Frame..Focus..Shoot.

Another Sunset...I just can't get enough of them

2010-08-18T20:33:00.000-07:00

Summer Sunset

2010-08-08T15:45:00.000-07:00

Spring!

2010-06-01T06:17:00.000-07:00

A sure sign of Spring, the hummingbirds are back!

Spring?

2010-05-30T05:43:00.000-07:00

I haven't been posting because I have been too busy with some other projects. I apologize if you are in my group and confused because I never post. I did try to contact the main blog and let them know, twice, but for some reason the message never got through. I took this picture just a few days ago, we got a record breaking 10 inches of snow at the end of May! One ski resort is even saying it may stay open until the 4th of July! It didn't seem to bother this tulip though!

Mini Assignment #4 Sihouette

2010-04-27T05:52:00.000-07:00

Morning sun on the horses, love that silhouette!

Sand and Sun

2010-04-20T07:00:00.000-07:00

We just returned from a week at the beach in San Diego. I had so much fun taking pictures, I am trying things I never would have in the past. We were hiking on the rocks when I looked up and saw this picture. My daughter didn't like it but I think it captures the gritty sand as well as the fascination we all have watching the waves come in. I am still a bit crazy with the camera, I took almost 500 pictures! Still trying to get over the beginners excitement I guess.

Poser

2010-04-18T22:38:00.000-07:00

Believe it or not pelicans live in Utah. We actually have pelicans and lots of seagulls in our mountain lakes. I don't know for sure but I am guessing they migrate or maybe winter at the Great Salt Lake. Anyway on our recent trip to California I took a shot of this pelican posing for me on the pier. I have never seen one that is so colorful. The "Utah" pelicans are all white with orange beaks. That is one of the great joys of traveling, seeing the different plants and animals.

Simplicity

2010-04-18T05:53:00.000-07:00

One or is it Two?

2010-04-16T07:58:00.000-07:00

Action

2010-04-14T07:48:00.000-07:00

We just hung out this bird feeder and it became instantly popular.

Light

2010-04-10T21:27:00.000-07:00

Faucets

2010-04-07T18:14:00.000-07:00

A bit of a twist on the theme and my first time trying to catch a drop of water in action. Not as easy as it looks!

Glow

2010-04-04T09:31:00.000-07:00

Mountains and sunsets, two of my favorite subjects!

Green!

2010-04-01T20:30:00.000-07:00

I think it is finally happening, SPRING! There was a hint of green poking out from the snow, can't wait for more.

Rethinking....

2010-03-29T20:12:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was all ready to find a new set of themes and finish out the month...then Ron aka: Danudin left this comment on my post. Ron I really appreciate your honesty and have taken a day to rethink my plan. I am going to stick to the posted themes and if I really feel energetic re-use them with the stipulation that it has to be in a totally different way. I like being a woman...you can always change your mind!

Themes to Complete the Month

2010-03-28T07:30:00.000-07:00

I have run out of themes, used up all of this month's from the 2010 Virtual Photo Walk and the January themes I hadn't done, so what is next? I found Danudin's 2009 365 blog and thought I would get started on those themes. Sooo....today's theme is One Hundred...hmmmm..

Warning

2010-03-27T09:51:00.000-07:00

I distinctly heard this Red Winged Blackbird warning me this morning... Summer is coming, beware. You will curse the heat and crave gallons of lemonade and popsicles. Your grass will be green and soft and need mowing, it is coming....warning, warning.

Trio

2010-03-26T22:44:00.000-07:00

Texture

2010-03-25T13:30:00.000-07:00

Pink

2010-03-24T20:46:00.000-07:00

Pattern

2010-03-23T22:00:00.000-07:00

The yearly migration pattern brings the first sign of Spring to my 6500 ft. mountain, Sand Cranes. This is another time I wish I had more zoom, every time I even stopped the car to get a picture they took off in the opposite direction. Shy Sand Cranes.

Meditative

2010-03-22T19:00:00.000-07:00

I love to meditate on scripture stories. I like to look beyond the story and think about the principle being taught and how it applies to my life, puts me in a meditative mood.

