Shutterbug

Yoo Hoo! I'm Over Here!

2012-01-21T17:49:00.000-04:00

Dickson Falls, July 2011

Wow, it's sure been awhile since I've posted here! I'm truly sorry. I moved to the other side of the country towards the end of last August, and since then I haven't taken many photos. I've been busy with work, I don't have access to a car to travel to new places to photograph, and then winter set in and it got cold.

One of the ladies at work (I'm a teacher and she works in the office) is also into photography, and we are taking a free - couldn't believe that! - online photography course through distance education. She is into it a couple lessons further than I am. You see, the first lesson is to gather 80 photographs that you've taken (no people in them with a critical eye) and evaluate as to which elements best describe the photos. The elements are: line, shape, form, texture, pattern and colour.

I was going to do this over the Christmas holidays, but I travelled back home and since I didn't have computer access there, I left my laptop at my apartment. When I got back and started teaching again, I just never seemed to find the time to sit down and go through my photos.

Today I finished up doing so, and now I just need to evaluate the photos and fill out the chart (we'll be using the photos again later on in the course) to send off. That is the first assignment. The lady from work who is taking the course said the second lesson is about f-stops.

Anyway, I hope to post here about my course as I go on. I'll also try to keep up to date with photos and maybe explain what I'm doing in each lesson as I go along.

Until the next post (which hopefully won't be too far into the future), happy snapping!

One Of My Favourite Types of Flowers

2011-08-06T23:51:00.000-03:00

Dahlia

Lamb's Ear

2011-07-22T22:45:00.000-03:00

Lamb's Ear

This flower doesn't get many "petals" on it; it's planted pretty much for the leaves which are soft like a lamb's ear - hence the name. I don't have any shots of the leaves, but I might try and get some in the next few days (if I can get a decent picture with them).

Looking Up

2011-07-13T14:04:00.000-03:00

Along the Dickson Falls Trail in Fundy National Park

Waterfall

2011-07-05T18:49:00.002-03:00

Keeping On With The Theme of Flowers

2011-07-01T17:36:00.000-03:00

Peony

More Tulips

2011-06-03T20:39:00.000-03:00

Purple Tulips

Yellow Tulip in the Sun

Red Tulip

2011-05-28T23:11:00.001-03:00

Red Tulip in the Garden

Tulips In The Garden

2011-05-20T21:32:00.001-03:00

Tulips in the garden

The red tulips in the garden were almost in bloom when I took this photo yesterday. Today, they are out but I didn't get out to take their photos though - maybe tomorrow.

Bleeding Heart

2011-05-19T13:02:00.000-03:00

Bleeding Heart in the garden

The bleeding heart in the garden is beginning to grow and bloom. It's just small right now, but should be bigger and fuller later in the season. Hopefully, I will remember to go out later in the summer and take some photos of it as well.

Braiding

2011-05-05T23:34:00.000-03:00

This was taken last year at Kings Landing. This girl (and several others) was practicing braiding. I think the technique they were learning how to make would be used to make baskets...but I'm not sure.

The Cross

2011-04-22T14:15:00.000-03:00

A Barrel of Fun

2011-04-19T19:57:00.000-03:00

Wooden Barrels

I took this photo at Kings Landing this past summer. Again, it was quite a sunny and hot day, and not really the right time to photograph things. I like the barrells though - all hand made at Kings Landing.

Through The Trees

2011-04-14T22:06:00.000-03:00

At Kings Landing

I was looking through some of the photos I took last summer and decided to post one from them. I may post a few more in the upcoming days, but for now I'll just stick to this one.

On this particular day, it was very hot and obviously sunny. It was definitely not the best time to take photos because of the harsh light, but I still like the shots I took (well, most of them anyway). I hope to get back to Kings Landing again this summer, and hopefully it won't be so hot and sunny - maybe a nice cloudy and not so hot day :o).

The End Of A Life Cycle

2011-04-09T13:28:00.001-03:00

The end of the tulip

Remember a few posts ago when I posted pics of the pot of tulips I had bought my mom for her birthday? Well, a week or so ago I noticed they had come to the end of their life cycle, and thought they looked pretty interesting. So, I took some photos of what was left.

They're not as pretty as when they are in bloom, but interesting none the less.

Purple and Yellow Crocuses

2011-03-31T14:22:00.000-03:00

A Sign of Spring

2011-03-30T22:48:00.000-03:00

Yellow Crocuses

The sun had moved around to the other side of the house, so the crocuses are closed. I'm hoping to get some shots of this cluster of yellow ones opened.

Horsing Around

2011-03-25T21:16:00.000-03:00

Running Around In Circles

I know the photo isn't the best - a touch out of focus; however, I did like the shot. I took this photo when I was down in Australia in 2009. I believe it was at the Melbourne Zoo, as it is grouped in with all my zoo photos.

Pretty Petals

2011-03-23T20:43:00.000-03:00

Tip Toe Through The Tulips

2011-03-21T17:21:00.000-03:00

Tulips

Last Thursday was my mom's birthday. I bought her some flowers, and these potted tulips. They've actually grown and opened a lot since then, so I decided to take a few photos of them using the natural light that came in through the back patio windows.

