The Circus Comes to Town - Almost !

Once a year the city of Sarasota Florida hosts a Chalk Festival.  Chalk artists from around the world come to paint the streets with their chalk art - even the big name 3-D chalk artists (the ones you see in all those email attachments). 

This was my first year to actually see this Sarasota event and to walk down the boulevard (along with a crowd of onlookers) to view these incredible pictures.

Granted the elephant in the photo above is not 3-D chalk art - it's a statue heralding Ringling Bros. and Barnum Bailey Circus.  Sarasota was the winter home of the old Barnum Bailey Circus, here the performers could relax and practice their routines before the next circus tour began.  So this year's theme for the chalk art was "The Circus".  Very apropos.

 

Everyone wanted pictures and a few daring souls even ventured out on to the tight rope. 

Careful there, don't fall !

I will be posting more photos of this event but I didn't want to post them all at once for fear of overwhelming anyone (especially since my photography is not the best - lol)

The following photo is not of the Sarasota street chalk art but I couldn't resist snapping a shot of someone snapping a shot ...

My Circuits Are Fried

Framed and ready to hang.

I believe my circuits are fried !  Lately I have been suffering from a serious case of "Internet Burn-Out" and it's taken a lot of will power to even turn on my computer.  Normally my blog and  comments have been  overly verbose but for the past few weeks it's been a battle to come up with anything to say or any ideas that appear fresh and remotely interesting.  I beg for your patience and hope that you will stick with me as I try to muddle through this.  Hopefully it will pass as most things do.

Most of you are familiar with T @ Poppy Place PDX and her wonderful photography.  Her online studio PhotosByChipperfield is overflowing with breathtakingly beautiful pictures that she's captured through the lens of her camera.  Quite some time ago I purchased a lovely triad of T's photos, they arrived  well packaged and in pristine condition, naturally I wished to keep them that way so I carefully harbored them at the very bottom of an almost empty drawer.  Out of sight, out of mind ... bad idea.

It was only months later, when I ran across a big ad for a local arts and crafts shop's 50% off frame sale, that my memory was jogged and I retrieved the hidden treasure of T's photos.  With photos in hand I went and browsed through an impressive frame and mat section and, after what seemed like hours upon end, decided upon 3 suitable frames. You can have frames custom made but I strongly recommend reserving that option for artwork that is of unusual dimensions as custom matting and framing can become quite expensive.  

The frames I chose complimented T's photos without detracting from them and were a subtle color that went well with the tones in the photo and the frames came with their own acid free mats.  At 50% off I was able to purchase 3 nice frames (with mats) for around $30, about $10 per frame. Couldn't get much better than that !

 It is amazing what frames and mats can do for art work, it's like that little bit of make-up that transforms a pretty woman into a gorgeous one.  I think sometimes we tend not to see the complete picture and  may not envision how something will look when complete.  T's photo's were lovely to begin with but when matted and framed I was beyond impressed, I was actually exuberant and had to show them off to anyone and everyone that came into my home.

 T's beautiful photography is now encased in their frames and are in position where I had always planned to place them ... only problem is now I need to repaint the room as the neutral Navajo white walls are far more yellow than I realized and don't work well with the slightly mauve tones  of the photos and frames.  Well  yet another thing to add to my "honey-do list" .  :D

I've Discovered a Bold New World !

I've just discovered a great blog site that's perfect for the novice photographer also super for those much more professional at photography. Since the "Strobist." site has been around for a few years my discovery smacks of an explorer landing in a bustling New York harbor and announcing; "I've just discovered the New World !" However to myself this was a fantastic discovery and I wish to share it with any and all who may not have knowledge of it's existence.


click above to visit the Strobist blog site



Strobist gives wonderful advice on how to light your shot...and it was here that I found excellent, detailed instructions on creating a light box.
Find that info at : http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/07/how-to-diy-10-macro-photo-studio.html
Now I need to absorb their instructions on how to actually use a light box which, according to their blog; "It ain't rocket science". Well maybe not for them it isn't but to me it's more like advanced physics ! Now I'm off to find a good cardboard box, some tissue paper, tape and my razor cutter...oh and make sure I have Band-Aids handy, maybe even a tourniquet, if I don't get myself with the razor, I'm bound to at least get a paper cut.