Wordless Wednesday: Spidergirl
July 22, 2008 | Filed Under Wordless Wednesday, people | 17 Comments
In case there were any doubts as to my daughter’s sanity, I submit Exhibit A:
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Breaking the Rules
July 20, 2008 | Filed Under people | 9 Comments
Scott Kelby says it’s okay to break the rules, but only after you’ve learned them.
I know that the following photo is really blown out (the highlight warning was flashing all over the place), but I kind of like it that way.
Wordless Wednesday: Sepia
July 16, 2008 | Filed Under Wordless Wednesday, people | 23 Comments
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Bee & June Bugs
July 10, 2008 | Filed Under insects | 1 Comment
This morning we took a nice walk. After last night’s rain the air was cool, the sky was hazy, and water droplets clung to the the flowers and plants I photographed.
I have been trying all summer to get a good shot of a bee, but when viewing the photos on the computer there’s always some blur. Why can’t those bees just stay completely still for me? Is it really too much to ask?
I’ve set the self-timer on my camera for 2 seconds, so I used it in order to reduce camera shake.
What I got here was a little more than I asked for. Yes, the bee is present (and reasonably clear), but he’s sharing those flowers with a pack of June bugs. June bugs are irritating little beetles. You may know them by their scientific name: Death to Crape-Myrtles.
Wordless Wednesday: Life Cycle of a Magnolia
July 8, 2008 | Filed Under Wordless Wednesday, florals, nature | 27 Comments
Not too long ago I posted a WW on my regular blog that featured a magnolia blossom in it’s final stage: the seed pod, or fruit. More than one commenter mentioned never having seen a magnolia in person, so I thought I would share pictures of this beautiful tree’s flowers that I have taken this summer.
Hopefully I have them in the proper order of their life cycle. The picture of the full blossom and the final picture of the seed pod were taken from a mature magnolia tree; the other pictures were taken of a small (about 6′) tree that we planted this year in our yard.
The bud:
The petals opening:
The full blossom:
The petals begin to turn brown, and then dry up and fall off:
Finally, the seed pod, or fruit:
I’m no magnolia expert, but I’m Southern and I think they’re pretty. This site is a good reference for more information and photos.
Please visit my regular blog for a WW about a bear I saw driving through town on a motorcycle yesterday!
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The Varsity Athens…
July 8, 2008 | Filed Under people | 1 Comment
where it’s all about the Frosted Orange and the onion rings (and getting an indoor shot in manual, minus flash, and the first time I shot in RAW).
Name that flower!
July 3, 2008 | Filed Under florals | 3 Comments
You know your love of photography has surpassed your inhibitions when you are willing to crouch down at the edge of the flower beds at the mall, just to get a nice shot, and it isn’t until later that you realize you never once looked to see if anyone noticed (or thought maybe you were a tad strange).
The question now is: What is this flower?
Wordless Wednesday: Twinkle Toes & White Balance
July 1, 2008 | Filed Under Wordless Wednesday, people | 31 Comments
I’ve been making the move from auto to manual settings this week. One of the biggest hurdles is convincing myself that every shot won’t be blown out (overexposed) or dark (underexposed). The auto mode has been helpful as a reference point: if I’m unsure which settings to use, I switch to auto and see what the camera choses.
I love Scott Kelby’s books on both photography and Photoshop. This weekend I read an acronym, WHIMS, that he made up to remember to check his settings at the beginning of a shoot. In auto modes, the camera will chose the settings, but in manual mode you begin with the same ones as the last time you used the camera.
Here’s what it stands for:
W: White balance check
H: Highlight warning turned on (to tell if portions of your shots are blown out, or overexposed)
I: ISO check (correct ISO for your surroundings)
M: Mode check (whether aperture priority, program, or manual mode)
S: Size (image size and quality settings)
While this acronym is easy to remember and amazingly helpful, using it isn’t yet a fully integrated habit. The following photos were taking of my sleeping daughter’s feet (awwww), and in the first one the white balance was set for full sunlight. Oops.
In the second, the white balance is set to auto (I wasn’t completely sure which setting to use for indoor natural light).
The difference is obvious, although I confess to liking the yellow one best. What do you think?
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