It's rainy in New Orleans today, a peaceful respite after a glorious week of Technicolor. It started with a great event at Anthropologie (for which I will soon have a craft tutorial and a giveaway) and continued with days spent in inspired surroundings with inspired individuals. I have been saturated in color and creativity, a gift to my spirit.
Next week I'll get back to business. Have a great weekend and a happy Mother's Day!
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For a third year I've had the pleasure of connecting with Internet friends on terra firma, this time here in New Orleans. You might expect a wild weekend, women set loose in the city, but we laughed at ourselves as we happily practiced calligraphy on a Friday night. Kindred spirits. Not that it was all lettering practice. There was a beauty night, some shopping, lots of walking, a little daytime photography and architectural gawking, homemade ice cream, and a good amount of eating and talking. A perfect girls weekend.
Tristan stayed an extra day so we could focus on photography together. I love shooting in the daytime, but I really come alive at night. So we spent the last evening specifically searching for light sources to shoot, inspired by the moody, mysteriously murky photographs of Rocky Schenck. We had such fun, crawling the streets from the French Quarter through Uptown, darting in and out of the car to shoot vignettes. I came home with that happy, breathless feeling you get when you've reached creative nirvana. And as much fun as I might have had doing it alone, it was so much better with a partner.
By the way, if you're looking to improve your photography, I highly suggest exercises like this. By narrowing your focus to a specific technique, mood, or object to shoot, I find it's easier to achieve creative flow. Observing the world in its entirety can be overwhelming, but looking for specific details forces you to filter out the excess.
I'll be back this week with a recipe for Toasted Fig Leaf Ice Cream, an experiment I tried over the weekend after tasting it at La Petite Grocery. And I'm going to try hard not to be such a stranger here!
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But as I returned home in the morning, the light was so pretty in my dining room, bouncing off of the various pieces of glassware scattered here and there. As I surveyed the remnants of a good time, it occurred to me that the aftermath of events sometimes tells the story of what occurred more than the actual event. So I spent some time with my camera, documenting the details. And when I look at them now, I'm reminded of just how much fun we had.
It's not a traditional approach to recording events, but it can be creatively liberating since perfection is not the point. I urge you to try it sometime and see what stories unfold for you.
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If you walked into my house right now you'd think it was the home of a deranged person, hearts mingling with jack-o-lanterns and corn husks. I'm working on next year's magazine stories, Valentine's, Halloween, and Thanksgiving - all at the same time. When my schedule overlaps like this I'm in creative mode 24/7, fueled by deadlines, adrenaline, and a whole lot of coffee. But I also find that it's times like these when I tap into other creative outlets for myself, personally. Those outlets can't take up much time - they have to be nearly instantaneous. Which is one of the reasons I turn to my camera. It's quick and effortless, perfect for an overly stimulated brain.
I took these photos on the fly, all with my iPhone, quickly edited in iPhoto. The jellyfish were taken while chaperoning a first grade field trip to the Aquarium, the water cabbage were taken in our courtyard as part of a decoupage project for my son's class, and the nighttime view of City Park came while leaving a concert with my husband. I tell you this because it's a simple reminder (which I need all the time) that creativity doesn't require huge investments of time, just a willingness to see, and capture in some way, what's around you. It's an easy way to recharge, regardless of your occupation.
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Thinking of my many friends, family, colleagues, and readers on the East Coast today. May Mother Nature be kinder than anticipated.
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I don't usually mention so many books in such a short time, but yesterday I received my copy of Bringing Nature Home and I was too excited not to share it with you. I think it's quite possibly the most beautiful (and accessible) floral design book I have ever seen - though it's not quite just a floral design book. One could argue for its interiors as well.
Conceived and photographed by Ngoc Minh Ngo, with arrangements created by Nicolette Owen of Brooklyn's Little Flower School, Bringing Nature Home contains page after page of gorgeous, yet doable, arrangements photographed in interiors that are equally beautiful and inspiring. The book is divided by season and includes a guide to arranging the flowers, but it's thoughtfully placed in the back of the book instead of interrupting the visual abundance of full page photos.
It really is one of the most beautiful books I've ever seen, with accessible "back to nature" arrangements. If you're a fan of nature, flowers, interiors, or beautiful photography, buy the book. It's well worth it!
