Suffering for the sake of art

We've been thinking about blowing up some of my photos and putting them up in our house. 

A cool water scene, slightly abstract, taken while we were in Colorado fishing...yeah, that one struck us as a good fit for the living room.

Once we made that decision, I trudged off to the photography shop and using a flash drive, had a 24x36 inch enlargement made.
Secure that such as size was considered "standard", I then began looking about for nice clear birch simple pictures frames at local thrift shops and standard picture frame shops.

Seems the world is still in black, silver, and brass land, at least in terms of picture frames.  Nary a single birch frame was to be found, at the thrift shops no frames close to the size that I need were found.

Worse, at the picture frame shops, the frames were all exactly 24x36 inches, which left no room for any kind of matting.

Next stop: IKEA.

I knew they had knew they had birch colored frames.  It only took a few minutes to discover that their "standard" sizes were not 24x36  inches; their Ribba frame was 28 3/4 inches by 40 1/2 inches.

Hmmmm....that left room for matting, and the ph neutral matting was included in the price.
The mat opening however was 19 1/4 inches by 27 1/4 inches. 
I would have to lose from the picture about five inches on one side of the picture and nine inches on the other side...something I was not willing to see happen.

Wish I had known that I would be using those dimensions when I originally had the print printed up...at just a tad over $40 after tax.

The IKEA frame price was pretty sweet though: $24.99. It was light and easy to handle because of the use of acrylic "glass" instead of real glass.

I figured I would just go for it and make it work.
By attaching the photo to the surface of the mat, I got the piece to look like it did in the photo above.

We looked at it, and immediately wanted a MUCH BIGGER mat and frame.
And after noting that the acrylic sheeting reflected more than it revealed the photo, we also decided we wanted museum quality non- reflective glass.

I began visiting custom frame shops, trying to find someone who carried a simple birch frame.  Not such an easy thing to find I soon discovered.
Each shop assured me that the cost of non-reflective museum glass would be about $300 in a size that worked for my picture plus mat border. 
My second non-reflective option: Non glare.

I didn't want the fuzzy looking traditional non-glare glass option...so I defaulted to a standard kind of glass which for some reason actually reflects and glares less than acrylic.

I also decided that while I would have liked a slightly heavier looking frame, in the end I decided that the one that was basically the same size as the IKEA frame would be fine.

Another bit of bad news: I could have two inches of matting around the picture at one price,  but once I went up to three inches the price skyrocketed into a different price category. Two inches would do, but the picture would get double matting. 

In the end, we paid 10 times more for a custom frame/glass/mat than we paid for the IKEA original set up (the picture at the top of this post) in order to get this look:

Instead of this look:

I am not sure that most folks would or could see much difference.

For some reason, neither Bernie or I could stand the original matting being narrower on the sides than on the top and bottom as it was originally. 

The whole "make it work" for us just didn't actually.

Here's the saving grace:

The picture is attached to a backing with photograph corners. 

The back can be pulled out, and the picture can be switched out seasonally with other photographs as desired.

I've already got my eye on a great photo for autumn, and another one for winter.

Bernie now wants to see more of my pictures up on the walls.

I've got the IKEA frame, now empty, and can have glass cut to replace the acrylic if I want.

A slightly different crop size will be used on the next picture I have printed for that frame.

Hoo boy.

What seemed like such an easy project sure turned out to be an experience with a steep learning curve.

Just sharing in case anyone else out there has a hankering for blowing up and framing their own big-bigger-biggest photos.

Wide World View

Regular lens....

Same shot, taken at the exact same place, only this time with a wide angle lens.
I kept thinking I wouldn't really use a wide angle lens, but then I noticed how often I did want a photo of scenes that were bigger than my regular lens could capture.
I priced the official Canon lens...and quickly knew didn't want to spend that much for an official Canon wide angle lens that I would probably only use once in a while.
Ebay to the rescue.
Twenty bucks later for a "Made in Japan" lens...well, my photo world just opened wide up.
Yeah, a bit of optical bowing shows if I try a wide angle shot of something closer, like the kitchen table.
But for a distance shot...hey, it works just fine for me.

