The bucket list you didn’t know you had.

I ticked something off my non-existent bucket list yesterday. It was quite the achievement. Something I had not really considered to be a thing I would ever do. Something that I hadn’t even thought was an item to mark off as ‘completed’ in my list of things to say I had done in my life.

However there I stood, in the magnificent waters of  a secluded beach at Torquay, on a truly perfect summers day, without a shred of clothing proudly proclaiming to my equally naked friend that I could tick ‘that’ off my bucket list.

I don’t have a bucket list!

What’s with this bucket list? Do we have Morgan Freeman and Robert De Niro (Oooops!!!! It’s actually Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman) and the American film industry to thank for the requirement of a bucket list? It was a lovely movie gentlemen, but now people find themselves having to think of things they need to achieve before they die and tick them off a list.

Imagine the horror as you take your final breath, knowing that you didn’t do the things on your list. OMG!! Especially if you had that list written down and it was stuck on the fridge door with a Mickey Mouse magnet. Family members would see your list and KNOW that you did nothing with your life. Let’s ignore the fact that you lived and had a life……..but you didn’t complete your list!!!!

How about just living your life to the full and experiencing the opportunities that are presented to you? That’s what I am doing.

You don’t need a list.

I’m sure the starving in Africa don’t have a list. I can’t imagine the farmer in the rice paddy of Vietnam has a list nor the Amish woman in North America or the bloke living under the bridge in Melbourne.

Life is not about lists. Life is about living and yesterday I felt incredibly alive.

I have no idea how many of you have done it, and I am definitely not telling anyone that you should or shouldn’t do it, but I cannot even touch on the emotions I felt as I took the last item of clothing off and bared my imperfect self to the elements.

Yesterday was a sterling summer beach day. Low 20’s, clear skies, gentle breeze and clear blue waters. The stretch of beach that has been the designated nude beach for decades is magnificent. The sands were not crowded and the vibe I sensed was wonderfully calm. Many people had brought their dogs which only added to the sense of normality. The only difference on this beach was that the people swimming, throwing balls for their dogs to chase, walking or laying on their towels on the glorious sunshine was the absence of fabric.

Also absent was the self-consciousness. This was a space where men and women accepted themselves and their perfect imperfections.  Hallelujah!

So I took all my clothes off and walked alone to the water and I laughed and cried at the wonder of it all.

 

Autumn

Even though the last week has seen me coughing and spluttering and with barely any voice thanks to some delightful cold germs that I picked up from some bloody snotty-nosed child, I still made my way out to “Montsalvat” in Eltham to see the opening of the Dapper Rabbit exhibition by my photography friend Julie Powell.

I’ve never travelled out to this wonderful place before, but I expect that this will not be my only visit. Quite the photographer’s and artists heaven. Art and sculpture everywhere. Plus the pretty gardens.

And the weather yesterday was simply spectacular. In the last few days of autumn, when you would be expecting the days to be getting colder, we were treated to glorious sunshine and blue skies.

All I wanted to do was capture that glory.

I think I managed to. 🙂

Start with the feet.

 

Apparently, the best place to start is the feet.

Once you get the feet right you then move onto the torso, and the shoulders, and the head and the hands and the eyes and the expression…………….

See………. if you start at the shoulders and get all that right then stand back and realise that the feet aren’t right then you have to re-set everything. And that is just a total waste of time for everyone.

So you start at the feet.

They are not allowed to both be pointing at the camera. One at the camera. One turned out the other way. The weight is to be on the back foot. How do you check if your subject has her weight on her back foot? Ask her to lift the front foot!! If she can’t then she hasn’t done the weight distribution thing correctly.

The hips contorted to create curves and the waistline. I say contorted, but I mean turned fully on an angle. (Contorted. LOL!!!!)

Front shoulder generally lower than the back one.

The torso can be upright, but best tilted slightly forwards. Is tilted the right term? Stretched? Leaning? Definitely not bent. That much I do remember.

Hands never even. One higher than the other. It’s more feminine and flattering.

Fingers never tucked into pockets as this cuts off the hand. Not good. Thumb can be tucked in, but fingers out and pointed down, softly and casually. Use open hands rather than closed on jackets and props so you don’t see knuckles.

No elbows!! Harsh and generally unattractive. Have the model turn bent arms to the sides.

If arms are above head use the back one or angle the model so you’re not getting an eyeful of underarm.

