Toni

Twelve weeks ago I began a basic photography class at the local community college.  Around the third week of classes my professor announced that we would all need to start taking pictures of people – the more people the better. 

While I wasn’t surprised by the assignment, I was a bit nervous.  Up to that point, the pictures I took of people, for the most part, had been of close friends and family…not strangers or people I barely knew. 

You can imagine me walking around my office (during a lunch break, naturally), holding my trusty 35mm camera with a “what have I got myself into” look on my face.  Who came to my rescue, but my amazing co-worker, Toni.

 

Toni is one of those people you just feel blessed to meet.  She’s upbeat and positive with a hint of sass.  She always seems to know the right thing to say to any given situation.  She is one of those people you just can’t help but look up to. 

 

Seeing the look on my face, Toni told me that she wouldn’t mind having her picture taken.  And in fact, she offered to let me take them the next day during her lunch break!  So the results...some of the first people pictures for my class. 
 

So thank you Toni, for giving me the confidence to go beyond my comfort zone and take pictures of people outside my immediate family .  I’m sure my grade in my class wouldn’t be the same without you.  J

 

Lesson 1: Help can come from those you least expect it; keep your ears and your heart open.

Lesson 2: When working with people, make sure you have enough depth of field so that if your focus is a little off, you can still get faces (especially the eyes) in focus.

Lesson 3: Props help with all ages…at the very least, if the prop doesn’t work, it’ll give you something to talk about during the shoot.

Wordless Wednesday - You Don't See Me

 

Another picture taken with a 35mm, Black & White film.

Happy Wordless Wednesday!

Since so many wonderful people have begun hosting Wordless Wednesday linky's I'm running out of space on the posts. So, now I've put all the buttons on their own page.

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Addon: Since it's a Black and White Photo....I'm also linking up with:

Stormtroopers at the Science Festival

This past weekend I got to participate in the Science Festival that was taking place in Logan’s Square off of Benjamin Franklin’s Parkway.  It was a lot of fun.  Normally, for a festival like this…I wouldn’t really have any pictures to post here on my blog.  The reason for this is that unless I get the person’s permission I simply don’t post their picture on the web. 

That being said, half way through the day….for no reason I could think of – I don’t think they were part of any of the booths, Stormtroopers showed up. 

As random as it was, the geek in me squealed in delight and ran after them to take a picture. And thus, I have a picture to share with you all. 



A gentleman seeing me snapping away offered to take a shot so I could be in one of the pictures.  So I must tell you...yes...that is the dopey smile I get when I'm super excited that you see. J

Lesson 1: Getting people consent up front for use of their pictures makes blogging easier. 

Lesson 2: I am weak when it comes to most things Star Wars.

Lesson 3: Be careful of random people who appear in the frame which can off-set a picture.

Wordless Wednesday - Bad Hair Day?

What bad hair day? 
A little static can't get this girl down. 

Happy Wordless Wednesday!

Since so many wonderful people have begun hosting Wordless Wednesday linky's I'm running out of space on the posts. So, now I've put all the buttons on their own page.

Click here to find more pics and Wordless Wednesday linkys.

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Byers' Choice

Back when my mom was my age (and maybe even a bit younger), her mom (my grandmother) gave her, her first caroler.  What is a caroler?  These are carolers:

(Picture taken at Byers' Choice)

Flash forward to about three years ago, I ended up driving right by the place that makes the carolers.  Turns out my husband and I had moved not 15 minutes away from Byers' Choice (the factory, the main shop, and the museum)!  Well, as soon as I found out, I called my mom and planned to have us visit.

(Picture taken at Byers' Choice)

Since then, we’ve gone every year around March (my birthday is March 14, my mother's is March 17) and have bought each other a caroler as a birthday gift.  This year was speical because recently my grandmother has moved in with my mother, allowing my grandmother (the one who started it all) was able to join us.   

This year my mother opted to get two boxes to store her carolers rather than a new caroler
Picture was taken by the kind lady at the Byers' Choice Store:

Lesson 1: The first week of April Byers' Choice usually has an egg hunt.  Good to know since this will make the location much busier than normal.

Lesson 2: Even though a picture can often say it all, knowing the background of a picture can help make it even more speical.

Lesson 3: When dealing with a scene of inanimate objects, different depths of field can give the subject more feeling.  For example, focusing on a face right behind another, can give the impression that a subject is peeking out (or being sneaky)from behind the other object that is not in focus.

Wordless Wednesday - Binky Smile

Easter Smiles

(Just one of the many pics I have left over from Easter that didn't get posted.)

Happy Wordless Wednesday!

Since so many wonderful people have begun hosting Wordless Wednesday linky's I'm running out of space on the posts. So, now I've put all the buttons on their own page.

Click here to find more pics and Wordless Wednesday linkys.

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Bunny, Eggs, & Sundaes!

This Easter was the first family holiday that my husband and I have hosted.  We may have went a little crazy...but it was a blast!  Good to know that at the end of the day I wasn't the only one who needed a nap.

It started out with baskets:

Next came the egg hunt (wonderful hubby of mine took over picture taking for the hunt).  OK, so I might have snuck my 35mm out for a couple shots:

Since the egg hunt was for adults (right now the only kid in the family is 8 months old), the plastic eggs contained slips of paper describing goodies waiting for them in the pize bucket:

The day ended with Easter Sundaes!

Lesson 1: Pay attention to what is in the background.  Weird items (such as a random cup) clutter up an otherwise nifty picture.

Lesson 2: Babies are cute with props bigger than they are.

Lesson 3: Sometimes you just need to give up the camera so you can enjoy the moment.  (Thank hubby for stepping in during the egg hunt to take pictures!)

Wordless Wednesday - Pout

Using a 35mm  manual camera and black and white film for my photography class is kinda a new thing for me.  Here's the first attempt at converting the negative (which I had to process myself - losing half the roll in the process - sigh) to a digital image I could share:

 

 



 

Happy Wordless Wednesday!

Since so many wonderful people have begun hosting Wordless Wednesday linky's I'm running out of space on the posts. So, now I've put all the buttons on their own page.

Click here to find more pics and Wordless Wednesday linkys.

Or Just click on the tab at the top of the page titled "Wordless Wednesday Linkys".

Thanks!

Importance of Editing..Wow!

Ok, so….maybe there will be another iPod post or two.  Because this I have got to share.  If I had any doubts about how important editing is, they are gone now. 

Two days ago I needed to update my profile picture at work.  I had my little camera on hand my not my jump stick that allows me to easily upload my pictures onto my computer.  But wait…I had my iPod.  Giving it a try I quickly took this horrific picture of myself (which I’m now sharing with the world – cringe):

Here comes Pixlromatic – another iPod app to the rescue!  Selected “Jean” than “Rain” than “Cornered” frame…and magic…a useable profile picture that won’t scare away my coworkers. 

I was so excited I did a little dance.  Really…it’s the little things in life.  J

Lesson 1: Editing can make a huge difference.

Lesson 2: Sometimes less detail (especially when it comes to close shot of a tired face) can be a good thing.

Lesson 3: The changing the tone of a picture using a filter can have a drastic impact on the end result.