Back Home From Sailing Adventures!

Been having a great time on our sailboat, but because it is hurricane season, we parked the boat in a safe location and flew home for the summer.  That is a good thing since I have been having withdrawals from my longarm and other art supplies.

I took up photography while we were on the boat, so I wanted to show you a slideshow of few of my favorite images:

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Now I need a good way to organize and stow all the 1,000’s of images I took.  Luckily, my good friends, The Pixeladies, are having an eClass starting soon on organizing all your images using Photoshop Elements.  I am going to take it, and I hope you will join me in this class.  Stay tuned, I will tell you more in tomorrow’s post!

Hugs, Carla

Love My Camera!

Haven’t been posting as much as usual, so I thought I would check in and say hello.  Been busy playing learning my new camera.  For Christmas, Santa brought me a wonderful new creative item- a Canon 6D:

I took my first photography class back in high school, using a 35 mm Minolta camera.  My last photography class was when digital imaging was offered at a local college, and I used a 2.5 megapixel camera at the time.  It was more a class on learning Photoshop than anything, so I have to teach myself how to work the new EOS camera and settings.  In other words, I am a newbie.

I did take some fun images so far.  Yesterday, I captured this image of my dear sweet granddaughter, Kate, while at big brother Jack’s 6th birthday party at a pizza place (not Chuck e Cheese- this place had wonderful pizza):

photo by Carla Barrett

Kate had just finished her yummy chocolate chocolate chip gelato, and was watching her brother open his presents.  The blue painted wall presented a great backdrop for the image, and it has not been photoshop edited, cropped or changed, this is straight out of the camera.

I look forward to learning more about photography.  My uncle Cliff, a wonderful photographer, tells me that I should practice, practice, practice, and take LOTS of pictures.  Boy, does that sound familiar?  It is exactly what I tell my machine quilting students who are learning to freehand quilt.

So… why photography?  It has always been an interest, but after my photo shoot last year with professional photographer Lauren Jaye, I knew I really wanted a good EOS camera to work and learn with.  Plus, I want to capture images of what I make and create, too.

If any serious hobbyist or professionals stumble on this post, what advice would you give a new hobbyist photographer?   Until later……  Carla

Photo Shoot Results

I shared in an earlier post how I always disliked having my photo taken- and challenging oneself to step outside your comfort zone.  I knew I needed some quality photos of myself, so I turned to the amazing and talented Lauren Jaye of Vida Mia Photography Studio in Folsom, California.

I am so glad I did!  Lauren put me at ease and the photo shoot was fun!  Here are just a couple of pictures taken of me by Lauren:

Carla Barrett photo by Lauren Jaye

I’m wrapped in my award winning quilt, In the Garden, which was designed and pieced by Barb Kiehn and freehand quilted by me.  The setting of the shoot was at my home and in my 5 acre land.  Below, I am standing among the oak trees and native weeds grasses.

photo by Lauren Jaye

 

 

I highly recommend Lauren Jaye’s photography skill to any blog readers in Northern California.  She loves to work with artists, musicians, and children, in addition to her fabulous avant-garde photography work.   Go check out her portfolio and facebook page.

Here is another image taken of me standing by the stonework of my front door.  If you look closely, you will spot Ethan’s trike and Sarge’s doggie bed:

I hope you have enjoyed seeing what I look like since I have been rather camera shy.    Coming up, I have lots of new teaching venues and events planned for the coming year!  I am working on new eClasses  that will be held on iCreateFlix, so have splurged on a new video equipment and editing software to help with that.    I leave you with one last photo- a candid shot of my being myself and laughing.  Those who know me well know how much I love to laugh:

Hugs to you all, from Carla

Stepping Out of Your Comfort Zone

This year I made a decision to accept myself as I am- and to try new things.   Today, I took a big step forward by having a professional photography shoot.  You see, I have always hated pictures taken of myself since I was a teenager, so I ended up being the one capturing images of everyone else. I realize that I am not alone if feeling this way, many women do.

So it was time to expand my comfort zone.  I started by scheduling a photo shoot with Lauren Jaye from Vida Mia Photography in Folsom, CA.

Lauren’s portfolio is just incredible!  I found out about her from my daughter-in-law, Aimee, who hired Lauren to photograph my grandkids, Jack and Kate.

I was nervous until Lauren came over to my house to look at my work, get to know me, and also plan the session.  Within a few minutes, it felt like we had been friends forever and knew I could trust her completely.  Lauren had a vision for the shoot, so I put myself totally in her hands.  She could choose wardrobe, make up, hair, accessories, etc. and I would “go with the flow” (Note to my friends from other countries- this term is American slang for accepting things as they come.)

I cleaned my studio (well mostly), pulled together a rack of clothes options, organized my make-up, and hung some quilts between the oak trees per Lauren’s direction.  She showed up at 5:00 pm to do my make-up and hair, and then picked my first outfit, a lovely light silver tank with subtle pleats in front with a colorful turquoise jacket, black skinny jeans and black boots.  My main accessory was this jewelry piece I had completed during my college Metal Art class.

Following Lauren’s direction, I posed, turned my head and body this way and that, but really- I mostly just laughed and had a great time!  The inside portion of the shoot went by very quickly, then it was time for a fashion change.

This time, I wore a lovely new tank that had patterns of black and white, with a purple shirt jacket, with some fun, funky jewelry to match.  I again wore my favorite skinny black jeans from Chicos and black boot with heels.

The outdoor session was my favorite!  Lauren showed me some images from her camera and I was blown away at how wonderful the pictures were coming out!  She is a master!

Once again, I laughed and had a great time!  I had some fun ideas about posing with some quilts, and Lauren took my suggestion, ran with it and made it better!

By the end of the photo shoot, my self confidence had soared!  I felt pretty, and fabulous about myself and where I am at this stage in my life.  I can’t wait to show you some of the pictures when they are ready.  I highly recommend Lauren to all my quilt and artist friends.  She is a master at what she does.

Now that I stretched myself by having this photo shoot, taking the risk of seeing myself as others see me, I wonder why I didn’t do it sooner?  Why did I let this hang-up keep me from capturing wonderful images of myself throughout my life?  So, I want to issue this challenge to you- try something that you are afraid of, or you are sensitive about.  It could be wearing sleeveless shirts if you are sensitive about your arms.  Wearing shorts if you don’t like your legs.  Scheduling a photo shoot.  You get the idea.

It would be great to hear your thoughts about this topic.  How do you feel about having your picture taken?  Have you overcome a lifelong hang up- no matter what it is?  Please leave me a comment, I want to hear from YOU!  Hugs, Carla