30 Day Photography Challenge: Day 19 | Something Orange

Orange has always been one of my all-time favorite colors.  In high school I painted some of the walls in my bedroom orange.  I had orange on my cell phone, orange blankets on my bed, even wore orange tops that I wore (I later found out how that color didn't look nearly as good on me as I thought.  But I still loved it.)  

There is something about the color orange that just makes me... happy.  I can't explain it.  It is warm.  Welcoming.  Yummy and rich.  To this day I still love the color orange, though I don't deck myself and all my belongings out in it nearly as much as I once did.

So why was it so hard to do my challenge today?
I literally had no idea what to do for it.
Nada.

Finally I gave in to my little boy.  I handed him some orange crayons, put him in an orange top, and let him go at it.  He loves to color.  Just before these photos he was coloring all over his hands with a pen.  (Yes, I washed it all off.  It was just too distracting.)  When mommy even let him climb up to sit on the table, he got even more excited.  We never let him sit on the table, so this was a treat.

His favorite coloring game?
I draw bubbles, and he races to "pop" them (aka color them in.)  That is what we are doing in my main shot I chose for today.  Popping orange bubbles.

Let me tell you though, this was a challenge today.  Orange reflects.  On everything.  What with the morning sun, the light wood table, the orange crayons, orange shirt, overhead lighting... Coloring was a headache with these.  I finally threw my hands up and just let them be.  Let them have an orange overtone, it is all something orange today.  I am sure there was an easy trick to avoid or correct this headache.  But honestly. I am tired today and could barely think straight.

So, orange it is.
Still, isn't he just too cute?

30 Day Photography Challenge: Day 18 | Your Shoes

Unlike the stereotypical girl who has a closet filled to the brim with every shoe imaginable, I have never been the biggest shoe nut.  Don't get me wrong.  I love shoes.  And I do have a good selection of pretty foot coverings at my disposal.  But when it all comes down to it, I tend to op for the comfy running shoe or simple flip flop over anything else.

My friend Heidi has decided to stop at nothing else to ban my flip flops.  It's true:  They aren't the cutest shoe.  Unless you are on the beach, they tend to be far from photogenic.  So, with help from her insisting, I have actually been working on upgrading my shoe collection.

I could see this turning into a very bad habit.

For today's challenge, I decided to photograph my current flats collection.  I love flats.  Simple and comfy like flip flops, with actuall feminine flair.  (Though after doing this challenge I have realized I need more colors than just blue and black, and one floral.  Hmm...)

It was fun running up and down the stairs, positioning my shoes, snapping the shots.  I think my neighbors are starting to get used to this crazy woman who stands outside to photograph the sky directly overhead, tramples through the bushes, poses on the lawn in front of their living room windows... and now photographs shoes on the staircase.  Shame is something photographers are just not allowed.


Oh, and while on the topic of shoes, here's a tip for photographers:

• Invest in a good pair of shoot worthy shoes.  I mean sturdy, good traction, comfy and flexible.  Running shoes tend to do best.  I have a pair of black ones that currently get slapped on my feet for every shoot.  Trust me, you need it.  I did a shoot once in flip flops, and it ended badly.  Very, very badly.  (That deserves a post of its own... ouch.)

Thank you Heidi for giving me a new addiction.  Time for a shoe run?  I think so!

30 Day Photography Challenge: Day 17 | Technology

I had great plans for today's challenge.  Great, awesome plans.  But, true to how technology is, my plans hit a blue screen of "creative death" and just didn't work.  So I had to hit restart and try something else.

My hubby is a total computer nut.  He builds his own tower.  Drools over metal and plastic parts that mean nothing to me.  Spends most of his free time with his true love (aka the computer) and I honestly do not think he could live without.

Don't get me wrong.  I love technology.  Obviously.
But I cannot compete with him.

I originally aimed for some macro shots of a spare motherboard we happen to have lying around.  (Yes, we have spares like that everywhere.) While the shots were interesting, they turned out to be far from what I had envisioned.  So I scraped the idea.  Sat back... thought... had a hard drive mental failure... hit my head a few times... Then finally the photo came to me.

Out came my typewriter.  And a mouse.  And voila, there she was!  This was inspired by a photo I have hanging over my desk that I bought online.  While I love it, I always think that I could easily get a similar shot myself.  If not to show off, just for fun.  So today became the day.

And of course it called for a vintage edit.  It is a typewriter.  Duh.

After I got the shot, I decided to play around with a stack of towers we have sitting in the living room.  See?  Computer nut.  That's my husband.  Who else would have towers laying around?  He is working on digging into them and building a working computer for a friend.  When I saw them I knew I needed a shot.

Technology has come such a long way.  So long, that now we cannot live without it.  Remember when computers were solely word processors?  With floppy disks that actually flopped?  Or (okay, past my time here) when the computer was something called... a typewriter?  Remember writing with a pen?

Where will technology take us next?
I bet I could ask my hubby and he would give a good prediction...

 And, for fun... The line up of some technology evolution:

30 Day Photography Challenge: Day 16 | Long Exposure

Long exposure can be quite a fun trick to play with.
We all see those amazing photos of night cityscapes, misty water, spinning stars...  All of those are thanks to long exposure photography.  I have always been a fan of this technique.  It was one of many reasons I wanted my DSLR.  Then I got my trusty Canon... and have yet to really learn how to master long exposure.

Sad.

While I would have loved to get a more dramatic, awe-inspiring shot for this day's challenge, mommyhood came into play.  And the lack of a second car.  And hubby working late.  And... Pottermore.  (Oh, don't even get me started on that!)

