Raydel Shanks Photography

Poppy Talk and Image of the Day!

2007-12-10T10:22:00.000-05:00

I have not posted in a while! I didn't realize how long I've been gone. There has been a lot of work going on here at my little studio. I am in process of creating my newest series, Flora.

The series is a combination of some shots of beautiful flowers made to have a vintage feel. I really think it is turning out quite lovely.

I am also in the Poppy Talk market this month! I'm really excited and I think it will be a great month.

Image of the Day! Well 2

2007-12-03T14:41:00.001-05:00

Here I go again, working on some new images. I really love these but I have some more work to do. Let me know what you think.

Image of the Day and other news.

2007-11-29T22:12:00.000-05:00

Today has been a rough day! Sometimes I think the universe has plans for us and there is little we can do about it. I feel like I see the signs but I tend to ignore them and in retrospect I find that had I just listened my situation would be drastically different.
To explain: I have had the unfortunate occurrence of being pushed out of one position at work and offered another. The other position is not one I would be happy to take. It feels a bit like being demoted. So I made the decision to seek out other employment. I was fortunate enough to find another job right away, within a matter of hours. However, it does not take the anxiety of starting a new job and changing my schedule out of the picture. I am, needless to say, worried. I can only hope this new endeavour will be in my best interest. I have to change my school schedule and make many sacrifices in my life right now. But at least I was able to make a seamless transition between one job and another.
Anyway, that's just a bit about me. I hope everyone else is doing well. I will leave you with and image!

Image of the Day! Well 2

2007-11-28T15:18:00.000-05:00

So I've been working and I have a couple of new images I would love to share! This is to go along with my flora series and hopefully will do well. Please feel free to let me know what you think!

Almost finished

2007-11-21T23:47:00.000-05:00

Well, it has been a long hard couple of days! My little studio/office is well on its way to being finished and I couldn't be happier. There are still the matters of putting the door back on and adding the inspirational flare but it shouldn't be too much longer. I will post some photos of it soon! I'll be hoping for suggestions. :)

Its been all work and no play around here, I've added some originals to my shop. I should have done it a while ago but I'm happy I've gotten some work done. Though, if not for the recent addition of cable I may have gotten more done. Miami Ink! it's to blame.

I've been making prints and getting ready to shoot! That means... I should have some new stuff in the shop soon. I will leave you all with an image(I know, not much on the image of the day this week. Sorry) and warm wishes for Thanksgiving. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

P.S. I'm sure I will have a lot of things to post about tomorrow! Family dinners usually give me a lot to post about. It may be a long post. LOL

Things I love

2007-11-18T02:40:00.000-05:00

So 2:40 in the morning and here I am blogging. Well, I had to. I have the overwhelming urge to share with you all the things I love most, and people:)
I love my kids! Even when they drive me crazy fighting as siblings do, I love them. I love the way no matter how bad a day I'm having and how cranky I am they always love me back. I love the way they laugh and I love how they inspire me to do more and strive for more. I love when they say the quirky things kids say. You know what I mean, when they say something but have the definition wrong or they just say it wrong. Never fails to make me laugh.
I love my Sister. I love that even when she is mad at me, she still loves me. I love that when I drive her crazy, because I can be a bit crazy, she lets me. I love that when I do something, no matter how bad it could be, she still finds the best in what ever it is. I love that she is always there for me . I love that she is my Guru. Most of all I just love spending time with her.
I love my Brother-in-law, even when he's grumpy. He has a lot of wisdom he shares with me.
I love when I get up in the mornings and the sun is just coming up. I love that there is a beautiful Amber glow.
I love when I feel like I have created the perfect image, even if only perfect to me. I love my camera. My camera gives me a sense of freedom I never had before.
I love so many more things but I thought I would share these.

Belated Halloween post

2007-11-17T14:26:00.000-05:00

OK, so this is late. I'm not sure I even had this blog around Halloween but I just found some great pics on my CF card and thought I would share. Just to share a bit about me(which I have promised to do) you should know I am a Halloween fanatic. I usually have a spooky porch and spend my time at all the local haunted houses big or small. Busch Gardens was great this year. I'll leave you with that and some great Halloween pictures.

