Decay. Is. Beautiful. :)

Decay. Rust. Wrinkles. Imperfections. Signs of Age. I find them all beautiful. They are so much more interesting to look at than an airbrushed celebrity...

The stories they tell are so much more meaningful...it's as if they have a past much richer than my own...

What kinds of stories could these places and objects tell if only they could speak?

If only I could have a conversation with them and hear their stories... instead all I can do is make the photograph and imagine what they would say, if they could say it...

And, sometimes, I secretly envy them... because they have had a life longer than my own...

Words and images by Michelle Anne of MK Designs

Light... Glorious Light.

A camera captures light. Seems simple enough... but think about light... all the different types and kinds... Do you think about light? I do. Constantly. Light can be cold and moody...giving you the "cold shoulder."

Light can be warm and invite you into her beautiful embrace...

Light can set the sky on fire...

Light can help you literally feel God's grace...

It's impossible to be a photographer of any sort without studying light. I believe that is where all my classes went wrong when I studied photography in college... we did not study LIGHT nearly enough. That is why it's such a fundemental building block of all the photo courses I teach. Any one can have a camera, but that doesn't make them a photographer or artist... the understanding and appreciation for light is what leads us down the path to understanding what art and photography is all about.

All photographs and words by Michelle of MK Designs.

Upcycled WHAT?

Had a friend ask me a month ago, "What gives with the jewelry?"

It's a good question! The more I photograph. The more I see. I see the beauty all around me and the TRASH that's taking over. It's really made me think twice about what I put into a trashcan, especially if it's something beautiful.

Think about it. Old pieces of wood, game pieces, kleenex boxes, gum packaging, etc... they can all be re-used and given a "second life" as something beautiful...instead of something trashing the places I love to photograph.

That's how I came up with the idea of creating UPcycled necklaces. That's why this photographer takes the time to make (and sometimes sell to cover the costs) these items...it all came from the art of seeing --> aka photography! *smile*

Seasons... Fall in love with Fall...

I have a love affair with Fall.
October light in Missouri is so beautiful to shoot photographs in.

The area that I live in comes alive with music and festivals and wine and laughter.

It is possibly my most busy month making photographs, enjoying friends, being with family, and basking in the glow of that wonderful Fall light...

...then there is the changing leaves upon the trees in Missouri. It's a sight to behold... If you haven't fell in love with Fall yet, I hope that you do in 2012. Afterall, it's only about 7 months away... :)

Weeds.

Thinking about a comment a friend once said to me... "Only you can make a weed look beautiful."

I seriously doubt that it was "I" who "made" the weed "look" beautiful... but the reality of photography is that it is the goal of the photographer to find beauty in the places, the faces, the objects, etc. that may be considered "weed" or "imperfect" in this world.

I think it's the imperfections that make beauty. This may not be what a plastic surgeon wants to hear, but it's true.

What IS a Camera?

So, what is a camera?

Simply put, it's a device that records light.

Seems simple enough, but a camera is also a powerful tool in that it helps us remember...

the people... (like my friend Leslie and our many chats sitting outside on a hilltop)


the places...(like this spot I discovered while cruising down 395 in Northern California... the open road and the windows down and no one around that I knew... being a stranger in a strange land can be very relaxing!)


the things... (like my grandmother's flowers from this spring)


the moments...(like my daughter telling me all about Ben, her crush, who is nearly three years older!)


The camera also can help tell a story. It can give a voice to the voiceless. Curious about that? Just google Lewis Hine or Dorothea Lange. Without them, we may still have Child Labor, horrid working conditions, and tent cities full of people leaving the Dust Bowl seeking land they can farm and jobs that will help feed the kids...

Here is a link to one of my FAVORITE short videos about Photography. It makes me smile every time! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUsqS8Ena14

Behind the Lens...

I used to be always "ahead of the game" - I've had websites and blogs before other people did, but the "newness" wore off... and here I am starting over again, but a bit behind the game. Apparently, you have to blog if you are a photographer or artist of any sort these days! :) So, I blog again... and here it is - who is the girl behind the lens? I am not sure that is easy to answer, but I can say my life was radically re-defined with the birth of this child named Karlene. She's made me a better person in so many ways, and she's helped me re-discover one of my true loves: photography. But let's rewind, I feel I was born loving the feel of a camera in my hand. I remember winning one somehow in elementary school, a little Kodak with 110 film... I remember (before that) admiring my mom's Kodak Instamatic (with the flash cube!) and a Poloroid that was at my grandparent's house that my aunts would use... speaking of my aunts... they both had cameras when they were on Yearbook Staff at school and I remember WANTING one so badly... Fast forward from those early days to the first time I held a 35mm in my hand in high school. Rolling and unrolling film blindfolded or in total dark to practice. Basically teaching myself through a series of trial and error as the Yearbook Photographer. College was a rude awakening. Suddenly, there were rules and teachers and tried & true methods I'd never learned, but somehow along the way I figured it out and minored in Photography at the University of Central Missouri. In recent years, I have found myself so happy to now teach Photography and share my love of it with my students... and now I am sharing it with you. Thanks for reading... until next time! :)