TGIF

Fridays. Don't you just love them so much? Ya just want to hug 'em and squeeze 'em 'cause they're just the sweetest things. But what makes a Friday even better? Baked goods! Even better? When someone else bakes them.

My friend and co-worker, Heather, likes to bake. A lot. A whole lot. She is, in fact, kind of bake-crazy. Heather's always bringing in cookies and cupcakes and brownies, oh my! When she walks in, her arms laden with trays and containers of sugary goodness, you can just feel the excitement in the air. In fact, if you're not quick on your feet, you could easily be trampled by the hungry mob rushing to the breakroom for a bite of sweet indulgence.

What does this have to do with Blitzing? Well, if you will recall, Blitzing should involve baked goods of some sort. I mean, you've got to maintain your energy somehow, right? But, aside from that, not a whole lot. Yeah, I could make up some big SAT explanation as to how baked goods are to Blitzing as horseshoes are to space exploration (?). But why? The truth is, I just wanted to take a picture of this giant cupcake that Heather made because it was HUGE and I don't see cupcakes like that everyday. And because Heather's creations are always devoured so quickly, you almost wonder if they even existed. And, sometimes, you just take a pic for no reason other than it's evidence of fun. This cupcake was fun, here's the evidence, and I now share that fun with you.

It's the weekend! PhotoBlitz!

Moving Pictures

Hi-dee-hi, Blitz Pack! Everybody thinking about the Poe/Pho Project? ("Poetry/Photo" for those who are joining the class late.) We'll have that Facebook page set up for posts in a couple of days, so start working on them. We're anxious to look at some new pics! Speaking of which...

Think back a couple of days. Remember how we told you to start looking at pictures for inspiration? Well, one category was left out: Film. Movies. The Grand Cinema! Or as they used to be called, "Moving Pictures".

Yes, back in the day, all movies were actually shot on big, huge, gigantic reels of film. A series of consecutive, still images that were projected onto a screen, giving the viewer an illusion of continuity. But, in reality, they were a series of separate images. Just like what we shoot with our still cameras.

Even though "films" are mainly shot digitally nowadays, the basic idea is the same: a stream of moving images are presented to a viewer. So it stands to reason that viewing a well-shot movie is good PhotoBlitzing inspiration.

This brings me to The Banff Mountain Film Festival, which I caught on Thursday night. The fest, sponsored by National Geographic (the heavyweights of PhotoBlitzing) is basically a touring short film exhibit, which travels around the world, exhibiting some of the most awesome outdoor flicks you will see. The San Gorgonio Wilderness Association sponsored the tour's Redlands, CA stop. Eight short films, ranging from four minutes to forty-five, were shown that evening. Were they any good?

OH, YEAH! They were so cool! Not only were the films beautifully shot, but I was totally inspired by the ingenuity and courage of the film subjects. Though the flicks highlighted different sports, the athletes and adventurers themselves demonstrated so much talent, I sat there just thinking of how I could bring that sort of passion and excitement to what I'm doing. See, it's not about what people do, but about how they do it. These folks were committed to their callings and just went for it. One of the films that showed how a crazy idea could be brilliantly life-changing was, "Take a Seat". It chronicled the adventure of a young guy from Britain who decided it might be fun to ride a tandem bike from the top of Alaska, aaaaalllllll the way down to the bottom of Chile. Wow. Really? Oh, indeed. It was an epic quest and it was A-MAZ-ING. It's the kind of thing that helps you find the ooomph to begin, or continue, your own epic quest with a huge shot of energy. And that is what the best moving pictures do.

Click here to check out where the Banff Mountain Film Festival will appear. Hasta later, Blitzers. I'm going to sleep!

Happy National Poetry Month!

"Where am I standing, if I'm
to stand still now?"

(from The Broken Sandal by Denise Levertov)

Greetings and salutations, Blitzers! In honor of National Poetry Month, we've come up with a special project for you. ('Cause why should we have to do all the work?) Here it is: Take an awesome photo to illustrate a line from a poem, or, -- if you wanna get really crazy -- an entire poem. (Whoa! You are on fuego!) Have it ready because our Facebook page will soon be set up. Then we'll let you know when you can post your project on the Wall. Thrilling, isn't it? Oh, yeah. So get thee to a library and find a poem with all speed! (Or just check out the Poets.Org site by the Academy of American Poets to look one up.) Have fun!

We Like Books With Lots of Pictures

We like pictures.

Photographs, paintings, pen & ink drawings,...you name it, we'll study it. I particularly like magazine photography. (Ready Made and Budget Travel are two of my faves.) Tim enjoys fine art and photography. (Big David Hockney fan.) What do you pore over? Ads? Fine photography magazines? Goodnight, Moon? Great! It's excellent food for the PhotoBlitzing brain. All good visual art will help you develop a sense of design, color, composition, and your own aesthetic. So, if you haven't been studying pics, you should start. Start now, in fact.

How was that? Did that trigger a little tickle in your brain? How about this?

Okay, granted, these are just our own photos. And our stuff isn't hanging in the Getty or gracing the pages of Vanity Fair. Still, it's not a bad idea to look at other people's pics. See what they're doing. See what they're not doing. Then look at your own work and see if there's something you can apply -- or, avoid like the plague. Also, you must check out the work of renowned photogs and professionals. Really study their pics. (Hint: They're great for a reason.)