I'm hoping the bulbs survive and she can plant them in her garden (I think in the fall) and grow next spring. Then I can get some photos of them outside. She has a couple of purple tulips in her garden now (or did last spring), and I'm hoping to get some photos of those again this year as well.

2011-03-19T12:44:00.000-03:00

Branching Out

I took this photo last week when I was out with my friend on a photo shoot/walk. I don't know if the leaves of this tree are normally brown or not (I assume they are green), but we were surprised they had stayed on all winter.

Missing Oranges

2011-03-17T19:46:00.000-03:00

Apples and...garlic??!!

I went to my friend's place last week. She's also in to photography, and knows quite a bit. We were working on some still life photos, and she was passing on her wisdom and knowledge to me. I know the background isn't the best, but I liked it.

We used some apples and a clove of garlic as our subjects and she was showing me different lighting techniques - or rather what the photos would look like using different types of lighting. This photo was done with natural lighting coming from the window in the background window (it was a rather cloudy, grey day).

I'm going to have to try more still life photos as I enjoyed it! She showed me a light box (at least I think that's what she called it) that she had made. It was a box with the top and two sides cut out (enough of the box left to make a frame), and was covered in white material to allow lamp light to come in. She said she puts the item she is photographing in the box, adjusts the lighting, and then takes her shots. I just might have to try that too.

What are your favourite photos to take?

Across The River

2011-03-11T00:01:00.000-04:00

Looking over to a section of Riverview

Long Hot Sunny Days

2011-03-08T14:01:00.001-04:00

Add caption

Sure, there is a lot wrong with this photo - like it was taken in the harshness of a hot, bright, sunny afternoon (which gives it harsh shadows), but I still kind of like it.

I have no idea what kind of bush this was on, or whether those are seed pods, some kind of berry, or something that will turn into flowers. This was on a bush in Fundy National Park, and I took the photo last summer.

A Taste of Something Other Than Snow

2011-03-05T14:41:00.000-04:00

Iris In The Wild

We've had so much snow this winter, particularly since January. And, quite frankly, I'm getting a little sick of it. I decided to post a photo I took last year, early in the summer, to remind me of the beauty that awaits after the snow melts.

The Day After

2011-02-28T11:50:00.001-04:00

The Day After The Storm

This past Friday we got yet another snow storm - in fact, it was a blizzard! The next day, on Saturday, it was beautiful, sunny, and a little mild. We were left with a huge snow drift from our front door to about 3/4 of the way down the front walk. It took me nearly 2 hours to shovel, it was that huge. Mind you, about 10 minutes was spent scraping the car off AND taking some photos to document how much snow we have, but rest of the time was shovelling. Today, they are calling for an additional 15-20 cm (like we need more snow!), some freezing rain, warmer temps and rain.

Mount Sinai

2011-02-25T19:08:00.000-04:00

Sun Rise on top of Mt. Sinai

Selling Souvenirs on top of Mount Sinai

Mount Sinai

2011-02-25T18:52:00.000-04:00

Concentrating

2011-02-10T12:05:00.000-04:00

Snowstorm from Feb. 6/11

Here's a photo from the latest snowstorm we had this past weekend. It doesn't look all that bad in the shot, but it was (I adjusted the colour using Elements and that took some of the stormy look out of it). This part of the tree is up quite high, and the snow is right up to it. To be honest, a lot of the snow in that area has been blown over from the driveway (we get it plowed out), but there has been a ton of snow this winter. I'm hoping to get out and take a few shots of it from the driveway. This photo was taken out the front window.

Through The Branches

2011-02-01T15:05:00.001-04:00

Sunrise

This is just a snapshot. A couple of weeks ago, I was up early (as I usually am during the weekday in case I get called for work) and was witness to God's beautiful handiwork. I wasn't trying to take the "perfect" photo, but I wanted to capture the colours of the sky before it changed.

Usually the saying goes, "red/pink sky in the morning, sailor take warning" to indicate that there is going to be inclimate weather that day. The morning I took this photo turned out to be nice, though I think later on in the week we had a snow storm

Icy Fingers

2011-01-27T15:58:00.001-04:00

Frozen Icy Fingers

Granted, this isn't the best photo, but I wanted to capture the length of the icicles hanging outside the front window. This shot was taken through the window.

I like the bokeh in the background, the sun of early morning shining through the trees. The white is snow on the branches of an evergreen.

Autumn Leaves

2010-12-02T12:59:00.000-04:00

Still posting photos from the fall. I haven't been out photographing anything yet since some snow has fallen. It's mostly gone now anyway, but there will be more chances over winter!

I think the red leaves are my favouring of the fall colours, but this year there didn't seem to be many around. Orange was the dominant colour this year, followed by yellow. This photo was taken on a walk in one of the local parks in the city back in October.

