365 - A year's worth of photographic musings

Midnight

2009-08-08T12:59:00.000-04:00

Took these one night in the middle of the night when I couldn't sleep. I did have to increase the fill light on these because they came out dimmer than they looked on my camera display.

Splash!

2009-07-05T20:41:00.000-04:00

Pictures from the coast

2009-07-05T20:37:00.000-04:00

Sleeping Dog

2009-06-28T14:57:00.000-04:00

Chair

2009-06-23T15:17:00.000-04:00

Dewy Mushroom

2009-06-16T14:16:00.000-04:00

Moon

2009-06-16T14:12:00.000-04:00

Ghetto Lighting

2009-05-28T20:59:00.000-04:00

Although I no longer even aspire to take 1 picture each day, I do still enjoy taking pictures and I do participate in the weekly "assignments" on my mommies forum whenever I can. Last week's assignment was "Ghetto Lighting + Reflector". This was a fun challenge! I really like my results. You can see my setup below. The only editing I did was cropping - the colors are SOOC!!

Kitchen Utensils

2009-05-11T13:54:00.000-04:00

This week's assignment is kitchen utensils.

This obviously isn't a kitchen utensil but I was too lazy to do another post.

So happy!

2009-04-28T20:28:00.000-04:00

I am so happy to have gotten my camera back!

Mmmm, I love this picture! Lovin the bokeh!

This picture was for my weekly photo assignment. This week was called "Jump". The natural idea would be to take a picture of someone in mid-air. I never got the opportunity to do that this week (too bad!), so I titled this picture "Need a Jump?". I had fun with it! The shutter speed is 8 seconds I think, which was enough time for me to run in the shot!

Moon Moon Moon

Hooray!!

2009-04-24T20:34:00.002-04:00

I got my camera back!

Hooray!

And hooray for springtime!

Back in the game...kind of

2009-04-16T20:53:00.000-04:00

So I have shipped my G9 off to get repaired and in the meantime, I dug out my old PowerShot A80. That camera served me well but the screen was about to go out (or at least I thought that was what was wrong with it). However, judging from the pictures I took today, (the first two are SOOC), the camera itself doesn't have much life left. But I am having fun with it because some of the pictures are turning out kind of neat!

Broken Camera :(

2009-04-08T16:20:00.000-04:00

My beloved Canon G9 is broken.

One day, it decided not to turn on. Just when I was getting back in the mood to take more pictures.

Luckily, it is still under warranty, so when I get the chance to ship it off, hopefully Canon can make it all better.

It still makes me angry. AND, evidently this is a common problem with the G9. Buyer beware.

Feet

2009-03-23T20:20:00.000-04:00

Vivid

2009-03-21T20:19:00.000-04:00

Portrait

2009-03-18T20:23:00.000-04:00

The Moon

2009-03-11T14:14:00.000-04:00

I read some tips for moon photography - here is my first shot at it. I am pretty pleased with how they came out, especially seeing that it was a little hazy this night. Oh, and these are without a tripod!

Self Portrait, day 3

2009-03-10T14:10:00.000-04:00

Self Portrait, day 2

2009-03-09T14:10:00.000-04:00

Belly in the Sun

2009-03-07T21:02:00.000-05:00

An Afternoon at the Park

2009-03-06T20:36:00.000-05:00

Self Portrait, day 1

2009-03-04T21:00:00.000-05:00

The photo assignment this week is self portrait. Here are my first attempts. This one is fun!

Wild Animals!

2009-03-04T20:56:00.000-05:00

The melting continues

2009-03-03T20:54:00.000-05:00

Peace and Quiet

2009-03-02T14:42:00.000-05:00

I just love this picture so much I had to give it its own post. Here and on our family blog!

3 Edits

2009-03-02T14:37:00.004-05:00

I love Picasa. I love how simple it is to use and how many editing options it has. I have Photoshop on my computer at work, but very rarely use it to edit my personal photos. I downloaded the free editing program GIMP onto our home computer, but it is different enough from PS to make it confusing and bulky for me. So I generally use Picasa for my photo edits, and it generally is good enough for me. Here is a picture I took today and 3 edits I did. The first one I just enhanced the color a little bit. I like it, because I think the sky is pretty. But I think the second two are a bit more dramatic.

Snow!!

2009-03-02T14:37:00.000-05:00

Rhythm, day 4

2009-03-01T21:30:00.000-05:00

Rhythm, day 3

2009-02-27T20:37:00.000-05:00

Rhythm, day 2

2009-02-26T20:33:00.000-05:00

Rhythm, day 1

2009-02-25T20:33:00.001-05:00

"This week's assignment is Rhythm. We are aware of rhythmic patterns in music and they exist visually as well. It can be pleasing and soothing or somewhat erratic, but it keeps our eye moving in a repeating pattern. Fence posts, ripples in water, as well as shapes that echo each other such as circular patterns of different objects, are all examples of rhythm in composition. These elements should compliment each other, creating a flow that is pleasing to the eye.