I decided to try a ghost image.  I have seen this here and there, and wanted one for myself.  We have a mirror hanging on the wall in our living room.  Once my kiddos were asleep, I set up my tripod (man am I happy I bought it!) and set to playing around.


Tricks for long exposure photography?

- Tripod!  Any shake can blur the shot.  So tripod it up!
- Set camera to timer mode (if you're like me and don't own a remote) Again: Shake is bad.
- Low ISO.  My camera goes to 100.  So there it stayed!
- Closed f-stop (aperature).  For my main shot I set mine to f11
- Open that shutter!  My shutter was set at 13".  That is 13 seconds of holding that baby open.

What did I do next?
Played hide and seek with my camera of course!

I set my focus then hit the trigger.  The timer counted down then *click* the shutter opened.  I stood in place for a few seconds, then quickly ducked out of frame and let the camera finish taking the shot.

The result was a ghost image of myself taking a photo.  Love it!

(Though now that I look at it, I should have straightened that slip cover.  Hmm...)

After this, I am itching for a chance to go explore long exposure even more.  As fun as the ghost shot was, I am dying to get some great night photos and water shots.  Add that to my list of musts!

30 Day Photography Challenge: Day 15 | Silhouette

I am not going to lie:  I wasn't feeling the creative flow today.

I have been on a roll so far this month, biting at the bit each day to share my challenge captures.  Today... was another story.  It is rare that I don't want to pick up my camera.  So rare that the few times it does happen, I feel like I better go admit myself for a mental evaluation.  I must be crazy.

Sadly, today was one of those days.

Silhouettes are something I am still learning how to capture.  While it is easy to get them in front of a setting sun, it seems that all other places become much more of a challenge.  I love silhouette shots.  Adore them.  But I still am feeling weak when it comes to capturing the image myself.

I let my youngest climb up to sit on the window sill.  Something we never let the kiddos do.  Oh, he thought it was the most exciting thing ever.  I quickly snapped my shots, enjoyed seeing him giggle, then called it done.

Even my chosen picture for today isn't a full silhouette.  Still, I was at least happy with it.  Mostly.  And the fact that it is a shot of my adorable little boy makes it worth the grumbling I did nonstop in Lightroom.

If any of you out there have any silhouette tips and tricks, dump them on me!  I am all... eyes.

Here are two more photos from today, just because I love that little man.

30 Day Photography Challenge: Day 14 | Eyes

One thing I am needing to learn to do more is focusing on the eyes.  I have been working on making sure to work on that more lately, and once this challenge came up I knew I needed it.  Focusing on the eyes draws the viewers attention it.  It sharpens the photo and adds that dramatic oomph that every shot needs.  While I know I have been doing better on this, there is always room for improvement!

Today my family joined some close friends and headed out to enjoy the local Tulip Festival.  I have never been to one, and was very excited to see the colors.  It was gorgeous!  (I took so many photos... I will make a post just for those soon!)

My boys ran off, more interested in the toys and going crazy than enjoying the flowers.  So, amidst the macro and landscape crazed shooting, I "forced" my friend Heidi to let me use her as my challenge guinea pig.

I actually took some cute shots of her little girl as well.  What a doll, with gorgeous blue eyes.  As much as I do love the ones I got of her, I decided to go with this one of Heidi.  How could I not?  It emphasizes her gorgeous eyes.  Which are not only reflecting me, but also reflecting the colors of the tulips behind me.  Lovely.

Eyes can say so much about a person.  They should always be showcased.  Praised.  And adoringly stared into.  It is no lie that eyes are windows to the soul.

And I can tell you this:  Heidi has a gorgeous soul.

Thank you Heidi for letting me photograph you!

Here is a black and white copy of the same photo above.  I love it, and almost chose it as my main one for the day.  There is one more photo as well, just because she is beautiful.

30 Day Photography Challenge: Day 13 | Yourself With 13 Things

Today's challenge was easy.  And hard.

Easy because I knew exactly what my 13 things would be.  I love books.  I eat, sleep, and breathe books.  Heck, I even write books!  My bedroom is literally filled to the brim with books.  I knew I wanted photos with some of my favorite reads.  My only disappointment was it was supposed to be 13 things... not hundreds of things.

I love books.

As for the hard part...
Hard because it is self-photography.  I love taking photos of other people.  But once I am placed in front of the camera, I become a huge self-conscience blob.  More often than not I will act goofy and crazy, just because it all boils down to how I hate how I look.  Yes, I do.

I am a woman.

Along with that, it is all aim and guess.  I can't get down in the grass or climb the tree to get the shot I want.

Still, I had to complete this challenge.  While my youngest slept, my oldest and I went out to the tiny back stretch of grass our apartment has. (There isn't even a playground here.  Sad right?) I threw out a blanket, set up my books, and hoped for the best.  The grass was still soggy from yesterday's freak downpour, my shoes became muddy, and the lighting was what you expect for 2pm.

Still, I feel happy with my final product.

Of course, if you ask my son, he took the photos.  He was very excited to help and stood behind the camera, watching as the self-timer clicked down then snapped photos of his mommy.  I even got told I am pretty.  (He is learning young how to compliment a woman.)

My dream someday is to have my own personal library in my home.  Floor to ceiling bookshelves, jam-packed with amazing reads.  I will most likely never leave that room.  And I will be in heaven.

Here are a few more photos of me with my obsession:

My son wanted to be in the photos too, pajamas and all.
How could I say no to the world's best assistant and fellow book fanatic?