Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Wow, I'm still here!
It's been awhile, but I'm still here. Took time off to grow my skills and rethink where I'm going. I have added a Nikon D7100 to my arsenal of equipment. Ordered the Len's baby creative camera kit and macro lens to arrive tomorrow! Scheduled private photography lesson with Don Smith Photography in Aug 2013. Going to learn CS6 to up my photography game. I learned that while you can take great photo's with you're I-pad or I-phone, you can't print them in a large format. If anyone thinks differently please share why?
So surprised this Blog is still here. Look me up and follow me on Google + and Twitter. One of my latest photo's is the following:
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Entered a photo contest
So I placed three photos in a photo contest and I 'm taking a risk by investing a big whopping $10.00. What I find very amusing is that, the competition looked extremely odd. One particular photo entry was so stupid; someone cut out a photo of a little girl, and placed her in a wooded scene. It was very obvious that they photo shopped her in it. Other competitors took pictures of model cars placed on their beds, on soiled chairs and in cluttered dirty homes. Some photos were of a very creepy old dude wearing Nazi uniforms in his car, at home and God knows where else he was! Most of the photos look like they were taken with a disposable camera etc. I'm thinking, Oh my God, are they serious?
I have always wanted to do photography for a living and I wanted to do it right by learning the craft through any means that I could. There are many web sites on the internet that a person can submit photos to for free. I finally chose to dive into a competition thinking my skill was sufficient enough to be competitive. Those poor judges are going to have to sift through all the crap to narrow down the field.
Here is one of the photo's I submitted:
Let me know what you think about the quality of this photo and if you think I stand a chance? lol....be kind and honest, I can take constructive criticism!
I have always wanted to do photography for a living and I wanted to do it right by learning the craft through any means that I could. There are many web sites on the internet that a person can submit photos to for free. I finally chose to dive into a competition thinking my skill was sufficient enough to be competitive. Those poor judges are going to have to sift through all the crap to narrow down the field.
Here is one of the photo's I submitted:
Let me know what you think about the quality of this photo and if you think I stand a chance? lol....be kind and honest, I can take constructive criticism!
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
We Remember
I was at the beach this morning and saw an awesome sand castle. Whilst taking a picture of it, a gentleman and his wife came up wowed by it. They are from Ontario Canada. Nice conversation sharing our thoughts of 9-11...they loved the tribute in sand. Enjoi from the West Coast Pismo Beach!
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Web design decision
So lately I have been experimenting with placing my work on my own web site or one that is offered on line. Not sure which direction I will be heading? Zenfolio is nice but I'm not sure I want to commit to them? I don't seem to have control of the web site in ref to where my prints will come from etc.
I received metal prints from Metalography and they are really great looking. When I walk around the small town of Pismo, many people are looking at my pier photo! Some guy crossed the street to see it up close and said he would wear a t-shirt with my pic on it. I'm not tied into any t-shirt companies to do that. I could start my own t-shirt company, but that's too much work since I'm involved with my own ventures. I guess I could check into other ideas to enhance my photo resale opportunities.
The other issues is that I'm not ready to commit to pay pal and the whole biz experience. I want to see if more people are interested in purchasing my work. It would be ideal if I had designers looking for my work on a consistent basis. That is another marketing issue that I need to consider.
Ok sweet heart one step at a time, find where you want your domain to be registered. Build the site and move on from there...
I received metal prints from Metalography and they are really great looking. When I walk around the small town of Pismo, many people are looking at my pier photo! Some guy crossed the street to see it up close and said he would wear a t-shirt with my pic on it. I'm not tied into any t-shirt companies to do that. I could start my own t-shirt company, but that's too much work since I'm involved with my own ventures. I guess I could check into other ideas to enhance my photo resale opportunities.
The other issues is that I'm not ready to commit to pay pal and the whole biz experience. I want to see if more people are interested in purchasing my work. It would be ideal if I had designers looking for my work on a consistent basis. That is another marketing issue that I need to consider.
Ok sweet heart one step at a time, find where you want your domain to be registered. Build the site and move on from there...
