Photo Dilettante

Finished, For Now

2010-06-29T15:53:00.000-04:00

I'm sure everyone has given up on me by now, but I did want to post some thoughts and an explanation for my lack of pictures. The firs year of Photo Dilettante was very fun, and I learned a lot. Recently I wanted a creative outlet, and decided that having an assignment, like taking pictures each day and posting one, was what I needed to get that creative fix. But after a couple of months of doing that, I realized that I wasn't having fun, and I wasn't learning anything.

I do still want to work on my photography, and I feel the need for some kind of assignment, but the one picture a day thing isn't going to do it for me. After a lot of traveling this spring, Mark and Isaac and I are settling in to a weekly routine, and I'm going to be looking for some time within that routine to dedicate to my photography. I have some ideas for what I want to do, but I'm going to work on it for a while before I share it. If possible I'd like to take some kind of a class, but that might not work out because of finances. So, for now, I'm going to look at the work of other photographers for inspiration, and check some books out of the library. And, I'm going to take pictures, although I'm not sure how often or of what.

So, I'm sorry to those of you who enjoyed checking for new photos each day or so. Leave a comment if you'd like to know when I have something new to share. I'll post something on this blog when I have something to direct you to.

Puzzle

2010-05-04T23:13:00.000-04:00

April 10, 2010

On the Road

2010-05-04T23:07:00.001-04:00

April 6, 2010

Packing

2010-05-04T23:04:00.001-04:00

April 5, 2010

This is something we've been seeing a lot of in our house these days. This was packing for the second of our five out of town trips between the end of March and the end of May.

Getting Caught Up

2010-04-14T21:18:00.000-04:00

I've been doing a lot of traveling in the last couple of weeks, so I have a lot of catching up to do. I've been fairly consistent about taking pictures, although some days I have forgotten, and some days I haven't had my camera, so I've had to borrow others' or use Mark's phone camera. Some of those pictures I don't have yet, so it might be a few days before I can post them. I've gotten caught up to Easter Sunday, April 4. Hopefully I'll get the rest done before the end of the week.

Rings

2010-04-14T21:10:00.000-04:00

Sunday, April 4

Nikon D40
1/60
f/4.0
ISO 400
20mm

Mark's Home

2010-04-14T21:04:00.000-04:00

Saturday, April 3

Mark is showing me pictures of the Marina Bay Sands, the resort he was working at in Singapore.

Nikon D40

1/60s

f/7.1

ISO 200

24.0mm

Toes

2010-04-14T20:57:00.000-04:00

Friday, April 2

I was traveling on the 1st and didn't take any pictures. On Friday the only subject I felt like photographing was Isaac.

Nikon D40
1/60s
f/5.6
ISO 200
135mm

Concentration

2010-04-14T20:48:00.000-04:00

Wednesday, March 31

While in Logan I went to my nephew's track meet and got to watch him throw the discus. I had to take the pictures through the fence, hence the fuzziness in the corners of the picture.

Nikon D40
1/1000s
f/5.6
ISO 360
75.0mm

Lev's Pawnshop

2010-04-14T20:42:00.000-04:00

Tuesday, March 30 Photo 2

Since I was traveling on March 29 I didn't take any pictures, so I'm posting two from Tuesday the 30th.

Nikon D40
1/640s
f/11
ISO 400
18mm

Glass Blower

2010-04-14T20:38:00.000-04:00

Tuesday, March 30 Photo 1

While Mark was in Singapore I visited my family in southern Ohio. My mom and I went to the Ohio Glass Museum in Lancaster, and watched this man make a glass bowl.

Nikon D40
1/80s
f/5.6
ISO 800
135.0mm

Missing Mark

2010-04-14T20:31:00.000-04:00

Sunday, March 28

I set this picture up the night before and used my remote to take a few shots before I got out of bed (well, I did have to get up to use the bathroom, and used that opportunity to turn the remote function back on since it reverts to normal shooting mode after 15 minutes). This was my first morning after Mark left for Singapore.

