It has been so long since I have blogged, I had to refresh my memory.  I have been so engrossed in learning from fellow photographers on http://arlene-carmel.artistwebsites.com/.  What have I learned you might ask.  Well........ I have learned to lasso, crop, clone, vignette, dodge and burn, use the healing brush, isolate an image......and it goes on.  I will be sharing some of the results here.  For now, please enjoy this image.

Oh....I forgot to mention my husband bought me Photoshop 10 for my birthday. Yes.....I am having fun.  Please visit my website, link posted above.  I'll be back!!

Macro Fun

I must admit the idea of a fruit photo shoot was not a top priority today.  I have used fruit to enhance a photo when taking photos of our sale items for the Etsy store my daughter Yakira and I share.  Nothing fancy.............not really innovative or creative, but a simple enhancement.

                                                                                                                  

                                               

Well......last night I was working on my FAA gallery.  I  went to what is called the activity page to thank people for making comments on my photos and to view some of the new work that had been listed.  One of my fellow FAA artists had just posted photos using his new Macro Lens,  Although a photo of strawberries was not something I would have expected in his gallery, the photo looked good enough to eat.  Light-bulb time.....it gave me an idea.

I had just purchased fresh fruit yesterday.  Why not have fun with it as well as use it as a prop for the shoot Yakira and I had planned for our Homer Laughlin Fiesta Dinnerware. So........enjoy.  And to Rachel, my 7 year old granddaughter....bon appetite.

                                                            

               Blue Plate Special.

Until next time.  Nom nom nom.......

What's new?

I have been pretty busy for the past two weeks working on the sites where I have listed my photographs. But all work and no play makes..........money??   Just kidding.    I have actually been having fun re-sizing my photos and watermarking them, trying to deter people from copying them for their own use. (They are copyrighted.) Plus it is totally amazing watching my galleries take shape.

Last evening I started listing several  photos that I captured in Chicago.

I am going to use this blog to share some of the photos that are interesting (in my opinion), but did not make the cut. Chicago is such a great city.  There was a photo to capture around every corner.

Marilyn graces the windy city.

                                                            
                                             

Cool....huh.

                                                                                                                                                                                             
  I do have to celebrate my first  photo sale on Etsy.

 I sold an 11 X 14 of the Ferris Wheel at the navy Pier.                                                                                                                                                                           

So, back to work.

Oh, visit me at Society6.

I'll be back.

I took the plunge.

Today I decided that I was going to take the next step and set up a formal web site for my photography.  Wanting to avoid huge costs, I asks some Etsy photographers as well as a friend who sells his work locally for advice.  I have opened my web site on Fine  Art America.   http://arlene-carmel.artistwebsites.com

I have started with three galleries. Portugal, doors and flowers.



There is no rhyme or reason as to why I selected this subject matter to open my website.  I just selected photos that make me smile.  It is exciting to see my work in a more formal setting.  It is also exciting to really take steps toward becoming a professional photographer.

So....I am a work in progress....well my career as a photographer is a work in progress.


At the moment my web site has the same photographs my Etsy site has.  Please don't let that stop you from going to the site.  I can assure you I will  have a variety of galleries with my photos posted for sale in short
order.

  

And....yes there will be lots of ocean scenes.

A large part of creating an Etsy store is selecting and preparing photos for sale.   Many times I am looking for similar subject matter so that my store does not appear to be without rhyme or reason.  It is so hard to not get sidetracked......and tonight was no different.  I was drawn to reflection photos.
                                                   
Neither of these two photos will make it to my store.   If you look closely, you can see me, the photographer.

 This is a mistake made by almost every photographer at some point in their careers, but sometimes it  makes for an interesting shot.  I feel like I should make this a "Where is Waldo" contest. Can you find me?

 Most of the time I just delete the photo, but for some reason, this one made it through the cut.

Then there is the one I took knowing I would be in the reflection.  Then.....
out of nowhere...... someone walked into my picture.  Oh.... I cropped her out, and I could Photoshop her totally out, but I am not sure this is a photograph that anyone but me would be interested in owning.





So, while I was at it, I decided to look for other photos with a "refection theme" in mind.  I surprised myself by finding photos I had forgotten about.

Mostly because they are just nice photos  

Random Thoughts

Did I mention I love taking pictures? I have always been somewhat of a shutterbug.  What I love now is the freedom digital photography brings to my creativity. So I have been combing through my photos just enjoying reliving the moment.

Naturally I could not help but notice I get hooked on a theme from time to time. Doors..........I have hundreds of pictures of doors.  What am I going to do with hundreds of pictures of doors you might ask?  Well.....I'm not sure.

 
 

                                                                           


Do I share my doors?  
                  
  Will people find them as fascinating as I do?                                

Who walked through those doors?

            

   What is the history?

           
                                                       

 I have not even opened the doors of Dublin yet.

 I'll save then for another time.