We've Moved!

This will be my last post here on Blogger. It's been a good run, but I needed something a little more robust. The entire blog - every post, page, and keyword - has been moved to www.photographybyvarina.com/blog. Now, you can find all my galleries, free downloads, and blog articles in one place... and much more besides. I hope you will come visit us there!

Thanks for visiting!
Varina Patel

What do you think?

Thanks to the new Template Designer tool, we've redesigned our blog from the top down. The most obvious change is aesthetic. We wanted a lighter and more interesting look, and we think we've accomplished that. (We do want to point out, however, that the background image you are seeing now - with the raindrops and the mountains behind - is NOT our image. Blogger promises the capability to upload your own background images soon... and we'll do it as soon as we can. Meanwhile, we kind of like this one from their collection of stock photos.) The design change also allows us to use larger images (like this one from Kootenay National Park in British Columbia, Canada), which makes us very happy. Of course, you can still click on an image to view a larger version.

We've also added two pages - you'll find links under the header that provide information about our upcoming workshops, and about us. That means our profiles aren't crammed into the left-hand column - so it's a lot less crowded overall - and you don't have to search though all our old posts if you are interested in one of our workshops or webinars. We're hoping these changes result in a better experience overall.

So, what do you think? Does the new design work for you? Is it better than the old one? Is it easy enough to read? We'd like to hear what you think - suggestions and comments are always welcome!

Thanks, everyone!

Featured Photographer: Alpenglow Images

Varina is the featured Photographer at Alpenglow images right now. She was contacted by Greg Russell last week, and this is the result of their email conversations. Greg is featuring photographers who shoot in Southern Utah, and Varina is the second photographer he's featured in this series. Take a look at his blog and website - we're sure you'll enjoy some of the beautiful work you see there!

"I think many landscape photographers need that solitude as surely as they need oxygen or water, and they begin taking images as a way to search out and capture that feeling." - This line from Greg's post is absolutely true for Varina!

Articles

I spent the morning putting the finishing touches on the new articles section of my website. This is the largest section of my website next to the galleries - so it has been a time-consuming process. This change was designed to make accessing the articles much simpler. It is no longer necessary to download bulky PDF documents. You can click on the link to any article and you'll be taken to the special articles section of my site. I tried to make sure it was easy to navigate as well. Please let me know what you think if you have the time. I always look forward to hearing from my readers.

And speaking of my readers - visitors to my blog and website are increasing rapidly. My numbers have increased nearly five-fold from last year. That's a big deal for me. I want to thank all of you for taking time out of your busy day to check out my work. I love your comments and emails, and it means a lot to me to know that so many people are enjoying my work. I'll keep working - and I hope you'll keep stopping by to see what's new.