Oh, Monday...

So, yeah, nothing cute or annoying to say. It's Monday, I missed the Super Moon due to insanely thick clouds and rain, my dog is sick and when I walked out the door, THIS was laying in the door frame where I nearly stepped on it, barefoot.

However, I found that being slow, slugs make nice photographic subjects.

Have a happy week all...

OH and watch the video attached to the link marked ---> Slug Song,  or, if that link does not work, try the one UNDER the photographs. I know you'll thank me for it! :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoAaznYFCsc

Post #10 - Saturday

Not going to tire you out with my meanderings today. This here is a photo of the neighbors' cat, Max. Max is lovely, but he's also the cat version of a serial killer. The other day, he nabbed a large mallard in mid flight, low to the ground. A day later, while I was gardening, he put his paw into the bush and pulled out a sparrow. Poor birdy.

I love cats and Max loves our house. He ought to, he used to live here. If our windows are open, Max comes in. He minds his own business, has a few bites of kibble that I kept for a former cat who was sadly put to sleep a few months back, then he naps in the guest room. He's no trouble really, except for the fact he's NOT OUR CAT. I say that with humor, because I adore him but he's double dipping. Getting his love, food and comfort at two houses. Lucky boy.

I like this photo. It's not easy to get him to look directly AT the camera because when the lighting sensor lights up, it makes him close his eyes or look away. But as I say, I like this pic because of his intent stare. A stare that says, "I've taken out ducks, don't piss me off lady".  I also like this photo because of its seeming simplicity. The photo was taken with a 40mm macro lens, early afternoon. I adjusted color a bit to bring out his eyes and that intense stare, then layered a tiny bit of softness. I like photographing animals, but I have zero interest in photographing people. Go figure. This photo reminds me of a favorite poem, by a favorite poet:

The Tyger - William Blake

Tyger! Tyger! burning bright 

In the forests of the night, 

What immortal hand or eye 

Could frame thy fearful symmetry? 

In what distant deeps or skies 

Burnt the fire of thine eyes? 

On what wings dare he aspire? 

What the hand dare sieze the fire? 

And what shoulder, & what art. 

Could twist the sinews of thy heart? 

And when thy heart began to beat, 

What dread hand? & what dread feet? 

What the hammer? what the chain? 

In what furnace was thy brain? 

What the anvil? what dread grasp 

Dare its deadly terrors clasp? 

When the stars threw down their spears, 

And watered heaven with their tears, 

Did he smile his work to see? 

Did he who made the Lamb make thee? 

Tyger! Tyger! burning bright 

In the forests of the night, 

What immortal hand or eye 

Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?

Being random and feeling proud, one day at a time...

Today is the first day of summer, and the summer solstice. To start off, I wish you all a wonderful summer full of warm sunshine, good times and memories to cherish forever...

**************************

I'm feeling very random lately...won't go into why. What matters is I'm aware of it so I can try to contain my meandering thoughts. Maybe.

Yesterday I should have posted, the point of a daily blog is for it to be ...daily. Seems I've used that stupid saying before, but it's true. ONE of the points of this exercise was to create something that would force me to be consistent. But, yesterday I was out all day. By the time we finally got home, all I wanted was a glass of wine and my TV remote. Lazy much? Well, yes I can be. Here's an excuse:

“Consistency is the hallmark of the unimaginative.”  - Oscar Wilde

Thank you Mr. Wilde, that's so true. And convenient. ----> This morning started at about 3am when pouring rain interrupted my sleep. Rain wouldn't usually cause me to wake up but given it's supposed to be summer and I'm at a certain age where the occasional hot flash comes around to torture me, I now sleep with the window next to my bed open. So when the rain came, it managed to waft in and splat me in the face. Additionally, our neighbors' cat, who we've come to love and have learned to occasionally live with, Max, came in to dry himself off. Yup, now I'm awake. What's on TV? Randomness in the middle of the night...

~ ~ ~

Right now I'm reading a lot about photography and not doing much actual photo taking. This is CLEARLY a big PROBLEM for someone who has embarked on a photo blog. *mumbles, curses, bites lip* My excuse/reason is that I'm trying to fine tune my manual skills and find a way to be happy with my crap zoom lens. But, she asks herself, is it REALLY crap? The other day while looking around on Amazon, I saw that like a 'zillion' people who bought this same zoom lens are actually happy with it, which means I'm doing something incredibly wrong. Of course, they might all be tools who aren't interested in sharp detail but...dunno. I think it's me. Nothing but nothing chaps my hide more than a simple task that the rest of the world seems to understand and that I should be able to figure out but can't. I am not an idiot. I can read simple instructions and I have a few academic degrees which would seem to imply that I could easily figure out how to take a clear photo with a zoomy-type lens. Right? As a result, I am now obsessed with taking a proper photo with this lens. OBSESSED.

