New Day

This morning, I started uncovering my plants around 7:30am and all looks good. I do not think the low was as low as expected. It is still cold this morning at 41º but it feels like 33º. As long as the sun is shining down, I'll take it.

Despite the cold weather we've had, it's amazing how just having a sunny day  can put a little extra spring in our step. I decided to revisit the Cleveland Pear trees while they are still blooming. You can see the difference a few hours can change how everything looks.

Depending on what kind of shot you are wanting, natural lighting can give your photograph that extra snap or the lack of sun can make your photo flat. That is not always easy to control. To an extent, you can play with your camera settings to allow for the lack of natural light.

To get the best lighting, it can take hours of dedication and determination as you wait for that glimpse of the sun to make the landscape glow. You can see the difference a day made in my photos from yesterday and this morning side by side. You can find the photos below and more in my Photo of the Day collection. 

One Year Later

I enjoy all the seasons, especially springtime. Today did not feel like Spring. The high was only 46º.  It is hard to go out and search for signs of Spring with the cooler temps we've had but I took a moment today to do just that. I should have dug out my gloves because once I came back inside, I no longer had any feeling in my fingers. Not exactly sure how I held on to the camera or clicked the shutter, but I did.

I know it has been gloomy for a lot of us who are eager to feel the warmth of the sun or those who enjoy spending time in the garden digging in the dirt.  ​It's 38º this evening and the overnight lows expected are 24º to 28º if you live west of the line from Hiawatha to Emporia, lows in the 28º to 31º range east of the line. I have drawn this line and think we are sitting right on it so I covered what little hints of Spring we have and hopefully the young foliage will be protected from the freezing temps.

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When I took this image of my young bleeding hearts today, I did not realize that I had a similar image I took a year ago last March 18th. Last year, Spring came early and one year later - it is taking it's sweet time to arrive.​

Tulips are another sign that Spring is around the corner. I did not cover the tulips this evening as I believe they are fairly hardy to cooler temperatures. The forecast is showing some sun tomorrow so hopefully the warmer temps will help everything perk back up.

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​This is the part where I froze my fingers - I am not sure after the freeze this evening what all the Cleveland Pear trees are going to look like so I took a few photos of the Spring Blossoms. I added the image below to my Photo of the Day collection.

Running out of Daylight

With an additional 4TB of space to archive files, hopefully the photo storage issue will be resolved soon. There are times you have to ask, how many backups of the backup should one have? It is never ending. 

This evening I took a few photos as we were leaving Olathe. Once we pulled over on a hilltop I was lucky enough to have a great view.  The only challenge of taking an image in the city is - power lines. I had a discussion with Grant yesterday that we would like to see all power lines buried underground. Wouldn't that be great for all of us photographers?

I only had a few captures as the sun was setting. Unlike yesterday, it was easy to select today's Photo of the Day, titled: Johnson County Sunset.

I know I am going to start to spoil some of you with posting a Photo of the Day two days in a row. Some may be able to do this but reality is: i can not do this everyday.  The images in this collection for me are truly a memorable moment. 

Since I have been working on improving my site, I have found it is actually easier to add new content. I started posting in my Facebook Photo of the Day album last Summer. I have now went back as far as 2009. You may notice a few images in the facebook album that I do not have in my album on my website. That is just part of this never ending process. Those images will all be on my site eventually. As much as I would love it to be possible - this can not all be done over night. The next time you visit my site, I may even have older images. My website is not only about adding new content but also archive the past.

I have to confess, it was hard to select one single image from yesterday because I really enjoyed the time I spent taking the photos of Mindy's Family so much I am adding another one of my favorites of Daisy, Mindy and Dakotah.

Photos, Fire and Good Times

Yesterday was an action packed day!​ We meet up with our friends Grant & Delores of Northwindimage to venture out to take some early Spring photos. We took off west towards Dover with no real destination in mind. Our first stop was the area from my painting Spring Colors take was from there photograph Spring Begins. We ended up passing through Dover and as we headed down the country roads, we met Mindy and her family. Here is one photo of Mindy and Dakotah when we first saw them on the hilltop.

