Happy New Year!

It's late in the day, but I'm sneaking in just under the wire! I want to wish you all a very happy 2012. May you have a wonderful year, and enjoy much time for your photography!

This picture was taken on a ferry, with the flag flapping in the breeze. I was very pleased with how well this came out, since the flag is nearly straight. The lighting was quite off, but it was getting close to sunset so all of the lighting was a little strange.

Dog picture

To keep things balanced off with the cat picture from the other day, here's a picture of a puppy!

He was being tempted by a little piece of ham, which is what had him licking his chops! I love that I caught him with his tongue out, so cute!

Ferry wake

I had a lot of fun taking pictures on the ferry. Here's a really fun shot of the wake behind the ferry.

I love the look of a wake behind a boat, and the huge wake behind a ferry is just lovely!

Cat picture

I tried several different time to get a good picture of this cat. I'm thrilled to have avoided the scary demon eyes that you often see with animals!

I have done no post-processing on this image. I'm really pleased with how clear she is, how lovely her eyes are. All tricky things indoors, with a black cat!

Lake reflection

Yay for vacations! They give you a chance to try a whole different type of photography, by being in a different environment. Here, instead of dealing with snow, I have to figure out how to deal with fog and near-constant drizzle.

For this picture, I was trying to get two sets of trees - the real, and the reflection! I really like the way it turned out, with the skiff of fog over the water to act as a sort of barrier for the two. The sky is a little too bright, too washed out. I wasn't expecting that to be an issue on such a rainy, cloudy day!

It's a tree!

Another of the 30 Day Challenge topics was trees or foliage. The problem I've been having with a lot of my photography lately is lighting - the sun rises after I've left for work, and sets while I'm still at work. And natural light is of course my favourite. So it's been a little tricky getting some of these shots without either resorting to taking umpteen pictures in my office or through a window. This one, however, I got on a bus!

Part of what I enjoy of this challenge is that it's making me more aware of my surroundings. I have to really look around and think of things that will fit different aspects of the challenge. In this case, here is an ad I had seen dozens of times before, but I'd never really realized it was a tree! (As a bonus, the mirror in effect gives me two trees!)

Happy Holidays, everyone!

Ornament photo

One of the examples of interesting photos you could take during the holidays, were pictures of ornaments. Well, my attempts at photographing my glass drop ornaments, or shiny reflective balls were complete failures. I might have fared better if I had moved furniture around and gotten a tripod up to the tree, but someone was using that furniture to wrap presents on! So instead, I got a cute shot of this guy.

Some people love Santas. For others, it's angels. For me, snowmen!

Happy a safe and happy Christmas Eve everyone!

Reuse

There's a tree in city hall decorated entirely in reused items. Here are a few of the ideas that appeared on the tree.

This one appears to be made from Christmas cards! You could either use ones you received in previous years, or ones that people have leftover and don't want to use. With a little creativity, you could probably do something very similar with old magazines, possibly using some stiffer paper as a backing.

This fun ornament is a painted lightbulb. What a great way to reuse those burned out bulbs!

This guy was some sort of aluminium can in his first life, and now he's an angel! (I cut off the wings a bit in the picture, I wasn't at a great angle.) Make sure to rinse the can out well before doing this.

That IS Fun!

This picture was taken to fulfil the "something fun" challenge.

This is a very nice ice sculpture, and I actually think it's easier to see the face in the picture than it is in real life. It's been unseasonably warm here, so the sculptures probably aren't faring quite as well as expected. So far, it just means the edges are a little softer than was perhaps intended, but the details are still clear.

Normally I would think the light pole behind the sculpture was a flaw in composition (although there's only so much you can do with an object you can't move), but in this case, the facets of the ice seem to pick up the colour of the pole, making the edges clearer. I like it!

Textures

Thus far, this was one of the hardest parts of the 30 Day Challenge for me. I thought texture would be easy, because I'm quite a tactile person, so I notice textures all the time. Soft like chinchilla fur or rough and raw like stone. The problem I had wasn't in finding texture, it was in finding interesting texture to photograph, and then figuring out how to capture it nicely. I'm going to share two different images of texture.

Originally I just wanted to take this because of the fabulous way the light made this ribbon look almost on fire! (It's actually a red ribbon, the colour on the right-hand side.) What you also see, especially on the right, is the texture of the ribbon. The light played with this ribbon so wonderfully, I may not put it on any presents, just so I can keep exploring it in photographs!

This second one is a stone from a tile-type table top. Enlarge the image to see this more clearly, but the front section of this tile in particular is incredible for the colours and levels. It's a particularly beautiful part of my table, both to look at and to touch. (There's actually another texture in here, although it's out of focus - right in the front of the picture you can see a couple of grey lines, which are cracks in the table top.)

