, and that is restoration work. I truly love doing it, even if some things I get make me smack myself in the forehead and question my sanity. I'm allowed to do that; you are not.

The sidebar work is a good example. SuzyG brought it in for a relative. The original image is about two by two, round, and had to be wedged out of a snowglobe, of all things. There is not a centimeter on it that doesn't have damage, from bad creasing to crazing of the finish. I said I could do it, blow it to about a 5x5 and make it look better if not perfect. They were able to provide another image of the father in the shot, so I could use it for reference and to lift the lower face, which was completely obliterated in the photo.

It's a small representation here, and it certainly wouldn't stand up to a wall portrait sizing, but I'm pleased.

I also got this in recently...a 16x20 of a model for the Hecht company. I think it dates from the late 40s, maybe early 50s. The gentleman that brought it in is from a shop that we photographed for one of the magazines for which we do work. It was the grandmother of a friend of his, and he wanted the same size, as well as a smaller print. This was much easier work, although there was a lot of edge damage, discoloration and tons of flyspecks and dustmarks to remove. See what you think. Wasn't she lovely?

It's wonderful getting to restore someone's memories to the depth and vibrancy they originally showed. Now this lady's image is preserved for generations to come.

Tinkle Toes

The second full week of this month was devoted to the large dance studio in the next town. We've done action shots for them for nine years :::gasp::: and all of their costume pictures for the last eight. So you have to figure that we've been watching this year's senior class since they were nine years old. :::gack::::


The costumes are cute, the kids, for the most part, cuter. Even most of the moms shirk the whole stage mother complex - although the ones that have it REALLY have it. Again, they should know that your Goddess is the only entitled one around. Fools.


Some of the older kids, knowing my DH's skill, do very fancy-shmancy jumps. Some of them are freakin' incredible....and some of them take a few shots at it to capture the image. The discards can be a source of much hilarity at times, especially when they involved girls who are champions at the National Level. Yep, these are talented kids.


Every year, on the weekend of recital, we sell the action pictures on the last day. These are shots that we take during the dress rehearsal - very intense shooting, and a lot of emotion, too, as we see the dances for the first time. We set up the tables with books of all the action pictures, arranged by costume, and throw every employee we have into the fray. And it IS a fray, or as we like to call it, The Sharks Are Circling; Every Employee For Themselves. Feeding frenzy commences at 11 and we'll be five deep at every section of the table. The DH and I are off to the side, taking orders from the costume shots. One over-priviledged-in-her-own-mind doctor's wife tries every year to get us to let her look at the pictures earlier than everyone else. Every year she has a new 'reason' why she should be allowed to do so. Every year, I tell her, in far more polite customer-speak, to sod off. It's more fun than I should be allowed...but I manage to deal with it.


So, the hordes come down a long corridor to get to the area in which we're set up, and are now programmed to be blown away. For the last few years, we've taken one of the most stunning jumps, not always by one of the biggest headliners, just to mix it up, and blown it up BIG. Framed and put on an easel, it's our signature image for the year. Yeah, we always sell it, but even so we sometimes keep one in the studio too. Just yesterday a parent commented on last year's shot in pride of place in our reception.


This year's shot is of a young lady who, with her siblings, is one of the most polite kids we get to see. Their parents have done a great job. I thought you might like to see what we selected before all of them get to...don't you feel special? Imagine it as a 20x30 portrait framed in white.

Feelin' like a couch potato now, aren't you? LOL

C'est moi.

I decided to add a picture to my profile. Understand, your Goddess is a deity of abundance. No Twiggy she. Or as the DH says, "The bigger the cushion, the better..." Hmm. Think I'll let that trail off into the ether.

Anyway, like most fat people, I don't like my picture taken; there's a reason, we say, that we're on the other side of the camera. But I realized a few years ago, when I was really getting into being the family genealogist, that without photos, I was taking myself right out of my family's memories. Preserving memories old and new being what our business is all about, I stopped shunning the camera. As much. Of course, it doesn't help when, like today, I actually ask the DH to take my picture, he does, then grimaces at the display screen! Just wait till next time he's nekkid. I know just the face to make.

So, now you sorta see what I look like. I'll pre-answer questions for you. Yes, that really is the color of my eyes. The hat? Yep, made it myself from Liz Lovick's Gansey workshop on EZasPi (see groups list below), made from Frangipani yarn. I believe you can purchase the workshop as a downloadable .pdf book, and worth every penny. Would your Goddess lie to you? Okay, but if my money wasn't involved?