Masculine

2010-03-21T19:42:00.000-07:00

Just for the record I didn't take this picture, my daughter did. My husband took my 3 kids camping over the weekend and left me home ( yes, he is my hero!). I post it here to give her a chance to get some feedback for her work, I like the lines leading up to the sky...they had just shimmied through a crack full of waist deep mud so my son had his pack and shoes up high to keep them out of the mud. Did I say my husband was my hero?

Looking Down

2010-03-20T18:44:00.000-07:00

With all that I have been learning about light recently, (thanks to the great tutorials posted) I did not notice the light on the grasses here until after I loaded the picture onto my computer. Oh well, at least I did eventually notice it.

Layers

2010-03-19T20:54:00.000-07:00

I love all the elements in a fire. The layers of ash, wood, light, heat and all of the colors in the flames. It is relaxing and hypnotic... something primal here touches me.

Edible or Not

2010-03-18T20:18:00.000-07:00

Six days ago I got 12 new baby chicks. I started out with 2 full grown laying hens last Fall as an experiment to see if I wanted to invest in a larger group and sell the eggs. I have loved it and looked forward to these little ones ever since. I really don't know what to expect as I have never had chicks before. I had them in a large metal tub, on a table, inside a chain link dog kennel inside my garage to keep them safe from my two dogs. In six days they have doubled in size, the little things are growing so fast I can't keep their feeder full of food. Today I went out to get in my car and one of them was perched on the top of the tub, and my dog was just waiting.... I had to revamp my entire set up to keep the little guys safe. Lucky for me today the chicks are not edible. As for the dogs, I am sure they are disappointed.

Doors and Windows

2010-03-18T06:26:00.000-07:00

I loved this door, so many colors and textures.

Cold

2010-03-16T10:19:00.000-07:00

I have finished all the March themes so I am going back to January to the ones I missed. Part of this challenge for me is to find something to take a picture of each day, sometimes the themes aren't so great for that particular day but it adds to the challenge.

Like today for instance, Spring is on it's way and we are having the highest temperatures of the year so far, and the theme is cold. Now last week when we got 14 inches of snow overnight this would have been easy picture taking, but today, not so much. I did see this deer trail heading off into the foothills, it reminded me of when my kids used to run out into the yard in the first snow storm bare footed and come back in laughing and very cold and leaving a trail of bare prints in the snow.

Mini Assignment, See the Light

2010-03-15T19:37:00.000-07:00

I chose this North facing barn door for this mini assignment on light. The idea is to take a picture of the same thing at different times of the day to see how the light affects the picture. I am not sure if something North facing was a good idea, maybe the contrast would be greater if I used something South facing? Anyway it is fun to see how different each picture looks in color and texture and to watch the shadows move, I know there is a lot for me to learn here, I am still taking it all in.

7:30 am

11:00 am

3:00 pm

5:30 pm

7:00 pm

8:00 pm

Worn

2010-03-15T06:41:00.000-07:00

This barn is on a road that I frequently drive. Until last week I had never noticed it. I have lived here over 10 years! An added bonus this blog has given to me, I am seeing things I never did before.

Unexpected

2010-03-14T19:49:00.000-07:00

I was working on this shot for my other blog Heal Balance Live. This was shot was unexpectedly cropped by the computer, and I really like the way it turned out. I had originally planned on using a much wider version.

Umbrellas?

2010-03-14T09:13:00.000-07:00

Try as I might I couldn't find an umbrella yesterday in my snow laden landscape. I post this picture instead, taken in the Uinta Mountains while cross country skiing. If I had never lived where it snows I would guess people would use umbrellas all the time, but in truth the snow just brushes off your hair and clothes because it is frozen so you never see umbrellas unless it is raining.

Thin

2010-03-12T05:52:00.000-08:00

This isn't the best shot but it is the best I could get out of my camera with the low light. It was a beautiful sliver of moon this morning...

Stacked

2010-03-11T20:08:00.000-08:00

Faith

2010-03-10T19:23:00.000-08:00

A picture is worth a thousand words...

(Nature's) Packaging

2010-03-09T18:35:00.000-08:00

I looked all day for some kind of interesting packaging. I was making this way too hard. I noticed this pineapple was sitting on my counter and it made me realize that nature's packaging is interesting enough to deserve a picture.

