Featured etsy seller & a Giveaway!! - I brake for Bokeh

I'm so excited about this interview with the seller of one of my fave Etsy shops. I could spend days browsing her store. Have you seen it yet?..... I brake for bokeh

And to top it all off, she's very kindly offered a fab giveaway.......read on.....

Tell us a bit about yourself - (where do you live, what's your name etc..)

My name is Tracey and I am a bokehddict.  I better explain that last part, yes? I am addicted to very shallow depth of field.  I love shooting things with a wide open lens. I love the bokeh.  You will notice it a lot in my work.  I live and work in Ottawa, the capital of Canada.

What is your chosen craft/ art?

I am a photographer by choice, a graphic designer by training. I often say I don't 'take' photos I 'make' them. I like to create a vision of how I see the world and show that to you through my photographs.

When/ how did you start?

Accidentally. I fell into it.  I began stalking birds and bugs and anything that moved in my backyard and it blossomed from there.  My first wedding shoot was the result of curious neighbours wondering what I was doing in the ditch in front of my home for hours on end all summer long.  From there on out it just happened. I started posting photos to Flickr and making connections there until a few people asked if they could buy my photos. Opening an Etsy shop seemed the next logical step.

When did you start selling your stuff - where do you sell?

I opened up my Etsy shop on November 23rd, 2009.  It was a great time to start, the Christmas rush was starting and an Ottawa blog did a feature on shopping locally  for Christmas with a spotlight on Etsy and they featured my shop.   Since then I have had work displayed in a local gallery, but I primarily sell through Etsy and when approached on Flickr, through there as well.

Do you also have a day job, or is this your main job?

I have a full time, day job.  It has a nice pension attached to it which is why I am still there full time. The allure of 'quitting my day job' grows with every passing week, however.  I think about it a lot.

What do you love about your medium, what do you hate?

I love everything about it. The only time I am not happy is when I feel stumped. When the image just won't happen. It has taken me three weeks to get a photograph just right. I tend to dislike those photos for a little while.

Where do you get your inspiration from?

I do it all to get a reaction. Sounds like an attention seeker but that couldn't be further from the truth. I hate attention directed at me. I like to sit on the sidelines and watch the world go by. But I want what I make to affect you. I want it to have an impact. My barometer is my friend, whose opinion I value above all others. If I can get a reaction from that one person then I know I've been successful.  I draw my inspiration from that.

What is your favourite music to craft to/ work to?

I'm a fan of silence. I can handle white noise, but when I am working on something I tune everything out. I lose track of time, I forget to eat. I find myself sitting here in the dark because the sun has long since set and I haven't turned the lights on... I get utterly lost in what I am doing. I like silence for that.

What is your favourite piece of your own?

Sometimes, when you fall, you fly. 

Where do you do your crafting?

I do where I am.  I have a dining room table set up at home, with cameras and lenses and usb sticks spread out all over it.  I have a messy office desk at work which looks much the same barring the cameras and lenses.  I have worked in airport lounges between flights, in hotel rooms (I travel a lot).  I need my laptop and time and I can work. It's great.

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Tracey has very generously offered a personalised calendar for a giveaway..... I am so excited. I wish I could enter too.

How brilliant would that be for a Christmas present? (erm....very!)

Here's how to enter:
1) LEAVE A COMMENT - Do you prefer a matte finish, or a glossy finish on your photos. Leave a comment below and let me know for your first entry.
2) TWITTER - for a second entry you can follow @Ibrakeforbokeh on twitter (and let me know you have here!)
3) BLOG - for a third entry blog about this giveaway (and let me know here!)
4) TWITTER - for a fourth entry tweet this "Brilliant raceytay giveaway on http://www.redbirdjewellery.blogspot.com/ from @redbirdjewels"

The giveaway closes at midnight GMT on Sunday 17th October.