Nikon D40

1.3s

f/5.6

ISO 800

20.0mm

Bedtime Story

2010-03-27T21:40:00.000-04:00

For a while now I've been wanting to take some self-portraits of daily activities. Today I finally set up the tripod before putting Isaac to bed, grabbed my little remote and put the camera on the 2-second remote timer setting and snapped several pictures while reading Isaac some new books about Easter that arrived from Aunt Lynne yesterday. I'm quite the multi-tasker.

Nikon D40
1/15s
f/7.1
ISO 800
28.0mm

A Drink of Water for the Birthday Boy

2010-03-27T21:31:00.000-04:00

Friday, March 26, 2010

You can see the reflection of Mark's cactus collection in the picture behind him.

Nikon D40
1/50s
f/4.0
ISO 800
24.0mm

Taking Out the Garbage

2010-03-27T21:23:00.000-04:00

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Another late night, last minute picture.

Nikon D40
1/60s
f/4.8
ISO 800
44.0mm

We Were Discussing Something...

2010-03-27T21:21:00.000-04:00

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Terrible, hand-held picture that I took late at night because I had forgotten to take any pictures that day. I can't remember what we were talking about.

Nikon D40
1/8s
f/3.5
ISO 800
18.0mm

Labyrinth Necklace

2010-03-27T21:19:00.000-04:00

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

I love labyrinths. There is one at Ursuline College that I have used several times. The first time I did it there was a card provided that described what a labyrinth is. On the card was a quote from St. Augustine: "The best way to still your mind is to move your body." Walking through a labyrinth while meditating on a prayer or scripture verse is a great way to still my mind enough to hear from God.

I have two labyrinths: this necklace given to me by my friend, Becca, and a "finger labyrinth" given to me by my friend Katharine. That one came with a stylus that you can use to trace the path. Even that can help bring focus to my mind which always seems to be going a million miles a minute.

Konica Minolta DiMage Z6
1/5s
f/3.2
ISO 160
10.3mm

Mark's New Plant

2010-03-27T21:02:00.000-04:00

Monday, March 22, 2010

Nikon D40
1/3s
f/5.6
ISO 800

Signs of Spring

2010-03-27T20:57:00.001-04:00

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Nikon D40
1/2000s
f/5.6
ISO 200
80.0mm

Marquee

2010-03-27T20:54:00.000-04:00

Saturday, March 20, 2010

One might think I had actually gone to see a movie, but, alas, I did not. I had run out to the store after putting to Isaac to bed last Saturday night, and since I hadn't taken any pictures yet that day I took my camera along.

Nikon D40
1/60s
f/5.3
ISO200
62.0mm

Friends

2010-03-27T20:51:00.000-04:00

Friday, March 19, 2010

I've been trying to post at least every couple of days (seems to work better than every day in this season), but when I tried to get on Blogger a couple of days ago, it wasn't working. There was some problem with AT&T and Blogger, but that appears to be fixed now. So, I'll try to get all caught up to today.

I'm going out of town tomorrow for a few days, so don't know when I'll be able to post again.

Nikon D40
1/640s
f/5.6
ISO 200
90.0mm

Sunset Out Our Office Window

2010-03-18T22:17:00.000-04:00

Nikon D40
1/125s
f/4.5
ISO 200
18.0mm

St. Patrick's Day Parade

2010-03-17T17:23:00.000-04:00

My friend Adriane and I braved the crowds of excited (and sometimes intoxicated) Irish and wanna-be Irish at Cleveland's St. Patrick's Day Parade this afternoon. We each were pushing a stroller, which made navigating the sea of people a little tricky, but we were successful. I took lots of pictures. It was helpful to have Adriane there to help look after Isaac while I was shooting, but I still didn't have the freedom I would have if I didn't have Isaac with me. I'm trying to figure out how to get a few hours a week of picture taking completely by myself.

