~ iPad Pro Summer 2019 ~

Going into summer I was feeling pretty rough. My health hasn’t been good (mental or physical) and I know change is needed. Photography hasn’t been as fulfilling lately and I have been really wanting to do more art lately. Digital art has always been something I wanted to do but I could never really get used to the Wacom tablet as it just never felt right.  A few years ago I tried out an iPad Pro with the pencil and was SOLD at how comfortable it was to use to draw.

I got the nice big version of the iPad with the pencil 2 and a very cool case for it. So far I couldn’t be happier. It fits with my style of art and it’s so fun to sketch and doodle on it.  The power of the iPad Pro is amazing as well. I use the app Procreate and it is outstanding to have tons of layers open as I draw.

I used to always open sketchbooks and a big inhibitor of drawing was that I always wanted my art to look perfect. Many sketchbooks just sat blank due to my lack of knowing what to draw and my desire to make it look great. The iPad takes away my mental barriers and lets me just sketch or doodle away. Giving my the layers allows me to change things if they don’t work out and instead of ripping a page out of the sketchbook I can just delete it or just start fresh and get it to where I want it to be.

Definitely stoked to draw more and I love the portability of taking the iPad with me wherever I go. Excited to share some art here and also photos too. Here are some recent drawings and photos of my precious iPad Pro.

~ Alberta Election ~

With an Election Day comes my political rant. Hehe. (Disclaimer: if you disagree just move along, unfriend if you get that bent out of shape) 

Ok let’s get this started. The average Conservatives supporters in Alberta seem to connect really close to the average Trump lovers. They think that the UCP party will bring jobs and do great things for our economy. Forgetting that the reason the last election went NDP was out of anger at corruption and greed and we were “draining the swamp” and giving a new group of people a chance. 

The conservative supporters also seem to have this make Alberta strong and free idea. Why not just use MAGA and get it over with??? This Alberta hate against Ottawa is ridiculous. We are part of Canada. Just cuz you can’t jack your truck up another few inches due to lack of funds is not the fault of Justin. This whole mentality of “we got the oil and should separate from Canada” seems common among the conservative Alberta supporters. 

I hope people can see that education is a huge factor in this election. Strong schools and more access to education will result in jobs.  Better education = better humans. I can make my point quite easily. Go to any politician twitter or social media page and read some responses of conservative supporters. Engleesh does not seem to be their first language.  This is evident by reading their responses to anyone that has a different point of view. Strong education = better paying jobs and better future. 

Alberta is STRONG. Alberta is FREE. We don’t need to disconnect from such a great country. We should be questioning our leaders and staying informed. However in this election to me there’s only one strong choice and that is the NDP. The Conservative party has dominated this province for far too long. Giving them the keys back again so soon after they went on a joy ride and smashed up our car is stupid. Allow a new group of leaders the time they need to create a better place for us to live and work. Don’t get sucked into stupid catch phrases and wanna be Trumpland mentality.

Polar Vortex

This has been some super cold weather last few days.  I have been totally staying inside and not going anywhere.  This morning with wind chill it feels like -42.  I have not been doing much photography but I feel this time has given me some time to edit and really consider where I am going to go creatively in 2019.  I am really going to try and write more as well.  This blog is a lot of fun and for personal growth as a writer I should really give it a shot.  I never really did feel like writing was my jam which is why I was more into creating images with sketches and now with a camera.  I prefer to allow my images to speak for themselves rather than try and write.

I also want to get back onto working on my YouTube channel.  I think it would be fun to show more video work with my cameras.  Possibly mix in some video from my gaming and blend it in with photography work.  Throw in some photography tutorials along the way.  YouTube has been something I have ignored for a long time and I really think it could be a fun way to expand on being creative with photography.

I hope if you're somewhere caught in this polar vortex you're staying warm.  Enjoy the day and look for ways to be creative in your own life.  Without creativity this world is a super dull and boring place to be living in.

