Musings on....wigs!

My girls are older now. Many toys have been given away, but the one thing that stays around is the "Dress Up" box.  My old bridesmaid dresses, Halloween costumes, funky jewelry and many colorful wigs live there.  The other day the 16 year old and her friend decided to go through the box and we had the best time doing a little photo session!  The wigs loosened everyone up, and the results are so much fun!

Musings on....the Concert

 Here are some photos from the G Love and Special Sauce concert at the Domino Room

Hot Cookin!

Musings on.....my website...part 2

http://gillianrathbunphotography.com/

I did it!  Actually, I finished it a couple of months ago...but we all know how bad I am at blogging.

Now I just need some more jobs!  I'm especially excited about the Equine photography!

Musings on....creating a website

I used to be an art teacher, and now I am not.  It has left me with a little whole in my heart and I miss it terribly.  The problem is that the elementary schools here do not have regular art classes.  We moved here and I found myself without a job.  I'm on the sub list, but I rarely get called.  I also volunteer in the classroom and try to be involved with the arts as much as possible.  I do miss working with the kiddos.

Before I taught art, I worked for a small publishing company and did some commercial photography. I am getting back into the business.  I was a bit hesitant at first, as I though that maybe the town was a bit saturated with photographers.  I changed my mind, as there also seems to be plenty of room for one more dentist or chiropractor!

So here I am.  I love to take pictures and always have.

I worked in a camera shop while I was in high school.  I was ably to buy my first SLR while I was there.  It was a Ricoh and I loved it!  The store was a great place to learn about photography, cameras, film, paper and a great place to learn from the photographers that would frequent there.

In college, I was a studio art major.I majored in sculpture and also took several photography courses.  The darkroom was my home.
What a surprise to come back for for college reunions and find that only one darkroom exists and that the rest of the classrooms are filled with macs!

So, now I am trying to develop my website.  I've gone through 7 different logos, several different color schemes, with music and without, etc.  I wonder if I was designing this for someone else, if it would be so difficult.  I just cant make up my mind, and when I do...I question it.  I'm afraid to publish it, but I think I'm getting close.

Stay tuned........

Musings on...nothing in particular

Another day that I'm not sure what I want to write about.
I think I will just ramble on about last weekend.

Last weekend was busy!  My daughter played in the pep band at the football game.  I had not been to a high school football game,...well.... since high school!  The game was not that exciting (they lost), the band sounded great, and the high light of the evening was the streaker that ran across the field!  The funny thing was that both my girls missed it!  They were talking.  He ran out, turned to the crowd, had a friend run interference, hopped two chain link fences and got away in the waiting getaway car...apparently driven by his father!  Pretty funny.

The next day, youngest daughter had a soccer game.  We unfortunately lost.  I still thought that the girls played great!   The keep on getting better and better.

Soccer on Saturday

That night my eldest daughter got dressed up for the Homecoming Dance.  She went with a group of friends.  They looked so pretty!  I was really hoping that she would have a great time.  She called at 10:30, ready to go home.  I guess dancing is a little different then when I went to school.  We just bounced around and had a great time.  Apparently it is all about the bumping, grinding and freaking.  I'm sure my daughter was shocked.  After all, the last dancing she did was at the wedding in BC.  We all danced together and had so much fun!  Maybe it will be different at the next dance.

Sunday, we had a horse show to go to.  My daughter was taking her Level 1 and 2 training test in Dressage.   She placed 2nd in both events.  Yea!  She was so pleased with herself.

Taking the test

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Nice tongue

Good work Jaffa

We were all pretty tired that night!

I have some interesting mushrooms growing in the front yard.  I'm interested in TTV photography, but don't have an old camera.  I decided to fake it in Photoshop.  Cheating...I know.  Still..... the effect is pretty cool.

Mushrooms

Musings on....feeling blue

Today I feel blue.

We have lived here for two years and I think I'm finally getting the hang of this place.  We have been renting a perfectly fine house and would probably continue to rent, but found out that the property is going to auction in July.  Time to find a new place to live.   Circumstances beyond our control prevent us from finding a place to buy.

