Rainbow Buckets...

"Rainbow Buckets" (c)2012 

This colorful assortment of metal buckets was taken in a garden shop that I frequent during the late Spring.  Loved seeing them lined all up and brightening the aisle that I was shopping in.  When I edited this photo to create my piece, I wanted to keep the happy feeling.  The colors reminded me of young children coloring, so I used a couple of different layers to give it that sketchy and colored in look.  I also cropped the image, giving it a panoramic feel. Overall, I think it is just a happy image.

Rusty Graffiti...

"Rusty Graffiti" (c) 2012

This image was snapped along the sidewalk that curves around Chicago's Shedd Aquarium along Lake Michigan.  It was taken at the same time as the piece from my previous post, "No Diving."  This lovely piece of metal was subjected to the usual urban treatment of graffiti, instantly creating a piece of art work.  In a nutshell, I enhanced the image by saturating the color to give it an extra rusty feel, the I traced some of the words using clogged nozzle brush, along with extracting color.  The point of this piece is to show that there is beauty in all art forms, graffiti is often considered gang related, an urban phenomenon and example of an uncivilized and uncultured community.  I heavily disagree, although there are those who mark walls and territories based on gang affiliations, tagging areas so that the area is marked and you know whose area this belongs to; there is such beauty to many examples of graffiti, those used to create murals in the neighborhood to add color and flair, it gives you a sense of community, a sense of togetherness.  Those who dabble in this art form, are truly gifted artists and each work is unique and beautiful.  My goal is to get my audience to appreciate and accept all types of art work, since my own art form does not conform to traditional photography.

No Diving...

"No Diving" (c) 2013, Simone Hester

This piece is title "No Diving" because of the obvious no swimming sign that is slowly eroding away from the shoreline.  It was captured along the curved walkway besides the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago.  What drew me to capture the original image was the erosion that has been taking place, from the water and the elements.  I thought the contrast of the crumbling cement next to the beauty of the waters of Lake Michigan was a unique pairing.  To further enhance the artistic quality of the image, I manipulated the body of water by creating waves that have an unnatural look to them against the cement.  Thought it was pretty cool and I hope that to the viewer it presents a variety of messages and interpretations as to what this could mean to someone at that moment.  It could represent a situation in some one's life or a metaphor for anything you can think of.  I'd like to think that it represents life, sure the waters can be a little rough out there, you might want to obey the rules and not jump in, but hey, sometimes rules are meant to be broken, right?

Ouch...

"Ouch" (c) 2012 Simone Hester

Switching up the format just a little.  In my previous blog, I had mentioned getting back to my focus and doing what is most important to me.  My love for my art and my photography is that thing.  So very important.  So each time I blog, I will discuss a piece that I have created.  Yes you have seen my work on my blog before, but I discussed a lot of the process showing before and after photos.  What I want to convey now, is how I feel.  I want to discuss the mood behind the image that you see and what made me decide to create what I create.  So yes, you will see a little of the old, but hopefully you'll see something new too.

With "Ouch," I was drawn to a section of cacti in a garden store (I was there taking numerous photographs for potential work for some of my watercolor projects), there I captured a few snapshots of the spiky grouping.  I loved this shot because you are looking down inside the center of a particular plant.  When I edited the image, I really wanted the needles to have some emphasis, so that it was something that you'd noticed immediately.  Looking at this image, you know if you touch it the next thing you'd say is "Ouch." I want you to really feel how unpleasant it would be if you came across this cactus in a garden.  I want the image to give you a scratchy, itchy feeling.  I think it came across pretty good, what do you think?

Back To Business...

So, it has been a few months since my last post (around five) and I can only say that I my initial passion for what I do had taken a hit, a major blow or whatever way I can describe what happened... happened.  I suffered a personal setback last year and it troubled me deep to my soul and created what I like to refer to as my "artistic funk." It has took long enough to root and bloom out, but the promise that I made to myself at the close of 2012, was that I had to regain my focus and continue to do what I love.  Simply, because I love it.  I have held a passion for art since I was a little girl and because of that I can not let bad things change my direction, I may have been sidetracked temporarily but I am definitely back on my path. It is simply my destiny.

On New Years Day, I wrote my self a note...

