Half of me.

The following is an excerpt from Scott Kelby’s Wednesday Guest Blogger featuring David J. Nightingale (aka Chromasa)!

“In early 2004, when I’d been blogging for a little over six months, and posting a handful of images each month, I came across Sam Javanrouh’s blog: Daily Dose of Imagery. One of the things that impressed me the most about Sam’s blog, other than the consistently high quality of his work, was that he was posting a new image each day, and I can clearly remember thinking two things. First, what a great idea, and second, it can’t be that hard to post 365 shots a year, can it? Well, for the remainder of 2004, 2005, and most of 2006, I attempted to do the same, and discovered that it was harder than I could possibly have imagined.

Now, if I’d had nothing else to do – like eating, sleeping, working as a full-time lecturer in a UK university, helping to bring up my young family, and everything else that goes along with being a human being – it would have been a piece of cake… Surely almost anyone can take one reasonable shot every 24 hours? But, in and amongst everything else, there were many days when I really didn’t have anything even halfway decent to blog, nor any time to shoot any new material. On those days I would sit at my computer and decide which was the least useless shot from a fairly bad bunch, drag it into Photoshop, and attempt to turn it into something more interesting.”

Because I haven’t gone out to shoot in the last two days, I didn’t have a photo for my blog. I went looking at my old photos for a photo I could maybe clean up and post. I found NOTHING I liked even remotely. None of the zillions of photos I have is worth saving. I even took a peek at some of last year’s photo class and workshop photos. Nada. I can’t even stand to look at my stuff.

This is a wakeup call. I need to pick up my camera and stop reading about photography and start shooting. I also need to start shooting in the EARLY morning light (which means I need to get up earlier than I’ve wanted to get up.)

Well, today, after 10am when the light isn’t so great outside, I picked up my camera fitted with the 50mm 1.8 lens. I got my diffuser out of the closet, stood by a window in the dining room that had some good light coming in through the glass doors, and shot half of my face. Why half of my face? Because my second photo assignment is “Halves”.

Here is the photo I shot.



I just need to be patient with myself, stop comparing my photos to the great photographers’ work, and just schedule in time with my camera.
While reading David duChemin’s new photography book titled, “Within the Frame”, I came across this sentence on page 156, “One of the most helpful parts of my process is an AAR, or After-Action Review. It consists of spending time at the end of the day, usually while looking at the day’s selects, and asking myself what went well, what did not go well, and what I shot today that I could shoot better tomorrow……………………Don’t let the knowledge you gained on today’s shoot go to waste if you can redeem it tomorrow for the images you really wanted.”

Interesting, this concept of AAR can be applied to life too. I even gave someone feedback who was asking for help to do the same thing by looking at the top of p. 86 in the B. B. “When evening comes……………”

I should listen to my own advice.

This quote below was also in David's Wednesday Guest Blogger post on Scott Kelby's blog.
"For me, though he was a psychologist rather than a photographer, Jean Piaget summed this up quite nicely when he said "What we see changes what we know. What we know changes what we see".

2nd and 3rd day of shooting Black Widows.

It's the season, we have crickets galore and the Black Widows know it. Where they are crickets there are Black Widows.

Three days in a row now I have shot photos of Black Widows. The first night I shot a photo was when I pulled in the my garage after the Baby Meeting last Tuesday night and saw a huge BW in it's web just outside the garage. Then Our local newspaper, the Desert Sun, came out with a front section photo and article on Black Widows the day after I shot my first Black Widow. My competitive juices started flowing and now I am trying to see what kind of interesting shots I can capture of these Black Widows. The spiders aren't quite so skittish anymore. I guess they're getting used to me.

We have another two Black Widows living near the front gate too. They've been living there for a couple of years now. They live inside the drainage pipe that runs down the side of the condo during the heat of the day.

Saturday morning Ray found this BW, just outside our back door. It was in a ball, not moving and looking either very sick or dead. Looking dead that is until I used the pointed long end of a leaf to touch the spider trying to see if she'd move. I noticed some movement, but not much. I really thought she was dying.

Photo taken with a Canon 40D, 100mm 2.8 macro lens, hand held in early morning shade.