This really could be a very long post but when I uploaded my photos from yesterday, I discovered I have filled my 1TB drive. So we need to make some adjustments in my storage for my photos. We eventually made our way headed north towards 1-70 where I stood in the middle of the road, pointed and said, "I see smoke!" 

Dalyn did not think it was a very large burn. What did we have to lose so we headed towards the smoke and this was the result. Trust me, I have a lot to share but I to share the one photo that of 234 prairie fire photos I took - the photo of the day for April 13th:​

You can click through this photo to my Photo of the Day album. Yesterday I took more photos than I have ever taken in one single day in Eastern Kansas. I will l eventually have new gallery albums for Mindy, where you can view more images of her family along with my new Prairie Fire photos taken in Wabuansee County yesterday. 

Hope everyone enjoys this sneak peek from our day!​

Some People

Today I've been going through piles of papers to toss and shred and I came across this paper that I saved for a long time - let's us say it was before we could with one click 'pin' and 'share' our favorite quotes online.

My thought at the time I wrote this down was to do something more with it, like for a card or like everyone is sharing those image quotes. I have come across some that are simply the words typed out on a solid background or even with a photo. I could do tons of these but I really want the IMAGE QUOTES I offer to be unique and the designs out there that are really eye catching, take time.

I almost set this little piece of paper aside once again but I decided it is what it is and maybe I should just share it the way I found it instead of creating an image quote with grunge art or include it with a photograph, so i decided to simply take a photo of my note.

“Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some people move our souls to dance. They awaken us to a new understanding with the passing whisper of their wisdom. Some people make the sky more beautiful to gaze upon. They stay in our lives for awhile, leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never, ever the same.”  ― Flavia Weedn

I better get back to shredding some more papers but not this one - it may eventually end up in a small frame.​

Share a Little Love

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter weekend. It is hard to believe Easter is behind us!  Everyone is ready to get outside and start enjoying the warmer days ahead. I enjoy this time of year and that makes it hard to spend time posting everything I have to share - writing is not my strong suit. I always worry about  'proper' English when writing a journal to post. I usually go back and end up making edits after. I really like being able to 'edit' even if it is days or months later. I am sure some of you who are connected with me on Facebook notice I will edit a post more than once. I guess that is why I do not comment that much, i am always concerned I will have a typo I will miss. It never helps when I attempt to type from my cell phone. At least I know I am among friends with that struggle. Hopefully those who read my journal understand I am a designer and I 'insert' the copy.  I have never claimed to be a writer.

​If you have not browsed my site in awhile, I've made several updates since the first of the year. Including new photo galleries and an area for comments in each gallery. I had to go back and modify the comment area. To comment, you will be prompted to login - the simplest way is as a guest and you will only need to enter you name as you want it displayed. You can also comment using Facebook, Google and Twitter accounts.

This may be a shock to some of you, but I have discovered, not everyone is on Facebook.  I want to be able to connect to the facebook community as well as those who are not on Facebook.

The transitions on my website are changes I've wanted to do for a long time. Of the hats I wear, I am not a web designer. I decided to learn how to make the changes I wanted myself. If I am going to share events - this is where I want it. All in one place. Then i can easily share links to my journals on social networking sites.

Photo Credit: Bob Hayes

​Speaking of sharing, I am belated in posting that I am now offering photographs and prints on metal!

This is a really great way to display any image. Metal prints make a unique gift for those friends and family that are hard to buy for.

​ I sold my first set of 12x12 metal prints a few weeks ago, "Love" and "Heaven's Heart". This photo shows how thin the metal is. We are holding the prints with the mounting block on the back.

So that leads up to the next topic: My online store is finally OPEN! You can follow this link: www.tscpgraphics.com/store to browse what I have listed. I have more to add and ordering is not limited to what is only in the store. Some of the products I currently have listed in the store do not have all the size options listed. When browsing the store, you will see in each category, the products at the top of the page have several options. that is another area that takes time to add all those options to each item. If you are interested in ANY image in any size, even if it is YOUR photo, PLEASE let me know.