Love those freebies!

About a week ago there was a tiny blurb in our local paper announcing the 84th Annual Outdoors Writers Association Conference would have a "Free To The Public" seminar entitled "Becoming an Outdoors Communicator" to be held up in Snowbird, on Friday July 8th.
Well, I "communicate" via my blog about the outdoors a lot...so what the hey.
Sounds like an interesting seminar I could relate to.
I carefully clipped the blurb and put it in my pile of interesting articles, and then forgot to add the event to my day runner calender.


Friday July 8th rolled around and I was doing some heavy closet organization and floor washing (always a thrill, right?) when I somehow knocked the little scrap of paper off a counter.
Curses! It was already noon...I had forgotten all about the seminar.

But wait!

The seminar started a 3 pm, and was only a half hour away.
Just like that I abandoned my housewifery, shoveled a lunch down and headed to the shower to clean up,

The three hour session had an outdoor themed radio show creator, authors, magazine and newspaper editors, consultants, free lance writer and photographer.
Each explained the joys and challenges of earning a living in outdoors communication.
Most of them said they barely made a living but they LOVED what they did and where it has taken them.
I took copious notes and realized I didn't want to work that hard, even if it would mean doing something I loved.
My "outdoors" communication would probably remain at a hobby level, but I would certainly be open to the idea of blogging for a company, maybe.
Then the conference organizer announced that they had six passes FOR FREE to the entire conference, if anyone attending the seminar was interested.
Maybe I was...maybe I wasn't.
But it wouldn't hurt to ask about what other seminars were being held during the conference, right?
Turns out there was a seminar on Outdoors Macro photography.
And just like that...I signed up to become an official attendee of the 84th Annual Outdoors Writers Conference, held in Salt Lake City, Utah.
(Glad I didn't try to pull this "wait to the last minute to go" thing next year. It will be held in Fairbanks Alaska. A bit more careful planning would definitely be required.)

The macro class was to discuss the making of stronger macro photos.
It was to be taught by Sam Dean, an award winning photographer with the Roanoke Times, and was to entail 30 minutes classroom time, then 90 minutes of field work.

I was to bring my camera, tripod and my best macro lens.


There was maybe 15 people in the class.
Mr. Dean had experienced the sudden loss of his mother-in-law, so another member of OWAA step in to pitch hit.
Professional photographer Jim Foster of Salmon Idaho entertained us with his clever quips, and give us a brief intro to Macro: 

Use a tripod (I have real problems with tripods personally; they just take too much time to set up).
Learn to use your camera's manual setting (but..but...I paid good money for all those automatic features!)
Be aware of depth of field (which means that in macro work only some of the picture will be in focus).

Light..there was something about light too...I'd have to go back and check my notes on that.


Then we headed outside to see what we could find photography to try hands at macro skills.

Oh, I just remembered:  The definition of a macro shot is one where the picture of the thing is larger than the thing is in real life.
I just thought it was really up close picture of something really tiny, so it would look big.

He showed a picture of a elephant that he took, a tight close up, and that also would be considered a macro.

Huh.  Good to know, right?


So for the record, my little four eyed spider friend in real life was about the size of an apple seed.
And you can bet your bippie that I am darn proud of getting the shot in such good focus that the eye highlights are clear...without using a tripod.
(I was sitting on the ground, bracing my elbows on my knees and shooting into the clump of grass about the size of small cantaloupe).

The most important detail that learned came about when Jim noticed one of the other two women in the class swapping out her camera lens. He asked her if she had turned off her camera first; she hadn't.  He advised her to ALWAYS turn off her camera before swapping lens as the camera being turn on has a magnetic/static effect that pulls dust inside the camera.
I knew that...and had forgotten about that fact, and sadly have been swapping lens in the field for a couple of months now.
So for that bit of advice I am truly thankful.

I have read a book on outdoor macro photography and several articles.  In the end, the final word on doing good macro work is a steady camera and lots of practice.