Nikon D40
1/100s
f/9
ISO 200 (I remembered to check, finally, after two days of ISO 1600)
95.0mm

Cranberry Almond Quinoa

2010-03-17T16:57:00.000-04:00

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Nikon D40
1/60s
f/5.6
ISO 1600
58.0mm

Mark's Books

2010-03-17T16:25:00.000-04:00

Monday, March 15, 2010

Nikon D40
1/60s
f/5.6
ISO 1600
38.0mm

Dining Room

2010-03-15T14:44:00.000-04:00

Sunday, March 14 2010

Nikon D40
1.0s
f/5.6
ISO 400
105.00mm

Cities and Knights

2010-03-15T14:40:00.000-04:00

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Nikon D40
1/25s
f/5.3
ISO 1600
58.0mm

Rehearsal

2010-03-15T14:38:00.000-04:00

Friday, March 12, 2010

I got to sit in on a rehearsal for Inlet Dance Theatre Friday. It was a different kind of photography than I've been doing lately, and I learned from it. I hope to have another opportunity to take pictures like this.

Nikon D40
1/100s
f/8.0
ISO 1600
52.0mm

Elmer Brown Mural

2010-03-11T21:45:00.000-05:00

I stopped by the ICA to say hi to Mark this afternoon, and took a few quick pictures (a few quick pictures seems to be all I can manage these days--but I have been making some effort to take my camera whenever I go anywhere, which has been good).

This is a mural by Elmer Brown, a WPA artist. I took the picture at an angle, so the perspective is off--it looks like things are kind of squished together.

Nikon D40
1/50s
f/5.3
ISO 1600
62.0mm

Buffing

2010-03-10T22:28:00.000-05:00

Nikon D40
1/60s
f/5.6
ISO 200
31.0mm

The Goetsches!

2010-03-09T22:31:00.000-05:00

We had a wonderful time with our good friends the Goetsches tonight, who were visiting from Chicago. C, on the right, is my Thursday Girl from my first year of Photo Dilettante. She's grown up a lot since then!

Nikon D40
1/60s
f/5.6
ISO 200
20.0mm

Birds on the Ice

2010-03-08T22:46:00.000-05:00

Nikon D40
1/640s
f/11.0
ISO 200
135.0mm

Spring is Coming!

2010-03-08T22:31:00.000-05:00

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Nikon D40
1/125s
f/5.6
ISO 200
135.0mm

Dinner Party

2010-03-08T22:28:00.000-05:00

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Our friends had a "Stone Soup" party Saturday night. I brought my camera but forgot I had it until it was time to go, so I went through the house and took a few quick pictures. Thanks for a fun night, Doc and Anne!

Nikon D40
1/60s
f/4.0
ISO 450
18mm

Diaper Covers

2010-03-06T21:51:00.000-05:00

Friday, March 5, 2010

I've been lenient about posting each day, but I have been keeping up with taking pictures each day. This one is from yesterday.

Nikon D40
1/30s
f/5.6
ISO 200
35.0mm

Vera Bradley

2010-03-05T09:45:00.002-05:00

Thursday, March 4, 2010

I got this Vera Bradley purse at a "re-gifting party" after Christmas 2008. I've never liked the colors at all, but I love the design of the bag. I recently found the same bag in a different color on ebay, so I'm going to try to sell this one on ebay. This is one of the pictures I'll post for the item, showing off the official Vera Bradley tag on the inside.

Nikon D40
1/800s
f/5.6
ISO 400
66.0mm

Eucalyptus

2010-03-03T21:11:00.000-05:00

Nikon D40
1/320s
f/6.3
ISO 400
135.0mm

I'm Lovin' It

2010-03-02T19:55:00.000-05:00

We watched a lot of Olympics last week. I'm ashamed to admit, advertising has had its desired effect.

