drum roll please ...

So a little over a week ago i ran a giveaway with Jen, the chance to win two 10x8" photographs currently unavailable in our shops. We had some amazing & totally from the heart, brutally honest answers (i could have easily given everyone a copy) but there could only be one winner.

Using Random.org the winning number was #7 & this was the comment left to us:

Photojnke said...

Your photo reminds me of how I felt so left behind when my husband died, I felt so many things guilt, sadness, loss, missing the love and friendship I thought would always be there. That is where that photo takes me. As for Laura's, it reminds me of the little things left behind to appreciate after the loss, those things mean so much. It really gives you something significant and precious to hold onto.

They would both go next to my beautiful mirror in my bedroom, I will include pix if I win!!!

Oh and I want to win because I love your work, and you keep Introducing me to these other amazing artists, I love being surrounded in art, especially photo art!!! July 22, 2010 1:19 PM 

I hope she loves the prints as much as we do & i'm excited to see them on the walls. I think you know there will be further opportunities to win prints from both our shops. 

giveaway time ...

I am super excited about this blog ... & for a while there's been an idea in the works ... a giveaway ... between me & the incredible fabulous Jen Kiaba. I know i know i've mentioned her a couple of times before but well i love her work so we figured we'd a special giveaway. The chance to win two 10x8" fine art photographs, one from me & one from Jen. Two photographs that are currently unavailable for sale in our shops. Personally (& i know am a little biased) but i think she is a pretty awesome giveaway. 

Jen is one of those photographers who inspires me, not to mention being one of my "go to" photography peoples. She creates these wonderful whimsical dream like images that could be straight out of the books of Lewis Carroll or C.S Lewis. She can create the kind of images i can only dream of. 

So for one lucky winner you could be hanging both the photographs below on your wall. & all you have to do is tell me why you should win these prints or what you would do with these prints if you win. For an extra entree you can head over to Jen's blog & do the same there. & for another chance of winning you can tweet about the giveaway @levansphoto @jenkiaba. Please include your email address in your entree so we can contact you if you are the lucky winner! All entrees must be received by July 29th ... good luck! 

Guest Post - Jen Kiaba

Hello everyone! I'm so thrilled that Laura asked me to guest post and share my inspirations with you!

Laura and I "met" through the Female Photographers of Etsy (FPoE), which is an incredible group of women who offer support and advice to one another. Before finals rolled around last semester I was interviewing one talented woman a week and sharing her story on the FPoE blog. Laura was the first brave soul to volunteer, and that process helped to create a friendship of sharing and support.

My story is pretty simple: I struggled with photography for years, feeling frustrated and artistically unsatisfied. There were days where I was literally huddled in a closet, sobbing, trying to load film into a camera - little did I know that the camera was actually broken!!

Then one day it clicked. Haha, camera pun much?

Everyone finds inspiration in different ways. Luckily I live in the gorgeous Hudson Valley in New York, and so inspiration is around every corner. It can actually be a challenge to take a step back and not take the vistas, the old buildings and the quaint towns for granted.

Because I run a business and work full-time in trying to get it off the ground, sometimes it can be difficult to indulge in the things that are inspiring. So there are days that I have to take off, go for a walk in the woods, and let the beauty of the world wash over me.

There are so many things that can stress you out, break your heart, and overwhelm you that I think it is incredibly important to find those places, whether internal or external, that you can be inspired in.

If you got a chance to read Hannah's guest post, you know that she reminded us the world has a darker side. Maybe it's not the butterflies and rainbows in the world that inspire you. Personally, I think that's ok. If the suffering in the world, whether global or personal, is what inspires you to pick up a camera (or a paint brush, or a guitar, or your pen) then follow that inspiration.

I really do believe that we can effect change with our art. My work isn't the kind that will be plastered all over international news publications, but I hope that someday my photos make people feel understood or less alone.

What is it that inspires you, and how do you hope to inspire others with your work?

photoshop actions ...

I was introduced to the wonderful world of photoshop actions last year by my friend Jen Kiaba. It was love at first sight. Simple put they are a way of changing the tones & feel of a photo through a series of actions in photoshop, done all at one time. & they are so much fun. I love messing around with the free ones on the web (check out websites such as Coffee shop & The Pioneer Women) & customizing them for my own work.

As a photographer i firmly believe that composition is the key to a good photo, & photoshop is a tool in creating stunning images but it needs to be used in conjunction with the actual process of taking a photograph. I personally feel it is wrong to use photoshop to "remove" an object from a photograph because you don't like it there (& trust me when i say there is a whole lot of debate on this subject) & actions can & do sometimes push the boundaries. But i feel that where you are using them in the same way you would use a camera, a lens, light, or the old school dark room it's ok & all kinds of fun.

Anyways back to actions two of my wonderful talented photographic buddies have recently been creating their own actions & me being me well of course i volunteered to take a look. On the butterfly below i used an action by Elle Moss called "dreamland" (for more information check out her blog) minus the "optional blurry edges" just because i felt for this image it didn't work (this is the fun on actions).

& for the chairs i used "dark dreamy glow" created by Jen Kiaba that i have fallen in love with (it creates such a haunting feel to many of my images for some reason) & totally transforms what would otherwise be two wooden chairs stood in the corner.

Jen Kiaba ...

There is so much i want to write here & had to limit myself to only 6 photos but well i have no clue where to start so simple ... Jen Kiaba is a fabulous lady i have met through Etsy. One of those people who is all about helping others & is both full of helpful insights & seriously talented. So take a few minutes, hours or maybe even a couple of days to check out her wonderful, dreamy, story book (i really can't think of another way of describing the whimsical quality ... hmmm maybe whimsical) photography.

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