Day 266- Everyday

Today’s theme is everyday– so here is something I do every day.

At least there are some new dishes in the dishwasher. . .

And here is something that is NOT everyday- but maybe about every week or so- FLOWERS!

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Day 242- Entertainment

Today’s theme is entertainment.  After just a moment’s thought, I conceived of this image- a remote with bokeh.

AND. . . I knew just how to achieve it!

Alas, it is not a matter of me knowing just the perfect lens and shutter settings combined with fabulous light streaming in a window.

The backstory: The other day, while shopping for something else, I saw a little string of battery powered LED lights.  Did I think holiday centerpieces? No, I thought BOKEH!

So, this photo was quickly taken with the LED lights behind the remote.

Here is a bonus photo from yesterday. Yesterday morning, I only looked at the last two shots I took of the waterdrop on the flower, because that’s when I used the tripod.  When I went on the computer last night, I discovered that the first (handheld!) shots were actually clearer.  In this shot, I am reflected in the drop. I did a black and white conversion just because. . .

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Day 232- Flower Rebel

Yesterday I watched an episode of The Grid with Scott Kelby and Matt Kloskowski.  It was one of their blind critique episodes, which I always find a bit irritating (even though I have learned SO MUCH from those two- and this week I get to see Scott in person!).  They totally dismissed flower photography, because flowers are naturally pretty and all have been photographed before.  And you should never photograph a flower with spotty irregularities on it.  I get their point, but there are some wonderful flower photos out there.

My intention was to go down to the waterfront at sunset tonight, but I’m losing steam.  In desperation, I took some shots in our yard of an oleander just budding. I know, I know- it not only has flowers, but the most mundane of flowers!  But I liked how the late afternoon sun was lighting it. It was windy, which made my attempt to do a macro shot of a moving target a kind of comedy of errors !

Since the oleander is white and the background turned black when I shot it, I decided to turn these into black and whites.  Feeling rebellious, I chose to not use the spot healing brush on these flowers, which I normally would have done. There are specks of dirt on the blossom!!!

I like the lighting on this one. . .

 

and the shape (of the same bud) in this shot.

 

Melinda3 Comments

Day 225- Meanwhile, back at the ranch. . .

Friday’s  photos of Olivia riding are still being culled and edited. I took way, way too many, most on burst mode, because I didn’t want to miss anything- and I am finding more and more keepers.

So I am posting a few more, followed by an animated GIF of her riding. I have no idea if the animation will show up on phones- so we’ll just have to see.  I put together a random sequence and realized afterward I should have used some of the later shots where she was doing some fancier stuff (cantering with lead changes). Next time- video!

And before I forget, here is my photo of the day of one of my fading mums, to satisfy the topic, delicate.

 

And now, back to Olivia. . .

 

 

 

 

 

Melinda3 Comments

Day 219- Still Life

Still in the mood for still life. . .

I am attempting to not always go way in tight for a shot, which is my tendency.  I took photos of these mums from all angles and distances- and this one is in the middle ground, not too close, not too far away.  I added some textures for a bit of a painterly look.

Melinda2 Comments

Day 215- Morning light

Since switching to Lightroom, I’ve had so much fun using the different presets that are available for this program.

This morning, I used long exposures, a tripod, and some of the Clickin Moms Film Art and Paparazzi presets (tweaked after being applied) to create these images.

Rose Quartz preset (CM Film Art)

Early Edition (CM Paparazzi)

Titanium (CM Film Art)- not the same photo as above, but from same angle

Melinda2 Comments

Day 202- Flower Frenzy

A Trader Joe’s bouquet- hooray!

Here’s an image taken with my beloved 50mm 1.4 lens:

And another (which is my favorite for today):

I’ve been playing a bit with creating textures in Photoshop.  None of mine are good enough to stand on their own yet- so here is one of today’s flower photos textured with one of my amateurish textures paired with one of Kim Klassen’s fabulous ones.

I couldn’t resist getting out my macro lens.  Here are two versions of a macro shot- one with a black and white conversion.

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Day 198- Flower Love

Eating lunch and spending an afternoon with friends in Eline’s amazing garden this afternoon provided me with a myriad of photo opportunities. It was hard to choose what to photograph, and, of course, I didn’t want to miss any of the conversation!

Here is a view of some of her beautiful lavender.

There were flowers inside as well- gorgeous!

Melinda3 Comments

Day 193- In the Car

What a topic! Well, here is a shot of my beads from Hilo Hattie’s in Kauai. Hawaii is just about my favorite place, and this is from our last trip there. We spent Christmas there with our daughter, son-in-law, and his family quite a few years ago- and these beads always remind me that there IS a Hawaii. It helps me relax in traffic.

And here’s a bonus photo, taken last night upon returning from our anniversary dinner out. I just had to play with my new 50mm 1.4, so here is a shot of some agapanthus in the front yard.  I took it at f/2.8, but even so, there is a lovely, soft, blurry background.

Melinda2 Comments