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Archive for the ‘Art’ Category

What the heck is a Digital Mat, anyway?

26 Aug

We’ve been posting lots of new art over at Sage & Thistle lately and one of our big products is digitally matted prints. It’s not something most people have seen, so I thought maybe I should show you what it is and why it’s so cool. We think it is just about the coolest photo feature since autofocus (well, maybe not quite, but it’s still really cool) and we think you’ll think it’s pretty cool, too.

We put digital matting on some of our art prints, partly because it’s fun and makes them look great and partly because it keeps the cost down and makes them look great. Did I mention it looks great?

It does look pretty great, doesn’t it? While I don’t put digital mats on my signed, numbered editions (I still think traditional matting is best for collector’s fine art prints), I think these great mats really enhance the decor prints that we sell in the ArtStore.

Digital matting can mimic a traditional mat, like in the image above, or it can be as creative as we want it to be. With digital matting, we can make coordinated overlays, special shapes, multiple openings and perfectly coordinated colors without wasting any mat board and without spending half the day slaving away with the mat cutter. And frankly, I have never figured out how to do this effect on a paper mat and have it look this good.

Another advantage of digital matting is that, once it’s framed and hung on the wall, it looks virtually indistinguishable from a traditional paper mat. I have several art prints in my home that are digitally matted and I can’t count the number of people who have felt the need to actually touch the prints to see for themselves that the mats are “not real.” Here’s a close-up sample so you can see what a digital mat looks like. Notice that these two samples have different textures. With digital mats, I can select a texture that best enhances the print I am working with.

digital mat, art prints

This one here is the corner of the print below, which brings us to another great feature of digital matting. Not only can I choose from any number of different textures for our mats, I can also select the exact colors to match the print or the room it hangs in. this is one of our most popular prints, but not everyone wants it in a green mat. So, I also have a beige mat and an ivory one as well, giving my customers many options for their decor

I can also make mats in many different shapes and styles. While I am pretty handy with the mat cutter, it’s not always easy to make different shapes or to get an exact fit for a non-standard size print. Circles are a pretty tough cut for me, but with digital mats, I don’t have to worry about having an eagle eye.

I do also have this one in a square because I like having options.

And finally, what might be the very best part (for me, anyway) of creating digital mats. I can make multi-opening double mats without ever ruining a piece of matboard. Multi-opening mats are the bane of my mat-cutting existence, especially since I am particularly fond of double mats. This means making two sets of multi-opening mats with exact openings. Usually this means that I will ruin at least one mat board in the process and if it’s a particularly bad day, I may even have to wash my mouth out with soap before the project is over. And since we sell multiples of these prints, that means lots of mat cutting. Digital mats are definitely a sanity bonus here.

And, finally, as you can see in most of these photos, I can create a mat in any size or shape I want. I am not limited to “traditional” print sizing, which isn’t always the best crop for an art print. With digital matting, I get to make a mat that fits the print instead of fitting my prints to the mat.

And last, but certainly not least, digital mats are a much more economical way for us to sell decor prints than paper mats. We don’t have to stock a large inventory, we’re not limited on colors or styles and they keep the weight of the finished pieces down, allowing us to ship more economically–and we pass all those great savings on to you.

So, now that you’ve seen why digital mats are so cool and how they make our decor prints even cooler, why don’t you stop on by the ArtStore and pick out some prints for your home or office today.

By the way, if you see a print with a digital mat and you’d like it in a different color mat or style, just drop us a note or put it in the special instructions/comments box on the check-out form and we’ll get you taken care of.

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Posted in Art, News & Specials, Photo Tips

Inspirational Art Posters

24 Aug

If you haven’t visited our newly updated Sage & Thistle art store recently, you probably haven’t seen our newest product. We are now creating and selling inspirational posters in the store. It’s been an idea that’s been rolling around in my head for a really long time. Perhaps it’s the result of being both a writer and a photographer. For me, words and pictures just go hand-in-hand. In choosing a few to showcase on the blog, I’ve picked both my favorite and Chris’. Can you guess which ones they are?

I started writing down thoughts and quotes from my reading when I was still a teen and I’ve kept up that habit–and that collection–through all these years. Being a photographer, I take my camera just about everywhere I go. We’re an outdoors family and we’ve traveled a good portion of the west, the southwest and even a little bit back east (so far), so that means in nearly 30 years of being a professional photographer, I’ve visited a lot of amazing and beautiful places and been inspired to create some photography along the way.