This picture was taken at the same place as the smiling bear. It's a huge lights display, with various different tableauxs.

This picture was slightly cropped to make it a little more balanced. Otherwise, it's untouched. I didn't have a tripod, and I was worried that the pictures would come out quite blurry because there was nothing to rest the camera on, but there were so many lights that the ambient light was enough to keep the shutter speed down to a reasonable point. I particularly liked the cleanness of the lights in this one, the simple white and blue.

Christmas photo tips

Christmas only comes once a year, so you'll want to make sure you get the best pictures you can - there are no do-overs!

Digital Photography School has posted 16 Digital Photography Tips for Christmas (I love tip #3 and will quote it at the bottom of this post.) Here are some of the great links they've provided as well:

• Taking pictures of Christmas lights from Strobist
• Here's a nice, season-independent set of hints for taking group shots
• Some great tips for taking candid shots

Best Family Photography also has a lot of great tips about taking Christmas phots - and they don't only talk about people.

The New York Institute of Photography has some good tips - some at a more advanced level. Holiday Photos

Overall, these are my favourite tips:

1. be prepared. Charge your batteries, have extras. Scout out the area ahead of time if you can to get a sense of the light you are working with and the layout - where is there clutter, where is there clear.
2. catch candids. These are almost always better than posed photos. Use multi-burst or continuous shot if you can.
3. out of the ordinary. You don't need to only take pictures while people are opening presents. Catch people chatting, wrapping presents, setting the table, or making presents.

This is Tip #3 from the Digital Photography School link provided first in this post.

3. Set up a DIY ‘Photo Booth’

While you probably can’t afford to hire a photo booth for your party you can set up a ‘portrait zone’ of your own where you’ll take photos of your guest.

I did this a few years ago and set up a little place where I asked everyone who came to sit for me so that I could take a nice shot of them.

I photographed everyone as they came in and then left the camera (a point and shoot) set up on a tripod and set to a short self timer time so people could photograph themselves during the rest of the party.

I set it up in a well lit position with a red velvet curtain looking background with a few Christmasy decorations around the edges. I left a few Santa hats and tinsel for people to decorate themselves with.

The shots were great – people went back to it throughout the party and the photos got crazier and crazier as time went on. It was the hit of the party.

Let's Christmas!

Let Christmas begin!

City Hall has this beautiful garland stretching all around the main floor. This is a detail picture of it. They really do a great job of dressing the place up for the holidays.

Clouds

One of my 30 Day Challenge topics was clouds.

I wanted to take this one, because I love whispy little clouds, especially when they are just sitting in a blue sky so alone - no other clouds around. Overall, however, this is not a spectacular picture. There is nothing terribly interesting happening. But here's why it's interesting to me: When you're taking pictures of the sky, there are no reference points about up or down or angles. I could have turned it 180 degrees, posted it, and you'd think nothing was wrong. I actually had my phone at quite an angle to myself when I clicked, because I was trying to omit some buildings and power lines from the picture - as a side effect, the clouds end up looking straight across the "horizon" of the image. I think I would actually like it better if the picture didn't look evenly horizontal. I think it would be more interesting.

Oh well!

(Side note: This photo was taken with my phone.)

One extra for Challenge Blue

I took this picture for Challenge Blue. Initially, it didn't make the cut for pictures to be posted, but I keep coming back to it, because there's just something about it.

To be honest, I'm not entirely sure what it is about this picture that grabs me. Maybe it's something raw about having an emergency button on this "rough" basement wall - yes, it's all painted white, but there are lines for .. power?, cut outs for access doors, and electrical boxes all over the place. Things that would normally be hidden, are acceptable in the tunnels under the city. And then there's this sharp blue - bold, clean, clear that just stands out against all the white. (As it should, for an emergency button!)

30 Day Challenge - What is it?

I've mentioned the 30 Day Photo Challenge several times as I've posted some of my pictures. I thought it was about time to explain more!

Here is the original challenge I undertook: Anyone Up For A Challenge?

Then I redid it for myself, taking some of their items, replacing some with new ones of my own, and changing around the order. I don't much like taking pictures of people, and I found the original had too many of ... me. So I added architecture, plants and animals, etc. In all the challenges I undertake, I only use pictures taken for that challenge. I won't grow or learn anything by just looking back through old pictures, even if I have something perfect!

My version:

1. pretty pattern
2. in my bag
3. something old
4. bird
5. favourite colour
6. something I made
7. clouds
8. what I ate
9. animal
10. something new
11. a smile
12. texture
13. trees/foliage
14. something fun
15. what I wore
16. something purchased
17. what I read
18. doorway
19. motion
20. shoes
21. from a distance
22. a building
23. childhood memory
24. sunrise/sunset
25. technology
26. in the kitchen
27. close-up
28. black and white
29. unusual angle
30. faceless self-portrait

There are many other challenges out there, so here's a few, if the one above doesn't suit you. You can also set your own! My only suggestion is that if you make your own, write it down in advance.

