This child:

• Affectionate
• Kind
• Restrained
• Delightful
• Self-Assured
• Clever
• Radiant
• Laid-back
• Playful
• Animal lover
• Charming

and very, very Precious....

One of the best things about living in our neighborhood is that we're surrounded by kids, literally. They are everywhere! And as just about any parent who has finished raising kids can attest to, it is lovely to be able to spend time with them....but then it is also very lovely to be able to send them home to their parents as well ;) All the fun, none of the responsibility!







Also, a quick update on the baby who's pictures I posted last week. She is doing fabulous, was released from the hospital a day or two earlier than anticipated, and her recovery thus far has been smooth sailing for all :)

Little Miss P

Our neighbor's 5 month old daughter is under going brain surgery tomorrow to repair bones in her skull that have fused together. For up to a year after that she'll need to wear a helmet to help her head to grow symmetrically.

With everything that's going on in their lives right now, in preparation, they had the forsight to ask me to take some photos of Miss P while she is un-helmeted. So, we did a very impromptu "session" yesterday, and no....I'm not shooting for hire again ;)

If you could spare some good thoughts for P and her parents tomorrow, I know they'd appreciate it!

The background is an absolutely stunning quilt that P's talented aunt made for her, and was important to include in the photos. I love the vibrant colors!

The obligatory Valentine posting....

I know, it's a cliche photo, but I was just playing with the Lensbaby. So....do you prefer black and white, or PINK?

Fritallaria

Dusted off my macro lens - even though I was tempted to play with the Lensbaby some more ;)

Love the way nature made a checkerboard on these. I don't know any other flower that looks even remotely like them!



And with a retro(ish) feel to them...

Lemonade out of lemons

January simply is not a good month in Seattle for shooting macros outdoors. IF (and that's a big if) it stops raining enough to want to go outside, there is still the waterlogged ground to contend with, especially if you want to shoot these little guys which grow to a height of about 4". The flower itself is about 3/4 of an inch. Since the stem is so slender, if you get the slightest breeze they move out of the frame!

Snowdrops are one of the first bulbs to bloom - hence the "snow" in their name), and are such a welcome sight in the dead of winter.

So, what's a girl to do? Well, if you're me, you go to the nursery and buy a pot of them for $4 and shoot them in your warm, dry, non-windy office ;) Now granted, the background isn't as interesting as shooting them outdoors....but it's better than nothing!

Lensbaby with +4 macro filter and F4 aperture ring. ISO 400, SS 1/100, hand held.

One of Mom's teacups

My Mom had quite a teacup collection....and it meant a lot to her. Cups given to her by her Aunts, her Mother in Law, and other friends and relatives. Old cups, newer cups.....all kinds of tea cups :) For a long time they were displayed in her kitchen, but when she moved over the summer, I put them on the wall directly above her desk. She loved having them there, front and center, and commented on them often.

Now I have them, and to be honest, I don't know what to do with them. I have 4 of them in our small china "cabinet" and the rest are boxed in the garage for now. I'm really not a teacup sort of girl, but they are a difficult thing to consider re-homing since they held a significant place in her heart.

Anyhow, just played with the Lensbaby (yes again) on this dark and gloomy January day. Tried to "fool" the world into feeling bright and spring-like with this image.

Window light. F 2.0, ISO 800, SS 1/60. Handheld.

Combining three of my favorite things...

Snow Day - check
Beading - check
Photography (with the Lensbaby) - check

It's a good day :)

Many of you have seen these Wrapped Cord Bracelets all over the internet. Some of them sell for upwards of $200 and more. When I saw the directions, I knew they could'nt be that hard to make, so I headed over to my local bead shop and picked up some inexpensive supplies for my first try. I used 6mm Red Creek Jasper, 1.5mm waxed cotton cord, size D beading thread, and an inexpensive pewter button.

You can find great directions at the Fusion Beads website - which happens to be my local bead shop: FUSION BEADS. Just look under "Beading Techniques."

I had hoped to make it a 5 wrap, but ended up a little shy of beads so it wraps 4 times. Very easy to make, a little time consuming but a relaxing activity that doesn't take much thought. I can't wait to find some amazing buttons for closures, and some new beads for my next one!

And of course since the Lensbaby is still new(ish) to me, I had to use it for shooting the photos :)



and because it wouldn't be a post without me macroing something:



And so you can see what it kind of looks like when it's just hanging around:

Headshot out-takes

As promised, a few of the out-takes from Colin's session. I have a few more gems, but since these images could follow him around online in perpetuity, my better judgement got the best of me. So....they'll stay safely on my hard drive. Since I didn't want to take the time to edit them they're just in a quick B&W.

If you'll notice, I do have him trained well. NEVER take your eyes of the camera, no matter what ;)

Hope they give you a chuckle!