Nikon D40

1/60s

f/5.6

ISO 400

62.0mm

Random Stuff on our Window Seat

2010-03-01T22:31:00.000-05:00

Nikon D40
1/80s
f/5.0
ISO 400
52.0mm

At the Botanical Garden Cafe

2010-02-28T16:08:00.000-05:00

Nikon D40

1/100s

f/5.6

ISO 800

135.0mm

Boy in a Tree

2010-02-28T15:55:00.000-05:00

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Nikon D40

1/320s

f/11

ISO 800

100.0mm

Snowy Backyard

2010-02-26T20:38:00.000-05:00

I've been feeling under the weather the last couple of days, and am getting caught up on posting. Although I have been completely unmotivated to take pictures for a few days, I have actually shot a handful of pics each day anyway. I'm just getting around to posting them. I'm not really proud of any of them (which is probably why I was in no rush to post them), and I didn't really have fun taking them, but I did it anyway. I hope to get some motivation in the next few days.

Nikon D40
1/4s
f/3.5
ISO 200
18mm

Handy Man

2010-02-26T20:32:00.000-05:00

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Nikon D40

1/60s

f/5.0

ISO 200

52.0mm

Sesame Seeds

2010-02-26T20:29:00.001-05:00

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Nikon D40

1/60s

f/5.6

ISO 400

66.0mm

Chapatis

2010-02-23T22:23:00.000-05:00

Nikon D40
1/60s
f/5.6
ISO 400
95.0mm

Knitted Centipede

2010-02-22T23:04:00.000-05:00

Another of Isaac's birthday presents--handmade by my friend Carolyn. I did an educational shoot tonight--I set up my tripod with this shot and tried several different apertures and ISOs, took pictures with and without flash (not sure why--with the tripod there's no need for flash anyway.)

Nikon D40

1/2s

f/5.6

ISO 200

70.0mm

Getting Ready for Bed

2010-02-21T22:39:00.001-05:00

Forgot to take pictures today...

Nikon D40
0.8s
f/9.0
ISO 800
18.0mm

Winter Walk

2010-02-20T17:00:00.001-05:00

I should have learned this lesson two years ago, but today I forgot to check the ISO before I went out on a nice winter walk with Mark and Isaac. I had been taking pictures inside yesterday, and the ISO was set to 1600--the worst setting for taking pictures outside in the winter on a very bright sunny day. I didn't realize it until the very end of the walk.

I like my camera for the most part, but one thing I really don't like is that it doesn't have a digital display on the top of the camera body to show settings like that. Looking through the viewfinder I can see shutter speed, aperture and exposure compensation (and two other things that I don't know what they mean--I'll have to look into that). In order to see the ISO setting you have to press the info button on the back of the camera to display that and lots of other information on the LCD monitor. Now, it's easy to do this, and I really should remember to do it before I start taking pictures, but it would be nice to have all that information more readily available.

Well, since I won't be buying a new camera any time soon, I need to get into the habit of pressing that info button and making sure everything is set the way I want it for the type of pictures I'm taking.

Something else I learned through this mistake is that when I edit my pictures in Picasa, it changes the ISO information on the saved copies of the pictures I take. When I look through my pictures each day, I save a copy of all the potential posts, so I can edit the pictures for posting without changing the original. I save a copy of the RAW data file, and Picasa saves it as a jpeg. When they do this, for some reason I can't fathom, they also change the ISO from whatever it actually was to 250. So, when I provide my photo information I guess I need to go back and look at the original file in order to get all the information right. I wondered why I kept seeing ISO 250 on so many of my pictures...

Nikon D40
1/200s
f/10
66mm
ISO 1600

Blocks

2010-02-20T08:34:00.001-05:00

Friday, February 19, 2010

Nikon D40
1/60s
f/4.8
ISO 250
48.0mm (72mm)

Popcorn

2010-02-18T22:17:00.001-05:00

Nikon D40
1/60s
f/13
ISO 250
112.0mm (168mm)

Untitled

2010-02-17T22:08:00.002-05:00

Nikon D40
1/40s
f/5.6
ISO 250
135mm (202mm)

Tomorrow's Lunch

2010-02-16T19:47:00.001-05:00

Nikon D40
1/60s
f/5.3
ISO 400
62mm (93mm)

Birthday Present

2010-02-15T22:55:00.002-05:00

This was one of Isaac's birthday presents, not mine. I like taking pictures of toys. I think there will be more toy pictures in my future.

