Being a creative photographic maniac for the past couple of months...

I have decided to give you all a short overview of the  lovely photographic and artisic adventures I have been involved with over over the past couple of months.

I'm studying a Diploma of Photography with the Southland Institute of Technology so I have been taking lots of images in different locations.
Plus getting up at the crack of dawn to catch the early morning golden hour light in order to work towards a 10 image portfolio I am submitting ...


Graham my husband had to shoot up to Auckland for a business trip so I tagged along and got him to drop me off at the Auckland zoo for three hours...here are just a smattering of shots...

                                 A day at the zoo in Auckland, don't you just love those stripes?

                                      Love the texture and markings on these animals.

What about this cute little guy (or girl) , wouldn't you just love to give him or her a hug? 

                                                             Scarey!!!!!! This little girl doesn't think so.

             Elegant Flamingo, such an alluring shade of pink,  having a bath in the filtered light.


I went over to the Tokoroa Camera Club meeting, this is the second time I have been. Those people have  imaginative photos and I came away very inspired.

Kinleith Mill at 10 .30 at night. The Kinleith mill was the structure that dominated the skyline and at night; it looks like a rocket launching pad.

Place the camera on a tripod, put it on TV and 2 second timer. This slows the steam right down. This is one of my favourite shots.
I want to go back here and do some more of these....

Sally Wittenoom from Perth is a recent new friend who has been  staying with her parents in Rotorua for a while and has been showing me lots of useful photographic tips.

Here she is on the wharf at Kawaha Point,  I love taking unposed shots of other  photographers. 

 

Kawaha Point looking towards Mount Ngongotaha at 6am in the morning with ducks flying.

Wharf at Kawaha Point

Sally and I went for a trip to the Redwood Forest one afternoon around 4pm, I decided to focus in the texture of the forest. Sally's beautiful  hair fitted right into this theme.

Sally showed me how to put my camera on TV and move it so that the background of the forest looked like blurry, these reminded me of forest spirits with feathery textures.
I prefer blurry soft abstract shapes and textures in photography above all else.

We pointed our cameras towards the sky and the giant Redwood tree tops and spun around.  The re-occuring shapes I  take are circles and balls in photography.

 One of my tricks in photoshop is to posterise photographs so they look more like artworks.
 This shot shows the majesty of the mightly Redwoods and the texture of their leaves against the sky.

This is a posterised cobbwebb that I found in the Redwoods, the texture of the background looks like snow.

I went for an Artists Date (See Julia Cameron's, An Artists Way book)  with my dear friend April (who is an amazing artist)  to a stream near Putaruru to take shots of the most jewel like water I have ever seen.   
The place is steeped in spirituality and is very peaceful. April was immediately mesmerised as am I  every time I go there.

I am wanting to arrange a trip soon some fellow photographic early morning riser friends for some pre- dawn shots before a brilliantly fine day.
It is a perfect place for a picnic.. the swallows swoop everywhere and the valley and board walk are quite unique.

Bring on summer, we will be there with our cameras for sure.

Photography can become  an addictive great love.
Healthier than smoking, better for your liver than drinking and better for your heart  than chocolate.
Walking in nature trying to capture the perfect shot is a type of bliss that only another photographer can appreciate.

                                                                        Wharf at Okareka

 Wieland taking shots of the cherry trees in the Japanese Peace Garden above Waiariki Institute of Technology.  

                   Japanese Peace garden filled with Tui.
This is another peaceful spiritual place that comparatively few Rotorua people know about.

                             An explosion of pink, just standing under these blossoms breathing in the sweet nectar filled air and letting cherry tree blossoms fall on your upturned face like snow flakes is cleansing for the heart, mind body and soul.


I also helped to co-ordinate a three week exhibition with four of my adult pupils in Essence Cafe in Ngongotaha.
It is up for another week, so if local people want to see it you need to get along there and maybe have a nice cup of coffee and lovely food.
It is a very popular little cafe.
Heather and Debbie have already both sold two works.
The works were completed while they attending mixed media art classes with me his year.
I am so pleased that they are all progressing towards being exhibiting artists.

                                 Ruby, Heather, Janet (tutor),  Debbie and the forth class member Hilary (absent) Featuring an ecclectic array of  small affordable and highly collectable mixed media  works  on stretched canvas loosely based on Rotorua and the surrounding environment.

Some of the members I  have been teaching for over four years, it is gratifying to see their progress.

I am running another 6 week  mixed media class at the moment on Tuesday nights from 6 to 8 from my home studio in Clayton Road and this is full with eight people.
We will be having a 10 by 10 exhibition of around 40 small works that will be for sale and display in the Rotorua Public Library in November.
Watch this space.

I am also running a water colour 6 week art class at Rotorua arts Village in November so if you want to enrol you will need to hurry down there and book and pay.
If you need to enquire about this;  ring me on 346 3435 or email me at jkeen@clear.net.nz

In between all of this I was setting up an exhibition for my after school pupils in the Rotorua Public Library of their paintings and mosaics. 
This is also on for another week so please go along and have a look and sign my visitors book.
It's on the wall beside the stairs on the right hand side of the library.
The children would love to think that you have visited and appreciated their artistic efforts.

Creativity Quote of the Day.

Don't be afraid to love, it is never never lost.
If not reciprocated, it will flow back and soften and purify the heart.
Washington Irving.