(All photographs ©Bringing Nature Home: Floral Arrangements Inspired by Nature, Rizzoli New York)
Note: I purchased my book through Amazon, which currently says it's shipping within 1-3 months. However, you can search online for independent booksellers who currently have it in stock.
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I've added another piece of affordable photography to my collection and I'm just as happy as can be with it, so I thought I'd share it with you. No, it's not a pretty washed pastel version of a nest with eggs in it, but that's not the kind of photograpy I live with anyway. I's beautifully printed and nuanced and makes me happy whenever I look at it. It's also living very comfortably with the rest of my collection.
The photographer is Lucy Snowe and you can find this photograph, French Country Empty Nest in her shop on Etsy (available in two sizes). She has lots of other nature photographs as well, both in black & white and color.
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It suddenly got quiet around here - again. Sometimes I get busy with my job and its deadlines, but lately I've been in a more introspective mood, stepping back from the day-to-day as much as possible, slowing down enough that I can hear myself.
I've learned that creative recharging isn't just about taking time out because you've run out of ideas (I've got plenty of those clanking around in my head), but sometimes about prioritizing, defining what you really want to create, which path you'd like to take. For me, puzzling out those answers is about retreating to a quieter place.
At any rate, I was home alone, organizing (which is required for me when I'm in retreat), and I ran across this little wide + macro lens that I'd purchased for my cell phone camera. The accompanying directions were mostly in Japanese (and the English translation didn't make much sense to me), but it seemed easy enough to use. The wide angle lens worked exactly as I expected. But when I screwed off the macro lens and tried to use it in the same way, I noticed that everything became distorted. At first I tried to figure out what I was doing wrong, but then I decided to just play with it the way it was.
Long story short, for less than the price of a movie ticket, I had several hours of creative fun. Some of the photos didn't quite work enlarged - I learned that high contrast objects were best, as well as strong shapes and patterns. But I'm going to continue experimenting. I still don't know if the problem is with the lens itself or user error, but I had a lot more fun making mistakes than I would have just shooting in standard fashion - a fitting end to my self-imposed refueling.
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As promised, more photo textures to use with Photoshop or Photoshop Elements. I should get more serious about this, however. New Orleans is the perfect place to capture texture, color, and patina of all kinds. I'll keep my eyes open! In the meantime, I hope you find something fun to do with these.
Click on the images for full size versions:
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I've been taking photographs of various textures for some time now, knowing that one day I wanted to be able to use them in Photoshop. But with all things technical I get a bit of a mental block, and it just felt like one of those things I'd learn one day, whenever I might find myself with a lot of time on my hands.
But as luck would have it, I happened to be in the company of the lovely Miss B. of Besotted Brand last weekend and she's a Photoshop whiz who also happens to enjoy teaching (check out her online photo classes, Souvenir Foto School). In the space of less than an hour I learned how to create my own Photoshop brush, make a png (an element that you can use as an overlay, like a strip of tape or a paper clip), and use textures in photographs. It turns out that none of those things are very difficult, which of course makes me feel silly for taking so long to dive in.
To test myself, I sat down yesterday and worked with a few of the moody textures I posted in the fall. I used a photograph of a pecan branch with a simple background and tried it out with various textures (see the bottom of this post for a tutorial link). It was just as easy as I remembered and a lot of fun to play with.
Original Photo:
Using Texture #3 (Overlay mode with 45% opacity)
Using Texture #5 (Soft Light mode with 100% opacity)
Using Texture #8 (Overlay mode with 100% opacity)
Pecans with Texture #9 (Screen mode with 39% opacity)
I didn't do any further editing with these photos - I just wanted you to see what could be achieved simply by swapping textures and adjusting the blending modes and opacity (by the way, the title image was used with Texture #6 - Overlay mode with 100% opacity).
If you want to learn how to do this yourself, I found a good tutorial for you from Digital Photography School. It will walk you through the process, step by simple step, and it can be used for all versions of Photoshop, as well as Elements.
Tomorrow, I'll post some additional textures for you to use. But there's an abundance of free textures already floating around (check Flickr) if you're looking for something in particular. And I promise you - If I can do this, so can you!