Konica Minolta DiMage Z6
1/50s
f/3.2
ISO 160
12.4mm (74mm)

Winter Day

2010-02-14T20:50:00.001-05:00

Nikon D40
1/1600s
f/5.3
ISO 400
58mm (87mm)

Speed Skating

2010-02-13T22:55:00.003-05:00

I'm sure it is against a rule to take a picture of the TV--oh well. We enjoyed watching the Olympics tonight.

Nikon D40
1/25s
f/5.6
ISO 250
90.0mm (135mm)

Breaking Rules 2

2010-02-12T20:16:00.001-05:00

This goes back to Freeman Patterson's book Photography and the Art of Seeing, where he suggests thinking about the rules of photography and then going out and breaking them. Rule 1 was: Keep your camera steady. Rule 2 is: Put the main subject of your photograph in sharp focus.

Nikon D40
1/200s
f/5.6
ISO 250
38.0mm (57mm)

Birthday Boy

2010-02-11T21:37:00.002-05:00

Well, his birthday was actually Monday, but as Mark's mom says, it's really a birthday season.

I know I said earlier I wouldn't post pictures of Isaac unless I posted a picture of something else also. Today, though, I didn't take pictures of anything else. He's such an irresistible subject that I could easily resort to photographing only him every day, but I really don't want to do that.

My first year of Photodilettante I started at the end of March, which meant the weather was starting to get nicer and I was out of the house more. This time, starting in January, has been a challenge. Getting out of the house at all is difficult with the winter weather, and getting out specifically to take pictures would be a little complicated because I have this little person to be paying attention to. I'm going to have to start thinking outside the box. In the next couple of days I'll try to take my camera (well, Mark's smaller camera) with me whenever I go out for anything.

Nikon D40
1/60s
f/5.6
ISO 250
66.0mm (99mm)

Lady Bug

2010-02-10T21:50:00.003-05:00

I had a similar post to this one in my first year.

Konica Minolta DiMage Z6
1/40s
f/3.2
ISO 64
10.3mm (62mm)

Untitled

2010-02-09T22:40:00.003-05:00

Nikon D40
1.8s
f/5.6
ISO 400
135mm (202mm)

Lamp

2010-02-08T22:06:00.002-05:00

Nikon D40
1/40s
f/5.6
ISO 250
90mm (35mm equiv. 135mm)

Cleveland Greenhouse

2010-02-07T20:31:00.001-05:00

Nikon D40
1/160s
f/5.0
ISO 250
50.0mm (35mm equiv. 75mm)

Uh, Mom--Dad Won't Let Me Play...

2010-02-06T22:15:00.002-05:00

My good friend Katie gave us this Duplo train set as a hand-me-down a few weeks ago. We got it out for the first time today, and Mark had a great time...

Camera: Nikon D40
1/60s
f/4.0
ISO 250
Focal Length 20mm (35mm equiv. 30mm)

Birthday Cake

2010-02-05T22:42:00.002-05:00

I baked Isaac's birthday cake from scratch today (and I made the frosting myself,too). It turned out very yummy. You'll have to check out Facebook for the rest of the pictures of the party.

Camera: Nikon D40
1/60s
f/4.2
ISO 250
Focal Length 32.0mm (35mm equiv. 48mm)

Clouds?

2010-02-05T09:04:00.003-05:00

First off, I am kind of disappointed that I've already had my first day where I forgot to not only post, but even take any pictures. :( I was so busy getting ready for Isaac's first birthday party (which is tonight), that photography pretty much slipped my mind.

But, as I did before with my first year of pictures (during which, by the way, it was several months before I forgot to post...), I will make up for it with two shoots today.

This first picture looks to me like clouds seen from an airplane when you're flying above them. But, it is actually the new bathmat in my bathroom, taken with Mark's Konica Minolta on its supermacro setting, with a little camera movement just to see what would happen. I think I like it...

