self-portrait challenge: day 9

#filmisnotdead
This is a film photograph I took of myself, specifically to try out hand-coloring a print!
I think this turned out great for a first try. I used calligraphy ink. Well, first I tried oil colored pencils (again, thank you mentor Mike Riches - you da bom!), but I wasn't getting any strong color to stick. I knew the oil paints I had also borrowed (Mike Riches, you really are the best) would take two weeks to dry -and- I'm a bit clumsy, I just knew I'd knock them to the floor or some other such thing. SO.. I tried calligraphy ink I had laying around from my illustrationist/graphic designer daughter...THE COLOR WORKS GREAT FOR THESE LEAVES. I used a q-tip to swab on the ink and purposely left the ink dots because it gives the leaves some texture.

I DID try jumping around and catching a leaf. LOL, but after 10 minutes of throwing up a leaf in front of lunchtime traffic going by on Everett and a nice older couple watching me with focused amusement (and not being able to catch the dang leaf because it was windy so I was lurching around out of my intended camera space), I stopped trying to shoot me catching a leaf. Also, my shutter speed was not set fast enough. And if I was going to have a photo of myself catching a leaf, I wanted the leaf crystal clear.

But I did get a couple I'm happy with and it was so fun to try something different for a different look!

AS FOR THE UNIVERSE: Like Capa, one of the all time great photographers said, "Just make a plan. Follow the plan and the pictures will come." Well, he was talking about facing war as he went in with soldiers to shoot on the front lines, etc. But in general, just get out there and get after it - in whatever way that is for you. SHOW UP. I am finding the most fantastic things show up with me when I do.