"Dear Simone,

You are FEARLESS... you create your own DESTINY... You CONTROL the outcome of your life and dreams, the outcome does not control you! If you do not have or feel the support of others, you have to use your STRENGTH and always SUPPORT YOURSELF... Remember to BELIEVE in yourself... Remember to stay FOCUSED, stay STRONG and everything that your work for will unfold itself to you! You are COURAGEOUS, PATIENT, FOCUSED, DEDICATED, CONFIDENT and DETERMINED."

A few days later, I received an email inviting me to an event/party open to all creatives (Yippee!).  It was the first of its kind and (hopefully it will continue and build up) I was appreciative of the thought to include me.  While I was there, I met a gentleman who I hesitantly gave my business card to (but did so under the suggestion of a friend), it wasn't that I did not want to share my card, it is that I suffer from my own version of "stage fright." I am horrible at networking, I stink at it.  I have never been the aggressive type and always hid behind my shy personality when it comes to meeting new people.  I even told the gentleman this fact.  He smiled and politely told me that I would have to get over that and learn how to put my card in someones hand and introduce myself. The worst thing anyone could say is "no." I had to agree because he was right, of course, but what really struck me was that he said that he was this way at one point himself.  I found hard to believe because I watched as he worked the crowd that was in attendance and he had no difficulty interacting with people, so I would have never guessed.  Nothing that he said was overtly profound but it had enough of an impact that I have been brewing it over in my head for the past few days.  I have got to get myself out there and basically "get over it." So my sincerest thanks goes out to him, the light clicked on for me.

Remembering the note that I wrote to myself, I rededicating myself to my work, including my blog and getting back out to take more pictures and create new pieces.  So in keeping with the fresh start and the beginning of a new year, below is my new profile picture that you'll find on my Facebook, Twitter and Website. I like it, I look happy, with a renewed focus and a little sparkle in my eyes. Ready, set, go.

Make It Interesting...

I recently participated in a photography show where the focus was the non-traditional art of photography.  There were artists represented that either combined photography with other mediums (for example, mix media) or they had a unique perspective to their photographs.  I fell in with the latter of the two.  It was an honor to be included with such a grouping of talented people.  I have often seen how photography has been overlooked as an art medium, because it is not something that the artist creates.  I disagree, wholeheartedly.  The group that I had the privilege to show with are a group of photographers who have transformed the medium to another level.  It is the type of photography that I love, I love to transform an image, to draw the audience and to have them wonder "how you came up with that idea" or "what does it all mean" or more simply "wow."  One of the pieces that I submitted (I was honored to have three in the show) created that drew more attention than my other works.  It is an image of the Reid & Murdoch Building located on the Chicago River, the building is iconic because of the red brick which is such a contrast to the rest of the scenery along the river.  It is also the current home of the Encyclopedia Britannica headquarters.  Most people asked why it looked so familiar and what was the meaning to the other elements in the photograph.  I explained that it was the angle of the shot and I wanted to create a piece with this shot because of the different characteristics, from the red brickwork and the iron bridge that both appear in the shot.

Here is the original image:

And the piece entitled "River Walk:"

"River Walk" (c) 2012

Painting Nature...

I have really developed a true love for nature photography. I will always remain faithful to my first love of architecture and structure, but recently I have decided to challenge myself to embrace other subject matters.  I began painting again and rejoined a watercolor class after a three year hiatus.  I stopped painting because I felt that my skill level just wasn't developing, that I was painting too much for what I thought it should look like as opposed to what I thought should feel like.  I could not find myself in my work.  It was then that I picked up a camera and began my odyssey in photography. What photography taught me was to let go, let loose and discover my art.  The lesson that I learned from my photography, I have applied to watercolors.  My painting has truly developed from where it was three years ago.  I paint for me and how I envision the subject matter to be.  I also found that I should paint what I love, that being nature.  Not to say that I won't paint other subject matter when I have the feel to do it, but I want to really hone into my first love.


Seeing that I am painting lots of flowers, I decided to also work on that skill set in my photography.  Really stretching the look and feel of the image itself.  I am really focusing on bringing painting techniques and style to my photographic art.  Below is a new piece and example of what I am trying to do in both my photography and painting.

"Thistle" (c) 2012

Summer Colors....

