Monet

Monet built a garden. He created it as a place of inspiration for his paintings. It is said he spent his whole life trying to capture, in paint, the light in his garden, particularly as reflected in the pond, amidst the water lilies.

I get this. Behind my house there is a cemetery. And in this cemetery there is a tree. I think of it as my tree. In winter, this tree stands naked, but beautiful. Mostly, I think, because of the way light gets caught in it's branches. I am captivated by this light, this tree. It is a gift and, like Monet, I am fascinated with capturing the light as it evolves in the branches of this tree.

Tonight's work? Pure joy. Each of these was shot through the lens of my iPhone 4's Hipstamatic.











I expect this endeavor will continue, for the light, it is ethereal and everchanging. And I am lost to it.

Here's to Monet and his inspiration!

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All Caught Up

After a flurry of posts, I'm all caught up. Today's image:

Warmth
Cold days like today mandate a cozy place to work.

Here's to an updated blog!

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January 9

More Coffee, Please
Seriously considering a study on cream hitting coffee. Fascinating to me.
Camera: iPhone 4, Hipstamatic

Here's to creamy swirls in my java and having my camera on hand!

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January 8

The Boy
Rockin' the Oakleys.
Camera: iPhone 4, Hipstamatic

The Cat
Our chatterbox cat, Chloë, relaxing on the bed. She's rarely still, so shots of her are usually a bit blurred.
Camera: iPhone 4

The Tree
Sunset before the year's first snow.
Camera: iPhone 4

Here's to the 365 Project!

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Sheldon and Girls' Night Out

First Friday of the year and I was spending it with girlfriends, doing a little Valentine's Day shopping.

Control Panel
I'd just gotten my car, Sheldon, back from the shop and was enjoying the traffic riddled ride into the city. Being in stand still traffic allowed me the time to quickly snap this shot.
Camera: iPhone 4, Hipstamatic

Sunset
It was a gorgeous night with surreal light in the sky. As I headed into the city, I was able to catch the sun hitting the buildings, turning them golden. The image doesn't begin to do it justice.
Camera: iPhone 4, Hipstamatic

Side Mirror
Even more amazing light was being caught in the side mirrors of my car.
Camera: iPhone 4, Hipstamatic

 My friend wanted to get some cologne for her new boyfriend for their first Valentine's Day together so we hit the mall and put our noses to work. It's one thing to to smell a cologne out of the bottle, but a whole other thing to actually smell it on a man.

Scent Model
This guy was kind enough to allow us to spray and sniff. Sounds considerably more obscene than it really was.
Camera: iPhone 4

With a fragrance selected, we head off to our favorite department - SHOES!

Sky High
These Louboutins looked fantastic on my friend!
Camera: iPhone 4

And finally, after all that shopping, we settled down for some much needed libations and hilarious girl talk.

Cocktail
This drink, known as a Skwiss, (I think that was the name of it!) was positively delectable.
Camera: iPhone 4, Hipstamatic

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January 2

Sadly, I took no photos on January 2.
[Sigh]

Here's to these posts being few and far between, if at all.

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January 1

In an earlier post I mentioned signing on the the 365 Project. A photo a day. Turns out they mean that quite literally. You can only post one photo per calendar day. So, while I can go post all my photos at once, I'm only allowed one a day, per date. That won't work. I mean, I will move forward with the project, as I'm actually becoming more excited about it. But some days, one photo just doesn't cover the broad spectrum that is my life.

So while I do hope you'll all keep up with my life in pictures over on the 365 Project, please know that I'll also be posting entries here, as well. That being said, let's start the show, shall we?

Coffee
My first cup of the year. Love that I was able to catch the cream going into the delicious black java.
Camera: iPhone 4, Hipstamatic

Coffee Lite

The swirl patterns made by cream in coffee have always fascinated me. I may have to dedicate a day of shooting to this phenomenon in the near future.

Camera: iPhone 4, Hipstamatic

Here's to getting behind the camera again!



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First Post

We're ten days into the new year and I am just now getting around to writing my first blog post of the year. I wish I had some great excuse, but alas, the fact of the matter is that I've just let my time get occupied by other, less important things. And I haven't really had much to say, come to think of it.

I have, however, been thinking quite a bit about this blog. I've been contemplating what I want to do with this blog, what direction it should take. The stream of conscience writing is a great outlet for me, but sometimes the crazies are a little too dominant, and I would prefer to keep that neatly tucked away, at least for the time being. I've considered food blogging, but it seems everyone has a food blog, and my cooking and writing are mediocre at best. Since I love photography, that seemed like the next natural step, but let's face it, I have serious commitment issues. I'm great at starting projects, but a few minutes, hours, days, weeks in, and I fizzle. I know there's a cure for this. I'm actually thinking maybe, perhaps, I should try it.

