Glass Ball Photography

Purple Moon 
  After the  photography class with Tom Ang at Hamilton's Snapshot Cameras on Saturday, I came home to my garden in Rotorua ready to embark on a photography adventure. 
  
I felt that I had made some changes to my photography in the way that I viewed blown out highlights. 

I appreciate white now, whereas before I  had been trying to avoid it because judges at Camera Club mark you down for it. 

When you think about it; bright light is in nature everywhere and sometimes it's blinding. 
Why don't we depict this? 
Why do we shun it?

 I decided to do a set of photos in relation to what I learned. 

 I took out my visual diary with pages that I had written and illustrated in, the previous month.

 I dropped flowers  from my garden in a random manner on the pages, everlasting daisies and  blue chicory.

I then put a glass ball on top of them and photographed the random results. 

I set up glass ball photos around my garden using my 50mm macro lens with my new polarising filter that I bought from Snapshot Cameras. 

 I set the glass ball on top of my  tripod.
 I photographed in the blue evening light at 6.00pm. 
 I then made composites of my results.
I made around 60 photos and I chose the best 20 to put on the blog and face book.

 Random Moon Series

Blue moon rising

White Moon Fading

Flowery Moon Resting

Sepia Moon Towering

Creative Moon rolling

Chicory Moon

Everlasting Daisy Moon

Dark Moon Waning

Crystal  Moon

  Eclipse of the Moon

Textured Moon

Watery Moon

Florabunda Moon

 Global Woman in the Moon 1

  Global Woman in the Moon 2

Delicately Fading Moon

Twin moons

Global woman  in the Moon 3

Sun setting Moon

Almost invisible Moon

Moon Quote. 
 The moving moon went up the sky, and nowhere did abide. Softly she was going up, and a star or two beside. -Samuel Taylor Coleridge

So today I taught an amazing pupil of  mine who has been coming to me for a number of years.  

I could feel the effects of Tom's teaching on my teaching; it was like a shot in the arm.  
In that I felt very inspired and enthusiastic because I  had fed my soul. 
The advantage of going to a good teacher is that it really helps you with your creativity. 
It is inspiring and it feeds into your work and into  your pupil's work. 

You can sit all you like  inside your home and watch u-tube videos to save money and time
 You can get lessons out of books. 
But if you find a decent teacher and pay them a liveable wage  instead of trying to pick their brains for free, it accelerates your learning so much. 
Invest in yourself and pay for some lessons. 
I am committed to learning new techniques in photography and art and that way my work stays alive. 
 So far this year  I have paid for a lesson in resin, a lesson in photography and I'm going to pay for some lessons in advanced acrylic painting techniques. 
I am always prepared to invest in myself with my money and time. 


 I have had hundreds of lessons from art teachers all over the country and have studied art full time for four years for a
Visual Arts Diploma
 I have been a practising art teacher for 20 years and have a Certificate in Adult Teaching.


Painting  Lessons 5 weeks.
 Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday mornings
9.30am to  11.30am 
Paintings make four paintings in four weeks using different techniques.
 Resin them all in  the  final following week. 

Mosaic lessons
Monday, Tuesday or  Wednesday mornings for two hours.
 9.30am to 11.30am 
For four weeks
Bird, Mirror Pot
Glass Tiles, Ceramic Tiles, Vintage China 


Phone to book your space today 
0273513887
346 3435
Classes in Janet Keen's Studo classroom
374 Clayton Road, Rotorua.

Absolute Beginners Photography Classes. 
One on One Tuition: Thursdays  5pm to 7pm Fridays: 5pm to 7pm
 Small classes so ring  to enquire about your place quickly

 In this time  I will show you the basics, set you homework and critique your work. 
Specialising in Canon Cameras. 

“Anyone who stops learning is old, whether twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing you can do is keep your mind working.” Henry Ford

Tom Ang Photography Class at Snapshot Cameras Hamilton.

