Finding the hidden beauty

The mental haze is lifting slowly. My brain has been on vacation for a week now and I haven't been interested in anything that required neurons firing in any capacity. On the downside, this also included my creativity. But I have had a couple afternoons off and I am starting to feel human again. So I took my camera out with me when I was walking the dog.

Now let me tell you, juggling a dog on a leash, keys, and a camera isn't easy. I'm one of those crazy people that has to have my camera with me at all times. You just never know when you will have the opportunity to capture that perfect shot. For me, it was yesterday on my afternoon off, after spending an hour by the pool and  then halfway through a NCIS episode, when my dog decided he had to go out, NOW. I tried to talk him out of it. He didn't really want to go right then, did he? I was so comfy curled up in my chair. He could be that comfy too if he curled up on his pillow and took a nap. But he would not be swayed. So I huffed and got out of my chair, found my sunglasses, grabbed my camera, stomped down the stairs, hooked the dog to the leash, and went out.

There is a magnolia tree by my house that has about 40 blossoms on it so I figured I would take few shots and see how they turned out. Then we went to the back of the house, the extra-sunny side, and were just wandering when I saw this pot of flowers by my neighbors back door. To be honest, they looked a bit pitiful. Some blooms were wilted, some leaves dried and brown. It was sitting in direct sunlight which usually doesn't bode well when I try to take a photo, but I gave it a shot anyway. So I stood on the dog's leash, squatted down, contorted myself trying to frame the shot like I wanted, and ignored the dog who was convinced that what he needed to sniff was about 3 inches farther out than he could reach.

When I got back to the house I loaded the photos on my computer so to see if I had anything worth keeping. The magnolias? blah.... The tree green against the sky? ehh.... But then I got to the half-dead flowers baking in the sun. I loved it. The colors make me happy and I just feel summer in it. Just goes to show you can find beauty anywhere.

Happy Friday and have a great weekend!

I got nothin' but a song in my heart

I have been trying for two days to come up with something interesting (in my opinion, at least) to write about. Nothing... Blog block, big time. So, I figured I'd share a couple photos I took over the weekend. Altogether I think I ended up taking over 300. I'm a little obsessed, I admit it.

Remember those sunset walks I talked about? Well this is why I love them:

I went with my dad and the hound, Bax. I was kind of disappointed with the sunset until I decided to hunker down on the ground and shoot it from this point of view. I love these photos, they make my heart sing.

They made Bax's heart sing too... Wait, no, he was trying to catch the cows!! Good times!

https://www.etsy.com/shop/PointofViewCreations

http://www.facebook.com/#!/PointOfViewCreations

Dreamy Sunday Afternoon

On Saturday the weather was horrendous. Torrential downpours, lightning popping everywhere, and strong wind gusts. This continued into Sunday morning but by the afternoon...

The clouds parted and gave way to a glorious afternoon!

Since Spring is full speed ahead I just had to be outside. So my trusty hound, Bax, and I headed outdoors to a nearby pond to soak up some sun and fresh air. All the flowers were so happy to have that rain but I think they were loving the sun just as much.

And what could be better than a huge field full of these??!!

Soon I will be picking buckets of blackberries. Blackberry cobbler, blackberry muffins, blackberry pie... I can almost taste it now.

Coloring outside of the lines

Welcome to Point of View Creations! My name is Cheryl and I'm so glad you stopped by. I'm an amateur photographer, fine art print creator, avid shoe lover, voracious book-reader... Well, the list could go on and on.


Do you ever color outside of the lines? I never used to. I liked every picture perfectly outlined, shaded, and filled in with a carefully pre-selected color.  No surprises for me! Not even the tiniest smudge outside the lines.... Until recently. Sometimes, you just have to take a chance on life and try something new.

Enter my Etsy shop (and this blog!!). I have discovered a love of photography in the last few years. I haven't had any professional training yet but I've had some good friends who were willing to guide, critique, and mentor me along the way. I photograph the beauty in and of life. Whatever speaks to me. Sometimes I just make technical edits. Sometimes I completely change the photo into a brand new creation. This is where coloring outside of the lines comes in. I like breaking the rules. Who knew??!!

Stop by my Etsy shop here:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/PointofViewCreations


Be sure to visit and like my shop page on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/PointOfViewCreations