(Insert your own 80's love song soundtrack)**

Its cherry blossom season so of course we all flock down to the Tidal Basin or where ever your local spot is for seeing the blossoms.  The problem is EVERYBODY is going.  In previous years I went early when it was still a little cold and all the blossoms weren't open.  Well thanks to our nice (yet freaky weather) they didn't just bloom they burst into Spring.  So I thought I would take a less prominent approach to shooting the cherry blossoms (don't worry you will see some CB shots later). Because of the overwhelming  number of people instead of trying to exclude them, I decided to include them...sort of.  This shot is aptly named because it reminds me of old 80's (dare I say it) album commercials. Love Songs...Pure Moods...Romantic yada-yada..."I'm all out of love, I'm so lost with out you..."  I am actually hearing them in my brain right now!  So enlarge the picture and think back to your youth and play your own mental soundtrack.  (f5.6 and I added an Oron-ish effect)

Disclaimer -I take no responsibility for babies made during the viewing of this shot.
**I am assuming everyone participating in this OPaW was born prior to 1980, if not...Google it**

A Splinter in My Mind

I often wonder if other people "see" things the same way I do. I was out to lunch at a restaurant that serves wood fire pizzas. As I was leaving I stopped and stared at these piles of wood. I had  to take a picture.  The symmetry and patterns of the wood pile drew me in. It was a beautiful day out and I didn't capture the warmth I "saw" when I took the shot so I deepened the shadows, added a little glow and warmed up the color to recreate what I saw that day.  (f2.6, ISO 50)

Lily Flower

Fleur-de-lis: Lily flower.  I am always attracted to shapes, textures, shadows and contrast. The shadows make this piece of wind chime look like it was actually two-toned. The curves of the fleur de lis are a contract to the straight lines in the background.

"Heart of Glass"

"Once I had love and it was a gas, soon turned out had a heart of glass."  As soon as I saw how this shot came out this song popped right into my head.  There are no special effects, I shot in black and white and the rest was just as is.  I played around with it for a while.  I wanted to disguise the dusty, imperfect window with lomo effects but ultimately I found just deepening the shadows worked for me.  Its whimsical, yet has a "forgotten" look to it.  You can interpret it however you like.

("Heart of Glass" by Blondie)

Spice Blend Road

I haven't been anywhere interesting in a while...too long of a while. So I decided that I should focus on what is around me that I find interesting. Something that is easily accessible and is "me."  I own a ridiculous amount of spices.  I go out of my way to find a spice I have never used before just so I can try it out.  I'll "out'"myself...generally my friends announce it as part of  introducing me. "Hi this is my friend ShelvatheChef."  I used to work professionally as a chef and well you can take the chef out of the kitchen... This is a mixture of coriander, cloves,  mustard seeds, cumin seeds, black peppercorns and szechuan peppercorns. I roast the seeds and crush them in a mortar and pestle to make my own spice blends. The best part of these shots was the smell.

Where did the fun part go?

I joined the OPaW group in order to stimulate me creatively...to go out and shoot more.  Its my fourth week and I am already behind.  I had to ask myself why?  So I had to answer myself. (Duh) And the answer was I was over thinking it.  This is supposed to be fun and creative. I am supposed to be learning and having fun.  Instead I have been hyper-critical (not an abnormal occurrence) of everything I have shot since week two.  I won't stop being critical (just won't happen) but I will go back to the fun and creative part.  For the record this does not count as my third week post, (I am goal oriented naturally) so I will be catching up this week.