• zoom in on gratitude
• The White Peach Blog - 30 Day Photo Challenge
• Daily Dog Challenge (I mentioned this one a few days ago, but it's worth repeating.)
• Photo Challenge: Pictures by the alphabet
• 52 Week Challenge Each week was assigned an adjective, one per week. This link is for the 2011 list, and there was also a challenge in 2010 based on a weekly topic. Although it's too late to post to the Flickr group, that doesn't mean you can't take the ideas and run with them on your own!
• Nikon D300 Challenge
• Shutter Foundation

One other that I have thought of, inspired by the Pictures by the alphabet challenge would be to take pictures of the alphabet - in unusual ways. Finding an S in curly architectural features, for example. Do you have any other links to or ideas for challenges?

Challenge Smile

Part of the challenge for me is to think of different ways to approach the subject.

In this case, I don't have many people in my life who like to have their pictures taken, so instead of stalking a stranger, I looked for a smile elsewhere! The bear in the middle of this scene is actually animated, and when his mouth is open, he looks like he's smiling. I cropped this picture to clear out the clutter and the noise.

Rabbit sighting! but no waistcoat or rabbit hole to Wonderland

The challenge from a couple of days ago was to take a picture of an animal. I saw some wild rabbits in a field near my house, and took quite a few pictures with the only camera I had on hand - my cell phone. Challenge completed. This is not one of those pictures, however it is the same field and likely one of the same rabbits.

I brought the good camera with me yesterday, specifically because I was hoping those guys would be out again - the weather is still fairly mild, given it's December, so I expected they would be out eating what they could find while they had the chance. I think this guy was just sunning himself, however, because he was out when I left and was in pretty much the same spot when I was on my way home a couple of hours later.

I used full zoom, because I didn't want to startle him. You can already tell he's fully aware I'm there and paying attention to me. Patchy snow means not the best hiding for him, but better pictures for me!

Looking for camera reviews?

My very favourite camera review site is Steve's Digicams. His reviews are thorough, keep the audience of the camera in mind (they won't talk down about a point and shoot because it can't compare to a DSLR - it's not supposed to compare to that!) I love that he's had his hands on every camera he reviews, and shows a lot of example pictures in many different settings, so you can see what the camera can do. Here's an example review, of a camera that makes me drool:

Canon Powershot Sx40-Hs Review - This is the basic review. Pros and cons, quick overview, list of features. Scroll down the page and you are given several options to get deeper in to the review: Specifications, Physical Views, Features & Controls, Record Screens & Menus, Playback Screens & Menus, Steve's Conclusion, Sample Photos

The site also has active forums for photographers: Steve's Digicams Forums

Enjoy!

Ring-Billed Gull

I have recently discovered that what I was calling a "sea gull" is in fact several different, very similar-looking birds from the gull family, none of which have "sea" in their names. Go figure. I've been trying for a while to get a clear shot of one, so I could figure out just which type of gull I was looking at, and I'm very pleased with how this one came out.

Meet the Ring-Billed Gull, set against a flawless blue sky. I really like the simplicity of this picture.

Complete Moon

I took quite a few pictures while my computer was on the fritz. There are things you just can't see well on a camera screen that turn up quite clearly on the computer monitor. Like this gem!

I thought this was just an average shot of the moon, as I was playing with exposure lengths and so on. But when seen on my computer monitor, I realized I actually captured the entire moon, not just the reflection that gives it the stereotypical crescent shape! Along with a smidge of cloud reflection, and the rest of the picture full black, I really like this shot.

Rule of thirds

I think this one turned out as an excellent example of the rule of thirds.

Each book takes up approximately 1/3 of the picture, with the blank wall taking up 1/3. The only thing I could do to like this one more, would be to get rid of the shadow entirely, making that blank wall completely neutral.

Putting your photography skills to good use!

In combination with Monday's tips on how to take photos of pets for a formal session, here is the other end of the spectrum - how to take good photos of shelter animals. Those dogs that don't have a human who dotes on them and would love to pay to have their pup star in it's very own photo shoot.

Pup Fan recently attended a workshop to help photographers take better pictures of shelter dogs, and she kindly shared some of the most memorable points! Offer up your services to your own local shelter or rescue, or just use the tips to help you get better pictures of your own four-legged friends.

http://istillwantmorepuppies.blogspot.com/2011/11/lessons-from-second-chance-photos.html

Always a great way to stretch your skills is taking part in various challenges! I've posted many pictures from a couple of versions of the 30 Day Challenge, and here's another excellent one if you have a dog: The Daily Dog Challenge.

http://www.flickr.com/groups/dailydogchallenge/

I'm sure you could adapt many of the challenges to a non-pet circumstance as well, if you don't happen to have one of your own, or one you can borrow on a regular basis. For example, Monday's challenge was: "Make a monochrome photo with your dog today! Remember, monochrome means 'one color', and while often black, it doesn't have to be."


