Christmas Pictures

Christmas is over and I'm feeling a little bummed. It's not because I didn't get what I wanted or that there was too much stress or anything like that. In fact, we had a very nice, peaceful, stress free Christmas. The food was delicious and the presents appreciated. The activities I did this season were also fun. The time spent with family was wonderful. Did I say Christmas was peaceful? Well, not quite all the time, but the noise was much loved!!

(You may notice I'm one boy short in this picture. He had to leave early. Since he's a teenager, I'm sure he really didn't mind missing out on the picture!)

So, what's the deal with me being bummed? Photography! I'm bummed about my photography this season. For the last two years, I have not wanted to take pictures of my tree, decorations, presents, candy canes, or anything else related to Christmas. I took a grand total of fourteen pictures this December of Christmasy things and I forced myself to take those. That's just sad!

I had good excuses . . . it's been dark and dreary . . . I really don't have time . . . I'd rather read a Christmas book or work a puzzle. . . I need to get outside for awhile. When I'm truthful with myself I know these are just excuses. There's a deeper problem . . . it's comparison. I've been intimidated by the beautiful, simply gorgeous, amazing pictures of Christmas on social media. I would look at my things and know that I couldn't take any pictures near as wonderful. So, I just didn't take any.  I simply didn't have the heart to compete with what I was seeing.

I thought I would take pictures this week after the hustle and bustle was over, but I'm just not feeling it. So, maybe I won't. Maybe I'll let another year pass without taking pictures of pretty light bokeh, sweet candy canes, colorful stockings, and delightful Santas. Maybe I'll just sit by my tree for another few days and take pictures with my eyes. I'll look at each ornament or decoration and remember the stories behind them. Maybe that's all I need this year. Next year, maybe I'll take a break from social media throughout December. No, that won't work. If I did that I wouldn't see all the beautiful things you post and I really love seeing them. What I need to do is to have a good, long talk with myself. I need to remind myself that comparison is not healthy. I need to remind myself of what is important to me and what I want to take pictures of is my choice. There are all types of photographers out there. I'm a nature photographer. Setting up those lovely Christmas vignettes stresses me out, so why spend time doing that. 

Thanks for being here and for listening to me as I've shared my feelings. It has helped me. I'm no longer feeling bummed. In fact, I'm headed outside where I'd rather be anyway!

I want to wish you all a very happy New year.

I'm looking forward to what 2017 may bring.

Sunday Sundries - Edition 21

two grandsons + me + three cameras = photo scavenger hunt

 

 

Two of my grandsons (the seven year old twins) spent the week with us while their mom and older brother went to church camp and dad worked. I tried to come up with a few fun things to do while they were here. I know they both like to take pictures so I decided to put together a Photo Scavenger Hunt. I compiled a list of 20 items we could look for.  We each took turns closing our eyes and pointing to the list to see what we were photographing next. I'll just show you a few examples of how we interpreted the things on the list. I think they were both very creative.

 

 

flowers

 

white rock

tire

green

water reflection - Drew captured his brother's reflection and Josh captured a granddaddy long-legs. It's in the upper right corner.

feet

 

 

something blue

 

Together we took a total of 251 pictures and had the best time. If you have children or grandchildren this is a great summer activity!



TEN

My sweet friend Sarah from Paisley Rain Boots nominated me for the sunshine award.

Part of the award includes answering ten question that she chose. So here goes...
 

1. Favorite Movie?

You’ve Got Mail

2. What are you reading right now? It can be a magazine :)

I'm always reading more than one thing at a time. Right now it's:

devotional ~ One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp

fiction ~ The Best Of Me by Nicholas Sparks

inspirational ~ Cast Of Characters by Max Lucado

photography ~ Elevate The Everyday by Tracey Clark

 

3.Sweet Potatoes or Russet Potatoes?

russet potatoes and throw in a little fried ham

good old southern comfort food

 

4. Honey or Sugar?

it’s sugar for me



5. Favorite Weekend Activity?

working in the yard

6. What decade would you most liked to have lived in?

1950’s, I love how women looked so feminine

I always wanted to wear those cool hats, too

 

7. Makeup or a la natural?

Mostly natural…I stay home a lot!

it's a little foundation and blush if I'm going somewhere

 

8. Tea or Coffee?

I don't like either
my cup is empty
 

9. Sweet or Salty?

a combination of both
my favorite snack is white chocolate covered pretzels

10. Thing that you are most proud of accomplishing this year?

learning to use manual on my camera

and actual using it!

 

 

Thank you, Sarah, for thinking of me.

Sarah has a delightful blog filled with gorgeous photos.

She always inspires me to get out, wander around, and capture new and interesting things.

 

 

 

Finding Your Eye: Journey of Fascination ~ techniques

Learning:

The acquisition of knowledge or

skills through experience, practice, or

study, or by being taught

 

Hmmm? Which way do I learn best? It's really a combination of all of these. When I have a problem I have to study about it, either in books or on the Internet. Don't you just love the Internet?  So much is right there at our fingertips! Then, I need to practice, A LOT! I learn better if someone personally teaches me, but I'm a hands-on person and have to do it myself, not just watch.

