Wildlife Photography … A New Journey Into The World of Songbirds, Chipmunks and More

After a day and a half workshop on photographing wildlife, I have a new-found appreciation for wildlife photographers.  How in the world do you get these sweet, little birds to sit still?  I know, I know, you must have a fast lens and even faster shutter speeds.  Take a look at this slide show of eleven (11) of my favorite images from this workshop (complete gallery is shown below slideshow.)

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“Lunchtime” ~ Downy Woodpeckers

White-breasted Nuthatch

American Robin

Eastern Chipmunk

Blue Jay

Gray Catbird

Carolina Chickadee

Carolina Wren

Northern Cardinal

Tufted Titmouse

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Gary Carter, of Gary Carter Photos in McLeansville, North Carolina, conducts weekend photo shoots at his home where he has developed an area of over three acres specifically for photographing songbirds and wildlife.  The National Wildlife Federation has certified this area as a Backyard Wildlife Habitat.  To learn more about Gary and his weekend workshops, click here:  Gary Carter Photos

In order to get the best photos, Gary suggested at least a 300mm lens and since I didn’t have one, I decided to rent a Tamron 200-500 from BorrowedLenses.com.  What a life-saver!  The process to rent a lens was simple, it arrived on schedule and was a joy to use for the weekend photo shoot.  If you want to try out a lens before you buy, click here and check out BorrowedLenses.com:  BorrowedLenses.com  or click on the BorrowedLenses.com banner icon on the right-hand side of this page.

It was a great weekend workshop with fellow wildlife photographers, wonderful hospitality from Gary and his wife, Janice (thanks for a great lunch and snacks), and of course, the beautiful songbirds, chipmunks and even rabbits.

I may even buy the Tamron lens and try more wildlife photography.  A friend of mine tells me there is no greater joy than looking into the eyes of these creatures.  When you see that “glint” in their eye and you capture it, you feel like you have reached into their soul.  What a great feeling.

See ya on the road or in someone’s backyard!  ~Barbara

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Barbara Sammons Website – click here to see more images, artist bio, artist statement and more

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Corvairs, Corvairs and More Corvairs at SpringFest 2012 ~ in Helen, Georgia

Every year for the past 28 years, Corvair Atlanta, the Heart of Georgia Corvairs and the Queen City Corvair Club have hosted “Springfest,” a showcase of Corvairs, Corvairs and more Corvairs, in Helen, Georgia.  This year’s Springfest did not disappoint the crowd, even though Saturday morning got started with heavy rains.  But by late morning the rains stopped and the sun came out to welcome the Corvairs.  Click on this video (about 6 minutes) to see a sampling of what I saw at Springfest 2012.  Then scroll below the video to see a few photos from the show.

SpringFest 2012-Helen Georgia

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This young chap proudly shows me his valve cover racer.  He ran a great race but I think his smile says it all.  There is something for all ages at these Corvair shows.

All neatly lined up in a row with remnants of the morning rain.

Be sure to check out the license plate on this 1964 Monza … “Corvairs are gonna rise again.”

The parking lot lined with Corvairs of all shapes and colors.

This parking lot was for the “senior” classification.  Did you notice the bright yellow Corvair?  See, you’re never too old to be “bold.”

Springfest 2012 was a blast and the rain didn’t seem to dampen any spirits.  For anyone who lives near Maggie Valley in North Carolina, be sure to mark your calendar for the next “Vairs in the Valley” Corvair car show, hosted by the NC Mountain Corvairs, to be held October 12-13, 2012.  Click here to see more information.  And you know I’ll be there … just look for me, I’ll be the one with the camera around my neck.

Go Corvairs!

See ya on the road.  Barbara

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Barbara Sammons Website – click here to see more images, artist bio, artist statement and more

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Tulips at Biltmore Estate – Come Along As I Take You On A Tour

Mother Nature has not disappointed us here in Western North Carolina.  I spent hours at the Biltmore Estate this morning, March 27, 2012, wandering the gardens within the Walled Garden and taking in all the sights of the thousands of tulips and spring flowers.

Sit back, grab a cup of coffee, or tea, and enjoy this 12 minute video as I take you on a tour of the tulip gardens and a drive through the Biltmore Estate here in Asheville, North Carolina.  Be sure to have your sound turned on as I am your personal narrator throughout this video.  Enjoy!

Spring at the Biltmore Estate – March 27, 2012

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I hope you are able to get out and enjoy Mother Nature and all her glory … but please, leave your cell phones turned off and enjoy the view.  Your friends can wait.  Take the time to make memories with your loved ones.