I would enjoy hearing back what you think of my new site with the addition of the online store. Thanks for visiting my site!

Celebrate Spring!

Today is the first day of Spring! The days ahead are sure to bring a welcomed spring in our step and sunlight to our lives. Spring is my favorite season as all the trees and flowers are starting to make their debut. Today as I celebrate Spring, I also remember Jo Ann Lumpkin, today was her birthday.  Some of you may know of her, for those who do not - she was my high school art instructor and a close friend. I always enjoyed going back home and spending time with her and catching up. She passed away February 22, 2010.

 She was a talented artist who I admired since the first art class I took from her.  When I was a freshman - I attempted to paint from a photograph taken several years ago of a small colt from our family photos. Let's just say, painting animals was not my strong suit, it was not pretty. At that time I only hoped that after four years of her guidance, I would have just an ounce of the talent she had. I grew to favor realism art over abstract because that was what Mrs. Lumpkin excelled in. I did learn I had a strong eye for detail and she was the person who encouraged me to go into the Graphic Design program at FHSU where I received my Bachelor of Fine Arts.

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​I recently came across the old reddish faded photos along with the negatives in almost mint condition from that Memorial Weekend when my horse, Show-n-Tell had her colt. I was surprised how good the color turned out in from the negatives that I burned to a CD. At the time, I took several photos to my art class and Mrs. Lumpkin selected one of them she wanted to draw. It reminded me of the Inspirations exhibit I have coordinated for the past few years. This is the original photograph she worked from, the image of her colored pencil drawing is below. 

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Several years ago, my dad gave me this print of the colored pencil drawing. If she ever titled her drawing, I do not know what it is.  After all these years, I thought it would be fun to share this photo/drawing set from an artist who was an inspiration to me.

Source: Uploaded by user via Tammy on Pinterest

"The best artists in Heaven get to paint butterfly wings and sunsets." | ©The Family Circus, 09/21/2003

#11

I enjoy shooting sports. It also helps when I have a personal interest in the sport - like watching my cousin Dylan Frantz play basketball for Missouri Western.

It is hard to believe he is a Senior this year and will be graduating from Missouri Western State University. Dylan played his last game for MWSU Monday evening. We have followed him from when he was only so high competing at a free throw competition in Salina to the present. For as long as I can recall, Dylan has worn the #11 jersey for the team he played for. From high school, to Hutchinson Community College and on to MWSU. Saturday was the last home game of the season at the Looney Complex. They won againist Southern Baptist University(SBU) 72-58. Dylan scored a total of 10 points Saturday, below is a video Dalyn took of Dylan during the game. 

This post was delayed because I wanted to add this video. Dalyn even asked me, "Are you going to share my video?" I wanted to simply store my personal videos on my site but in order for my video content to move over to my new site, the host recommended I have a YouTube account. It is fairly simple to use and it could be fun to get some likes on videos we post.

The photo below is one of my favorite photos from the March 2nd game. Click here: Sports album or on the image to view the rest of the photos in my new album.

For now, all my gallery albums show thumbnails you can click on to enlarge to the slideshow view. I will eventually add more of my favorite sport photos to this album. The layout will change with the new site but all the content we stay the same, plus it wil be easier to upload new images. I am looking forward to that!

After the win on Satudray, MWSU went on to play Northwest Missouri State at Maryville, MO on Monday, March 4th. MWSU was defeated by the Bearcats in the first round of the MIAA Tournament bringing to an end their 2012-13 season. 

Saturday was also the last home game for head coach Tom Smith, ending his coaching carrer with his 25th season at Missouri Western and 38th year overall. He coached at Central Missouri State from 1975-1980, then was the head coach at Valparaiso University from 1980-1988 before accepting the position at Missouri Western in 1988. At the end of the game, Smith was recongized for his coaching career. He said few words noting that he outlasted six althetic directors and three presidents. They closed with "Your Song" by Elton John as a request by Smith.

Source: youtube.com via Tammy on Pinterest

Old International Farm Truck

It's March 1st, already! 2013 is going by like the speed of light. I decided to kick off the month off with a little o' green in the spirit of the quickly approching St. Patrick's Day.

