A (quick) photoshoot with Lola

Tomorrow is the May 31 schooling show at Changewater Stables, and I have been all in a flurry getting ready to photograph it.  I successfully switched the lens, reviewed how to make ISO work for me (it may thunderstorm tomorrow, so I might have to shoot indoors), and decided to take the new camera/lens combo for a test run.  After figuring out how to combat the f/Ee error (too much aperture to handle), I had a very interested subject in Lola, the rescue mare I am leasing and retraining.  Doing portraits of horses is a bit different than taking action shots, but I feel it was a good warm up for the main event.  Enjoy my pretty horse!

"What is that clicking sound?"

"Shouldn't you be bringing me a treat or something?"

"I'm just so glamorous."

Honeybee

"Honeybee"
pen sketch

I was absurdly pleased this morning to see a bee visiting the purple speedwell growing in one of my flowerbeds this morning.  "Look!  A bee!" I squealed with delight to my significant other.  As spring progresses into summer and more of my flowers bloom, I've looked to see if I have any visiting pollinators.  Alas, not even the clover in the lawn has attracted bees, at least not while I've been around to observe it (admittedly, I am not home very much- something that I'd like to remedy).

You don't have to follow the news to know that bee populations are dwindling rapidly.  Just sit outside on a warm afternoon near some flowers, and you'll be surprised (and maybe saddened) as I am by the lack of these fuzzy little guys.  It's tragic for the bees, and bad news for us two-legs.  Without bees, we lose a lot of pollinators that make agriculture possible.  Certain species of flowering plants that require bees to assist in their reproduction may see a decline, as well.  There are many other species of pollinators out there, but how long until climate change and disease affect them, too?  

I want to help the bees, and I try to do so by planting flowers they find attractive in my garden, and allowing some dandelions and white clover to live in my lawn.  It's all right if I don't have pristine perfect grass if it's helping nature out a little.

My first business card, and a new blog layout

I've been asked to come back and photograph another schooling show at Changewater Stables this Sunday.  My trainer, Maren, informed me that this is going to be a much busier show than the last one, and will be starting at 8AM sharp.  She asked if I was going to have business cards, and I said that that would probably be a good idea.  In what is unfortunately becoming a more usual occurrence, I forgot about it- until this morning.  I checked out a couple of "free" business card websites, where you only pay for shipping.  However, shipping was both pricey and would take too long.  

I then went over to the website for Staples.  These aren't free, but they are convenient, quick (I can pick them up today if I get out of work on time), and they had many more card designs to choose from.  The prices were also reasonable.  I did not order many cards because I am hoping to create a website with my own domain in the near future, and so the website information will be going out of date.  I would like to say that I took the background photo, but I must give credit to the unknown artist.  My next business card will almost certainly be my own image.  The black and white printing was free (the horse is supposed to be a chestnut), and I also happen to prefer the look.  How wonderfully fortuitous.

My photography does seem to be taking baby steps towards professionalism.  I am very excited about this but also cognizant of the changes that are required.  For instance, since I am planning on uploading this Sunday's photos to this blog, I decided a more streamlined and professional makeover was in order.  A black background has the advantage of showcasing any photo; similar to how black velvet nicely shows off diamonds.  

I've got a fair bit of prepping to do for the show- the 77mm telescoping lens will be coming off of my Nikon D100 and onto the D300.  I'm also not sure if I will have the time to upload photos once the D300 is full.  Therefore, the D100 and its memory cards will have to tag along, and I would really like to find the attachment piece for my tripod.  Also, I will make printing through Staples an affordable option, but I would also like to try using a professional lab such as Simply Color Lab.  The professional lab will be of higher quality and have more options- however, it will also be pricier.  The choice will be up to my potential customers.   

Wildebeest

"Wildebeest"
graphite

It's rare for me to watch any sort of television, but when I'm not feeling well, I will watch Netflix.  Last night, I saw a documentary on wildebeest, which Wikipedia tells me are also called gnu (a quick check on Dictionary.com confirmed this).  I've always been somewhat biased against wildebeest, since they are the cause of Mufasa's death in the Lion King.  As a six year old, that particular scene was quite scarring.  However, two decades later, I can identify that it wasn't the fault of the wildebeest, and I curiously clicked on the Netflix documentary.  I was impressed by this hardy animal, which undergoes the longest land migration of any mammal and faces a multitude of threats in order to survive.  Their flowing locks reminded me of the barbaric splendor of Khal Drogo's hair.  It was in fact their mane which I most wanted to draw.

While not as aesthetically pleasing as their zebra compatriots, there is a certain beauty in the lanky gnu.  They are expressive and when not escaping from lions and cheetahs and hyenas (oh my), engage in playful behavior- a young calf displayed a lovely passage that any high level dressage horse would be proud to achieve.  The gnu embodies the will to live despite the dangers of its everyday life, and that inspired me to create this sketch. And, you know, they kind of remind me of horses, and I really like horses.

Return of the Spirit Horse

"Spirit Walking"
pencil

I began this drawing by focusing on the negative space surrounding the horse, as opposed to the horse itself.  The horse in the picture captured my attention with his expression and energy at the walk.  When I first began drawing the negative space, it didn't look very good- but then as I continued, I saw that the proportions of the horse turned out very well indeed, and it helped me create a better composition than usual.  Since the reference photo was a bit blurry, I decided I would return to my previous phase of "spirit" horses and enjoy the zen-like feeling of drawing squiggly lines and shapes within its body.  I did start working on this drawing on Paint, but my patience and enjoyment was at an end- so that will be a project for another time.  I envision this horse to be all tints and shades of turquoise, with a white mane and tail, on a warm, earthen background.  The trip to the Southwest is rapidly approaching, and I hope to find some personal inspiration and guidance during my adventure.  This drawing, for me, captures that hope and possibility.

