2008 POTD

A bumpy transition

2008-08-22T22:04:00.004-04:00

After a day full of frustrations and discouragement with my new camera (silly me, thinking that I would turn it on and it would just produce better photos than I am used to with no work... or manual-reading. ugh.), I finally got a few gems. This photo has given me back a little patience and hope. I see the light! I know th

is camera is raved about by many and has the potential to capture beautiful photos. For whatever reason, most of my photos are turning out rather flat and cool. I'm boggled by this, seeing that the reviews explain an oversaturated and warm photo by default... hmmm. The auto white balance doesn't seem nearly as warm as my D40 AWB.

Any tips?

I did a comparison shoot with a stationary subject. The 1st shot is with my D300 (ISO 800, AWB). The 2nd shot is with my D40 (ISO 800, AWB, same light). See the difference in brightness and saturation?

Now that I'm looking at them side by side, maybe the color is more accurate in the 1st shot.. I'm just used to that color pop. What do you think?? CC is appreciated!

Reflecting on Vaca

2008-08-12T22:07:00.002-04:00

Just trying to stay on theme with a couple reflections (and a shadow) from our week at the beach! Gotta love that warm glow from a setting sun.

Her little red wagon...

2008-07-30T11:10:00.003-04:00

We went for a walk last night... and she insisted on pulling the wagon (with no help) rather than riding in the wagon. She definitely has a mind of her own. I didn't mind though, because I was able to follow behind and take some pretty cute photos! (And, I'm even on theme... there's a slight sun flare in there somewhere!).

CC is always appreciated! Thanks for looking!

I <3 NY

2008-07-18T12:36:00.005-04:00

The hubby and I (and my camera!) went to NYC a few weeks back. We had a fabulous time!

The first 2 shots are taxis in Times Square. I had to take the time to practice my panning. I shot about 20 exposures but got a few keepers! I think these two are pretty neat (click to enlarge to see better details)! The last 2 shots are of the Brooklyn Bridge. It was a very hazy and hot day and the sky was an ugly, dreary gray color which didn't do much to help these photos so I decided to just go with it and convert them to creamy black and whites.

CC is appreciated! :)

Thanks for looking!

Fun with a tablecloth

2008-06-14T21:10:00.002-04:00

While wandering through Target today, I stumbled upon the 50% off summer clearance section. Lots of fun stuff, especially these pretty pink & white geometric tablecloths. You know you have a problem when the first thing you think is, "ohhh that could be a really cute backdrop"! When we got home we tried it out... despite slightly cramped quarters and a 50mm lens, I was able to get a few keepers. I wish I could have gotten her further from the background so it would have been more blurred, but nonetheless, the tablecloth/background for $1.74 was well worth it!!

Thanks for looking! CC is appreciated!

Best Buds

2008-06-10T09:34:00.002-04:00

I never knew what a blessing have a dog was until Kylie was born. The doggie brings so much joy into her day. Every morning she is just thrilled to wake up and see her doggie! She plays with her, while laughing her head off, all day long! I caught a few minutes of their typical time together and couldn't resist making it into a collage!

Sun is Glorious

2008-06-02T13:48:00.002-04:00

Kinda on theme because this last shot was taken using fill flash! ;)

Family of 3

2008-05-29T14:16:00.003-04:00

We had a little family photo shoot last night. The purpose was to get a great shot to be printed on canvas. I wanted the focus to be on my daughter and the photo to be cropped around my and hubby's waists. But when this little gem popped up on my computer I just fell in love. I love the way she is looking at her daddy and the way we are smiling down at her. It just doesn't have the same feel when I crop it (plus she isn't as sharp as I would like, so cropping it just emphasizes that). The issue is hubby's hand holding the remote. How obvious is it? Any ideas on making it better? Is it canvas worthy? I would love to get feedback on this one. Oh, and color or b&w??? Thanks!! =)

Happy Girl

2008-05-20T22:05:00.001-04:00

Smiles & eye contact for the camera aren't easy to come by these days. But the old "peek-a-boo with the door" trick works every time!!

My little sweet pea

2008-05-13T22:21:00.003-04:00

Working on some backlighting , used a little fill flash, still have some blown-out spots... ugh, this is tough! Any tips would be appreciated!

