What is a Daguerreotype?

It's one of those words you look at and go...."Huh?" That's what I did when I saw today's Google image. Today happens to be Louis Daguerre's 224th Birthday. Happy Birthday Louis!!! But, ummmm, who are you? Why are we celebrating your birthday? A click on the Google image and voila!

Today’s Doodle on Google‘s homepage is a tribute to Louis Daguerre, the French physicist who invented daguerreotype, the first commercially successful form of photography.

 Louis Daguerre was born on Nov. 18, 1787 in Cormeilles-en-Parisis, France. Today’s Doodle celebrates his 224th birthday.

He began his career as a designer and painter, but his breakthrough came in 1839, when he announced his invention of the daguerreotype, a photographic process which produced a single positive image, which could not easily be replicated. It experienced a few decades of commercial success and influenced later photographic processes.

Daguerreotypes were usually portraits, and Google’s Doodle is reminiscent of a classic family portrait from the era.

Basically, the "father" of photography as a business. Can I say that I'm just a little embarrassed that I did not know this information? Thank you, Internet, for providing so much knowledge at our fingertips.

Have a fabulous day and weekend.

Peace and Joy,
Susan

John 17:17 (NKJV) Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.

My Photography Journey

Last week I started a new online photography class. My teacher/mentor is Christina Greve of Divas and Dreams. She lives on the other side of the world. In Denmark. Kinda crazy when you think about it.Taking a class from someone who is seven hours ahead of me. When I get off work to start my lesson, Christina, and about half the class, is getting in bed or already asleep. Technology and the internet has clearly made the world smaller......or largely expanded my world. Whichever way you look at it. I believe this course will provide me with the skills and confidence I need to take my photography to the next level. I'm pretty excited.

My first assignment was to make an inspiration board. Can I just tell you that I was a little apprehensive about the task? Why? I had never made one before. Really. The closest I've ever gotten to a vision board is pinterest. Can I see a show of hands.....who is hooked on Pinterest? I thought so.

So, I started tearing out pictures from magazines. Photographs of women, children, families, food, flowers, birds, animals. Pictures that tugged at my heart. Activities that I enjoy. Looks I want to duplicate. Lighting and poses that invite you into the photograph. Here is what I ended up with:

A board that is representative of my developing style. Glamorous. Vintage. Inviting. Joyful. Which is exactly what I want my photographs to evoke from the viewer.

Journey with me. Hopefully, you (and I) will be able to see a progression from ordinary to extraordinary. That is my goal. I want to close the creative gap between where my work is today and where I want it to be.

Thank you so much for stopping by and visiting.

Peace and Joy,
Susan

Psalm 119:18 (NKJV)  Open my eyes, that I may see Wondrous things from Your law.

Related articles

• Guest post, Christina Greve of Divas and Dreams. (thishomesweethome.blogspot.com)

Happy Belated Birthday HodgePodge

1. What song reminds you of a specific time in your life and what is it about that song that makes you remember? Hands of Time. I first heard this song on the movie Collateral starring Tom Cruise. I watched it during a time when I was struggling with some personal issues. The song is a reminder to live for today, This Day!

2. What's something you've given up on? I've given up on losing 15 pounds. I'll be happy with five. So my clothes won't be so snug. Just sayn.

3. What's something you'll never give up on? My faith in God.

4. If you had to cook something from scratch in the next hour what would it be? Since you said cook and not bake, I went with a meal I can put together quickly and easily with items I generally keep on hand. Some people call this a burrito, or soft shell taco, or fajita. Whatever you call it, it's super easy, delicious, and nutritious. Start by putting 1/3 cup brown Basmati rice in a small sauce pan with 2/3 cup chicken stock. Bring it to a boil and let it simmer while you prepare the rest of the meal. Then use whatever cooked meat is in the fridge, saute some onions with shredded carrots, drain and rinse a can of black beans...throw them in, toss in the cooked meat, season with salt, pepper, and taco/fajita seasoning, add some frozen corn, and some green chilies. I would have started some brown basmati rice before the first step. The rice would be done by now and I would add that to the meat dish. Serve with warmed tortillas, grated cheese, green peppers, jalapenos, avocados (if I have any), cilantro, whatever is on hand.

