Summer Photography Class

My Ideal Day! Paula in a neighbors hammock!

This summer went by so quickly I can hardly believe my class at Tri-C begins next week and I am still tweaking my syllabus. There were a number of highlights this summer one was a day trip with a travel buddy to Presque Isle, in Erie, Pa. but I have say taking a digital photography class with my friend  Paula was one of the brightest.

My dad was an avid photographer. At one time I thought he might actually switch careers to become a full time photographer but instead it remained one of his passions until just about 3 years ago when macular degeneration took most of his site. Fortunately I reaped the benefits of his interest spending weekends learning how to use his treasured Nikon and develop pictures in our basement darkroom. I can smell the fixer marinating in the tubs, stacks of Kodak colored boxes filled with photo paper sitting next to the enlarger and the inviting red light signaling magic was about to happen. When the opportunity came about it wasn't hard to say yes because the extent of my digital camera skills was Focus, Point & Shoot and this would give me a chance to learn a skill I could use personally as well as professionally. So the class started on July 3rd, 4 hrs, 3 days a week for a month. Paula & I thought we'll go in hear a lecture and leave by noon to take pictures the rest of the afternoon..... NOT THE CASE but we didn't care, most days we wanted to stay longer.


So what was it about this class that made me want to stay longer most days. For starters the professor was very knowledgeable and taught from a creative  perspective which I really enjoyed. Second I would have to say is the equipment I got to use. I was able to borrow a Nikon D60 for the class (in camera speak it's a "SWEET") and we were in a brand new photography lab with state of the art Mac computers and Epson printers. My creativity went amok. I took hundreds of photos, discovered the joys & pains of editing and learned new applications in Photoshop I only touched the surface of before this class.The entire experience was opening the windows on a spring day and I was utterly completely in the ZONE. Enough of my chit chat hope you enjoy looking at some the photos I created. Happy snapping!

Moms Story (1) 

Moms story (2) Murals she painted at the French Coffee Shop in Cuyahoga Falls 

Moms Story (3) - Legacy

My love of the movies!

14 months since my last post, REALLY?!@#$%*

 My friend Carla (coach) sent me an email today about an online seminar Wednesday night that I could register for titled "BecomeABlogger" and I thought oh yeah I have one of those. But what's the address? I know I'll Google myself  to find the link. So, I did just that and it popped right up under my LinkedIn profile at the top of the page - pretty good placement if I don't say so myself. But there's a small problem, what's the password? I immediately scrambled to find my worn-out, coffee-stained notepad next to my desk containing every password & user ID I've ever created, this is a gold mine if anyone found it.Whew, right where I left it under my syllabus & notes for  my fall class. "Sage Creation's" sign-in,  when I picked the name for my blog I thought it very fitting - I'm creative & my name is Sage plus everything else I liked or wanted was already taken. It's harder than you think to find personalized website using the name Sage.When I Googled Sage Blog (not using Culley) I just discover Adventures with The Sage, The City Sage and Sage Fly Fishing Blog. I'm curious if "The Sage" has a more exciting life than mine maybe I'll go back to that to get some pointers but I digress......

As my blog opens I see the last posting, WOW....June 14, 2011, REALLY! Can it be true? It is possible I haven't posted in over a year. I remember posting somethings about waste or recycling but now I realize that was for the Countryside Conservancy blog not my personal blog.  But what about the watermelon lemonade I made for Blackstone Launchpad last month, or the new job with StrEat Mobile Bistro, or even my second semester teaching Customer Service for the Hospitality program at Tri-C, or having my first roommate since college or anyone living in my home other than me since my divorce? Hard to believe not a single post in 14 months, it would have made for some great commentary or at least an outlet for this single white female navigating this windy, steep, hilly road called LIFE.

With a full page and writers cramp let this posting at 6:10pm on Tuesday, August 14, 2012 mark the beginning of a new cycle of blogs - maybe I can "Become A Blogger". As Scarlet O'Hara  once said "after all tomorrow is another day".Scarlet O'Hara