All posts filed under: Photography

The jar of positivity

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I have seen various themes on this idea, so I decided to give it a whirl in our house for this year. We found a lovely blue vintage Mason and every day we have written a little note of positivity to pop in there. I am not sure we are going to jam in 365 notes, so the notes could get smaller or maybe we will start writing on the back of the existing ones. The idea is to write a teeny note (or you could write a giant ones and just roll them up small!), every day consisting of some positive words.  Something you have done, seen, heard, like, wish.  Or just a word of goodness.  Maybe a mini drawing or two will make it in, I am sure it will.    Anyone can write (or draw) the note as long as one per day goes in.  We are doing well so far, usually a cry of ‘anyone got an idea for the note’ brings a call or two back and we have one …

2013 photo review

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I did a photo review of 2012 and it was fun to look back at it.   So, I thought I would do it again for 2013, I spot a theme forming. As usual it is so hard to pick only one photo per month, but I managed.  Here is 2013 in pics. January.  Even though it is usually freezing cold in the winter, at least the blue skies stay with us. This was a trip to Junque in St Louis, a truck full of bikes. I don’t always find treasure here, but I usually get a great photo. February.  We snapped this rainbow on the way to school one February morning. March.  This photo of the hippo at the St Louis Zoo is still one of my favourites. I was also quite surprised at how many times we visited the zoo last year.  Visiting with the animals never gets old! April.  Toy Teeth from the school picnic.  Mr.Y won these and gave them to me, they wind up at the side and hop about! …

Through the lens Thursday. One.

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Today I spotted a great idea and year long project conceived by Alison at Writing Wishing and Greta at GFunkified. They provide the prompts and we all take a photo or photos every Thursday for 2014. I am going to use my ‘grown up’ camera for my Through the Lens Thursday posts, and by the end of the year I will be a photo taking genius! Ok, maybe not a total genius,  hopefully I will be taking better photos with an improved knowledge of my camera in all of it’s manual glory. I am proud to say that I now use my camera on manual only and I have been for a few months, but some of those little numbers and letters still confuse my little brain.   I see more clarity in the brain department as well as the picture department by the end of the year! This week’s prompt is ‘soft’ and I loved the soft light falling on the fresh snow this morning. All I did to this photo was crop it …

Vintage Instant Cameras

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Firstly I hate to call these cameras ‘vintage’ as they are from the late 80’s and early 90’s and I am not able to even consider the era of my teens and early twenties as ‘vintage’.  Eeek. Anyway, I picked up three Polaroid Instant cameras at the weekend and I am eager to try them all out, see how they differ and which I like the best.  I am secretly hoping I don’t have a favourite, I want them to have their own abilities which I can use and love. So far I have put a film in the fantastic looking, bright yellow ‘Job Pro Polaroid’.  ‘The Construction Camera’. This camera was actually made and marketed to be used on construction and building sites.  It is nice and sturdy and made in the United Kingdom.  You can slide the doodad on the front to make photos lighter or darker, both of which I have tried, it makes a difference and I like the lighter best I think. I have a black and white film to …

Project 365 photos 18-24

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This weeks photos have thrown out a couple of surprises. I always compile them together on Monday, so some I have almost forgotten! I think my favourites this week are the vintage toy cup and the hat with the chandelier. I forgot about the cup because I was trying to photo something else which didn’t work, so that this one came out nicely was a pleasant surprise. I worked on it in Snapseed and popped on a vintage filter. The chandelier was a hard one for me to catch, I really wanted the casual hat and the decadent glass of the chandelier in just the right proportions and I think I got it in the end. As usual the photos are a mix of iPhone 4 and Canon Rebel. 18/365 Vintage toy cup. 19/365 I love how this photo turned out, a good example of the reason I always carry my phone, you never know what you might see. 20/365 Double exposure on the Hipstamatic app. 21/365 Self portrait sat on the porch with a …

Project 365 photos 11-17

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11/365  I was taking photos of the rake in the leaves to practice with my camera and the dog wandered in to glare at the rake. 12/365.  Beyond frost this morning, straight on to icy.  I caught the ice on the fallen leaves with my iPhone using Camera+.  I messed about with it in Snapseed on the iPad. 13/365.  Pickle the cat deciding whether to come in or not. 14/365.  You always knew there was a feet shot coming!  Here it is, with pom poms. 15/365.  The finished pom pom fox hiding out in the woods. 16/365.  A cloudy day peeking up at the bird feeder. 17/365.  I spotted the climbing pink leaves behind the bins and had to snap a photo with the phone. How was your week?  I think I need to make a promise to all of us to stop with the leaf photos!  The very windy day yesterday took care of that as it blew most of them down. I want to take more indoor photos on my camera, so that …

Project 365 Photos 4-10

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4/365 5/365 6/365 7/365 8/365 9/365 10/365 Ten photos done, only 355 to go!  Still sounds a lot, even to a shutterbug such as myself!  Some days I hardly get a shot at all and some days I can’t decide which to use.  Yesterday (10/365) was a decision day.  It was such a beautiful day I think I could have pointed my camera in any direction and got a lovely shot.  I posted more from the day as part of my regular Ten on the 10th post. Are you doing the Project 365 challenge?  How is it going?  I am happy to be using my Canon Rebel on manual for some of the photos I am posting and quite proud of myself!  Some will always come from the iPhone 4 just because it is often all I have with me.  The frosty leaf for 8/365 is a perfect example of this, by the time I had gone to fetch my camera the frost would have melted and I am not sure I could have got …

Ten on the 10th November 2013

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What a fabulous day for ten on the 10th November edition!  Not too cold, sun out and sky blue.  Check, check and check!    We had arranged to meet some friends at Tower Grove Park, St Louis and the trees were in full Autumnal colour. Thanks to Tower Grove Park for being the ideal backdrop for my photos today.  I hope you had a great weekend and are looking forward to the week ahead. I never got to read the weekend paper or my copy of Mollie Makes which arrived Saturday, so that gives me something to read in the week.

Foggy morning

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Last night was rainy and warm and this morning was humid and foggy. I do like interesting weather, so fog is a good morning for me. A good storm (if I am inside or on the porch) is also a winner in my view. Even pouring rain or bucketing snow make a change. I of course love the blue skies we usually see, whether the temps are warm or freezing cold, but the weather odd bods are what makes the interesting days.   Thankfully it was only the air full of fog today, I started with a fab boxing class which is my favourite class ever, I love to beat up an inanimate object once a week! I picked up the new (still one issue behind Australia though) Frankie magazine and finished getting ready for the Halloween party at school tomorrow. Now I am here chatting to you and listening to the new ‘London Grammar’ album. Are you trick or treating for Halloween? It may rain here, so let’s hope not (no, not even an …

Weekly photos Oct 21

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Last week was  a lovely Autumn week, blue skies, sun out and a chill in the air.  Gloves needed in the mornings to walk to school and catching falling leaves on the way. Halloween is around the next corner and November through the next door. Photos are: 1.  A popped seed pod on the trail, spotted on the way home from school and snapped with the iPhone using Camera+. 2.  Shirts on the line. 3.  Bodhi took this of me at the park.  Taken on the phone and messed about with in Camera+. 4.  Making flavoured salts. 5.  Crazy spinner at the park.  The kids hold on and it spins around until they let go and wobble off across the field! 6.  Brothers. 7.  Changing trees. I link up with The Beetle Shack for the Weekly Stills posts.  Pop over and see the others, there are some great photos. This week I am planning the third grade Halloween party, making chilli, jewels and planning a scarf design.  What are you up to?  Whatever it is, …