Bokeh Lights

As usual I had big plans which didn't quite make it to fruition. With holiday distractions I managed just a single quick session of messing with bokeh lights. Since it doesn't seem we have a topic for this coming week, I may try again with both bokeh lights and DIY lights.... I did enjoy the subjects tremendously so I am hoping to get more time to play before we take all the decorations down.

bokeh lights

I wasn't sure about this bokeh light thing.... I think I took it too literally or maybe too seasonally. I only just now looked up a definition of it and there is a reference to it being not just out of focus lights, which was what I targeted, but any area of the photo that is outside the depth of field. In retrospect, I think this bokeh effect is what I'd been trying to do when I was obsessed a couple of years ago with over-exposed sunshine behind objects.

A friend pointed out that bokeh lights would be fun after a hookah pipe... might make these pictures more interesting, eh?

Forgive the indulgence with this one below...I bothered my frogs so much by splashing lights around their tank I felt obligated to use one of the photos. That's Whisper, my shy one.

Holiday Season & DIY Lighting

My story is much the same as yours ~ involved, busy, so didn't get around to getting my camera out until I was getting ready to close down for the night. However when I finally got started, I had a blast!  As I told you yesterday, I did have a plan and as it turns out, Patrick was totally in to my idea as well. We had a lovely time trying a bunch of different lighting options, but the winner I have posted below was a combo laser & LED flash light..... FUN! Might have to revisit this idea again....

DYI lighting

 As you already know the story of the "shot that got away," I'll tell the story about this grainy view below. The night had gotten away from me and despite my intention to stay in the game I hadn't come up with one project for DYI lighting, no matter how much the concept fascinated me. I spent the evening with my husband and thoughts of photography slipped away.

It wasn't until I was in bed that I remembered I need to make a picture!!!!!! So I jumped up (startling hubby), snatched the camera, & posed, under the covers with my cell phone for light, to click the shutter. That's the story.

Beatles

Okay, in truth this photo has absolutely nothing to do with the Beatles, or even with beetles for that matter (I think the little guy is a fly of some description). Still, this is my pic for the week. I had been out walking and was truly surprised to see this critter making its way across the trail. In November we had weeks of 20 and 30 below zero weather. December has been between 40 & 50 degrees warmer than that (we've even had a thaw!). How this little fellow managed to survive is beyond me. At risk of looking like a crazy lady, I stood by this bug until the skier, seen in the tunnel, passed us. I didn't have the heart to stand by & let this trooper of a fly get squished. Though I sensed that it was near the end of its life, it deserved a dignified death. When I finally left and continued on my walk... I noticed another little fly laying in the snow. It's time had already passed.
     The whole thing reminded me of an evening walk in the first snow one winter in Cortland. As the snowflakes fell I strolled down a tree lined walkway. Spruce stood on both sides of this walk. I started down the path and was stilled by the silence a snowfall creates. I happened to notice something dark fall down from an overhanging spruce branch & sure enough a little black spider lay there in the snow. I figured the falling snow knocked this one to the ground and I picked it up and gently placed it on the trunk of the tree. I saved the little spider.
     I returned to the center of the pathway and continued my walk. Again, something dark fell right in front of me. Another spider had been knocked from the branches! I, dutifully, returned the spider to a tree trunk and then continued my walk.
     As I did I saw many dark little movements. Spiders, dozens of them, were being knocked down by the ever so gently falling snow. I stood there in awe.
    A feeling came over me of a stillness deeper even than that of a quieting snowfall. I saw that this is the cycle of things; this is the natural order. Beautiful things die. Everything that is born, dies. And I saw the futility of my desire to change outcomes. Humbled, I did not try to save another spider but simply kept walking along quietly as their witness. It was one of the most peaceful moments I have ever had.
     This picture may not provoke that depth of stillness, but that little fly crossing a snowy path reminded me of that end of the season of spiders. I do believe, though I only saw two flies, I did witness the end of the season of long-winged flies and the entrance to the season of stillness.

Before & After

Alas my life is not destined to be easy.  Since it is the festive, holiday time of year I decided early on in the week that I would snap a picture of our christmas tree (using manual settings, at night with no tripod to add to the challenge) as my before and do a cool photoshop technique I learned way back in June for my 'after' version.  Problem is that I can't remember how I did the technique!  I thought I wrote it down, but unfortunately I did not.  I thought I had saved the images that I practiced the technique on (so I could go back and rediscover them at a later date) but sadly, I didn't do that either.  So the technique is lost unless I can drag up the forgotten steps from the abyss of my brain or until I can find another source of instruction (if I could remember where I learned it from originally, life would be grand indeed)  As a result I am forced into a compromise situation.  I am in fact submitting my xmas tree pictures which show the use of a photoshop technique, but it is NOT the one I intended to use.  I guess they came out ok but I sure wish I could remember how to do that other technique...

(before) 

(after)

I got a little carried away playing with the various blending options so the image below is a direct result of too much messing when I should be in bed!  Weird, but interesting?





(after, after)

While trolling through my CD's earlier in search of the images I doctored back in June, I did come across an image I had of one of Ryan's dancer friends that I had doctored. I did not take this picture, she provided it to us, but it does sort of show the technique I was looking to repeat this week. Unfortunately it is much more dramatic and effective with landscapes/flowers/buildings - doesn't seem to work as well with people.  I think it is a great photo anyway...pretty impressive, huh?  Ah to be young again....

(before)

(after)

elementals

I'm going to make the claim, for the fun of it, that all 4 elements are represented below:

water 

(fairly obvious)

air 

(as in damn cold air)

earth 

(a little back story here: this tug was run aground by an intoxicated skipper last fall. he did get a DUI ticket for the occurrence)

fire 

(subtle)

fire 

(smokin')

4 Elements & Panning

Since it finally stopped raining here, I headed to the woods today to try to transform my brilliant idea for panning into a reality. Turns out, as it always seems to be with my photography, that my idea was a lot harder to make a reality than I anticipated. Normally Maci stays right with me on the trails but Orzo can be counted on to race all over the woods. I had illusions of catching him as he raced about, but of course today he stayed right with me. When he did venture off, it was always in a position that made panning impossible. Below is the best attempt of the many shots I tried to get. Clearly he is out of focus, but I liked the image anyway. Since it quickly became clear that my panning plans were going to be a flop, I decided to move over to the 4 elements topic and try that instead. I wasn't inspired at all (which is part of the reason I was doing panning) but I was getting desperate. I snapped the water picture below intending for it to be the first in a series of 4 individual images for each element. I took the model boat picture earlier in the day today, initially hoping to get a good panning shot of the fleet but they were finishing up just as I arrived.  It became "Wind" instead.  I took a few 'earth' pictures while out hiking, but nothing too inspirational, so I quickly lost my enthusiasm for the subject. So I am admitting defeat and simply submitting what I have thus far. I may revisit the panning topic again as I would love to catch Orzo mid-leap as he frolicks in the woods, looks just like a little deer..... Unfortunately nothing too inspirational this week.....

Gratitude & Photographer in the picture

Killing two birds with one stone here. While I used to love to ham it up in pictures when I was younger, age and self-consciousness has changed that position for me. Over recent years I find I am reluctant to put myself in front of the camera's often unflattering focus preferring instead to be the creator, not the subject. However, in keeping with both topics this week, I thought it would be appropriate to change that stance for this one instance. Given the various traumas in my life this Fall, I find I am feeling a lot of gratitute for my good health, the blessings that my family and friends provide me and the simple beauty of some peaceful time alone. Time to contemplate, replenish, rejoice.