Spotted Hyena- pen sketch

"Spotted Hyena"
gel pen

Here is a terrible photo of a less terrible sketch.  I'm feeling very tired and cranky, so do forgive me my transgressions.  While reading about hyenas, I discovered that they are closer in the animal kingdom to cats than dogs, but display behavior typical to both canids and felids.  Wildlife biology is absolutely fascinating- if only math wasn't so frustrating, maybe I could science.

Bees

"Mistaken for a flower"
HTC One camera phone

I almost didn't draw something today, but I convinced myself that it was worthwhile to try, even if it didn't turn out great.  And it would be okay if it didn't turn out well, because I'm rather tired and am on the eighth day of working twelve days straight.  Yesterday, during a very long and hot twelve hours of being on my feet, there was a bee that would not leave me alone.  (Foolish me, wearing perfume to an outdoor event).  I did have the opportunity to take some photos with my phone, since it was both quite persistent and docile in insisting that I had to be a flower of some sort.  One of the photos came out surprisingly artsy; my phone's camera was having trouble with the bright sunlight, but it yielded a very interesting effect.  Below is the drawing based off of the photo.  Bye the bee, we ought to be concerned about their declining population.  Plant native (or at least non-invasive) flowering plants in your back yard as a start to helping out- I'm planning on getting some veronica to augment my flowerbed.

"Bee the Light"
pen- sketchbook

Friday Sketch

pen

Portrait of a Horse

"Portrait"
graphite

I managed to completely fill up my leather sketchbook, so I have moved on to a new one.  It's a rare accomplishment for me, and one I hope to repeat.  This new sketchbook was purchased at the same time as the old one, and is the same size (I know, I know, I really ought to do some larger drawings).  

I was in the mood to draw a horse face.  The framing of the subject could have been done better- I would have liked to include all of the ears, not just the base, and also a little more of the neck.  I was able to fix having made the horse's muzzle too long and slender, and I do believe that this is only the second time that I have ever attempted drawing the veins on a horse.  While I could have spent more time on this, I am still happy with the result.

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

"Rose-breasted Grosbeak"
graphite
small leather sketchbook

My father told me on Sunday to keep an eye on my bird feeder for rose-breasted grosbeak, as he had seen them near his more southerly home.  They are migrating north to their nesting grounds, and were likely to pass through my neighborhood.  Sure enough, on Monday morning as I was looking out my kitchen window, I saw a single male rose-breasted grosbeak.  Throughout the day, I saw the same group of three males and one female visit my feeder.  The males would often have little spats, one hovering as the other prevented him from landing.  It was a beautiful day, and I had all the windows open in my house, so I could hear their plaintive calls wherever I was.  Dad said "It's like sneakers on a gym floor" but the noise seems so soft and subdued to me, that it's more like mice wearing sneakers on a gym floor.  These feisty and attractive seed-eaters were the inspiration for this sketch.

The Landing, and some thoughts on my direction in life

"The Landing"
ballpoint pen- about twenty minutes of sketching
small leather sketchbook

I've been remiss in posting, largely because my time and energy has been eaten up by preparing for an interview for a job that I didn't get, and also by my re-entry into the horse world.  It's probably better that I didn't get the job, despite what would have been a significant pay raise.  An administrative position, while lucrative, isn't truly what I want.  To be honest, what I really wanted was more money to play with ponies, especially now that I'm riding and leasing again.

I did my first horse show photography since the WEG trials at Gladstone nearly five years ago in mid-April, which you can take a look at here.  This quick sketch is based off of one of my photos from that day.  It was a laid-back and very fun event.  I took my Nikon D100 with the 135mm lens, which telescopes.  The multiple frame feature wasn't as effective as I had hoped, so I really had to focus on each horse and rider, count strides to the jumps, and try to time the photo so the horse was in the position favored in most jumping photos- knees up and forelegs tucked underneath the body.  Since I am a rider, I had pretty good luck with that.  I unfortunately had some issues with blurriness in the more distant shots.  

The folks at the schooling show seemed pretty happy with my work though, and I even sold a few photos.  My price was much cheaper than what the professionals at the big shows charge- according to my trainer, $75 for a small photo.  I'm not a full-time photographer in the least, and I want people to buy my work- so I suppose I could consider this an introductory phase.  Were this a full time gig, I would charge much more.  I have to live, after all, and roughly $70 for six hours of work (plus editing, uploading, and printing photos) doesn't cover the labor.  For now, this is for fun.  I think I would enjoy specializing in schooling shows and lessons.  I'm not very comfortable with the tense atmosphere at rated shows, and I do think that people would love to have photos of the hard work and fun put into their horses.

Part of me still longs to drop the full-time job and jump into full-time artist status, lack of a steady paycheck notwithstanding.  Or at least go to a part-time job, to alleviate things like having to eat and keep a roof over my head, and devote the rest of my time to what I really love.  It may be worth the sacrifices required.

This was shared with me recently, and is making me rethink what I'm doing right now.