What else? The earrings, if you look at the larger image, you may be able to recognize as Romi's Yarn Balls. Love these, had a friend offer to steal them right out of my lobes, but she backed off when I showed my teeth in a very Scottie-like manner. These, with the Swan pin, were an anniversary gift from the DH. VERY good taste he has, especially when I send him the links. Ladies, learn a lesson from someone who has been married about 26 years all told...if you want the perfect gift, tell him what it is! If you like surprises, give him several choices...you know you want it all, anyway...and let his decision be your surprise. Look at the engagement ring I'm wearing - perfect example. Showed him three or four, expressed no preference, darling man picked my favorite one anyway.

And yes, that IS my hair color. I did mention I do restoration work, didn't I?

Feelin' Frosty!

We woke up this morning to the radio telling us that school was delayed two hours. We dragged ourselves out of bed to find...nothing! No snow, no sleet...nada. Within an hour schools were closed and still nothing there. But as we were leaving for work, it started to spit a bit of snow. During the ten minute drive to the studio, it began to lay. DH went off to teach at the university, and I went in to work. Within a half hour, everything was covered and it was *SNOWING*! Gorgeous. You should know I still act like a kid who knows she's going to get out of school when it snows like this.

Oh, and I DID. The university closed down as of three o'clock, so my evening class was not going to happen. We pulled the plug on work and came home. This stuff is thick and heavy, with a very slushy base, clinging to everything. The county, in their infinite insanity, almost never does anything to the windy, steep road we must traverse to get home, but it was just a lovely drive. I thought you might like to see.






This is the road along by the river.

And a stand of pines near our home. I just cannot be snarky when it snows!

Oh, and I got the first Artemis contest entry today. This is exciting.

¿Habla ingles?

First, note the pretty new pictures, both at the top and in my before and after segment. Go ahead, look. I'll wait. :::hums "Jeopardy" theme::: The MP is the father of a Scottie friend of mine. The ducks are the DH's shot, with my touch of...dare I say it? Of course I dare!...magic.

Now for another PAI story. My cell phone just rang. Since DH is here, DD #1 is sick and DD #2 is hoping lightning will strike me as long as she's still in the will, I figured it was for Reverend Di. If my mom called, btw, it would play "Pomp & Circumstance." Which should tell you something about my mother, but I don't want to speculate what.

Anyway, I use my cell number for my wedding officiant business, and it was a local number, so I thought it was a call for that. I answer, in my unique way, "Hello?"

On the other end is a man, youngish but not a kid, and he blurts, "Do you have a website for your business?" "Which one?" "Your wedding business." "For a wedding officiant, or photographer?"

At this point, it starts to get farcical. "The one for weddings," he replies. I calmly and graciously (shut up, Olivia-Lee!) reply that we do wedding photography, and that I do wedding services. "So what is the website for your wedding planning?"

Did I SAY planning? I mentally test myself..." Soy una officiante de bodas..." Nope, I wasn't speaking Spanish. I know a little ASL, but pretty sure I wasn't using that over the phone. So I must have been speaking English; it's all I have left. "Sorry, no planning. Pictures, and minister. That's all." Finally, he says he's calling for a friend (with friends like these, who needs the village idiot, am I right, people?), and could he have the website for photography?

I provide it, and hang up, wondering where he got my number and who I need to throttle for it.

I wanna SEE!

Alright, so this gripes me no end. I knit. I buy patterns that intrigue me, challenge me, or are really pretty, but mindless and good for car knitting. Note that for me to know that any of the above are true, I must be able to see the stitch pattern within the garment or whatever. Gee, what a concept.

Now, if you followed the link above - and if you didn't, get off my blog right now, you obviously haven't the proper respect for my opinions - you'll see what Ellen at EarthFaire (a favorite site of mine) says is a very pretty pattern. Oh, really? How do da dog know? Perhaps she's seen it in person; I like her, I 'll give her the bennie. This once. But I note four pictures, and even blown up, you cannot properly see the pattern in any of them.

Oh, they're nice pictures all right. Very artsy fartsy. And since I do this stuff for a living, I know artsy fartsy. Great for a magazine layout. Even pretty on the webpage. But if I can't see that lace pattern, Picasso, I don't want to buy. Okay, okay, I know the darned thing is free, but the principle is there. Do try to work with me. It's not that hard.

Same thing with Victorian Lace Today. Mind you, I love that book. I lived in England for six years, and when I cracked the book open and the first thing I saw was one of my favorite towns, Lavenham (remember the poem "There was a crooked man?), I got misty. Same for shots of Cambridge; I lived near there and even attended a banquet there once. So I looked at the photography and was grudgingly forced to admit there was some seriously nice work there. But for the most part, I feel I cannot see the lace patterns in the items well. I haven't knit a thing out of it yet because of that, although I have a preciousssssss ball of qiviut that's earmarked for one of the scarves. I think.

For those of you with short attention spans, I'm saying, "SHOW ME THE PATTERN!"