Just kickin’ back and watching football today- this one was taken over my husband’s shoulder.
Day 21- Glass Reflections
I took apart a silk flower arrangement today and thought that the cheap decorative glass beads holding the flowers in place might offer a photo opportunity for today. I used my 70-300mm at 200 mm, f/4.8, 1/80, ISO 2000.
Day 20- A Happy Man
Our Christmas present to ourselves arrived today- Hello, flat screen HD and 3D! My husband is one happy man!
Those are 3D glasses, by the way- Shrek may look a little wonky in this photo, because my camera does not shoot 3D!
Lighting helped out by my light scoop!
Day 18- Alien Landscape
Well, call me obsessed- but I worked on my water drops again.
Today, I could concentrate on focus, because yesterday I had already figured out how to use my gorillapod/chair to steady the camera and that flash doesn’t work too well for me in this situation (my on camera flash limits my shutter speed to 1/200- I needed FASTER!). Next time, I will experiment with better lighting and a patterned background. The blue splotch you see in the drop is Dawn dishwashing detergent!
300mm, 1/1000, f5.6, ISO 2000
Day 17- Frustration vs. Patience
Today I tried all different ways to photograph water dripping out of my kitchen faucet. I’ve been inspired by all the beautiful macro work showcased on Clickin Moms- and have carefully read directions on how to achieve this with a macro lens and speedlight (don’t have either…)- and then how to do it with the 70-300mm zoom- YAY! I have that! What I don’t have, I discovered, is a working tripod other than my gorillapod (I’ve been carefully storing my father’s ancient tripod since 1982 and then discovered today that it is broken). There is a lot of camera shake with the zoom, so a tripod helps. I discovered that I could wrap the gorilla pod around a kitchen chair, manually focus, and then click- many, many clicks! I still think that I never achieved proper focus- but I got better as the day wore on (and the light waned, alas). I tried to get cool color effects by placing a pillowcase behind the faucet; I need to find something brighter next time. I also tried using my kit lens at 55mm (handheld, with no pillowcase)- and I like that one better! I’m not thrilled with either photo- but- BIG SIGH- it is all a process . . .
Day 15- A Good Day for Tea . . .
I woke up to this today . . .
and thought- It’s a good day for a nice cup of hot tea!
Both of these photos were taken with my 35mm 1.8 lens. It has really become my go-to lens; it’s on my camera most of the time.
Yes, that’s me in the reflection…
Day 14- Knitting
I have a huge stash of yarn and a smaller stash of Works in Progress. I was going through some of them in preparation for starting a baby sweater, when I came upon my unfinished sweater. I took a class and learned how to “make your own pattern”- and enthusiastically started this basic cardigan for ME. Well, that was a couple years ago, and I’m only halfway through the body. I’m not sure I can finish that AND do my Project 365. Back in the drawer it goes, alas….
Day 13- After the Rain
We had some rain today, so I went outside to try to get some raindrop shots with my Sigma 70-300 mm lens. I have a love/hate relationship with this lens- love its zoom and macro capabilities, but have such trouble with focus, especially at 300 mm. The thing is- there is tons of camera shake! I don’t know how typical this is when you are WAY zoomed in; I would guess that the zoom magnifies every bit of quiver and vibration. And…it is not a VR (vibration reduction) lens. So…I think I need to try my 40 year old tripod (or my gorillapod) and get a remote shutter release.I really love and want to try more macro shots, and I am getting frustrated!
Despite it not being ultra sharp, I do like the colors and composition of this crop of one of my images.
Day 11- Cut Glass
My idea for today was to photograph bubbles. I filled a cut glass bowl with bubble bath and water and tried to focus on the bubbles with my 70-300mm lens- NO LUCK! The big bubbles didn’t last, and I couldn’t get the lens to focus on the small ones. So… here is a photo of the cut glass reflecting the muted reds and yellow dishcloth underneath.
Day 10- Jewelry
Time to step away from the flowers!
Today I was cleaning off the top of my dresser and decided my jewelry stand might be a good subject for a photo. I think I may need to try some new techniques, because I think I have shallow depth of field COVERED (but I still love it!) . . .