5. Have you started Christmas shopping? Decorating? Listening to Christmas music? I have some shopping done. The decorations and music start this weekend. So excited!

6. What do you know about your parent's wedding? Not a stinking thing. Not even kidding. My parents divorced when I was six. My dad got custody of three children age 3-8. He doesn't talk about my mom much. My mom chose not to have a relationship with us. It's a sore spot.

7. I can't believe I used to smoke. I know. Disgusting habit. Can't even believe I smoked for so many years. Oh, the money and time wasted. Thank you, Lord for helping me kick that habit! Thirteen years ago.

8. Insert your own random thought here. Thanksgiving is NEXT WEEK!!! How did that happen? I'm not even ready. Are you? What's on your menu? Do you have a "special" dish that is traditional to your family? I make my grandmother's orange salad. It's cooked vanilla pudding, orange jello, tapioca, and mandarin oranges. It's delicious and conjures up some precious memories for me.

Thank you for stopping by and visiting. Please hop on over to Joyce's to read other participants answers or better yet, link up with your own.

Peace and Joy,

Susan

Psalm 119:143 (NKJV) Trouble and anguish have overtaken me, Yet Your commandments are my delights.

Vacation 2011 Part 1

Part ONE!? Kinda scary, yes? I'll try to make it painless for you and not post so many pictures that it takes hours to load them. ahaha. It won't be that bad, honest.

So let's start the journey. We left our house early the morning of Thursday, October 6 and headed south. We had planned to visit specific places along the way, but changed destinations as we found points of interest. Our first stop was a detour and the result of seeing it advertised on a billboard. Which of you could resist stopping at the Lodge Factory Outlet Store? Anyone? I didn't think so. Neither would we. I purchased a much longed for 7.5 quart enameled dutch oven...in red. I've used it twice since we've been back from vacation. We drove by the actual factory and saw this crazy guy. A man....made of iron. How fun is that?

After our purchase at the Lodge Factory Store, we headed back down the road to our next destination. I snagged this picture as we were driving towards Ruby Falls inside Lookout Mountain, near Chattanooga,Tennessee.

 The cave was nice with good history and a beautiful waterfall inside the cave. Here's a picture of the waterfall from the front....

and one from underneath. Yep, I got a little wet getting this one.

I totally forgot we changed time zones and missed the sun set on our first day. Boo. Here's what I was able to catch. When I turned around the lights of the city of Chattanooga were spread out before me.

I hope you enjoyed the first part of our vacation. Part 2 to come soon. Thank you for stopping by and visiting.

Peace and Joy,
Susan

1 Peter 2:15-16 (NKJV) ¹⁵ For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men— ¹⁶ as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God.

The Art of the HodgePodge

1. Of all the tools and gadgets you own which do you most enjoy using? There are just so many "gadgets" to choose from. iPad, laptop, smartphone, DSLR, KitchenAid.....how do you choose? I'd have to pick my camera. I can be creative with it and it allows me to show the beauty of God's creation. Whether that beauty is in the heart of His people, His creation (flowers, landscape, creatures), or through the gifts He has given to man. The ability to create beauty in food, architecture, or art.

2. When (if ever) is impatience a virtue? Not sure I can think of an instance for this one.

3. What temperature do you keep your thermostat set to in winter? Do you have another way to heat your house besides a furnace of some type? My thermostat is set at 68 in the winter (75 in the summer). Which, at the moment, is very comfortable. Our furnace is our only heat source. Well, besides me. My hubby says I'm his little heater. He can barely lie next to me a couple minutes when.....poof....flame on. ahahaha. Those of you who are going thru the change know exactly what I'm talking about.

4. Do/did you have a close relationship with any of your grandparents? Yes, I was very close to my grandmother. I miss her every day.

5. When did you last have a family portrait taken? Ha! Just a couple weeks ago while we were on vacation. I set my camera on the tripod, set the timer, focused on the hubs, jumped in the picture, and voila. Instant family portrait. :)

6. What does the word patriotism mean to you? Loyalty. Self-worth. My husband.

7. Do you like to play cards and if so, what's your favorite card game? I love playing cards. My favorite is Pitch. With the grand-boy, it's go fish.