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Friday, August 19, 2011
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Foggy day at the beach
I call this "Fog Bow" instead of fog rainbow...this was an early morning shoot. After the fog lifted, on my walk home, I passed photographers headed to the pier. If they had woke up earlier they wouldn't have missed this pic.
Photo tip: Make mental notes (Write it down if you have dementia, lol) of what you want to shoot; check the weather for sunrise and sunset times, surf conditions, etc. Practice, practice, practice using all your manual settings.
Are you looking at me?
Remember I said Practice, practice, practice? I was waiting for this pelican to fly down to the pier deck to fetch a fish. Wanting not to miss a great photo, I switched to the auto sport mode on my camera so I can capture the bird eating the fish. The picture turned out blurry because the lens was focusing too long. Lesson learned, use the manual setting and focus on the fixed object, like the fish waiting to be eaten. I believe that was one of my previous shooting tips. ;-) This is that picture:
Photo tip: Make mental notes (Write it down if you have dementia, lol) of what you want to shoot; check the weather for sunrise and sunset times, surf conditions, etc. Practice, practice, practice using all your manual settings.
Are you looking at me?
Remember I said Practice, practice, practice? I was waiting for this pelican to fly down to the pier deck to fetch a fish. Wanting not to miss a great photo, I switched to the auto sport mode on my camera so I can capture the bird eating the fish. The picture turned out blurry because the lens was focusing too long. Lesson learned, use the manual setting and focus on the fixed object, like the fish waiting to be eaten. I believe that was one of my previous shooting tips. ;-) This is that picture:
Friday, August 12, 2011
Birding for the right picture
Birding for the right picture can be time consuming, but the rewards last a life time. I was on the hunt to capture a humming bird...fast little buggers. To capture one you have to wait patiently for that one moment it comes into your lens. Here's what you need to do to be successful at this mission:
1. Sit and watch the flight patterns and feeding areas. Pick the spot most frequent with birds.
2. Tripod with your lens pointing where you expect to take your shot.
3. Place your lens in the manual mode to include focus. Practice what settings you want for shaded areas or sunny. Take several pictures to figure this out.
4. Focus on an object the exact distance you expect your shot to be.
5. Wait patiently...if you need to refocus on the bird it's easy to adjust with your hand. You can use a remote control to snap the picture.
Using auto focus is hard because the bird moves around too fast and your lens doesn't have the time to adjust to the movement. Check out my picture!
Good luck and happy hunting!
1. Sit and watch the flight patterns and feeding areas. Pick the spot most frequent with birds.
2. Tripod with your lens pointing where you expect to take your shot.
3. Place your lens in the manual mode to include focus. Practice what settings you want for shaded areas or sunny. Take several pictures to figure this out.
4. Focus on an object the exact distance you expect your shot to be.
5. Wait patiently...if you need to refocus on the bird it's easy to adjust with your hand. You can use a remote control to snap the picture.
Using auto focus is hard because the bird moves around too fast and your lens doesn't have the time to adjust to the movement. Check out my picture!
Good luck and happy hunting!
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Changed name of my company
Yep, I have been away for a while working on my other business. Now that the business plan is complete, I can focus on my photography!
I changed the name to "It's All About You" because it really is all about you in photography. It's about catching you at your best and providing you the opportunity to have your memories become more than a file on your computer. It's more than just showing your friends small pictures of your last adventure on your phone without you in the picture!
So if I catch you in my camera, I will give you my business card and you can go online to view the picture I took of you! Order the picture you want professionally developed! You pay only for the picture you want! Isn't that how it should be? You can chose to have a traditional picture in a frame, have it mounted on canvas or have it infused on metal. It will all be done at a professional development studio and delivered to your doorstep! Next, all you have to do is smile at the memory for the rest of your life.
Soon I will have my website service open to everyone who wants to order my photography for their home, office or business. It will have scenic photography available for interior designers and other professionals. This month I will be traveling down to Temecula, CA. to visit the photography studio and photo developer who will be working with my customers and I; along the way I may partake in a few glasses of wine! ;-)
Look forward to getting everything finalized!
I changed the name to "It's All About You" because it really is all about you in photography. It's about catching you at your best and providing you the opportunity to have your memories become more than a file on your computer. It's more than just showing your friends small pictures of your last adventure on your phone without you in the picture!
