An Introduction

Well, hello there!  I'm very glad you're here.  I've been giving a lot of thought to my journey lately - where I am, how I got here, and where I'm going.  As I reflect on how far I have come since my first days with a dSLR, I realize that though my interests have ebbed and flowed, my passion for photography has remained constant.  So while my blog will remain a place for me to share my love of the seasons, baking, and some occasional DIY, going forward I will be adding in some articles about photography, and the process of becoming an artist, in the hope that sharing what I have learned will help you too.  And if you couldn't care less about photography, no worries, I will continue to share about recipes and seasons too. So today I thought I'd share with you a little bit about who I am and how I got here.

Moody summer blooms

There is very little about the process of making a good photograph that has come naturally or easily to me.  I haven't always been able to see good light or know how to compose an appealing photo.  I didn't even understand why I needed good light!  But after years of practice, plenty of workshops, and a few tears along the way, I've learned a lot.  

 Initially I started with photography because I wanted to be able to take nice photos of the baking and craft projects I was always making.  At that time, my baking and crafting were the priority and photography was like a secondary tool I thought I needed.  But very soon after I started learning, I realized that it was photography itself that I was enamored with.  I wanted to learn about more than just food photography, I wanted to be able to capture my kids and family, the environment around me, and be able to tell stories with my photos.  

Summer bouquet

These days I spend most of my time creating still life and food photos.  I like to create emotive images that tell a story or convey a mood.  I am at my happiest and most creative when I'm sketching ideas, styling a scene, propping a set, working out a composition, and editing the photos from a shoot. I also love continuing to learn everything I can about this incredible craft.  In photography, you are never done learning.  There is always something new to discover and that means that there is always room for you to grow as an artist.  It's a never-ending journey that can be challenging and at times frustrating, but so very rewarding and fulfilling. 

If you have any questions or topics you would like to hear about, please drop me a line and let me know.  I'd love to hear from you.  You can comment here, leave me a comment on Instagram, or email me.  I look forward to connecting with you, hearing about your journey, and sharing mine.  

All the best, 

Kate

#thestilllifecollective

There are a few things I can't seem to get enough of - coffee, photos of coffee, flowers, and new hashtags.  (Desserts too, but I'm trying to eat a few less desserts these days.)  Today I'm creating a few of the above, as I'm editing photos of coffee and flowers, and creating a new hashtag - #thestilllifecollective. As artists, I believe it's imperative that we continue to grow and learn, seek new inspiration, and encourage each other along the way.  The idea behind this new hashtag is to create a gallery where all kinds of still life artists can mingle their work together to boost and inspire us all, and give rise to new ideas.  I hope you'll join me!

#thestilllifecollective

 Like so many of us, I'm always on the lookout for inspiration for still life photos.  I find that it's easy to get caught in an endless loop of creating and consuming the same kinds of images, over and over, and while that can be comforting, it can also get a little stale.  I hope that by creating #thestilllifecollective, we can bring together all different kinds of still life to breathe new life into our creations.  While we should each stay true to our own photographic voice, we should also be open to new ideas and trying new things.  I want to create a place for a wide interpretation of "still life" to encourage and inspire all of us to grow and expand our art.     

I am always seeking to find and infuse meaning and connection in my work, and to push myself just a little further, stretching the bounds of my creativity and comfort zone.  This means being both brave and vulnerable, which can be really hard at times. I hope that by continuing to grow our community of passionate and kind-hearted artists, we will all continue to find the courage to try new things and to share our gifts with the world.   

I hope you'll join in with me on this unpredictable, yet wildly rewarding, journey.  Start tagging!  #thestilllifecollective

- KB

Project - Naturally Dyed Easter Eggs

Decorating Easter eggs has never really been my thing.  I remember enjoying the process as a kid, but I never really liked the end product.  I wasn't especially impressed with what I was able to create and I didn't even get excited when we had stickers to put on the eggs.  The whole thing just didn't really appeal to me.  But this week I fell down a surprising internet rabbit hole (aren't they always surprising?  You just never know where you'll end up.) and came out on the other side feeling all fired up to do things like dye my own fabric using plants.  (Inspiration came from @kimothyd and Rebecca Desnos.) This has never had any appeal to me whatsoever, but one thing lead to another and suddenly I'm all fired up.  Combine that with a discovery of these beautiful eggs and then some dyed using blueberries by Tinka @tinkaswelt and I was off on a project. 

I've had ideas for testing out natural dyes for eggs before and even saved a few pins but never thought it would be worth the effort.  I had very low expectations for this whole thing.  I didn't really think the eggs would turn out as well as they did with relatively low effort, but I just wanted to try it, even if just to say that I did.  To my surprise, it was both easy to do (though stinky - boiling cabbage is not a scent that I would want made into a candle) and produced great results.  I followed the instructions by Marble Mount Homestead and they were excellent.  I modified only slightly by using just half a red cabbage and a smaller pot, as I was only putting 4 of my dozen eggs in the cabbage water. 

Eggs, prepped and ready for their dye bath

Supplies:

• Eggs, white if you have them, but brown will work fine too
• Red cabbage - for the dark aqua color
• Avocado - for the soft pink/blush color - eat the avocado, save the pit and skins for dyeing
• Blueberries - for the gray/blue color (I used frozen)
• Some kind of small leaves - I used the tops of a bunch of carrots but any herbs, leaves, ferns will work
• Pantyhose, cut into 2-3 inch strips to wrap the eggs
• Distilled white vinegar

Ready for dye

Method:

For each of your dye baths, you're going to simmer the dye materials for an hour before adding your eggs.  This is a stinky business, but worth it.  Since I was only putting 4 eggs into each dye bath, I used 6 cups of water in 3 separate pots and added 1/2 of a chopped up red cabbage to one, avocado stone, cut in half, and skins to another, and 1/4 c. frozen blueberries to another.  Bring the pots to a boil, then cover, and let simmer for an hour.  While those are boiling, prep your eggs.  It's not as hard as it may seem at first glance.  Place a leaf smooth side down on the egg and gently wrap a section of hose around the egg.  I recommend covering the whole egg - I didn't on some of mine and you can tell when they are done.  Tie the hose in a knot secure enough to hold the plant in place, but not so tight you crack the egg.  When the dyes are done simmering, remove the fruits and veggies from the pots, discard, add a splash of vinegar, and very carefully place your eggs in.  Bring to boil, then turn off the heat, and let sit for about 15 min.  This will hard cook your eggs.  Now it's up to you how long you want to leave them in the dye bath.  After an hour, they will have very light color.  I left mine in the dye bath in the refrigerator overnight.  I did gently place them into sealable plastic tubs for this, as I needed the pots and they wouldn't all fit in the fridge anyway.  The next morning, I took them out of the dye bath, snipped off the hose, and voila! 

Eggs dyed with red cabbage, avocado, and blueberries

A few tips:

• Make sure the hose is tight enough to securely hold the leaf while the egg gets jostled.  Otherwise, the design won't be quite as crisp when you're done.
• Placing the leaf smooth side down helps it to stay stuck tightly to the egg so you get crisper edges
• If the eggs are in a small container in the fridge and touching each other and the sides, you might have some light spots in the color.  Make sure the eggs have plenty of space if you don't want that to happen. 

This turned out to be fun and rewarding, and has renewed my interest in dyeing Easter eggs.  There are many other items you can use to get a full rainbow spectrum if you are interested.  I think I'm hooked and will try it again next year. 

Hope you have a wonderful Easter weekend and let me know if you try dyeing some eggs!

Enjoy!

-KB