Did manage to get a few keepers, though.

And, I just ordered my first canvas of this first shot... weeee!!

CC is appreciated! Thanks for looking!

Future LPGA'er?

2008-05-07T18:59:00.003-04:00

Since this week's theme is inspiring women, I decided that this would be an appropriate photo.

Female athletes are inspiring women to me. If my daughter wants to be an athlete, I will encourage it and never underestimate where it can take her!

Painting with WaterColors

2008-04-30T13:51:00.001-04:00

Thanks for looking!

Cousins

2008-04-27T14:17:00.002-04:00

My 8 year old niece came to visit this weekend. It was great to have her around to entertain the munchkin... but I was especially pumped to have a willing (and still!) subject to photograph! She was a great little model and really enjoyed "working it" for the camera! The chair photo below is one of my favorites, but I can't decide if I like it better B&W or color. What do you think?

Ending the day with a nice, bubbly, soak in the bathtub!

Thanks for visiting! As always, CC is appreciated! =)

Tulips

2008-04-25T21:36:00.003-04:00

Click to see more detailed version.

Thanks for visiting!!

Silly Girl

2008-04-25T10:17:00.002-04:00

A fun storyboard from an older photo!

Daddy's Little Helper

2008-04-21T21:38:00.002-04:00

Helping daddy wash the car!

Manual. SS 1/200, f/7.1, ISO 200.

CC appreciated.

Nervous, happy toes!

2008-04-20T21:03:00.003-04:00

My best friend's wedding shower was this weekend and I took tons of pictures! Of all of the great "opening presents" shots I took... this one is my favorite from the whole day! She was sitting in a chair opening presents and I noticed that she kept doing this with her feet. I couldn't resist! Oh, and this was my first real attempt at selective coloring using photoshop... I'm still learning and definitely a little rusty!

Thanks for looking! CC is always appreciated!

Exploring her world

2008-04-10T16:30:00.002-04:00

I tried playing with both of these photos in photoshop, I think I like the color version the best, but the black and white has a sweet, calming feel to me. I did a creamy black and white version on the 2nd one. I'm pretty clueless with PSE, hoping to practice, practice, practice, read and practice some more and maybe it will all make a little more sense for me.

Until then, this is all I've got!!

Thanks for stopping by!

The wonder of water

2008-04-09T21:45:00.004-04:00

Look who got a new sand & water table! Playing in the water is so so fun...unfortunately, the water doesn't stay in the table.

Loving this natural light!! CC is appreciated!

Manual: SS 1/640, f/5.6, ISO 200, Sunny WB

Thankful for the SUN!!

2008-04-03T21:03:00.003-04:00

Enjoying some evening fun in the sun!

Thanks for looking!

The girl wears many hats!

2008-03-29T22:09:00.005-04:00

Thanks for looking!

Manual mode. Manual focus- 50mm f/1.8. SS 1/100, f/3.2, ISO 400.

P.S. I'm having some issues with focus... I tend to get one eye in focus while the other is blurry. What's the deal? Any tips?

Keeping the faith...

2008-03-27T21:57:00.004-04:00

... that this winter will eventually fade away and we actually can go outside more than once a week!

I've seen a lot of this in the last 5-6 months:

Just peering out the window...seeing if that cold, nasty white stuff is still there.

Also trying to keep the faith that I will eventually become the photographer that I want to be!

I'm finally starting to figure out back-lighting and learning to expose correctly for my subject. My ISO was 800 (where I tend to keep it indoors), so it's slightly grainy. Is that where I should have it?

CC is appreciated! Thanks for stopping by!

SO POSH!

2008-03-25T21:24:00.004-04:00

Just wearing mommy's hat and scarf! I think she pulled it off pretty well!

Thanks for looking!!

Just waiting on Spring...

2008-03-19T20:49:00.007-04:00

Coloring Eggs

2008-03-18T21:17:00.009-04:00

We colored some eggs for Easter tonight and had a great time! I totally forgot to adjust my white balance and left it in Auto... so the blucky yellow tones are from the overhead light (ugh)!

