Feb 16

8/365, 6/Dust

Does it need words, really?

And why don't I make this shot my entry for this month's Greeblepix Contest? There's no theme, and this is the best of my recent work, so here goes!

Thanks for the fun, Aimee!

(Image © Informal Moments Photography)

Christmas Sunset in Floyd, VA

Christmas in Virginia, with all the colors and light and cool and snow that I love. It was so worth the trip with the newborn.

(Image © Informal Moments Photography)

The Moon Had a Late Night

The moon was in my window this morning when I woke today. I know, I know, who pulls out their camera for THAT when they're not even awake yet? Especially considering I had to get UP, go into the other room, get the camera, and lie back down to shoot.

Ahem.

Sometimes, the pictures won't leave me alone until I take them. This was really supposed to be yesterday's shot, you know.


(Image © Informal Moments Photography)

Processing - Favorite from Today

Processed 114 out of 998 editable shots on my January wedding today. Pleased with progress, losing ability to keep eyes open now. This one made my list of favorites. Thought I'd share. Because that seemed like the thing to do through this cloud of tired. Yes, that.

Bonus Shot Friday

It's that day again, Bonus Shot Friday, when I post a photo I like that didn't get a feature! This one is from today, from my little "no, Mommy, I want to be in your self-portrait too!" We took a picture of our feet. It makes me happy.

What about you? Did you get a shot that made you happy that didn't get a feature this week? Post a link in the comments if you like!

90/365 - the only thing to do

i wore this skirt today because it is spring, and when it is spring, one must wear bright colors. It is the only thing to do.

storm a'comin'

On Saturday night, we had bad weather come through, a system that wrought tornadoes and rain and thunder and unease. I distracted myself behind the camera, trying out my new twin lens reflex camera for some TTV fun (before it got dropped yesterday!) and took some pictures of the rain. I just loved these two, so I thought I'd post them, because I can!

Bonus Shot Friday

A favorite from our aquarium visit yesterday. I should have been photographing the fish, you know, but I couldn't get over the people. Or rather, the feet. Since it's Bonus Shot Friday, I'm posting this shot as my bonus. I love the mirroring effect of this with the play of the light and blue...

What about you? Do you have a favorite shot you'd like to share that didn't go anywhere this week? Leave me a link in your comment here!

Sixty-Seven - Lamplit Spring

Daylight savings time does bad things to my body. I am so peeved with the government who didn't check with MY energy levels before instituting this energy-saving thing. But I have to admit that this morning, the time change was worth having. We had to get up early to shower so I could be ready to drop Pete off at work and get out to ship some prints today. He woke me from a dream in which I was trying to compose a shot for a photography contest, and told me I could go outside and get a lamplight shot I've been wanting for a week or so, now that the sun isn't beating me up. Well, okay, it still is, but anyway.

I stumbled outside, grabbed my very-little-used tripod and an extra lens, and played around with my settings and my camera timer to see what I could do.

I found a dew-laden spider's web, a gorgeous play of light and color, blossoms waiting for morning, color I've never captured, and lovely mist I've been craving!

These are SOOC or almost SOOC (straight out of the camera) - I lightened and sharpened only a little to bring out the focus.

Sixty-Six - Self-Portrait in Abstract

This was the shot I got today that best fit my mood. It's not a particularly good shot, but I like it, and since I'm embracing my inner artist, I'm going to stick with my gut and go with it even if nobody likes it. :-D

(If you're that curious, you can see the good ones here and here and here.)

Fifty-One - Fascination

This image is SOOC (straight out of the camera). I pulled it up in Photoshop to process, and it didn't need any! I'm very excited about this. It means I'm actually learning how to do my job right as a real photographer - I'm not just shooting what could be there and adding it in Photoshop, I am capturing what I see with my heart. And isn't that what any good photographer does anyway?