Summertime is known for bright colors everywhere, this is nature's chance to put on a show and exhibit all of her beauty for all to see.  It is the time of vast gardens, fireworks and family get-togethers, vacations to exotic locales and highlighted by spectacular sunrises and sunsets.  It is my favorite season of the year.  July is the one month for gardeners when all of their hard work pays off, everything is in full bloom.  The piece below is that of my absolute favorite flower, the daisy.  It is the happiest flower around and I have blogged about her fairer version, the classic and friendly Shasta daisy with it's white petals and perky yellow center.  Here is her grown up cousin, the Gerber daisy.  She dresses for the occasion displaying brightly hued colors of pinks, yellows, oranges and my personal favorite, a rich red.  The red Gerber daisy is seductive and beguiling... and when she stands by herself, she reaches for the heavens and pops against any background.

"Red Daisy" (c) 2012

It's Hot Out There...

There is nothing more damaging to your camera's sensor than extreme weather conditions.  I have the blessing to have the choice of when to bring out my camera for work, but there are photographers who are not so fortunate.  They have to shoot in any condition presented to them, and when it comes to extremes in temperature, there is nothing more dangerous to the inner workings of your camera.  We know that when it is raining to shoot with a camera sleeve, but what about going from very hot to an air conditioned room and vice versa?  


The first piece of advice that I every got was to temper your camera to the temperature.  Meaning, keep the camera in the camera case which is insulated and still protecting the camera and after a couple of hours you can pull it out without a fear of condensation wrecking the inner components of the camera.  The best piece of advice I got was to put silicon packets in your camera bag.  These are the same packets that you get in a shoe box or brand new bags, because they are designed for that.  They prevent moisture from ruining those shoes and bags and in essence they do the same thing for your camera.


I recently visited the Washington DC area to visit my best friend and her husband and one of my goals was to shoot the monuments and have my creative fun with them.  Unfortunately due to the extreme heat and subsequent storms that wrecked havoc on the area, I was unable to put my camera to use in the way that I liked.  Hopefully, the next time I visit, the weather will cooperate in my best interest!


Not to leave you without any examples of my recent work, I decided to go with the image I call "Rocky." But today, with the majority of the nation under heat advisories I thought this image might provide a cool and refreshing escape.  Can't you just imagine your feet in the water of this piece?  I know I can!

"Rocky" (c) 2012

Urban Edge In Nature...

So, I love, love, love shooting architecture.  It is my absolute favorite.  I love the urban feel of  a city, all of the grit, street life, buildings, and so on.  I have often wondered about how to put that urban look on a nature shot.  A couple of weeks ago, I shot an image of a rose and thought that it would be a pretty cool idea to combine the urban edge I love so much with this particular shot.  A rose truly encompasses beauty and edge.  The softness and allure of the petals in combination with the thorny protection of the stem.  So the original image below....

....turned into the following piece, aptly named Graffiti Rose.  I just love the darkness, edge, and urban feel to the new image.  

"Graffiti Rose" (c) 2012

Getting Buggy With It....

There are so many interesting things to photograph and some of them are the smallest things around... bugs.  I began to shoot some of the more interesting looking six and eight legged creatures around my home because my son truly finds them fascinating.  My daughter could care less and would prefer not to encounter any of them.  Living so close to a forest, we get an interesting mixture of "buggy" life.  Bugs that I have never seen before, which I attribute to living the city when I was a young girl.  In a previous blog post, I showed the lovely Woolly Bear Caterpillar that I was fortunate to shoot.  Here you will see two lovely and creepy creatures.  One is a dragonfly and what I loved about the shot that I got was all of the detail that you can see in its wing.  The shot came out just perfect, this particular dragonfly was smitten with the garden in my front yard and you could find it flying about on a daily basis as it made its rounds around the neighborhood.  I am not aware of what species it is, but if you can identify it than let me know!

"Dragonfly Perch" (c) 2011

The second image is a yellow and black spider known as the Yellow and Black Argiope or more commonly garden spider, corn spider, or writing spider.  All I can truly tell you about this one is that it scared the living daylights out of me, was not expecting to see this guy hanging out when I went to water my garden.  After my heart came back in my chest and was beating at a normal rate, I grabbed my camera and captured a shot.  My curiosity got the best of me and I had to document it, but if you see the name of the piece than you can still get an understanding of how I truly felt about it!