When getting your model to play with her hair, get her to stroke it with the fingers over the top of the hair. And do it slowly!! The little changes make big differences in your pictures.

Mustn’t forget the tip about having the little finger directed towards the camera.

Use props. Necklaces, jackets, walls, tree branches, sunglasses, hats, scarves…….

Oh my goodness!! All these things to think about, consider, remember and instruct even before you get to the head and the face and the expression.

But as long as you start at the feet it will all begin to fall into place.

I know that I will have forgotten something.

Oh yeah…… talk to your model!!

Compliment her. Make her feel relaxed and comfortable. Let her know what you’re doing and that you’re happy with how the images are looking.

And….as the photographer, take your time. There is no need to rush. Get everything right before you press the shutter release button.

Now I think I have covered everything.

I think.

Nope!! Wait!!! There’s more!!

I have been reminded about the thing about the arms and the body.  Where possible, you have to create space between the body/torso and the arms. Without this gap the torso becomes wider. (And no woman wants to be seen to be wider than she already thinks she is)

Also, there’s that other tidbit about curves and triangles. The body will create curves in the torso and triangles in the limbs. Have these elements and the whole image will look better.

And watch out for the ‘broken wrist’ look. You’ll know it when you see it. But IF you see it, fix it by getting the model to adjust their arms or hand position before you take the shot.

Gee….I don’t know how I missed those things. It’s not like there’s a lot to remember!!

Update #2:

Damn it to hell!! I forgot about the locked arms and legs.

DON’T lock the arms or legs. No matter how comfortable the model says the position is with a straight arm or leg, it will look wrong in the final photo. There should always be a slight bend in the elbow or knee.

And finally………(I hope this is the last update) ……….. if your model isn’t sore and tired after the shoot, then they weren’t posing correctly!!

 

 

 

I have risen to the challenge

Today I rose to the challenge. I stood tall or lay low on the grass and took photos of flowers.

An excursion to the Royal Botanical Gardens in my marvellous Melbourne with a small group of fellow photographers had my creative juices pumping. I will admit that I was nervous. Despite the encouraging comments from friends and photographers about my photography skills, I still felt that I was perhaps out of my league, however the results from today’s little adventure have lifted my spirits decidedly.

Today I played. My play was deliberate and experimental but it has paid dividends.

My camera bag was fully stocked, but I decided to stick with one lens……….Nikon 50mm f1.8. That lens and a 20mm macro extension tube worked in divine harmony.  On its own the 50mm was so gorgeous. I had forgotten how much I love it. I really don’t think one can go past a prime lens for clarity, but then to add the macro extension tube………..

I am beyond happy with what I achieved today and will be spending the next week editing my favourites.

 

Happy Happy Happy days.

I need the challenge

There is a fellow photographer, actually there are a few fellow photographers, who are making me a tad envious of their photos. The composition, the clarity, the bokeh, the colour, the final edit…………everything to make a person swoon.

This envy could take me one of two ways. I could fold under  their brilliance and kneel down kissing their feet, forever being awed by their skills OR I could stop and look closely at my images and see where I can improve.

Is my lens too ‘soft’ for the images I see in my head? I don’t see that magnificent clarity I adore in close-up.

Am I rushing my shots? Should I be looking more closely at my surroundings and trying a different position or vantage point from which to shoot? My lack of height has shown to be a disadvantage on more than one occasion.

Should I be employing the use of my tripod and using the live view option to ensure a sharper focus? This can be a little problematic when shooting flowers. Hmmmmm.

I know I am excited about the prospect of purchasing a macro lens and there are three lenses I am considering. I wonder at the possibility of taking my Nikon body into the camera store and trying each prospective lens out with a few test shots on the same subject.  Will I be allowed to do this? I want to take the images home and look at them on my computer to check for sharpness and vignette. I want to make sure that quality of the image is worth the price I’m going to pay for the lens.

I’m not going to take this laying down. I’m stepping up to the plate and giving this challenge my A game. I love your photos, my fellow photographers. I thought mine were pretty good, but I can clearly see that I can do better.

And I’m going to.   🙂

 

“Here comes the sun………….”

The sun came out today. How invigorating was its rays.

Though still weak from the battle of Winter, the world around me was caressed with gentle warmth. I opened doors to refresh my home.  I took the long walk with my happy dogs. I lay on my lawn in my backyard with as much flesh as I could safely expose soaking up the vitamin D while the noise of bees filtered through the deafness of my head-cold.