Along The Path

2010-11-03T20:37:00.000-03:00

This was taken last month in Irishtown Nature Park. At the time, the trees were still pretty full of colourful leaves, even though there were tons on the ground. Now, however, the majority of all the trees in this area (not just the nature park) are bare - though some continue to hold on to the leaves. Winter is coming, and with that the snow. I'm hoping to walk these trails and get some photos of the park blanketed in snow.

Old Tree

2010-10-16T21:26:00.000-03:00

The Tree

I went for a walk with a friend in another of the nature parks in this area. This one is called Irishtown Nature Park. It is a beautiful, large area and has a lake and several trails. I'm not totally sure on the length of the trail we followed today, but I'd estimate about 5 kilometers. The last sign I remember seeing was 3.5km, and from there we still had to walk quite a way to get to the parking lot. It's definitely a beautiful place to go walking, jogging, even biking. I hope to get back there more often, and maybe get some photos there this winter too.

Down A Side Path

2010-10-13T11:02:00.000-03:00

A lonely bench in Mapleton Park

This rickety ol' park bench looks as though it has seen better days. It was down a little side path from the main one where I was walking.

Strolling Through The Park

2010-10-09T15:58:00.000-03:00

Two ladies walking a dog in Mapleton Park

This past Wednesday, I took a little walk in one of our city's parks. The main goal was to capture the fall landscape along one of the park's trails. While there were plenty of leaves on the ground, and several trees in colourful dress, I was quite surprised that there was still a lot of green - and I'm not just talking about the evergreen trees.

We had some rain and a lot of wind the last couple of days (today is windy, but sunny), so I expect a lot more of the leaves have fallen off. I'm hoping to go tomorrow or Monday to take some more photos. Hopefully I'm not too late at getting some beautiful scenic photos.

It's A Toss Up

2010-10-06T09:34:00.000-03:00

Having Fun

Last month when I travelled to Fredericton to the Harvest Jazz & Blues Festival, this guy was down by the Saint John River. He wasn't there the entire time, and came awhile after we had gotten to this spot (at the lighthouse). I'm not entirely sure what he's doing - almost like a form of juggling but using a string with handles on each end, and three of those cylindar type thingys (love my technical term?), throwing them up in the air and 'catching' them again. The cylindar thingys were spinning around as they flew up and back down along the string before being tossed up again. This guy was really good at what he was doing, and it was fun to watch.

Finished For The Day

2010-09-26T20:20:00.000-03:00

Finished for the day.

This photo was taken in Fredericton at the 2010 Harvest Jazz & Blues Festival, last weekend. This guy was spray painting t-shirts, and I think (though I'm not totally sure), he did the sign behind him. Here he is at the end of the afternoon, quenching his thrist.

The photo isn't the best - I should have tried to get in tighter, but I wanted to get the whole picture in back of the artist. Maybe if I had gotten a little lower so that I wouldn't have gotten the building in the back might have worked. I tried cropping, but it didn't look right.

Freedom '55

2010-09-25T13:02:00.001-03:00

The Freedom '55

The little community of Peggy's Cove is a fishing village. Here is a boat that is probably no longer used, or is in need of repair. This is such a quaint little community, filled with lots of photo opportunities. I would have loved to do a little more exploring and photography, but the people I was with wanted to go to the lighthouse and the rocky area - which was great as well.

** Clicking on the photos in this blog should enlarge them.

Bag Pipes

2010-09-23T21:12:00.002-03:00

Piping at Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia

My second trip to Peggy's Cove this summer was made even better by the fact that they had this woman playing bag pipes! I had hoped she'd play "Scotland the Brave" (my favourite song on the pipes), but while I was there, she didn't. I never thought that maybe she'd take requests, though! Of the songs I heard her play, I only recognized one - Amazing Grace. That's another song I love to hear on bag pipes.

Hangin' Out To Dry

2010-09-22T10:37:00.000-03:00

Taken in the little village/community of Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia on a recent trip.

Pretty Dahlia

2010-09-19T11:20:00.000-03:00

This is from my mom's dahlia garden again. This flower isn't fully out yet, but I thought it looked nice - somewhat like a lotus or water lily in appearance. I really like the colours in this flower - God can do such amazing work in His creations!

This particular photo is from last month, however I do have more photos (not just flowers) since then but Photoshop Elements isn't working properly on the laptop again. Every time I try to click to add the copyright notice and/or my name, the program freezes up. I can (so far) adjust colour, contrast, sharpness, etc. just fine, but I don't know what is causing the program to freeze on me. It was working fine for awhile, and then it started acting up all of a sudden again. Might have too much on the computer...maybe need to transfer my photos to an external hard drive (if I can figure out how to do that correctly, and still be able to access them and download them to post, etc. I am so not a technical person...

2010-09-06T10:28:00.000-03:00

Checking for danger during the storm

This past Saturday we got the tail winds and rain from Hurricane Earl which hit the Nova Scotia coast. In our area the winds weren't nearly as bad as they had been predicting, and we didn't get as much rain as they had thought. The night before, it has been predicted that the storm would hit our area dead on (which doesn't happen too often), but by Saturday morning, Earl had changed its course and hit Nova Scotia. In that province, about 200,000 people lost power (as opposed to the 1,000 people who lost power in our area), and it was thought that it would take about 2 days to get everyone back on the power grid.