A few years ago, I started looking at my favorite images and wondering why I was allowing them to languish hidden away in my file cabinets. And as I thought about it and remembered how some of these places inspired me (like making sunrise photographs everywhere we go), I began to think of my quote collection and started playing with the idea of pairing my favorite quotes with my favorite photographs.

And eventually, I actually got around to doing something about it. And now we have some great inspirational art posters, which are already proving to be some of our top-selling items. This will be an ongoing series with additions as I have time to pair up more of my favorite quotes with more of my favorite photographs. You can find these and quite a few others at Sage & Thistle.

I love these posters. Nearly every print I’ve made has a story of some kind behind it. For our art posters, I’ve really tried to focus on some of the prints that are most meaningful to me. And paired with some of the words that have inspired me, I hope they’ll touch your heart, too. You’ll find some of the stories at the art store. I keep adding more whenever I have a free minute or two. Some stories are better than others. Some subjects (like the tulips below) get photographed because they are one of my favorite flowers and it just makes me happy to get to look them and work with them all day–and then have them on my desk or in my house to enjoy for the rest of the week.

One of the things that is different about these is that, instead of being printed on traditional photographic paper, they are press-printed. The full-size posters (11 x 17) are printed on poster stock–something like cardstock but with a different finish. The mini-posters (5-1/2 x 8-1/2) are printed on a postcard stock. I’ve even had a few people ask if they can be sent like postcards in the mail. The answer is yes. Personally, I’d probably pop it in an envelope with a letter–I’ve seen what the post office can do to a postcard–but you can do it either way. They are just within the limit to mail with a single first-class stamp.

The benefit of this type of printing is that we’re able to produce a much more affordable product for you. If we were to print our posters on photographic paper, they would run about four times what we’re able to sell them for now. Full-size posters are only $12 and mini-posters are only $3.

This makes them very affordable, not only to pick out all your favorites for you, but to order extras of your favorites for quick gifts. My girls have already picked out some of their favorites and asked if we can have some extras printed for their gift giving this Christmas.

Right now, they are only available through Sage & Thistle, but they’ll soon be coming to a store near you (hopefully). We’re working with some retailers right now to offer them in their stores. If you own a shop or you know someone who does and think our posters might be a good fit, use the contact form and drop us a line. We’d love to talk. But in the meantime, hop on over to the art store at Sage & Thistle and pick out your favorite.

By the way, have you guessed which one is my favorite yet? or Chris’ favorite? I’ll let you ponder on that for a while and give it a guess.

Oh, and if you have any favorite quotes you’d like to see on a poster–or that you’d just like to share, we always love to hear what inspires you, too. Feel free to add it in a comment here on the blog. We always enjoy a little BlogLove.

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Posted in Art, News & Specials

Back to the Rockies

11 Aug

We just can’t stay away from the beautiful Rocky Mountains. We decided to explore the western side of Rocky Mountain National Park this trip. We haven’t been over the west side in about 15 years or so, so we were long overdue. We drove out I-70 to Highway 40 and up past Grand Lake. What beautiful scenery. Our first stop was Adams Falls, just outside the west entrance. It is actually part of Rocky Mountain National Park, but you go into the town of Grand Lake to get there. It is the east inlet of Grand Lake, Colorado’s largest natural lake. It’s also a pretty easy little loop hike to a nice waterfall–a good warm-up after a couple of hours in the car.

It wasn’t as photogenic as we would have liked, but there’s always a spot for a picture of the world’s cutest kids.

We headed into the park and hiked along the Colorado River. We’d like to hike all the way up to the headwaters, but that’s a longer hike and wasn’t on today’s agenda. It was a beautiful day and perfect for this easy walk along the river. We stopped for a bit to enjoy a little wading in the Colorado and to chat with some of the other hikers.

There is also a lovely view of the Never Summer Mountains along this trail.

I just loved this determined little pine in the meadow.

And in the damp and shady spots along the river itself, we found these beautiful mushrooms.

After our hike and lunch break along the Colorado, we headed up and over Trail Ridge from the west side. We made a stop at Medicine Bow Curve, just below the Alpine Visitor Center to admire the spectacular north and west views.

One of Alanna’s favorite things to do is self-portraits with whomever happens to be handy. Today it was Dad.