Also, I'm going to start trying to include camera information for my pictures in each post. Picasa now displays some metadata with each picture, and I think paying more attention to this will improve my photography. Here's the info for this shot:

Camera: Konica Minolta DiMage Z6
1/6s
f/3.2
ISO 160
Focal Length: 10.3mm (35mm equiv. 62mm)

Winter Sky

2010-02-03T20:02:00.002-05:00

Lost Party

2010-02-03T00:16:00.003-05:00

This picture will mean nothing to those of you who don't watch Lost. We had a great time enjoying our Dharma snacks and watching the season premier. You'll have to check on Facebook in the next couple of days for more pictures of the party, including the party-goers in our costumes.

L6 Summit

2010-02-01T22:30:00.003-05:00

The premier of the final season of Lost is tomorrow night. Some friends and I gathered tonight for the L6 summit--an evening of discussing the mysteries of the first five seasons and posing questions we hope will be answered in the sixth. We also put together this basic time line, which proved to be challenging given the time-travel aspect of the show.

Tomorrow, expect pictures of the season premier party, complete with costumes and all things Dharma.

Cleveland in Winter

2010-01-31T22:21:00.001-05:00

I am yours

2010-01-30T21:03:00.001-05:00

More Frost

2010-01-29T23:40:00.001-05:00

Frosty Window

2010-01-28T19:31:00.004-05:00

I noticed the sunlight coming through the frost on my living room window this afternoon, and grabbed my camera. The sun kept going in and out of clouds, and it was close to setting, so I had to be quick. I never quite got the shot I wanted, but this one turned out to be interesting.

I usually do a small bit of digital editing with my pictures, mostly cropping and adjusting the contrast. With this picture I used the "I'm feeling lucky" button in Picasa (which automatically adjusts color and contrast). It turned the slightly darker shadows in the frost into a vivid blue, which I like, even though this isn't really what the frost looked like when I looked through my lens.

Messy Desk

2010-01-27T21:23:00.004-05:00

I don't know if this is a "good" photograph or not, but I had fun making it. I had the idea of photographing my messy desk, because I wanted to post a picture that gave a little more information about me and my life than I think my pictures often give. At first what I had in mind was a straight-on shot that showed the top of my desk and the hutch. I took some pictures like that and looked at them on the computer. During my first year with this blog I usually ended up doing a quick shoot like this, then just picking the best one, posting it and being done for the day. But today I decided I wasn't done.

So I put the data card back in the camera and kept shooting. I tried changing the position of the camera, changed the lighting, adjusted the aperture and ISO, moved some things out of the picture, moved some things back in. I ended up taking about 35 pictures of my desk.

I'm still not sure this is the best picture I could have made. I wanted it to express something, but I'm not sure what, and I'm not sure if I succeeded. But I'm glad I kept trying. This picture is definitely better than the first 30 or so that I took.

I wish I could take the time to make pictures every day like I did today. I feel like I learned a lot, and I'm eager to do it again. I know that in the coming months I will probably end up with a lot of 11:00-and-I-forgot-to-take-a-picture pictures, but I hope to have more like this one than I did in my first year.

What do you think of this picture? Does the effort I put in come through? Do you think it expresses something?

Blue and Grey

2010-01-26T23:05:00.006-05:00

And so it begins...it's 11:00 and I have forgotten to take a picture. So I pick up my camera and shoot the first thing I see, a grey comforter and Mark's blue cycling jersey.

I'm finding it hard to be as creative at the outset with this new year. The first time around I seemed to see good ideas everywhere. I'm going to have to push myself to make better pictures this time. I guess I don't mind having a dud every now and then, if I keep up with posting every day. But I also need to take the time to be creative and put some effort into learning new things. I think I have a good eye, but I can't depend on that to make good pictures every time. I need to learn new skills, practice new techniques and learn more about using my camera to get the effects I want. I also want to work on being more expressive with my pictures.

Well, I have plenty of time to work on these things. 7 days down, 358 to go...

Procrastination

2010-01-25T21:47:00.004-05:00

It's now exactly one month past Christmas, and these gift bags full of Christmas presents are still sitting on the bench in our hallway. One of these days I am going to put them away.

