Thursday, April 17, 2014

Thankful Thursday

Welcome to Thankful Thursday.

I feel very thankful for so many things. But one thing I lack (among many others I am sure) is much of an artistic ability. The only way I can express myself is through the lens of a camera. I get much of my inspiration from my subject matter, which is each of the cats. For many years Abby was my muse. She was very comfortable with the camera around. What I lacked in terms of my own ability and in quality of the camera I used to capture her image.
Abby taught me.

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If I could only go back again and do it all over, I would take all the money I spent on all the different cameras and purchase one really good one. I finally broke down and got a entry level Nikon DSLR in 2012. It has served me well since I purchased it. I enjoy it and will always have it, but now I am ready to move on to a better version. 

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You see, I found peace through what my camera can see. I found it in a tiny little calico cat whose eyes are little saucers. When I see her my heart sings again. My muse has returned to me. A reluctant one to start with as she had I'm positive; never seen a big black box that made a click click clicking noise before. 
I always thought I had time. Time to do all the things I have always done in the past. But time ran out for me August 12,2013  and I realized I didn't capture all the things I wanted (needed) to capture of Abby on film. I cannot tell you how difficult that was is for me. To know I could never take another image of Abby again broke my desire to pick up a camera. 
...until Annabelle.

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Abby wanted me to pick up that camera again and do what I love. So, I did. She also made me realize that I had not been very good at cataloging my files. So a massive project unfolded for me which is nearly complete. She made me so much more aware of how fragile we all are and how much I took for granted things not changing. So, I approach it all differently, including my photography. When I look back over 2013 and I see how lax I became over photographing Abby in particular; it makes me very wistful because I should have done more. But, I didn't, and now that is something I cannot undo. So going forward I have been made more conscious of capturing things with my camera that I would have let go in the past and 'oh thought I'll do it later'. Well, there was no later. There is only now.

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I highly recommend that everyone make sure you have some extra way to back up your digital photo files. There are so many online free storage websites. It is one of the simplest ways to keep your files from being lost to you. I use several different types of back ups, because I am well, uber afraid terrified of losing those precious imagines. No one needs to do the 5 step process I do. I am just being seriously cautious. But I do urge everyone to find a way that works best for them.

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Find your passion and enjoy it and be thankful.
I always strive to get better. It is my joy to interpret and capture on film something beautiful.
Ready for that close up Miss Annabelle? 

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We're also joining in on this week's Thankful Thursday Blog Hop from PepiSmartDog.


26 comments:

  1. Good, sound advice! We think about this daily, too. Annabelle takes such beautiful pics. What a joy she is.

    Happy thursday!

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  2. You are a very talented photographer. My human always admires your photos - not everyone has an eye.

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  3. I am so happy for you. Your true happiness makes my heart lighter. I am glad you have your muse back. The art you create with your camera is beautiful.
    Hugs to all of you!

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  4. You are wrong to say you do not have much artistic ability.Photography is an art form and you do it very well.
    You have an "eye" for good shots :)You offer good advice too.Protect those precious pics!
    One of the first thoughts Mom had when Tillie died was that there would be no more pictures of her.
    It is important to use your camera every day and capture the world around you.
    Purrs Georgia and Julie,
    Treasure, JJ
    and Angels Tiger and Tillie

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  5. You're a great photographer, and we agree with the others. Being able to compose beautiful photos is art!

    Please let us know what you decide on when you get a new camera. We need to graduate out of our point and shoot, and the head peep is being very slow to decide.

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  6. WHAT A GREAT POST FULL OF INFO AND LOVE OF YOUR SUBJECTS. ANNABELLE
    LOVES THE CAMERA AND IT LOVES HER
    HUGS MADI YOUR BFFF

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  7. The picture of Annabelle on your header is beautiful and she is so lovely. Mum is just a point and click lady once in a blue moon she she gets lucky! Of course we don't help as we always seem to put our heads down at the wrong time!!
    Luv Hannah and Lucy xx xx

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  8. I agree on backing up important files and have for decades! I have been using Carbonite for the past 4 or 5 years or so... I love it! I especially love it when switching to a new computer. Never has transferring files to a new computer been so effortless!!