Jim did comment at length about the biggest challenge to macro photographers: Wind.
I was glad to hear I am not the only one that has mad magic powers to make any flower begin to wave about wildly in the breeze the moment I decide to photograph it.
Jim said his quick cheap fix for that problem is a metal skewer stuck into the ground and a bit of Velcro wrap that goes around the flower stem and the skewer to hold the flower steady.

Someone else suggested the idea of photographing rocks instead of flowers on windy days...

 Sunday morning there will be a second session of the class in which our photos will undergo critique. 
I can't wait...I have questions about why certain photographic effect happened in macro mode.
After today's session broke up I walked up to a patio area where there were flowers growing in containers. 
My tripod actually was used for these next flower shots.
I have come to the conclusion that I really hate my tripod, not only because it takes time to set it up, but also because the legs have only three adjustment heights. 
Naturally none of the three worked for what I was doing.

I think what I really need is either to take a class entitled "Tripods for Dummies" or buy a more expensive tripod.

I call this shot: "Two Hens Kissing Bearded Man".
After all the years I have have grown lobelias, I had never noticed this pattern within the flower before.

Cool, huh!

Then after I had gotten all packed up and was walking to my car, I spotted what everyone else had apparently been photographing while I was taking pictures of geraniums and lobelias.
This marmot had been busily mowing the lawn, eating one blade of grass at a time.

He was so funny; he would lay flat on the ground and nosed through the grass chewing away, biting another mouthful, then chewing some more, rather rapidly, and then about every minute or so he would look up, usually with a few grass blades still dangling from his mouth.


I was able to set my camera atop a pole to get a good steady shot; after I was done another woman came on the grass and used a very impressive tripod to take a series of shots of the marmot in another location.
Bernie said he hears that the Snowbird marmots just hang around the resort all the time now.

He was about 30 feet away from me; I used a telephoto lens set on infinity, and then cropped the picture down to get the "macro" shot of his face.

The drive home: Yes, there really was skiing at Snowbird on the Fourth of July.

The Snowbird area wildflowers are going to be late blooming this year for sure with all this snow still on the ground up there.
Sure is pretty though.
I'll be going back up there on Sunday for the critique session, and to take a class on Shooting on the Go: Better Action Photos.
Let me tell you; I definitely will be getting my money's worth out of this conference!

(And by the way, that "log" in the first picture was in real life about a quarter inch wide.)

Lo the winter is past....at least for a couple of days.

I am SO happy to have the opportunity to photograph flowers again, especially after six months of snow and white, white, white every where I looked. 

Last Thursday I shot crocus in my own garden, then drove over to Red Butte Garden to see what was bloom there now.

You might remember that last year Red Butte had 25,000 daffodils.

This year there are to be even more, but I knew the daffodil season was just beginning so I  wanted to see what was blooming there right now.

But first I took up a photo challenge: I wanted to see if I could capture light and shadow on the flowers in my own garden.

The clouds would erase the shadows as soon as I had focused on them, then the clouds would clear and back the shadows would come.
You probably are well aware that crocus are about four to six inches tall.
All these shots were taken while I was flat on my stomach in a flower bed thick with sequoia sticker branches.
Frenchie also was in the garden, checking me out, and wondering what on earth I was doing.
Thankfully I don't understand "cattish" or I am sure I would have had to answer a few of her questions!

But look!  Shadows! Little echos of the flower structure are seen on the petals!

(OK...I admit it, I get excited over the silliest things.)

Some of the blossoms were naturally shaded so artfully that shadow capture seemed unnecessary.

The tulips were budding along the steps to the lower garden. 
I got pretty stoked about seeing the first red buds getting ready to bloom.

Then just for the record: my fingers to show exactly how tiny is the miniature iris.

With the tulips, iris and tulips in my garden now duly photographed, I packed up my camera and headed to Red Butte Garden.
I was amazed to see the bees already working the flowers throughout the garden; we had snow just a few days earlier.

That more art than science stage of my macro skills allows me to feel good about shots like this one:  the blur gives a sensation of bee buzz.

Capturing the dusky elements found in budding petals...

and getting  the petals to look more like a painting than a photo...

And getting so up close that the glisten sheen and veins can be seen...
Absolutely worth getting my elbows soaked in mud and having my fleece jacket front covered with muck.