This photo is of one of the female humming birds that has been visiting our feeder this summer. I was surprised to see her out in all that wind and rain. The picture isn't all that great as I was taking it through the kitchen window, and the white tint in the photo is the reflection of the curtain on the glass. Anyway, I just wanted to share the photo of the bird out in the storm.

Flowery Goodness

2010-08-31T22:35:00.000-03:00

Clicking the photo should enlarge it.

One of the dahlias in the garden. I took this a few days ago after there was a light misty rain in the early evening. I was trying to capture some raindrops on the flowers, but they didn't turn out too well. Anyway, I'm not too sure of the name of this dahlia, but I like the colours in it - it's a pretty flower.

2010-08-28T12:57:00.000-03:00

Sunny Fields

This is the same field of sunflowers where I took the previous photo. I think I may have figured out why there is so much `graininess` to the photos I took that day. I believe I had the ISO dialed too high; if I had gone lower (never thought of this at the time), it might have looked sharper. I`ll have to remember that next time! Since then, I`ve changed the ISO to a lower one. Sadly the sunflowers in that field are pretty much gone now, ready for harvesting.

Sunflowers

2010-08-26T13:14:00.000-03:00

Not long ago, there was an article in our local paper about a farmer who had planted his fields with sunflowers. He has seven acres of them. It went on to say that this was the first year he had planted them, and his plan was to harvest them to make sunflower oil (I think that's what he'd said). It's really more of an experiment for him, but if it works out, he might plant them again next year. I hope so! Sadly, at this point in the summer, many of the sunflowers are starting to dye down. If he does plant them again next year, I'm going earlier in the season.

On the weekend, I went with another photographer friend to take some photos of another friend and her daughter. We decided to go to the sunflower field and take some shots (my photographer friend had asked permission earlier in the day). While there, I took some photos of the sunflowers. The above image is one of them.

I know this isn't a unique photo, but I like it. Unfortunately, for any number of reasons, most of my photos didn't turn out (it could have been the time of day - around 6:30pm, - my ISO setting, aperture, the lens I used...anything). I was quite disappointed; however, it was a learning lesson for me. Looking at this photo, I wish I had gone in closer so that the flowers were more prominent in the shot. But, I still like the photo.

2010-08-24T17:24:00.000-03:00

Not sure what these are, but I think they're some kind of decorative cattails. These are in a little public garden along a river, across from the city.

Up The Street

2010-08-23T12:31:00.000-03:00

Looking from the Halifax waterfront up one of the streets. Not sure I'd like to have to drive up that hill in the winter if it's even a little icy.

Reflected

2010-08-21T12:52:00.001-03:00

I'm still learning a lot about photography, and haven't really focused on reflections yet. I'm sure this could have been done better (like if the sky was darker blue), but I like it. The photo was taken on the Halifax waterfront, and I just liked the way the buildings were reflected in the windows. It kind of reminds me of the type of reflections you see in water, which was where we were - right on the Halifax Harbour.

Peggy's Cove

2010-08-20T09:12:00.001-03:00

A scene from the picturesque village of Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada. It's such a beautiful spot here, and I absolutely loved it. If you've never been here, and you are up in the Halifax area, make sure to take a side trip (about half an hour from the city) to this spot.

Along The Waterfront

2010-08-19T10:19:00.000-03:00

There are several dolphins, similar to this one, painted with various colours and scenes along the waterfront in Halifax, NS. This one, was perhaps, my favourite...probably because of the colouring and the sky and sea painted on it.

Sailing, Sailing...

2010-08-18T10:18:00.000-03:00

In Halifax Harbour

As I mentioned in my previous post, this past weekend I visited the lovely city of Halifax, Nova Scotia. There is lots to see and do in this old city, and one of those thing is to walk along the waterfront. This particular day, it was sunny and hot, and the Buskers Festival was going on in several places along the waterfront (and in other locations as well).

Strolling down the waterfront in the late morning sun, I spotted this little sailboat out on the harbour. I zoomed in as close as I could (it was actually quite a distance away) with my 300mm zoom, and snapped this shot. I adjusted colour and contrast in PSE, as well as added a vignette around the edges to give it a bit of a frame.

Danger!

2010-08-17T10:59:00.002-03:00

Lighthouses, as we all know, warn ships of the dangerous, rocky areas from which to stay away.

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to visit the city of Halifax, and the village of Peggy's Cove (both in Nova Scotia). I hadn't been to Halifax in probably 20 years, and I had never been to Peggy's Cove. People around here find it hard to believe that, after living in this area for 30+ years, I had never been to this awesome place. I took over 500 photos of both places, and will put more up here as the days go on.

