PET PICS: Relax.. and "git DOWN!!!"

Do you love having pictures of your pet but you can't seem to get the pics to turn out the way you'd like when you take them?

Relax. You don't have to be a pro! Here's a little suggestion. Just a small adjustment in your thinking will make all the difference in the world.

SHRINK. Don't shoot down on Buffy. She's a little dog (OR cat). You'll just get a fat, broad back and disappearing feet if you shoot from above! You come down to their level and up "close and personal."

You may have to wait for Buffy to calm down; she's all excited that you're really there on the grass WITH her. But you can give her a little massage around the face, ears... work down across the shoulders and spend a few minutes on her back to relax her. (LIFE and DOG shows you how)

http://www.lifeanddog.com/Web-2012/Infographic-The-Benefits-of-Massage/

When she settles down, you'll have up close communication with your pet that will come directly through the camera lens. Give it a try.. I think you'll be very pleased! Feel free to post your results here and let us see!!! Good luck!!

I'm in love with iPhone Apps

Phone Apps Make me Play!!

OK.. there I said it, I have become smitten with my iPhone apps and Instagram! (Sharp intake of breath!)  Yes, yes, I know we're limited with what we can do with our pictures, but look WHAT we can do with our pictures! Just a mundane photo of a spent rain tree seed pod on the rippled glass of our patio table can turn the piece into a work of art! If you have an iPhone,it's definitely worth your downloading a few apps and unleashing your creativity. Waiting for an appointment is no longer a pain for me. I simply whip out my trusty little phone and play... I have been even known to surreptitiously take pics of people and/or things around me. Then, I'll pop open one of FOUR folders of photography apps I've downloaded on my phone and tweak/play to my heart's content. I can be as subtle with the editing or as wild and crazy as I like; frankly, I tend to lean toward the unconventional end of the spectrum! (my Instagram pics are at: http://instagram.com/shercreel/ So.. TRY IT! You'll like it!!

Digital Paintings - Giclee at your service!

y secret is that I see beauty when and where others don’t. Beauty is in tiny details, inconsequential things, unnoticed expressions. It’s about capturing that magical moment to have for all time. My childhood love of photography has taken me through such technological evolutions over the years.. and how exciting it has been! Here, you’ll see that many of my photographs have become wonderful giclee paintings on canvas. From taking film images straight out of my little Brownie camera, my passion has become channeling that digital technology to blend photography with my artistic/painting ability to create traditional or contemporary digital paintings of vibrant colors, texture, and abstract effects. Conservative, they are not. Here, you’ll find some of my favorite “paintings,” each of which originated from one of my photographs. Through careful, digital brush work, color manipulation, and other techniques, these images come into their own as expressions of imagination and true works of art. Techniques used vary from painting to painting in this collection, but the most important thing to keep in mind is that each mixed media creation began with a simple digital photograph and a freedom to express.

<div style="width:500px;height:500px;text-align:center;margin:auto;" ><object width="500" height="500" classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000"  codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"> <param name="flashvars" value="offsite=true&amp;lang=en-us&amp;page_show_url=%2Fphotos%2Fshercreelphotography%2Fsets%2F72157630186103854%2Fshow&amp;set_id=72157630186103854" /> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /> <param name="src" value="http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=71649" /> <embed width="500" height="500" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=71649" flashvars="offsite=true&amp;lang=en-us&amp;page_show_url=%2Fphotos%2Fshercreelphotography%2Fsets%2F72157630186103854%2Fshow&amp;set_id=72157630186103854" allowFullScreen="true" /> </object><br /><small>Created with <a href="http://www.flickrslideshow.com">flickr slideshow</a>.</small></div>
Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Paintings Are Now Here!

BRIGHT, TEXTURED and WILD! My blog is now officially in transition to include all the things I do.. photography being but one part. I am a self-taught artist.. I've always painted for as long as I remember, have taken a class here and there, MODELed for a class here and there, but for the most part, I've learned by observing what I like from others' work. Lately, I've had a voracious appetite for learning new technique involving texture and color, the more, the better. The paintings you see in the collection here cover a span of time. The more conservative work, I more than likely did some time ago. The more rowdy ones :) are more recent.. And the foil! How I love glitz! So help yourself to looking around! Some of these are for sale... some are already in residence in someone's collection. Just shoot me an email and I can answer any questions.
Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

The Boys of Summer

Many a little boy's dream of playing baseball with "the big boys" begins in a Little League ball field anywhere across America. Cheering those little guys on are the moms, dads and grandparents, sweating it out in the brutal rays of the sun... including THIS Nana, who drove three hours to watch my precious grandson play his final game. SO, when he popped this ball in an awesome GRAND SLAM, you can bet your sweet bippy that I claimed it! He did that one just for his Nana! The best thing was being there with his dad, my son, to capture the moment.. the second best thing was getting home to download the pictures and finding that I'd actually captured the ball as it came in! AWESOME! Score one for Nana too! :)

Daddys and Those Little Girls

There's something about little girls that really tugs at a daddy's heart. The very mention of her name brings a delighted smile to his face, particularly this dad... and this little girl? It's OBVIOUS, there's no one like her DADDY! Photographing them together was particularly fun, but when I was able to truly look at the photos later, close up, and I saw the sweet expressions, I knew I had truly captured a magical moment.

Baby, Can I Drive Your Car?!

At a recent photo shoot with a precious young lady Harriet, we came upon the most adorable "seat" at a downtown Lafayette, LA, restaurant.  Here, she and my daughter Britt try out the back seat of this little "car"... not sure what kind it was but it was adorable!  This is just an example of going with what you're given as far as backdrops... we were just doing a walk-about, taking advantage of all the wrought iron, brightly painted walls and windows we came across, and having fun all along the way.  Had a GREAT time plus got some awesome pics!