Surfer Reunion

Surfers - Va. Beach 1959 (courtesy of Pete Smith)

Surfers - Va. Beach 2007

TTV shot of Surfers 2007

This weekend I had the pleasure of photographing a group of the original surf pioneers here in Va. Beach. They were some of the first in our area to get involved in the sport and they posed for the above historic picture in 1959. This past weekend, there was a historic festival down on the boardwalk with many different booths celebrating the history of Va. Beach to go along with the big 1607, 400 year anniversary of the first landing here and in Jamestown. So, the Surfing Association had a historical booth and they asked me to take their photo again today with the all of the original people that they could round up. Some have passed away and some lived to far away to attend, but overall it was such a trip to see all of these old guys show up and exchange stories and laugh and enjoy seeing one another again. The two boards in the shot are two of the ones in the original shot believe it or not...It was a privilege for me to be a part of it. Of course I had to whip out my Ttv camera and shoot a few...they were laughing that the camera was current back when the original photo was shot! Thanks for looking.

Have you checked out "Wide Open"?

This is Randi Feuerhelm-Watts new book called "Wide Open" and I am loving it! I met Randi on the internet about a year ago and she sort of turned me on to mail art....We swapped mail art and I bought a few of her zines and became a big fan of her work. Well, I just bought her new book the other day and I have to say it has really inspired me not only to work in my journal but also in my art and photography as well. Instead of being in a book format, it is in the form of a deck of cards and each card has an assignment or suggestion for you to try. The prompts really get you to start thinking outside of your box and lead you in directions you may not have taken on your own...If you like to journal or want to approach your art in a different way, I say get this book! Here is one of the assignments I just did...It was a self portrait challenge where you get a barbie doll and label it with all of you feelings about your body and then decorate the barbie how you want to express yourself or maybe how you would like to be...I never realised how many negative self images I had until I started writing on that doll...After you finish the doll you are supposed to photograph it and put the image in your journal and write about it. Here is my journal entry....Thanks Randi, you are amazing!

Art Journal Pages

Here are some pages from my art journal...a little bit of everything, some older, some new. I really enjoy using my photos in my journals and it is fun way to use them in another way... I am not a daily journaler. I sometimes go for weeks without adding anything to it. I wish I was more disciplined, but I have come to terms with the fact that I don't really NEED to write about my day to day life. Words often frustrate me and I am much more likely to quote a verse from a song to express how I feel. I guess I am more a of a visual type of person. Anyhoo, here they are....thanks for looking!

A very sad day for VA and the rest of the country...

I just wanted to take a minute and express my sadness over the events yesterday at Va Tech...What a totally useless, sensless and cowardly act. My heart goes out to those poor families who lost their kids yesterday...I cannot even imagine their grief. Va. Beach is a huge Hokie alumni spot...Many of my friends attended there or have kids there now and luckily all are safe. They are just blown away that something so horrible could happen at their school, but you know what, it can happen anywhere these days...Sad but true. Light a candle for those who lost their lives and for the families missing them...

New Ttv Shots....

I am loving this new technique...it is very Holga-esque to me which is why I am diggin' it so much I think. The looks I get from people are pretty funny as well while taking the photos. The reason for this is probably because I have a cut up Fruity Pebbles cereal box attached to the camera to keep out stray light. It looks pretty goofy, but does the job. Maybe I will cover it in black duct tape so I can "look" more professional...ha ha! Like that will help...If you are interested in the technique, check out the Flickr group called "Through the Viewfinder" (Ttv)

and see what it is all about. Watch out, it's addicting...

Back from Orlando...

Well, as you can see my husband and daughter had a blast...Two peas in a pod I tell you...I am not a roller coaster kind of girl. I would be yakking in the nearest garbage can. I did get talked into Splash Mountain which scared me to death and I also rode Pirates of the Carribean and the Haunted Mansion which I love. Overall it was a good trip, a little crowded, a little rainy, but also a lot of fun for my "two" kids". My husband rode every roller coaster he could find several times and my daughter went on the ones she was able to being 50" tall. We stayed at a Disney Resort eventhough we only went to the Magic Kingdom for one day. By the end of the trip I have to say, if one more person told me to "Have a Magical Day" I thought I was going to barf. They kill you with that Disney hospitality and after 5 days I was done...It's nice to be home!

First try at "TTV" shots...

I just got my Argus 75 camera in the mail and was so excited to try it out shooting "Through the Lens". It is called TTV and typically you use a digital camera and take your photos while shooting through the lens of an old camera. I did some post processing in PS and converted it to b/w, hand tinted and a weird teal just to see some different effects. The Flickr group that I saw this on is called "Through the Viewfinder".... Check it out if you like playing around with alternative forms of photography. They suggest shooting through the Kodak Duaflex, the Brownie Starflex or the Argus 75 to name a few....

Happy Easter Everyone!

Well, we had our first snow shower of the season here today....APRIL!!!! First time it has snowed here in Va. Beach in April since the 1950's....Thank God we leave for Florida in the morning! Off to Orlando for a few days for a Spring break getaway...It will be crowded but at least it will be warm! Have a great holiday to all my blog buddies out there!