Introducing My "Scrappy" Photography Site

Greetings!  I am a semi-retired programmer/analyst and instructional designer who loves to dabble in photography and poetry and of late, scrapbooking - both paper-based and digital. For many years my husband Benny had a furniture refinishing business called Second Looks (http://www.secondlooks.biz) and I put up a photography site http://www.photography.secondlooks.biz to complement his business site by offering free wall-paper.

Doctors, Lawyers, and Indian Chiefs

So today it finally occurred to me that since I started this blog around 2006 in part to talk about my interest in scrap-booking and photography, I should introduce my photography site on this blog -sometimes it takes me a while to see the obvious!

But first a little about my photographic journey.

How to Monetize Your Job Interviews ;)

I started this blog back in 2005-2006 to share and swap ideas about the job hunt and work life, among other topics, but I rarely post on job-related topics these days (actually I rarely post at all these days, but when I do, it's not about work). This is probably because I'm now officially retired. That doesn't mean that I won't need to supplement my retirement income at some point in these tough economic times. I have worked alongside many a retiree in my career who decided to return to the workplace. But for now ... I'm just retired and enjoying it. I particularly don't miss the angst of the job hunt and the interview process because I tired of the some of the "nonsense" and even hypocrisy of it. But that's probably a topic for another post, which may or may never get written.  So am I the only one who finds interviewing and job hunting frustrating? Probably not. For those of you who may feel similarly, take heart or at least have a chuckle at this little anecdote about a job interview I had in back in 2009 that has taken on a life of its own.

How to Bring Out the Story in your Casual Photos with Photoshop Filters

I've been wanting to attempt an article for the scrap-booker or casual photographer (folks like me, in other words) to share how I get the most story-telling "bang" out of my casual photos. If, on your quest toward becoming the expert photographer who always takes the perfect picture, you're like me and can't afford really high-end camera equipment with larger sensors, or if you just don't quite have the on-the-spot photography skills to meet the demands of every memorable moment you encounter, you may end up with a lot of bad, so-so average, and merely "okay" photos. (I'm not saying, by the way, that becoming a better photographer is a bad ambition). In fact sometimes even your really good photos may not quite reflect the image you stored in your mind's eye when you pressed that camera button; and if you're like me, you're always seeking ways to make your photos look even better. But good, bad, or ugly, the photos you've already taken are your reminders of the memorable events or scenes of beauty from your life. They're too good to throw away, yet somehow they remain pale, distant cousins of the actual experience - and you desperately want to breathe life back into them. So what I want to discuss in this article are ways I've found in Photoshop CS5 to change my so-so images into the image I hoped I would get when I pressed the button on the camera. These techniques may also apply to Photoshop Elements and Light Room.

Aunt Firma a Sculptor too?

Wow, another year has passed since I've posted to this blog. And once again, it's my Aunt Firma Phillips who brings me back. This time an artist from Lexington, Kentucky contacted me about a piece she had recently purchased. She writes:

"Hi! I found a piece of art by Firma Phillips today and found your email on your blog. The piece is actually a sculpture and differs from her landscape paintings. I have attached a picture of it. The signature on it matches the ones on the paintings I've seen online. Can you give me any further information about her? I live in Lexington KY and was curious about where she was located as well. Thanks in advance!"

Here are the pictures Jennifer has provided (click on the thumbnails to see a larger version):
Wow, that's a new one, Jennifer! Thanks for sharing it! Aunt Firma painted on many different surfaces - iron skillets, saws, jugs, her kitchen counter, her chairs ... but I never saw a sculpture before (thanks for giving me permission to share it on the blog!) There is quite a bit of history about Aunt Firma at this blog if you're able to find it. You can search by her name or the term "Artist" or "Painter." Here's an account from my cousin-by-marriage (once removed) Richard Nichol: More History on Firma. And here's a link to a story I wrote about her a long time ago, called Her Last Picture. I hope that helps if you haven't already seen them. Once in a while her paintings are sold on eBAY.