 

Here's the problem. Many of my photos were soft and flat. They're not out of focus, but just plain lifeless! It was fixable in post processing by adding a little bit of contrast. I didn't know that it was a correctable problem until I read a blog post by Lee at Sea Blue Lens. She had the same problem. Knowing that her camera should take better images, she researched, found the answer, and shared it. To be honest, It didn't dawn on me that this could be fixed in-camera. Well, it can and goodbye to adding contrast almost every single time!!  (another one of my secrets revealed)  Let me just stop here and say a very, very big thank you to Lee. Stop by her post and see how she solved her problem. Since I have a different brand camera than Lee, I had to do my own research. I found a flickr group of Sony camera owners. It has this great discussion board and "flat images" was one of the topics. I found a way to solve the problem, chose an object with contrast, and experimented. In the second photo you can see the brighter tones of the leaves and how the bird seems to stand out more.

 

There's a button on my function menu that is called "creative style." I switched from "standard" to "vivid."  That's how easy it was. OK, so that was too easy, I needed to find something else to learn about.

 

Hence, my second learning experiment.  I've been wanting to learn about spot metering. Sometimes when you're shooting there is more than one light condition. The camera needs a little help deciding which light to choose.  I did know about the spot metering button, I've just never played with it.

 

I chose a cloudy day because I figured it would be easier to work with than a bright sunny area that would definitely blow out. On the property behind us there is an abandoned railroad trestle that provided a dark area and a light area. You can see it made a difference when I spot metered on the background.

 

 

In this set of images I also tried the third option "center weighted." This brought out more color in the background, but I thought it made the posts a little too dark. Now, comes the next step in the learning process...practice, practice, practice. I have to practice enough that the knowledge will stick in my old brain!!

 

 

So there you have the way I learn.

research

help from others

practice

 

Thanks, Kat, for another wonderful assignment that has helped me take another step forward in this journey of photography!!

30 Days of Gratitude ~ Days 23 - 30

"We can only be said to be alive

in those moments

when our hearts are conscious

of our treasures."

~Thornton Wilder

 

I saw this quote recently and it touched me. During the thirty days of November I have made a conscious effort every day to be grateful for the treasures I have; from small things to big things, from family to appliances.

 

This daily practice has made a difference!

I feel different!

I feel blessed!

I feel overwhelming joy!

 

Day 23

My dishwasher went out two days before Thanksgiving. I'm so grateful to my husband who insisted we purchase one on Thanksgiving Eve and then proceeded to install it just in the nick of time for all those dirty Thanksgiving Day dishes!! I'm sure my daughter and daughter-in-law where just as thankful as I was!!  We gave this new baby a hard test; four loads on Thanksgiving Day!!

 

 

Day 24

I'm grateful for warm, cozy quilts. This one was is a scrap quilt made by my  mother! It's bright, it's cheerful, and it keeps me warm every night! 

 Day 25

 I'm grateful for the beautiful sunset reflecting in my neighbor's pond!! The sky seems to be blazing!

Day 26

I'm grateful for my Mom's teachings. She taught me to sew when my feet barely reached the pedal. She helped me make my first apron and nine-patch quilt blocks. From there I went to skirts and later made my first three-piece suit. Today my sewing consists mostly of quilt blocks and decorating projects. Just the sound of my sewing machine brings back many memories.

Day 27

 Thankful for the food we have and the ease with which we are able to obtain it!

 

Day 28

 I'm grateful that my camera has taught me to see through different eyes!  I'm also grateful to all of my online friends that have encouraged me,  inspired me, and taught me so much. I would never be where I am today without each of you! I'm sending a special thanks to all of you who follow my blog!  I love when you stop by!

 

 

Day 29

Grateful for music that fills my home and soothes my soul!

 

 

Day 30

I saved a very big gratitude for this last day of November. Words cannot express how thankful I am for the wonderful man I've been married to for 40 years!!

I have certainly enjoyed my 30 days of gratitude documented with 30 photos.

 

I've been blessed to take part in a flicker group where we posted and shared our daily gratitude. If you have some time, stop by and see all the blessings that have been recorded! This project helped me spend the month of November in thankfulness.

 

 ^"O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good;

for his mercy endureth for ever."

1 Chronicles 16:34

Busy Thirty Days

It's seems I've been neglecting my blog lately.  It has been incredibly busy around here with lots of fun things!  Let me just recap a few things I've done. How about the top 10 things I've done in the last 30 days!!

 

1. Attended a scrapbook retreat with a group of beautiful friends. We spent three days together talking, laughing, and scrapbooking. It's so great to get away with good friends!

2. Spend three days in Wilburton, OK at a street-rod show. The show is at the beautiful Robber's Cave State Park which kept me busy with my camera.

