STAY-CATION

I love to travel…therefore I have never actually done a “Stay-Cation.” The thought of taking any substantial length of time off just to stay at home…it baffles me. Vacations are for relaxing, getting away.

I took this week off as in our county our schools have a week-long fall break. My original thought was to go somewhere, anywhere. Just. Get. Away. That didn’t happen. So, my son and I are having our first stay-cation.

I’ve found plenty of things to get in to in the city of Atlanta. One special activity per day, just to do something different and to get us out of the house.

Monday’s plan was bowling. It backfired, terribly so. Who’d have thought there would be league bowling on the middle of a Monday afternoon? Seriously. There. Was. All lanes – Full. So we went to Summit Racing.

Throughout the year, Summit Racing has (free for spectators) Monday night car shows. Free is good. And they go from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. A couple of hours of cars (plus food and music.)

Tuesdays at Carmike Theaters are awesome!! Why? You ask!? Stimulus Tuesdays. All day long, the (small) popcorn and (small) drinks are only $2.00. Plus- if you go between 4 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. admission tickets are nicely priced at $5.50 for adults and $5.00 for children. Can it get any better than this? Mind you, we had choices today as it’s the second Tuesday of the month and after 1 p.m., the Children’s Museum downtown has free admission. (Trust me, one has to get there early and be patient. And still….you may or may not make it in. Not a chance I am willing to take with an 8 year old who doesn’t take disappointment well.)

Wednesday night at Starlight Skating Rinks are equally as awesome. (One located in Stockbridge as well as Sharpsburg.) Admission is $1.99 and skate rental is also $1.99. How about that? Cheap fun for three hours (6-9 p.m.)

Zoo Atlanta is planned for later in the week! The great thing about it is if you have a library card, you can spend 25 minutes at your local library watching the Zoo Atlanta DVD and get a free pass for two adults and two children (up to age 11) for the zoo. It’s valid for only 7 days, so plan accordingly. And be aware that you can only obtain the pass once a year. It’s a huge money-saver. You can also check out the State Parks pass from the library for free admission. Plenty of State Parks around the Atlanta-area.

Thursday night, for my car enthusiast son, we are heading to a huge car show up in Lawrenceville for a few hours. It’s also free for spectators and runs year around, from 8 – 11:30 p.m. With 500 plus cars, it’s sure to be a fun night. It’s held at the Sonic Drive in off Riverside, so food and dessert is nearby as well!!

I am learning that there are plenty of activities to keep us busy during our Stay-Cation. From Centennial Park to Stone Mountain. From car shows to the zoo. For frugal families, there’s alot of inexpensive stuff to do in the Atlanta area. At some point, we’ll hit up the skate(boarding) parks as well during our week off!

Stay-Cations work. Plan accordingly. Try something new. Have fun, even if you are still at home!

Turn Signal Cam…….Removal…..What?!

Thought this was worth a reblog. 🙂 Happy Thursday.

{Automotive Photography Tutorials}

19 years. I’ve owned this car {1966 Ford Mustang} for 19 years. And in those years, I don’t think my turn signal cam has EVER worked properly. Ever. The signals worked, they just didn’t cancel out properly….so I’d manually have to turn them off. No. Big. Deal. Right? It never really was.

Finally, recently however, it was decided that it was time to replace the old broken turn signal cam. Now this blog post will not be a step by step instructional post on how to change a turn signal cam in a Mustang; you can get that from your Haynes or Chilton’s Manual…..plus the instructions that come in the box.  And yeah, those instructions could be a bit useful. Unless of course, you’ve done this before and then, well, maybe not. I, for one, have never done it. Easy, right? Shouldn’t take long? Maybe an hour?

I took some…

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….The Great Filter Debate.

I’ve seen a lot of debate lately over whether or not photographers should use filters over their expensive lenses. 

The questions that lie within this debate are whether a filter cheapens the quality of the photograph taken with a quality lens.

Now I will begin by saying, I am not an expert. I do not review lenses, cameras, filters, etc. I am a photographer, semi-pro, if you will. When it comes to clients events and shoots, I tend to stay away from using filters…unless it’s a neutral density. Our skies out here in Georgia are not the best to photograph; often those blue skies photograph as white. 

When I shoot for me, for the pure fun of it or a personal project, the filters come out. I’ve got some great colored filters that just add fun effects to the photographs. Doesn’t it lessen the quality of the photo? If I am shooting solely for myself, it doesn’t matter. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. What I like, you may dislike and vice versa. I love shooting with my colored filters. It’s a lot of fun to see the effects. Do I like all the photos? Nope. Not even remotely. But I learn a lot. How to control my light….what a blue filter might add to a photo versus a yellow filter. 

It’s always worth trying something new. I mean, you may find out you really like the effects of the filters. We can debate this subject all day….but in the end, I believe it’s all personal preference. 

 

 

 

The Sassi of Matera – Matera’s Caves.

Matera is located in the Basilicata Region of Southern Italy. The town is carved out of soft tuff tock mountain. Italy’s city of the caves dates it’s oldest inhabitant back to the Palaeolithic period. Behind the house-like facades, lies a home, in a cave. Yes. A. Cave. Literally. 

I had the opportunity to visit this amazingly interesting city while living in Southern Italy. My old photos don’t do it justice; I wasn’t much of a photographer back then. It’s definitely a city worth visiting should you ever be in Southern Italy. The history is amazing. And where else would you be able to stay in a cave?

(It is a World UNESCO site as of 1993.)

