FEATURED ETSY SHOP - LITTLE PETALS PHOTOGRAPHY

VENICE ITALY

WELCOME, Megan of Little Petals Photography! What a fantastic shot above! Megan has more wonderful photos of places she has traveld to....China, Italy, France and Mexico, available for purchase in her Etsy shop. They truly make you want to visit these places in person!

What led you to start creating your art/craft?

I took a photography class in high school and fell in love. When I traveled to Australia in college (first time out of the US), I was floored by all the beauty in the world and wanted to show it to everyone who couldn't be there with me to experience it. Thus I fell in love with showing others the world I see.

How did you decide what medium you wanted to work with?

My mom was an art teacher. I was never really good with mediums using my hands like drawing or painting, but she always told me I had an eye for it. Photography kinda found me.

What aspect of creating your art/craft do you find the most enjoyable?

I love finding the perfect photo through my camera. The world looks so different once you crop it in the camera. To get a good representation of the world around you is a very challenging thing.

If you had to choose a fruit OR a vegetable, to describe your art/craft, what would you choose and why?

A pumpkin- because they are beautiful, colorful and are not available all the time. My art captures a moment in time- it is not the same view you would get in each of the seasons.

If you had to choose one other medium in which to display your "creativity" what would you choose and why?

My other medium would have to be dance. It allows you to evoke moods and feelings that affect each person differently at different times of their lives.

What message, if any, do you want to convey with your art/craft?

I want others to see the beauty in the world around them. Even when the world seems cold or like it is falling apart, it contains so much beauty- seeing it is a reminder that things will get better.

What advice do you have for other atists/crafters?

My advice is to not worry too much about what sells and what others think of your art. Take in criticism but remember to follow your heart of what you want your art to be. Don't give up and keep pushing yourself and your art.

Megan, it was a real pleasure to have you as a "featured artist" here on DZFANASY and to get to know a bit more about you. Thanks for a delightful interview. Keep on taking those photos!! Be sure to pay LITTLE PETALS PHOTOGRAPHY a visit!

MEGAN'S BLOG

FEATURED ETSY ARTIST - ALISON DUBOIS - FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY

What a gorgeous fall scene...I'd love to be taking a walk down this road! Let's welcome Alison DuBois and her fantastic photography. You really must visit Alison's shop on Etsy. She definitely has the ability to capture a scene, and make you feel as if you were right there in it!! Read below to hear in Alison's own words how she got started with her photography, and what it means to her.

What led you to start creating your art/craft?

I started taking photographs about three years ago, and I was thrilled to find that I could translate my unique perspective of the world around me into something other people could relate to. I usually start with just enjoying what is around me and really absorbing the energy of the scene before I begin to photograph it. I am learning more each day about the technical aspects of how to capture what I see.

How did you decide what medium you wanted to work with?

I have always enjoyed “falling into” excellent photographs…getting lost and absorbing the moods they create, and trying to understand what the photographer was trying to convey. The cost of photography was prohibitive (especially while raising children), so even though I wanted to try it, it wasn’t until digital single lens reflex cameras became more affordable that I was able to begin experimenting. I think I have composed thousands of photographs in my mind over the years just waiting for the day when I could capture them!

What aspect of creating your art/craft do you find the most enjoyable?

I find that photography allows me the opportunity to start big and work my way in to a scene to draw the viewer in further – sometimes the best photograph is the first one I take, sometimes it is the 10th. It excites me on a daily basis. I love the moment when you press the shutter button and know that you have the shot! Most of my photos are as they come out of my camera, I do very little adjusting in Photoshop.

If you had to choose a fruit OR a vegetable, to describe your art/craft, what would you choose, and why?

I guess I would choose an onion because photographs are composed of so many layers, each one waiting to be exposed and absorbed by the viewer. Depending on the viewing environment and the viewer’s mood at the time, each photograph can convey different things on a given day.

If you had to choose one other medium in which to display your "creativity", what would that be, and why?

I love crafting and I have been doing it all of my life. My Mom was an artist and she inspired me to be creative from an early age. I love to experiment with all kinds of materials , and I love to learn how to do new things. I enjoy painting, sewing, and in the last year I have experimented with jewelry design. I enjoy sawing and pounding metal, combining it with gems, and creating little scenes. You can view my jewelry at www.rareartisans.com.

What message, if any, do you want to convey with your art/craft?

Awareness of the world around us, I suppose. I would like to encourage people to really see the world around them. There is beauty, tragedy, simplicity, chaos, and peace - glowing in fantastic light surrounding our lives every day if we take a few moments to look for them.

What advice do you have for other artists/crafters?

Do what you love. Try not to be too critical of your work. If you are passionate about your creation, be fearless and put it out there for the world to share. Be ecstatically happy when someone else likes your work and create some more!!!

THANKS, Alison, for sharing your fantastic fine art photography with us! You really have an "artistic" eye to capture any scene or object. While browsing through Alison's shop, I saw this photo and just had to put it out here. How lovely!! Don't forget now....visit ALISON DUBOIS - FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY. Alison is also a member of a group of artists called RARE ARTISANS, of whom I will be doing a "feature" of next. You can also learn more about Alison and her work by visiting her blog. The link is below.

ALISON'S BLOG

WHERE ARE MY FLOWERS GOING!

I've been wondering where some of my flowers have been going! Now I know.....look who has been feasting on them! He/she is SO CUTE....how can I scare it away! I took this photo through the screen in my kitchen window. What a tiny little creature.....having a feast on my flowers! Here are a few more photos I took of the little "flower bandit"!

This little bunny has been hanging around our yard, and since I just LOVE bunnies, I 've been snapping photos of it whenever I see it out. Looks like my morning glories won't be getting all that big this year, as it seems to like the young leaves of the morning glory plant!!

Now that's what bunny should be eating....clover....not my plants! Oh well....!

GLASSWING BUTTERFLY OF SOUTH AMERICA

My sister-in-law sent me this in an email this morning, and it is so gorgeous I just had to share this out here.

The Glasswing Butterfly Lives in South America.

A butterfly with transparent wings is rare and beautiful. As delicate as finely blown glass, the presence of this rare tropical gem is used by rain forest ecologists as an indication of high habitat quality and its demise alerts them of ecological change. Rivaling the refined beauty of a stained glass window, the translucent wings of the Glasswing butterfly shimmer in the sunlight like polished panes of turquoise, orange, green, and red. All things beautiful do not have to be full of color to be noticed; in life that which is unnoticed has the most power.