As we headed down the east side of Trail Ridge, a thunderstorm moved in, giving us stunning views of clouds and mountains.

There aren’t always a lot of places to stop along Trail Ridge Road, especially in a storm, so a few of these were actually taken from a moving car–and no, I wasn’t driving. I rarely drive on scenic road trips as my family isn’t fond of sudden stops.

We thought maybe our hiking was over for the day, but decided to continue on to Bear Lake. By the time, we got there, the weather was beautiful again and we made another easy hike around the lake. Even the chipmunks were enjoying the scenery.

We made a final stop along Glacier Creek and Boulder Brook to enjoy some wild raspberries along with the cascades.

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Posted in Art

Shop Creek

03 Aug

Summer evenings are beautiful in Colorado and perfect for short hikes. We took advantage of one beautiful evening last week for a twilight hike along Shop Creek to the Cherry Creek Reservoir.

We started just off Parker Road where the creek flows into a little retention pond before meandering down into the reservoir.

Along the way, we saw many lovely wildflowers.

And then we hiked into the woods around the reservoir, and it was like a whole ‘nother world. Such a peaceful, beautiful place, just us and the trees and the creek (and the bugs, but every rainbow must have some rain).

And then we found a lovely meadow. I was hoping we would find a few grazing deer, but perhaps on another evening.

And then, to our surprise, as we were headed back up along the creek path, we came upon a deer bounding across the field in front of us. It was definitely a perfect evening for a hike at Shop Creek.

As always, you can see more from this series on our Facebook Page. Come like us today!

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Posted in Art

. . . Where the Sky is the Size of Forever. . .

19 Jul

We had some good friends come to visit us this weekend and that’s more than enough reason for a field trip to my favorite place on the planet. We spent Saturday roaming around Rocky Mountain National Park. There is nowhere like it on earth. It is, in my opnion, the most beautiful of all the national parks. I think my husband doubts my sanity, because I love it even more than Yellowstone and I could spend two lifetimes there before running out of places to hike and things to look at and photograph. If you haven’t been to Rocky Mountain, put it near the top of your to-do list. You really are missing out.

The weather was just about perfect. It was a record setting 102 in Denver–the first triple digit day in two years, so heading to 8200+ feet was definitely a great way to beat the heat. We drove up through Big Thompson Canyon, which is my preferred way to get into the mountains. I love that drive and, of course, it’s the only way to get to the Colorado Cherry Company and pick up some of their delicious ciders, jams and syrups. Yum! Once of these days, I’m going to have some of their cherry pie, too.

We took the old Fall River Road up to Trail Ridge. It’s the original road and is now unpaved and one way. It has some beautiful hiking areas along the way. We stopped just below Charm Falls and did a little exploring.

As we got nearer the top, the vistas became even more grand.

And, in a rare moment, even I ended up in front of the camera–with my favorite guy, of course. Many thanks to my friend for a quick portrait.

Once we reached Trail Ridge, we headed back down the east side on Trail Ridge Road. There were ample wildlife viewing opportunities this trip–something I always hope for but rarely get with this much success.

These majestic elk were grazing fairly close to the road, so I found myself a spot not too far away and, fortunately for me, all the other visitors with cameras drove them closer to my position. What a treat to just sit and watch them (and, well, photograph them–a lot!).

It almost seemed at times as if they were posing for us. This elk turned right, then left, then straight at the camera for me. We really like cooperative wildlife. :-)

And then there were three!

I do feel compelled at this point to insert a Public Service Announcement:

Please be smart when photographing wildlife. These are WILD animals. They will not always run away if you are silly enough to approach to closely. If threatened, they will defend themselves. Elk are very large animals. They have sharp hooves and big antlers and both hurt–a lot. This is their home and WE are the intruders. Stay a respectful distance away and use a telephoto lens for photographing. If your camera isn’t up to the task, buy a postcard in the visitor’s center–or, buy an Elk Poster at Sage and Thistle. They’ll be up as soon as the remodel is complete.

We now return to your regularly scheduled blog.

From the elk, it was on to the marmots and then the deer (whit-tail bucks which I didn’t photograph).

And then there was the human wildlife. There’s just nothing like a snowball fight in July! I just love this photo. She just nailed her dad but good.