I am tired of photos of flowers, even though I really love them. I know it must be painfully boring to see me post nothing but flower, flower, flower...and flower. FLOWER!

So, I do have a photo for you today, but it's not something new. I am proud of this picture on many levels, mostly that I walked away from taking it without a painful bee sting. I had just taken delivery of my new macro lens (in Nikonese, micro) and was walking around the garden looking for something to photograph. I saw these cute little flowers and started to point the lens when I saw what looked like a clump of mud. Turned out to be a rather slow (maybe stoned on nectar) and friendly old Bumble Bee. He wasn't interested in flying or stinging me, he was doin' his own thang. I grabbed a stick and proceeded to lift up the flower stem he was weighing down and when I was kind of sure he wasn't going to sting, I started to photograph him.

Fast forward a month and a friend's boyfriend asked to use the photo to sketch. The sketch caught the eye of a woman who is doing an art book on insects and the next thing I knew, my photo was submitted for her consideration for publication. No money, money can't take the place of the feeling when someone enjoys your work. I was just happy she enjoyed the photo and flattered that my friend's boyfriend liked it enough to sketch in the first place.

This photo was, like many other good photos, part luck, part patience and a bit of editing. I aspire to produce more photos to be as proud of as I am of this; My Bumble. Most of you have seen it already, so that kind of sucks, but I'm posting this to remind me that this is the end goal, to be proud, consistently, of my work.

“The key to a happy life is to have accomplishments to be proud of and purpose to look forward to, and at the moment I had both." - from Dearly Devoted Dexter by Jeff Lindsay

So all of this blah, blah, blah... I'll shut up now. But a few things before I go...

I first of all want to thank you for reading my mental and verbal diarrhea and viewing a photo that you have probably already seen...sorry... 

Secondly I'm going to end by asking you all this:  

     What are YOU proud of today? What are you working towards improving? 

No need to answer, only to consider.

Tiny things...

This morning, filled with determination and a bit of frustration I got up, made a cup of tea, picked up my camera and went out to the patio to watch birds. The goal was to get a sharper, better photo of our greedy woodpecker. Several failed attempts later, I resigned myself to the knowledge that no matter how I shoot the photo, the lens won't offer me the end result I'm looking for. Happily, my husband asked me, "What would a better lens cost?" Inwardly giddy at the prospect of a new, better zoom lens, I told him I would do some research. 

Watching the birds eat their peanuts while the sun came up was a nice way to start the day. It also gave me the opportunity to see some of the newest blossoms in our garden. My landlady is like my mom, she works some kind of magic with flowers that I could never hope to achieve. Here and there on an almost daily basis something new blooms. Today, while waiting for another bird to come along and pose for the camera I noticed these very tiny, pink flowers. Before I knew it, I had removed the zoom lens that repeatedly disappoints me, snapped on the macro and was taking photos of my discovery.

“A photograph is a moral decision taken in one eighth of a second. ”  - Salman Rushdie

I'm not entirely certain there is any noticeable improvement in my edits and shots just yet, but...I did have the occasion to go through my photo files the other day looking for a specific picture and what I have noticed is that what I was proud of a year ago, even 4 months ago, is now the source of some embarrassment. So, at least in part, I can assure myself that I am indeed...improving. And, after all, that's the the point, to evolve. Photography allows me a chance to slow down, take my time, and concentrate. As ridiculous as this will sound, it's a bit of a meditative state for me. When focusing on the subject, I have no cares about the worries in the back of my mind, I forget the hurts I am working through and I just focus on the moment. The photo is far from perfect, it's not as good as someone else's work. And that doesn't matter. For me, my photos are an exercise in learning about myself. 

So, well...yeah, I guess I had a bit of an epiphany today. This isn't about my photos improving, it's about taking time to observe life, my life. Please stop rolling those eyes...I know how hokey I can be. At least I am aware of it and can have a good laugh at my own expense. 

“To photograph is to hold one's breath, when all faculties converge to capture fleeting reality. It's at that precise moment that mastering an image becomes a great physical and intellectual joy.” 

- Henri Cartier-Bresson.

Frustration...

Today's blog post is about frustration with my zoom lens. I know, I know I've bitched and moaned about this already but today I need to do it again.

