mygreymatter

As I get oriented to my new home here in Wisconsin I am slowly beginning to take more pictures, and will slowly add them. It has been a long but very good transition. Thank goodness for DA to keep providing me inspiration. I'm hoping to get out some more this weekend to explore and take pictures. There are so many beautiful places here I'm not sure where to start. A little bit of traveling will help.

I do miss all the folks back in Iowa.

Onward!

I feel inclined to update my journal since I've finally updated a few pictures, but creativity escapes me at the moment. However, I am privileged to be a part of DA where inspiration abounds. I also get weekly emails from the Digital Photography School who has an article of "53 Weekly Themes for Your 2011" to help with inspiration. www.digital-photography-school…

Next week, beginning the 23rd, the theme is Temptation. So I thought I'd feature a few choice morsels from around DA on this theme. Perhaps I too will now be tempted to go build upon this theme, and others to come.

   by


   by


   by


   by


   by


   by


:thumb149726365:   by


   by


   by


   by


Give the artists a look and be inspired.

Here I sit on the last day of the year, wondering how to spend the day in my new home, in my new town.

I am surrounded by boxes and possessions mostly serving as placeholders while we figure out where their permanent homes should be. At the moment I am unmotivated make decisions of this magnitude. Larry just informed me that there was a lonely nap out there somewhere that needed company and he has gone to find it. I'm entertaining the idea of finding one myself. Then again, that requires a change in direction and my inertia has me playing on the computer.

I edited a picture this morning - the first in a very long time. I've never used Adobe before, preferring the price point of GIMP instead. However, it came on my new laptop so I thought I'd give it a whirl and am so far quite happy with it. I still don't know that I'd go out and buy it, but I won't complain about having it.

I remember when I first started taking and editing pictures, I did far more splicing images together and placing "artistic" effects on them. A trip down memory lane in my gallery will show this trend. As I took more pictures, I became more interested in the composition of the photos themselves and got better about creating images that needed very little editing to achieve what I wanted. I find myself reverting now that I've stalled in my development as a photographer. I guess we'll see what comes next.

I think I hear the piteous cries of a forlorn nap. Perhaps I will go relieve it of its solitude...

I can't believe it has been almost a year since I last posted a journal entry. It hasn't been for lack of things going on. Rather than looking back seeing all the pictures I haven't taken and edited, I will instead focus on the future.

I am moving to Madison, Wisconsin next week to take a tech support job in a health insurance company. I got confirmation today that we can move into our new apartment on Tuesday, and I start work Wednesday. I have heard nothing but good things about both Madison and the company I am going to be working for so I'm very excited. I can't say I am sad to be leaving Iowa, just my friends. I am going to still be around Cedar Rapids from time to time because Larry has family here still.

I have been so anti-social the last several months that I doubt few people who know me in person will notice I've gone, which makes me sad because I miss having the time to be part of your lives. I would love to have people come visit if you find yourselves in Madison ever. So despite my absence from events and activities and even online, consider yourselves invited to visit. I've been focusing a lot on work and getting enough sleep so I can be alert, and this new job is a welcome pay-off. The projects that have taken my focus are what gave me the edge to be hired.

I'm looking forward to exploring a whole new area and beginning to take pictures again. My faithful little camera that drew me into the world of photography went astray a few months ago and the replacement has some internal issues, so I haven't had a good camera even when I've wanted to take pictures. A new one is definitely in my future. Results coming to DA soon!

I look forward to catching up with everyone's creations here.

After the last journal, are you thinking, huh?

I have been light on my picture taking of late, as I'm sure you've noticed. These posted just recently are from my trip to Florida in October for work. Happily I had time to wander around the Keys and snap some pictures with my little camera.

After quitting my night job in October I was so gleefully happy to not have to spend every night on the computer anymore. As a result editing pictures has fallen by the wayside. Now the urge is beginning to strike once more so I shall endeavor to catch up again. Just in time for spring to bring the camera out.

Spring of the world. Spring of my photography.