2015 Week 8: Awake

This has been one of the busiest weeks I've had in awhile, and today was no exception. I had several ideas for this theme, but I didn't end up getting any of them done.

Today though, I found my shot. We went to the Plant City Strawberry Festival and had several "Awake" moments. 

Awake moment #1 - my 16 month old didn't sleep a wink, not once. For a girlie who takes two naps a day - that's a big deal.

Awake moment #2 - we stayed out way later than we normally would on a Sunday (especially with a girl who took no naps), but we had a FANTASTIC time and I got to play around with my camera and ended up with some great shots. Here are a few of my favorite from the day. The last one is my official submission for the week.

2015 Week 7: Round

Since the next few months are about to revolve around it, I decided to use Baseball as my subject for this weeks theme. I ended up with four photos that I liked, all a little different. I ended up choosing just the ball for my submission. Here's all of them:

2015 Week 4: Outdoor Photography - Man Made in Nature

I took my kids down to a local park area today thinking I'd have to spend awhile looking for a photo that fit the theme, but lo' and behold, I found something right away. I did take about 20 pictures of the bridge, but I like what I ended up with....

2015 Week 4: Glass

The theme this week over at my #Take52 challenge Glass. 

I have these two blue glass pitchers from my mom. I don't really know how old they are, but they feel old to me. I love the color and knew I wanted to showcase them for this week once I saw the theme.

I had so much fun playing around with these pictures in editing! I applied a little bit of a vintage feel to the originals, as I felt it added to the tone I was going for. As always, I had a few favorites. I LOVE the reflection one, but there are parts of that picture that distract from the glass itself in my opinion. Because of that, I opted for this first one as my official submission. I love the way the handle of the smaller pitcher looks.

Follow me on flickr for more of my photos: https://flic.kr/ps/2JkQRg

Week 4: Glass

2015 Week 3: Entrance

An Entrance Into Her World

Last fall, during this challenge, another participant posted an entry and talked about taking more editorial like photos of her kids... I really liked the thought of that, and have been trying to do more of that myself. Over the past few months I've taken some pictures of my daughter that I feel meet that challenge and decided to use this week as another opportunity to do so....

The first picture is my entry for this weeks challenge. The rest are just some of my favorite pictures over the last few months.

2015 Week 3: Outdoor Photography - Trees

Okay, my favorite theme - outside!! No flash to worry about, a million possibilities, nobody saying you look bad in the picture you took of them.

I was out at the Florida National Cemetery today and decided to take a few pictures that met the theme. I ended up with three options I liked. As I write this, I'm still not sure which I'll make my submission for the week. I'm going to post all three here and I guess I'll have to decide eventually.

2015 Week 2: Numbers - 10 and Under

So a twist in themes this year over at photochallenge.org. Number themes once every 4 weeks... I know this is going to take some creativity. Originally I thought about doing golf balls, or Rylie's stacking buckets that are numbered. On Thursday, with no shot taken yet, I noticed a stray soccer ball while hanging out at practice with Jordan. I snapped a few pics with my phone, just in case, and ended up really loving the end result. I didn't even take pictures of anything else. 

2015 Week 2: Local

The symbol of the city that I live in is a swan. In addition to swans that live in the lakes around the city, our downtown has several unique swan statues that are located in front of different businesses. I took pictures of a few of them today and I'm using my favorite of the bunch as my submission for this week's CameraShy Take52 challenge.

This is something I think is very "local" to me. I know that these can't be found anywhere else but in my city.

My official submission for the challenge.

Some real swans swimming in the lake.

My helper while we walked around downtown.

Visit my flickr page for more photos from today's outing: https://www.flickr.com/photos/113552105@N07/

2015 Week 1: Beginning

When I saw this them I immediately knew what I wanted to shoot. Thank goodness I live in Florida and could actually get what I needed to make it happen! I did have two alternates though, in case idea #1 didn't work out. But, I like what I ended up with.

Seeds - the beginning of so many things! These ones will end up as flowers.

Option #2 - the beginning of my day today, two poached eggs on toast.

Option #3 - the beginning of some peaches on my peach tree. Just blossoms now,

2015 Week 1 - Macro: Kitchen

Yes, I'm back to the ol' photo challenge. I was so disappointed in myself come September. The last third of 2014 was so overwhelming for me so I missed a few weeks and ended up stopping. What I did do - take pictures for money!! Can you believe it? So, this year my goal is to finish these two challenges as a whole, and continue to slowly grow my actual $$ making options with portraits. We'll see how it goes.

