Holiday Fun

F32, 30 sec, ISO 100

Holiday lights bring lots of photo opportunities for the photographer.  You can do so much with lights.  In the above image I gave the lights a "glare" using a small aperture, F32.  That makes for a slow shutter speed so be sure to use a tripod.  With all the lights on the tree there is no need to hike up the ISO, keep it set small.

F22, 13 sec, ISO 100

Here I tried the "zoom effect" on my Christmas tree.   Using a slow shutter speed, you simply slowly turn the barrel of the lens until the shutter releases.  You can zoom in or out, whatever your preferrence.  I zoomed in, stopping every now and then to give this shot a rigid look.  It kind of looks like fireworks. 



F22, 45 sec, ISO 100

 I'm not sure how this one came out darker with a longer shutter speed  But I love the look.  Here I just zoomed in and out, without stopping until the shutter released.  Be sure to use a tripod to help keep your camera steady.  You can use the "zoom effect" on any non moving object.  I'll have to give it a try some time.

Christmas offers so many photo ops.  Hope you get the chance to experiment with holiday lights.

NIght Photography



F20, 13 Sec, ISO 100


Night photography can be very beautiful.  It is very hard to capture lights at their best in the dark setting.  I've learned that photographers learn by doing.  You have to get out there and try then see what works and what doesn't.  The great many lights from this house allowed me to use a lower ISO.  Using a small aperture (F stop) makes the lights twinkle.  Again like I said, I had to try and try again with each shot.  Until I finally got it right.
The Holiday Season offers a wider variety of night photos to work with, right outside your own front door too.  And the longer evenings allows more time to practice.  Now if only I didn't mind the cold weather as much as I do.  :  /




F25, 13 Seconds, ISO 200



Heidelberg Project

This summer I visited the Heidelberg Project in Detroit.  It is a neighborhood that use people's creativity to turn unsightly trash into beauty.   Car tires, shoes, toys, electronics, carts, doors, buckets, empty bottles, you name it.   They turned the whole neighborhood into a work of art.  It was so colorful.  It is very interesting to see how creative minds work. 
Check it out some time.
http://www.heidelberg.org/

Thank You, Lord.

I have so much to be grateful for.  I ask God to also let me see the trouble times as times of growing and perfecting and be thankful for the "learning" experiences.
This image was taking with my macro lens for a "flower" assignment.  At that time, no flowers were available, only these.  I love the depth of field in this shot.

Remembering Smokey and Eclipse

Today marks three years since I've lost my cats, Smokey and Eclipse.  I had them for 13 years and miss them dearly.  I wish I had taken more photos of them.  I only have a few and they are with my old point and shoot. 
It is not easy to get photos of pets.  Like children, they do not like to keep still and cooperate.  It is a challenge. 
I love you Smokey (Moco) and Eclipse (Porky), my babies.  You left your paw prints on my heart.  <3


Smokey




Eclipse



Reflections

I love to capture reflections in the water.  Fall offers so many different colors to capture and they look so spectacular in reflections.  The above photo was taken at Greenfield Village. 

Ahh, this looks so soothing.  The water appears to be glass.  This one was taken at the cemetery.

This one is just the reflection alone.  Also taken at the cemetery.

This one has more back and fore ground in it.  See the geese in the pond? 
Tell me what you think of my reflections. 

Architecture

I love the architecture of the old buildings in Detroit.  They have so much lovely details.  You can tell they put a lot into designing and building them.  It is hard to capture the beautiful details, but here are a few images.

 I'm going to have to share more photos of buildings soon.

Foggy Mornings

I just love the way fog makes everything look.  It gives a whole different look to things and sets a very unique mood.  This is Woodward Avenue in downtown Detroit, a very busy street in the center of Detroit.  But the fog makes it look so attractive and even peaceful.  I love the way the lights glow, too.

Great Things

Another wonderful promise.  God is awesome and He has great things in store for me.  And for you too, if you only believe.  I do.

Do you like the water drop on this rose?  I used a special technique here.  A drop of clear corn syrup stays put.  Clever, huh?

It's A Girl!

My new grandbaby is going to be a girl, to arrive in April, 2011.  I am happy.  I will have a new subject to photograph and girls are more cooperative.  My other granddaughter still enjoys "modeling" for me at age 14.  And she is a beautiful subject to capture.  God is so good.

Veteran's Day

I love taking photos of flags.  There is so much meaning behind our "Old Glory".  And they are very colorful as well.  This image was taken at Greenfield Village.  I think it makes an interesting perspective with the clock in the background.

Thank you, Veterans.

Prosper

Follow your dream and believe that God will make it reality for you.  He made us a promise.
This image is available in my "Inspirational Photos-set two" in my Etsy Shop.

In Living Color

"Buttons"

Even though I tend to lean more towards black and white images, there are times when it will do no justice to a photograph.  I love brightly colored objects, especially if there is a mixture of colors.  A black background makes the colors stand out even more.  These are a few of my favorite colorful photos.

"Buttons" got me First Place in the "Color" theme photo contest in 2009.  I was really surprised at that.

In Living Color



"Framed"



untitled



To the Point

My "To the Point" photograph placed me 4th in the "rule of thirds" photo contest back in Spring of 2009.

Purple

Black and white would not work in these photos.  I'd sure like to know what you think about these.  Stay colorful!

In Black and White



"Pure White"

 Once I forgot to change the settings on my camera and took a black and white photo of a flower.  After downloading it and viewing, I realized the image was truely spectacular in black and white.  It gave a whole new impression to the image.  Since then, I've tried to photograph flowers in black and white more often.


"Feed Me"

 The image above looks so dramatic ("Pure White" is available for purchasing on Etsy) .

The image to the left - "Feed Me" looks very compelling.



"Awesome"

And "Awesome" looks simply awesome!

I'd like to know what you think
of these images.

Shine

I just love the morning sun coming up.  It makes everything look so spectacular with a golden lining.  It reminds me of the song "Shine" by Matt Redman.
"We have seen the rising sun, awakening the early dawn, and we're rising up to give you praise.  We have seen the stars and moon, see how they shine, they shine for you and You're calling us to do the same.  So we rise up with a song, and we rise up with a cry.  And we're giving you our lives.
We will shine like stars in the universe, holding out Your truth in the darkest place.  We'll be living for Your glory.  We will burn so bright with Your praise O God, and declare Your light to this broken world.  We'll be living for Your glory.  Jesus, we'll be living for your glory."
It's a new month, a new week and a brand new day.  I hope you shine.  I hope I do too.

Stuff

I really enjoy taking photos of ordinary objects and making them look awesome.  I also love black and white.  I believe you can see more of the detail in objects using black and white.  Flowers and sunsets are beautiful and wonderful to capture in a photograph.  But they are normally beautiful anyway.  I find it challenging to bring out the beauty of regular "stuff".


"Ghetto Art"



Swirl



Down and Around



Weathered



Keys

 What do you think?

Just a note, Ghetto Art, Keys, and Weathered available for purchasing on Etsy.  Check out my link.

BOO!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Meadowbrook Gardens



The Rock Garden



Meadowbrook is suppose to have 14 gardens but I didn't see all of them when I was there.  Maybe they were too small for me to count as a garden or I just simply missed them.  But they were very lovely and added more charm to the surroundings of the mansion.  The gardens were very well kept too.  I couldnt' get many "macro" shots of the flowers because it was a breezy day.  But I did manage to get a few close ups and some butterfly shots.  To walk around the grounds in the gardens is free admission, the mansion tour is a small fee. 



Yellow Roses are beautiful




Awesome in black and white




Cool