Time flies when you're having fun. I went on an impromptu photoshoot with my sister on Saturday. I love the colors of Fall.

I had a wonderful time spending an entire day shooting pictures in Detroit with my sister friend Val from church!

The Dream Cruise down Woodward through Birmingham, MI was interesting. Although I am not a car person, I loved looking at the colorful automobiles slowly cruise thru the streets. Of course I had my trusty dusty cameras along!

Well I am back to shooting just about everyday or improving my craft of photography. I have been playing with Aperture, Photoshop Elements and Lightroom this week as well as studying new photographic techniques. These are pictures I took along the path I walk on once a week.

Where does the time go After spending a couple of days in Orlando at Epcot and Universal Studios with my middle grandchild, I was exhausted upon returning home....there is no place like home. Since being home, I have returned to my photography and playing with photoshop, lightroom and aperture software.

I decided to not take pictures for a week!! Boy was that hard but I did. Instead I took the time to go thru hundreds of photos of my grandkids to put together a photobook for my son TJ. After working with creating a photobook with Photoshop Elements 6, I discovered I could make the photo album into a movie and email. Lo and Behold and discovered today that I could upload the video to facebook (my son told me) and to my blogger page so here it is. The last 2 pages don't have the pictures ....I don't know why...oh well...enjoy!

Bringing it all into focus. I focused on the rose bud with the full bloomed rose in the background. If we knew what our future looked like before we were there, would we want it?

I have been watching the leaves and buds on my rose bush for 3 weeks. You can't imagine how excited I was when the large white rose finally opened up Sunday morning and it had just a few dew drops on it. It made the perfect black and white picture!  

Sometimes we find ourselves wanting to see the end results without going thru the steps and stages needed to get there.  Just like the rose, beauty takes time and so does success.

This flower is absolutely beautiful. It is made of two colors with purple lines radiating out from the center!  Purple is one of my favorite colors.  What are your two favorite colors?  Is there a flower that is one of those colors?

Yellow Eye

I didn't realize how difficult it was going to be to keep a journal on a daily basis.  I loved taking pictures every day but then to take the time to journal about them wasn't easy.  My goal this week was to post pictures of the eye or middle of flowers.  It was very interesting to see the difference in the centers.  I think this is a daisy but I am not sure. I love the middle of it...how full it is and is a wonderful accent to the beautiful yellow petals that surround it.

The Serious One

My grandson is spending time in New York and we had a great time talking via Skype today! What a wonderful way of being together via a live chat! It was just like being there....sort of.

Flower Centers

Eight days of bronchitis zapped me of all energy.  I did take time Sunday taking pictures of flowers. This week I am focusing on the flower centers and the stars in the middle.

The Man with the Golden Ear

 I have often wished my ability to sketch was good enough to do a drawing of my son.  Well, thank God for Photoshop and the magic of turning a photo into a sketched drawing and polarize it.  Voila, TJ, the Man with the Golden Ear.  Check out his website www.tjsdjs.com. (So says the proud Mother)

Juliiard Here I Come

There is a very talented young man that attends my church and I know we are going to hear great things about him in the future.  Today I played with a couple of pictures of him singing and dancing.  Juliiard would definitely be the right place for him!

Skies of Blue

Whenever I look at a clear blue sky or even a sky with a few clouds floating around in it, I think of my cute little grandchildren and the song....keep your head to the sky!

Music- The Common Denominator

I took a picture last week of the bricks outside of my home.  Today as I started manipulating the photo, I placed a few shapes on the wall and changed the colors.  Before I knew it, my picture looked like the earth being surrounded by music.

One thing that we all have in common is music. It doesn't matter where you go in the world, you will hear music by American artists.  Music is truly a beautiful common denominator that keeps us all connected.

The Sky is the Limit

This week my focus will be on interpreting sayings, adages, quotes and using photos to express what the phrases mean to me.  I know that sounds too simple!  So I will also manipulate the photos using a different filter, adjustment or technique with photoshop elements!

I chose to play with the photo of the sky today.  Do you place limits on yourself.  People used to tell me to shoot for the moon, the least you will do is fall on a star!!

Enjoy a blessed week.

Although I did not post a few days this week, not a day goes by that I don't think about my theme for the week.  I found myself looking for or looking at lines, wondering what would I write about them.  This is a leaf from the plants around my home.  The close up photo reminds me of a watermelon more that it looks like a leaf.  The lines are called veins.  Without the veins would the leaf still have life?

Lines on my closet door looked interesting today.  I saw the v for VICTORY and a praise dance I did in church had a line about victory.....hmmmm is that an omen for something good about to happen in my life?

Lines

This week I have decided to explore lines.  We are surrounded by lines.  Where are they going? What are they made of and what would happen if they weren't there?

The lines that I chose to photograph today were the line of bricks that my condo is constructed from and the long tree root that runs into my condo. 

Would the tree be weaker if the root wasn't as long and as thick?  Are our roots the reason we are as strong as we appear to be?

There are also lines that exist between the bricks, the mortar.  Who is your support system? Who is the glue that holds you and your family together?

