compuware_aerial_water, originally uploaded by DeNic Photos.

The aerial waterfall inside the Compuware World Headquarters at Campus Martius in Detroit, MI. This photo was taken Thanksgiving Day while waiting for seating for the America’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Colors and shapes can make a boring image come alive. Not that I think this could be a boring image, let’s just say that at 7am on a freezing cold November morning in Detroit the colors and shapes are what woke me up to take out my camera.

Always look around you for the uniqueness of your surroundings. Simply adding a splash of color or an interesting shape to an image can transform it in to something magical.

I am most happy with this photo because it was the first time my mom commented on one of my images other than “that’s nice”. Must be doing something right here…mom is happy

blue_plants, originally uploaded by Dizzle @ 2*3 Photos.

Another captured image while waiting for the fashion show to start last Friday.

I can’t be sure if it was the colors or the texture that pulled me in. I think it was the textures. The pebble covered wall with the lights somehow reminded me of marbles. With the odd stick plant out front it just made me want to reach out and touch it. But I didn’t.

Texture can make an ordinary photo into something extraordinary. This particular image, without the texture would just be a really colorful image, but the texture gives it life and dimension.

Look for different textures and how they can work for you to change an ordinary photo into something spectacular.

Japanese Candle Shelf, originally uploaded by Dizzle @ 2*3 Photos.

During a break from shooting a fashion show I wandered around Wish Nightclub and came across a wall of shelves with a few random candles in them. For some reason this stood out to me

I shot a fashion show on Friday. It was inside of a nightclub. I was really tired and wanted to be sleep so to keep myself awake while waiting for the show to start I started wandering around the club, checking out all the nooks and crannies.

I came upon this wall of shelves that had a few candles placed inside. From where I was standing I could only see this one lone candle even though there were probably about 10 candles through out the shelf.

I immediately perked up and knew what I had to do. I think the image turned out well, low light, slower shutter, hand held.

platte-river-foot-bridge, originally uploaded by Dizzle @ 2*3 Photos.

A foot bridge over the Platte River to Denver’s Riverfront Park.

Take advantage of every opportunity presented to you. I was fortunate to be able to join Efrain Cruz and Armando Martinez from Denver’s Illuminate Workshops for their free Night Shoot workshop in Denver’s Riverfront Park area Saturday night.

We all had a great time shooting at the Denver Skatepark and I especially enjoyed taking advantage of the Millenium Bridge to get some amazing night photographs of Denver.

I meet several new photographer faces and got caught up with old friends I had not seen in a while. My friend and fellow photog Sheba Wheeler made the evening fun with her first real venture out in the dark and trying to figure out her tripod.

Efrain is a great teacher, very patient and understanding and he explains things in terms that everyone gets. Photography is a lot of technical jargon, but Efrain explains it so that even my young son could understand it.

If you are looking for a good photography school in the Denver area, check out Efrain and Illuminate Workshops…you won’t be disappointed.

Mural-1, originally uploaded by Dizzle @ 2*3 Photos.

I came across this under the Speer Bridge in Denver. This is just one section of what is a very large mural that covers both sides of the street under this bridge.

I spend so much time taking photos of people that I tend to not leave my happy enclave of Centennial all that much. Sometimes a change of scenery helps to get the creative juices flowing.

I spent a good part of the day walking around the streets of Denver and found so many things that, well, I have just missed over the years. Or came across things that, when I looked at them again seemed very new to me.

Get out, explore, take a look at those same old things and look for that new perspective. I plan on doing this a lot more often to make sure that I am always looking at everything with a new set of eyes.