The photo above is the lighthouse at Peggy's Cove (the link is to a live webcam of the lighthouse; check it out). I've played around with the colouring, to make it black & white, and try to give it a bit of a sepia colour as well - to make it a little old fashioned looking. I don't think I've quite got it down, but I kind of liked the result.

I was hoping to get some photos of the waves crashing against the rocks, however, the ocean was quite calm and there were no waves. In fact, we were able to climb over all the rocks around this area and get quite close to the ocean. If the waves were crashing, it would have been impossible for us to get to far out because we could be pulled out to sea, and have the strong possibility of drowning because of the undertow. I guess I am very thankful for the calm waters that day, since it allowed me to explore and take many photos I might not have been able to get if the waves were pounding the rocks. I'm going to go again, maybe towards fall, or in the fall, and hopefully the waves will be rolling in and I can get some great photos!

Up Close and Personal

2010-08-10T16:31:00.000-03:00

This is another shot from King's Landing. I used my zoom lens for this shot and tried to focus on the eye. It was hard to get good photos since they kept moving around, and there was wooden fence (a little high) around them, which they kept standing in front of, looking the other way. I lucked out when this one came in my general direction.

In The Barn

2010-08-03T13:53:00.000-03:00

This is another photo from my trip to Kings Landing Historical Site near Fredericton, NB. This photo was taken when we were near the house and barn near the field where the man and boys were throwing the rocks from the potato field (see previous post).

I believe the baskets contain lunches because I saw the boys carrying them later on to another destination, though I could be wrong. It just made sense to me that they would contain food. There were a couple of cats in the barn (where this shot was taken) and this one got curious about what might be in the basket...maybe something that smelled good. I assume the container which is what the shot is focused on would have been used for milk...but again, I could be wrong. There was no one nearby who could have told me one way or the other.

A Walk Back In Time

2010-07-31T20:36:00.002-03:00

Earlier this month I went to King's Landing near Fredericton, NB. We were there for a few hours and never made it through the entire place - mostly because it was so hot and humid that day. Another trip in the fall is a possibility to visit the rest of the historical site.

Two women in authentic garb from the time.

I was wondering what these guys were doing in the field/garden. I watched for a short while to see they were throwing what I thought might be potatos...though I don't know why they'd do that.

As I got closer and could observe, I discovered they were throwing rocks!

One of the people working at the site. They all dress up in clothes from the era and they actually do jobs and housework, etc. as it would have been done at that time.

Daisy

2010-07-26T16:05:00.001-03:00

I had no idea that little bug was on the daisy, nor the two water droplets on the petals, until I uploaded the photo to my computer.

Tiger Lilly

2010-07-09T14:32:00.000-03:00

I do believe this is a Tiger Lilly - one of my favourite types of flowers.

Went out on a couple of excursions this week and I am working on fixing up the photos. Sadly, every time I try to use PSE 7, it locks up on me and I can't figure out what is causing the problem. Hopefully I'll get it working soon so I can work on my photos and post them!

Marigolds

2010-07-04T13:54:00.000-03:00

Marigolds in the garden. These are planted around the dahlia bed on the edges because they are supposed to help keep some bugs (don't know if it's all kinds or just certain kinds) away from the flowers.

Day Lily

2010-07-03T17:07:00.000-03:00

This is one of the yellow day lillies in the back yard. I took this picture not too long ago, and adjusted the colour/contrast a bit using Elements 7.

Oh Canada!

2010-07-01T22:39:00.000-03:00

Happy Canada Day!

Untitled 2

2010-06-29T11:42:00.000-03:00

Untitled

2010-06-27T15:40:00.000-03:00

Thought this looked interesting. It's on a large dead tree used as "decoration" (for lack of a better description). Looks almost alien-like...

Daisy

2010-06-25T12:12:00.002-03:00

Dog Days of Summer

2010-06-23T11:25:00.001-03:00

On my little weekend excursion, we went to a little beach. It's quite rocky, so to me it's not the ideal type of beach. However, there were some people there, and it's definitely a good place to walk. The sun was shining, and it was a gorgeous day (though a lot cooler than it was in the city, but still beautiful temperatures).

When we first got to the beach, we saw this dog walking around, visiting with people, but being very good (not barking, biting, being a pest, etc.). We assumed he/she belonged to someone who was there. I took several different shots of this dog, and hoped that whoever his/her owner was wouldn't mind. No one said anything, and as we began our walk along the sand and stone (the water was too cold), the dog began to follow us. He/she walked with us for the majority of our walk, and on our way back would bark for us to play. We would throw some of the sticks or rocks out to the water or further up the beach (no one was around us at that point, though some were quite a way up the beach), and the dog would run after them. Eventually, when we stopped to sit and enjoy the area, the dog trotted over to other people and adopted them for a little while. He was still with them as we left. We figure he/she belonged to someone who lived across the road from the beach.

I hope he/she got home safely to his/her home!

Wild Iris

2010-06-22T11:15:00.000-03:00

I went for a nice drive the other day and in a couple of areas saw some irises growing in the wild. Since I love taking photos of flowers, I just had to capture this one. Unfortunately I couldn't get close enough to get a good macro shot, so this will have to do.

