Chicago was great!

But the weather....not so much :( It was so gray, and windy, and cold during our visit. I didn't get any fabulous photos, in fact they're so uninspiring that I haven't even edited them yet. Maybe tomorrow. We were running like mad, and are seriously sleep deprived, but I would do it again in a heartbeat. Actually, I'd really like to go back and just be a tourist for a week. So many things to see and do there.

This was a very quick trip that only came up a couple of weeks ago. Colin has been very involved in helping to put together a community service project with the Seattle Police department to help combat gang violence, and he was selected to be one of 2 students to go to Chicago to help present the project to a conference of 300 police chiefs from around the country. An honor to be sure, and he did a great job! I would have been nervous as all get out, but he (as always) was calm, cool, collected, and articulate.

Besides that, we spent an entire day and evening at Northwestern University (one of his top college choices), saw the musical "The Color Purple," did a very, VERY quick shopping trip on the Magnificent Mile, and had an "architectural harbor tour.

Back to reality here.....

Today was perfect weather here for shooting. Lightly overcast, 60-ish degrees, and only a slight breeze that I could work around. So, I drove over to the Bellevue Botanical Gardens. I've never been there before (other than for the Christmas Lights display this past December). It is beautiful, and huge, and FREE. I will have to go back often. Quite a few people wandering around with their tripods and macro lenses, I felt right at home amongst them!

Here are a few pics from today:







Wish I had a shallower DOF on this one :(

Flash photos

This week's macro lesson was all about using flash. For frontlighting, sidelighting and backlighting. Unfortunately, I don't have a cord for my flash, so I can't use it off camera, so I was only able to complete the first part of the assignment.

Yesterday I took lots of azalea pics. I would take the image properly exposed with no flash, then with the flash dialed to -1, -2 and -3, and compare the images. For the most part, using -2 worked well in the lighting I was working in. Though I do think it's all dependent on the look you're going for, and the lighting you're working in. I use a "Flip-it" for diffusing, and these were taken with the reflector going straight up.

Here's an image without flash:


And the same image, same settings, with:


Besides changing the overall lighting and color, can you see how it evens out the contrast a bit? It's subtle, but effective.

A few more with flash. The shadows would have been clipped (or nearly clipped) without the flash, and I like the way it pulls up the details in the center of the flowers. I think I will be using the flash much more often now.:








And a "Bleeding Heart," no flash:


And with that, Colin and I are off to Chicago for a few days. I have to be up at 3 am, ugh. It's supposed to be really rainy there :( I'm hoping the weather forecast is wrong. Enjoy the rest of your week!

A year's progression

So as I was editing a few more of the tulip pics I took last week, I got to thinking about last year's tulip festival pics as well. At that time I had JUST started being interested in photography. When I got back from the fields, I remember being so disappointed in the images I captured, but didn't quite understand the whys and how-tos, to get the shots I wanted. Now, this year's pics are far from perfect, and the more experienced I get at photography, the more critical I am of my own work, but, they are a far cry from last year's. I've posted a few from both years below. Hopefully, next year, I'll be able to see even more improvement!

A few from my visit up to the fields last week (more were posted a few days ago)....


Do you prefer this next one with the path in the background, or just more tulips in the background? Used my flash on -1 on these two, yay me for using it outdoors!





And a few from last year:








I've also come to a realization about macros recently. I much prefer shooting outdoors, where I find the flowers/leaves/whatever in their natural setting, than I do setting things up indoors. The only problem is that I hate carrying around my tripod with me, so I end up hand holding, and in turn giving up some of the sharpness I would get if I used the tripod. Maybe as I get better, I'll finally start going to the trouble of hauling it around with me......

This week's lesson in my macro class is about using fill flash. I've practiced a bit, and will post a few tomorrow. I definitely can see HOW it is beneficial as I've been practicing. I think the next part of photography I really want to tackle is REALLY learning flash. For some reason, because I am not comfortable with it, I've decided I don't like it, and in turn don't spend the time learning it well. It's time to buckle down and get better!

Ok, enough rambling.....thanks for reading!

First time using the macro lens as a portrait lens...

...and it is fabulous! It's one of the reasons I bought the 105 instead of the 60, just hadn't had the motivation to try it.

It was just gorgeous out today, so Brett and I went to the arboretum for a bit this afternoon. I wanted to practice backlighting, so took a few very quick pics of him. It was so nice to have him with me, I love it when we can just get out for a bit on the weekends and relax and talk. Usually when I go on the weekdays there is no one around, and it gets a little uncomfortable being down all these back paths and secluded places all alone.