"Arachnophobia" (c) 2011

Garden Season...

This is one of my most favorite times of the year.  Getting my hands dirty and planting new blooms in my garden.  My little backyard is my "hacienda" from all things being a mom, wife, photographer, homemaker and the list can go on.   I sit out on my patio, read and drink a good cup of coffee or tea, depending on the time of day.  Another great aspect of garden season is the beauty of nature... all the flowers and trees.  As a photographer, my eye is constantly drawn to these beautiful pops of color and I end up with some cool pieces of art.  


I am currently taking watercolor classes to refresh and rejuvenate my painting before I head off to grad school.  I either plan on getting my Masters Degree in Watercolor or Photography, I have yet to decide and why I began the classes. I have taken the classes before, but had a three year hiatus.  It is wonderful being back, missed my fellow classmates and teacher.  One of our assignments had us taking a small field trip to the local nursery.  I captured quite a few images and was able to create some really cool work as a result.  Below is one of the pieces and what I really like about this piece is how a stack of clay pots can truly create something special.

"Clay Pots" (c) 2012

Flower Painting...

I have always been a creative, artsy person.  Ever since I can remember, I have either doodled, sketched or painted in some form.  Because of this my mother enrolled me in private art lessons that I took from the age of 8 until I was 14 years of age.  Then I had high school projects and took my craft into a different direction.  Anything that I could apply my creative skills to, I did, all the time.  I never thought that I'd be in a position to follow my dream and my passion, but I am blessed that I am able to do so.  I have begun painting again, I had joined a local class in 2005 and stayed with it until 2008.  Then I abandoned it to work as a manager in the retail world... I have since left and decided to take up painting again.


It is my love of painting that ties into my love of photography.  With Photoshop, I am able to paint with my pictures and create new images, images that I might not necessarily be able to do with a brush and watercolors (one of my goals since rejoining the class is to paint some of my photographic fine art pieces... which I will blog about from time to time). I use Photoshop as my digital paintbrush and one such piece, that I recently finished, truly defines what I do.  It is a classic image of Spring flowers and edited to create that painting "feel."  I simply love the end result and I hope you do too!  Below is the finished piece and underneath it lies the original.

"Mellow Yellow" (c) 2012 

Telling A Story...

One of the great things about photographing people is that the imagination is left to create it's very own story when it sees the image.  What is going on? Why are they where they are? And so on.  People are one of the few subject matters that I do photograph, but when I have the opportunity I prefer candid moments where the subject is truly in their own world.  The following image is a photo of my son and his buddy.  It is such an iconic image because it is a photo of two friends and that is a topic and subject that is always close to any one's heart.

"Best Buds Fishing" (c) 2011

It is so simple but how many stories can you create by seeing the image? I can think of tons.  The simple truth behind the photo is that they are learning how to catch tiny fish to use for bait when they go bass fishing later on.  A perfect summer day, a perfect day for fishing and a perfect day to enjoy with your friend.

Long Time Coming....

I have seen many panoramics of the city of Chicago and have always wanted to do one.  There are those by the day, at night, in color and the classic black and white.  When I finally had the opportunity to shoot the skyline (one of the best spots is located by the Aquarium and Planetarium) I took advantage of it, capturing many shots to create my dream panoramic of the city.  Those familiar with my style know that I am a true creative at heart, I love to create something new and different.  It took me a couple of weeks to figure out how I wanted to piece it together, deciding to keep it in color or go the black and white route, I played with a variety of techniques and finally created a product and piece that I am so proud of.  The image itself is made up of four unique shots of the skyline, then I edited each of those pics before stitching them together and creating a final edit and style to the skyline of the city I love most.  Below you'll see the end piece and beneath the panoramic you will see the original four shots help create the final product.

"Chicago Painted City" (c) 2012

The Mosaic Effect....

There is a pretty cool effect and treatment that you can apply to your photographs that is available in Photoshop and I have used it on a few of my pieces.  It is the mosaic filter.  Now, it is not for every print or piece that you produce but depending on the end result that you are aiming for, it is a filter to consider.  On the example below, I used the filter on a photograph of a glass bottle (hence glass being a phenomenal way to use the layer, especially if you are new to using it).  Initially, I saturated the colors and used some other techniques that you see in the final product below, but I also have the original image as well so you can see the differences between the two and what a great final product you can end up with using some of the more interesting filters that are offered in Photoshop.

