Kevin & Ami

Got the D90, had my first session today. Kevin is my husband's best friend, and Ami is one of our "kids" from church. Here's the first batch of pics. I have more coming, and most were done in black & white and color - some also got a sepia treatment. I'd love CC!

More...

The fair was pathetic. The rides weren't any good, and were hardly lit up at all. No cool shots this year, I'm afraid. Just this one of the slide that was at least usable. Oh, and some crayons. I'll take a picture of anything!

New Camera, OLD Prop

Woo-hooo!!!! I finally have a new camera, and I am in love! Unfortunately, there is little for me to practice with right now, so I dragged out my old clarinet and a purple satin shirt. I rather like what I'm getting. :)

Sizz

I'm still trying to convince Jeff that Sizzle needs to be an inside cat, but for now he just has inside privileges. At any rate, he is happily curled up on the desk beside me, and I decided to take a minute and experiment with close-up manual focus. These are all SOOC (not counting the B&W, of course), except for a basic unsharp mask. I just wish I could photograph all the twitching he's doing. :)

Foliage

Although it hasn't been up to par with some of the gorgeous Indiana autumns I've seen, this has been by far the best year for leaves in Tennessee since I've lived here. Friday was dreary, but it made the colors seem so intense. I actually pulled off to the side of the road to take this shot (in the rain). I know people thought I was nuts, but I guess it's a sign you have photographer in your blood when you just don't care what people think!

Fall Photos

It's been too long... I'd forgotten how much I love to be behind the lens of a camera. I'm experimenting with vignettes, in case you couldn't tell. :) I think I like the finished look it gives, although I really don't want it to look overdone. Opinions are welcome!

The focus isn't perfect, but I had used my zoom lens instead of the portrait lens so I wouldn't have to manually focus, and in the waning light, it wasn't focusing on exactly what I wanted it to every time. Still, I'm happy with the results. I just wish I had a more cooperative subject! LOL

Some things are just funny - like my tall-for-his-age boy furiously riding a tricycle around the front yard with his knees slamming into the handlebars with every push of the pedals.

And then there are things that are just plain cool - like this wicked pumpkin Braeden picked out at the pumpkin patch. Seriously, could he have picked a cooler pumpkin? It's all warty and lumpy, and has so much character.

Here he is, proudly holding the aforementioned pumpkin.

Speaking of pumpkins, check out this bad boy - I said I was going to do a Transformers pumpkin, and while I need to refine my technique a bit, I still think I carved out a way cool Autobot-o-lantern. I should win an award for Cool Mommy or something.

Another shot of my Halloween masterpiece.

And totally unrelated, here is one of the best pictures I've ever gotten of my sweet dog - we've only had him for ten years!!!

Pumpkin Patch

Yes, folks, I have finally taken some pictures! Unfortunately, I have a bad sensor in my camera, so anything take in low light will have this icky red laser line right down the center of the photo. Totally too expensive to fix. Totally unfair.

Anyway, here are pictures from our Pumpkin Patch trip this afternoon. I didn't take as many, since there were hundred of kindergarteners running around, but I did get two that I especially liked. Enjoy!

Halloween, 1980

Nope, I didn't take it. But I needed to post something, and this seemed rather amusing and appropriate for the season. It's me and my cousin Shawn. I'm the one in the Bugs Bunny outfit. Remember those gosh-awful plastic costumes from the 80s? They didn't even look like a costume - just a plastic suit with a logo and cheap plastic mask with elastic bands that hurt like heck when someone snapped them against your cheek.

Ah, yes. Those were the days!

Pictures?

No, not today. I have been sorely remiss in keeping up with my photography, and even though my online classes are going to require the use of my skills, I'm pretty sure you are not going to be excited about photos of a dissected sheep brain.

BUT - I am seeing the niece & nephews this weekend, and Mom has planned a photo shoot for them. So sometime next week, I'll have some new material to post.

And it will be considerably less disgusting than dissected organs!

Beautiful Visitors

This has been an unusual year. We've had so many beautiful butterflies around our house. I've been trying for days to photograph them, but they tend not to light in any one place for long. There are also lovely black butterflies, with wings tipped in the deepest teal - but they were nowhere to be seen today.

I went outside to untangle the dog's chain, and I saw this first little beauty. I ran inside for the camera and luckily, he was still there when I returned.



Does it get any prettier than this?



Just as I was about to quit snapping, a second one joined the first!



Then the real shocker - a third joined his comrades! I actually snapped a shot as he was landing, but all you can see are a bunch of squiggly legs.



I wish they'd been on the grass instead of the dirt, because it would have contrasted so nicely. Even so, I'm thrilled that I was able to get this much!

Fireworks!

I admit it - I took a risk this year. I decided to try the display at South Pittsburg (on a whim, as most things I do). I thought I had a good spot nagged, but there were either power lines, buildings, or bridges in the way for the majority of the shots. In Tennessee, it's just tough to get a clear view of the sky. The thing about photographing fireworks is that it takes great patience. Of the 200 shots I took, only 2-3 dozen were in focus, and of those, here are the "good" ones. I was pleased that my color was better this year. My last attempt left me with washed-out photos.

It's a tricky thing, because no two situations are alike, so what works one year probably won't work the next. I literally had my hand on the camera the entire time - as soon as one photo would load, I was pressing the shutter for the next. At any rate, here are my favorites. You be the judge - was it worth the effort?

Care Bears & Kids

Just a few quick shots from the weekend. Katie took front and center because she was the only one who actually wanted to cooperate for the camera. :)