But, regardless the memories are captured!

Thanks for looking!

I focused on the "green" egg... so, I'm even on theme!!

Manual. SS 1/80, f/5.6, ISO 800, external flash- bounced off ceiling.

50 degrees!

2008-03-13T22:10:00.006-04:00

We got some much needed outdoor play time in today!

And I got to take pictures with natural light, imagine that! It did happen to be direct sunlight, but I'm not complainin'!

Just throwing this one in because I love these little Levi's!

Shot with my 55-200mm. Manual. SS 1/640, f/10, ISO 200

Do they seem overexposed? Some spots seem blown out to me. Any suggestions on how to make these better?

Thanks for stopping in!

Ring Around the Rosy...

2008-03-12T17:27:00.011-04:00

She has recently discovered this little jingle, and man she LOVES it!!

These were all taken with my 50mm, therefore I had to manually focus, so they may not be totally sharp, but I had to capture it nonetheless. Manual mode. SS 1/800, f/6.3, ISO 400

When life gives you snow...

2008-03-09T11:01:00.005-04:00

...put it in the sink and play with it!

A Sign of Spring

2008-03-06T20:24:00.007-05:00

These little bird prints give me hope! Hope that this snow will eventually melt, the temperatures will go above freezing, the sun will come out and the birds will decide to return and actually stay awhile!

Click to enlarge to see them in greater detail.

And just a sweet one of the hubby and baby's hands!

Cropping

2008-03-03T15:21:00.010-05:00

Well, I really stunk at last week's theme of interaction. You would've thought that would have been an easy one for me, seeing as all I do is take pictures of my daughter, trying to capture her interacting and learning about the world around her! I was in a slump... and I'm blaming it on the weather.

Today, however, is a different story! It's March (finally!) and it feels like Spring! It's sunny and in the 60's, the snow is even melting! We decided to get out and play, since we here that it won't be here for long. In true Ohio fashion, the temps are expected to plummet into the 20s tonight. Oh fun.

We went to the park today and did some swinging. Below are some of the action shots. I've included the before and afters, so that you can see the slight cropping I did.

I just finished reading Learning to See Creatively by Bryan Peterson. Great book. I'm trying to work on the composition of my photos, in particular, the rule of thirds. I didn't have a lot of time to think and compose during this photoshoot (the swinging was a little fast!), so I've tried to crop these photos to capture the look that I was after. I wanted her to be the main focus against the pretty blue sky. Besides the cropping, these are all sooc.

CC is appreciated!! Thanks for looking!

Manual. SS 1/500, f/9.0, ISO 200. Fill flash.

Interaction

2008-02-26T16:48:00.005-05:00

After all of the thousands of pictures I've taken of her over the last 17 months, she is finally starting to "interact" with the camera. I told her to smile for the camera... and this is the goofy, wide-eyed grin I got!

And, even though I'm so terribly tired of this winter weather, I actually have to admit that this snow is kinda pretty. Ok, it can go away now.

Sunset

2008-02-25T09:07:00.005-05:00

We had a beautiful sunset last night. I tried to capture the beautiful colors and these are about as close as I could get. It's amazing what a difference under-exposing does! When I followed my camera's meter I got really dull, bright pics. The ISO is the only thing that I really wasn't sure about... I had it set to 1600. Does anyone know if there is a "rule" or standard for this type of shot?

Manual. ss 1/80, f/7.1, ISO 1600

This last one was taken at 800 ISO, 1/50, f/5.1. It was one of the 1st I took, so the colors are a little more pink.

Fun in the Sun... and Snow

2008-02-23T20:54:00.007-05:00

We decided to bundle up and go outside for a bit today, considering that the SUN finally decided to come out! Here are just a few of the many photos I took... loving that natural light! They may be a touch over-exposed, still getting used to shooting in direct sunlight. Any cc is welcome!

This last one is a photo of our weeping cherry in our front yard! Can't wait for this baby to bloom!

All taken with Nikon 55-200mm... this was my

1st time using it.

Thanks for stopping in! =)

Sweet little shapes

2008-02-22T18:53:00.002-05:00

Ten tiny toes...