Good luck, and have fun!

(Taken in France, 2008.)

Reflections

This picture actually has 2 reflections in it. One is fairly obvious, the other, not as much. Can you figure it out?

The trick of taking a picture of a reflection, rather than of the thing, was taught by my first photography instructor. She didn't have a lot of time, but she was trying to give us some easy tips to take more interesting photographs, and this was an example of looking for things in unusual ways.

Have you spotted the 2 reflections yet? The first and obvious one is the person. The second is the vehicle's side mirror. No? You think that's the real mirror? Consider how useless a mirror would be to the driver if it was positioned in that location and at that angle - it's a reflection!

Photo Competition

Attention Edmonton Photographers! (Particularly amateur photographers.)

A friend of mine is running a photography competition on her Facebook page. The prizes are your choice of a one-hour photo session, or a one-hour photography lesson! Great prizes from a talented local photographer.

http://www.syedphotography.ca/2011/dec/02/photography-contest-just-you/

Even if you don't want to enter, stop by the page and vote for your favourite photo.

Snow Cap

I took this one because of the perfect little snow cap on the solar light.

I love it because of the little spec of pink at the back - some freeze-dried flowers that weren't completely hidden by the snow. It's the only real colour in this image, as all the rest is white, greys, or browns. I can't really pin what I like, but I do. Click on it to see it larger, and let me know if you like it too!

Taking pictures of dogs

I've decided that it's okay if I mix in some posts that include photo assignments that I've done or am going to do to improve my skills and stretch my thinking, as well as other tips or interesting photo advice. The goal is still a post per day!

These pictures are wonderful shots of wet dogs shaking themselves off.

http://www.petapixel.com/2011/07/28/portraits-of-dogs-as-they-shake-off-water/

This video has some good tips about photographing pets. While it's directed more towards professional photographers, most of the tips can easily be adapted to taking pictures of your own pets.

http://www.petapixel.com/2011/10/15/tips-and-tricks-for-photographing-pets/

Standing Tall

Day 3 from this view of last summer. I should have new material for tomorrow!

Once again, a macro with a lovely blurred background. This time the background is much further back. This little cluster of buds just seems to exist all on it's own!

It's also occurred to me that maybe I should tell you a bit about the cameras I'm using! My primary camera was purchased just before the outing that resulted in the last 3 days' pictures. It's a Canon PowerShot SX10. 10 mega pixel, 20X zoom. At the time when it came out, it was essentially the most powerful non-DSLR Canon made - there are 2 more in the same line now, which have even more ridiculous zooms, but when it comes time to replace this, I will be moving up to a real DSLR. The SX10 is a great camera. The menus allow you a huge amount of control, very similar to what you would find on a DSLR. The biggest difference is that you can't change the lens. I bought it second hand from a lady who had hardly used it, and I can't figure out why! It's a wonderful camera.

My smaller run around pretty much comes with me everywhere now, unless I'm bringing the SX10. It's a Canon PowerShot A590. 8 mega pixel, 4X zoom. One thing I LOVE about this camera over most small point and shoot cameras is that it still has a real viewfinder, in addition to the screen - in bright light, this is priceless. This camera has been a great little work horse, and I've taken it to the mountains, France, Hawaii, Washington DC and Denver, among other places. It's a well travelled little camera, and I've never been disappointed with the pictures.

Other features about these 2 cameras that I love - both take AA batteries and regular SD cards. The batteries in particular is a life saver on a vacation, because you don't want to get stuck somewhere and have your specialty battery run out of juice. Always easy to find AA, easy to buy extras (for not too expensive) before you head out and keep them on you. For my big trips, I always get the Energizer Lithium batteries. They really do last forever, and I never had to think about battery life.

So there we go! Enough about those for today. Have a great day!

Not a success

Here's another from this summer, which was not quite a success.

I can't remember if I had the tripod or not, but I don't think it would have helped much. What I was trying for was a fast enough shutter speed to freeze individual drops of water. You can see I started to get that with some of the larger drops - but as a trade off, the picture was getting very dark. My boyfriend has a better camera, and he had much more success with this. I may never get a great shot of still water with this camera, but I do think with a nice bright day, a tripod, and a lot of patience, that I could do better.

Memories of the past

I haven't taken anything interesting in the last few days, so here's one from this past summer.

I was so pleased with how this one came out. The flower is sharp and clear and the background is soft and fuzzy. Perfect, to me!