I need help III

Well, I think this one is going to be way too easy, but you never know. I've been surprised before...

So, which photo do you like better?

Number 1:



Number 2:



Choose wisely, my friends.

Roses

I need help II

Okay, that last one was too easy. You picked the right photo, by the way, so give yourselves a big pat on the back and a huge bowl of ice cream.

So, we're on to the next. Which photo do you like better?

Number 1:


Number 2:


I think this one might be a bit harder. At least, it is for me.

Good luck! And, this time, there's a big prize in it for whoever picks the winner!

(Yeah, just kidding on the prize.)

I need help

Because I constantly second-guess myself, I'm turning to YOU to answer this most important question.

Which photo do you like better?

Number 1:


Number 2:


Choose wisely.

Thank you.

Brand New Bag

I recently bought a new camera bag. It's just big enough to fit my camera and one lens. And my wallet, cell phone, keys, and a chap stick (just one of twelve, sadly).

Normally, I would not encourage anyone to carry anything other than a camera and their accessories in their camera bag, but I can promise you that these few personal belongings are clean and are being kept in smaller, separate pockets.

The reason behind this? I decided that from now on, instead of a purse, I'd carry my camera bag. I thought long and hard about this. See, I don't like not having access to my camera. I often find myself wanting to take a picture of something or someone and then end up frustrated.

For example, a few days ago as I was leaving work, I noticed a man who had paused during his walk, had his camera out, and was taking pictures of Hispanic workers loading fruit onto a truck. This intrigued me. What did the man find so fascinating? Well, I immediately wanted to take his picture.

And then there was the car I was stopped behind at a red light and the license plate read ADHDX5. I knew various ADHD members of my family would get a giggle out of this (for the three seconds they'd be able to focus on it), but did I have my camera? Of course not.

I don't carry my camera around because, well, as much as I adore the thing, it's... bulky. And my camera bag is even more bulky. And carrying that, along with my purse, was not something that would make me happy. Quite the opposite, in fact.

So, I finally decided to get a new, smaller camera bag, call it a purse, and get on with my life. So far, I'm loving it. Have I found myself needing it now that it's finally at my disposal? Of course not. Except the other day while Hubs and I were at Starbucks.

I call this "My Idea of a Good Time".



So, maybe I haven't taken tons of grand pictures, but it's only been a few days. And it's there if/when I need it. That's all that matters.

So, how about some more random pictures?

I call this "I Don't Know How To Ask For Help".



I call this one "Dinner".



The weekly assignment over at the Digital Photography School website was "low light/night photography." I wanted to submit a photo, but it was the last day and so I did the only think I could think of. Turn off all the lights and take a picture in the dark. Of my dinner.

Believe it or not, that photo was taken in near pitch black. Unfortunately, I was too late to submit a photo and all I had to show for it was slightly burnt asparagus.

Then, as I was watching Idol (and, yes, the right David won, thank you very much) I did this:



This was fun because I recently learned that, when photographing the sun, you can achieve this star-like quality if you use a very small aperture.

Well, this is a candle, not the sun, but I tried the same effect and I kinda laughed out loud and maybe said a couple words of encouragement to myself when I saw that it worked. Note to anyone who might try this: you have to pair the smallest aperture possible (in this case, f22) with a long exposure (I used a 15 second exposure in this picture) to achieve this effect.

The only problem with a long exposure is that it can really blow out your photo. (Haha, get it? Blow out? Candle? Aww, c'mon!) So, you'll notice that the candle is way too over-exposed. Oh well, it was still fun.

That's all.

Fun at the Pool

This is what happens when you take out your camera and say "go jump in the pool!"
























I love the kid in the background. He has the same expression in every picture.


















"Just ignore her and maybe she'll stop bugging us."

Swollen Ankles and Photoshop Fun

I was at work today and so incredibly bored that I e-mailed Hubs and said, "Please! Give me something to write about!"