Ok, so they aren't so tiny anymore. :( My baby is 17 months old today...so hard to believe!

And, as usual, she's playing with mommy's cell phone. It seems like I never get a photo of her without that cell phone anymore! Oh well, at least she sat still long enough for me to capture her sweet little feet!

Aperture Priority Mode. SS 1/80 (1st photo), 1/60 (2nd), F/5.6, ISO 400.

Also, a huge thank you to all of you who voted for my "what is love" photo below, and for all of your sweet comments! It's much appreciated!

And, lastly, for those who asked about the puzzle (see 2 posts down), it's a Melissa & Doug. They make a bunch of different ones and they are perfect for little hands!

Voters Needed!

2008-02-20T22:06:00.004-05:00

I entered the photo below in a "what is love?" photo contest at The Polka Dot Daisy. The winning photo gets made into one of Amy's fabulous custom photo necklaces. I was thrilled to find out that mine was picked as a top ten finalist. The public votes until Sunday evening for the winner. Well, at this point, we, unfortunately, are being blown out of the water! But, with the help of you lovely peas, maybe we can rally back for a triumphant, come from behind victory! Maybe not. But it will still be fun!

If you would like to vote, go here and click on #2!! As a bonus, just for voting, you can also get 40% off one of her custom photo necklaces!

By the way, the photo is of my daughter and husband on our first family vaca this past summer! My hubby is beyond thrilled (*sarcasm*)that I entered a pic of him on the beach into a photo contest! hehe! What can I say, it's one of my faves!

Thanks for visiting & allowing me to campaign!!!

A Shape Puzzle

2008-02-19T19:19:00.007-05:00

As I looked around for some "shapes" to photograph, I came to a seemingly obvious realization.

For the past (almost) 17 months our home has become one full of shapes, colors, songs, tears and laughter. It's amazing how such a little person can change the complete dynamic of a home... this one sure has, but we've loved every minute of it!

Playing with a shape puzzle on a bitterly cold February afternoon...

The Shapes of a Farm

2008-02-18T20:58:00.005-05:00

Ok, so these photos may not be exactly on theme, but I wanted to share them anyway.

I grew up on an 80 acre farm that my sister and her family now live in. I shot these this weekend, just playing around... I'm not much of a landscape/nature photographer, but it was fun nonetheless!

Some things she LOVES...

2008-02-14T21:29:00.006-05:00

1. She loves loves loves her doggie! They are BFFs for sure! Doggie (well, "daw-ee) was actually her first word! They have so much fun together!

2. Loves playing & being silly with her daddy!

3. Loves mommy's cell phone! It looks like she is in an intense convo right now (the only problem is the phone is not facing the right way!)

4. This girl LOVES to read! She could read (or be read to) all day long!

5. And she loves her blankie! She is cuddling with it here! She puts it in the crook of her neck and hugs it so tight!

A Tutu & A Lollipop

2008-02-13T20:57:00.002-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day fellow bloggers!

Shot in manual mode. SS 1/60, f/5.6, ISO 400

For the above photo, I used a super cute template that I won from Trisha at Orange Gecko Designs, isn't it so cute?!

Manual. SS 1/60, f/4.8, ISO 400

Thanks for stopping by!!

My love

2008-02-12T15:55:00.000-05:00

Kylie loves to look outside at the snow. I caught her checking out the white stuff today. I love the reflection and her breath on the cold window!

I hate the cold and snow (especially in February), but I love this little munchkin!

ISO 400, f/6.3, SS 1/60

The D-O-G

2008-02-07T13:11:00.000-05:00

This is Carmen, our 2.5 yr. old YorkiPoo. She is full of energy and can be quite a spaz, but whenever the camera comes out she always looks so calm and innocent! I took advantage of her "posing" to play a little with aperture and manual focusing.

Shot with my 50mm f/1.8. SS 1/60, f/2.8, ISO 800 and external flash.

Aperture & Composition

2008-02-04T20:47:00.001-05:00

Composition is the theme for this week's photography course. It's something that I never consciously thought much about. I've been trying to understand and play with the Rule of Thirds to create more visually-appealing photos. SO, what better excuse to take the kiddo outside with a brand new, bright red slicker to play?