You Make Bath Time Lots of Fun

2010-01-24T20:12:00.003-05:00

I couldn't resist including this one...

Box of Animals

2010-01-24T19:48:00.001-05:00

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Shade

2010-01-24T19:45:00.003-05:00

Friday, January 22, 2010

Speaking of Breaking Rules...

2010-01-22T19:58:00.002-05:00

So, I just made the announcement that I'm back, and now I'm out of town and forgot my card reader, so I have no way of uploading my pictures...So much for posting every day.

But, I did take pictures today, and I think I know which one I'll post, it will just have to be after I get home on Sunday night.

Breaking Rules 1

2010-01-21T18:08:00.003-05:00

Last night I looked through much of my first year of Photo Dilettante. I noticed that often when I wrote about my pictures I wrote that I had struggled to take pictures that day--I just didn't feel like it or wasn't inspired.

During that year I bought the book The Art of Seeing by Freeman Patterson. I picked the book up again yesterday, and decided to make better use of it in this year of making pictures. The book is filled with simple exercises to inspire and stretch your creativity. I've decided that I am going to use these exercises to give me a little push, especially on the days that I feel less than creative.

I wasn't terribly pleased with yesterday's picture, but I knew that if I wanted to get this going again, I just needed to get started and not put too much pressure on myself which could end up causing me to procrastinate. So I just took the first picture I found.

Today I did the first exercise Patterson mentions in his book, which is to list the rules of "good" photography, and then break them. The first rule he mentions is, Hold your camera steady when shooting a picture.

Cabinet and Candle

2010-01-20T20:08:00.005-05:00

This is a very familiar scene from my house, but the way I've cropped it in this photo makes it look very unfamiliar. It's interesting how removing the context of a familiar sight can give it a whole new feeling.

I'm Back!

2010-01-20T13:39:00.003-05:00

I was looking through some of my old photos online today, and thought, I need to start taking pictures again. Having the pressure to post a picture a day was really helpful, actually, because it forced me to be more creative than I probably would be normally. So, I've decided to do it again. One picture a day, for one year (yikes! am I sure I want to do this?)

Of course, it will be a bit more challenging since I now have a little one. I've decided that to avoid having all of my pictures be of Isaac, whenever I post one of him I also have to post one that isn't of him. Otherwise I will take the easy way out and this will end up being a baby blog, not a photo blog. Maybe I'll just post all the pictures of Isaac on the adoption blog we started when we first began the adoption process...I'll have to see how things go, I guess.

Anyway, stay tuned. The first picture of 2010 coming up, to be posted by 10:00 tonight!

Year Two

2008-04-30T21:32:00.001-04:00

Tomorrow is May 1, and I have decided on the theme for the first month of my next year of photography. I also decided to start fresh with a new blog, which you can find at www.mindysphotosyeartwo.blogspot.com Can't wait to see you all over there!

The End for Now

2008-04-01T09:37:00.002-04:00

I just posted my last pictures from China, and the last pictures for my year, which officially ended on March 28. It's hard to believe I made it to the end--although there were a few days I missed in the last couple of months. I have to say it was so nice on Saturday to think "Oh, yeah, I don't have to take any pictures today."

I have learned a lot in this year, including the fact that I have a lot more to learn about photography. I'm looking forward to my next project, which will start in May. I haven't decided what my first theme will be, but I have a few weeks to figure it out. I also don't know if I will use a new blog or keep going on this one--check back here to find out.

It has been fun hearing from all of you who have followed this blog. It kept me going knowing that there were many of you checking each day for a new picture!

I'll see you all in about a month...

Beijing Day 2

2008-04-01T09:20:00.005-04:00

Friday, March 28, 2008

Tiananmen Square--you can see the weather was quite miserable.

Inside the Forbidden City

KFC is very popular in China--this one had three floors!

Beijing Day 1

2008-03-31T21:18:00.002-04:00

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Mark and Seth having a Chinese version of a western breakfast on the train to Beijing.