In the last two weeks I've spent a fortune (exaggerated) in bird food and feeders in the hope that I will attract some of the area's winged wild life partly because I love cute little birdies and the harsh, long winter has impacted their natural food sources so I want to do my bit to help them out. The other more selfish reason is to capture them in photos. 

In the last few days, the word seems to have gotten out that there's a smorgasbord of bird food available at my house. It's just a matter of time until the amazing photos of birds in all colors and sizes will be posted on my photo page(s). Ha, ha! 

Below is today's effort. 55 photos of various birds having a go at the peanut feeder. I've tried auto focus and manual focus. I've tried holding my breath, I've tried setting the camera on a stationary object (table, window sill). As usual, it's down to my worthless zoom lens. *facepalm*

So, enjoy the photo, have a good laugh at my expense but know this; I WILL get some amazing bird photos before the summer is out. Even if it means sitting very still and motionless two feet away from the feeders. Watch this space...

"A photographer is like a cod, which produces a million eggs in order that one may reach maturity." - George Bernard Shaw

Oops...

I know, I know...a daily blog should be just that, a DAILY blog...I can 'splain!

I had a wonderful weekend with a fellow American friend who came to stay and share my view of the world. It was good fun, two "old ladies" just talking all weekend, having a few cervezas and a BBQ and enjoying the summer sun.

Now, to get back to business. A few months ago I started a smallish container garden as I've done many, many times before. Gardening chases away the blues and relaxes me so it's been nice to get my hands dirty again. This photo, for your viewing pleasure, is of the very first of my Asian Lillies to open and bloom so in my excitement, I snapped a photo. I shall repeat the process in a day or so when she's fully open. I am also excited to find my Royal Wedding Poppy is "pregnant". I'd given up all hope of it ever flowering. I'd post a photo but poppy buds are, well, not great photos. They give cause to act like a teenager, that's really all I will say.

Have a wonderful Monday! As always, thanks for stopping by!

The most annoying day on eart...

Day 5 has been rough. Uninspired, uninterested and unfinished. It's 11:07pm and the sun is just setting on what should have been a wonderful day. Sadly it wasn't but I remain determined. How do you cope with days where your muse seems to be on vacation?

Clearly this female duck on our pond was just about as enthused (or rather frustrated and annoyed) as I was. She looks a bit crabby to me.

Welcome to the dark side...

Day 4 and still going though unfortunately feeling a bit uninspired. Sometimes I ask myself why I lean towards darkness in my edits. Then I come across a professionally done photo that is on the dark side and I remember, because I want to to do it that way. I'm fine with that, really.

This photo was taken today in the beautiful sunlight. Somehow, in the editing process I took a normal photo and flipped it to the dark side. This is something I do and the only reason I can come up with is that I find more beauty and complexity in the shadows. Despite any improvement in my skills that I may or may not develop over the next year, I think "the dark" will always be with me.

Insect or ...?

Day 3: Busy, busy day...busy. However, while dusting around the house I found this critter on my window sill. Thinking he was dead, I did what any idiot with a goal to take one photo a day would do: I grabbed my camera, slapped on the macro lens and shot 25 photos of him. 

As sometimes happens, I started to darken this photo because I was thinking I wanted it to be a black and white edit. The darker it got, the more a face came out. To me it looks like....Gene Simmons.

Has today seen an improvement of skills? No. I have a feeling I've chosen the wrong week. With so much going on, I don't think I will have time to experiment with settings or edits. I'm far too sleepy to type at this point let alone play with different ways of taking the same photo. ;) That said, it's still beneficial to post a photo if I really like the way it came out. Hopefully by this time next year I will notice a marked improvement overall. :)

Day 2: Adequate but not an improvement.

Today was a spectacularly beautiful summer day in North East Scotland. My photography goal for the day being to take one photo of which I am proud and that I really like seemed to be all wrapped up before 9am when the neighbors' cat, Max, got into the old row boat near the pond and proceeded to watch ducks on the water. I went and quickly grabbed the camera, popped on the zoom lens and went to take the photo, from a safe distance, so as to get the cool cat doing the cool thing at the time. Unfortunately for me, Max had moved on to other activities before I could get my a** in gear. I'm really starting to understand the need for two cameras...she said. Later in the day, zoom lens still attached, I went out with the dog, also known as Hamish, to see what photos I might find. I left the zoom on because I enjoy landscapes and thought I'd use it before I took any macro photos.