So if I catch you in my camera, I will give you my business card and you can go online to view the picture I took of you! Order the picture you want professionally developed! You pay only for the picture you want! Isn't that how it should be? You can chose to have a traditional picture in a frame, have it mounted on canvas or have it infused on metal. It will all be done at a professional development studio and delivered to your doorstep! Next, all you have to do is smile at the memory for the rest of your life.
Soon I will have my website service open to everyone who wants to order my photography for their home, office or business. It will have scenic photography available for interior designers and other professionals. This month I will be traveling down to Temecula, CA. to visit the photography studio and photo developer who will be working with my customers and I; along the way I may partake in a few glasses of wine! ;-)
Look forward to getting everything finalized!
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Photographing Birds
Today I took beautiful pics of Va birds. Been on the East Coast for one week and heading back to Ca. Next I plan on visiting Temecula and hope to visit Metalography studio. I want to get back on track with the web site I'm developing. Looks forward to posting all pics up for sale ASAP.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Moving this blog
I'm checking out word press because it will allow me to blog and create various tabs to support my business....moving on hopefully?
Monday, June 27, 2011
My new business
Ok have you ever heard that life is a never ending education? That is my life. Why go through life only once to have only done a handful of things? For me that never works...I'm 53 and not done living. I'm not ready to roll over and die.
So far I have accomplished everything in life. I played High School basketball and softball. I played on five different teams in the summer and rode my motorcycle to other ball games to umpire. I played College level Field Hockey and Softball on two scholarships. We won the State Championship in Softball for three consecutive years. I graduated with a BS in Education.
After college I served in the Army active duty for 8 1/2 years as a commissioned Officer. Cutting that story short, I was a helicopter test pilot who never got to fly much because of too many additional duties to mention. My career ended after attending the Combined Arms Service and Staff School in FT Leavenworth Kansas thanks to Congress cutting military personnel.
Sadly my mother and father have passed and way. I have two beautiful children that I love to the max. I have a partner who loves my children and I; I'm so proud of all of them. It is my hopes to leave them a legacy with the businesses I'm now involved in. It's my intention to show them and others that life is worth living. No matter what walls pop up in our paths, that you can go around those walls, you can move on to better things always.
The past 4 years have been tough on me. I have been disabled and my ability to train people and to work full or part time is long gone. With the few hours I can get out of the house, I have been taking pictures with my trusty camera and tripod. The pictures are precious in that they record the beauty I see all around me. Since I have no source of income there is little much I can do these days. But, I'm not down. I can do this. I can also help a friend build the Lott group by volunteering as their COO.
This photography business is a dream for me. I have always wanted to do it...so here I am; doing it. I hope you follow me through this process?
Please note the widgets to the right. If you own a Kindle or any device that supports e-books and you order them from Amazon; you can do that through this blog. 10% of all my income will go to the Lott Group...yeah
So far I have accomplished everything in life. I played High School basketball and softball. I played on five different teams in the summer and rode my motorcycle to other ball games to umpire. I played College level Field Hockey and Softball on two scholarships. We won the State Championship in Softball for three consecutive years. I graduated with a BS in Education.
After college I served in the Army active duty for 8 1/2 years as a commissioned Officer. Cutting that story short, I was a helicopter test pilot who never got to fly much because of too many additional duties to mention. My career ended after attending the Combined Arms Service and Staff School in FT Leavenworth Kansas thanks to Congress cutting military personnel.
Sadly my mother and father have passed and way. I have two beautiful children that I love to the max. I have a partner who loves my children and I; I'm so proud of all of them. It is my hopes to leave them a legacy with the businesses I'm now involved in. It's my intention to show them and others that life is worth living. No matter what walls pop up in our paths, that you can go around those walls, you can move on to better things always.
The past 4 years have been tough on me. I have been disabled and my ability to train people and to work full or part time is long gone. With the few hours I can get out of the house, I have been taking pictures with my trusty camera and tripod. The pictures are precious in that they record the beauty I see all around me. Since I have no source of income there is little much I can do these days. But, I'm not down. I can do this. I can also help a friend build the Lott group by volunteering as their COO.