He suggested I write about all his softball injuries and how he's too old to play anymore. Poor guy. He does seem to acquire a lot of owies. Currently, it's his ankle. He ran into a ball last week. It's still all swollen and lumpy and he hobbles around like the old man he's turning into. (Love you, honey!)

But, since I don't have any pictures of said ankle, I didn't think a post about it would be very much fun.

So, here's a bit of photography fun for all of you to enjoy. Or ignore. Whatever.

Here's a picture I took of Teeter's #5 while they were visiting a few weeks ago.



Um... yeah, it sucks. I was using the wrong white balance and didn't realize it until 30+ pictures in. Thank God for the ability to shoot in Raw and, of course, for Photoshop.

I opened the Raw (or NEF) file in Photoshop and selected the preset "daylight" white balance, which immediately fixed the lighting.



Of course, I couldn't stop editing there. There were some minor things that I wanted to touch on, like sharpening.

This is the picture after I ran the Unsharp Mask.

Next, I wanted to give it a slight boost, so I did, using PW's "Boost" action. I also bumped up the contrast in those gorgeous blue eyes.



After that, I did a quick crop to focus in on her cute little face and burned the edges of the photo.



Here's the before and after.





I know it looks like a lot of editing took place due to my mistake in not using the right settings to begin with, but after I fixed that, the edits were pretty minor. I just wanted to enhance her natural cuteness and give it a little "boost."

I really hope I don't get in trouble for this.

Over the weekend I found myself in a severe Photoshop mood, hell-bent on learning. Something. Anything.

As I was looking through my pictures, trying to find one that would provide some good learning fun, I came across a photo of one of my nieces. It was perfect. It was clear, but could use some editing.

I knew I'd want to share the picture with the world after I edited it, so I immediately sent a text message to Teeter. "Can I use a picture of the face of one of your twins to learn Photoshop and then post it on the blog? Pleeease!"

A whole day later, she finally got back to me and said "ok."

Well, I'm not ready to share that exact picture yet (suckers), but there's another one that I do want to share. It's another of my nieces (I have hundreds) and I think she's just the most adorable two year old ever. Even if she does hate me for putting her to bed last weekend. (She is two, right?)



This is one of my favorite pictures.

Now, I'm only assuming that it's okay to share it. I've really only been approved to share the other. And I really hope it doesn't make an ass out of you and me (I've always hated that saying) because I'm sharing it anyway.

(Teeter, I'm sorry if I'm not supposed to be sharing this picture! I'll take it down if I must, but please don't make me!)

Crap.

I know you all love to hear about my frustrations, and boy, do I have a lot! So, here's just one more to add to the ever-expanding list.

Last weekend, as I went for groceries, I noticed something interesting happening in the sky. Colors. Lots of colors that showed the potential to get even more interesting in the next few minutes.

Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera. But I wasn't going to stress over it. I was just going to enjoy it. Next time, I promised myself, I'll have my camera. (I promise myself lots of things.)

I was in and out of the store pretty quick and, as I'd expected, the sky was just brilliant with pinks and oranges and purples. It was really beautiful.

As I walked through the parking lot, I couldn't help but notice that no one else seemed particularly taken with the bright sky. I wondered, am I the only one who is seeing this? Doesn't anyone else notice the colors? The colors?! Anyone?!

I just didn't understand it. I realize in southern California we get our share of pretty sunsets, but even I, a native, haven't seen one like this in a long time.

When I finally got home, I was frantic to get my camera. If I'd had it my way, I would have driven down to the beach or somewhere, anywhere, I could have gotten a clear view.

But I didn't have time. All I could do was stand out on my patio and snap away.


If only I'd gotten there a few minutes sooner, the colors were even more spectacular.

But here's where my frustration comes into play. Did you notice all the city crap?!



I don't have time to draw all the arrows required in this one:



Ugh. And this isn't the first time I've been frustrated. It seems every day there's something in my way of a gorgeous photo. Another building, another car dealership, electric poles and telephone wires. It's all in the way and it all needs to go.

I say we bulldoze! Who's with me?!