This morning Ray went out the back door again (to fill the bird bath with water (water evaporates daily in these 114 degree days). He came back in letting me know my spider was back and moving about in his web. I thought this can't be the same spider. The spider I saw yesterday was barely moving as it lay in a ball on the concrete. But Ray thinks it is the same spider. It was in the exact same area but I don't know if they are one and the same.
Photo taken with my small Canon Powershot A650, zoomed in only a tiny bit, set to manual macro, and shot in early morning shade.

Photo for the day.

The sunset tonight got me out the door with my camera. But this was the shot I took.

I decreased the clarity slider in Adobe Lightroom 2 to create more motion with the water from the sprinklers.

Canon 70 - 200 at 200. 8pm on a tripod with self timer.

Hours trying to shoot a "blue" photo for my 1st photo class assignment.

I had trouble with dust, spots, scratches showing up on the glass of this blue vase I shot. I actually like the composition and color of the photo. I don't know how people shoot closeups without seeing all the dirt, scratches, smudges etc. (If you click on the photo to enlarge it you'll see what I'm talking about.)

I used a 100mm macro which just magnified all these flaws. I also had trouble getting the vase in focus while having the back ground pillow fabric out of focus. I wanted to get in close to my subject so using the 50mm lens was out of the question as the closest I can shoot with it is 1.5 feet.


I won't be submitting this photo for the blue lesson. It will go the way of the other 50 shots I took today......into the trash. I didn't get a photo I like, however I did get to learn more about what I don't want to do, what doesn't work.

So, like posting my high golf scores, I'll be posting my photo rejects. And, the keepers of course.

Practice, practice, practice seems to be the mantra in all areas of my life these days.

Canon 70-200mm 2.8 lens practice photos plus Canon Powershot A650 shots while playing golf.

I recently splurged and bought an expensive Canon lens....the Canon 70-200mm 2.8 L series lens. It's soooooo heavy. Two days ago I took this lens outside my backdoor and shot some of the shots below, hand holding this almost 4 pound lens (fitted with a Really Right Stuff L84 tripod bracket for collared lens attached.)

All of the photos came out "soft" - not in crisp focus. Bummer. I intended to post the photos anyway, but couldn't. I was embarrassed. Here I spent all this money and couldn't even shoot a decent in-focus hand held shot in good light.

After a little thought, I decided, I am going to post these photos for the reasons listed:

• First reason - so hopefully, some day I'll look back and say, "Wow, have you improved Linda."
• Second reason- to help keep me accountable to practicing. I don't like looking bad in front of people, so I'll be posting practice photos to keep me on track with this out-there-for-all-to-see stated commitment.
• Third reason - I need to get over expecting to get better without putting in the time and effort. I posted a great blog entry in Facebook today by a woman blogger I so identify with. Her blog was titled: "Work First, Tools later." My pattern is to buy the gear and believe by having the gear, I'll get better. Silly, I know.
• Fourth reason - To be an example to my ladies that I only ask of them, what I ask of myself.
  

Yesterday, after a frustrating round of golf, with many good shots, but lots of triples and a quadruple or two, I mentioned to Ray that maybe I should start posting my golf scores in this blog. "Why, he asked?" And before I answered, he said, "Yeah, you should." He knows I try much harder and do better when I am accountable to people. Sooooo, I shot a 99 yesterday. Ouch!. More golf scores to follow in this blog as I play.

Ok, here is a photo I shot with the Canon 70 - 200 2.8, around 6pm. I had a lens hood on and was shooting almost in the direction of the lowered sun. What caught my eye, was the silhouette of the sunbathing bird in the reflected light on the water.

This egret flew as Ray hit his shot while playing on the Pete Dye course. Photo is shot with my small Canon Powershot A650, zoomed in some. As the bird flew off, I quickly tried to capture it by panning, following the bird with my camera. Obviously the shutter speed was too fast and didn't blur the background, just my cute little bird.

Shot outside our back door with the large Canon 70 - 200 lens. I tried moving closer but I could tell the bird's comfort level was decreasing with my approaching presence.