Baby steps. It's all about baby steps.
My goals for the year involved writing more, and shooting more. So a photo-centric blog seems natural. But my lack of commitment to, well, just about everything, will make that a bust. I will find every, any, excuse for missing a post and then I'll just get frustrated and stop altogether. Unless I take baby steps. Small posts. One photo. Easy, right? You would think.

I'd heard (read?) about a "challenge" of sorts called 365 Project. As the name might imply, it involves taking, and publishing, a photo a day. For aspiring photographers, it helps us stay close to our cameras and helps us improve our technique. It helps us keep a record of our lives over the course of a year, as well as see how our photography evolves in that time. It's a challenge I'd considered taking for a long time, even before I knew there was an entire web movement around the concept.

So here I am, on the tenth day of the new year, and I'm ready to commit to the challenge. I may not post daily, but I will at least commit to a photo a day, even if I publish them in a flurry of one liners at the start, or end of a week. Of course, in the beginning, I will try to post daily, as I think the context of each image will be fresher and will provide writing inspiration. Then again, if a picture is worth a thousand words, I may not need to worry so much about the writing portion.

I hope you'll take this ride with me, and maybe even take up the 365 Project yourself.

Here's to keeping our cameras close and our blogs fresh!

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Phone Photography

Today's phones are so much more than just a phone. They serve as our calendar, to do list, music player, weight loss and fitness coach, and in some cases, child tracking device. They are also becoming more and more popular as camcorders and cameras.

The iPhone, by Apple, is certainly no exception. I've been an iPhone carrying fan-girl since August of 2008, and I am still crazy about my phone. (Note, I love my phone. The service provider? Not so much. But that's another story.)

The iPhone, in and of itself is a marvelous device, and the newer generations come equipped with delightful camera capabilities. Pair this with some fantastic apps and the images one can produce are endless.

Some of my favorite apps are Hipstamatic, SwankoLab, Photogene, and Pano. With these apps, I can create images that rival, in artistry if not pixel quality, some of the work taken with my pro level DSLR. And my iPhone is smaller and considerably lighter than said DSLR, thereby assuring it is always with me, allowing me to capture this stroll along the San Antonio Riverwalk:

(Stitched with Pano, processed with Photogene.)

And this snowy shot of our backyard after a freak snowstorm earlier this year in Grapevine, Texas:

(Stitched with Pano, processed with Photogene.)

Then there are these shots of the great New York City skyline:

(Stitched with Pano, processed with Photogene.)

(Stitched with Pano, processed with Photogene.)

And some of New York's amazing bridges:

(Processed with Photogene.)

(Processed with SwankoLab and Photogene.)

Shooting after one of North Texas tempestuous storms results in ultra vivid colors and gorgeous skies. Pair it with the über retro Hipstamatic and you get these:

(Created with Hipstamatic.)

(Created with Hipstamatic.)

When on vacation, the portability of one's phone, and these great apps, help create images like these:

(Created with Hipstamatic.)

(Created with Hipstamatic.)

On the golf course, there's so much more to see than the pin. These were shot at Wander Springs Golf Course, in Greenleaf, Wisconsin:

(Created with Hipstamatic.)

(Created with Hipstamatic.)

(Created with Hipstamatic.)

(Created with Hipstamatic.)

(Created with Hipstamatic.)

(Created with Hipstamatic.)

And finally, even portraits take on a new edge when processed through these great apps:

(Processed with Photogene.)

(Processed with Photogene.)

(Processed with Photogene.)

While the fundamentals of photography, composition, subject, and lighting, can't be completely disregarded, these apps and an iPhone can breathe new life into your random "happy snaps."

Here's to photography with your phones!

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Mobile Blogging: Restaurant Review

In less than three days I will be on my way to New York City armed
with my trusty Canon and my iPhone. Yes, you read that right. Just my
camera and my phone. No iPad. No netbook. No MacBook. {sigh} I need a
small break from technology. If for no other reason than to prove to
myself I'm not completely addicted. (OK. Maybe I am. A little. We'll
just call this my own personal intervention.)

In an effort to prepare myself for the mobile blogging effort, I'm
getting an early start by posting all of this week's blog entries via
my iPhone. Considerably more challenging than you might think,
considering my phone's propensity for changing 'are' to 'ate' and
other such idiosyncrasies. Nonetheless, I'm giving it the ol' college
try, starting with tonight's restaurant review.

This evening we visited Wildwood Grill in Southlake TX. This was not
our first time to eat at this lovely establishment, however it likely
may be our last. On previous occasions, our meals were delightful and
the service was attentive without being overbearing. Tonight, our meal
was either over-seasoned or flat out bland, depending on what you
ordered. And our server, while friendly enough, came off more annoying
than anything else. Like I said, i just don't think we'll be going
back to Wildwood Grill.