This is a great video by John Spencer

New Focus for 2019

This year I have made some decisions with my photography.  I have shot all kinds of things in my journey with cameras.  For 2019 I want to really shoot more for myself and for creative reasons.  I love portrait work so I plan to continue shooting TFP work with people to try out creative ideas.  Also my home is for sale and we're not sure what the future holds or where we may move.

I really want to try to focus on a mix of art, photography and make it a personal project to focus on creating stronger images, ideas and push my creativity with it.  Basically going back to school with myself as the teacher.  I am going to revamp my website and social media to reflect this personal journey.  Please hang out and check in from time to time to see how this turns out for me.  I am thankful for friends and family that support me and of course the amazing wife that supports my creative escapades.  I might also try to increase my work on YouTube and create more video work.

Of course I may read this in 2020 and realize I didn't do anything I wrote here but it's good to have goals. :)

I will share the most recent creative edit that will give you a taste of where I want to go this year with my photography and art.  MODEL is MJ and she loves Dr.Who....so this was inspired by her outfit and sonic screwdriver she had.
-Randy

~ November 2018 Update ~

I have neglected you BLOG.....time write something new.  So here is a bit of an update.  I am currently fighting off a nasty old cold.  It wasn't fun, sick for a few days but I am on the mend.  Photography has gotten to be SO SO SO slow.  I am not shooting much TFP anymore and have been actually enjoying art a LOT lately.  Watercolor paints are so much fun and I am trying to spend more time with art.  I have also been playing a lot of Call of Duty (Black Ops 4) on my xbox one x.

I am hoping to get my studio lights up one day soon and find a model or two to come shoot here.  I think in a few more days this cold should be gone, just in time for my November break.  Tomorrow in the United States I am HOPING Americans can get it right and vote out some of those moron Republicans.  For me it comes down to tomorrow, if they don't go with the BLUE wave then it will tell the world that America is this toxic and Trump does represent current American values and attitudes...which is seriously sad if that happens.

My photography shares today are from the FLICKR feed, which has just updated it's PRO account.  It's a bit more pricey but I am so impressed with it's features.  Unlimited full sized images and a few more nice features for professional photographers.  I have used 500px less and less over the last few years.  I kinda have a soft spot for FLICKR as I was on it from pretty much the beginning of these photography shenanigans.  So back to the photos for today...these are some sunset pics, shot only a few minutes away from my house.

This wild and crazy world....

So I have finally started year 21 of teaching and still loving the challenges and learning I experience every day.  There is a LOT of potential for changes in my life right now but looking forward to what these changes will bring.  I love photography but lately I've been actually doing what I have said I would do for years, which is to pick up a pencil and some art supplies and create some art.  I added a link to my website to showcase my creative side more.  It's felt good to mess around with art and create without the camera.

I am trying my best to not worry about the world but it's been crazy.  Make America Great again and it looks like a dump.  The climate change that so many try to ignore is looking quite real.  So many terrible storms and wild fires.  It's tough to stomach news lately with the nutty things happening.  I am thankful for art, music and creative people.  Thankfully there are people trying to make the world a better place with their talents.

I will drop a few pics here of recent things I've been doing with my camera.  Gonna try and share more art as well.  Stay tuned and if you're reading my BLOG a huge thanks as I am a terrible writer and hoping posting a blog or two will help with that.  The photos in this blog feature a model I love working with: DESTINY and we shot them late summer out in Vegreville.  It's always fun to collaborate with her.  She's always been a great model and friend to work with.  She got me some amazing Oiler players to give me autographs!!! Spoiled photographer here!!!!

-Randy

It's BEEN Forever!!!

I haven't written much in ages.  I guess I could start this blog back up again.  I do enjoy sharing work on it.  I really had this connected with my FLICKR account and it was a lot of fun to post work.  I think I will give this a try again.

It's fall time and so far it's been pretty NOT fall weather.  Mostly SNOW and lots of rain!!  I do love winter but it would sure be nice if there was some fall to be had.  I love the colors of fall and capturing the different colors of the leaves.

Here are some blog photos of a recent shoot with a model from Edmonton named MJ.  She has been so fun to shoot with.  She is also a talented photographer and has a really cool instagram.