Let the shed begin

2007-11-17T14:15:00.000-05:00

I have been talking about making my old bedroom a studio and that to me seems to be a bit like shedding my old skin and showing the new. I have this desire to make a place where work just flows of its own accord. I guess I think my mind will open up to a new level when I have this area set up just for my work and me! I am in the process of surrounding myself with the work of artists that inspire me, items that inspire me, little things that inspire me, and of course some of my own work. In honor of shedding the old room, I thought I would share some recent photos of my boa shedding his/her skin. The photographs are not works of art but they really are so cool.

What a couple of days...

2007-11-17T11:32:00.000-05:00

It has been busy around my house for sure! I have started the task of turning a bedroom in to my own little sanctuary. It has been much harder than I would have thought in the beginning! I'm still not finished but when I am done I think I will have a wonderful little workspace. I'll update with pictures when I finish the task but for now I can only discribe what a mess I've made. HA HA, messes can be fun. I have had to remove a door and there are boxes and piles everywhere. I'm not upset though. I think when all is finished and the door is back on, I will have a nice little studio. I can't wait to be able to work and make new favorites! Who knew photography could be so labor intensive. LOL. With that, here is my image of the day, a few days late.

Image of the Day!

2007-11-14T15:23:00.000-05:00

I thought I would share this little guy today, he is afterall one of my favorite photographs. This little pig just jumps off the page at me and want to play.
Sorry for my brief absence, I am in the process of turning what was once a bedroom in to a studio! I assure you this is not near as fun as it sounds. I have been moving beds, dressers and TV's about the room. Not in an orderly fashion. I will post pictures of my new work area for you tomorrow.

Image of the Day!

2007-11-11T21:16:00.000-05:00

This one is a bit different, this is the display that I recently had in the Gala Corina 2007. I was so proud of how the work turned out I thought I would share. The images on the left are portraits I shot that turned out beautifully. On the right are some of the images I have posted on here and on my Etsy shop.

Image of the Day!

2007-11-10T11:12:00.000-05:00

I love this image. I think that it is so feminin and lovely.

It has a lot of work to be done on it but... she is lovely! Please let me know any thoughts on this image. I'll post more later.

All the Beautiful things...

2007-11-09T22:08:00.000-05:00

I had to take a moment to blog about all the beautiful things I see everyday! Unfortunatly, I don't always have my camera to capture the beautiful things.
Today... I went to the mall, and there were these gorgeous, small, star shaped flowers. I could of kicked myself for not having my camera! I never seem to remember that I should always be ready and always have my camera so I don't miss out.
It just goes to show that you never know where you can find beautiful things!

Image of the day!

2007-11-09T09:10:00.000-05:00

This is a work in progress, I'd like the eyes to be brighter and the image as well. Just thought I would share this!

Etsy addict

2007-11-08T22:07:00.000-05:00

Hello my name is... Raydel and I'm an Etsy addict.
I really do need a 12 step program. I have spent the majority of my day at my computer working on images or on Etsy. Nothing else is getting done. LOL. Art is not so good for my house. I get so busy doing work that I forget that my kids and my house need some attention too.
I had to take a break to do some domestic Mommy stuff but I am back at the computer now. Lucky me, there is a bed time in this house. The kids are none the wiser.
Really though, I am signing off. I just thought I would share a bit more about me!

New Creations

2007-11-08T21:04:00.000-05:00

Well here it goes, I'm off on another adventure. I have decided to put some of my energy to good use and blog about things. What things one may wonder? I will try to update daily about all things photography, design, handmade, Etsy, and numerous other ramblings.

I have this fascination with images that make me stop and catch my breath, I'll most likely talk about that as well. I will also be adding my own images daily for feedback or just because I'm proud! I'm a newer photographer so I am still in the whoa! I created this stage and I get giddy! Yes, I said giddy and I may just be a bit over the top about it. But, that's me, over the top.

I also believe that every person has a story worth telling and I hope to share my story with you. I also would encourage people sharing their story with me. I hope to learn and grow with this blog and learn from others as well.Ok, I'll go first. I am a photographer, I am a mother, I am a student, and I am a bit high-strung!

I'll leave you with an image I created for now.You Go!