ode to etsy - part 1

I love Etsy. The way a stressed-out maniac loves his happy place. The way a gal on a bad date loves a margarita. The way my cats will one day love killing me in my sleep. You get the idea.

For those not yet in the know, Etsy is a website where folks can buy and sell mostly handmade items. Think a cooler version of Ebay, and without the pesky auctions.

I never cease to be impressed by the artistry of the sellers I come across, and my wish list just keeps getting bigger and BIGGER! So, I've decided to post some occational shout-outs to the wonderful things I've discovered while feeding my web obsession.

Today's installment covers Art & Prints. I highly encourage clicking the links below to see more work by each artist. Some people who win the lottery might buy a fancy car. I'd buy a Honda and decorate the inside with these prints.

1. barkingbirdart Group Hug II (Limited Edition Print) $18
2. carambatack Fantasy tree with owl - Limited edition print $20
3. GollyBard Pinewood Stumps – print $18
4. petitcollage Rabbit and Flora Gocco Screenprint $28
5. amberalexander Tilly's Journey $18
6. esoule 2 Lambs, 5x5 box $58
7. wonting woodland buddies $20
8. treetopstudio hummingbird garden print $18
9. kwilson544 Cupcake bird $35
10. matteart Large Giant Suburban Bear Monster visits Chicago print $60
11. luckybunnyworldwide Love (Rats) - Screen Print $75
12. misanthrope FINAL DRAFT Assembled Art Print (unframed) $15

michelle!

This little ray of sunshine is Michelle. She's as lovely on the inside as she is on the outside. I had the pleasure of meeting her a few years ago through mutual friends. Thanks friends! It's always a happy surprise when I run into Michelle at parties and get-togethers, and occasionally we'll be sweating through the same hot yoga class.

Doing her headshots was more like playtime than work, and she had a fabulous dream team of stylists. The awesome Sloane Warren did her makeup, and her stylist Tommy was on hair patrol.

Michelle, you are beautiful. Thank you for one super-duper session!

clint!

It's always great to take some headshots that convey a really intense expression, where the actor looks utterly engaged in what they're thinking. This is not always an easy look to capture. You may notice in these shots that this expression comes very naturally to Clint. However, I'll let you in on a little secret. He's obviously a good actor, because we were cracking up through the whole session! In fact, you should beg him to show you his "blooper" reel because there are some gems in there!

Before his session, we had talked about making sure we captured his super-blue eyes. I must say, I have a bit of eyeball envy. Now, I'm not dissing my brown eyes, but I just wish I could borrow Clint's for a day or two.

I have to mention one more headshot-related item. Clint let me borrow a book (that actually belongs to his roomie, Derrick) called "Holy Headshot!". It's an awesome collection of "what not to do" headshots and resumes. Both me and Matt (my actor hubby) laughed so hard at this, I think we needed a nap. Here are a few of my favorite reviews of this masterpiece...

"Not since the young Norman Mailer returned from World War II and penned The Naked and the Dead has a first book delivered such a powerful portrayal of bravery in the face of unimaginable horrors. A profound and disturbing insight into the human condition, and a clarion call for reason in our troubled culture. Borelli and Gorenstein may be the next titans of American letters."-- Todd Hanson, writer and editor, The Onion, America's Finest News Source

"This is a strange and beautiful gallery of brave dreamers; their pictures are like the illustrations in a dictionary in which every entry is "HOPE." And even when the wardrobe is very bad, or the facial hair regrettable, or the poses inexplicable, these people deserve your appreciation and applause."-- John Hodgman, author of The Areas of My Expertise and contributor to The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

Thanks so much Clint for a fun read and a FUN photo shoot!

PS: This next shot cracks me up.

julie!

Hey everybody, meet Julie! She's an actress from New York who's in Atlanta for a bit. When some folks visit our city, they head over to see dorky, antiquated laser displays on the side of a mountain. Others get headshots. I'm so glad Julie chose the latter. People who are as fun and animated as she is are super easy to photograph. I probably could have let Julie borrow my camera and a tripod, and her shots would have turned out just as well!

I'm so happy we had the chance to meet and work together. I wish Julie all the best on her exciting acting journey!

stacy s!

This cute and sassy gal is Stacy Sheets. We took some headshots for her the other day, and not only does she have a great sense of humor, but she also has the ability to smile through arctic temperatures.