3. Met my grandson and daughter in Mountain View, AR for Jake's school field trip at the Ozark Folk Center. It was a special day as we wandered around the village learning about the pioneers lives and their crafts! Jake and I are riding on a mule-drawn swing!  I think this was his favorite part! 

4. Enjoyed a wonderful day with my mom, dad and sister at Rush, AR near the Buffalo River.

5. Walked around a couple of small towns photographing historical buildings and homes.

 

 

6. Made a trip to my daughter's to eat lunch with Drew and Josh on Grandparent's Day.

7. Explored two more small towns. Small towns in Arkansas have some of the most interesting buildings. This pretty rock structure called the Castleberry Building in Salem, Arkansas was built in 1913. It has been used as a bank, a hotel, and a mercantile, but sadly now stands empty.

8. Went on a day trip with my daughter and her boys back to Rush, AR. We had a wonderful time walking the trails, playing near the water, and exploring this old ghost town! This was my third trip to Rush. I blogged about my first trip here.

 

 

9. I kept my youngest grandson while his mommy and daddy worked. We spent a lot of time outside together.  He got a ride in Gramma's green garden cart.

 

 

10. Then there's all the other things that fill up our lives. I got my annual mammogram. I'm so thankful for the technology that allows early detection of breast cancer!!  I encourage you to take care of yourself, do your monthly self-exams and don't forget about your mammograms!

 

I'm afraid things are not going to slow down, since we're fast approaching the holiday season!  I will try to be a little more attentive to my blog and make the time to visit with all of you!!

Tips for Shooting in Macro

 

I mentioned recently that I have been trying a few tricks to help me with macro photography. It's my favorite type of photography and yet, I'm struggling with it!!  I'm older and have developed a hand shake! In a flickr group I belong to we've been discussing macro images and several have passed along a few tips I've tried. I'd love to pass those tricks along to you.

Terri says, "I had a terrible time getting my focus sharp. It seems I have a slight sway in my old age and just can't stand still enough! I know, I know, a tripod is the answer but I'm just too lazy most of the time. What has been working for me is to click the shutter as soon as focus is achieved, no waiting, just "beep" and then click. I have been getting a lot more in focus shots doing that." She also suggested that instead of focusing and then composing, to change the focus point on the camera. I didn't know you could change the focus point! I had to look it up in my camera manual!! I 've tried both her suggestions and they really helped me.

Judy suggests either using the timer on the camera - focusing, setting up my shot, then pushing the timer button or using a remote. That way you're not even touching the camera when the photo is taken.



Here's a suggestion by Carol, "tie a long string to the tripod screw at the bottom of your camera.
Step on the string and pull the camera up as you shoot to tighten the string. There you have it - homemade tripod! You'd be surprised how much it steadies your hand!" I was surprised! It did help. It doesn't help the side to side sway, but it did help steady the camera.

I've also found that if I breath out slowly and hold my breath while I shoot, I am steadier.

I've been shooting with a 50mm macro lens. After the discussions in this group, I want a 100mm now!!  I can't get quite as close as I want!!  I usually have to do some cropping. Which is usually OK unless I want to print! I also have a tripod, which is fine if you're photography a stationary object, but when chasing a bee or ladybug, it just won't work!!  I can usually find something to prop my camera on if the object I'm photographing is ground level.

It's still a game of luck with me!!  I usually set my camera on multi-shots and click away!  If I'm lucky, one of these will be in focus!!  I hope some of these simple suggestions will help you! 

Picture The Holidays - Day 2

On the second day of Picture The Holidays the theme was reframing. We all have good intentions of being calm during December. But, somewhere along the way, we begin to get busy and the frenzy of the holiday season overcomes our calm. That frenzy can sneak up on us and before we realize it we're running around, tense, and unhappy. Part of our class creed is "slow down and focus on what matters." As Tracey says "this season we aren't only going to 'hope' to enjoy it (amidst the chaos) we will enjoy it! It only takes a little reframing." We could take a photo with a literal frame or we could interpret it any way we wanted. I chose to use a frame.

This season, I want to get back to the true meaning of Christmas; the simple joy and peace of celebrating the birth of Christ. I thought this simple vintage ornament represented the simple things of Christmas. I love vintage ornaments and have a small collection of them. This one is a very small ornament, only about 2" tall.

I'm also attempting another December challenge. It's December 365 Inspiration with Katrina Kennedy at Capture Your 365. Each month she gives a list of prompts. It's a good way to keep my 365 going with fresh ideas. The list for the month of December looks fun, so I'm trying that.

Day one - the toy catalog

My grandsons, found the Black Friday ads and began to circle things they want for Christmas, lots of things they want for Christmas!!

Day two - a jolly happy soul

I've had this Santa cup since I was a little girl.  I remember drinking hot chocolate from it during the holiday season.  It is truly vintage!! I don't exactly know when I got it, but it's over 50 years old. The paint is pealing, but he's still dear to me!

Do you have any Christmas treasures from your childhood?