Fifty - Last Night in the Morning

Not one of my particular favorites, but hey, it's a photo I like with a very nice evening memory. I did a bit of shooting yesterday and I didn't have the heart for a lot this morning. Yay, we're at 50/365!

4:8 Project - Praiseworthy

"He is like the light of morning at sunrise on a cloudless morning, like the brightness after rain that brings the grass from the earth." (2 Sam. 23:4)

Oh, God must be so beautiful!
_______________________________

This photo is part of my 4:8 Project, a project/contest in which I would like to honor one photo left in my comments with each new post. Every four weeks, I will choose a submitted photo to win an 8 x 10 print from my photos - winner's choice. To participate, check out the info about commenting/entering and leave me a comment with a link to a photo of your own!

NOTE: To this point, I still have only one comment with a photo, a beautiful, peaceful shot from Cheri for the word "Lovely." If you have a photo that fits any of the words in my original post, feel free to leave a permalink in a comment on any of my Project 4:8 posts. Just include with it the word your photo matches! Oh, and you can submit more than one! I'll be reviewing and announcing my first print winner on March 8, 2009.

Forty-Six - Look Through My Window

I was looking for a different perspective today and found this. I didn't have a lot of energy, so I fired off a few, shot a couple for my one word project, and finally settled on my back, looking up. Interesting the things you find in your own house, huh?

I'm thinking about starting a photo series here, but I'm not sure about a theme. Does anybody have any ideas?

Forty-Four - Soft Little Melancholy

She has discovered the curtains I bought for $3.00 at the thrift shop on Saturday, the lovely sheer that makes every girl feel beautiful to touch and explore and dance in and wear, the beginning of her lovely wedding dream of a dress that twirls, a veil that softens all the light you see. And one lovely tear rests melancholy on her cheek in this in-between moment, my almost-accidental capture. I'm not sure why the tear is here, perhaps a leftover from her decided "Mommy come now" after I had removed the gate between us; she didn't realize yet that she could reach me if she wanted to.

Hers is the photo I keep re-finding today, so here she is, shared soft with you today, number 44/365.


I am also linking this over at Mother May I for My Best Shot Monday; even though this is today's shot, I would consider it my best shot of the last week, though this one definitely runs a close second! I chose this shot for my best shot because it totally captures all the elements I love in photography: lovely light, soft, innocent reality, a depth of emotion, alive. My best photos are the ones that take my own breath away. What it does to the rest of the world? Well, that's up to you!

Lovely Linen

I've been playing with exposure in my camera, and then with texture and tone in Photoshop. I'm also exploring angles and detail as I have time, so I can get ready for my next wedding shoot in March.

I just love the way these two shots of my new linen items came out, hanging to dry, hoping for warmer weather to justify a wearing. So I'm posting them!

Happy Monday, and all that. :-P

Thirty-Seven - Little Girl, Pondering

Today I did my shooting at noon, which made for a lot of high contrast and tricky washout lighting. I ended up putting what little I shot into black and white. This was my favorite shot of the day, but I also loved the framing on this one.

Thirty-Five - Softly to the Shore

The sun was setting on the beach when I shot this, throwing rose-gold everywhere. I had to bring it home with me. Every time I find colors this vibrant in the light, I wonder how much more incredible His glory will be - described in the Bible in colors and words that can no more convey the image of it than any camera or imagination can truly capture light. But here's a small attempt on my part to remember.

Thirty-One - Spray Bright Evening Into Dark

Pete took me to the river tonight at sunset. Ten rushed minutes of cold shooting to catch one lovely moment with warm eternity. I love what I do.

Check out my One Word Project photo for today. And I have to share one very excited update: this shot made it onto the Shutter Sisters One Word site today!

Thirty - A Brighter Day

After what feels like weeks of cloudy and a hidden sunrise, the sun came out with promise behind these trees this morning. I love the spiky colors in the light here, scattered around by the screen I shot through to get this. Maybe it's a little bright, a little too saturated, but I am in love with the light that is filling my world today.