This photography business is a dream for me. I have always wanted to do it...so here I am; doing it. I hope you follow me through this process?
Please note the widgets to the right. If you own a Kindle or any device that supports e-books and you order them from Amazon; you can do that through this blog. 10% of all my income will go to the Lott Group...yeah
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Keeping this blog as is
Hello readers: This blog will remain as is so new readers can read the valuable posts. I will not be adding additional posts in the future. I'm am now the new Chief Operating Officer COO of the Lott Group. I'm working on the new blog and on fund raising and it takes up all my time.
The Lott group will be training minority students to develop and maintain socially responsible businesses. Our first business will be a recycle project to raise money to clothe and train homeless people in the Little Rock Arkansas area.
Thank you to my followers of this blog. I will post later what my new blog is if you have an interest in the subject matter I just mentioned! ;-)
The Lott group will be training minority students to develop and maintain socially responsible businesses. Our first business will be a recycle project to raise money to clothe and train homeless people in the Little Rock Arkansas area.
Thank you to my followers of this blog. I will post later what my new blog is if you have an interest in the subject matter I just mentioned! ;-)
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Pre workout fuel
This is my favorite part of the day; I eat carbohydrates a half hour before I work out. Back in my teenage days, we would eat jello out of the box on the bus ride to a track meet. The sugar helped us get our energy levels up and we sucked on oranges after our event. There are quite a few people who don't eat before a work out and ultimately they either pass out, or get weak and have to stop their trip to the gym.
Many clients ask, what should I eat? My response is, toast, half a bagel, slice of pizza and even a slice of cake! If you miss eating a naughty thing, at least eat it if you must prior to a workout. It's only fuel that will feed you're body and muscles, so bon appetite!
It's okay a half hour after you're workout to eat light carbs as well. Follow up with oat meal, a lean sandwich or a slice of white veggie pizza. The body is still burning calories and you want to keep that burn going. This is not the time to stop eating.
Do you remember the last camp fire you sat around? What happens to the flames when no wood is put on the fire? The fire continues to burn only if more wood is put on the fire, as does you're bodies calories. So keep the fire stoked!
So, if you are dieting and miss eating you're carbs; simply enjoy them before you work out! Next time I will discuss the importance of Protein drinks!
Many clients ask, what should I eat? My response is, toast, half a bagel, slice of pizza and even a slice of cake! If you miss eating a naughty thing, at least eat it if you must prior to a workout. It's only fuel that will feed you're body and muscles, so bon appetite!
It's okay a half hour after you're workout to eat light carbs as well. Follow up with oat meal, a lean sandwich or a slice of white veggie pizza. The body is still burning calories and you want to keep that burn going. This is not the time to stop eating.
Do you remember the last camp fire you sat around? What happens to the flames when no wood is put on the fire? The fire continues to burn only if more wood is put on the fire, as does you're bodies calories. So keep the fire stoked!
So, if you are dieting and miss eating you're carbs; simply enjoy them before you work out! Next time I will discuss the importance of Protein drinks!
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Love the heart you're in!
Sunday is the perfect day for rest and reflection. Especially if you have had a great exercise week. Pamper yourself, relax, go for a nice stroll with the one you love or call an old friend just to giggle. Breath deep the fresh air and revel in what God has made. No matter what weather you are experiencing, find joy in the small things and let you're soul be at peace.
I am at rest with who I am and where I am going. I love my life, my children, my friends, my lover. I never forget to dream of what may come...have a blessed Sunday!
I am at rest with who I am and where I am going. I love my life, my children, my friends, my lover. I never forget to dream of what may come...have a blessed Sunday!
Friday, June 18, 2010
Heart rate recovery
Heart rate recovery is an important factor in determining how fit you are becoming. Generally, you want you're heart rate to recover within two minutes. As you breath oxygen into you're lungs with deep breaths, you want to exhale slowly and concentrate on relaxing or calming you're heart rate to slow it down. The faster you breath, obviously the more you're body is struggling to get oxygen. The more efficient you're heart and lungs become through exercise, the faster you will recover.
I found this chart on the Real Age web site. It's a good chart depicting recovery rates and how it reflects you're age: When you start you're cool down, take note of you're ending heart rate and time it for two minutes.
