Caedes

Artist Spotlight # 28.

Submitted by mimi 01/03/08 9:07 PM GMT

I introduce to you the first artist to be spotlighted in 2008. Bet everyone can guess the origin of her username=) It is a delight to present to you Hilda, more commonly known around here as Wheedance.

So as the New Year comes in, take some time to dance through her gallery of images and leave some feedback and maybe even comment on your favorite image that she posted.

Here is Hilda’s biography.

My name is Hilda Ostby and I’ve been married to the most wonderful man, Steven, for almost 35 years. We have 6 kids, 11 grandchildren and 3 dogs so life is never dull. (I have a link to our family web page on my profile here on Caedes). As you can probably guess by my user name we both love to ballroom dance – a hobby we started about 12 years ago.

I first heard about Caedes through Kim Komando and I have to say I was hooked from the first time I came to the site. This is one addiction I really enjoy so I don’t plan to seek treatment any time soon! I have been a member since February of 06, almost 2 years now. What first attracted me were the amazing photos from all over the world and all of the beauty I could see! I also liked the idea that people could comment on each other’s photos and learn from one another. I began by checking out the images daily and got a little itch to try taking some photos to post. The whole reason I was drawn to this new hobby of photography was my interest in this web site.

Wow, what a joy it is! I love the new ‘vision’ photography has given me. I love to go treasure hunting for the beauty around me and it seems I ‘see’ so much more than I used to. I’m especially drawn to the close up view of things and would love to improve my macro photography. I’m amazed at how much more you notice when you take time to look more closely at the world. That is what inspires me most – the beauty in the world around me.

What has kept me at Caedes is the people I have met here. One of the first people I met was PJ (Phasmid). I couldn’t believe how kind, helpful and supportive she was (and is!). From the very beginning if I had a question and asked someone they were always very kind to help out with information. If I see a technique I like I usually ask the photographer about it and they are gracious to respond. When I was new Cynlee put up a monarch picture and dedicated it to me because she knew I liked monarchs – that blew me away. People are so warm and welcoming here!

I really never imagined myself being chosen as Artist of the Month. There are so many fine photographers on this site and I don’t feel I come close to most of them, but I hope to continue to learn and improve. I know the people here on Caedes will help me in that regard.

Two years ago I would never have imagined myself:

  1. Getting up before dawn on a regular basis to see the sun rise.
  2. Going out in wind chills -6 (Fahrenheit) to get pictures of ice formations.
  3. Braving hordes of mosquitoes (they were in my eyes, ears, mouth and hair) to visit a monarch waystation trying to catch migrating monarchs clustering on their trip south.
  4. Spending a day traipsing around in the freezing cold trying to catch pictures of migrating tundra swans (they fly away as soon as they see you so Steve and I were crawling on our bellies through the grass – that was a sight to see!)
  5. Spraining my ankle while taking pictures. I was trying to get as close as I could to the frost on a plant and I didn’t see the rock I tripped over. Ouch! What was my first thought? Save the camera! (I thought photography would be a pretty safe hobby and would never hamper my dancing. Wrong! Not to worry, though, I’m back at it.)
  6. Taking my camera out on a kayak so I could get a shot of a loon.
  7. Spending so much money on a camera! I’m very thankful for the support of my husband in that regard. He also ‘treasure hunts’ with me! I have a Nikon D80 SLR camera. Digital photography has definitely been a huge reason I enjoy taking pictures. I can take all the shots I want, get rid of the bad ones and choose my favorites. I started off with a very poor quality little point and shoot. Pictures in my gallery after Nov. of 07 were taken with my D80. Having a nice camera helps a lot!

I would say that right now my favorite photo on Caedes is the Monarch on Asters. Probably because I have a passion for monarchs and because one of my goals for this year was to get a picture of a monarch that I could be proud of. I’m proud of that one.

There are so many things I never would have seen or done if I hadn’t wanted to get out and take pictures to share on this site. I’ll always be grateful to Caedes for that!

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