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!