A good day. 🙂

Here comes the sun, here comes the sun,
And I say it’s all right

Little darling, it’s been a long cold lonely winter
Little darling, it feels like years since it’s been here
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun
And I say it’s all right

Little darling, the smiles returning to the faces
Little darling, it seems like years since it’s been here
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun
And I say it’s all right

Sun, sun, sun, here it comes
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes
Sun, sun,…

George Harrison

When did this happen?

To use a well-known and perhaps even overused opening line from the masters Grimm and Andersen……..

“Once upon a time………………”

But there it is. Once upon a time.

Once upon a time my weekly, personal spruce-up was on a Friday night. You girls know the drill, men read and learn. Friday evening was all about the long shower, washing the hair, shaving the legs, doing a bit of feminine landscaping………… Followed by a bit of a home mani-pedi session.

The weekend was upon me, and for a single woman, those two days held possibilities.

The possibility of going out to a place where there were people of the opposite sex who may or may not find me interesting enough to strike up a conversation and whom I was equally attracted to. One cannot engage in a proper conversation with an interesting single man if one is acutely aware that the hair on one’s legs has not been attended to in over a week. Not that one expects to find one’s self naked with the fellow conversant in the immediate future, but you just don’t feel as though you have presented your best self when you have hairy legs. (Even if those hairy legs are completely hidden by jeans)

Untidy fingernails. Not this little black duck!! Same goes for the toenails. Whatever the time of year, whatever the footwear and even if it is only me who knows, those toenails are painted and presentable.

But that was once upon a time.

When did this routine move from the beginning of the weekend to the end?

Where has the possibility gone? Or have I given up on possibility?

 

One out of the box

In amongst all the birthday and exhibition planning and organising I thought I’d do a photography workshop. I didn’t have much on for the weekend……….not, but let’s go and learn something new anyway!

Photographing flowers. Real ones and fake ones. Up close and personal with macro and further away using my tripod or camera in hand. In a studio setting with real lights, real backdrops, props and a spray bottle. (The spray bottle is a very important tool when shooting plants and flowers. Water droplets on petals makes a whole world of difference)

Today’s photo is my absolute favourite and I am very proud of the fact that only I have this shot and this background. The background is a large piece of cardboard that has been painted in many different colours and it was just leaning against a wall in a hallway we had to walk through to reach the toilets.

I saw this board and I knew I had to use it, but didn’t get the chance until the afternoon was almost over. As soon as the chance presented itself I had the tripod set, the remote shutter release ready and I set up my shot.

I can tell you, without a doubt, that I did a little happy dance when I uploaded the photos from the day onto my desktop and saw this baby. Winner, winner…..chicken dinner!!!!

Big thanks to #pixelsistersstudio for the workshop.

What did I learn at this workshop?

I learnt that I need a macro lens. I love getting those super-fine details and getting up extremely close to my subject and focusing on the minute details.

I learnt that I’m going to need to buy a second spare battery for my camera as using ‘live view’ chews up the battery power and two batteries are not going to be enough for an extended session of shooting.

I learnt that a spray bottle is vital when shooting flowers.

I learnt that fake flowers can be better than the real thing in many instances. (except macro)

I learnt that I need to buy a macro lens. (Or have I mentioned that already?)

 

 

 

So I’m going to be a bit late home.

I was all ready to head back home to Melbourne from the glorious, but bitterly cold, Portarlington.

Then I saw the sunset.

Going home plans………….out the window.

New plan. Get down that hill and to the beach ASAP.

Thank goodness I had my super-duper down jacket in the car because that wind chill factor was at about 2 degrees celcius.

And thank you to the lovely seagull who added a little something special to an otherwise average photo.

 

 

How incredible is Autumn??!!

The colours of the leaves as they depart the branches from which they sprouted and grew with such hope and vigour not more than six months ago.

Shades of red, gold, orange and yellow everywhere you turn.

Fallen leaves dancing graceful pirouettes in the breeze or being whipped into an angry frenzy by stormy gusts.

The afternoon light with an almost ethereal presence caressing the optical senses.

How can this glow be real? Has Mother Nature infused the atmosphere with minute particles of glitter?

There is mildness to everything. The temperature, the mood, the light.

To some it is Fall. But to me it is, and can only ever be, Autumn.