The first thing I found was the neighbors' dog, Robbie, standing in the shallow end of the pond, mentally and somewhat physically, though unsuccessfully, fishing for tadpoles. I sat down to watch Robbie, hoping for a cute picture to post. Something to make my day. Something, ha ha ha, the readers might enjoy. No such luck. While I did get some cute photos, nothing was really good enough for this blog's goal, which is to improve my skills.

So, what happened, you ask? What happened was this - I realized that it hasn't just been ME these past few months being critical of my zoom lens, a Nikkor AF-S VR 70-300 mm, f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED Auto-focus, blah, blah, blah - lens. Not the cheapest, certainly not the most pricey, a middling priced lens. A lens that I thought would be suitable for someone who is just getting her feet wet in the photography game. No, no. It's truly and completely this lens. IT SUCKS!

So today has been uneventful in the realm of improvement. I took 790 photos and none of them were up to scratch. However, I did take this photo of my dog, Hamish, on the dock of the pond completely ignoring the ducks to check out the fish food not too far off to the left. Hamish doesn't realize that in the scheme of things a dog would enjoy a nice, juicy, duck much more than some dehydrated Koi food.

The reason I posted this photo is sadly not because it shows any improvement of skills. It is because I just sort of like it. I just, very simply, like the way it makes me feel: warm, sunny, a bit relaxed. Summery.

Overall, I am reminded of one of my favorite quotes about photography:  "Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever...it remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything." - Aaron Siskind

Here I go...

Oh crap, not ANOTHER blogger! Well, yes, maybe...maybe not. We shall see won't we? But, please don't throw stones or roll your eyes just yet. THIS blog, is a tool for encouraging me to follow a straight line. By this I mean, to plan, execute and achieve a goal. Makes sense, right? Of course it does.

It's June 2013. This month will see the tenth anniversary of my mother's passing. Please don't say you're sorry for my loss, ten years is a longish time and while I miss her every day and it sucks, I'm OK with my grief now. Usually though, on her "death-aversary", I sit around crying and moody, but this year I am counting positives in my life instead of negatives. OK, somewhere in my head I just heard my mom saying "FINALLY!"  Life is not always easy and there are struggles along the way, sh*t happens. Hopefully by setting a few personal goals, I will be on my way to converting some of the sadness and aggravation I have experienced to MORE gratitude and happiness. Actually, to be fair to myself, I am a grateful person. But I think it's worth it to attempt to improve. Worth a try? Right? I can see you rolling your eyes. Stop that!

Part of the goal is due to my renewed passion for photography. I've always been a keen photographer but it was a hobby I kept to myself, appreciating the occasional compliments but doing nothing to proceed with my skills. This year, I will seek to improve and learn. To help me do that, I will post one photo a day that I am proud of. Hopefully in one year, if I have not completely abandoned my project, there will be a visible improvement of my abilities and the end product, the ummmm...photos. I will conquer the fear of manual settings on my camera and master the holy trinity of ISO, shutter speed and aperture. One hopes...  I am hoping perhaps one day...maybe, I will have the skills to turn a passion and hobby into a part time career. 

I should say, to those who have not seen my photos prior to this project, I have a love of old buildings, architecture, landscapes, animals and insects. Although I would hardly say I have mastered editing, I will tell you...gentle viewer...that I often purposely edit my photos to be somewhat dark. This is intentional: like salt and pepper, it's to taste. Some you may hate, some you may like...some, I hope, you will love. 

In addition to the photos, I will post a short blurb about the challenges, joys and successes I experience along the way and anything else that comes to mind, hopefully without verbal diarrhea ;) . I'm both sarcastic and emotional so this could include almost anything. I blame graduate school for my "sentence incontinence". When you're forced to write looooong papers that leave no stone un-turned and no word un-used, you forget how to be concise. I also might have the occasional potty mouth moment. Heartfelt apologies my darlings.

Finally, please note that all photos are taken by myself unless otherwise stated as there is a chance I will post photos that inspire me (photographically). So blah, blah, blah, all rights reserved and etc. If you would like to share a photo of mine, all you have to do is ask. I promise I won't bite!  The only exception to this request is if the photo just happens to be of your dog, cat, fish or other animal... then, please use freely with my permission. 

So, here I go...

I am attaching a photo that I am proud of which is not new (meaning I did not take it for this project). From tomorrow, going forward, all photos posted will be new and taken specifically for my project. To see more of my photos, please visit: https://www.facebook.com/CapturedSoulImages

Thanks for reading... ;)