Feathers In Your Cap

2010-06-20T23:31:00.000-03:00

Ok, so they aren't really in a cap. We went on a long drive yesterday and one of the little rest areas we stopped had this display. At first, when we were getting out of the car, we were afraid there was a dead bird with the feathers sticking up. Thankfully, when we got closer, we saw that someone had arranged the feathers in between a couple of pieces of wood/logs.

Bachelor's Button...Possibly?

2010-06-10T11:44:00.000-03:00

This is another flower in my mom's garden of which I don't know the name. I think she told me the name, and Bachelor's Button comes to mind, but I don't know if she was referring to this particular flower or something else.

Unknown Purple Flower

2010-06-01T20:42:00.000-03:00

Same flowers as the one in the previous photo, taken the other day. I used the macro setting on my 18-55 mm lens.

Purple Flower

2010-05-30T19:46:00.000-03:00

Not sure what this flower is, but it's out in the back garden. I thought it looked interesting.

Red Tulip

2010-05-28T23:06:00.000-03:00

Red tulip taken the same time as the previous photos of the bleeding heart and purple tulips. I had the camera set to the maco setting, and touched up the photos (sharpness, contrast) in PSE 7.

Bleeding Heart

2010-05-25T10:54:00.000-03:00

The bleeding heart plant isn't doing all that well this year - at least so far. It's still early, so maybe it will blossom and grow more. Right now, though, there aren't many blossoms on it. This is one branch that had a few hanging down. I used my macro setting and blurred the background to make them stand out more.

Purple Tulips

2010-05-21T13:29:00.000-03:00

There only a few tulips in the garden, and these are a few purple ones (there are a few red ones as well). Right now there isn't much growing in the garden, but there are a few things starting to grow. I haven't seen these "bloom" yet, and just seem to stay closed up like in the photos. They are still pretty though.

Pansies

2010-05-18T22:16:00.000-03:00

This is the lonely clump of pansies left in the front garden. There used to me several other ones, but they didn't come up this spring. I guess they died off. I took this photo the other day, and also got some shots of purple tulips and a couple of red ones. I'll be posting those in the following days.

Purple Flowers

2010-05-15T17:13:00.001-03:00

Some flowers, possible grape hyacinthe but not totally sure, in the front garden.

Kitty 2

2010-05-14T17:23:00.000-03:00

My cat, again, touched up on PSE 7.

Kitty Cat

2010-05-13T14:25:00.000-03:00

My favourite furry feline. This is my cat, Tinker Belle, and she's 12 years old. I fixed the colouring, sharpness, and contrast up just a bit with PSE 7.

Amaryllis

2010-05-01T09:42:00.000-03:00

Close-up of an amaryllis.

Yellow Crocuses

2010-04-29T14:10:00.000-03:00

Here's a long awaited promised shot of the yellow crocuses. Unfortunately, I find it quite difficult to capture the colour yellow (and red for that matter)...The shot isn't all that great, unfortunately; none of there were particularly good in my opinion. It was difficult to get 'the right shot' because of the location - the lawn/garden area was drenched (it was overly rainy at that time) and I couldn't stand in that area.

These flowers are nice and bright and don't have as much character as the purple ones, but they are still pretty - a nice bit of bright cheeriness in an otherwise dull early spring.

Sharing A Link

2010-04-12T08:47:00.000-03:00

Here's an article on blurring the background. I thought it was great and wanted to share it with you:

http://www.learningthelight.com/2010/04/11/how-to-blur-the-background/

Hope you enjoy!

Crocus 4

2010-03-24T08:20:00.000-03:00

This will probably be the last photo I post of the crocuses, unless we get a little more sun and I can get some shots of the yellow ones. It's raining again today so all the crocuses, yellow and purple alike, are closed up.

Crocus 3

2010-03-23T08:59:00.000-03:00

I've been wanting to get out and capture some more photos of the crocuses these last few days. There are more of them, including the yellow ones, out in bloom. However, on the sunny days last week (when these little spring flowers are opened) I was working or away from the house. Yesterday and today it has been cloudy (today is rainy, and it's supposed to rain again tomorrow and possibly the next day, and we had a little snow on Saturday) so the crocuses are closed. Hopefully we'll get more sun before these flowers die, and I'll be able to get some more photos. I can't wait until the other flowers are planted, grown, and in bloom!

Crocus 2

2010-03-20T17:03:00.000-03:00

Another shot of the crocuses I took the other day. There are now some yellow ones out in bloom and I hope to get a shot of them over the next couple of days. This shot was edited a little using PSE 7.

Crocus In Bloom

2010-03-17T11:45:00.000-03:00

These crocuses (and several others) started popping up back in February (minus the flowers). We ended up getting a couple of snow storms and they were covered up once again. In the last couple of weeks, the temperature has warmed up enough to melt the snow off these particular flower beds, and these spring flowers have popped up even more. Several of them are in bloom now, and there should be lots more coming up soon. We have both yellow ones and two shades of purple ones. None of the yellow ones have come up yet, but they should come soon.

