Where have I been?

I have been quite quiet on this blog. Where have I been you ask?

I have been running this blog: Caught Within Frame

I am really enjoying it and even contribute to it myself as you can see if you take a peek this week. Yep, that is my post about the Superheros/Villains/Cosplay photos I have been doing for the past few years.

You know, like the ones I have posted in the past. Like this one:

Above: Rebecca as Catwoman  By Brie A. Edwards

Running the blog has kept me really busy and it is a good kind of busy. I hope it keeps going and growing because it is getting mildly good response. There are also people who want to contribute which is exciting.

I am also happy to have picked up two cool framed prints at a antique sale this past week. Here are two crappy cellphone photos of them.

I am quite happy with the purchase because they will look cool on my wall when I get around to redoing the artwork I have on them.

I am in a bit of a "keep to myself" stage these days which means I am working behind the scenes (like with the Caught Within Frame blog) and making plans for what to do next. I will try and post here about things I do though I cannot promise it will be often.

More PowWow Photos.

I thought I would share a few of the "normal" PowWow photos I took this past Friday. I prefer the impressionistic looking ones but these show what was going on there in realistic way.


Above: Waiting for Grand Entry in regalia.


Above: Young boys in drum circle.


Above: The "military look" regalia is a style natives made after stripping military officers that they fought against.


Above: I love the headdresses and the colours of the regalia.


Above: Lined up for Grand Entry. They enter with elders (usually military veterans) holding the US flag, The Canadian flag (for First Nation participants...we are only 2 hours from Canada after all.), The POW flag (for those who have fallen in battles/wars), and the eagle Staff (representing the assembled tribes of the US).


Above: At the end of the Grand Entry all the dancers slowly dance in circle around the flags held by the elders in the center of the dance area. All while native drumming and singing takes place to accompany the dancers.


Above: Dancers during Grand Entry.


Above: I love the guy's carved American Bald Eagle staff in the center of this photo.


Above: Prairie Chicken dancers!


Above: Prairie Chicken Dancer really getting into the dance.

It was very low light since this happened just as the sun was setting. We got there too late for the afternoon dance competitions, right at dinner break. The cool thing we got to see the Grand Entry and a few dance competitions as well as "All People Dance" songs. There was a huge turnout of dancers and people watching the PowWow up on the hill that surrounds the "bowl" (dance area).

You can see more photos here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/shadownlitephoto/sets/72157635246157859/

Impressions of a PowWow.

I always try to attend the Spokane Falls Northwest Market, Encampment, and PowWow which happens at the end of August each year in downtown Spokane, Washington. It is held for 4 days in Riverfront Park which was traditional fishing grounds centuries ago for the Spokane Tribe. I have many traditional PowWow photos from years past. So many that I felt like trying to do something different this year, something that was aided by the low light conditions of the evening dancing competitions. So, after taking some more traditional photos and candid type shots.



I decided to let the low light, fast moving dancers, situation create a "painterly" effect and go impressionistic in style when it came to my photos. I was pleasantly surprised by the results and they really appeal to the artist
within.

 










You can see more here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/shadownlitephoto/sets/72157635238106708/

I shall be posting more traditional photos at Flickr in the next few days.

Also posted: http://caughtwithinframe.wordpress.com/

Caught Within Frame and Creativity.

The Caught Within Frame blog project continues to grow and grow. I am happy with this and hope it continues to move into new areas of content. It will start to do this when I introduce the "Artist Spotlight" this coming weekend with the first guest post that will feature the art of a friend of mine who paints. I am hoping it will be the first "Artist Spotlight" of many.

http://caughtwithinframe.wordpress.com/

I am the next poster after the guest artist so am trying to think of what to take photos of for my post. I have a little time to think about it and hope that something will come to mind soon.

Personally, my photography and art have been at a stand-still due to too hot weather, visiting family friends, and just trying to get some life things done. I am hoping to dive back into being creative starting this coming Saturday. I am going to attempt to make a Spokane Sketchers meet-up in Manito Park. I need to have that kind of structured yet loose setting to start focusing on my art again.

I also have been thinking of painting again and am merely awaiting cooler weather to do so. It is just too hot in the house since it does not have air-conditioning to really dive into painting in a room. I would have to have the door almost closed to the room I paint in to keep the cats out. That would up the "too hot" factor right now. So, I will start mapping out a painting and then get painting in Sept. sometime most likely.

Yes, summer has been a mixture of being busy and not. I am not complaining at all and hope that the Fall will be full of activities as well.

Caught Within Frame

The blog I have started is really starting to take off. There are three posts now and I have three more pending plus the repeat of the first three photographers posting new photos.

http://caughtwithinframe.wordpress.com/

I have a new "Artist Spotlight" starting up in two weeks time where I will feature a more traditional artist. The first will be a painter and I have another pending. It is quite exciting!

I am so glad that the blog is really taking off and it is helping get involved in an online art community with people (artists/photographers) all over the world. I like that aspect to it and hope the blog continues to attract interested people from all over the world.

This is one of the photos I have contributed to it.

I am trying to decide what I will take photos of for my next time posting at Caught Within Frame. I have a while two weeks to decide.

New Photography Project!

I have started a new blog project which will feature photographers' work from all over the world.

I made the first blog post tonight:

http://caughtwithinframe.wordpress.com/

I have 3 other photographer friends that will be posting at this blog and will be trying to get quest blogger photographers involved as well. It should be quite fun and I am hoping it will grow, and evolve as it does so.

Yes, this is what I have been organizing the last week or two and it is finally moving forward! My friend Nek in Greece is to be the next blogger of photos and she is very excited!

I will keep everyone updated on new posts to the blog and everyone cross your fingers and toes for me that it continues to progress forward.

A sneak peek at one of the photos I posted there:

Japanese Gardens and Project Planning!

I attended another sketch group meet-up this past Saturday. It was held at Nishinomiya Tsutakawa Japanese Garden at Manito Park. It was a cloudy day but we did not get any rain which was a change after a very rainy week. My sketches turned out awful because it seems I was not in the sketching mood. I did take a few photos of the gardens while I was there and will share one or two in this blog post.

Nothing real fancy since I was using my Sony Cybershot camera to take quick photos. I just want to share a few photos of the location.

I will be joining the group off and on for sketching meet-ups in the future. I still feel super rusty when it comes to sketching. I am going to try and find a style and stop trying to make complete drawings. That is not what sketching is about. I just need to relax and focus on "simple is better".

I have other plans brewing. I am planning a joint photo blog project with other photographer friends. I just sent the proposal out and am waiting to hear back from the three friends I have approached for the beginning of the project. It should be a lot of fun and it has possibility for turning into a great way to promote people's photography and to share photography from lesser known (and hobby) photographers I know. I will definitely post on how the project goes and provide a link for it when it gets started.

So, this has been what I have been up to lately. Exciting stuff in the world of Brie for sure.