F 3.3


And the rhododendrons are starting to bloom:




And an uncooperative male duck. Had some focusing issues with this, not enough contrast between his eye and the feathers around it, and he wouldn't be still for anything!

Another actor's headshot

This girl knows how to carry herself well, hard to believe she's a high school junior. A natural beauty too, just a touch of mascara, so far as I can tell, no other makeup. Wish she had done something with her hair (showed up with it thrown on top of her head and I did the best I could with it), but we can't have everything. This is the one she selected. Used a combination of window light and my flash bouncing off a reflector. Have I mentioned lately how much I hate flash? ;)

Tulips fields

I went up to the tulip fields today, been meaning to all month, and finally did. Had to dodge the sunshine quite a bit, as it was a sunny day (YAY!). I had meant to leave home between 6:30 and 7 am, but didn't actually get out of the house until 8:15...and got up there about 9:45. I debating going back up on Monday, but if so, really early this time. Anyone local want to go? I need to find a local photography club or something to do this stuff with.

Have only peeked at about half of what I took, and nothing I got wows me, but here are a few (ok, more than a few) anyhow:

Poppies

Been patiently waiting for these to open up to start shooting them. Had to dodge raindrops, sun, clouds and wind today. Actually it's been that way for a week now. Just when it's looking good outside, it will start sprinkling out, or the wind blows like mad, or both. Grrrr.

Did finally bring one in for a few shots as well. Not sure how I feel about it against the white background. I think I'm beginning to prefer macros in their natural setting, I dunno. All except the white background are hand held.











And just for the heck of it, a SOOC. This lens constantly amazes me:

It was bound to happen...

So about a week ago I ran into my neighbor and his 2 year old granddaughter out for a stroll. I took one quick picture of her (she is a DOLL), and when I ordered prints the other day I ordered a 5x7 for them, and for the granddaughter's parents. I stopped by with them today, and the neighbor loved it (and was very appreciative), but the first thing out of her mouth was "this is beautiful, you must have a really good camera!" ACK. I've never had anyone say that to me before. All I could do was smile and say having a darling subject doesn't hurt either. I did tell her I love doing this as a hobby, and any time she'd like me to take some pictures of the granddaughter (for fun) that I'd be glad to, but she said they have a "package" at one of the local studios. Oh well.

Yesterday Brett sat for me for a bit, helping me mess with my flash, working with it and a combination of window light. Another friend of Colin's has asked me to do her headshots on Wednesday, so I wanted to get a little more comfortable with placement of the reflector and such first. I just can't rely on the weather cooperating and providing enough natural light.

This first one he was leaning against a wall, window at camera left, bouncing flash (at about -.7 power) off a reflector at camera right. I had intended on shooting this without flash, but the side of his face away from the window was just too dark, so I used a little fill. I should have been on a step stool, as the angle of the camera looking up at him isn't flattering. I also have a bit of flash shadow on the wall, as he was resting his shoulder against it. Need to move him away from it a bit.

If there is anything else you see wrong with this (or any of the other two images) I would really appreciate it if you let me know. Learning the flash has just been through trial and error, I have NO idea if I'm doing this right at all. Oh, and I know the poses stink, but I wasn't concerned about them :)



This one he was sitting on the floor, windows behind me, I can't recall at this point if I was bouncing off the sloped ceiling above me, or off the reflector at camera left. I was working on not getting a reflection off his glasses, that was tough! I believe the flash was dialed up to about +.7 on this.

I also bought a piece of tan colored marine vinyl that I'll probably use as a backdrop instead of this fabric.


I think I was bouncing off the ceiling with this one as well....


And on a completely unrelated note. Colin just walked in here after taking a practice SAT 2-Math 2 (the highest level) test. He scored an 800 out of 800. Yes, he's a math whiz. What amazes me is that he has such an aptitude for it, but he hates it with a burning, fiery passion. Proud momma moment over ;)

Out of hard drive space...

I had no idea I was even getting close to using it up, but today got a message that I'm out of space...yikes! I am so bad, when I upload photos, I don't delete the bad ones, I just process the ones I want to, and leave the rest on the computer. So, obviously, I've got to start deleting as I upload. Brett is going to buy me a larger hard drive tomorrow as well. Yay.

Just playing with that shoot through technique some more. The first two are the blossoms on our apple tree. I think I'm done with it for now though, have a couple I will turn in for this week's assignment, and I'm a little burned out on it. Do you prefer the foreground more or less blurry? I can't decide.....