The Passing of Time

“Time is the fire in which we burn” ~ Scott Garrabrant

As another New Year rolls in, the emphasis on passing of time is on many people’s minds. We often reflect of what occurred the previous year and hopefully plan for the coming or current year. We all have our memorable moments ranging from intimate to entertaining to world events. For me, our family gained two new baby girls who are just a delight and of course beautiful. The St Louis Cardinals once again played some decent baseball, making it into the play-offs. I was stunned by Robin Williams death and to this day try to have more compassion for others, not knowing what demons they may be facing. The Ebola outbreak and the three downed Asian commercial air crafts were scary and the landing of the Rosetta Space Craft after a 10 year journey astounding. They were many more moments all evoking an emotional response from us, all extracting time from us to process the events. Some joyful, often they are painful or alarming.

This brings me back to my quote at the beginning of the post, “Time is the fire in which we burn”. A very dramatic statement said by an often intense, fully alive person.

I vow this year in 2015 to be more conscious of my time, using it wisely not only in business but for fun and pleasure also. Appreciate the small stuff that happens each and every day. When I feel stuck, I want to push thru to the other side and not be such a perfectionist or fearful about the outcome.

We are all organisms here for a limited amount of time. Let us burn wisely.

Thanks for visiting and more of my Abstract portfolio can be viewed on my website

I have always been a big fan of trees. When I was in college I was so infatuated with trees, I took a 3 credit course. It was fascinating. As the season changes from summer to fall, I am reminded of just how majestic trees live their life. Many grow for decades, enduring extreme temperature and environmental changes and still manage to survive. Not too certain we humans would do as well. I came across this quote of Jeffrey McDaniel’s regarding trees and it really hit home.

“I realize there is something incredibly honest about trees in winter, how they’re experts at letting things go.” – Jeffrey McDaniel

Although this is not a fall foliage image, it does show the strength of this tree. The ability to endure coastal living with it’s sandy soil and constant salty conditions is just another way trees show their strength and honesty. Knowing when and how to conserve energy to endure.

Thanks for reading and check out more of my nature portfolio on my website.

Creating Borders Around Images

Creating borders around images can do a lot to enhance an image and make it stand out. This is especially important for viewing on the web whether you have your own website or using Pinterest, facebook or other social media outlets or image sharing sites. It can be a simple as putting black borders around an image or something a bit more complex with multiple borders and simulating a frame. Below are three quick steps to putting a border around your image using Photoshop CS6.

Creating Image Borders

1) Give some thought to the final size you would like your image. Using Pinterest as an example, I know one of their pin sizes is 735 x 735 pixels and pins look good with a 8 to 10 pixel border. For this example I will use a 10 pixel border in black.

Image Size Screen in Photoshop CS6

2) Open the image in CS6 and go to Image > Image Size and resize the image to 725 x 725 pixels x 72 pixels.If your image is not square format, you could use the Crop Tool and crop an interesting portion of the image and link the Pin to your posted image. If you use the crop tool, be sure to click the Option to Delete cropped pixels located on the top of your toolbar.

Canvas Size Screen from Photoshop CS6

3) Final step is to go to Image > Canvas Size and expand the Canvas. First make sure Pixels is selected in the drop down menu and enter 10 in the Width and Height. This will change your total image size to 735 x 735 pixels. For the Canvas extension color field use the drop down menu and select Black or one of the other choices of White, Grey. You may also want to select a custom color using Other option and Color Picker to select the color you desire. If the Canvas extension color option is dimmed and you are unable to make a selection your Layer is probably not locked. The canvas extension will appear transparent after accepted. Just add a blank Layer and fill that layer with whatever color you want for your border. Either way works beautiful and creating borders around your images gives you a great tool for finishing off your images.

Here is an example of a pin I created using the above three simple steps.

Thanks for reading and more of my work can be viewed on www.susanmcanany.com.