Real Age web site
Subtract your 2-minute heart rate from the heart rate you took immediately after exercising. The faster your heart rate recovers -- or slows down -- the fitter and healthier your heart.
If the difference between the two numbers is:
Less than 22: Your RealAge is slightly older than your calendar age.
22–52: Your RealAge is about the same as your calendar age.
53–58: Your RealAge is slightly younger than your calendar age.
59–65: Your RealAge is moderately younger than your calendar age.
66 or more: Your RealAge is a lot younger than your calendar age.
Author: Real Age Web site
For me, I like to see my heart rate recover at least to 100 or below, before I walk away from my cool down and start getting on with life.
When I had my stress test, the cardiologist said that the average woman will reach her minimum heart rate in the first 3 minutes of exercise. After 20 minutes on the tread mill, at a brisk walk, at an incline of 15; I still had not reached my minimum heart rate at age 40. He had me run for ten more minutes to get my heart rate up to my minimum. In his opinion, looking at my performance and Ekg, the heart doesn't get any better than this. That is what every runner should look for. Lesson learned; be an above average woman and take care of you're heart!
I found this chart on the Real Age web site. It's a good chart depicting recovery rates and how it reflects you're age: When you start you're cool down, take note of you're ending heart rate and time it for two minutes.
Real Age web site
Subtract your 2-minute heart rate from the heart rate you took immediately after exercising. The faster your heart rate recovers -- or slows down -- the fitter and healthier your heart.
If the difference between the two numbers is:
Less than 22: Your RealAge is slightly older than your calendar age.
22–52: Your RealAge is about the same as your calendar age.
53–58: Your RealAge is slightly younger than your calendar age.
59–65: Your RealAge is moderately younger than your calendar age.
66 or more: Your RealAge is a lot younger than your calendar age.
Author: Real Age Web site
For me, I like to see my heart rate recover at least to 100 or below, before I walk away from my cool down and start getting on with life.
When I had my stress test, the cardiologist said that the average woman will reach her minimum heart rate in the first 3 minutes of exercise. After 20 minutes on the tread mill, at a brisk walk, at an incline of 15; I still had not reached my minimum heart rate at age 40. He had me run for ten more minutes to get my heart rate up to my minimum. In his opinion, looking at my performance and Ekg, the heart doesn't get any better than this. That is what every runner should look for. Lesson learned; be an above average woman and take care of you're heart!
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Heart Training
I wanted to re-post a comment about my blog on how to condition the heart and the importance of running within the minimum and maximum heart range. A comment was posted in reference to the Blog, only it ended up on an unrelated post. Here is the comment:
Linda said...
Lesli has become my long distance personal trainer! I ran a 10K for the first time in my life at the age of 58 on May 8, 2010 and I wanted to strive to better my time, but didn't really know how to go about it. Well, my husband and I hooked up with our long lost friend on Facebook and found out she's a personal trainer...how lucky for me!! I provided Lesli with my running log from day one and Lesli provided me with the one essential guide that I needed---run within my heart rate for my age. Well, I took her advice to try this new training and that first day was the worst kind of run I ever had. Didn't know if I could maintain this running within my heart rate, but after doing this for a couple of weeks, I can actually say truthfully that I have seen an improvement in how I'm running and how I feel about running within my heart rate. I think this training is going to do me good and I'm gonna take a lot of time off my next 10k run.
June 16, 2010 7:25 PM
Linda said...
Lesli has become my long distance personal trainer! I ran a 10K for the first time in my life at the age of 58 on May 8, 2010 and I wanted to strive to better my time, but didn't really know how to go about it. Well, my husband and I hooked up with our long lost friend on Facebook and found out she's a personal trainer...how lucky for me!! I provided Lesli with my running log from day one and Lesli provided me with the one essential guide that I needed---run within my heart rate for my age. Well, I took her advice to try this new training and that first day was the worst kind of run I ever had. Didn't know if I could maintain this running within my heart rate, but after doing this for a couple of weeks, I can actually say truthfully that I have seen an improvement in how I'm running and how I feel about running within my heart rate. I think this training is going to do me good and I'm gonna take a lot of time off my next 10k run.
June 16, 2010 7:25 PM
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