I hope to see you in Asheville.  Barbara

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Barbara Sammons Website – click here to see more images, artist bio, artist statement and more

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Spring Arrives At The Biltmore Estate ~ Asheville, North Carolina

I am very fortunate to live in Asheville where I can visit the Biltmore Estate many times during the year.  Today, March 18th, I took my camera and made this video to show you how the gardens are evolving this spring.  The tulips are starting to bloom and the cherry trees are glorious.  Scroll down the page and click on the video.  This image is what Biltmore looked like today.

Biltmore Estate ~ Asheville, NC

I hope you enjoy my video … can you count the number of times I say “tulips”!  I don’t have a script, but just say what comes into my head.  One note, please look over the short sequence where you see my shadow and feet.  I’m still very new at this video thing.  Be sure to have your sound turned on so you can hear me talk about the Biltmore.

Biltmore Estate-March 19 2012

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Maybe this will entice you to visit me here in Asheville to see not only the Biltmore Estate, but other beautiful gardens in the area.  Happy Spring!

Hope to see you in Asheville.  Barbara

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Barbara Sammons Website – click here to see more images, artist bio, artist statement and more

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“Exquisite Corpse” … An Interesting Name For An Art Form – Check This Out!

Oh, the possibilities in the world of art. I can always count on my drawing teacher to introduce our class to new drawing or printmaking techniques, but today we were a bit concerned when his first PowerPoint screen was titled “Exquisite Corpse.”

My Thursday class was the last class for this session, so was this his way of saying “so long, see ya next term?”  No, it was his way of introducing us to a concept of collaborative drawing.  The class was divided into groups of three, given one piece of drawing paper and instructions on “exquisite corpse.”

Here is the drawing from my group … remember, it’s three artists, one drawing, and one piece of paper.  Be sure to read below the drawing to understand how “exquisite corpse” works and how it all got started.

"Growing Down Under"

But what is “exquisite corpse” and how is this collaborative drawing achieved?

The term “exquisite corpse” may make your skin crawl, but it’s actually the name of an artistic technique based on an old parlour game, called Consequences.  Participants would write on a piece of paper, fold the paper to reveal only the last portion of the writing, and pass the paper to another participant, who would make his or her own contribution to the story or poem.  In 1925, Surrealists in France adapted the game into a new technique that they called “le cadaver exuis” or the exquisite corpse. The game was adapted to the possibilities of drawing, and even collage, where the participants would draw various parts of the body with the last section ending with the feet.

For our collaborative drawing classwork, we took a piece of white paper and folded it in thirds.  Because my class is called “Nature’s Notebook,” our subjects were to be botanical related.  The first student, Madelon Clark, drew the green hills with windmills at the top section of the paper. That section was folded over so the next person could not see the drawing.  The second student, Pamela Tiger, drew beautiful leaves with lovely flowing lines.  That section of paper was then folded over leaving the last section for me to draw.  Some of the lines from the middle section spilled over so I decided to keep those lines going and added names of flowers and garden materials and then added a bit of color.

When I was done, we unfolded the paper and looked at our “exquisite corpse” or as I like to call it “Growing Down Under.”  We then marveled at the other class drawings.  What a fun project to close out this session.  Thanks to my teacher at A-B Tech, Peter Loewer, and my collaborators, Madelon Clark and Pamela Tiger, we created art today, no matter what it’s called.  And in the end we had fun.

See ya around the drawing board.  ~Barbara

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Barbara Sammons Website – click here to see more images, artist bio, artist statement and more

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Digital Processing with “PostworkShop Pro” … New Techniques for your Photography

Things that keeps me challenged are new processing techniques for photography, or in this case, my scanner art.  I recently learned of “PostworkShop Pro,” a processing tool from Xycod that gives you many options to change your photographs into fine works of art.  Have you ever wondered how your photograph would look as an oil painting, a watercolor or a pen and ink drawing?  There are several software tools on the market, and I use several of them, but after seeing results from “PostworkShop Pro” I just knew I had to give it a try.  This is my first try on my recent scanner art project “Shades of Spring Purple.”  I chose the settings of “Painting,” “Impressionism” and then “PleinAir 1″ from the many selections in PostworkShop Pro.

Here is my original scanner art image:

A digital artist who uses PostworkShop Pro is Marilyn Sholin.  If you have a minute, be sure to click here to check out her blog and for more information on PostworkShop Pro (and even a discount code.)  Click here:  Marilyn Sholin Blog

Click here for more information on PostworkShop Pro.

There are many choices for you to make when creating digital art … just stretch your imagination and challenge yourself.  See ya on the road or around the scanner. ~Barbara

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Barbara Sammons Website – click here to see more images, artist bio, artist statement and more

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