Annoying the cat

I wanted to see just HOW sharp the Lensbaby can be if I get the tilt and focus just right, and what better subject than our uncooperative cat. Usually I can't get any eye contact at ALL from her, so I consider this very fortunate.

The result. WHEN I get the tilt and focus right, the sharpness is pretty darned good! All shot with the 2.8 aperture ring (due to it being such a dark day). I'm looking forward to some brighter days so I can try out some of the other aperture rings.

Meet S'mores :) The best cat ever. She's pretty much half dog.....so lovable, but still independent like a cat should be. She's 10 years old (60 in human years) and spends the winter months basically relaxing indoors. Come warmer, drier weather she heads outdoors and acts like a kitten again!

This first one was shot at 1600ISO....I always forget that unlike the olden days, cameras now handle higher ISOs so much better, so it's a pleasant surprise when I shoot at 800 and above.



She loves perching on the windowsill of the office. From the second floor it gives her a birds eye view of our block:



Didn't get both eyes in focus :( but I still like this one for some reason.

The headshot Gods were not working with us....

....however, we persevered!

Some of you may have been reading this blog since way back when. Can you believe that it's now almost time for Colin to graduate college? He needs headshots for his NYC showcase, and to get him going until he finds an agent who might want them done differently.

We had been planning to do them for months, and they were planned for the day after he got home for break last month since he had oral surgery scheduled for a few days after that.

Unfortunately, the morning after he got home he woke up with an eye infection! Which by the way he is still dealing with after 3 doctor visits and almost 4 weeks later (boo hiss).

So, they got postponed until he was able to pop his contacts in for an hour or so and not have major issues. He didn't want them done with his glasses on.

Of course, during that 12 day period of not being able to take his headshots the weather was dry, and really quite nice for outdoor shots (which he prefers).

Two days before he left to go back to Michigan it was "do or die." And raining. Sometimes heavily, sometimes off and on. GRRRRRR. We tried going out to Pioneer Square, the oldest area of Seattle with lovely old buildings....but the rain was just too much, so back to the house we went.

Colin was clear that he didn't want studio lighting, so we took these in the garage with natural light.

Now, I know that sounds like a lot of "qualifying" but honestly. I just want to remember what a fiasco this was.

To top everything off, as a result of the surgery, he had large greenish yellow bruises below each cheek, and also stitches in his gums which we were visible when he smiled. I had to edit both out, and removing the color of those bruises without turning the cheeks white was quit a task!

So anyhow, I don't know which he'll choose, the faculty will help him with it. He will likely end up with 4 to use depending in what he's going in for. A "legit" (non-smiling) with facial hair, a "commercial" (smiling) with facial hair....as well as one of each without facial hair. Below are my favorites. I've got some fun out-takes too which I'll post (much to Colin's chagrin) another day :)









And it stopped raining long enough for me to shoot a couple of 3/4 shots for me. That smile is infectious!

Just workin' on finding the sweet spot

Yes, I know these are pretty static...but for right now I'm just focusing (he he) on learning how to manipulate the "sweet spot" on this lens.

Love how completely different these two owls are. The Mickey one I got a few years ago, he lives in my office. The second I got as a tree decoration this year, but he may stay out in the office as well. Although......dusting those feathers could be a major pain.

Both taken with the F2.8 disc in the lensbaby and with the +4 filter.

Got a new toy :)

I've rented this, debated it, went back and forth on it, and then Brett gave it to me (along with the macro filters...of course).



Woo hoo.....!

I finally got a chance to play with it a bit today. I'm keeping the tree up for another day or two just so I can practice on some of the ornaments.

Our Scottish Santa (to commemorate our trip to Edinburgh this year) with the +4 macro filter:



And this cute guy with no filters:



For those unfamiliar with what a Lensbaby is, it's a lens with a ball and socket mechanism, similar to (but much less expensive than) a tilt-shift lens. It allows for very selective focus, and lots of creativity! It's a challenge to learn (along with having to manually focus), but I am so excited to have something new to play with :) Thanks Brett!

Make sure to look down from time to time....

London again. Love how nicely they remind you to watch where the heck you're going:



When we got off the tube (can't recall which stop) there was this metal "map" on the ground surrounding a flag pole. It told the story of London over the years. If the guys hadn't been with me I would have shot it all. Didn't realize how many cigarette butts and gum there was on the ground until I had to clone it all out ;)

London, March 2011

Yeah, ok....so I'm behind. Really behind. Quite honestly I just didn't have the desire to work on these until now.

Colin spent a semester studying theatre in London last winter/spring, so of course Brett and I had to go out and visit! I had spent several days there on my own a LONG time ago. Brett had never been, so there was a lot of exploring to do. We also spent 4 days in Edinburgh (LOVE). It was a very fun time, and it was so amazing to see how Colin had easily made London his "home."

The first full day we went to the Tower of London. Just a few snaps from there....

