August 6, 2008

 

Sorry I haven’t been posting this week.  I’ve been busy watching the Olympics and losing way too much sleep.

 

Anyways, I snapped this photo while driving back home from working in my classroom. 

 

School doesn’t start for another two weeks, but I like to have my classroom decorated before we teachers have to report back to work; I don’t get a lot of work done once everyone comes back because it’s meeting after meeting and just catching up on everyone’s summer vacation.

 

I look forward to the beginning of each academic year.  It means a new year and a new group of students to get to know and build a rapport with.

 

 

 

Photo a Day

So I’m sitting here at my computer, listening to whatever random song shuffles on my iPod, scanning old film negatives, and feeling a bit depressed that I haven’t really gone out this summer just to shoot pictures.

 

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve become more cautious about where I go.  It used to be that if I wanted to go anywhere, I’d just get in the car and go with no thought to my safety.  Now, I think about the dangers out in the world, especially for a single girl with a nice expensive camera in her hand.  Hmmmm.  Is this a sign of age or a sign of the times?

 

Anyways, I’ve been feeling like I’m not cultivating my creativity.  I haven’t done any new photo projects and have hardly spent any significant time out in the field taking photographs.  I haven’t even gone up to Yosemite this summer!  But then again, it’s blazing hot this time of the year and I hate being outside when it’s 100 degrees in the shade.

 

I think I’ll start today with a new project just to get the creative juices flowing.  I’ve seen many photographers do a self-portrait a day or take a photo a day and post.

 

I don’t know if I want to spend the next year committing to self-portraits.   For whatever reason, I have never liked any self-portraits.  I’m quite an introspective person and looking at myself through the lens of a camera is a bit disconcerting.  Maybe that’s why I’m a photographer.  I think it’s just a bit difficult to try to capture some essence of myself in a photograph.

 

But then again, there is value in moving outside of one’s comfort zone.  I’ll give this a try.  A photo a day that involves some part of me (like I saw on someone else’s blog).  So not an original idea, but it’s better than feeling sorry for myself that I haven’t been taking pictures.  Besides, this might prove to be an interesting exercise in creativity as I’ll be killing two birds with one stone–photograph and write daily and then post on the blog.

Photos of Nina

Here are some of my favorite photos of my cousin Nina that we took one drizzly and rainy afternoon.

 

Photos of Lennox

Here are some of the photos I took of Lennox at the Getty.  At least he doesn’t mind posing for me  

zoeblue photography

 

I finally set up my “official” website for my photography!  The photo.net and redbubble.com galleries are still active but I also wanted a website in which people can purchase my photographs and maybe even hire me.  The website is http://www.zoebluephotography.com/

 

It is definitely a work in progress as I know next to nothing about coding a website using HTML, CSS, Javascript, etc.  There is a steep learning curve involved, but I love a challenge. 

 

I’m slowly uploading my photographs onto the website.  I wish I could upload everything ASAP, but there is the small detail of editing the thousands of photos that I’ve taken.  And that’s only using the digital camera in the last three years!  I’ve got thousands more from my film days that need to be scanned.  Hmmmmmm.  That almost sounds like I was in the movies or something.

 

I’ve been reading books on designing websites, including learning all that web coding language.  I’m also looking into taking computer classes at the local community college, Crafton Hills College, here in Yucaipa.  I’ve already applied to the school, and now I’m just waiting for the go-ahead to register online.  The school even has a webmaster certificate that I think will help me gain the skills I need to set my website exactly how I want.

 

I stopped by Barnes and Noble today (like that’s a surprise) and bought a book on starting a small business in California.  I want to do my photography business the right way. Too bad it also involves making sure that I pay taxes on any sales I make of my photographs.  I hate taxes!  But on the bright side, once I file the proper paperwork, I can start deducting my photo-related expenses.  Ooooooohhhhhh…maybe I’l invest in the top-of-the-line Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III.  Yeah right, that camera is so heavy that I’ll probably need a crane just to carry it around!