Canon 70 - 200 lens

Shot with my small Canon Powershot A650. Looked a lot better when I was actually seeing the reflection as we left the green.

Sick today. Some flowers I shot Sunday in Anza Borrego.

I suspected I wasn't feeling all too hot on Sunday. Today I know I'm sick with a cold or flu. Never got out of my jammies.

Sunday I shot photos with a 100mm macro lens and all shots were taken on a tripod. I kept shooting away. I knew I wasn't liking what I was getting. I hiked up the trail and found the little shade there was and set up. The only other time I used this lens I was on the ground with the camera. I could see better whether what I wanted was in focus or not and I was comfortable. Sunday, the rocky terrain had me standing, set up low and I just never got comfortable. Of all the photos I took, there were only a few that were in focus enough to keep just for this post.

What I learned this day:
-Go earlier before the wind picks up. Shooting macro with even the slightest breeze is almost impossible.
-Don't start shooting until I find something pleasing. Just take the time and keep looking for color, patterns, texture, etc.
-Don't go to a popular trail area. I had to be concerned about someone walking by and my being in their way or kicking over my tripod.
-I don't know much about macro photography.
-Setting the aperture to 32 isn't enough for macro photography unless the flower is on the same plane. Depth of field is only very limited.
-Basically know what I like about what I'm attempting to shoot and shoot for that.

Next photo assignment - FISH.

While at the Zoo last week, I asked Stacy and Sandi to give me their best fish impressions in case I couldn't come up with 3 fish photos from my next assignment.

What do you think?

Thanks you two.

We spent last night at the Marriott in Woodland Hills. Over coffee in the room this morning I took out my camera and focused on Ray reading the newspaper. I snapped away and showed Ray the photos I'd taken asking him which photos he liked. "Don't put any photos of me on your blog." Well, if you would smile and look up at me, you'd like how you look in the photos better. He says, "You can't even see my eyes behind the glasses." I say you're right. Take your glasses off.

He did take his glasses off....partially. Much better photo Ray. Thanks!

Ray went to hit golf balls and I went for a walk outside the Marriott for an hour this morning. I used my fanny pack camera hoping to get a shot or two for the blog daily photo. First time I took my camera out to shoot a reflection in a tall building, a guard whistled at me. He then yelled out, No photos. That put a crimp in freedom. Further down the block I found some running water and that's what I focused on shooting. Nothing I shot looked like anything. The two photos below were the best of the lot.

Out by the Wind Farms for an hour today.

I was out shooting around 4:17pm today and Mt. San Jacinto blocked much of the only light left. I didn't particularly like this series of wind turbine shots so I played with black and white. (My son put that thought in my head. Thanks Lane.)

I was playing with filters here.

Catching up with some photos from last week.

L > R Taye and Linda

Taye and I had a blast at Balboa Lake last week. I'm sure everyone thought we were somewhat retarded in our childlike exuberance. We didn't care.

Next photo session will be at the zoo, February 3rd before the Baby Meeting.
All are welcome.

Patio cactus photo after sun dropped behind the mountains.

I actually sat down for 15 minutes and generated a prioritized daily task list in my prettier than Stacy’s new 2009 Franklin Covey Planner. I am not familiar with the FC system but I do know what putting an arrow in a box next to a task means. That’s shorthand for procrastinator, avoider and overall liar.
Sorry Lane and Josh. Sorry LR. I even put an A1 by both tasks indicating their importance. I recently learned Franklin Covey planners use the 123 and ABC system for prioritizing tasks. A= more important than B etc, and 1 = more important than 2 etc. I see a pattern.

I started in on attempting to fill out the Wachovia authorization for the automated program to transfer funds between designated banks. I have been meaning to do this for months. I got to a point where I didn’t understand something. Before I knew it, after repeated phone calls and email responses, I couldn’t get back to the tasks at hand. I had started these tasks after lunch, the first free time I had today, and somehow the day slipped away. Again. I feel so ashamed and guilty. There are so many things I haven’t gotten to lately. Getting back to the pattern I see......I use answering the phone as an excuse so I don’t have to do what I find difficult to do. The problem is, I’ve used this excuse too many times on setting up the auto deducts for Lane, Josh and an auto deduct I need to set up with LR’s bank for our home account. I need to take care of these tasks for my sanity, my son’s pocketbook and trust and so Ray can pay some of our bills.

