Monday, October 7, 2013

On Searching For Inspiration

by Dotti


Inspiration, like this Monarch butterfly, can be elusive sometimes, can't it? Today I'd like to share with you some of the people and places where I go for inspiration.

The first will come as no surprise - right here at FOL. I find inspiration every time I read one of the posts and see the photos that the other FOL people post here. That's why we chose them for the team - because we knew they would inspire. 

I also get inspiration from other photographers on the internet. I couldn't possibly name them all but here are a few of the people I turn to again and again: Karen Walrond, Kim Klassen, Xanthe BerkeleyTracey Clark.



There is also a long list of other blogs that I follow, many of which are yours. Yes, I follow a goodly number of your blogs and try to comment when I can. Every morning while I'm on the treadmill, I prop my iPad on the book stand and read the blogs that have come via Bloglovin' in the email overnight. Then later I go through the list again, stopping to comment on as many as I can.

Your comments on our FOL page, your photos on our Flickr page, the IG feeds, all these things inspire me. I feel like my inspiration cup overflows! It is such a joy to be in the company of such wonderful people and photographers, it truly does inspire me. 

But at the end of the day, I realized something. All these resources are good, they're helpful. Learning to see, which we talk about a lot here, is good. But what really counts is what we find in our hearts. That's where the real inspiration comes from.


And now ... as promised ... the BIG REVEAL! We're happy to announce the winner of our poster giveaway: Sherry Galey. Sherry, please email us at focusingonlifegrp@gmail.com and tell us first of all, which poster you'd like, the Barrio or the Desert Flowers as well as the snail mail address where you would like us to send your poster. And thanks to all of you who participated in this fun give away.




14 comments:

heyjudephotography said...

Lovely post Dotti. Yes, from our hearts - so true. We search so hard for inspiration some days, but it's always with us really. Congratulations Sherry! So glad you visit us regularly, and I'm sure you will love the beautiful poster!

Cathy H. said...

Thanks for the great post this morning. I'll be checking out some of these sites I've not seen before. FOL is one of my favorite places to come for inspiritation and you girls never disappoint. Congrats to Sherry!

CarolHart said...

Love your post Dotti. We all need to be reminded that we do actually carry inspiration with us. Sometimes it takes the words and images of others to nudge it out of us, and sometimes we simply need to be still enough to listen to our heart. Lovely images too. Hey Sherry, congratulations! You shall have to share with us which one you choose and where you hang it!

Jeanne said...

Beautiful photo! and congratulations to the winner ! Wonderful post, just as I am needing some inspiration Dottie

Unknown said...

I think I find inspiration everywhere you listed, as well as from you! This butterfly is gorgeous!

Viv@Thoughts from the Desktop said...

There are so many amazing friends I now follow thanks to this wonderful source the world wide web. Such inspiration, help and consideration that I have found. Congratulations to Sherry

terriporter said...

Your butterfly shots are inspiring me to take a trip out to the Monarch exhibit at our Desert Botanical Gardens! Yes, sometimes inspiration can be hard to find but it is usually right there waiting when we really look for it. Congratulations to Sherry for winning our giveaway! Send an email and let us know which one you chose!

Deanna said...

Oh congrats to Sherry, our thank-you winner. I find inspiration in many of those same places you mentioned, Dotti....but I will add, I have found a lot of inspiration on pinterest ( http://www.pinterest.com/deannakay/boards ) with all the beautiful photography and the wonderful tips on photography.... how to shoot it, how to edit it, and how to display it, along with the beautiful images. Oh what a beautiful world this internet is (most of the time).

Roxi H said...

Congrats to Sherry! Dotti, I know I sure appreciate the comments you leave. You are a jewel and such an awesome butterfly shot.

kelly said...

dotti your monarch shots are just perfect. and like you, i find inspiration from many of the same places. most of the time for me though, to feel inspired i just have to slow down. just take a break from the to-do list and let the inspiration bubble up...like you said, from the heart. xo

Cathy said...

Dotti, thanks for the reminder. Yes from the heart first. Your photos are amazing, such great focus and colors. Thanks for the list of inspiration too!

Kim Stevens said...

Oh be still my heart, you know how I love my Monarchs and you have captured them so beautifully! Yes, inspiration...it is something that is built one idea on top of another, from things, people and the places around us!

Katie said...

such gorgeous creatures, those monarchs, and you captured them perfectly. i think my source of inspiration comes from photography books i read or (and this sounds kinda crazy) "sports illustrated". i may not be able to shoot like the SI guys, but my gosh, those photos they publish are aMAZing!

Anonymous said...

OMG! I'm just over-the-top excited to find out I won. Thanks Dottie!!!!! I was making a video yesterday, so I didn't go online all day. I really, really love these posters of Terri's work and I do have the perfect place for one of them. I'm choosing the barrio doors. (I'll email you my address.) Thank you, thank you, Terri and gang. You've totally made my week -- even month!

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