I took this photo this morning using RAW and played a little with it in Photoshop Elements. I have several more shots that I hope to touch up and share in the near future.

Knit One, Purl Two...

2010-02-08T22:36:00.000-04:00

Knitting is another hobby of mine. I finished these toddler socks last week; they took not time to make, which I like. I used the macro setting on this photo and left it untouched. The yarn and needles you can see in the background of the picture is another pair of children's socks that I finished knitting this past Saturday.

Foggy Mist

2010-01-26T09:47:00.000-04:00

This morning dawned dark and dreary. It rained overnight and there were some heavy winds, though it wasn't as bad here as they had been predicting. By 8:00-8:30, the sun was peeking through somewhat, attempting to push the clouds away. I looked out the window and saw some fog/mist starting to rise, and by the time I went and got my camera, it was even moreso.

These are only snapshots (touched up slightly in PSE7 for colour/contrast) out my front door, but I wanted to try to capture the moment. The next shot is at the park next to the house. There wasn't as much fog/mist there, but there was a little.

Amarylis

2010-01-21T10:19:00.000-04:00

My mom bought an amarylis shortly before Christmas and planted it a few weeks ago. The first stalk is out and has five blooms on it; a second stalk is in the process of growing, and it too will probably have about five blooms.

I took these photos this morning using natural light coming in the back window (the sun wasn't around to that side of the house yet, and won't be until afternoon) with a black cloth draped over a chair. I used the macro setting on my Pentax K200D camera, and made a few adjustments using Photoshop Elements 7.

Hey Willy, I Won, I Won!

2010-01-20T21:03:00.000-04:00

Nikon Sniper had a contest recently for when he got to 2000 followers, and I entered. The prize being offered is a Western Digital 200GB External USB 2.0 hard drive. Well, last night I received an email from him (which I only saw this morning), stating that I won! I totally forgot that I had entered his contest, so it was a great surprise - especially since today is my birthday. He's busy for awhile, so he won't be able to send it right awy, but that's OK.

If you've never been to his blog, you really should check it out. He's an awesome photographer, and takes excellent photos!

Ornament

2010-01-02T09:51:00.000-04:00

With Christmas having just passed recently, I thought I'd share a photo of one of the ornaments on our tree. I made this for my mom several years ago, and it's held up nicely. It's a simple cross stitched angel that I made from a kit. I made two different ones for her at the time, and I have a few more of these kits kicking around somewhere. I really should get them out and do them up.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, and wish you the best for the upcoming year!

The Fountain

2009-12-05T20:08:00.000-04:00

This fountain was taken in Seoul Land (I think) when I was living in South Korea. It's at a theme park, what they call their version of Disneyland. It's nothing like what I've seen of Disneyland (I've never been there but I've seen pictures).

I used the point and shoot I had at the time, and have adjusted colours, brightness, contrast using Photoshop Elements.

Frost 3

2009-11-25T20:08:00.001-04:00

Another frost shot from the photos I took the other morning. I like the way this turned out. It's the remnant of some flower from my mom's garden.

Frost 2

2009-11-24T22:03:00.000-04:00

Another frost picture I took the other morning. I would like to have gotten closer to the frost in the photo, but I was having difficulty with focusing when I did that.

Frost

2009-11-23T09:38:00.000-04:00

I went out early this morning to try and take some photos of the frost. The above photo is of frost on the windshield of the car with a little early morning sun creating sparkles on some of it.

The majority of the shots didn't turn out, but I was somewhat satisfied with a few of them. Out of about 80-90 shots, there were maybe 3 or 4 that I thought were OK. I wonder if I need an actual macro lens in order to take decent shots of frost. This is one subject I would like to learn how to take good photos of.

Photography Learnings - Part 1

2009-11-19T09:11:00.000-04:00

I need to get out and take more photos. I don't want to keep posting different shots of the same subject, otherwise you (and I) will get bored of this blog. Until then, I thought I would post some of the things I've been learning about photography recently. I want to try to create awill try to post these hints and tips I've learned, and post some links to other articles that may explain what I discuss better.

I am by no means an expert photographer, but what I post is what I am learning as I venture into the wonderful world of digital photography. If anyone reading this can explain the topic I focus on little better, or has some links on the subject, or can even add their own thoughts on the topic, feel free to leave a comment. Just remember to be nice; I am learning and don't claim to know everything.

Get To Know Your Camera

This is probably one of the biggest tips I've read about recently. Not every camera is the same, nor does it have the same setup. It's wise to learn how to operate your camera correctly, otherwise your photos won't be as good or as creative as they could be.

It seems that most people, upon purchase of a new camera, are excited to take photos immediately. They go out to a location where there is plenty of opportunity for stunning photos, or they prop up a common household item on the table, or use their friends and family as subjects, and begin clicking the shutter. Once the photos are uploaded, the new photographer doesn't see the photos he/she thought had been taken (colours aren't accurate, someone has a tree growing out of his/her head, the dog started scratching his ear and there is a big blurry spot from that). Granted, some shots might turn out great, but they could have been much better shots if the photographer knew how to change or use the features (or even know what the features are) on their camera.