The Temple of Heaven

The Great Wall

Repairing the Wall

Wednesday

2008-03-26T04:14:00.005-04:00

We are leaving for Beijing in a couple of hours, so I'm going to shoot off a quick post with some pictures. I've been shooting mostly on Aperture priority, rather than auto, so I've been learning a lot. Unfortunately I keep forgetting to change a setting or two when moving to a new spot. Today I forgot to change the ISO from last night when we were in a dark theater. So their is "noise" in my outdoor sunny pictures. Aaarrgghhh! Well, since I'm not planning to publish any of these I guess it's not a big deal. And, again, I'm learning a ton.

I'll post again when we return from Beijing. I hope I have enough disk space for the pictures I'll take while we're there!

Highlights from today

2008-03-25T10:03:00.003-04:00

I'll post several pictures from today, but the first one is the only one I'll comment on for now. It is my brave people picture ("brave" is for me, not the people in the picture, although they may be brave, who knows). The guy on the left had said "ni hao" to me earlier, which gave me courage to ask him if I could take his picture (using sign language, as he didn't know English). After I took it I showed it to him, and he gave me a thumbs up, so he approved. This is the kind of people picture I was hoping to get.

OK, I have to say something about this one too, just so I dont' forget about this guy. His name is Georgie Pan, and he started talking with Lynn and Mark (in English). He spent 40 years as a literature translator, and translated works by Mark Twain and John Steinbeck. He was very nice and let me take his picture with Mark.

Some Shots from Today

2008-03-24T10:58:00.006-04:00

Seeing as how I'm in China, I'm breaking my one-picture-a-day rule.

This is a shot outside the fabric mart, where Mark had a suit made and I had some pants made. I said I would post a people picture, but I didn't have the guts to take many pictures of strangers. This one shows a small bit of the hustle and bustle of Shanghai streets. Driving around here is crazy!

These pictures are in the Yu Gardens, a shopping area and garden. Some of the buildings are 500 years old.

Hazy Shanghai Afternoon

2008-03-23T12:02:00.005-04:00

This is my picture for Sunday. I guess I skipped Saturday, but with the time change, it's hard to say when my Saturday started.

We're having a great time! I'll try to post some people pictures tomorrow.

Somewhere over Alaska (or Siberia)

2008-03-22T07:38:00.002-04:00

Friday, March 21, 2008

From Chicago to Shanghai, we flew over the northern coast of Alaska and across the northeast corner of Siberia. Both areas looked quite similar. I can't remember which place this picture was taken.

Morning Sun

2008-03-20T13:42:00.003-04:00

Well, we're off (almost). We're all packed and are going to Mark's parents' house tonight so they can take us to the airport very early tomorrow. Lynne says I should be able to post from their house, so hopefully you'll get to see some of the sites before we get back. I have a travel photography book that my dad just gave me to read on the plane. Next post from China...

Ladybug

2008-03-20T13:40:00.001-04:00

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Wing

2008-03-18T14:09:00.000-04:00

Monday, March 17, 2008

Flossing

2008-03-18T14:07:00.000-04:00

Sunday, March 16, 2008

"Come Unto Me"

2008-03-18T14:05:00.000-04:00

Saturday, March 15, 2008

From the Plane

2008-03-18T14:02:00.000-04:00

Friday, March 14, 2008

Blues

2008-03-18T13:58:00.001-04:00

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Drywall

2008-03-18T11:54:00.002-04:00

Monday, March 10, 2008

Out of Town

2008-03-16T17:46:00.001-04:00

Mark and I have been in St. Louis this weekend for his cousin's wedding. We are staying an extra night, because we got bumped from our flight and will get $600 toward a future flight. So I won't be able to catch up on posting till tomorrow.

I've been such a slacker lately--but only about two weeks left! My last week will be a marathon. I might not be able to post while we're in China, so I'll get those shots up when I get back. Then a month off--then a new project. I'm looking forward to that!

The Aftermath

2008-03-11T21:32:00.001-04:00

Sunday, March 9, 2008