February 28th, 2010

My Image of the Day can come from anywhere . . . this beautiful flower was taken at a BJ's Wholesale this afternoon during some food shopping. It was good to get out after being snowed in for four days . . . I practically threw the family in to the car to go - cabin fever had set in. So I knew not only was I shopping for some much needed food items - but for my image of the day, as well!

Captured on my Camera phone. No edits.

February 27th, 2010

I've been wanting to try a shot like this for a while . . . had my daughter watch some cartoons while I simply took some pictures of her. By now - she's five - she is very used to having the camera in her space. We have a lot of fun with it and she's the perfect muse.

Captured with the Sigma 70-300mm Macro at f5.6 at 250th of a second. Lit from a single snooted flash fired from of camera. ISO is down to 100. Dropped out the color in Adobe Lightroom 3 beta.

February 26th, 2010

I am getting very tired of all the snow, but thought this would make a whimsical shot for today's image . . . shot off my back deck where the snow is undisturbed by the 25-35 mile an hour winds we're getting. The driveway, a lost cause, has been cleared twice and I've come close to cardiac arrest clearing said driveway . . . but it's pretty out there, yes? Suuuuure . . . . =]

Captured with the Nikon 50mm prime shooting wide open at f/1.8. Shutter speed is 1/1000th of a second and my ISO is down at 100.

February 25th, 2010

So I woke up this morning, trying to figure out what I was going to shoot . . . it's snowing out there - AGAIN - and my daughter has a snow day today. So we're up and coloring and it's one of those special days where we have to open up a new box of crayons. Who here remembers how doing that just evokes a childish joy? The sharp, new crayon smell . . . I bet you all can smell it now, even just looking at this shot!

Captured with the Sigma 70-300mm Macro and lit with two flashes. Shot at 1/250th of a second at f/5.6 with an ISO of 100.

February 24th, 2010

So as I am clearing the drive way this morning, trying to figure out where to put this additional 7 inches of snow - in anticipation of even MORE snow over the next couple of days - I can't help but notices how the snow effects all the little things around me. How the littlest branch could hold an amazing amount of snow . . . or the contrast between the sharp thorns shown here against the fluffiness of the snow.

Captured with the Sigma 70-300 mm Macro at 1/1000th of a second at f/5.6 with an ISO of 400.

February 23rd, 2010

It's raining outside - threatening to turn into snow/freezing rain. I felt this shot conveys my feelings about the weather of late . . . =]

Captured with the Sigma 70-300mm Macro. Shooting at f/5.6 with a shutter speed of 60th of a second. Fired an off camera flash via a commander unit. ISO is at 100.

February 22th, 2010

Sometimes fortune smiles upon the lowly photographer. I was out this morning trying to find something to shoot today and this jet passed overhead . . . thought it made for a great shot!

Captured with the Nikon 70-200mm VR at 450th of a second with an f-stop of 5.6. ISO is down at 100.

February 21st, 2010

I love to experiment with different things . . . sure, I love to shoot sunset shots, but what if I took a shot of the setting sun through a screen, focusing on the screen, rather than the sunset itself? Pure visual magic . . . loving this. The colors - the textures. Sometimes experimenting works out, sometimes it doesn't. I think this time around, it worked!

Captured with the Nikon 70-200mm VR at 1/500th of a second at f/2.8. I used the auto focus to lock in on the screen and the shallow depth of field and the brightness of the sun did the rest! ISO is down to 100.

February 20th, 2010

So today, I aimed to do a "Camera Phone' image of the day. We were heading out to do some shopping and hit the book store. I love going to the book store. Always have. Browsing the shelves and seeing all sorts of inspiring images and titles. One thing that struck me about the photography section, though, was the abundance of How-To books, rather than Why books. At this point in my photographic journey, I am much less interested in how to take pictures. Very much more interested in WHY i seem drawn to the pictures I take.

There's something poetic there, I just can't put my finger on it . . . something about me not taking pictures, but being taken by the pictures I take . . . I guess it's better that I let the whole "a picture is worth a thousand words" concept speak for me . . .

All I am saying is this . . . these books have their place . . . but only use them as a reference. The best way to learn your way around a camera and how to take a decent picture is to SHOOT, PLAY and HAVE FUN!!

February 19th, 2010

What a long Friday . . . and can you tell where my head is at today? Looking forward to the end of the day when I can open up a nice, chilled bottle of wine and just kick back and relax . . . I think that's all the explanation I need for this shot . . . =]

Captured with the Nikon 50mm prime, shooting wide open at f/1.8 with a shutter speed of 1/125th of a second. ISO is down to 100.

February 18th, 2010

Strange morning . . . went outside to warm up the car and found a poor little bunny dead at the driver side door of my Baja. Didn't look like a violent death, but I found evidence of the culprit all around me in the snow. Though I'd go all CSI on it and captured my Camera Phone image of the day. Buried the poor bunny shortly after dropping Peyton off at school - who, by the way - will never know what happened . . . what a weird way to start the day? I don't believe in omens, but that's enough to make me consider it . . . treading very lightly today . . .

February 17th, 2010

One of my favorite things to shoot is this weathered garden angel I have out in the front yard. She's been sitting out there in all this show and finally I can see her again, so I thought what better subject to shoot today . . .

Captured with the Nikon 70-200mm VR at 500th of a second with an aperture of f/2.8. ISO is down to 100.