Okay, so here's week one of the photochallenge.org challenge. Looks like we're going to have a Macro challenge every month. So, while I did get a nice new flash for Christmas, I am still lacking in the Macro lens challenge. Thus, the poor, poor mans macro.... A close up with my telephoto lense, cropped. Shhh!! Don't tell anyone. It's the only way I'll make it through the next 11 macro challenges.

Here's my official submission:

And as I always do, here's the #2 option:

Camerashy Week 34: Tricky

A Tricky Game

Jordan started to learn about the game of chess as a achievement bead in cub scouts last year. They had to learn the names of the pieces and the rules about their movement.

I've always loved chess, but hadn't played it in forever. Jordan was really interested in it, so we bought a board and started to play. He's actually pretty good (or I'm just really rusty!!) 

Camerashy Week 32: High

Rylie loves to be thrown up high. 

I can't really figure out if she likes the going up or the coming down part more, but I know she likes it. Her daddy throws her up all the time in the pool, and more carefully when we're out in the backyard or in the house. I love to hear her little laugh as she gets tossed up in the air.

Photochallenge Week 32: Landscape - “Tilt Shift” Quasi-Landscape

I loved looking at all the pictures that were posted this week. This type of shot is really interesting to me. I love the way everything looks like a little model! I've always loved model train set out on tables. Not for the trains though, but for the elaborate sets of trees and buildings that get set up around them. 

Unfortunately I struggled to find time to get somewhere to get a really nice "base" picture that would give me a "WOW" factor once I applied the technique. I ended up using a picture of the view out of my window at work. There are some cars in the foreground so I think it a least works somewhat to give the overall effect. 

I'll definitely be trying this on future shots I'm able to take.

Photochallege.org Week 25: Composition - Framing

Phew!! This week was a busy one. I felt like I was in my car(s) more than I was anywhere else. I chose to take advantage of that and utilize those views this week. I had two different options for the week.

I took the first one as a view of what I see during my commute to work, the steering wheel framing the dash.

The second, and the official submission for this week, was of Rylie looking back at me through her mirror. A little grainy, probably since I took it around dusk, so I decided to convert it to black and white. Looking forward to a little calmer week ahead.

 

Camerashy Week 22: Inspired

Inspiration

 

I had a few different ideas for this week, but ended up settling on a picture I took of a little plate I have on my desk at work. Over the past few years I've gotten some gifts from different co-workers, and this is one of them. I played around with some post-processing and ended up with a look I really liked. It made it look kind of "dreamy" which fits in the quote on the plate.

 

 

Photochallenge Week 22: Still Life - Technology

Outdated Technology - That's we we currently have at work. I work in a call center and we use these phones that are out of the dark ages. Okay, maybe not that long ago, but they are pretty old. The first time I sat down and looked at all the lights blinking I thought "There is no way I'll be able to do this." But, just like anything else, after awhile it became old hat.

 

Of course, now, after I've got this bulky thing mastered, we are going to be upgrading to new phones. So I'm going to lose my old friend here. I'm sure I'll revolt with the new technology since it's different.  But then I'll get use to it and it'll become normal.

 

Bye - Bye old friend!

 

 

CameraShy Week 21: Flash

 

This week went by in a flash, which is why I'm a day behind. I wanted to wait though, because I wanted this to be my theme.

 

Gone in a "flash."

 

On Tuesday May 27, 2014 my Mom was killed in a car accident. Of course it was unexpected, shocking, and still not quite real. Today we had her funeral. I shouldn't be burying my 59 year old mother at only 31, but sometimes life doesn't give you what you should get.

We pass car accidents almost everyday but do we ever really think about the people involved? I do now. No one was impaired, it was just truly a tragic accident.

Life can be here and gone in the flash of the eye. Think about that as you spend time with your immediate family and any time you touch base with those you love. Make sure you don't hold grudges, don't leave things unresolved, and make sure that they know exactly how much you love them.
 

By far it's not the best picture I've ever taken, but this week it doesn't matter.
 

 

 

Photochallenge Week 21: Composition - Symmetry

I've lived in my house for 9 years and it took 8 for me to get something to hang over the couch in my living room. I do love the piece I ended up with though, and it's so pretty with all of the candles lit up at night.

 

I played with post-processing this week, since the picture itself isn't all too exciting. I added some texture to the wall and took it down to a chrome black and white. I think it makes the iron pop a little more than the original picture.