    Love of Photography

Tom asked us at the beginning of the workshop what we thought we might like to get out of it.
My answer was: different ideas to make my photos stand out.
I also meant that I wanted them to be different from other people's photos.
I want to take photos that no-one else does and that cannot be easily replicated. 
I like it when people say, What is it ? when they look at my work?  Then they can bring their own thoughts to it.
That is if they can tolerate abstract. Some people look at abstract shake their heads and say, I cant understand it and move on. I am happy for them to move on they are not my audience.

I  really like abstract because you can put your own interpretation into them.
I like the ambiguity of soft focus.

  The Photography Teacher conducting his photography class like an orchestra 
 
I abstracted Tom because he is the teacher and I didn't want to have to organise a model release.
 I think he is at one with the universe.
He is an understander and a proponent of abstract.

Love of  gardening with Number 24

Why 24? I have an attraction to this number, I like how it fades into the white. 
I am a keen gardener. 
I have a long association with Garden Place because I used to live in Hamilton for around 13 years and I used to go have lunch in Garden Place.
Everything in Garden Place  like everything and everywhere  in Hamilton has changed so much, since I lived there 30 years ago.
It is in a constant state of flux.
 Hence the wispiness  and transitonary appearance  of the images.
Landmarks houses, shops I knew and grew up with have all disappeared.

 

Disappearing Balloons

I always associate the balloons with Hamilton.
 I go over every year and photograph the hot air  balloon festival.
 It is one of my bucket list wishes to go up in a Hot air balloon and photograph the process.




 ExplodingBalloons over Waikato

I like the idea of exploding balloons or balloons fading off into the distance.
The blowing up of balloons with the fire and the gushing  of air out of  balloons as they deflate

Bike Passages Along  the  Mighty Waikato

I like the black space of nothingness with whispers of text popping through.
What is this? it's as though it is all in a hazy dream.
I also associate Hamilton with biking along beside the river.
 This is like the motion of a bike as you are riding along. Disappearing amongst the bush and semi tropical plants that line the biking track beside the river bank.

Rising Moon over Garden Place, After Valentines Day

Another heart this time looming out above purple like a full moon. The full moon has been featuring in my dream lately.
Purple is the colour of healing and wisdom.
 The garden lettering is also appearing.

2020 a year of innovation and hope

I like this photo because it looks aged and I love the old bike. 
It  has feelings of nostalgia and the passing if time. 

Tom Ang overlaid  in orange  with Chinese text from a window

                    Gathering of text and dots

The edge of some text on a poster.
 I really like spheres and circles.
I'm often photographing or creating them.
  Again I like whispy non-descript works with no focal point.
 Text is overlaid and you don't know what it is saying.

Disappearing Bike with Text
 
Bike juxtaposed with text. I am a writer and text is important to me.

 The ghost of Tom Ang, the teacher

Night meeting  at Garden Place with Number 24

Caramel Balloons Disappearing

Ghost Bike 1

Ghost Bike 2

Spirit of Garden Place

Tom Ang Spirit

French   Bike  in Garden Place

Whenever I go to a workshop I always like to reflect  things that I have learned.
  I like to write about it to re-enforce the learning.

 Twenty Four  rising above Moonlight in the garden

What I learned from Tom Ang's 3 hour Photography Workshop at Snapshot Camera's

 1. There is an over emphasis on making things right. 
2. Be prepared to make a lot of mistakes and don't delete images you put them up on computer.
3. You may destroy a gem, A lot of good photos are mistakes.
4. Don't chimp while you are photographing because it spoils the rhythm.
5.Look into the golden mean and apply to your photographs.
 It will improve them rather than relying on the rule of thirds.
Rely on instinct, if you do this you will naturally be going towards the golden mean.
6. Try +3 F4 Aperture Priority. ( I did this, I have never been on +3 exposure before, but Tom says a lot of good things can happen with over exposure).
7.If you are photographing people in a public place set it all up before they turn up. Again don't chimp ever especially when doing portraits. It's off putting and stops the flow.
8.Take lots of shots of the same thing changing angles or point of view, only amateurs are brave enough to take one shot.
9.Review your shots and work out how you can improve them.

