Moments That Won't Run Away

2012 Project 365 Day 027 and ClickinMoms Project 52 Week 4 theme: bokeh

Michele — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 23:02:33 +0000

Very changing weather this morning. The ground was wet so I knew it had rained before dawn, and when I went out on my walk it was windy but WARM. I left my scarf and mittens at home and almost took off my hat but decided to leave it on because I didn’t know how my hair looked. It was grey while I was walking, but it didn’t seem like it would rain. However, after I returned home it got darker and darker and suddenly poured down for a little while. But there was a sliver of blue sky low on the western horizon. Within minutes, the rain stopped and the sun was out again stronger than ever this morning. I remembered this week’s CM P52 theme, bokeh, and grabbed my camera. Before going outside, I thought I might capture some bokeh of raindrops on my window, but I was wrong. This is the window to the right of my fireplace. The dullness is from the window being dirty.

Finally I went outside. For this photo I’m standing just outside my front door, looking north. The sky was much cloudier two hours previously, while I was walking, and it changed in the minutes I was outside taking the next several photos. It’s already 60 degrees at 10 a.m.!

I decided to try to capture some bokeh and water droplets on my front yard tree. My camera had some difficulty focusing on the thin branches! I’m not sure; is this considered bokeh?

After four pictures of water droplets on tree branches I was tired of it and decided to go back inside but when I walked to my computer, I noticed the sun shining through the wet trees in the backyard and I knew this was the perfect condition for bokeh!

This is a mug painted by my son on the railing of my back deck. Manual 50mm f/1.8 1/800sec ISO 100 spot metered on the top of the mug

2012 Project 365 Day 026

Michele — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 00:38:59 +0000

Here’s the raw, straight out of the camera photo. Manual f/9 1/60sec ISO200

Here’s the same photo after I worked on it in Lightroom to warm it up and increase the color saturation. What do you think? I’m very uncertain about it, so I welcome critique.

2012 Project 365 Day 025

Michele — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 23:47:31 +0000

Legos in the afternoon sun on our credenza 55mm Manual ISO100 f/5.6 1/25sec

2012 Project 365 Day 024

Michele — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 23:46:56 +0000

I believe in the value of shooting in RAW. But I am so lost in Lightroom. I know this is a bad photo to begin with because it was blurry, but I didn’t get any good photos today and at least he’s looking at me in this one. I’ve got to go find some more tutorials about how to post process.

2012 Project 365 Day 023

Michele — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 17:18:59 +0000

Busy with other things I didn’t pick up my camera until 10 p.m. I had been reading Discovery of Witches, so I decided to photograph that. I shot in manual and played with different apertures. This is f/2 at 1/15 sec. ISO800 I’ve finally learned how to use the meter to inform me how to set ap or shutter speed for a good exposure, so when I chose f/8 the camera suggested a 1 second exposure. I could barely hold the camera still so that photo came out blurry. f/22 was even worse, with an 8 second shutter speed. Oh, did you notice that my copy of Discovery of Witches is different? I started reading a library copy but didn’t finish before it was due and couldn’t renew because someone else had requested it. I considered staying up all night to finish it, but chose the more practical route of buying my own copy. I had already read enough to know I would like to own it. It is complex enough I’m sure I will want to read it again and I’ll understand it better the second time.

Sharp Eyes and Edge Overlays

Michele — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 19:00:22 +0000

This week I’m writing a tutorial about how to use edge overlays and I decided to scrap this photo for my layout sample. Often my layouts for tutorials are not my favorites and may not even be printed. One or two have even been trashed! But I’m very pleased with this photo and this layout. I’ve been using fully manual mode on my camera more and more and I think this is the sharpest I’ve ever gotten Rhiannon’s eyes. And I just spent a little longer on this layout than I usually do for tutorial sample layouts, making it balanced and complete with title, date, journaling, a good flow. It’s also one of my Project 52 for scrapbook layouts, which I have not been consistent about doing this year. Those collages I’ve been making are actually for Project 365 in my mind. Yes, it’s complicated. :D

The kit is Jeanine DeOre’s new Hearts and Flowers and her first set of Grunge Edge overlays available at ScrapMatters. The tutorial I wrote will be posted on Jeanine DeOre’s blog early Tuesday morning.

2012 Project 365 Day 022

Michele — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 02:31:12 +0000

It’s icy here. Av f/1.8 1/1000sec ISO200 This week’s ClickinMoms’ Project 52 theme is bokeh. I got a little here. What do you think?

My New CT and a Sale!

Michele — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 01:57:13 +0000

I’m one of the newest members of the Creative Team of Down This Road Designs, and she has just opened her own store. She has been selling at ScrapMatters for a long time. Click on any image to go shopping.

Did you see my post last Thursday when I shared a layout I made with her latest kit? Here are a few more of her fabulous kits:

2012 Project 365 Day 021

Michele — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 02:00:55 +0000

Frozen Garden
This morning we had icy rain.

2012 Project 365 Day 020

Michele — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 03:40:22 +0000

Ghost in The Graveyard at the gym, where the lighting is awful Av ISO3200 f/5 1/60sec spot metering