Occasionally I found things to photograph standing up...this particular early blooming bush had a steady bee buzz sound.
I was glad the bees were really intent on their task as I stuck my lens within an inch of their wings.

Now snow drops: There's a challenge for you.
I was flat on my back trying to get beneath the flower, wiggling to wedge myself closer in and under, while not disturbing any of the other plants.
The snowdrop was blooming right along an asphalt pathway, so at least I wasn't getting too dirty.
By-passers barely broke stride or conversational flow as they stepped around my recumbent form.

Finally I found a snow drop tall enough I could get the camera and my face under it to see inside.

Now I swore to myself I would remember what these little nickle sized flowers were called.
Should of taken a picture of the label.  When will I ever learn?

My home garden only has the dark blue mini iris; Red Butte had clumps of all the possible iris color variations.

Lenten Rose: I had never been much of a fan of this flower until I started going to Red Butte.  Now I am a bit nutty about all the interesting elements in the flower.

They are just so cool!  The more I look at them the more I see, and yet to see anything other than a rather bland downward facing cup shape requires reaching out and upturning the blossom.  Then...wow!  What an intricate design!

The pale baby blue iris surprised me the first time I saw one.

I wish I could say the Canada geese were back...but the truth is they never left.
They do photograph nice though.
The shadowing from the front and the light on the back is pretty.
For some reason this goose and the other Canada goose were determined to run off Mr. and Mrs. Mallard.
Huh...what's up with that?

The same scene that I had photographed in a frozen state just a couple of months ago.

Moss and shadows make this lovely pocket sized benched rest area.  Imagine the same view at your feet being just asphalt or concrete.

I would like to commend whomever thought to include this little six square design within the stone work.
Good job!  It looks great!

A penny sized flower that seemed to grow Seuss like in dots across a raised flower bed.  Don't you love how the hexagon shapes are exploding into blossoms and fuzz?

More irises that needed photographic attention...as up close and personal as I can get.

Veined, wrinkled and freckled spotted beauties all.
(Note to self: Veins, wrinkles and spots are beautiful.  Remember that next time you are dismayed by the same on one's self.)

Do you see the yellow bird flying from the throat of the flowers?

I readily admit that I am sometime using my camera to excuse my need to get my face just inches away from flower clusters like this.
If I tried to do put my face this close to the flowers without a camera in hand, I would probably have people thinking I was totally out of my mind.

Angel wings...descending doves...heavenly rays...sometimes I think if I could just listen closely I would finally be able to hear the flowers sing!

Another Lenten Rose...I know that this is just one of many variations of the Lenten Rose. I will be dropping by Red Butte regularly to be sure I don't miss the other varieties as they bloom in turn through Lent and even a bit past Easter.

(Totally love when stamen casts shadows!)

The tulip varieties also have a regular blooming pattern: very early, early, mid season, late season, late late season.
Just when I think I have finally found my favorite kind of tulip, then another variety blooms and I find I have changed my mind.

Daffodils...hi there first blooms.
Thanks for arriving early and for braving snow storms to bring your sunshine yellow again to our snowy world.

(The blurry daffodil with just the very tips of the outer petals in focus...what do you think?  I like it myself.)

How about rejoicing about seeing a gnat?
That gnat sized bug is hard at work spreading pollen unseen and unnoticed by all but me.
And now you as well...
Thank you gnat for your faithful unsung work.

Ha ha...fooled you for a moment didn't I?
The garden's newly expanded gift shop had these wonderful flower print umbrellas which would sure help one to believe that all that spring rain really will soon bring spring flowers.
Now to decide which one I want....pink. No, yellow.  No, pink..  Definitely pink.  But maybe yellow. Or blue...
Which one would you pick?

Maybe I should have a cup of tea to sip while I make up my mind...
If only Red Butte had a tea room too I would never leave the grounds, but at least it now sells lot of interesting tea cups and teas.

Well, it was easy enough to head back to my own little garden and have a cup of tea with my own first blooming tulips.
So that's what I did.
It was just a grand way to finish off the day
Wish you could have been with me.
It was a lot of fun!