8. Insert your own random thought here. I'm taking an on-line workshop with a fabulously skilled photographer. I'm hoping to hone my photography skills and become bold, confident and creative through the process. I'm a little nervous and excited at the same time. There are extraordinary women from around the world with amazing talents taking this course with me. I'm excited to learn with them and from them. My first assignment is to make an inspiration board. Have you made one before?

Thank you for stopping by and visiting. Please hop on over to Joyce's to read other participants answers or better yet, link up with your own.

Peace and Joy,

Susan 

Joshua 24:15 (NKJV) ¹⁵ And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

Saving Time

How does that work exactly? Saving time? We spring forward. Then we fall back. OR We spring ahead. Then we fall behind. Some of us spring back and fall forward. On our face. That's where I feel today. The time change always messes with my schedule. Yesterday at 5 o'clock it felt like it was 7 and I should be winding down for the day. This morning, I was awake at my normal time but that is actually an hour earlier. Good grief! Who thought this time change was a good idea? Here's what I found out:

How and When Did Daylight Saving Time Start?

Ben Franklin—of "early to bed and early to rise" fame—was apparently the first person to suggest the concept of daylight savings, according to computer scientist David Prerau, author of the book Seize the Daylight: The Curious and Contentious Story of Daylight Saving Time.

While serving as U.S. ambassador to France in Paris, Franklin wrote of being awakened at 6 a.m. and realizing, to his surprise, that the sun would rise far earlier than he usually did. Imagine the resources that might be saved if he and others rose before noon and burned less midnight oil, Franklin, tongue half in cheek, wrote to a newspaper.

"Franklin seriously realized it would be beneficial to make better use of daylight but he didn't really know how to implement it," Prerau said.

It wasn't until World War I that daylight savings were realized on a grand scale. Germany was the first state to adopt the time changes, to reduce artificial lighting and thereby save coal for the war effort. Friends and foes soon followed suit.

In the U.S. a federal law standardized the yearly start and end of daylight saving time in 1918—for the states that chose to observe it.

During World War II the U.S. made daylight saving time mandatory for the whole country, as a way to save wartime resources. Between February 9, 1942, and September 30, 1945, the government took it a step further. During this period daylight saving time was observed year-round, essentially making it the new standard time, if only for a few years.

Since the end of World War II, though, daylight saving time has always been optional for U.S. states. But its beginning and end have shifted—and occasionally disappeared.

During the 1973-74 Arab oil embargo, the U.S. once again extended daylight saving time through the winter, resulting in a one percent decrease in the country's electrical load, according to federal studies cited by Prerau.

Thirty years later the Energy Policy Act of 2005 was enacted, mandating a controversial monthlong extension of daylight saving time, starting in 2007. (taken from the national geographic website)

Personally, I'm with Arizona who does not change their clocks. Let's just live with the time we have and enjoy today, This Day!

Thank you so much for stopping by and visiting. Have a fabulous day and week.

Peace and Joy,

Susan

1 Timothy 2:1-2 (NKJV) ¹ Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, ² for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.

Not a Quitter!

Holy Cow! It's November!!! It's been almost a month since my last post. WOW! How did that happen? Oh yeah. I was on vacation. From October 6 until October 23. Sweet. Wonderful. VACATION! Through Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida. And back again. I have hundreds of photos I'm preparing to post. It will be like a family slide show. Remember those? The carousels of slides from family vacations? No? Then you are young. Very, very young.

Anywhoo. I ran across this clip today. This is so where I am at in my photography. I know I have good stuff. It's just not the kind of stuff I'm capable of making. At least not yet. This clips has inspired me. Motivated me. Encouraged me. I hope it does the same for you.


Thank you so much for stopping by and visiting.

Peace and Joy,
Susan

Psalm 45:1 (NKJV) ¹ My heart is overflowing with a good theme; I recite my composition concerning the King; My tongue is the pen of a ready writer.