Some of you may recall, I have an online gallery at Redbubble. I have a wide variety of photographs available and the great thing about the site is: They offer, greeting cards, postcards, prints, matted prints, mounted and framed prints, all at a great price. Plus, they ship ALL orders, then notify me of the sales. About a month ago, I had a single order of "Old International Farm Truck" in a 4x6 greeting card. I recently had another order for 10 more cards! They were impressed with the quality and ordered more, that is always great news to receive! 

Source: redbubble.com via Tammy on Pinterest

This image "Old International Farm Truck" is the detail of an International emblem on the old farm truck at my husband's family farm in Western Kansas. I took this photo in 2007 on the farm and my husband would like to restore the old farm truck some day, but for now it sits in the trees.

Additional auto images are available in the Crusin' album on Redbubble. The Crusin' album with some new images from the archives will be on the new website. Change is never an easy process, but this is one change I am looking forward to sharing with everyone. Hopefully I will have the new website ready by Easter. 

Speaking of change, Apple is known for its remarkable marketing. "Think Different" is one of its most memorable campaigns -- it's "think differently" made the point. Good marketing is about aspiration, of making people believe that their lives will be better. "Think Different" brought out the very best in human nature, of people who had another viewpoint that enabled them to be truly great, not just for themselves but for humanity. The campaign defined the Apple brand for years. 

This Apple commercial is one of my favorites - ever. Apple selected Richard Dreyfus to narrate the actual 1997 "Think Different" television commercial. The version below was narrated by Steve Jobs and never aired.

Source: youtube.com via Tammy on Pinterest

“Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.” -Apple Inc.

200 LIKES ...and counting!

I am belated with posting on my journal a "THANK YOU" for the 200 likes for TSCPgraphics on facebook. At last count, the page is at 208! Words can not express how much I appreciate all the support and everyone spreading the word about TSCPgraphics. I always tell everyone I am a visual person so when I post, i like to have a photo that tells the story. I rarely post just a message. In celebration of the 200 likes it just did not seem right to simply say 'thank you' in a post, so i made this banner that included everyone who made those 200 likes possible.

It was fun going through the list of everyone who has liked TSCPgraphics since I started a public facebook page on June 12, 2009. As the likes neared 200, I decided to create this photo collage with all those little profile images. Sounds like a lot of work? Well, it really is not as bad as it sounds but one would need to have the software knowledge and of couse, an eye for design helps. :)

The graphic was designed in Photoshop with a series of low resolution screen shots of the list of profile images of individuals connected to TSCPgraphics. Each image was on it's own layer in Photoshop as I put each into position on the grid. Photo Mosiac software is available with more depth than what I did. I know if I had it, I would enjoy experimenting with it!

Even though it was my inspiration, my graphic is really simple with the 200 simply as an overlay layer. It is not near as complex as the Photo Mosiacs art by Robert Silvers.

Source: wikipaintings.org via Tammy on Pinterest

I've had an interest in Photomosiac art of Robert Silvers since this 'Photomosaics' book first came out in 1997 and I came across it in a book store. The book illustrates his brilliant photo mosiacs. The image above is commonly called "hands" on the internet but it's original title the '97 book was 10/10. This image has always been one of my favorites. 

If anyone else is interested in Photomosiac art, his first book is available on Amazon: Photomosaics [Hardcover]I have to pull mine out once in awhile and admire his incredible images.

 Photomosaics: Robert Silvers

Stop for Rocky

We are in round two of back to back snow storms within a week. I really do not mind the snow, I can always bundle up when it is cold. Layers are the best way to stay warm in the cold. You can dress with lots of clothing layers to keep you warm, then take layers off as you start to warm up.

It is the 'icy road conditions' i do not care for...who does?

My favorite thing about snow is when it is coming down and it is a fluffy snow. It's like you have walked into magical snow globe. Today was one of those days.

I decided to call this image "Stop For Rocky" in hopes everyone is staying safe on the roads while the latest Winter Storm Rocky makes an appearance.