Tomorrow I've got a full day too. Then Thursday we leave to go in to LA at 8am and won’t return until 11:30 pm. So I have to find time tomorrow to get these tasks all done. Its midnight now. I haven’t written out my food to send to Xochitl, I haven’t brushed my teeth, taken my pills, or written my daily gratitude list.
I’m writing myself in to overwhelm here.

On to what was the posted photo is about. I stole 15 minutes to run out with my small camera to have a daily photo for this blog (blogging was also on my task list) before the sun set behind the mountain range. I was rushing the clock to find a photo just outside the front door. I took about 15 shots. This shot of the cactus was the best of the lot. I’m holding the camera straight above the cactus shooting down.

Off to bed. Hopefully this post will make me accountable.

First walk outside since Monday.

I'm feeling so much better now that this cold is subsiding. On a lazy walk around Mission Hills CC this morning I decided to pay attention to photo ops, keeping in mind it was 11am and the sun was almost over head. I was taught to not take photos from 10am to 2pm, that the photos will look all washed out. I tried to use the position of the sun to spot contrast in the shadows cast on the side of houses.

I took 85 photos and didn't really get one I liked, but I'm posting 5 + 1 shots anyway. I'm trying to learn Adobe Photoshop CS4, so working on these photos was my practice for the day. I'm really hoping to spend some time each day, learning photographic software or shooting photos.

So to explain the 6th photo, I'm walking by the ninth hole tee box. I have to "gottago" and their is a woman's bathroom off to the side of the tee box. On my way out of the bathroom, I pass this table and chairs set up where the golfers might relax. No one is seated at the table. But I see something on the table. Something someone left, either intentionally or because they weren't aware they left something behind. I told you I started my hike at around 11am. It's now noon. I'm hungry. When I'm hungry, I want to eat. I am not happy when I make out what it is that has been left out on the empty table. Lollipops! I love lollipops. Lollipops don't happen to be on my current food plan. These 4 or 5 lollipops are there for the taking. No one is around. I know because I looked left and right. Hmmmmmm. Lollipops. Hmmmmmm.

And then I thought of Katya. If I ate the lollipops (eating one was never a thought) I would lose my 38!!!! days without sugar and Katya would still have her 38 days. Nope, no way is Katya going to have more days than I do.

So. I sadly walk on, only looking back once, headed home, to some yummy Turkey soup and brussel sprouts. Brussel sprouts with soup you might be thinking? Well yes. I need to have two cups of salad or veggies for lunch and the brussel sprouts were already cooked and in the fridge. Easy. Gotta keep it easy when I'm hungry. Eating is no longer fun. But eating this way has relieved my obsession for food.......at least until I found the lollipops.

Happy New Year!

Here is my New Year's Day gift - Taye's new blog. Bet you can't read it and not laugh out loud!
http://tastysbigbutt.blogspot.com/


Ray and I had a nice day today. A non-day, like the rest of these "holiday" days have been. I'm always happier when January 2nd rolls around each year.

Ray played golf this morning. I mindlessly computed. Thank goodness Sandi called. We stayed on the phone long enough, I no longer wanted all the Blackberry phone applications I was in the process of ordering online.

The party at 2pm today was my first test in terms of being around lots of food, fun food. Ray and I left the party after an hour without putting anything in our mouths. So did Sandi who also attended the party.

I'd made a decision to get in a walk before the sun set. Ray and I walked the 3 mile route we usually take around our neighborhood.

One of my 2009 Ideals is to post a photo a day for the next 365 days. So to go along with this boring blog entry, I'll post a couple of boring photos I shot today.

Eating lunch before we go to the party.

Our friend Perry at the party.

Walking by the golf course lakes provided lots of photo op reflections.

See Ray up ahead just beyond the two palm trees? We were walking by the MHCC Club House and the first Tee box on the Palmer Course.

Walk Around the Block after am Xizer class.

