I Solemnly Swear...

... to re-edit these photos whenever I actually feel like sitting in front of this computer. :) Until then, understand that this is just a post for the sake of posting, as I should have yesterday but was way too tired to stay up for. lol

Yesterday's snap: My darling doggy, Ursa.

Today was the Art Show I've been frantically preparing for for weeks. It was great, even if I didn't sell any prints. The place was smaller than expected, so there wasn't room for vending. :-( However, I did meet two women with 3 children each who would love to do a shoot with me. Everyone who commented on my work (whether they knew I was the photographer or not, as I was somewhat incognito for awhile) was in love with the photo of the little Wilson boy in the McDonald's Playplace. It really made my day. :D

Know what else made my day? Getting a snazzy new haircut! I decided to go with something out of the ordinary, and the stylist chose the color. These photos don't show it off too well, but mostly because of my editing (or lack thereof). Like I said, I will re-edit everything. Here they are for now, in all their contrasty non-glory.

Off to bed! *muah*

Portfolio and A Ditch

Oh, what a creative title.

My image for yesterday: BW Film Photography Portfolio-- Lines. Click for full size.

I spent 8 hours printing yesterday. Can you believe that?! EIGHT HOURS! That, my friends, is why I was not up to posting by the time I got home. Eight hours left me with a plethora of prints that were not perfect but were very decent, so I'm going to sell them for different prices depending on their quality at the art show on Friday. Yay! However, the above prints turned out perfectly (the scanner wasn't doing a very great job, so just take my word for it LOL), so they shall be my eight portfolio photos. The professor himself chose all but the first and last one, so I'm hoping for an A- or so. Maybe. *nervous mode* I can't believe this is due tomorrow already. ARGH!

Alright, enough of that.

Today's challenge was to take a photo featuring water in some way, so I headed down the street. With all the rain we've had lately, there was bound to be some water, right? Here's my shot in my preferred crop:

However, Sandra liked the flowers better and suggested this crop:

I find this amusing because we had such conflicting tastes when it came to this photo. Believe it or not, I detest flowers. I don't know why, but I do. They're great to photograph sometimes, but I just don't want to look at them very often. I favored the rock and the water on the left side of the photo instead, but figured the flowers would add some contrast and interest. Sandra, on the other hand, could do without the rock and the water and is a big fan of flowers. Most people-- normal people-- probably do.

That brings me to my somewhat photographically irrelevant question for you. What would you prefer: a rock, water, or a flower?

For Sandra

The competition. AKA the result of my practicing blurred water motion. Note to self: 1/10 is not slow enough! Use the tripod.

The Bokeh Challenge

f/5.3, 1/160 sec, ISO 640, 42 mm

Sandra challenged me to try her bokeh method, so I busted out the Christmas lights and wrapped them all over a bunch of champagne glasses that were sitting out on the table like they were just waiting for me. It was a lot of fun, but I definitely need more practice.

f/5.3, 1/30 sec, ISO 640, 48 mm

I didn't feel like editing today, so I cropped these photos to 5x7s and slightly burned the edges. Otherwise, this is what they looked like in-camera.

f/5.6, 1/100 sec, ISO 640, 55 mm

The Town Attraction

The country's only Y-Bridge, Zanesville, OH

Also known as the most confusing bridge to drive on, especially if you're going left. I thought I'd retry photographing this bridge with my 200 mm lens, but it was far too cold and windy, so I took this one quickly and ran back to the car. LOL

Aaah, I took THIS one at home, where it was wind-free and warm despite the snow that covered the land overnight. Hopefully tomorrow will be a brighter day. I'd like to spend another hour or so outside taking photos. It's so relaxing, don't you think? :-)