My daughter Chloe and I have taken an interest in the concept of minimalism. We’re both making a conscious effort to eliminate the excess stuff that’s surrounding us while not adding any value to our lives. We’re both big fans of The Minimalists and have been inspired by their documentary which is on Netflix (see trailer above), so much so that we’ve watched it multiple times. In our family of four, the two of us have now become the household advocates of minimalism. We’re on a mission to help our family de-clutter, simplify, and consume less stuff. [Read more…]
Making Space at Home for Creative Work
As an introvert, I’ve come to terms with the fact that it’s important for me to spend time alone with my thoughts regularly for my own sense of balance and peace of mind. It’s in these moments of solitude that I’m best able to focus on doing any kind of creative work. Finding space in our house for this purpose has always been a challenge.
We’re a family of four that lives in a ranch style home with three bedrooms. I have a desk set up in our living room that I use to deal with tasks like paying bills or catching up with email. Unfortunately, there’s just too much activity that happens in this part of the house throughout the day for me to use this space on a regular basis. Sometimes, when it’s too busy to sit at my desk in the living room, I’ll hole up in our bedroom. But because our bedroom is so close to the kitchen, it still becomes difficult to not get distracted. [Read more…]
Getting Close-Up
One of my favorite things to do with my camera, whether it’s my DSLR or my iPhone, is to take close-up pictures of everyday things. It could be an object like a household utensil, a texture like graffiti on a concrete wall, or something from nature like leaves on a tree.
To take these photos I use a macro lens on both my DSLR and my iPhone (check out my resources page for more details). This allows me to get really close which can create interesting effects when combined with a shallow depth of field. This also gives me the opportunity to examine something closely and experiment with different angles and points of view in an effort to make something that’s considered ordinary become much more interesting. The end result can often be a pretty amazing abstract image. [Read more…]