 Where to from here?
I will do some shots in the city of  Rotorua with F4 and +3, focusing on window displays and lettering and see what I can come up with.
I will do some research on his historical  photographers.

 I will have a go at dropping some flowers from the garden on top of some water colour paper.
I will do some more photos with haiku
 I will do some work with haiku and tanka writing with WABI SABI Images.  I will post these and write about them in my blog.

So yet again I say if you want to improve or change your photography seek out the services of a good teacher.

 Positive Quote of the day
The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.”
― William Arthur Ward

Tom Ang is certainly an inspiring teacher.

 

After School Art and Drawing Classes enrolling now

                                  Advanced Aboriginal painting using Resene paints.
                                  Appreciation of other cultures and their animals.

After School Art Classes enrolling now at 374 Clayton Road, Rotorua.  

Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays from 3.30pm to 4.30pm and 4.30 pm to 5.30pm.

Phone 3463435, 0273513887 or email                       janet@jkeen.net
to enquire.

Maximum of 8 people per class.

One hour Long Classes 

                                                    
                                                     Creative  Enrichment Classes

Farmyard animals using textures, with  Resene paints

 Anthropomorphic animals.

  Painting cut out animals with Resene paint

Different painting on different sides, can be hung up as a mobile.
 

                                              Anthropomorphic animals.

 

Mosaic your favourite animal

Anthropomorphic animals again

All former pupils are welcome to come back; you will have a different programme to the beginners and will be preparing to enter artwork into a group 20 by 20  exhibition in December 2020.

Sculptures using recycled materials and hot glue guns .

Making paintings in water colour of your favourite gaming characters.

Whimsical illustrative art.

                                                                     Tiger paintings

        

 I have already had a number of enquiries for new people wanting to attend.

 2020 could be your year to fly with creativity in a peaceful, mindful, patient and colourful environment.

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Illustrative paintings  

Whimsical self- portraits.

My cat Jasper also often attends lessons.

Monday. Tuesday and Wednesday mornings can be reserved for Home Schooled pupils. 

Beginners will be making a series of four paintings.   

 One with painters tape and Resene testpots

                                                         Crazy Jackson Pollock painting
It is a fun hands on exercise designed to gently  introduce people to the concept of surprises in art. You don't know what you will end up with, so it's fun
 There are three other following paintings which are designed to go as a set.

 

Another lesson involves black and white animals with spot colour.
 The first lot of works will be about using a brush effectively, applying paint, drawing and transferring images.

Theme is caring for animals and making art out of re-cycled materials.

 There will be a separate programme for older pupils,
ie High School age.


They can make mosaics if they want to but they may prefer to refine their drawing skills in which case they can work in a visual diary with graphite and coloured or water coloured pencils.

 They can have homework and they can be encouraged to work quickly rather than labouring on one painting for too long.

Each pupil is assessed in a case by case  scenario, in line with their interests and talents.

Photo realistic drawing, focusing on graphite and coloured pencil illustrations for teenaged people.

The main skill I need is people who  have the right attitude.

People who are prepared to focus, who do not disrupt others and who have a genuine love of art and creativity. 

 I provide a mindful, peaceful  and positive environment and am extremely  interested in  teaching people who genuinely want to apply themselves.

Collage with favourite animal

Robots and sci fi themes  

If this sounds like you or your child I look forward to your response.

There are a limited number of spaces so please enquire as quickly as possible so I can fit everybody in.  

Email me at janet@jkeen.net

Phone 073463435 or 0273513887 

Famous quote. Every child is an artist the challenge is to remain one once you grow up. Picasso

After School Art Classes enrolling now at 374 Clayton Road, Rotorua.  

Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays from 3.30pm to 4.30pm and 4.30 pm to 5.30pm.

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday mornings from 9.30am to 11.30am for Home School pupils and/or

Adults.