I am guilty of this very thing. I got my Pentax K200D a little over a year ago and was in love. I looked briefly at the manual, but I wanted to get out shooting photos. I have gone over to a photographer friend's home to get her help in taking photos (like practicing lighting or depth of field), and we've gone out to a park to take some photos. However, at one point, I needed to set the white balance to a specific setting. I didn't know how to do this. On this particular day I was at my friend's home, and she was able to get on the internet and find an online copy of the manual for my camera. By using the manual, she was able to discover how to set/change the white balance, so I was able to make the necessary adjustment.

Sadly, I quickly forgot how to change/use this feature and never adjusted it again for some time. Trust me when I say that I have now gone through the manual to see how to make this particular adjustment again, and I use it all the time (though I do admit that sometimes I forget to change it until AFTER I get home and realize I didn't make the changes while taking the photos). But, I am still learning and I now make the changes a lot more than I used to.

While I am still new to photography, and will also admit that I need to go through my manual more and actualy take some photos using the particular features on my camera (this helps me learn and remember what to do for those specific features, and when to use them), I think learning about your own camera and how to operate it is one of the most important things a photographer can do.

If you have any thoughts on this topic (or links) and would care to contribute, please leave a comment. Remember, be nice. I want this series to be all about learning and helping photographers to grow in their learning and photography.

Gerbera 2

2009-11-15T19:16:00.000-04:00

Same pot of daisies as the prevous one, this time I took a photo with the morning sun coming through the front window.

Gerbera Daisy

2009-11-13T20:19:00.001-04:00

I bought a pot of Gerbera Daisies today (three blooms on it). These have never been a flower I had been attracted to for some reason; I don't know if it was because I just hadn't seen them often before or what. Lately, well at least since this past spring or early summer, I've found myself liking these flowers - so much so, that I've added them to my list of favourite flowers.

The actual flower on this isn't as bright pink as the photo shows. It's more of a subdued, faded looking pink. However, I should say that it's not faded from being in the sun, but it's just the shade of pink. I don't remember if I used the flash on this photo or not (I suspect I may have), but I did play around with it in Photoshop Elements. No matter what I did with my adjustments, I couldn't get it to look like the colour it is in reality. That being said, I do like the way this photo turned out.

I would like to also take this time to thank Crista over at Nature As Is. She has awarded me with this Friend Award! Thank you so much Crista!

If you haven't been to her blog, please go visit her. She has such a lovely and friendly blog and has lots of great photos of birds and nature. I haven't known her long, but she is very friendly, positive and kind.

Now I must pass this award on to six other bloggers. Be sure to check out their blogs as well:

1. Pixellicious Photos - another very friendly blogger and awesome photographer

2. Georgiana - sadly, I don't get to her blog as often as I would like. She is a writer/author and is a great inspiration to me (even though she doesn't know it). Right now, she's working on NaNo, and I wish her all the best as she strives to finish 50,000 words by the end of November!

3. Jodi -she's very caring, kind, and an awesome person. She's been busy with school lately (amongst other things), but I'm sure she'll be back to blogging soon (and hopefully her computer issues have been resolved!). She makes great cards and has her own Etsy shop, Flutterbye Dreams (be sure to check out her awesome items for sale - clippies, toothfairy pillows, felt finger puppets, and more)

4. NannaPEI - such a friendly lady - and very crafty too! She's working on some slippers right now, but sadly she's not liking the yarn (which I don't blame her at all, because I've tried using that yarn too and it's not all that great to knit with).

5. Chris - another kind and friendly woman. You should see the cards she makes - so awesome! She really inspires me with my card making - though I'm not all that great at it yet (need more practice, I think). Be sure to stop by her blog and see her great work!

Moon - Sort Of

2009-11-11T22:01:00.000-04:00

This is a shot I took the other night. I was attempting to get the moon between two sections of the tree. Unfortunately, the cloud covered the moon. Also, I think I moved the camera a little or the tripod wasn't stable enough. I do know I need a better tripod though. Anyway, the shot turned out a bit of shake to it and it was quite dark. In PSE, I lightened it up some and applied the dry brush effect and got what I think looks like a painting. It's not the best shot, but I kind of like the way it looks here.

Cluck, Cluck

2009-11-07T22:11:00.000-04:00

A friend of mine and her husband got three chickens for their children as pets. I believe these are Silkies, and they are apparently a good animal for a pet. They are super soft! I got to pet this one, and she didn't even try to bite. I don't know too much about this kind of fowl, so I'm just going by what my friend told me (they did research).

Lines

2009-11-04T11:48:00.000-04:00

Bare birch trees at the park. I like the lines the trunks make, but the little branches seem to take away that effect some...

A Church

2009-11-02T23:25:00.000-04:00

I took this photo of a church (not mine) back in September. I should have gone back when then leaves were pretty colours, because there are a lot of them in the area where this church is located.