Red Dirt Farm and Studio

Isn’t it wonderful to have a new year and a fresh new start?

What’s next for you?

Years ago I came across a blog that I found so inspirational.  The content was fun and the photography was beautiful.  The photos were always so bright.  I studied the photos and the blogger shared her camera tips and I soaked it up like a sponge, and then almost the next day, she stopped blogging.

Don’t you just hate that, it is like when you have a TV show you really like and it is canceled?  Crap.

With time, I figured out how to use manual on my camera and found joy in creating images that I felt conveyed that bright cheerful look I was drawn to.  I felt like I found my signature style of photography.

Still, there is so much to learn.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 I’m challenging myself to step away from my comfort zone of bright and cheerful, slightly overexposed style of photography, and dabble in the dark side.

Even if just for a short period.

Today I share some of that slightly underexposed effect – moody lighting and some nature and chickens thrown in too.

I am far from comfortable with this style.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Recently I found a blog that is new to me.

It takes place in a faraway land, and I have to tell you it has a spell cast upon me.  The blogger talks about walks on the moors and views to the lochs.  Her photography is mostly landscape and it is dark and moody and magical.  Her writing is a style I love, more with less.

There, I read her words, see her photos and feel very inspired, in a new, different kind of way.

A soulful kind of way.

 

The winds howled, a dusting of snow blew in and the temperatures dropped. Then they dropped more.

Way below normal for us, they remain frigid and unyielding.

After five long days, the pipes have finally thawed out.  We washed dishes last night.

Every morning when I open all the coops, I hold my breath until I see each and every chicken and rooster has survived the night.  This prolonged extreme cold is so hard to them.

Boo dog supervises while I do my farm chores, and stock the farm stand.  He goes on walks with me.  Sweet little Peanut’s health is failing, so she mostly stays inside snuggled in her bed with her favorite toys and stick close by.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It would seem my spirit and soul have come to the place of needing to be nurtured in ways that can’t be denied.

  I have an interest in exploring new ideas.

 Far away places, with different cultures and traditions.   Bringing new experiences into my life.  Creative endeavors and listening to my heart more.

Listening to the whispers from my soul.

I’m going to try to embrace these darker days and take the opportunity to love my camera in a different way.   This is really a challenge for me, I dislike cold weather and dark.

Next…

I’m not going to be intimidated by making pie crust from scratch.

 

That’s it for today.