Taking a Breather

Have you ever noticed when there's nothing really that you have to do during the day, is when you're the busiest?

Today has been nonstop so far. But, my brain is on running mode! After giving it some thought, I've settled on a blogging system/schedule, which I'm really excited about. Every week, I will be posting my weekly photos for my 365 day photography project, Etsy seller bios, a photography-oriented post, an update on my quest as an entrepreneur, and a poetry post!

I really excited about the new schedule, and I'm really exciting to keep growing my blog!

If you have a little time, take a look at some Japan relief treasuries posted on Etsy.com that I'm truly happy to be a part of:

A Friend in Need by LittleLaine
Tsunami by ethnocity
A prayer for Japan by madamaRobe
Red and White by LaBronz
Love Protection and Peace by beijaflores
Worldwide <3 for Japan by aclementina
Lending a Helpful Hand by Lindsey


I hope these help raise funds to aid those in need of it in Japan.

My Minolta Love: DiMAGE 7i

I still have the first camera I ever owned. And I might just love my Konica Minolta DiMAGE 7i more than any camera I have. This small SLR camera is fascinates me.




It not only shoots RAW images, but this 5 megapixel 7x optical zoom camera can shoot video in 30 second intervals, its 28-135 mm lens converts into a micro lens, it has viewfinder and screen viewing capabilities, a multitude of settings from tinting and timer options, and is just plain right amazing. I LOVE this camera. The only downside is that it uses batteries, and they tend to drain fast, but if you have enough of them, then hey that's no problem at all.



Best of all it costs a lot less than a Canon or Nikon SLR camera. You can't find it new anymore, but you can purchase it used from Amazon or the likes for under $200.

Some of the images I've taken with it are:





To keep it plain and simple, if you're looking for a great mini SLR, something to take to family events, parties, even to shot fine art photographs with, go with this camera. It won't fit in your pocket or mini purse, you won't be able to sneak it into concerts, but it'll last you for a long, long time and it'll provide you with images worthy of turning into prints.

Japanese Relief Items for Sale at ZoiShop on Etsy

It always breaks my heart when something catastrophic happens in the world. And in those moments you can truly feel pain just spreading through the air. I wish I had tons of money to donate toward helping those in need in Japan, but since I don't I've created a section in my Etsy Shop, which you can find my clicking HERE, to raise money to donate to various organizations.

I'm selling various prints and wearable art. A portion of each item's proceeds will go directly to helping Japan. The donation will be made in the buyer's name, and you can choose from the following organizations: American Red Cross, Globalgiving or Save the Children (please leave your option at checkout or I will automatically make a donation in your name to the American Red Cross).

Day 23/365: Outdoor Fun

Took some early outdoor photos for day 23...title says it all.

Day 22/365: Feathering

Along with photography I love writing poetry and prose...sometimes even screenwriting (hope to get started on that one soon!). I have been published in Reed Literary Magazine, both in the art and poetry categories, but I haven't been writing as much poetry as I wish I was lately. Nor submitting to literary magazines as much as I wish I was. I really want to start changing that. So, along with posting photography, I thought posting a poem once a week would work great. Here's my first one, part one of "Feathering".

Feathering

The crow is not in awe of misery,
aware to only feed beside it, not
of it. Its masquerade a vacuum close
to heart. Life excavates and flows, like blood
Elopes to vessels, washing upon the grime;
a cleansing. Sheer feathering lost of pigment.
The crow has turned.

Day 21/365: Rockin' It

I think I'm getting a lot faster at using my lighting equipment. Here is a quick set up I did today. Love how the top part ended up looking like lips and a nose heh.

Day 20/365: Red Light & Corona

Today I took some shots doing something I'd wanted to do for a while now. I used a red filter over my flash to give a photoshop free red tone to my photographs. For today, I just wanted to take it for a test run, but I have a whole booklet of filters I'm dying to try out with various projects! Maybe some portraits are in order! Maybe once a week, I'll use a new one to try out different tones in my photographs. Hmm...sounds like a plan!






I also caught crazy bird Corona rummaging the kitchen table, she loves eating flowers! I managed to get a few shots before she flew off.

Day 19/365 (yesterday): By the Door

I'm catching up, I'm catching up on posting!

This weekend went by way too fast, I can't believe it's already monday. I managed to figure out some bulb shots yesterday as I was running out of light by 5 in the afternoon. I used a tripod this time, to try to get some steady images...I really do love bulb setting.




Anyone take a photo trip this weekend?

Day 18/365 (yesterday): Bulbing It

Eep! I'm falling behind on posting!

I used my bulb setting for day 18. The first three photos below are tulip's the other is stems in a vase...I wanted to add a softness to the photographs, a little bit of movement, which bulb did an okay job at. Maybe soon I'll go out and take some night photos using long exposures, I haven't done that in a long time!






Hope everyone is having a good Sunday!