Here are 5 tips to stay safe while driving in winter conditions:

1. Make sure you and your car are properly equipped before you leave.

2. Slow down and drive smoothly.

3. Do not tailgate.

4. Do not use cruise control.

5. Pull over or stay home.

Here is an AOL AUTOS article link with more advice on driving safe: Staying Safe in Winter Driving 

Same address, new look!

My website will continue to be www.tscpgraphics.com but it will soon have a NEW look! I made a screenshot of my desktop showing a browser window of the new home page. Here is a sneak peek:

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Hopefully I will have it ready to lauch before Spring. I have wanted a new look to my site for years, yet I wanted to continue with what I have and expand it without starting over from scratch. I have always wanted to be able to do more with my site. Over the past few years, I asked others to assist me with improving my website but at the same time I wanted to learn how to make corrections on my own without relying on others. I will be the first to admit, I have never been very HTML savy. I finally decided to jump in with both feet and do all the new updates myself.

The new site will have Pinterest and Facebook links and share buttons. However, the main feature I am exicited to share with everyone is the E-Commerce –-this will be my first online store! I was beginning to wonder if I would ever make this a reality without being dependent of sites like eBay or Etsy. I am getting closer to the new site going live. Keep checking my blog, I will try my best to keep everyone updated with my journal more than I have in the past. Have a great weekend!

Shadow Play

Yesterday I took a few images of the snow that acculumated from Winter Storm Q but nothing really clicked for me. I decided because it was gloomy and overcast all day with only one brief moment where the sun peeked though the clouds. The official area snow total was 9.2 inches, we had almost 8 inches of snow in our driveway yesterday. 

My "Photo of the Day" collection should be renamed to "Photo of the Month" but I never know when I am going to find those single moments that catch my eye. I may go days or weeks before I share my next photo. Let's hope I do not go a year, if I do - please someone check on me, ha! 

I am going back and adding past photos to this collection. Another fun part of posting a photo of the day is adding a post of the image on the actual day that I took the photo. Sounds simple, but that task is not always as easy as it sounds.

Hopefully you made it this far and if you did, here is today's official photo of the day:

Sometimes it is not an easy process to come up with a title for an image considering the volume of photos I take but this one was easy. This morning I looked out the back door as the sun cast this shadow on the undisturbed snow of one of the two maple trees my Dad and Dalyn planted in our backyard September 2001.

Winter Snow Storm of '87

As the Winter Snow Storm "Q" sets in, I wanted to post photos I have from March 1987. This was a Winter Snow Storm! The snow was measured in feet not inches and several area towns were shut down. This photo was taken from the 2nd story deck looking OVER this drift to our neighbor's house across the street. From our front door we could not see their house. 

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Snow plows could not get though so my Dad decided to walk downtown to his store to check on things so I bundled up and when with him. We walked up the hill from our house to Evergreen but could not continue on what is now "E" Street to 1st due to all the drifting so we went a block over to the south on "F" Street.

I have heard many stories in our area of where individuals where homebound or on foot and the town was 'shut down' I have a photo of downtown of the alley to the south of the store. When I find it, I'll add it to this post.

Below is a map that shows our route from the house to the store, it was approximate 8 blocks. 

Kansas Snow Gate Trivia: March 29,1987 -Standing in the subfreezing northerly Kansas wind punctuated by piercing sleet, Kansas Department of Transportation worker Doug Thompsen, Salina, greeted driver after driver who jumped coatless out of their cars to plead for his permission to pass through the roadblock on Interstate Highway 70. Between 11:15 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday, Thompsen estimated he stopped more than 200 cars and sent them back east to Salina. The roadblock was set up about a mile west of the interchange of I-70 and Interstate 135. Interstate 70 was closed from Junction City west into Colorado by late Saturday afternoon. The road was among many closed through northwest Kansas Monday because of a blizzard. Source: The Salina Journal

In 1987, two consecutive storms dumped 36 inches of snow on western Kansas, making highways impassible. Stubborn drivers and determined truckers ignored radio warnings and found themselves stranded. Their rescues diverted resources from clearing roads. KDOT decided it was time for a new approach. Instead of simply announcing the closure of I-70 on the radio, the agency installed gates at every on-ramp from Russell to Kanarado in the 1990s. When closed, the gates physically prevented drivers from entering the highway, and allowed snowplows to work uninhibited. Source: Kansapedia

If you recall this Winter Storm of March 1987, you can share your memories here. Stay warm and safe everyone!