And did I mention that the wildflowers were in full bloom? The park was as colorful as I have seen it. We even saw lots of columbine this trip, but none of it was in a place that was safe for me to hop out and photograph it.And, finally, one last little flower-covered waterfall before we left the park and headed back to Aurora. I can’t wait for my next trip to Paradise.

I found this quote in the visitor’s center. I think it describes Rocky Mountain quite aptly–and you’ll recognize it as the title of this post:

“. . .Where the sky is the size of forever and the flowers are the size of a millisecond.” –Anne H. Zwinger and Beatrice E. Willard, Land Above the Trees

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Posted in Art

Fabulous Fireworks–on the Fifth?! or–a visit to Castle Rock, Colorado

12 Jul

Yep, we had our Independence Day fireworks on the 5th of July this year. They were scheduled for the Fourth, but Mother Nature decided to put on her own show in Colorado, so some fireworks shows got rescheduled. We decided this was a good excuse for a little drive down to Castle Rock. We found ourselves an top-notch spot on the edge of the Wal-mart parking lot, pretty much a front row seat and putting the bursts at eye level.

So, without further adieu, here are a few faves from this year’s crop of fireworks photos. Enjoy!

And if you want to know how we did these, check out our previous post about photographing fireworks.

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Posted in Art, Holiday, Photo Tips

A trip to Nunn (Colorado photographer)

09 Jul

Last month was Aunt D’s birthday (she tells us she’s a dyslexic 29) so we took the kids and trekked up to Nunn for a visit and a trip to lunch at the Golden Corral in Greeley. It’s become a tradition that we always take her to eat at the Golden Corral in Greeley. Don’t know how it started, but it’s just how it is for us and we all have a great time and eat way more than we should.

Since it was her birthday we needed to take a few portraits. It’s been quite a few years since she had a new portrait and I really wanted one out in front of the house. She’s lived here for 60 years now. I love these portraits. When I think about Aunt D, this is the image that comes to mind–her jeans and her red checked shirt and her smile.

Marie Leslie, Colorado Photographer, Art Photography, Nunn, farm photography

Before we lived in Colorado, we tried to visit at least once a year. From the first visit, when our oldest daughter was a tiny baby, we’ve taken pictures of the kids on the porch with Aunt D at every visit. Because she’s such a petite woman (don’t be fooled by her small stature, she’s an amazing woman), it somehow became a milestone in their lives to finally be “taller than Aunt D.” So, it looks like finally, they have all passed her up.

Her little farm has long been one of my favorite places to create photographs. So after the portraits, we did a little wandering. Suzie and I found this wonderful field of little purple flowers irresistible.

Can you blame us?

Marie Leslie, Colorado Photographer, Art Photography, Nunn, purple flower

And then there were dandelions and the fields. . .

Whenever I remember our visits, this is how I see her little “house on the prairie” . . .

And finally, a few shots of Nunn, including that famous water tower I mentioned in my earlier post about places I love in Colorado.

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Posted in Art, Family

A visit to the Underworld — Carlsbad Caverns

05 Jul

It’s time to play a little catch-up on the blog. Now that we’re moved and settled (more or less), I can finally start editing and posting some of my recent photograhic expeditions.

May was a busy month. Besides moving, my oldest daughter graduated from college and we went to Carlsbad Caverns for Mother’s Day. Carlsbad Caverns has long been on my list of national parks to visit, but even after 10 years of living in New Mexico, we hadn’t made it there. In all fairness, I did go to Carlsbad twice, but both times the Caverns were closed for weather-related reasons. I was determined, though, that we would not leave New Mexico without visiting this amazing natural wonder, so we finally got to go for Mother’s Day and I am already ready to go again.

It is a bit of a trek from Albuquerque, nearly 6 hours. If you’re from somewhere else, your best starting point is El Paso and it’s still a very remote 2-hour drive from there. On the upside, though, you do pass through/by Guadalupe Mountains National Park, which is also very beautiful. Guadalupe Mountains boasts the highest peak in Texas, which my kids thought was rather amusing, since it’s only in the 3000+ foot range. For comparison, we lived at roughly 6000 feet in New Mexico and about the same elevation here in Colorado and we’re not in the mountains in either case.

Anyway, here are a few of my faves from Carlsbad–so far. For those of you who will ask, they were all taken handheld, most of them by existing light (I’d say natural light, but there isn’t any down there). Next time, I’d probably at least take my monopod, but I’m lazy and hate dragging a tripod along unless I know I’m going to use it. I might take it on my next trip.

Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico, Caves, Caverns, Art Prints, Art Photography, Colorado Photographer

When you first get there, it really doesn't look like much--just this hole in the ground, with a windy path leading in.

Of course, there has to be one of the family. Some kind passing hikers took a quick shot for us. No better Mother's Day present than an amazing place with my amazing family.

And on down the path. The light area at the top is that innocuous-looking hole in the ground, the last of the daylight we'd see for several hours.

It was very humid in the caves and, especially in the first part, it tended to be rather misty, giving the whole thing a very surreal quality. Made me think of Dante and his circles.

For a little scale, that's Brendan. He's about 6'2". These cave formations are almost beyond description. I guess I could say amazing, but I've already used it too much here.

Can I say "amazing" again?

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Posted in Art

Fabulous Fireworks Photos (Colorado Photographer)

02 Jul

It’s almost Independence Day–my favorite holiday of the year.

Flags, fun, family, food and fireworks–all fun, all celebration, no stress.

As a photographer, one of my favorite parts of the day is the fireworks. Ok, it was my favorite even when I was a kid without a camera. I just LOVE fireworks. I love watching them, I love photographing them (I do NOT love setting them off, however). In the interest of sharing, and to forestall all the e-mails I’ll get tomorrow, asking for this:

Here are a few tips for getting some great fireworks shots.

1. You need a camera with a manual focus setting.

(you CANNOT autofocus fireworks) and preferably a bulb setting for the shutter or at least the ability to make exposures between about 15 and 30 seconds. A cable release (yep, old school) or a remote shutter release is also very helpful.

2. You need to be able to hold the camera absolutely steady.

No one can hand hold steady for this length of time, though you can get some interesting results that way. A tripod is the ideal choice and will allow for the best positioning of your camera. If you don’t have a tripod any steady flat surface can work. I’ve used block walls, picnic tables, even the roof of my car, in a pinch.

3. You need to be fairly close to the fireworks.

It’s best to have an unobstructed view, though having some foreground is nice as long as it doesn’t block the fireworks. It’s best to be as close as possible without being in the middle of the crowd where your camera could get bumped.

Now that you’re all set, here’s how to do it:

I usually set my camera at ISO 100, bulb setting and f/11. I also shoot in RAW mode, though JPG will also work . I always recommend the highest possible quality settings as they give you the most options after the fact. You want to be set up and focused to infinity (maximum focus distance) before the show starts.

Watch the first couple of bursts through your lens and make any necessary composition adjustments, such as zooming in or out. It’s good to have a bit of extra space in the frame, but don’t zoom out so much that you end up with tiny little fireworks and lots of black sky. You can see an uncropped and cropped firework photo at the end of this post.

Once you’re all set, go ahead and take some photos. Vary your exposure times, holding the shutter open for about one to five bursts. Leaving it open for too many bursts produces a very cluttered and messy image and lessens the drama and impact. Using too short of an exposure will create only pinpoints of light, missing the great light trails that give fireworks their drama. If you don’t have a remote shutter release, you can set your camera for the desired time and use your self-timer. If you want to end the exposure earlier than the set time, use a dark cloth or small towel to cover the lens until the shutter closes.

Now that you’ve gotten a few, get brave and experiment a little. Gently pull your zoom lens back (make it wider) during an exposure. You can also zoom in the same way.

After you’ve taken the photos, you may need to do a little cropping to show your fireworks at their best. A little saturation boost or color tint can also increase the drama. I nearly always photograph fireworks horizontally and then crop to either square or vertical, whichever most flatters my fireworks.

Colorado Photographer, Fireworks, Independence Day, 4th of July

Uncropped Image

To put the finishing touches on your fireworks, add a nice keyline or digital mat to highlight the colors and you have a great memento of Independence Day.

Happy 4th!

Cropped Image

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Posted in Art, Photo Tips

Beautiful Blooms of Spring–New Mexico Photographer

01 Apr

It’s finally spring here in New Mexico and when the wind isn’t blowing (like it is today), it is beautiful out. My fruit trees are beginning to bloom and right now, the nectarine is absolutely stunning. So much so, that when the sun came up yesterday and shined on the pretty pink flowers and not on the wall behind it, I knew it was time for some spring portraits.