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I like to take photos of textures to have on hand for projects and I've gathered a collection that feels appropriate to the season. Just click on the photos for a full size version. Enjoy!
Texture 1:
Texture 2:
Texture 3:
Texture 4:
Texture 5:
Texture 6:
Texture 7:
Texture 8:
Texture 9:
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I'm a huge fan of Southern photography, drawn in by artists who manage to capture and distill the fleeting mystery and beauty that dance around the edges of life here, whether in a landscape or a portrait of wrinkled hands or children playing. It's an idealized viewpoint, I realize, but my love for the South has always been characterized more by a sense of longing than reality.
At night, when I need to step away from the day, I like to look at photographs. Black and white imagery speaks to me. In fact, it is the only way that I'm able to truly see. Color simply distracts me. In those moments of absorbing beauty and long forgotten stories, I can hear the faint buzz of a fading lightbulb, the cicadas in the distance, the air hanging heavy and sweet with the smell of jasmine, fire, earth, and water. I am drawn to images that are dark around the edges, untold tales lurking in the shadows. I am drawn to fire and light, faces of character, the pasttimes of youth. In those moments, held aloft in the capable hands of magical creators, I fall in love with the South over and over again.
DAVID C HALLIDAY:
See more of David Halliday's work here.
JACK SPENCER:
See more of Jack Spencer's work here.
KEITH CARTER:
See more of Keith Carter's work here.
DEBBIE FLEMING CAFFERY:
See more of Debbie Fleming Caffery's work here.
SALLY MANN:
See more of Sally Mann's work here
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Vana Chupp, author of Silhouette Art, approached me about doing a feature on silhouettes for Family Circle. It's a solid trend that's really held on and with good reason. After using Vana's instructions to make a classic paper silhouette, I decided to branch out and use a variety of materials. For the feature (Shadow Play, in the September issue of Family Circle), I made silhouettes from matte adhesive vinyl (found on Etsy), cardstock covered posterboard, acrylic craft paint, and iron-on transfer paper.
They were all easy to work with, but sometimes the finer details of crafting are left out of magazines due to space considerations, so I wanted to expand on the topic of creating a silhouette for iron-on transfer paper. You can start with a photo or illustration, just as you would with any other material, but what you see on your computer screen is what will print on your iron-on transfer paper, so if you want a true silhouette you'll have to color and fill in your illustration using a program like Photoshop, and eliminate the background as well.
I am by no means an expert in Photoshop, and it was an easy enough task since I was able to complete it. But since I'm not an expert, I sought out some tutorials to walk you through the process. I've also included some mushroom illustrations from Vintage Printable. You can start with something like these and end up with silhouettes like the ones shown above. Also, if you know some of the basic commands on Photoshop, you can flip your images or move them around to create your own unique images (for instance, the mushroom grouping on the cream colored pillow started out as a trio, but I added additional mushrooms to fill out the design).
Mushrooms may not be your thing and you might not care for a pillow, but this basic technique is suitable for all kinds of subjects and fabric applications. Use your transfers for T-shirts or tote bags, book or photo album covers, cloth storage boxes, etc. And if you want a fresh interpretation of a classic, your silhouettes can just as easily be printed in color instead of black.
Without further ado, here are the tutorials. There are different ways to achieve the same result, so I've included a few and you can choose what's easiest for you. Just keep in mind that you'll be printing your finished digital design on iron-on transfer paper and you'll want to flip the image horizontally before printing (you'll be placing your iron-on transfer face down on your fabric). Have fun!
How to Create a Silhouette with Photoshop:
Mushroom Illustrations from Vintage Printable (more available on their site):
*Another good source for illustrations and silhouettes is Clipart.com. You can get a 7-day subscription for $15 (unlimited downloads), which is a good deal if you have multiple images that you're looking for. You can also browse their site before you commit to a subscription, so you can make sure they have what you want.
