Cool Kentucky Fall

I just spent the weekend with good friend and fellow photographer Melissa T. Hall who recently moved back to Lexington, Kentucky. We planned a weekend of photography and catching up. This was my first time traveling with my new Sony Alpha 700 as a result all I could do was capture images and leave them waiting on the data card until I arrived home to play with them.

I feel pretty good about the images I was able to catch. The above sunset was brilliant in person. Somehow these scenes rarely make it to camera just as I remember seeing them, but my Sony managed to capture the almost dreamy skyscape perfectly.

The rest of the photos hinge on the typical fall landscape and surroundings which we just don't get down here in Florida.

It's been a long time coming...

My photography work ebbs and flows. One week I may do 4 separate shoots, another, none. It all depends on my professional schedule, however, I certainly haven't been avoiding my camera since the last post. So this blog is long past due for an update and a little show and tell.


(Bright blue Ulysses butterfly)

Recently I decided to dive into stock photography. As a designer I use stock sites often to enhance projects, and for the first time ever I thought perhaps it was time to give it a chance. So far so good. I have a teeny tiny portfolio that I'm hoping to amp up over the next several months.


(Antique Motion Camera)

I've also been playing around some with some self-portraits. Having just procured a new camera (Sony Alpha 700 DSLR) I'm looking forward to experimenting with it as well to see how it'll perform. To this point I've been using a Nikon D40X.


(Self-portrait)

More to come, and more to be found as well online at:
http://www.shutterstock.com/gallery-215881p1.html

Perfect Sky

Another lovely day here in Coastal Florida...

Sepia Project

In Cooperation with my gallery here in Melbourne, I'm preparing a series of sepia-toned images that represent the local flora and fauna (no man-made elements allowed). In all there are to be 50 images. This is one of my 16 so far...

Harvest Moon

(Harvest Moon)

I was asked to participate in a farm-themed exhibition here in Florida. A portion of the show's proceeds will go towards purchasing animals for impoverished families so they can sustain their lives.

Initially I felt like the theme wouldn't fit in with my style and that I'd have to curtsy out of this one. First I found a small antique wooden horse and worked with that on my very first digital/photographic illustration. But soon the thought of a nice red tractor wouldn't leave my mind. I captured the tractor both in TTV method and traditional then converted the traditional to a digital illustration (above).


(At the End of A Long Day)

Kicking off 2008

I've been so busy creating new works and building a small graphic design empire (isn't that an oxy-moron?) that I've left this blog so quiet as of late. I promise to fix that.

Just as 2007 came to a close, I purchased my first DSLR (a Nikon for those who keep track of those sorts of things) and that's inspired me to look beyond the world of TTV. I am certainly going to keep that up, however, I'll be expanding my visual experiments into more "straightforward" work.

For example:


I've also taken to creating little imaginary worlds around toys and kitschy knick knacks...


A photograph of a toy galleon on waves of fabric...

Here's to all that 2008 has to offer in the way of creativity and opportunity.

Both photos available in my etsy.com shop: SuzanneClements.etsy.com
(inquire for alternative sizes/shipping)

Today I spent pretty much the entire day painting the gallery for the November show. I volunteered my time because they’re graciously redoing the colors to better suit the show. Instead of bright red walls, the gallery now features a lovely metallic aqua/murky cyan color along with a delicious dark chocolate/truffle tone. As I worked on painting, they worked away on framing and the smell of paint and fresh cut wood filled the air.

Because this is my first exhibition as a photographer there was something special about seeing everything come together. The owner of the exhibition space came up with a few finished pieces and held them against the wall… they looked amazing! I really think the exhibition is going to look great. For once, this is some work I wouldn’t mind hanging on my own walls. Mind you I always loved painting, but because I invest so much time into each piece, often by the time they’re done, they’ve overstayed their welcome. Photography however, seems more to me to be an art of opportunity and chance. You capture a moment in near immediacy (sure, things are moved, angles are tried, you adjust your lighting, etc., but 30 minutes on a photo versus days on a painting just doesn’t compare).

Now I have all these moments gathered up, assembled, and soon, they’ll be debuting for the exhibition. Everything goes up this weekend for next week’s opening night. How quickly time passes!