    The only photos I take now are with my iPhone. For me, that's satisfactory, although at one time I seriously considered a DSLR. I decided I'd rather take a few cruises. :D

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  9. This is so beautiful.

    I still have boxes of old photos that I need to catalog from before digital photography!

    Truffles is totally my muse...I just wish she were as cooperative as Annabelle!

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  10. Annabelle is very photogenic. When Whisky was a puppy, DSLR's were beyond reach. Digital cameras were just in and I bought my first one (just 3.2MP!). It wasn't great with action shots but thankfully Whisky was very cooperative when it came to getting her pictures taken.

    Fast forward many years and I never regretted investing in my current DSLR. I still have lots to learn to get the most out of it though. ;)

    I am still unsure about online free storage websites so I backup the photos in an external hard drive.

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  11. Thanks for the visit and comment. I do wish we had Publix here,

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  12. We always love, love, love your photos! Howdy pretty Annabelle!

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  13. We agree so very much with that sentiment. Time is so fleeting and you can never know when tragedy will strike. Photos are such a powerful way to freeze time, for all time. (But backups are SO important!)

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  14. annabelle....plez ta tell yur mom her does inn deed haz artistic a bill a tee .....

    itz what her seez & captures thru a camera lenz.....

    best camera & lighting in de werld iz knot gonna take a grate picture til de purrson beehind it SEEZ whatz in front

    frank lee we envy yur momz a bill a tee ta take awesum pictures...de gurl heer in TT couldna take a grate picture if de picture taked it self

    ta capture an imagine that lasts forever...IZ art

    heerz hopin everee one haza safe, happee N burd free Easturr ♥

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  15. I have tried to make a point to make sure you knew how much I like your photographs.. yes, your subject matter is very photogenic, but it does take talent to continually capture such beautiful photos..

    While a good camera can make a difference, it is the person taking the photo that makes the most difference..

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  16. The title of our link is not, "Dad Pillow," but that's life. You know that Abby led you directly to Annabelle. She is so gorgeous in the new header photo by the way. Photography is an art, and you can be very proud of yours because it is exquisite. There are several of our cats that I regret not having many pictures of. The blog has forced me to take many more photos, and for that I am very grateful. Keep up the good work. Hugs, Janet

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  17. Taking pictures is fun and you do a great job at getting good pictures. It just takes some time and patience. Hope you have a great evening.

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  18. You do take beautiful photos. Ever since my first digital camera I have taken lots of photos of Eric and Flynn, but never enough. I now take many of Flynn every day because each photo is very precious.

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  19. You have a lot of artistic talent. Your photos are just beautiful.

    We guess we shouldn't complain so much when the mom takes pictures so many pictures of us.

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  20. Wow...that was a very heavy, yet very beautiful post! Thank you so much for sharing. As I have told you before, I am so sorrymfor your losses. I am glad you feel the way you do about photography. It was absolutely beautiful to hear.
    ღ husky hugz ღ frum our pack at Love is being owned by a husky!

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  21. We have been bugging Dad to get a bit more organized. He says time is the issue and work it the bane of those who have cats.
    Please let us know about what camera you get and how much expertise you need to use it. Dad uses a GE. Go figure right. It sucks down batteries and many good shots are missed due to the need to change out the rechargeable.

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  22. We are so very happy you have found the joy in photography again. We could not agree more about what it means to be able to capture both the special and everyday moments. And how exciting that you're thinking of a new camera!!!

    We are a Nikon family here and Gloman has helped me SO much. If I didn't have my camera, I'd feel as though both hands were tied behind my back.

    You are so very talented, both in the imaged you capture and create AND in your words. I'm very much an admiring fan!

    xo

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  23. All I can say is YEAH! So glad Annabelle is helping you in the way Abby intended her to! I Will take your advice and get more serious with my pictures and storing them too.
    Luvs, Purrs and Joy
    Marty and Mom

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  24. Such a special post. Very happy for you that you have found your muse again and she is an absolute beauty. You are our very favorite photographer on the whole big interwebs and we think that speaks volumes of your talent and artistic ability.

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