Rhythm is not necessarily a consistent pattern. Think of a series of fence posts drawing your eye down a road, basically the same, but with some leaning or broken. The movement is there, but the pattern isn't necessarily consistent. Clouds can also show rhythm in that same way. Rhythm that varies is usually more interesting than one that looks like wallpaper! You want your eye to move with the pattern, not stay stagnant."

Snuggles

2009-02-24T21:04:00.000-05:00

Late afternoon sunlight

2009-02-23T21:06:00.000-05:00

Slowing down

2009-02-22T21:10:00.001-05:00

Ok well I missed another day. I just wasn't motivated this weekend. I am not giving up the Challenge, I just won't beat myself up for missing a day here or there. After all, I do usually take more than one picture per day on the other days...

My backyard

2009-02-21T22:03:00.001-05:00

I like the idea of this picture, how I was looking through the ivy, but it didn't come out quite the way I wanted it to. I think there's too much blur in the foreground (it gives me a little headache) but when I tried cropping it, I couldn't find a crop that I liked. Oh well, I posted it anyway...

Today's Photo Challenge

2009-02-20T22:12:00.000-05:00

I did take pictures today. At work, I was summoned to take pictures of the Primary Students presenting their 100 + teddy bears that they collected to donate to the Highway Patrol, who gives them to kids involved in wrecks, fires, etc. I had planned on doing this all week, but never mentioned it to the art teacher (who usually is in charge of the school camera). So he allowed it to be taken on the field trip that day...so I had to take pictures using a disposable film camera. Wow, I'm sure those pictures (indoors) turned out well! Luckily, one of the teachers brought her digital camera that day, so I was able to somewhat salvage the afternoon. But still...

The gate

2009-02-19T21:59:00.000-05:00

Dinner

2009-02-18T21:58:00.000-05:00

Bathroom Mirror

2009-02-17T21:56:00.000-05:00

Rule of Thirds and Depth of Focus

2009-02-16T15:23:00.001-05:00

Rule of Thirds, day 3

2009-02-15T15:21:00.000-05:00

Rule of Thirds, day 2

2009-02-14T15:21:00.000-05:00

Rule of Thirds

2009-02-14T13:55:00.000-05:00

This week's photo assignment is the Rule of Thirds.

Clouds

2009-02-13T13:54:00.000-05:00

I took these through my windshield while sitting at a stoplight. I think they turned out really nicely!

The Circus!

2009-02-12T21:03:00.000-05:00

Branches

2009-02-11T21:16:00.000-05:00

School Zone

2009-02-10T21:11:00.000-05:00

Sweet Ramsey

2009-02-09T21:09:00.000-05:00

Yum

2009-02-08T21:08:00.000-05:00

A delicious banana flax muffin from Libby at book club!

Ahhh, Saturday

2009-02-07T21:24:00.000-05:00

Ahhhh, Saturday, when I can take advantage of the late morning light coming through the windows...

Ahhh, Saturday, when I can take pictures of Isabella sleeping on Nick's lap...

Ahhhhh, Saturday, when I have more time with the little one...

Dum Dum Dum

2009-02-06T21:17:00.000-05:00

Argh! I missed a day! I have been a little unmotivated and uninspired lately, but I am trying to persevere.

Since there is no picture to enjoy today, I will post this funny for your enjoyment.