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Solo – New Image Uploaded

Solo is a new image I just uploaded to my website, www.susanmcanany.com. Since fall and cooler temperatures are right around the corner for most of the country, my mind and inspiration went to trees. Trees were something I had a bit of a love affair with in college and growing up in the midwest. I had books and identified them by bark and leaf structure whenever hiking or walking around campus. I am still in awe of them today and a part of nature I truly miss living in Florida. I stumbled across this image in my archives and went to work making it something special to me and hopefully you can appreciate it also. This tree stands solo in the green farmlands of Palouse, Washington area. I photographed in the late spring one year and was awed by the fullness and strength it displayed standing there alone in the rolling hills through all kinds of weather. It also made me appreciate just how fertile this landscape must be to keep this tree healthy and how fortunate we are to have such wealth in the USA.

“Solo”

Thanks for reading and more of my images can be viewed on my website or at my Etsy Store.

The Agony & The Ecstasy

Recently I watched The Agony and The Ecstasy” starring Charleston Heston as Michelangelo and Rex Harrison as Pope Julius II. The movie was released in 1965 and tells the story of Michelangelo’s artistic conflicts while painting the Sistine Chapel in the 1500s. I watched the movie right before I was getting ready to travel for a photo assignment. The entire movie was extremely powerful for me as an artist, but one line, a quote of Michelangelo in particular I think of often when working with my images.

“If the wine is not good, then throw it out!” ~ Michelangelo

He spoke these words right before he destroyed a rather large section of the Sistine Chapel he had been painting. It was large panels of the 12 Apostles Pope Julius II had wanted, but was not true to his own vision. I think of this quote many times when selecting, editing images or just striving for excellence. Working in the art world can be a constant battle between the agony and the ecstasy, but I certainly would choose to to nothing else.

Another lesson to be learned from Michelangelo is no matter where you are creatively, you have the power to migrate from one modality to another. Or in my case, one concept to another. Michelangelo’s true creative love was being a Sculptor and only committed to the painting the Sistine Chapel with the promise of a future sculpting commission. However, the Sistine Chapel, in the end is what he is most known for.

There are many other concepts to be learned from Michelangelo, but watch the movie The “Agony and the Ecstasy” and see what you come up with.

Thanks for reading and visit my website to view more of my work.

Tips for Shooting Fireworks

Just back from a vacation that included shooting fireworks. Although, I didn’t have a tripod with me, I did manage to get a couple of keepers. Without a tripod, the trick is to make sure you are very stable in your stance. I sat and used my arms as a two legged tripod resting against my knees. The goal is to be stable enough to deliver a sharp image at slower shutter speeds. Holding your breath when clicking the shutter helps too. That is how I was shooting that night.

Here are a few other tips on how to photograph fireworks.

1) Increase the ISO on your camera. Many newer cameras deliver low noise at ISO 800 and above, so I would not hesitate to use those speeds on your camera. It will help tremendously with higher shutter speeds and sharper images. In addition, if do you need to reduce noise, there are options in Photoshop, Lightroom and several Plug Ins such as Topaz Labs DeNoise and Nik’s Define that would accomplish that task. But often with the dark night as a background for the fireworks, noise is not very obvious.

2) Set your camera to Shutter Priority and for the image below I used a shutter speed of .5 of a second. You may need to increase this amount based on your quickness with the shutter release and if your camera is on a tripod. A longer shutter speed will let in more light, which also will lighten the dark sky. You could also use the Bulb setting on your camera that allows you to manually determine your shutter speed.

3) If possible, use a tripod or situate yourself where you can use your body as a tripod.

4) Use a lens with a wide focal length. For this image I used my Canon 24-105mm lens and shot at 24mm. If viewing an elaborate fireworks celebration, a wider lens would be beneficial. You would pick up more of the sky and the fireworks.

5) Once the camera is set up, try to get a feel for the timing of the fireworks and keep your camera positioned at the area where they go off. If you can use a remote cable release this is easy to do. When you see them hit your spot, press your shutter.

6) Be aware and adjust the camera settings as needed depending on your results.