Title photo by Wendell T. Webber for Family Circle
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I've pored over thousands of black-and-white photos on Etsy in the last few days (a great way to procrastinate when you can't find your groove). Here are a few standouts that I want to add to my collection:
Anemone 3 from Au fil de
Softness of a Dandelion by Amelia Kay Photography
Sea Jewels No. 3 by Tracey Capone Photography
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You don't need an expensive camera to capture great photos. In fact, some of my favorites have been taken with a camera phone or plastic Holga. But if you do invest in a decent camera, you owe it to yourself to invest in a lens that allows creative freedom. I made that leap recently, going from a middling digital camera to a Canon EOS 50D. I got the kit, with its all-purpose lens. But then I also bought a 50mm lens (f1.4) and it's completely changed the way I shoot. In fact, photography is just more fun now.
Ever since my weekend of shooting in the French Quarter, I've been taking walks around my neighborhood at dusk, playing with my camera and getting to know it a little better - learning how things like white balance can completely change the feel of a photograph, or how opening the aperture wide allows for great bokeh effects.
I'm also having more fun shooting for this blog. Still lifes don't fill me with quite as much dread these days, knowing that I can finally achieve the shallow depth of field that I admire in so many beautiful, dreamy photographs. I could never capture that effect with my last camera, a fact that always frustrated me.
The only thing that hasn't changed for me is my photo editing software. I still don't know my way around Photoshop but I find iPhoto to be about as easy as it gets. In the end, they're just tools. But they're tools that have given me a new creative perspective - and that's been worth every penny.
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For a long time I've wanted to get up before sunrise and shoot photographs in the French Quarter. I managed to pull it off this weekend, when several of my East Coast girlfriends descended upon the city to celebrate two milestone birthdays.
Up before dawn with two tired, but enthusiastic partners we made our way down to the Mississippi, just in time to see a magnificent fog rolling in, the sun rising at the same time. It was one of those magical moments and I was so excited to be there, to get to take it all in with my camera.
That experience recharged me creatively and I took more photos over the weekend than I have in a long time. Empty restaurants, streets photographed through the smoke from sparklers at a wedding, lit chandeliers in otherwise darkened storefronts, lights blazing in decaying stairwells...It was a completely new experience for me, photographing my city at times of night and morning when I'm usually sleeping, and I'm already thinking about my next subject matter, the places I want to explore in the near dark. It also reminded me that when you're at a creative ebb, it's sometimes just a matter of stepping outside your comfort zone, forcing yourself to see things in a new light.
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I became passionate about photography in my early twenties at a Helen Levitt exhibit in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. I went back to that exhibit three times, poring over every detail of Levitt's images from the 1930's and 40's. Eventually, an art dealer introduced me to the concept of art on layaway and over the years I've managed to amass a modest collection of pieces that still speak to me after years of ownership (the beauty of layaway is that there are no impulse purchases).
I don't do any serious collecting now. There are other places my money needs to go. But I still add to my collection from time to time with photographs I find on Etsy at extremely reasonable prices. It satisfies my need for visual beauty and I've discovered that my Etsy finds live happily with my existing collection - proof that beauty and value can be had at any price level.
Here are some of my recent favorites:
1: From Kimberly Blok Photography (Average price of prints $25)
2, 3, & 4: From Kari Herer (Average $10 - $30)
5 & 6: From Galerie De Illuminata (Average $25 - $100)
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I'm creatively hopping today. So much so, that it's difficult to pin down where to start. But I'm feeling visually inspired - ready to dip into my photography again - and not just composition but learning new editing skills. The world of digital photography is such a great gift. We're all free to compose bad shots, shoot the same subject a hundred times without worrying about the expense, and we have amazing capabilities to play around with our photos on a computer screen until they go from something ordinary to extraordinary. I love it! So while half of my brain is preoccupied with dragging out my Holgas, taping up the backs, and heading out into the unknown, the other half of my brain is ready to dip into manuals and learn a few new technological tricks.
Lucky for me, I happened to take a peek in my Inspiration file and came across a Photo Distressing tutorial that I had forgotten about. Tammy Fischer was kind enough to create it for her blog (now, sadly, defunct) and I'm really excited about the possibilities. It's exactly the concise, easy type of tutorial that makes technology feel accessible. Thanks, Tammy!
Download SUPER DISTRESSED PHOTO TUTORIAL
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My name is Suzonne Stirling. I'm a professional crafter, wife, and mother and I live and create in New Orleans. I write about all the facets of my creative life, both personal and professional, though like most Southerners, I reserve the right to digress.