I just want to settle down and have something to call our own.  This "limbo" thing does not work for me.  I need my own place.  I think I'm also feeling a little homesick.  I have not seen my family for almost a year.  I don't want my girls to feel removed from their grandparents and cousins.  We call each other often, we Skype, but it's still hard. 

We are not heading to the east coast this summer.  The first time I think.  The reason being...we have to find a place to live.  I guess I'm feeling a bit bitter as well.

Did I vent enough?  Not sure.  I need to go to my yoga class tomorrow.

Musings on.....nothing

I'm writing about nothing.  Today I just feel like posting some photographs and that's it!

Musings on ....photography

I was playing with my camera yesterday.  Took the dog down to the river for a swim.  I was experimenting with aperture and speed, and got some cool shots of the river.  I need to play around with it a little more....maybe a tripod so my rocks are sharper?

Musings on....a childhood poem

Oh my...this is tough!  I had grand intentions of writing something every week!  All sorts of things running through my head, and at this point....I think they might be gone!  Let's see if I can remember anything!

I'm excited about JPG Bresson challenge.  I'm absolutely loving that site!  The photos are so wonderful and so inspiring!  I'm thinking in black and white.  I took this photo, and in some ways it reminded me of that National Geographic cover from years back.  Not the same intensity...but something.

I was going to talk about all of the great music that's come out!  I'm loving Broken Bells and Horse Feathers, I'm also enjoying some new Joan Armatrading, Rickie Lee Jones, Natalie Merchant, Bon Iver, and Peter Gabriel.  I think their may be more, but I'm always finding music to enjoy!

One of the  Natalie Merchant songs got me thinking.  She has taken poems and set them to music.  One poem was my absolute favorite as a little girl.  It set me looking for my dog eared, well loved Golden Treasury of Poems.  What's neat is that the girls are listening to the song and following along with the book.  What's even better, is that they are actually going through the book and reading other poems!  It helps when they are accompanied by the wonderful illustrations of Joan Walsh Anglund.

Musings on...Henri Cartier Bresson

 The creative act lasts but a brief moment, a lightning instant of give-and-take, just long enough for you to level the camera and to trap the fleeting prey in your little box.
Henri Cartier-Bresson

The photograph itself doesn't interest me. I want only to capture a minute part of reality.
Henri Cartier-Bresson 

 
MoMA and JPG are having a photo challenge!  Photos inspired by Henri Cartier Bresson!  I love his work!  He has sometimes been referred to as the father of photo journalism.  I entered this photo, but it may change.  I have really enjoyed seeing what other people have done on the site.  It is so inspiring and gets me back to the thinking I had when I took photography in college.  I've been a bit hung up on portraits, and portraits just don't give me the feeling of art.  I think I will go out and work on this project a little more.  This photo was of my daughter.  It's grainy and vague...but it was a moment of movement that I just liked the feel of.

Musings on...a postcard

This is the postcard that I sent to the Epiphanie Bag contest....which I did not win.

Musings on.....Epiphanie bag giveaway

EPIPHANIE IS GIVING AWAY A BRAND NEW CANON MARK II OR A $2500 AIRLINE GIFT CARD! GO TO THE BLOG FOR DETAILS! :) http://tinyurl.com/yejcm...

I saw this on Facebook and had to check out the product. I kind of wish they were giving away a camera bag...I really like them. I also like their site. A camera would be nice...or the airline gift card. It would just be nice to win something! I hope I win...I hope I win...I hope I win!

Musings on....our snowmobile dinner

Saturday night was so much fun. Friends of ours had bid on a snowmobile tour and dinner at Mt Bachelor. We had a full moon and beautiful weather. I had never driven a snowmobile before, so this was a new experience for me! We toured around the mountain and had a lovely dinner by the fire in the Clearing Rock Bar at the mountain. I did try to take some full moon pictures, but without a tripod...it proved to be difficult.