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

FEATURED ETSY ARTIST - SheShoots, Photography by Marie DeLean

This photo just takes my breath away....Marie has certainly captured the magic of this lovely flower!! I'm happy to welcome Marie DeLean and her wonderful photography. Marie's shop on Etsy is called She Shoots. Let's hear what Marie has to say about herself and her wonderful art.

What led you to start creating your art/craft?

I've been slowly meandering toward a career in photography since I was a young child. Funny thing, though, how life can redirect you. Despite my love for creating art, I went to business school and embarked on a career in corporate marketing. Almost ten years ago I knew I needed a break, so I quit my job and started to take photography classes. I absolutely loved it! Once again, though, life redirected me with pregnancies and babies. Now that my sons are four and six, I find I have a bit more time for myself, and photography is how I spend that time.

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

It's hard to explain how photography grabbed me, but I feel like it chose me, not the other way around. When I started in photography, I was doing all dark-room work; there is something so magical about being in a dark-room and watching your work appear before your eyes. The dark-room was quiet and soothing to me. The process of getting a print exactly the way I wanted it was therapeutic in so many ways. Now I work with digital, but I still love the creative process of composition, color, contrast, tone, etc.

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

I love coming home with my camera after a shoot, plugging it into the computer, and seeing what I got. I always have an idea of what I have on the camera, but I never know until I see the photos on my screen if I have a "THAT'S IT!" shot.

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

Ah, art as fruit, art as vegetable, let's see. Truly, I see my art more as gelato: rich, bright, satisfying!

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

Painting. I'm not good at it, but I love that it's all about composition and color. If not painting, maybe making jewelry. I love sparkly things.

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

I want my photography to convey beauty, and the abstraction of beauty. I love to get right inside a flower or a scene and show the viewer the world inside. So often we walk right past something that has an entire universe right inside it.

What advice do you have for other artists/crafters?

Create what you love. Don't try to make what the masses want unless that's what you truly want to make. Be true to what calls out to you.

Marie, I'd say your photography definitely "conveys beauty and the abstraction if beauty"....it is TRULY magical! Thanks for taking the time to share your delightful photography out here on DZFANTASY. I hope everyone takes the time to visit SheShoots to see more of this delightful artist's work. More of Marie's work can also be seen on her Flickr site via the link below.

FLICKR

FEATURED ETSY ARTIST - LUCKY'S LUXURY ARTS AND CRAFTS

Kelly has some really fantastic photos in her LUCKY'S LUXURY ARTS AND CRAFTS shop out on Etsy. She took them on her trip through China. Isn't the panda a great shot!!

WELCOME, Kelly, and read what she has to say about herself and her photography'

Hi there!

My name is Kelly, and I'm a 24 year old woman from the beautiful state of Minnesota. I was born and raised in Minnesota and I'm sure I'll live here my entire life. I graduated in 2006 from Minnesota State University Moorhead with a BA in East Asian Studies and Philosophy and minors in Communication Studies and Religious Studies. I love to travel and have visited many US States but have also traveled internationally to Costa Rica, Spain, Mexico, Canada, and China. I hope to do some more traveling in the future.

What led you to start creating your art/craft?

I took a trip to China in 2004, through the East Asian Studies program at my university. I took many beautiful photos while I was there and I shared them with one of my close friends who recommended that I sell them on Etsy.

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

Well before I left for my trip I was lucky enough to receive an awesome camera from my mother for Christmas, so that was obviously what I took with me on my trip.

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

I really like being able to look back at my photos and realize how lucky I was to be able to take such a wonderful trip, and I also love being able to share my work with other people.

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

I would have to choose a cucumber because to me cucumbers are so refreshing and have such a unique taste. They can quench your thirst while also being filling.

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

I make many other crafts that I'm not currently selling in my Etsy store, for example: knitting, crochet, cross stitch, paper crafts (ATC's and scrapbooking), and jewelry making. I hope to have some of those items in my Etsy store in the future.

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

Make life beautiful.

What advice do you have for other artists/crafters?

Don't let people bring you down, and keep the people who support you close because they mean more to you than you know. Also never give up, always hold your head high, and be proud of your creations.

KELLY, thanks so much for sharing your thoughts and ideas with us. How "lucky" you were to get to take such a wonderful trip. All the sights you must have seen. It is so great that you captured some of them. If you'd like to see more photos of this China trip, be sure to visit Kelly's shop by clicking on the photos and link below!