Colorado Hide-A-Ways

Lately, the time I've spent on the computer has been limited. I am getting back into the groove and wrapping up projects after having the hard drive replaced due to a recall.  It is always nice to check off items on the 'to do' list.

 

Last month Peggy bought two of my Colorado prints framed and ready to hang in her office. Hidden Path was taken on September 3rd, 2009 near Minturn in Eagle County, Colorado. The aspens were along side of the road and this was one of the last dozen images of the day just before sunset. I enjoy looking beyond the aspens into the forest to the paths that weave inbetween the trees. Hidden Splendor was taken the same year on September 5th in Summit County south of Breckenridge, CO. The falls are tucked below Blue Lakes in the White River National Forest.

A few days later, I received a photo Peggy took of the photos she hung in her office. She thought the sclupture may be too large to have on the desk in front of the photos. I immediately loved the metal sclupture and with a little digital repositioning in Photoshop, I set her the 'after' image of the photos flipped so the waterfall so it flowed along with the sclupture. This was my first remote hanging via a photo. She loved the idea of switching the two and mentioned that she knew something didn't look quite right but could not but her finger on it.

Snowy Creek

Snowy Creek is one of my favorite snowy scenes and adventures I had with my husband when we stayed in Breckenridge for a couple days in December 2010. I have been backing up files due to a recall on the internal drive that needs to be replaced on our computer. While working on my countless images over the years I came across another Snowy Creek scene from the same place as my original. I added it to my Colorado gallery collection and decided there was only one name for this image: Snowy Creek #2

For those who make it this far down my post, I thought I would share a couple of those very rare images of myself while I was taking the Snowy Creek photos. My husand took these photos as I entertained him while I hiked down to the creek and back in the snow.

Bokeh

 

Bokeh: BOH-kay

In photography, bokeh is the blur, or the aesthetic quality of the blur, in out-of-focus areas of an image. Bokeh has been defined as "the way the lens renders out-of-focus points of light". However, differences in lens aberrations and aperture shape cause some lens designs to blur the image in a way that is pleasing to the eye, while others produce blurring that is unpleasant or distracting—"good" and "bad" bokeh, respectively. Bokeh occurs for parts of the scene that lie outside the depth of field. Photographers sometimes deliberately use a shallow focus technique to create images with prominent out-of-focus regions.

Bokeh is often most visible around small background highlights, such as specular reflections and light sources, which is why it is often associated with such areas. However, bokeh is not limited to highlights; blur occurs in all out-of-focus regions of the image.

Source, Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: Bokeh

Long Life Tulips

I created an album on my TSCPgraphics facebook page called Long Life. This is a series of images I have captured of a arrangement that started out as bulbs I received for Valentine's Day this year. I have to admit I am excited to watch these tulip bulbs bloom. I hope everyone enjoys them as much as I am. I thought it would be fun to share them with my friends. This evening I uploaded the Long Life Tulips in my Photography gallery on my website enjoy!

Beauty of Phillips County: 2011 calendar contest

I found out my photograph, Purple Phlox Grove received 2nd place with a cash prize of $150. I was thrilled to hear my photo was selected, they received around 300 entries! I took this photo near my husband's family farm in Phillips Co. It will be featured in the FNB Beauty of Phillips County 2011 calendar. They are working on them now and the calendars will be available by end of November.

Rainbow's End

05sept2009 - The Blue Lakes in Summit County near Breckenridge, Colorado is one of our favorite places to visit. This is the road leading up to the lakes. What a sight it is was to take in this incrediable view and my first opportunity to capture a full rainbow. This was another one of those moments you had to be at the right place at the right time or it is gone within minutes if not seconds if you are not ready.