I walk home from the Xizer class at the fitness center here. I look for photo ops. The light is beautiful at 7:30am but everything looks the same here in Mission Hills CC. So I'm forced to look for the shot within what I'm looking at. Not something I'm good at, but I want to get better. Cupcake had told me when he was in school one of his photo assignments was to take a photo every 10 steps. Hmmmm. Some day I will try this but not on Thursday mornings when I need to get home to prepare for heading into LA around noon.

This mornings' best picks. Other shots I liked, but haven't posted, were out of focus. They don't look out of focus to me until I look at them in an actual size view option in Photoshop.
This top shot is soft (out of focus).

Salton Sea photo shoot with Carol.

This is Carol. She turned me on to the photo class. Carol takes all of Carol Leigh's classes all the time.I took about 300 photos while at the Salton Sea. I was using my telephoto lens when I shot this bird as he was catching his lunch! Well, brunch. It was about 10am. Carol and I had a ball the 5 hours we were shooting.

These two below are my favorites.

Early bird catches the worm.

Everyone else was inside drinking coffee and chit chatting. I promised myself I'd get some early morning shots of the Rappahannack River shoreline while at my sister Ginny's over Thanksgiving. This morning it was cold and I easily could have said, "Ah, later, or, ah tomorrow morning and stayed inside where it was warm and the morning conversation was fun and interesting." Good thing I didn't because the following morning it was overcast.

Click on the photo and sit back and dream.

Wanna see some practice photos I uploaded to Flickr.com tonight?

Happy New Year!

It has taken me all day long to get here to say Happy New Year. I made it by 20 minutes though.

Today was all about working on Ray's 30th Birthday Book, watching movies and practicing taking photos in the late afternoon light. I have no idea whether I take a good photo or a shitty photo. But I'll learn soon, because I just signed up online with the new Yahoo Photo Class Group yesterday which is starting January 11th. There will be lots of constructive criticism. We will get 6 assignments over the next 2 months. The first assignment is Complementary Colors. Good thing I'm going to the Bahamas as I'm sure I'll find lots of complementary colors there.

I'm going to buy an underwater camera for the snorkeling I want to do. Now now LR, don't get all excited. The cameras don't cost THAT much. I'm hoping to buy the Sealife DC 600 at the Sport Chalet Thursday.

If you'd like to see my attempts at planning a shot (unlike how I usually shoot), follow the link in the title above.

Picking up the camera in the midst of activity.

At an Xmas party last night, my friend Carol and I were talking about our upcoming online photo class that we'll be taking and how our instructor Carol Leigh suggests taking a photo a day if you want to see and shoot better photos. So at the party last night I looked for a shoot. My friend Carol pointed out the glass heart on the table. I temporarily found the glass heart a home on top of this red lap.

Why do I like this photo of Ray and my 6 eggs before I srambled them this morning? Because I noticed that the eggs might make a photo of the day shot. That I even thought about shooting the eggs is progress for me!

Troubled photo practice

I spent an hour or more outside this afternoon photographing bougainvilleas with a Canon Macro Lens EF 100mm 1:2.8 on my Canon EOS Rebel XTi. I didn't like one of the 100 photos I took. This is the best of the lot but I can't seem to get a crisp focus.
There seems to be so little distance range for clear focus.



In trying to become more familiar with the macro lens I shot this staged shot.

I'd found these letter-like stones years ago, during a walk on a beach north of Santa Barbara. Ray and I used to camp in our RV at El Capitan
State Park a couple times a year. Every day we'd take a stroll on the beach. One day I found the stone that looked like an L. Then I came across an "o". When I found a "v" I searched frantically for any stone that looked like an "e".

These rock letters usually reside in a special place with all the other rocks I have collected. Every rock I've collected represents a trip - a hike or a backpack. I always bring home one special rock. People have often selected a rock for me. During my 2002 PCT hike I was given a beautiful river rock I carried in my backpack even though I was very weight conscious.

Rocks have always fascinated me. Looking for rocks is fun. Looking for rocks makes me feel good. I find it interesting that I found rocks that spell out the word love.

Love: strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties.

p.s. Just found this article.