Good luck and have fun!

Thanks for taking a look. More of my work can be viewed on my website.

Sunshine Lollipops and Rainbows

This week I was featured in another great Etsy Treasury, Sunshine Lollipops and Rainbows. Actually, two of my prints were featured, which is a first for me. A big thanks to Joanna Bury, the Curator of her Treasury, Sunshine Lollipops and Rainbows. What really attracts me to this Treasury are the vibrant colors she used to illustrate happiness. This led me to contemplate on the concept of color and how it impacts my work and also my mood.

I currently live in a very sunny climate, but I do remember those days of living with ongoing gray and overcast skies and how that weather would impact my everyday outlook on life. (often I would love to just stay on the couch and usually gained at least 5 lbs throughout the winter) Looking back I realize during those days, I was interested in making more black and white images and attracted to darker conceptual imagery in photography. I believe my overall preferences in life were gloomier also, such as books, writings and media. Today, when I work in black and white, I am eager to be done. Finished with that specific piece or project. I love color and prefer my personal work to be big and vibrant. Whether that is a function of my current living situation or just a creative phase I am in will only reveal itself with time. Also, a great concept for a research project. Meanwhile, I plan to enjoy all the sunshine, lollipops and rainbows that I can. How abut you? Do you see any parallels with your environment and your art?

Here are the two images featured in the Treasury, Sunshine Lollipops and Rainbows. Both vibrant, extremely upbeat and available for sale on my website or at my Etsy Store.

“Perfect Form” by McAnany

“Yellow Zebra” by McAnany

Thanks for reading and check out more of my work can be viewed at www.susanmcanany.com.

As hockey’s Stanley Cup Play-offs come to the final round a quote of Wayne Gretzky comes to mind:

“One hundred percent of the shots you don’t take, don’t go in.” Wayne Gretzky

In this year’s Stanley Cup the LA King and NY Rangers are matched up and this quote came to mind as Wayne Gretzky dropped the first puck of the series. Tonight maybe the deciding game of the Stanley Cup Winner as the Kings have dominated the series thus far. I have to admire the efforts put forth by both teams; the incredible amount of shots at the net in pursuit of a goal, endless skates back and forth on the ice, and just the sheer number of games played to get to this point in the season. I have true admiration for both teams. I know I will be watching and I hope you do too.

Thanks for reading and more of my work can be viewed at www.susanmcanany.com.

Abandoned Door Featured on Etsy Treasury

My print Abandoned Door has been featured on the Etsy Treasury “The Silver Lining”. Actually many of my prints have been included in Treasuries in the past and I am gratefully to each and every Curator and Treasury. However, every once in awhile a truly creative vision occurs in a Treasury. What makes this one great is the collection of eclectic items linked together by the muted colors of brown, gray and black. This gives the collection a very mysterious feeling and demands some thought and appreciation. I myself have created very few Treasuries on Etsy so I know coming up with a unique idea and searching for stunning items requires time and thought outside the box. This is a fabulous collection, so take a few moments and check it out. If you care to leave a comment, favorite it or post it to your facebook page, I am sure the Creator would appreciate it. While you are there, check out my art, Abandoned Door which is featured in the Etsy Treasury, The Silver Lining.

Treasury: The Silver Lining

“Abandoned Door” by Susan McAnany

Thanks for stopping by. View more images from my Prison Life project on my Portfolio.

Birth Control

My print titled Birth Control was including in this stunning Etsy Treasury today. The collection makes interesting use of cool color of blue and monotone. Birth Control has always been a favorite of mine. Done in studio, using acrylic cubes long with a reflective surface on late night when creative juices were flowing. This is a great collection on Etsy which I am very happy to be a part of. Please check it out.

Title: Birth Control

Close up of ice cubes on reflective surface

Etsy Treasury “Frosting” by Carrie Norberg

More of my work can be seen on my website or at my Etsy store.

McAnany Photography

Blog of fine art photographer Susan McAnany.