The lovely and talented Sloane Warren of Atlanta Body Retreat did Stacy's hair and makeup. Sloane and I were both sufficiently bundled up during the shoot. I was fuh-REEZing, so I don't know how Stacy managed to work her charms without showing how harsh it was out there. In fact, just after we were done with the shoot, it started snowing. Dang.

So, mad, mad props to the fabulous Miss Stacy for truly making the best of her session!

daddy's little shutterbug

Today, my dad was teaching a Master Technician class and wanted me to come by to snap a group photo. I hope I didn't embarrass him by shouting "DAD!" several times in front of the fellas. I'm sure it would have been worse if I had tried to call him Mr. Bode and broke into fits of raging giggles. There probably would have been snorting too.

After the photo, I got to listen to a few minutes of my dad's instruction. The next time I talk to him, I'm going to work "the importance of CFUs when selecting a compressor" into the conversation. He'll be all like, "WHAAAAA???" and "my daughter's a freakin' genius".

One small disclaimer. I did not suggest the high school football pose below. That was dad's doing. I'd have put them into a pyramid.

Dad Bode is the second from left, bottom row. Hi Dad!

peace, pics, and pancakes!

Matt and I just got back from a wonderful, relaxing trip to visit his mom. We talked, hiked, watched movies, and ate pancakes. 100% aaaaahhhh. We were so spoiled that when we returned, I woke up the next morning wondering why I couldn't smell bacon and coffee. WHY??? I nearly ran to the car in my jammies to drive back to Florida.

I also love that whenever I hang out with Matt and Susie, usually all three of us are snapping photos. I'm sure we look like some sort of gadget cult.

I typically don't use this blog to voice political opinions. However, I'm happy to post a montage of Susie's Obama support. It was all over her house. Have I mentioned how cool she is?

There's a large screen above the pool area, and it had the coolest water droplets on it after we had some rain.

I have to be pretty sneaky to get a photo of Susie. I love this shot of her because she's a very independent lady who can fix nearly anything. Here, she's redoing a stove gasket. See what I mean? Also, I dig the effect of her flashlight. It's not a star filter, it just happened to look that way when I took the shot.

We went to Bear Creek State Park for a chilly, but awesome hike. I've never seen so many lily pads!

My photos almost always have people in them. Portrait photography is what I'm naturally drawn to. Sometimes it's good to push myself out of the ole comfort zone and try something a little different. We decided to take a stroll around downtown Quincy, and shoot some pics. So here's a little sampling of what caught my eye...

goodies!

I've been working on some new packaging and photo goodies lately. Presentation is important, which is why I will not be handing my clients items in a Target bag, or wrapped in aluminum foil (my family has received gifts from me this way). So here's a pic of some of the doo-dads I've put together recently. Against my better judgment, I have not used any pipe cleaners or sequins to embellish them. I guess I'm officially an adult.

derrick!

I can't believe this was Derrick's first headshot session. He was far too comfortable in front of the camera to be new at this. Not only did he quickly master posing naturally, but he patiently continued to do so while I cracked myself up throughout the shoot and stomped my foot into mysterious squishy things.

His latest project is the show Mauritius at Actor's Express. I love that it involves both danger and stamp collecting. I'll definitely have to check it out. You should too!

Derrick, thanks so much for such an awesome shoot!

happiness is a warm mug

As I'm editing photos today, I'm wondering what could be better than delicious coffee from my Super Grover mug. Life is good.

she's tricky

Here's a Photoshop trick that's an oldie but goodie. You can make a "normal" image look as though it was taken with infrared film or an expensive infrared filter. I love Photoshop. I would totally slow dance with it if I could. Just a few quick adjustments and you've got a really cool effect. Here's how ya do it.....

• With your image selected, open the Channel Mixer under the Adjustments menu
  
• Make sure the Output Channel is set to "gray"
• Set the RED channel to +100%, the GREEN channel to +200%, and the BLUE channel to -200%
• Make slight adjustments with the sliders to get the effect to your liking (I like lots of contrast)
  
• If your image ins't flattened, go ahead and flatten the layers
• Under the Filters menu, select Distort, then Diffuse Glow
• Adjust the Glow Amount and Graininess with the sliders (maybe start with a Glow amount of 2 or 3 and see how that looks)
• That's it!

I don't use this effect for shots of people since it can make them look really weird, but it works great for pics of landscapes or even the venue. It works particularly well on a sunny day where light is hitting the trees or grass. You'll get that "fluffy" infrared look that's so neat. I hope some of you can have fun with this little bit of trickery! Here are a couple samples:

The original out of the camera

after the adjustments

The original out of the camera

after the adjustments