The Smiths were unable to conceive children and decided to use a surrogate father to start their family.
On the day the proxy father was to arrive, Mr. Smith kissed his wife goodbye and said, 'Well, I'm off now. The man should be here soon.'
Half an hour later, just by chance, a door-to-door baby photographer happened to ring the doorbell, hoping to make a sale.
'Good morning, Ma'am', he said, 'I've come to...'
'Oh, no need to explain,' Mrs. Smith cut in, embarrassed, 'I've been expecting you.'
'Have you really?' said the photographer. 'Well, that's good. Did you know babies are my specialty?'
'Well that's what my husband and I had hoped. Please come in and have a seat !.
After a moment she asked, blushing, 'Well, where do we start?'
'Leave everything to me. I usually try two in the bathtub, one on the couch, and perhaps a couple on the bed. And sometimes the living room floor is fun. You can really spread out there.'
'Bathtub, living room floor? No wonder it didn't work out for Harry and me!'
'Well, Ma'am, none of us can guarantee a good one every time. But if we try several different positions and I shoot from six or seven angles, I'm sure you'll be pleased with the results.'
'My, that's a lot!', gasped Mrs. Smith.
'Ma'am, in my line of work a man has to take his time. I'd love to be In and out in five minutes, but I'm sure you'd be disappointed with that.'
'Don't I know it,' said Mrs. Smith quietly.
The photographer opened his briefcase and pulled out a portfolio of his baby pictures.
'This was done on the top of a bus,' he said.
'Oh, my God!' Mrs. Smith exclaimed, grasping at her throat.
'And these twins turned out exceptionally well - when you consider their mother was so difficult to work with.'
'She was difficult?' asked Mrs. Smith.
'Yes, I'm afraid so. I finally had to take her to the park to get the job done right. People were crowding around four and five deep to get a good look'
'Four and five deep?' said Mrs. Smith, her eyes wide with amazement.
'Yes', the photographer replied. 'And for more than three hours, too. The mother was constantly squealing and yelling - I could hardly concentrate, and when darkness approached I had to rush my shots.
Finally, when the squirrels began nibbling on my equipment, I just had to pack it all in.
' Mrs. Smith leaned forward. 'Do you mean they actually chewed on your, uh...equipment?'
'It's true, Ma'am, yes..
Well, if you're ready, I'll set-up my tripod and we can get to work right away.'
'Tripod?'
'Oh yes, Ma'am. I need to use a tripod to rest my Canon on. It's much too big to be held in the hand very long.'
Mrs. Smith fainted...

Cold, day 2

2009-02-05T21:32:00.000-05:00

It took a really long time for my feet to warm up after I took these pictures! I can't decide which of these pictures I like better and/or looks colder.

Cold, day 1

2009-02-04T21:30:00.000-05:00

The photo assignment this week is "Cold". I was bummed that the assignment was posted today instead of yesterday, so none of yesterday's pictures counted towards this assignment. Luckily we had some leftover snow.

More Snow!

2009-02-03T21:27:00.000-05:00

Negative Space, day 6

2009-02-02T21:30:00.003-05:00

Blah. I am lacking inspiration. I am happy for the weekly photo challenge on TriadMommies because it gives me at least some sort of goal each day, but it is really hard to find inspiration each and every day, especially when I generally only have time to take pictures once the sun has gone down. My house is running out of inspiring things to take pictures of, especially when the lighting is poor. I do not like these pictures but at least they satisfy my daily quota. In fact, I did like this challenge but don't really like many of my pictures this week.

Negative Space, day 5

2009-02-01T20:53:00.001-05:00

Taking advantage of a warm, sunny afternoon at the park!

Negative Space, day 4

2009-01-31T21:22:00.001-05:00

Negative Space, day 3

2009-01-30T21:27:00.000-05:00

Negative Space, day 2

2009-01-29T21:19:00.000-05:00

Negative Space, day 1

2009-01-28T21:18:00.000-05:00

Last week's photo challenge was Curves (duh) and this week it is Negative Space. I think the second photo here is better use of negative space. Not that a highlighter is a hugely interesting focal point, but whatever.

Cold wet doggie nose

2009-01-27T21:17:00.000-05:00

Ramsey Ruiz!

Eggplant Parm

2009-01-26T21:15:00.000-05:00

If you've been following my blog, you've noticed that I haven't posted in awhile (today is January 31). Don't fret, I haven't given up on the 365 Challenge yet! I promise you, I will fess up if I miss a day. I have been taking pictures, I just have not had the time and/or energy to post them. But to be fair to the pictures, I am dating the posts on the day the pics were taken.

Baked Eggplant Parmesan - mmmm!

Curves, day 5

2009-01-25T14:29:00.002-05:00

These pictures were all taken using a pot lid.

Curves, day 4

2009-01-24T14:33:00.000-05:00

Curves, day 3

2009-01-23T21:05:00.001-05:00

Curves, day 2

2009-01-22T20:49:00.001-05:00

I didn't like these pictures as taken because I really don't like straight up primary (well, I guess green is actually a secondary) colors, but when I reduced the saturation I liked them better.

Curves

2009-01-21T21:03:00.000-05:00

The local moms' board I am on has a great group of moms who are really into photography. Some are professionals and some have just picked it up as a hobby, like myself. One of the moms has started posting weekly photo challenges. She posts a theme each week and encourages anyone to post their photos that relate to that theme. The theme this week is "Curves", which I like much better than last week's theme of "Sleep". I couldn't sneak up on either Isabella or the dogs while they were sleeping and I wasn't creative enough to interpret that theme differently. So here are my first two pictures of "Curves". We can post as many pics as we'd like each week, so I may be taking more. I already have a couple more ideas.

I like this first one because the curvy goblet is on the curvy table. I wanted to also pick up the curvy shadow but the sun was too low, casting a much longer shadow than would work for the shot. It's probably just as well, because that might have been too many curves.