Reader's Heaven

My favorite place of all times is the library. When I was a teenager, I used to walk uptown to the library and get lost in the book shelves. I often thought of being a librarian but I decide teaching English would be a lot more fun.  I am surrounded by books in my home....books are my friends.

Whenever I go to the library, my heart skips a beat as I approach the glass doors.  

As a child, when we were bored, my mother would simply tell us to get a book!  I guess I was the only one who actually got a book and read it!

Door to the courtyard

There are days I just sit on my living room sofa and look out the storm door and take in the serenity of the space outside.

Palace Door

When I enter the door to my home I take in a deep breath and let it out slowly...there is no place like home.

What is on your front door?

A Fang wood carved door from Gabon hangs on my door!

You probably thought I forgot about yesterday. No I didn't forget, just didn't take the time to take the picture and upload it.  This week my photojournal is about entrance ways, doors and windows.  My car is like my "getaway".  When I get into my car, I could drive for days. Driving actually relaxes me.  Where do you go to get away from it all and how do you get there?

Who ya gonna call?

If you had only one phone call you could make today and it might be your last, who would you call?

Hmmmmmmm?

Don't Stop

OK so I said stop yesterday and today's sign says not to stop creating.  I have not created any art in weeks but I can't really say that since I am considering my photography as art. I haven't stop creating and you shouldn't either. Whether it is planting flowers in your garden, watercolor painting or putting a fresh coat of paint on your bedroom wall...keep creating!

Stop Sign

Playing with Photoshop this week has been fun. I converted the usual red and white stop sign to a very pretty blue/turquoise.  I am not sure why I keep coming up with ways to stop...stop and smell the flowers...stop and take some me time and now just plan old Stop.

Stop and Think about what you are doing, what direction you are going in, where you want to be in 5 years.

Stop and Think about it, think about it, think about it.  

Do NOT Enter

I have a wonderful sign on my door at work that reads "Please Knock First". My days are relatively busy at work and students love to drop by to just say hello but they often will enter without knocking so I taped the sign to the door.  I am wondering what would happen today if I simply put this DO NOT ENTER on the door. I am sure it wouldn't work but it would be a great conversation starter about how they probably have signs like this on their bedroom doors at home and how do they think their parents feel when they see those signs!! Hmmmm....food for thought.

How many times do you go home and wish you could put that sign on your front door or on your bedroom door or on your family room door.  My grandson once told me that I just needed some 

"Me time". Your "me time" may be an hour a day or one day a week or a whole week out of the month. Whatever, whenever you can....set aside some time for yourself. Go and get your ME TIME.

FIRE!

Thought I forgot huh?  Going thru "the change" is no fun.  Last night was a night of night sweats!

Besides playing today, I am also going to be closed to negative people.  Hopefully they will be able to read this sign loud and clear as they approach me!   Have a great day!

Signs you Wear - Caution

This week I have decided to have more of a focus.  After spending most of the day thinking about what direction I wanted to take my photovoice, at 8pm this evening I had an aha moment.  As I passed the old barn down the street the private property sign screamed...DO SIGNS SILLY!

So here we have it.  

What invisible sign will you be wearing tomorrow or the next day or the next day?

On Mondays, I work with three English Language Learners classes.  I have fun playing and doing art stuff with them on Mondays so the sign Caution Children at Play is really more for me than them.

What invisible sign are you wearing?

Keep Your Head to the Sky

When I looked at this picture, all I could think about were the lyrics from  the old Earth, Wind and Fire song..."Keep your head to the sky."

He gave me the will to be free Purpose to live his reality. Hey, and I found myself never alone Chances came to make me strong. To step right up and be a man cause you need faith to understand. So we're saying for you to hear Keep your head and face atmosphere. Keep your head to the sky. Don't walk around with your head hung down Keep your head to the sky Keep your head to the sky. Surely, surely the clouds are gonna tell you why.

Take Time

After I overslept today, I decided it was ok to be late!!! I chose to use a picture of the flowers in front of my home. I can't remember their names.  All I know is they come up every year without fail, without me attending to them, without me even watering them.  So I figure the least I can do is take time to smell them everyday as I enter my condo!

Take time to stop and  smell the flowers!!!  Enjoy life!

Enjoy.

Stumbling Blocks

What are stumbling blocks? Do they keep you from reaching your goal or do they make you more aware of people or situations? I think stumbling blocks help you to watch your steps and to be very careful with every step you take over and around those things, places, people and potential problems. Stumbling blocks can only make you stronger.

Spring

What if every Spring we started thinking new attitude adjustment from the gloomy winter, the gloomy past, the gloomy BAD attitudes?  Think about it!

Reflections

When you look back or reflect on your day, what do you see? How did you spend your time? Who did you help or support? Who helped you?

Peace

Where do you find your peace? I find mine in church.

Voice Through Photography - Drain or Not to Drain?

My goal for the next 30 days is to do a photojournal entry a day.  I decided after completing a project using photovoice, an art therapy intervention, I would try journaling daily using photos taken during the week.  During a walk near Stony Creek Metro Park, I stopped to smell the buds on the trees and take pictures of interesting things like this huge drain pipe.