RRFjt (Life has taken over for a while)'s photostream  

Beyond Layers/Day 4/Vision & Blur and a word. Texture: Kim Klassen Plaster Squared.

Okay, here goes - this is playing catch up with the Beyond Layers workshop assignments. Our first assignment was to tell our creative story. Hmmm, to swipe a quote from Story People "I like to write about the stuff going on in my life as long as it's interesting, but otherwise, I'd rather just read." That said, my word/goal for this year is "Finish" and that is what I'm setting out to do; complete the UFOs on my always growing to do list. Beyond Layers is great so I hope it doesn't sound like some kind of drudgery because it's not, the class is a joy. Admittedly though I'm not overly fond of writing assignments and struggled with those parts of the "One Little Word" class from last year. (Still finishing up the work on that one.) Therefore, I'm pleased to have pushed through and "finished" this particular assignment even though it's been placed on the back burner for days on end.

From an early age I've always been a dabbler, sometimes in arts, sometimes in crafts and sometimes in photography but not really dedicating myself to any one thing. That is, other than my love of riding and spending time with my equine pals. Those activities were what pretty much occupied my thoughts from the minute my feet hit the floor in the morning for a good part of my life. Now that I'm older I've had to stop riding due to some physical problems. Nothing truly dramatic, it's just a time in my life when it is best to use common sense based on medical advice. After retiring from my job at nearly the same time there was more free time to concentrate taking up a new hobby. That's when a passion for photography began to truly develop.

I first started playing with my mother's Brownie Camera at about age 11 and toyed with photography off and on for a number of years but was too busy with everything else and would often not pick up my camera for weeks or even months on end. After my film camera finally bit the dust a few years ago I decided to try digital and then discovered Photoshop and more recently Lightroom. Now rarely a day goes by without picking up my camera. Photography has given me so much and I'm thrilled with the opportunities available to learn and grow. Wildlife photography is a great love but I keep discovering so many more directions to point my lens. Probably I'll never be interested in just one form of photography or post processing, it's all fascinating. So, even though photography has become my main focus perhaps after all I'm still just a "dabbler" of sorts.

6 Words: Seeing Stuff I Used To Miss. For the Kim Klassen Beyond Layers Workshop. This week's challenge: 6 word memoir. I wrote several but this one seemed to suit best. Texture used, Kim Klassen Warmly Vintage.

There are many old, abandoned homesteads in various areas in the California deserts. This was shot at an old homestead outside of Twentynine Palms, CA in an area known as Wonder Valley.

HCS - I'm predicting that "6 words" will soon become one :-)

An almost gone by Dutch Iris shot in front of the kitchen window. The light was a bit too intense but the surprise of finding my reflection in the shot was fun. Kim Klassen Awaken Texture. For the Beyond Layers Workshop, week one. The assignment was to take a minimalist approach. Attempting to say more with less, but that's not always so easy.

This is a wonderful ruin located in Joshua Tree National Park. The pink color to the outer walls is most appealing. The shot was taken during an early morning outing last Sunday with the Joshua Tree Camera Club. It was a cloudy day with the clouds covering the sun in such a way that there wasn't much sky color but the clouds were pretty dramatic on their own.