I also tried to stay on this week's theme of Aperture. The last 3 photos showcase this the best- using a large opening I was pretty happy with the results.

For the most part, all of these are SOOC. I don't have Photoshop yet, so I just do a little tweaking in iPhoto.

PLEASE give me any advise or tips that can help me make my photos better!

Thanks for visiting and for all of your feedback! =)

Top 2 photos: Shot in Aperture Priority mode. SS 1/60, f/5.0, ISO 200.

Manual mode. SS 1/80, f/4.8, ISO 200. WB Cloudy

Manual. SS 1/80, f.4.8, ISO 200. WB Cloudy

Manual. SS 1/80, f/5.0, ISO 200, flash.

Aperture & Composition

2008-02-04T20:47:00.000-05:00

I also tried to stay on this week's theme of Aperture. The last 3 photos showcase this the best- using a large opening I was pretty happy with the results.

For the most part, all of these are SOOC. I don't have Photoshop yet, so I just do a little tweaking in iPhoto. PLEASE give me any advise or tips that can help me make my photos better!

Thanks for visiting and for all of your feedback! =)

Top 2 photos: Shot in Aperture Priority mode. SS 1/60, f/5.0, ISO 200.

Manual mode. SS 1/80, f/4.8, ISO 200. WB Cloudy

Manual. SS 1/80, f.4.8, ISO 200. WB Cloudy

Manual. SS 1/80, f/5.0, ISO 200, flash.

Hearts!

2008-01-30T12:14:00.000-05:00

Just playing around with Conversation Hearts, my macro lens, and tripod! Trying to work on my focus, depth of field and light all at the same time!

And I stuck with the theme, too... both vertical and horizontal shots!

1st pic: Aperture Priority mode. ISO 800, f/5.6, 1/125

2nd pic: AP mode. ISO 400, f/2.5, 1/500

3rd pic: AP mode, ISO 400, f/2.5, 1/500

Any feedback is appreciated!! Thanks for stopping by!

Lesson 4: Fill Flash

2008-01-30T11:43:00.000-05:00

After reading/studying lesson 4 of the "12 weeks to better pictures" course, I realized that a flash is not always a bad thing and by using one outdoors can greatly improve my pics by brightening up those dark areas and eliminating the unwanted shadows. By using a flash on this cold, gray, snowy winter day, I was able to capture much better and brighter pics!

The first pic was taken with no flash, the second is with the flash.

Both taken in Aperture Priority mode and ISO 200. 1st pic: f/4.0, SS 1/1600; 2nd pic: f/4.8, SS 1/500

Aperture Priority mode. No flash. ISO 200, f/6.3, SS 1/400.

Aperture Priority mode. With flash. ISO 200, f/6.3, SS 1/320. No more distracting shadows!! WOO HOO!

Thanks for checking them out!!

Vertical

2008-01-28T10:39:00.000-05:00

My take on "Vertical"... I will leave "Horizontal" for another day (when I can think of something to shoot!). This pic is of the railing on our deck. I thought it looked kinda cool with the sun just coming up and hitting it.

And this is just a vertical shot of the little one checking out the great outdoors!

Kinda boring... but, thanks for looking! =)

LOVE

2008-01-24T17:20:00.001-05:00

I've seen photos like this before and have always wanted to try it. With this week's theme being WORDS, I figured it was a good time to try! I just walked around my house and looked at everyday objects that could also double as a letter (ok, so I cheated with the O, it is actually an O taken from a word plaque). The L is a little funky, I wish I could have shot it from straight on, but I was getting a nasty reflection in the picture.

I then made it into a Storyboard for the first time in Photoshop (PSE6- free trial for one month, I'm trying it out to see if I need it... I think I do!). What do you think? Let me know how I could improve it. I wanted to do a dark background, thicker borders, etc., but like I said, I'm an amateur!

The Most Important Words

2008-01-21T11:38:00.000-05:00

This week's theme is WORDS. I took this literally and photographed actual words. These words mean the most to me... Family & Faith!

Shot in Manual mode. SS 1/60, f/5.0, ISO 1600 (hence the graininess!)