Old Fashioned

2010-03-08T20:57:00.000-08:00

I love these old Victorians, there are many in my town that are over 100 years old that are still occupied, some by the great great grandchildren of the original owners. In fact it has become quite trendy for newly married couples to buy one and restore it. I just think they are beautiful.

Metal

2010-03-07T18:25:00.000-08:00

Yes, I know I need to quit taking so many pictures and dust!

Disorder

2010-03-06T22:44:00.000-08:00

Conspicuous and Inconspicuous

2010-03-05T10:33:00.000-08:00

It wasn't hard to see the results of yesterday's storm this morning. Even the picnic table is buried. I didn't do anything with the color in this because it captures the cold gray feel of the morning and the sun getting ready to come out. I think it is it's own kind of beautiful.

Can you see the bird nest in the tree on the left? A friend told me it had to be a hummingbird nest because it is so small and covered over. I have tried to get a good picture of it before but just don't have the zoom power or a 30 ft. tall ladder. It shows up better in this picture because of all the snow stacked on top of it.

Here is a cropped version, more snow than nest.

Circular

2010-03-04T17:38:00.000-08:00

It was an absolutely gray day...not good for taking pictures. I did pump up the contrast and brightness a little. There was a big bank of snow so I couldn't get as close as I wanted to because I was wearing sandals...don't ask. I do like this angle though they seem to go on forever and for the kids who move them every 12 hours all summer long I bet they do.

Blue

2010-03-03T14:33:00.000-08:00

I love it when someone goes crazy with a striking color. I haven't been brave enough to do it in my house yet but this is inspiring. This time of year the dirty snow and leafless trees tend to get drab, I noticed this coffee shop and even though I don't drink coffee I wanted to sit down awhile in the bright glow of the porch and table. I used the "cartoon" filter in Gimp to bring out the details.

I was so fixated on the porch I almost missed this tree in the parking strip, also filtered in Gimp.

Blessing

2010-03-02T19:49:00.000-08:00

This post is a little personal, forgive me. When I looked at the topic this morning, "blessing", nothing immediately came to mind. Then as I went through the day I was snapping photos left and right. I am very blessed. This is a picture of my youngest son at piano lessons. His teacher on the right has taught all of my 4 children over the past 10 years. She is so patient and kind and each one of my children have found their niche in music because of her compassionate teaching. Did you notice her leg up on the bench? She is never uptight or tense, always ready and asking the kids about their activities outside of piano. She has blessed my family and many others with the gift of music.

I am a beginning photographer and whatever comes before beginner is how you would describe my experience at taking pictures of people. I am much more comfortable with a mountain scene than moving, changing people. So that is one more thing I am getting the chance to learn with this project. I only took 4 shots total (trying not to interrupt the lesson), I tried to capture the dedication and focus of the student and the relaxed attentiveness of the teacher. I played around with the color and light and put a soft focus on it. I like it but then I am personally attached to the scene. Maybe next month I will take pictures of people every day....experience, experience, experience.

Addiction

2010-03-01T05:55:00.000-08:00

Yes, I am getting a little addicted after only a month of this Photo Blog. I was half asleep VERY early this morning and woke up to this beautiful moon. You guessed it, I grabbed my camera and stood outside in my bathrobe, in my bare feet, in the freezing temperatures to see if I could get any shots to turn out. I also keep finding myself looking at ads for used SLR's ..... I hope this doesn't become a problem.

Chaos

2010-02-28T18:09:00.000-08:00

This week has been a bit crazy. We got back from being out of town last Sunday, I had some minor surgery on Wednesday and I haven't been caught up since. Right now my house is chaotic!

Bold

2010-02-27T16:03:00.000-08:00

Self Portrait Mini Assignment

2010-02-26T20:28:00.000-08:00

I followed this tutorial to turn this into a "sketch" and to learn a bit more about software and how it works. This is a really fun idea and I love the picture in the tutorial. I think I finally get the "layering" idea. This really turned out a little creepy, I hope my kids don't see it, they may have nightmares.

I actually think I like this one better, it was created as one of the steps in the process to get the sketch. I like all the shades of gray used to make a picture, life is really like that, lots of shades of gray.