Here's to mobile blogging and better dining experiences. 



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Updates and Other Such Nonsense

It's been a while since I posted and man, have I missed you guys! So much has been happening that I have much to tell you.

First, I have a new job! This actually happened about four weeks ago; I went to work for a company I'd worked for about six years ago. So far I'm having a blast; my new team is awesome and it's wonderful seeing so many old friends. The work is challenging and is giving my brain a much needed workout. Second time I've been really blessed with a job I love.

Now, a brief update on the weight loss. I am happy to report I've lost four pounds in the last week. Not as much as I'd hoped, but I keep hearing that slow and steady is the best way to lose weight... and keep it off!

I think I've sorted out the issues that were preventing the slideshow from loading on my website - yay! If you happen to check it out and see issues, please come back and leave me a message so I can fix this!

I've finished at least one photo editing job and am well into the second. Hope to have that done soon and am super grateful my friend has been ultra-patient with me on getting her images back to her.

I'm learning daily all kinds of new features on my camera; this thing is amazing!
I can't wait to shoot the Big Apple with this baby.

And that brings us to the best update.
I'm just a week away from starting my NYC Photo adventure! Now, while I am beyond excited about this, there is one tiny hiccup in my grand plan. Maybe two.

First, my 3G iPad will not be delivered in time for me to take it with me; [insert mournful wail here]. There went my plans to blog on the magical device while in the Big City. Worry not my lovelies, I have every intention to do a bit of micro-blogging on the trusty iPhone. I don't want to bring the heavy Macbook, so any images I post while in the city will likely be taken with said trusty iPhone. But as the primary purpose of this trip is to exercise the new photog hardware, rest assured, upon my return, I will be posting many photos of the city and [not as many] of our [mis]adventures. The second possible hiccup: the current weather forecast is predicting rain for the five days I'll be in New York. Boo.

With or without the iPad, rain or shine, I'm excited, ecstatic, overjoyed to be returning to the City. The energy, the myriad of cultures, the food! Looking forward to visiting some old, touristy haunts: the Brooklyn Bridge, Times Square, the Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center as well as checking out some new spots (at least, new for me): Balthazar, FAO Schwarz, the musical Chicago, the offices of Aperture. There's an unending parade of things to see and do in this fantastic city, and I plan to soak it all up and in while photo-documenting the entire experience. THIS is what God wired me for. The whir of the focusing apparatus, the sound of the shutter going off, the weight of the camera. The freeze-framing of a moment that will never again occur in time. Hm. I gotta go. My camera beckons.

Here's to happy snaps in the Big Apple, at home, and around the world!

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Shutterbug

Back in February I wrote about my husband buying me a new camera. It's a beauty and takes amazing photos, when I bother to actually pick it up. I let so many other things get in the way that I've neglected my one true passion - photography.

There is something about the weight of a camera in my hands that gives me a sense of peace found in few other places. I am most comfortable with my eye to the viewfinder, and the sound of the shutter curtain opening and closing, sometimes as fast as the blink of any eye, is music to my heart. Ask anyone; you'll never see me happier than when I'm shooting.

Today I finally got my act together and grabbed my camera as we headed over to my in-laws for Easter Sunday dinner. My incredibly photogenic nieces and nephews would be there so this would be a great opportunity to exercise the new hardware.

Sadly, one of my little nephews was sick and so he and his family didn't make it (poor little guy) so this shoot was limited to the niece and nephew that were there.

The fun started almost upon my arrival as I begged the kids to come "pose" for me. They were really good sports, considering they were ready to get the egg hunt underway and I was completely holding up the process.

This was it for them at this point. They could no longer contain themselves and the egg hunt was underway.

Once all the eggs were found, we headed inside where my niece decided to attach herself to my side. We chatted about school and her recent ski trip, and then, when I realized what great light we were getting in the room we were sitting in, I just had to snap up a few more photos. She was a great sport and even posed for me! I think she wants to be a little model, this one.

This looks like a school photo, don't you think? But the light! I love this light!

We moved from one room to another - experimenting with the lovely light.

I shoot the girl more than her brother simply because she lets me. Her brother tends to sit still for one, maybe two shots and then he goes back into his own little world. But hey, at least I got this shot! (I love his freckles!)

Tired of the indoors on such a pretty day, we headed out for a quick "smell the roses" moment, even if the roses weren't blooming yet, we found some lovely flowers.

Then back inside to show off newly acquired reading skills. (Yes, that's my iPhone she's reading from; she asked me to download Dr. Seuss's the Cat in the Hat and I simply couldn't say no!

And finally, back outside to burn some calories after an awesome dinner.

All in all, a very good day of shooting. I really need to make time to get out and shoot more. I've missed it and am ready to get my shutterbug on!

Here's to making awesome images!

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