Day 6- Fog
It is so (insert your own expletive…) cold and foggy here today! After going to the gym, I drove down to the water hoping to catch a view of the bridge shrouded mysteriously in fog- you couldn’t even SEE the bridge! When I got home, I opened the fridge to get milk for my cereal and discovered the milk’s date had passed- YUCK! So I went to the grocery store and drove BACK down to the water just on the off chance a great photo op was waiting for me. Well, there were seagulls, so I got some pretty ordinary seagull shots. I have been experimenting with back button focus (at least I THINK that’s what I’m doing…), so I took a few shots of the railing near the water. I like this one.
I had no coat, and it was freezing- my hands were shaking and contributing to my focusing problems. So I got in the car and made the loop to turn around when I saw a tugboat! That means a ship- another photo opportunity! So, shivering, I got out and snapped a few of the ship through the fog. Interesting results- all shots today are straight out of camera.
BONUS PHOTO:
The clickin’ moms Project 52 theme for the week is NEW- which I interpreted as BEGINNINGS. Here is how my husband likes to begin his day!
Day 4- Moleskine
Today we are driving to Tahoe! My intention was to take photos later today and tomorrow for Days 4 and 5, but…..I realized this morning that we may not be there until after dark- which puts a little pressure on me to get a decent photo taken. So, the good girl in me wants to get homework done before I leave!
In addition to doing this Project 365, I am also in a Clickin Moms Project 52 (posting photos once a week- a much more realistic goal for me). Our theme for this week is “New,”- so here is my new Moleskine!
Since childhood, I have loved journals and notebooks of all kinds. A few years ago I discovered Moleskines. They are absolutely the best- google them and see for yourself! They have a ribbon bookmark, an expandable pocket in the back, a band to keep it all closed, and paper that is wonderful to write on. I have used one for organizing myself- then went back to electronic- and one for my book club. A year or so ago I started using one to record notes from the various spiritual classes I take at church. I numbered all the pages in advance and then take notes as I go. Then I keep a running index in the back so I can find entries easily- it works great for me.
My new Moleskine is for- PHOTOGRAPHY! I have been collecting a zillion online articles electronically in Evernote- another fantastic organizational tool. But- for those gems I really want to remember and refer to constantly- I am going to use the Moleskine and keep it in my camera bag.
Day 2- Peeling Bark
I love birch trees. I had no idea what I was going to take a picture of today- and thought I’d take my camera with me when I went out. But then, as I was pouring my coffee on this rainy day, I looked out the window at the birches. There are only two now- we originally had three planted when we moved here in 1987- but the bark has evolved into this wonderful, twisted, peeling entity! Yes, I love birches.
I first used my little 35mm lens, but then couldn’t resist a close-up of the bark, which is what I love. So, I switched to my 70-300 mm zoom. I shot it with a high ISO- 1000 (it is a dreary day), f16, 1/160.
I think I could do a whole photo ESSAY on these trees- but for now- just one.
Day 1- Happy New Year!
This was taken a little after midnight- in the foreground is our champagne lit only by candlelight. Focus isn’t great (blame the champagne…), but it’ll do for Day 1. I took more photos this morning, but I like this one better, even if it isn’t as good technically. Only 364 days to go- I’m on a roll!
Oh- it’s my 35 mm 1.8 lens at 2.0, 1/200, ISO 1000.
What was I thinking?
I have decided to try something new- I am going to actually try to stick to something for a whole year! I retired from teaching in June, and one of my retirement goals was to learn how to take better pictures- especially of my grandchildren. In July, I got a new camera (a Nikon D5000- a fantastic entry level DSLR), and since then have been working on learning how to use it. I have recently heard of Project 365- improving your photography skills by taking a new photo every single day- YIKES! So….here I am, ready to go in 2011!
Here is my commitment:
1. I will attempt to take at least one photo every single day, working on improving the quality as I go.
2. I will post the pictures here as often as I can (probably not every day).
3. If I get off track (I know myself all too well- routine and discipline are not my strong points!), I will get back ON track and not give up!
melinda anderson photography 