Here is the original

Arc

2010-02-26T12:11:00.000-08:00

I have officially used all the February themes so I am going back to January's themes. I really played with the colors in this to get the rust to show up better. There is so much to learn on the software side of photography....it is a big learning arc, no pun intended.

White

2010-02-24T20:51:00.000-08:00

Yes, I am totally cheating, I took this picture a day early. I was in Park City shopping and a storm moved in totally covering the mountains in white, I couldn't resist this shot. This is the entrance to the Olympic Park where the 2002 Olympics was held. I cheat on my diet sometimes too...it is a theme with me.

I actually ended up in the same spot today by accident and was able to get another picture, with the mountains and the ski jump in the background.

What is That?

2010-02-24T10:50:00.000-08:00

Scroll down for the answer!

BANANAS! Did you get it?

Simplicity

2010-02-23T12:30:00.000-08:00

Oddity

2010-02-23T05:42:00.000-08:00

You don't see many of these still in use, most of my neighbors have air conditioned/heated enclosed tractors. The owner of this beauty was out the day before clearing his driveway. I don't know how old it is but I am betting it is older than I am.

Zion National Park

2010-02-21T19:38:00.000-08:00

We spent the weekend with my daughter and son-in-law. We went hiking in the rain at Zion National Park. I took almost 200 pictures over the weekend, I am still learning to use all of the features of my camera but I feel like my skills are improving.

It was raining when we first started out, the rain made the rocks shiny and brought out all the different colors.

The downside of the rain was the muddy trail.

The upside of the rain was the waterfalls, they were amazing!

I tried using a bit of creativity with this picture, I focused on the rocks and water and set the focus, then took the picture as my daughter was crossing. I like the way it feels, the motion of jumping across the water.

This was my attempt at small depth of field with a point and shoot. It is a bit tricky to set up, this is the best I think my camera can do. Anyone have a deal on a used SLR?

I haven't edited any of these pictures because the color and lighting was so interesting that day. I really like this one, it reminds me of an oil painting.

Another small depth of field, I do like the way this one turned out. I think the lighting and coloring of the background make a difference with the settings.

We had fun pulling the branches of the trees and letting them go then watching the water droplets all come off at once. I will edit this one a bit to get the water to show up better. Overall I learned a great deal, mostly about the limits of my camera, and that you can get great pictures when the light is muted, and that I could spend all day taking pictures. My husband started calling, "hey Foto Mat, are you coming?"

Luscious

2010-02-21T18:36:00.000-08:00

I am learning to use the macro mode on my camera, I am not totally satisfied but I have learned a ton!

Kitchen Utensils

2010-02-21T17:41:00.000-08:00

Glass

2010-02-21T17:33:00.000-08:00

We were on the road today, traveling in the rain. I am sticking to my original plan of taking a picture for the theme every day, even when I am on vacation.

Geometric

2010-02-18T16:15:00.000-08:00

I started out the day wondering what I was going to find in my rural landscape that would be considered "Geometric". For some unknown reason in my mind anything geometric was in a city. Anyway, I took over 50 pictures today. Fences, gates, barns, sprinklers.....my eyes are opened!

Five

2010-02-17T14:50:00.000-08:00

I wanted to choose something unique for this photo and the name of my town has 5 letters. We still have a really old theater in operation, very authentic, no air conditioning!

Feminine

2010-02-16T14:08:00.000-08:00

Domestic

2010-02-15T16:13:00.000-08:00

Chocolate

2010-02-14T07:26:00.000-08:00

Children's Toys

2010-02-13T13:42:00.000-08:00

Big and Small

2010-02-12T15:32:00.000-08:00

Alone....

2010-02-11T10:05:00.001-08:00

This is the most interesting and fun dog I have ever met. Her name is Tasha. We got her from the local no kill shelter 3 years ago.....and what a great choice we made. There is no guessing with Tasha, she lets you know how she feels. In this picture she is pouting, our other dog gets to come in when it is really cold due to her arthritis. Tasha was so upset she just sat down in the snow and let it pile up on her back. She noticed me right when I snapped the picture, can you see the look on her face? She is thinking, is she going to let me in NOW?