Head shot: AGU Journal Editor

One of our journal editors needed a more professional head shot, so I snapped him during a break in meetings while he was in town a few weeks ago. We did this in our conference room. He stood next to the long table and I craned awkwardly over an end table. It was kind of weird, but it worked.

Photo by Mary Catherine Adams for the American Geophysical Union (AGU) 

I think I would rather shoot against a darker background next time. The biggest struggle in our office, though, is finding a space with good light. We have either cavernous conference rooms and dark hallway corners, or well-lit conference rooms with white walls. I could have taken him outside but I thought I could control the light better if I at least knew which window I was going to stick him next to.

Wednesday Flowers

I had a long day at work, so I bought myself some flowers. And then I photographed them.

Spring Lightning

What's a weather nerd with a tripod to do on a raining evening? Experiment with lightning photos, of course!

I got one good one through my window. There's a bit of a glare, but still, it's a good proof of concept. Hopefully, we'll get another good storm so I can try again soon.

ArtJamz Posters

We're going to have an ArtJamz event at work in a few weeks. Everyone at work who wants to participate will come together to paint for a couple of hours. You can copy an image that you bring with you, or one the instructor provides, or you can paint whatever is in your head.

I'm nervous about it because the last few times I've tried to re-create an image using a paintbrush, I haven't been too pleased with the results. I think it's because I always try to include every little detail, and I end up with a piece that's way overworked.

So, I thought, what can I do to better prepare for this really-not-important-work-event-that-I'm-worrying-way-too-much-about? The answer: make my own paint-by-numbers photo to copy.

Using the "cutout" tool in Adobe Photoshop, I turned some of my favorite photos into national parks-style posters, 'cause they're my fav. I haven't decided yet which of my posters is my favorite, or even if I'll paint any of the ones shared here, but I did have fun playing around in Photoshop, so that's a win! Which one is your favorite?

I'll be sure to post my painting, and the image I was re-creating, after the event later this month. Cheerio.