My handsome men :)


And just because I ran across this recently. A photo of them in 2005. Notice how they stand in the exact same way :) They've aged well dontcha think?!?


It is very rare to have all three of us in a photo together!


Just goofing around (thanks for humoring me Colin)


a lovely vignette inside:

The most meaningful iPhone photo ever - a very personal post

Never did I think the camera in my phone would be so important to me, but without it, I never would have gotten this shot of my Mom. The last photo of her. She died on October 9th. I took this after I took her for a haircut just a couple of weeks prior to that.

She hated having her picture taken....even more than I do. Had I pulled out the "big gun" no way - no how would she have let me take a picture. But....my phone was OK ;)

This is so her. LLBean mock turtleneck (she had this exact shirt in probably 12 colors), fleece vest, reading glasses latched into the top of her shirt. My Mom's "look" in a nutshell.

My Mom was diagnosed with esophageal cancer on June 3rd of this year. After many many doctor visits, even more tests, she made the decision to forgo radiation or chemo (surgery was not an option) and live the remainder of her life on her terms. With her underlying health issues there were just too many opportunities for severe complications. She didn't want to spend the rest of her life shuttling to appts, hospital stays, only to *maybe* extend her life a few months.

I have so much admiration for her. It was an incredibly difficult decision to make. I feel very fortunate to have been there for her every step of the way. I became her right hand, and thankfully I have an amazing husband and an equally amazing son who were there for both of us.

We were able to talk about anything and everything those last few months. There was never a sense of urgency to it, just the knowledge that this was the time to put everything to rest, and to give us both the chance to know all we could about each other.

I never in my life thought I could do this. It was the most difficult time in my life, and considering we lost my sister just a year ago, that's saying a lot. I am so very grateful we had this time together, and that I was able to care for her. I have been changed profoundly. I always thought I'd want to go quickly like my Dad did. Now I don't think so. I want to have that last time with my family, sharing, laughing, crying, understanding each other in ways never thought possible. Making those deep and meaningful connections. She died with her grace and dignity intact, as she wished.

I've also learned a lot about human nature. Been very disappointed by those I thought were close to her/me. I have close blood relatives who still have not acknowledged/mentioned her illness let alone her death in any way, even though I have spoken with them since, and given them things of my Mom's. Isn't that just the oddest thing? My Mom was so hurt, and I still hurt for her. I try to get inside their heads to figure out why that is, but I just cannot wrap my brain around it in any way, shape, or form.

On the other hand, we both had some amazing people in our lives the last few months. Kind, understanding, and caring doctors and other health care providers. An amazing Hospice team...most notably the social worker who really helped my Mom and I to "get" each other and understand that the physical things going on with my Mom were not unusual, nor were the emotional things. And I need to mention my husband again who pretty much held down the fort for 4 months. As well as my son who was there for both my Mom and me. Never thought I'd be crying on the phone with my 21 YO, you know? I love them both more than ever.

Wow this is an epic post and a bit on the rambling side...sorry! I miss my Mom something fierce. But, I am doing ok, really I am.

My lovely Mother, Sandra Dreiling Nolte. And once again, I have to say thank you iPhone for having a camera in your phone :)

Black and white Mums

Backlit

Reminds me of Christmas for some reason. From the conservatory the other day :)

iShot!

Yes, I know.....it's been a while...again. With good reason though. I'll explain another time.

So, I dusted off the camera, checked it out, realized that it had been so long that both my camera batteries were dead. OIY! Gave them both about 15 minutes each (happy to have two chargers) thinking that would be enough to get me through a short visit to the conservatory. Not so much. I'll be better prepared next time.

It was so dark and rainy, I had to shoot at very high ISOs. But truly, that wasn't the excuse for getting very few keepers. The real reason is that I simply am out of practice. All that said, it felt SO damned good to pick up the camera again!

Here are couple I liked, I'll share a few more in a day or two.

Summer time???

I haven't been shooting much which bums me out no end. Decided I would yesterday after Colin left to go back to Ann Arbor, and after I got some yard work done, but by that time the wind had kicked up like mad. It's still windy here today, but I think I might just pick some stuff from the garden and shoot it indoors instead. While everyone else in the US is sweltering in the heat, we had a non-existant spring, and summer is shaping up to do the same :/ the temp outside is currently 62 degrees, and we've been dodging rain for months on end.

One of our new stations reported that we have had 78 minutes (yes minutes) of temps at 80 degrees this year. Pathetic, isn't it? And even the 70's are hard to come by.

I MISS SHOOTING!

These are from a few weeks ago:

More Sea Holly .....thank you Pat!

I knew it was "Sea" something, but when I googled I couldn't find it, so thank you Pat for putting me out of my misery! This is the color I am used to seeing them....so the blue one I posted yesterday, I'm not sure if I just don't get out much, or if it's unusual :)