Sound like work? Nah! It's fun! You won't even need the reading glasses. And all this study will help you. Almost magically. Because these images will sneak in and lodge themselves in your gray matter, influencing your photo chops, to whatever level you decide to advance. They will increase your ability to "see", in a mental/visual sense. (Though you'll probably still need reading glasses. It's not that magical.) The result: You may find you like a certain perspective. You may decide you want to try a different style. You may ask yourself, how do I work this? You may ask yourself, am I right, am I wrong? You may say to yourself, my god, what have I done? [Note to self: don't blast Talking Heads while writing.] Anyway, the point is this: You will find your own vision by looking at the visions of others.

Thanks to our friend, John "Danger" Mills, of Capture the Moment, for suggesting this article from the Digital Photography School: How I Use Inspiration Shots from Other Photographers. It's a short piece by Elizabeth Halford on, well, just what the title says. Read it. Then go look at pictures.

Letting the days go by, into silent water, Once in a lifetime, water flowing underground...

Special Edition: The Bonus Blitz

Greetings, Blitzers. What a lovely day! Took a stroll in the park this evening, just to enjoy the spring weather here in Southern California -- and get in a little exercise. I've been spending way too much time parked in front of the computer. I know. Soooo not healthy. That's something I was reminded of very recently. And that leads me to our PhotoBlitz Special Edition: The Bonus Blitz! Sound amazing? Oh, it is.


One of the rewards of Blitzing, or any creative activity, is the personal fulfillment it brings. It's a way to tune in, relax, and go with the flow. I imagine it's what surfing is like. (Minus the sharks, seaweed, and sand in your shorts.) But sometimes that passionate, tuned-in focus can become self-absorbed. That's not good, because creative gifts want to be shared. That's where the Bonus Blitz comes in. The Bonus Blitz is where you take your unique talent and find a way to share it. Best case scenario: you use it to help someone else. You do good, you feel good, and it's all good. That's the Bonus.


This past Saturday, Tim and I had the privilege of attending the opening ceremony of the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life in Hemet, California. The Relay for Life is a time to Celebrate those who have fought against cancer, Remember those who lost the battle, and Fight Back against the disease through education, personal commitment, and fund-raising. It is a 24-hour event where relay teams keep one member on the track at all times, to remind people that cancer never sleeps. It is an incredibly moving event where communities gather together in a huge show of support and love.


Tim & I were invited to the event by our friend, Martha, a committee member and herself a survivor. We were both eager to help document the morning, as both Tim and I have had our lives touched by cancer. Tim's father successfully battled it, as did my mother. But I know the sorrow of loss as well: in early 1994, just months after being married, my husband was diagnosed with malignant melanoma. It was inoperable and he was given only months to live. After a long and agonizing fight, he died, just three weeks after our first anniversary, My father-in-law died almost two years later, also from cancer. So the opportunity to publicize this effort, which may help save someone else from this fate, is beyond an honor; it is an obligation.


Visit The American Cancer Society to educate yourself about how you can keep yourself healthy and fight against cancer.


Click here for more pics from this incredible event. Thank you, Hemet Relay for Life Participants. YOU are the truly awesome!

Blitzed Out

We are exhausted. Tuckered out. Bone-tired weary. In other words, we are Blitzed Out.

Not gonna lie to you, people. It's been a Hard Day's Night. Well, actually many nights. The PhotoBlitz blog project has been running for three weeks now. (Awww, collective group hug, it's an anniversary!) Tim & I have been out Blitzing as often as we can, trying to get a good range of shots for the blog. We've ignored chores (that are now looming over us), gone without good sleep, and have basically been living, breathing, and eating the project. All our spare time has gone into the tasks required to create it. You know what? It's a lot more involved than we thought it would be. See, Blitzing and Blogging are two entirely different creatures. Blitzing is cake. Take pics and have fun. But Blogging is fun and work. Lots of work. All kinds of details we didn't even think about until we fell down the rabbit hole. It's been nuts! But all this has been a learning experience and here's a lesson we've learned...

Creative people can sometimes derail their own creative efforts by getting ultra-focused on One Thing. They get that whole tunnel-vision thing going. Ya, sometimes a project needs your total attention, but you still can't allow it to consume you. 'Cause it can and if you let it, it will actually mess up what you're trying to achieve. If you let yourself get stale, so will your work.

Before the Maestro and I started the blog, we PhotoBlitzed a lot. But we also enjoyed movies, had time to read, take a walk,... Nothing crazy like hopping the next plane to Paris, just engaging in activities that gave us a break from Blitzing. But since we've been Blogging, all our energy has gone into the project. Don't get me wrong. It's fun and stimulating, but to remain creative, people need to take time to do something else. Even if it's just catching a movie or sitting down with a book. This is what feeds mind, body, & soul. This is what keeps your creative mojo alive.

So, just for now, grab your camera...and put it away. Put away all PhotoBlitz thoughts. Just for now. Ok, get going. Hit the bookstore. Rent a DVD. Listen to some music. Tomorrow is another day. Tomorrow the adventure will continue...BIGGER, BADDER, AND BOLDER THAN EVER. 'Cause that's how we roll, baby! Woooo-hoooo!


(Ya, I snapped that with the cellie. Oh, c'mon, it was just a Blitzette. Now, it's chill time. You, too, Maestro!)

It's "Slow Down Sunday"

"Don't underestimate the value of Doing Nothing,
of just going along, listening to all the things
you can't hear, and not bothering."
~ Pooh's Little Instruction Book ~

"There's never enough time to do
all the nothing you want."
~ Calvin and Hobbes ~


"There is more to life than increasing its speed."
~ Mohandas K. Gandhi ~