Tree Globe

As much as I love Photography, I love the ability to try some creativity on the images that I shoot. In this photo, I took 2 photos that I had used in this blog already:

Night's Beauty and One Stands Alone

I merged the two images together, used the Filter feature in Photoshop "Distort" then "Polar Coordinates" which created the circular globe look. To round it out a bit, I used the Cloning Tool.

Through the Looking Glass

I'm very much a traditional-style art lover. I love traditional and old world architecture. I love paintings done by Monet. Traditional. A big round dot on a black canvas just doesn't have the wow factor. Modern and abstract art is a little difficult for me to get excited over. But, that doesn't mean I can't try to venture out and try to photograph something in an abstract kind of feel to it.

Through the Looking Glass is simply two mirrors put very close together at a slight angle to give a little illusion of depth. I converted the image to black and white because the color takes away from the continuity of the mirrors. Black and white allows more of the detail to show through.

The New Belle of the Ball

Out of one corner of my mouth, I say school work is kicking my butt! (I'm taking 16 credit hours this semester ~ Graphic Design Studio at RPI and Italian: Language and Culture, Social and Community Informatics and Photography through Empire State College.) Out of the other corner of my mouth ... I am saying how awesome this is! I finally figured out what I want to be when I grow up. Actually, I knew for a long time, but family commitment came first.

I went through college the first time around getting my Associates from HVCC, did a semester stint away at SUNY Cortland, and classes along the way at the College of Saint Rose and at RPI. What I came to find out was, what I had originally wanted to do in my 20's was only a small part of what I really loved. I became very lucky ~ I have the chance to do this a second time around. I'm not sure if it's my maturity (okay, my age) or my feeling of being settled in life - but I found I am appreciating the experience and getting more out of my education so much more this time around. (another sidebar, just the academic/educational standpoint ... nothing like being in your teens and early 20's and the social aspect of college life, which was absolutely wonderful in my day!)

Anyhow, this semester has been butt kicking, but my favorite as well. I'm taking Italian - finally!; Photography ... and how much do I love photography?!!; Community and Social Informatics - which in addition to understand Informatics, I get to work on a Community Service project; and finally, Graphic Design Studio, which in part, is visually designing a message. That said, here's a sample of my latest. It's a project called Mise en scene, I decided to create the character Belle of the Ball.



The new belle of the ball is an offspring of Title IX women. She can have the capability of being the debutant, as well as the aggressive athlete. Maybe not everything is in a perfect place, neat and orderly, but she knows where to find everything. She is confident on the field and off the field. She has become a master in balance, working through a rigorous academic schedule, athletic schedule and somehow in between finding some down time. Though this Belle is represented as a soccer player, she can easily be transformed into any other sport. Her motto is, “Remember when playing like a girl used to be an insult.”