{Photography-Block}

So we’ve all heard of writer’s block….but it there such a thing as “photography-block?” 

I ask because very recently I CHOSE to put down my camera and not shoot anything. Nothing. Zilch. Nada. Whatever language or term you want to use. I. Shot. Nothing. At. All. 

I was supposed to be at an event in Virginia….a drag racing event…shooting. And I passed on that. Seriously? I love shooting drag races and I had track access. Yes, track access. And I passed on it.  At the very, very, very last minute. When I say last minute, I mean hours before I was supposed to get on the road.

I just couldn’t do it. I was tired. And feeling uninspired. Which scared me, just a little. Why? Because my camera is an extension of me, my body, and I cannot imagine my life without shooting – SOMETHING. For a moment, I lost my creativity. I lost my way. And I was scared. And Worried. Very. Worried. 

How could I not shoot? Me, of all people, not shoot, anything? 

I took a two day break…to renew my mind, my spirit. I realized in the midst of it all that I had pushing myself so hard, booking so many shoots, filling up my days with editing and such that I was (temporarily) burnt out. Thank God! it was only temporary. After two days, I shot again. And I shot some things I’d been wanting to shoot for years. And I redefined my creativity. And I realized…it’s okay to take a break every now and then. I imagine all creative people get creativity-block every now and then. 

I’m not worried anymore. I’m refreshed. And ready. For whatever comes my way. Just. Shoot.

The Shoes ( POETRY) By @Aerobabe619

Love it.

-spring flowers

-Travel Tips.

Packing for vacation can seem like a daunting task, especially depending on the length of the trip as well as the location and time of year. I don’t do winter (or cold destination) vacations. No snow, no ice, none of that stuff that requires heavy clothing and coats and stuff. -That’s just me. But hey, I know many who do. And well, if I must confess, I did make one winter trip this year…a 4 day trip to Washington DC and NEVER have I packed so much in my life…and I’ve been on month-long vacations!

So tip number one: You ALWAYS hear people say “Pack Lightly.” What exactly does this mean? Over the years, I’ve discovered, I wear very little of what I actually pack. So now, depending on the length of the trip, I allow two pairs of jeans/shorts for a week long stay plus an nicer outfit, let’s say a dress….and enough tops to get me through the week, plus one or two extra for dressing up. Beach vacations = lots of shorts and swimsuits. 

 

Shoes, ladies, get us in trouble. All. The. Time. If you are flying, please remember this: Shoes weigh A LOT. And they fill up your suitcase quickly. Remember the 50 lb rule – unless you want to pay the cost of another ticket, keep that in mind. And it’s one suitcase per person! Yeah, it sucks, I know. But hey! Get creative. Plan out those outfits.  A couple pairs of shoes ought to do, and be sure one is a comfy pair. Sandals/flip flops for the summer destination. Boots for the winter destination. Heels for evening…or dressy flats if you don’t wear heels. (Listen, I am not the fashion expert here! I post blogs about whether or not I should wear an outfit!)

Make a check-list. (Trust me! This is an awesome thing to do, especially when you are heading overseas and items may not be readily available.) All the essentials should be on it. Walk through the house, what items do you you/need each day? Do the mental check list as well. And go over it, more than once. Trust me on this one. I am not “maker of lists” typically but for vacations…most definitely.

Driving? Make sure you car is road worthy. Oil change. Check the air in the tires. Tune up, perhaps. Check the fluid levels.

Flying….passports, for overseas flights. Some type of identification for national flights. Bring a blanket, it gets cold up in the air! One carry-on should do it. Don’t overpack!

Cruise? Yeah. You’ll need a passport. Pack light. And don’t forget evening wear, comfortable shoes and a swimsuit.

Buy doubles of your toiletries and keep them packed.

Preparing for travel is a daunting task within itself. It can be a stressful task as well. Hopefully, these few tips help.

You’re on your own from here.

Rollin’ Down A1A … VDub Style.

It’s official in my mind. VWs belong near the beach. Period. They totally go with the whole laid back beach vibe. Not a care in the world as you roll down A1A in sunny (okay not-so-sunny recently) Florida.

At times while driving down A1A, there is water on both sides, the Atlantic and the Indian River. The views are lovely. The drive – relaxing. It’s always fun to get the reactions from people while in a VW. Specifically….a 1973 Bay Window Bus.

Camping along A1A, well, is pretty awesome, outside of the work that has to be done to set her up. If it weren’t for the drive away tent we’ve got, I’d have thrown in the towel after the first night and booked a hotel. I enjoy camping, don’t get me wrong. But the intense amount of work involved initially and the tear down, well, it’s time intensive. But we are getting it all down now. And set up is getting quicker and (maybe) easier. Debate-able depending on who you ask! Ha! Job – duties are getting assigned. Otherwise, we just get in the way and on each others’ nerves.

The Sunshine State hasn’t been overly sunny. That totally ruins any chance of beach time, let alone a tan. My entire reason for being in Florida, along A1A. Hey. We all have our likes and wants. That’s mine. Beach and Sun. Period. Not too much to ask. Except I can’t control the weather. Nor do I perform miracles. (This again is debate-able depending on who you ask.)

The drive along A1A has been relaxing, fun even. We’ve gone from Jacksonville as far south as Port St. Lucie and back north. Fingers crossed for a nice, hot, sunny weekend and a drive on the beach + a nice tan to come back with. I live for sun! And beach. Yeah.

-Kennedy Space Center-