Archive for the ‘She Shoots’ Category
Ten Things I Am Afraid Of
Written by Rocky Mountain Woman on April 12, 2013 – 6:24 am -
1 . Mice – my all time, worst fear in the world is vermin. Mice and (shudder) rats. Out here in the wilderness we have these critters called Rocky Mountain Trader Rats. They are all over the place and basically, they’re pack rats. I hate them with every ounce of my being. I found one stuck in the wall once and nearly died of fear. For real…
2. Ladders – Years ago, I was holding a ladder that my mother in law was climbing because I had locked myself out of my apartment and the only windows open were on the second floor. At the time, I had no fear of ladders, so I was planning on climbing it myself. My mother in law had a fear of me climbing a ladder so insisted on doing it herself. She said something like “I’d rather you took care of me when I break a leg than me take care of you AND your kids when YOU break a leg. The ladder broke in two, half of it fell into a window and broke the glass which my mother in law fell on top of. She broke her leg and cut her arm in numerous places requiring weeks of hospitalization. I felt horrible, still do. Haven’t been able to climb a ladder to save my life since that day.
3. Lightning – I lived in South Florida for a long time and just about every day some poor old guy on a golf course got hit by lightning. My neighbor’s nine year old nephew was killed by lightning while I lived there, it’s nothing to mess with people. Just stay away from it, ok?
4. Snakes. Hate their slithering, slimy ways and how they can creep up on you or be in a tree above you (shudder). Out here we have rattle snakes, they can actually kill you or kill your horse. I had a dog bit by one once and she almost died. Snakes are evil.
5. Flying – I fly a few times a year and hate it every time I do. I’m ok when I’m actually in the air (especially if I have a good book), but I hate airports and waiting and sitting on the tarmac until the plane gets hurtled into the sky, all of it wigs me out slightly. I do realize that it’s the best way to get from point a to b and if I really want to be at point b, I just get on the stupid plane and go, but it’s not fun.
6. Amusement rides – again, I can get on them if a grandchild is adamant about getting on and no one else will go with him. I just am not comfortable getting shaked, rattled and rolled without a dance floor and band being involved. I don’t get scaring myself for fun.
7. Which leads me to scary/violent movies and tv shows. When I relax in front of a screen, I want to laugh, not scream. I don’t mind a little suspense and mild violence, bad language and sex doesn’t bother me, but cruelty to people or animals, and especially children, will earn me leaving the room or turning the tv off. Maybe I’m a wuss, but I just don’t get scaring myself for fun.
8. People reading my writing – I know, you’re doing it right now, but it scares the living bejezus out of me. I keep putting it out there though, hoping some day it won’t terrify me quite so much.
9. People who believe that they know what’s best for you and are determined to make sure you follow their plan for happiness.
10. Losing it – I don’t mind wrinkles, a few extra pounds, aches and pains, but please for the love of all that’s holy, I want to keep being me. I’ve spend years perfecting the craziness that I call me. I like me! I want to stay me as long as I can. I watched my sweet mom lose herself to Alzheimer’s , it’s not the way to go.
Posted in She Shoots, She Writes | 8 Comments »10 Things I Love About the Mountains
Written by Rocky Mountain Woman on February 13, 2013 – 12:54 pm -This post is in honor of the letter “M” and part of Jenny Matlock’s Alphabet Thursday. For more marvelous “M” posts, please click here http://jennymatlock.blogspot.com/
“I’m a person of the mountains and the open paddocks and the big empty sky, that’s me, and I knew if I spent too long away from all that I’d die; I don’t know what of, I just knew I’d die.”
― John Marsden, A Killing Frost
Here are 10 things I love about the mountains:
The soft evening light
The sweet morning light
Trees
Critters
Solitude
Dark night skies
Quiet
Beauty
Peace
“Mountains are not Stadiums where I satisfy my ambition to achieve, they are the cathedrals where I practice my religion.”
― Anatoli Boukreev
Photography Class
Written by Rocky Mountain Woman on February 8, 2013 – 7:16 am -A few months back, I decided to take a food photography class. It was the most fun I’ve had in a long time! The class was once a week in the evening for four weeks and it was at a commercial photographer’s studio, so we got to play with all his cool toys and props.
I thought I’d share some of the tips he gave us with any of you who are as obsessed with photography, and food photography in particular, as I am.
These are a few shots of his normal set up for food. His studio is in an industrial park and the door to the back is an overhead door that lifts up, so during the day he just opens that door and shoots in natural light. On overcast days and in the evenings, he uses this set up. Cool, huh?
Here are my notes from the class:
Before shooting, spend a little time trying to figure out what mood you are trying to convey, and what props and lighting will help you get the mood you are seeking.
Height = Drama
Use natural light whenever possible. If you can get light from the north side of the building, all the better.
The bigger the light source, the softer the light will be.
Use a small light source to emphasize texture as in crackly skin texture.
Always use a tripod (I find this hard to do, I get impatient to eat!)
When there are several items in the shot, odd numbers are better than even numbers. In other words, five cupcakes look better in a photograph than six (not sure that I completely agree with this one).
In order to get the best shots while the food is still fresh, take shots from the top first, close ups second and shots from farther back last.
Mostly, we practiced shooting different types of food, which, of course, is the very best way to learn photography.
Posted in She Shoots | 17 Comments »