Day 317: I think I need a New Cookbook

Doug was trying to coax Bonnie to eat today. She was amused by him. I thought it best that I refrain from any other captions under these photos!

Day 316: Sheila

A photo of my friend, Sheila.



I took this photo a while ago, and as part of the processing, did some skin smoothing, using this tutorial. I really like the technique and use it often now on people photos.

Skin smoothing tutorial at Phaunt Actions.

Day 315: More Poinsetta Bliss!

Look at these beauties! And in another week or so, it's going to be even MORE beautiful in here!

I posted this photo on the forum at proudphotography.com, where I'm taking a class, and what bit of feedback I got, which I agree with, is how nice it would have been if I had taken the shot when the woman working in the background, on the left, had been at the end of the leading lines. The suggestion was also that an F/13 might have provided the focus I was looking for.

Some day, the setting selections will be more sencond nature for me, but I'm still at the point where I think I ALMOST have it down. . . and then realize I don't!



My settings: F/6, 1/30, Tamron 28-75mm @ 31 mm; custom white balance, shot RAW, ISO 200, tripod.

Day 314: Poinsettas! The Most Joyous Plant of the Season!

Sometimes it seems almost necessary for us to say, "But Christmas is starting too early!!!" But NOT when poinsettas are involved! I love these plants! There's just something about them that fill my heart with hope and excitement!

And these were taken at my all-time favorite store in the world, All Seasons, in Grand Forks. I try to save photographing there for "special times" so as to not wear out my welcome. But people in the store are always very welcoming and gracious, and even put up with my setting up a tripod and lying on the floor. They are my true oasis when winter comes.


This first photo is at an F/2.8 1/100, ISO 200, 28mm on my 28-75mm lens.



And this second photo is at an F/32 1/2, ISO 200, 28mm on my 28-75mm lens.

313: Aperture and Murano Glass

I'm on the lookout for a good set of aperture photos to submit for my proudphotography.com class. True, I've taken beginning classes before, including the 12 weeks to better photography at 2peasinabucket.com but I'm liking where this class will go in the 13 lessons beyond this initial ones. And having an individual tutor is really nice!

Anyway, this photo just isn't going to do it for me. I've decided it needs to look good at both the narrow depth of field (F/3)

and at the deep depth of field (F/36) for me to like it enough to submit it. The couch, and mirror reflection add nothing, although I do like the F/3 photo. And murano glass? I'd love to have lots of it!




And Amy totally busted me yesterday!!!! Yeah, that wasn't really a red light, which also happened to be the opinion of the driver behind me. DARN that photographic evidence!

Day 312: Going for a Ride!

I took this photo a few days ago. . . and these days are so days of the past already. Tonight, you'd not find anyone driving around in a convertible with the top down, not with the roads just west of us being closed because of snow, 70 mph wind, and blizzard warnings. Sigh. But I knew I had to seize the moment and snap this shot when I saw this vehicle in front of me. And you'll be happy to know that at least we were at a stoplight!



Becky tagged me, and here's my page 56:

"What kind of god is that? What is there to inspire in this Son?

Love, said Father Martin.

And this Son appears only once, long ago, far away? Among an obscure tribe in a backwater of West Asia on the confines of a long-vanished empire? Is done away with before He has a single grey hair in His head? Leaves not a single descendant, only scattered, partial testimony, His complete works doodles in the dirt? Wait a minute. This is more than Brahman with a serious case of stage fright. This is Brahman selfish. This is Brahman ungenerous and unfair. This is Brahman practically unmanifest. If Brahman is to have only one son, He must be as abundant as Krishna with the milkmaids, no? Wat could justify such divine stinginess?

Love, repeated Father Martin."

From Life of Pi, by Yann Martel. This is an incredible, phenomenal book about a boy stranded in a boat on the Pacific ocean with a Bengal tiger.


Here’s the rules of the tag:
1. Get the book on your nightstand (or whatever book you are currently reading).
2. Open it to page 56 and find the 5th sentence.
3. Post the next couple of sentences on your blog, along with these instructions.
4. Do not go and find your favorite book, it has to be the one you are reading now!
5. Tag 5 other people to do the same.

So I tag my SIL Barb, Jeanne, Carol, Nessa, and Nicole.

Day 311: Democracy Works!

Record turnouts, strong, passionate, valuable disagreements, with deep theoretical differences. But we had our election; we voted in our Republic, and although President Elect Barack Obama won with 52% of the electorate, 46% of the electorate did not agree with this choice. But in our country, there's no blood in the streets, no storming the capitol. . . at worse, there's frustration but still a working within the system. I'm so impressed and hopeful for our country!

Let's all hope for an administration and ask of ourselves that we will now not be distracted by theoretical differences but devote energies in a very pragmatic way to solving some of the immense problems facing us.

Last night, I discovered that on channel 352, I could watch 8 stations at once!!!!! Last night, the Weather Channel (bottom right) was often BBC or comedy central. It was great! I sat with my laptop showing pollsters.com and switched to which ever channel looked the most promising at any moment. What a night!



I hope that now that the election is over, I can go back to watching things like Netflix movies!

Day 310: My Voting Buddy

Oops! I just heard on TV that cameras aren't allowed in the voting area. . .







I'm such a failure at being law-abiding!

Day 309: Fall Photos

Just a few more fall photos. I took these a few weeks ago. The leaves are gone now, but today, it was actually warmer than the day I took these photos!




Have fun voting tomorrow, those of you in the U.S., who have not already cast your vote early!

Day 308: 3 Photos for lesson 3

I'm taking a Photography course through proudphotography.com. For lesson 3, we have to take 3 photos, one blurring something in movement, one panning on a moving object and blurring the background, and one in which you practically turn a moving object into a "ghost" by using a really slow shutter speed.

Here's the blurred moving vehicle:

And this one is my favorite! Apparently, I've found another way to embarrass myself in my small town! There's no way to stand on a busy corner with a camera and tripod, and not be noticed. I don't know this person, but now I've got people waving at me!

I discovered today how hard it is to pan a moving vehicle or object. . . .or dog!

And in this one, I used my tripod and a shutter speed of 1/30, making this motorcycle almost a ghost.

AND, I think this last photo is even on the theme of angles for the week!
TFL!