"Crackled Glass" (c) 2011 

"Got A Spigot?..."

"Got A Spigot?" (c) 2012

Normally, my favorite things to shoot are subject matter relating to nature or architecture.  But I have been slowly but surely shooting outside my favorite two genres.  The above shot is one such example.  I happen to come across this lovely stone bowl filled with water spigot handles during an excursion to an antiques sale.  What struck me most was the richness of the stone and the different pops of color with the knobs, some were bright and others were rusty.  I further enhanced the image by saturating the color and a couple of other tricks that I have.  The original is below so that you can see the differences between my final piece up above and what I initially started with.

The Story Behind "Science Experiment..."

"Science Experiment" (c) 2011

This image is my highest viewed image on one of my photo sites 500px.com and as with any image that I capture and subsequently create, there is a story.  This image was initially photographed on a brief weekend getaway in Michigan.  My family stayed with some friends and each day that we were there we headed out to the lake where they had a boat.  We swam, soaked up some sun, fished, and lots of other fun things.  And of course I had my camera with me.  By the lake, there was a wooded area next to the opening I spotted this gnarly tree.  What was so neat about the tree was that it was covered in moss and had a large opening, almost like a crater.  Within the crater there was sap, which are the reddish brown areas in the image.  It almost looks like a geode and because of all the interesting tidbits in the image, I named it "Science Experiment" because it reminded me of when I was a young girl, full of curiosity and anxious to learn about anything scientific.  Let me know what you think of this image either here or on my 500px site http://500px.com/photo/2350376.

Art Takes Times Square....

I have recently submitted my work for consideration and the grand opportunity to have my work shown in New York City's Times Square.  How exciting, and what I really like about this contest is that it is free!!!! To have your work considered you have to do some leg work, and to have it shown in Times Square there is even more work or you can submit a fee of $25 to bypass all of the work and get your work out there.  What I really like is that it is a free opportunity for an artist to expose the world to their work.  I am certain that there are many artists out there who painfully submit fees for submissions to gallery competitions to have the opportunity to have your work shown in a gallery.  Sometimes you can win and are included in the group showing or you are politely turned down because they were not "feeling" your work at the time.  Trust me, if you do it often enough, your skin get a little thick.  It is very rare that you have an event that you can enter free of charge, and for any artist (because most of us are struggling) is a great gift of an opportunity.


For any of my followers or fans, I submit the link below for your vote and consideration.  A part of this contest is based on getting enough of the public to become their very own art collector and begin adding collections of the numerous artists that have submitted (and trust me there are beautiful collections out there).  There is also an opportunity for you, the judge and collector to win yourself a trip to NYC and $2500.

http://simonehester.artistswanted.org/atts2012

I have also included the nine pieces that I chose to represent me as an artist.... and I would be very grateful to anyone who participates and add me to their collection!

Jellies.....

For those that know me, know that my absolute favorite subject to shoot is architecture and a close second is nature.  I am comfortable taking a variety of photographs with these as my focal points and standard for content.  However, I sincerely believe in stretching the boundaries of your comfort zone and I try to do that on occasion.  During my kids' Spring Break, I thought of many things we could do, and saw a commercial advertising the Jellyfish exhibit at our Aquarium.  I knew in that instance, it would be a challenge for me.  Capturing wildlife really truly calls on the right moment and time, you can sit all day or actually get lucky and capture that moment.  I have been fortunate to get some wildlife shots that I am truly proud of, but was unsure of my luck capturing the graceful jellyfish.  


The challenge with shooting in an aquarium is the first challenge of not using your flash it is against the policy of the aquarium (I am not a fan of the flash anyway) and using your flash against a tank full of fish is just awful, you get that lovely reflection.  So you just have to know your camera and make the necessary adjustments and try your  best to get your images.  


I was fortunate to capture some really cool shots, I had more bad than good, but there are five that I am really proud of.  They are so simplistic in nature, I thought that another cool effect would be to invert the colors and show two different versions of each image.  A sample of one of my favorites is below (in both versions).


So my advice, get out of your comfort zone, and try something new... you just might like it!

"Jellyfishing V" (c) 2012 

"Jellyfishing V in Negative" (c) 2012