Shot in Manual mode. SS 1/160, f/9.0, ISO 200

Thanks for stopping by!

Week 3: Photoshop (er, iPhoto) Techniques

2008-01-14T21:03:00.000-05:00

Unfortunately, I don't have Photoshop... yet! Hoping to get PE6 soon, but until then I'm using my iPhoto editing tools to spice up my pics!

Let me know what you think!! Thanks for looking!

After: The above was a little underexposed, so I tweaked the exposure and contrast. Also, increased highlights and shadows and sharpened. Not a big difference, but I like the way her eyes pop in the After shot.

The above pic, I lightened up, added more contrast and increased saturation. I then added an Antique finish.

These are just some other faves...

Thanks for checking them out!!

Photography Lesson 2: Shutter Speed

2008-01-14T17:12:00.000-05:00

1st photo: Slow Shutter Speed- blurs action

SS 1/50, f/8.0, ISO 400

2nd Photo: Fast Shutter Speed- Freezes Action

SS 1/500, f/4.5, ISO 400. I used the flash on this one because I didn't have quite enough light and I wanted to see the effect. My camera knocked the shutter speed down to 500.

3rd Photo: SS 1/1000, f/4.8, ISO 1600

Thanks for looking... Let me know what you think!!

Photography Lesson 1: Aperture

2008-01-08T11:24:00.000-05:00

Practicing Aperture!

All 3 photos were shot in Aperture-Priority mode, the 1st at f/stop 4.2, 2nd at f/stop 8, and the 3rd photo was stopped down to f/22. You can see the dof change, but it probably would have been more obvious with my 50mm lens that has a more wide open aperture.

Week 2: Focus into 2008

2008-01-07T09:13:00.000-05:00

For Christmas, I received a Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 lens to go with my Nikon D40. It requires manual focus (with my cam) and so I have been practicing and practicing to get that focus as sharp as possible. Here are a few pics practicing that sharpness, and also playing with Manual mode.

Let me know what you think!

Profile: Shot in Manual: Shutter 1/80, f/5.6, ISO 400

Toys: Manual Mode: No flash, Shutter speed 1/80, f/2.5, ISO 400

Ducky: Shot in manual mode- no flash, shutter 1/25, f/1.8, ISO 800

Week 1: Hats off to 2008

2008-01-06T19:47:00.000-05:00

So, this is my first post as I begin this new journey on a year to better picures! I decided to join this "challenge" for fun and to, hopefully, learn a little and become a better (and more diverse) photographer!

As it stands now, my most frequent subject is my 15 month old daughter... *maybe* this challenge will give her a break from the lens every once in a while.

Just had to sneak one of the kiddo in...

Representing our Ohio State Buckeyes who will play in the National Championship game tomorrow night!

Go Buckeyes!

Themes!!

2008-01-05T22:12:00.000-05:00

2008 POTD (or, week!) Challenge Themes

12/31- Hats off to the New Year
1/7- Focus into 2008
1/14- Photoshop (B&A, Techniques, etc)
1/21- Words
1/28- Vertical vs. Horizontal
2/4- Aperture 2/11- Love
2/25- Interaction
3/3- Cropping
3/10- Animals
3/17- The color green
3/24- Faith
3/31- Spring
4/7- Natural light
4/14- Guess this
4/21- Children
4/28- Water
5/5- Important women in our lives
5/12- Catchlights
5/19- Happiness
5/26- Flowers
6/2- Using flash
6/9- Important men in our lives
6/16- Windows
6/23- Summer
6/30- Patriotic
7/7- Rule of thirds
7/14- Landscapes
7/21- Nature
7/28- Sunflare
8/4- B/W vs. Color
8/11- Reflections
8/18- Lines
8/25- Family
9/1- Shutter speed
9/8- Vehicles
9/15- Architecture
9/22- Shadows
9/29- Autumn
10/6- Panning
10/13- Pathways
10/20- Graveyards
10/27- Halloween
11/3- Angles
11/10- Your choice
11/17- On the road
11/24- What are you thankful for?
12/1- Portraits
12/8- Food
12/15- Winter
12/22- Christmas
12/29- Favorite moments of 2008