I like this one because of the contrast between the curvy goblet and the blocky chair.

A Historic Day

2009-01-20T15:02:00.001-05:00

Snow Day!

2009-01-20T14:59:00.002-05:00

Happy Birthday, Mom!

2009-01-19T20:48:00.001-05:00

Today is Mom's birthday and this is what we got her. Isn't it beautiful? Check out the shop here: http://cynthiacallan.etsy.com/ . She has some really beautiful stuff and she is really nice.

Stopping to smell the flowers

2009-01-18T20:50:00.000-05:00

I love Gerbera Daisies!

2009-01-17T20:49:00.000-05:00

Brains vs Muscle

2009-01-17T14:15:00.002-05:00

Guilford Day Homecoming 2009 - we had an Alumni vs Faculty and Parents game to kick off the night - although there were only 5 alumni playing and about 3 times that on the opposing side, the "Silver Knights" still fell. I guess muscle won out this time. This picture is of two of my colleagues.

Shoes and a keyboard

2009-01-15T13:40:00.000-05:00

I couldn't get enough light for this picture without the flash (actually, I was too lazy to plug in the desk lamp) but I think it turned out kind of cool.

Pinwheel

2009-01-14T13:30:00.000-05:00

I couldn't get this picture quite the way I liked it. I was playing around with a slow shutter speed but I wanted to see a combination of the still "petals" along with the motion. I got one I liked pretty early on but I didn't like the white background so I moved it. And then I couldn't quite get it right.

I think this first brown one is my favorite.

My beautiful daughter

2009-01-13T20:49:00.000-05:00

If I hadn't told you, you probably would have never guessed that this is the beautiful head of a 15 month old, would you?

Pick me up, Mommy!

2009-01-12T21:02:00.000-05:00

Crop

2009-01-11T20:55:00.000-05:00

A Day at the Park

2009-01-11T20:49:00.000-05:00

Shadow

2009-01-10T21:54:00.000-05:00

The Flash

2009-01-09T21:30:00.004-05:00

Nick thinks this (doctored) picture is really creepy. I think it is sweet. It reminds me of an illustration in a children's book. I really love how this effect accentuates her chubby little cheeks. The original picture is below.

I love natural light photography but there are many times when a flash is needed (like indoors at night!). I am still trying to figure out the best settings for using the flash. Obviously, when I don't use the flash, Isabella moves too much for a slow shutter speed. This first picture below is cute but way out of focus.

So the next picture I used the flash - my camera was set to "indoor" mode. I was more pleased than I usually am with the quality of the picture with flash, but I do think it is a little bright.

So I played around a little in PhotoShop and decreased some of the brightness. I think I like it better this way, except her skin tone is a little washed out. I need to get better with my camera so that I can play around with the brightness and intensity of the flash itself. I did have on all the possible lights in the room, so I couldn't have gotten any more help.

The eye of the beholder

2009-01-08T20:32:00.000-05:00

I like this picture. I do think it is a little personal, but I like it. If I take another one like it, I will try to avoid the reflection of the light source.

A surprising sight

2009-01-07T20:30:00.000-05:00

It was such an eerie day. The morning was full of hard driving rain and lots of wind. Then we got some sun and warmth for a couple of hours in the early afternoon. Alas, by the time I left work it was raining again, but the sun came out for just about five minutes, just long enough for a beautiful sunset. Shortly afterwards, it was raining again. About an hour later, the night sky was clear and starry.

Crash!

2009-01-06T21:04:00.000-05:00

Take your dog to work day

2009-01-05T15:50:00.003-05:00

Annie

Luna

Many of us brought our dogs to work today for a workshop on positive behavior management (yes, as you can imagine, it was quite interesting). My dogs did NOT behave themselves but here are two of my coworkers' dogs who did. These are taken with the school's camera, a Nikon D50, in Auto Mode.

Home

2009-01-04T13:51:00.000-05:00

Early morning frost

2009-01-03T21:31:00.001-05:00

Lights

2009-01-02T21:25:00.000-05:00

Having fun with a slow shutter speed and my neighbor's Christmas lights.

December 27 Part II

2009-01-02T21:14:00.000-05:00

A Lofty Goal

2009-01-02T21:12:00.000-05:00

Some of the moms on my local moms board (http://www.triadmommies.com/) have inspired me to partake in the 365 Photo Challenge. I am interested in improving my photography skills so the goal is to take (at least) one photo per day for an entire year. Since I missed out on January 1, I will share some of my favorite photos from December 27. The lighting was perfect this late afternoon so I was able to use a really (low?? is that right? the number was as small as it would let me go, so I guess that is low) aperture.

Hopefully I will see some progress in my skills over the year!!