Okay the vault has been opened, the cobwebs cleaned out, the floor dusted and the  welcome mat has been put at the front door.

I am under the microscope courtesy of a virtual blog tour.

A VBT (thanks Stacy) is an opportunity to get to know the process behind our blogs and what makes us, as bloggers, tick. I was  cautiously excited to take part and answer the four questions and in turn I will ask two  fellow bloggers to take part and learn more about them.

I was invited by Stacy Fischer at Visual Venturing to participate.

My first introduction to Stacy was on Leanne Coles blog – Leanne Cole Photography.  They were having a discussion about the actual colour of photographs and the colour that is on your screen and how they may differ from computer to computer and in print.  I commented my shock and from then on I was taken with Stacy’s sense of humour, photographic style, knowledge, and beautiful photography.  I have followed her since then, enjoying her work and learning from her especially on her After-Before Fridays and video tutorials.  She is not afraid to take a risk experimenting with different effects and genres. Her black and white photos are exceptional.  Thanks Stacy for your constant support of my photography and inspiring me daily.  Also thanks for inviting me along on this virtual journey.

Now the hard part, I did mention to Stacy that some of my answers may start with “by the seat of my pants” and “on a wing and a prayer”…. here goes!

What am I working on:

I am constantly striving to better my photography each and every time I take a picture. 

I am working on different ways to improve my photos in Photoshop and Lightroom:

I would like to get to know Photoshop on an intimate basis but so far we have just said a casual hello and shared an awkward smile.

 Lightroom I think is a little easier but the more I get to know, the more there is still to know and just when I think I have gained ground, I discover more surprises. 

 Besides piers and beaches, water generally interests me, I like using different shutter speeds to find new poetry in the motion of the movement.  As we speak it has been raining for a few days whereas most of our winter it has been dry.  This I  hope will get the rivers to run and I can get out and discover some waterfalls to play with.  I love the way water twists and winds and tells a story along its course and I would like to convey this in my photography.  This is my next  project which will be ongoing.

How does my work differ from others of its genre?

That’s not something I feel I can answer.  I just do what I do and I don’t really compare it to other peoples work.  I am constantly inspired by other photographers and their approach to picture taking.  Maybe its that I don’t feel I have a style yet or if I do its more apparent to others than to me.

 

Why do I create what I do?

Photography is my passion.  There isn’t a day that goes by that I am not thinking about what I want  to take and where I want to go to get some interesting photos.  Landscapes are what I love to do best.  As I live near the beach I tend to lean towards that landscape but also try to get out into the countryside to photograph our beautiful bush and rivers in the northern area of New South Wales and Southern Queensland.

 I have always loved photography and had an SLR from an early age but sold it and my soul to travel (PS I love to travel, almost as much as photography).  I bought my first Canon, an entry level 1000D  DSLR  about five years ago but in truth it has only been this year that I have moved away from my couch reading photo magazines to actually taking a lot more photos, experimenting with different shutter speeds, depth of field and perspectives and actually using a tripod.  Since then I have discovered a joy in our landscape in Australia that I didn’t appreciate before.  Its as if the lens has become my eyes and I am actually seeing things here in a new light.  This has awakened my spirit and I get up each day thinking about photography and where next I want to go.  Recently I upgraded to a Canon 70D and very happy with it but still getting used to all its wonderful features.  

How does your creative process work?

This is where the “on a wing and a prayer”  and “flying by the seat of my pants” comes in. 

I always shoot in RAW.  (Funny aside – my sister was proofreading this for me and was shocked to think I took photos naked!!) So to the uninitiated RAW is a format like JPEG not a lifestyle choice! 

 I don’t feel I have a process as such.  I just follow my eyes.   That’s the fun part.  I have no set agenda other than making sure I “see” everything around me, I once read a handy hint that said when you think you are where you need to be, go a bit further and you might be surprised.  With this in mind I try now to look further than where I am standing and think outside the square I have created and find a different view or look around a corner.   Then when I come home I cant wait to see what I’ve produced and how my photos have turned out. 

Post processing is something I am still coming to terms with but I usually  process in Lightroom  just to tweak the levels a little bit to bring out the best in my photos.  Sometimes I might use Photomatix to “pop”  a photo a little if it needs it, other times not as I find it can be habit forming and can be too unrealistic.

I’ve added in another question and answer just because I love quotes.

What is a quote or two that sums you up?

Two quotes that I really like are:                                                                                                

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only a page”  St Augustine    &

“Don’t shoot what it looks like, shoot what it feels like”     David Alan Harvey

 

Passing on the Baton: 

Now on to my two wonderful fellow bloggers who I follow and admire.

Both these ladies have blogs about life, its up and downs and who also take photos.  They are multi-skilled individuals, dealing with different challenges in life, raising children and finding time to have a blog and be creative.

Suz/Sue Jones’ blog is:   It Goes On. 

I first “met” Sue, again from Leanne Cole’s blog, where we submit black and white photos every Wednesday for her Monochrome Madness challenge.  Sue is Australian like myself.  She chronicles her road trips around our glorious country bringing its magic to life through her lens.  Her black and white studies exude warmth and feeling every single time and I am in awe of her creativity.  Sue is very supportive of my blog and photography.

Sue also deals with depression herself and in her family and her photography is a creative outlet that, as she says, helps her to find beauty and blessings in life.  Please visit her blog, you won’t be disappointed and will find many a photo that will touch you.  You may even find a kindred spirit.  She talks honestly about depression and life in a down to earth and cathartic way.

My second lady, but by no means least, is:

Adrienne Forte’s blog is:   greatsnaps, goodtimes and me.

Adrienne lives in Virginia USA.  She is a middle school teacher, an army wife and has four beautiful daughters.  All of this gives her much fodder for her blog.  Her energy leaps off the page and she keeps you interested right from the very start of each post with her observations.  We first met through Blogging 101 University “Zero to Hero”  as relative newbies trying to find our way through the blogging wilderness, getting our sites up and running, finding a following and working out what direction we wanted to go.  She has been a tremendous supporter of my blog from then and now.

You would think there would be enough on her plate as a teacher, a mother and an army wife but she also can add budding photographer to her list of titles entering different challenges each week.  Visit Adrienne’s site and you will get a boost of energy, sometimes a dose of humour but definitely always a good read.

If you have stuck through to the end, I thank you for reading and I hope you visit these inspiring bloggers.  Sue and Adrienne will be posting their take on the VBT next Monday so be sure to have a read.