All posts tagged: Taken with the Canon

Through The Lens Thursday 2015. 1/52 New.

  Happy 2015 to you! I am so pleased that Through The Lens Thursday is continuing through 2015.  I left today’s a little late, because we went on a lovely hike. The prompt is ‘New’, so I took a photo of myself with my film camera (Minolta X-370, if you have any clue how to use it, do let me know!) and a new lens to try.  The camera is not new, it is circa 1984, but what is new is my experience using it.  Even when 35mm cameras were all that was available, I only had a point and shoot, not a manual.  I am using Through The Lens Thursday to improve my manual camera skills on all platforms! I have taken a film with the regular lens, but I haven’t collected it yet, so I don’t know if I am managing to get anything at all in focus.  I took my second film today (technically my third, but I failed to wind the first film on properly and ended up with a whole …

Through The Lens Thursday 2014 Greatest Hits

For the complete, full and entire 52 weeks of 2014 I took a photo (or photos) and posted them every Thursday as part of a project called ‘Through The Lens Thursday’ which was thought up by Greta at GFunkified and Alison at Writing Wishing.  I started over at my old blog here and finished up here on Girl Fifteen which is where I will continue. The point of the project was to get us using our DSLR cameras set to manual and on a regular basis, so that we would get some practice and share our masterpieces.  While I am by no means a master photographer,  I have certainly improved my knowledge of the numbers and dials on my camera. The best thing about the project is that it is continuing through 2015!  It is a friendly and do-able project, no daily pressure (I do a daily photo challenge, but I know I would never manage if they all had to be taken on the DSLR) and some great, imaginative prompts which you can find …

Through The Lens Thursday 52/52. Lights.

    The final Through The Lens Thursday of 2014 is ‘Lights’.  I found some cool streetlights while we were walking the dog today, so I snapped them from different angles.  A lovely sunny day with a blue sky.     You will be pleased to know that Through The Lens Thursday will carry on in 2015, our fearless leaders have come up with 52 new prompts.  Check them out here on Alison’s blog. It is has been a great project this year and I know that even through this weekly practice, my DSLR skills have improved. Merry Christmas!

Through The Lens Thursday #51. Loud.

Well, it snowed last night and it is still snowing this morning, not much, just a sprinkle.  It has made everything so quiet though, as I walked through the woods all I can hear is the squirrels scurrying up and down the trees.  Even the shops are quiet.  Not so helpful for today’s prompt which is LOUD! I am sure these headphones can contain loud or block out loud. Next week is the last Through the Lens Thursday and the prompt is Lights. Happy Thursday!

Through The Lens Thursday #50. Pair.

      Can you believe we are at week 50 of 2014.  I hope it has been a wonderful year for you.  I am so pleased I found ‘Through The Lens Thursday’ at the beginning of the year and stuck with it.  I now have almost a year of weekly photos taken on my DSLR. Thanks of course to our fearless leaders, Alison and Greta of Writing Wishing and GFunkified blogs. This week’s prompt is ‘Pair’ so I couldn’t resist these little baby socks which I had saved in my drawer. I must admit I struggled with the numbers on my camera today to get the best result in a low light, grey sky environment.  So, we come to the question, is it cheating when you have a less than ideal picture to throw it into Snapseed or Photoshop or Lightroom and mess with it? I certainly messed with this one! I accidently turned the brightness right up and I liked it.  This photo was edited in Snapseed. Next week is #51 and the …

Through The Lens Thursday #47. Gloom.

    I can’t believe that we are into the last 10 weeks of the year and this project.  I will soon have 52 photos taken from each week of this year,  following the prompts thought up by Through The Lens originators Alison of Writing Wishing and Greta of GFunkified. This week’s prompt is ‘Gloom’ and although the weather this week has been cold, it isn’t gloomy at all, the sun has been out and the skies blue. Then I thought about the ‘creepy bridge’  the nearby bridge over the creek where we go and adventure all the time.  We call this bridge the ‘creepy bridge’ because from certain angles (and I usually focus on these angles) the bridge is just a regular bridge over a creek with some cool reflections and natural features, but look to the other side and there are dropped concrete blocks from some old construction and graffiti all over it which changes regularly.   When the boys were little they named it the ‘creepy bridge’ and it still is known …

Through the Lens Thursday 46. Shine.

This week’s Through the Lens Thursday prompt is ‘Shine’, so as soon as the sun started to shine through our stained glass windows I grabbed the camera and snapped away.  As I was looking at the pictures, I got the feeling I had done this before.  So I looked back at previous TTLT weeks and there it was, week 8 ‘Window‘.  Time to re-think this week’s picture then. Sunshine I thought, that will be a good ‘Shine’ subject, look up at cloudy skies….. The shower was dripping, so I went to make sure it was properly turned off and there it was, all shiny!  So I gave it a quick wipe over and made sure it wasn’t still dripping. I got into the shower, assumed a strange lunge position directly under it, said a little prayer to the plumbing gods that it not drip onto my camera and snapped this picture.  I like that I am reflected in the shower head and I like that you can’t see the pained look on my face as …

What I am wearing in the cold today.

  It has got cold this past couple of days, November has shown us a glimpse of winter and there is a rumour that it might snow on Saturday, how exciting!  I love snow, as long as I don’t have to go far. So, I have pulled out my trusty coat with the furry collar and cuffs, again.  Now, this smashing coat is a winter staple in my wardrobe and has been for fourteen, yes fourteen years!  Which tells you that it is a classic or that I have not moved on in the clothing department and I am still stuck in nineteen ninety somewhere. When I bought it, I was pregnant with my now thirteen year old and I had some jewels on sale at the local University student union.  I was no longer a student, but they had stalls every Friday, so one week I booked one and here I was.  I felt sick and pregnant and didn’t want to be there one tiny bit, but I had seen this coat in a …

Through The Lens Thursday 45. Stripes.

  I had a few ideas for this week’s Through The Lens Thursday, but I settled on the stripes I have been painting like a stripe obsessive for a class I am doing though Studio Calico.  The class is called ‘Paint. Plan. Play.’ and is instructed by Ashley Goldberg.  I am looking forward to learning lots and maybe branching out from stripes.  I seem to like the stripes though…. To make these I used a sumi paint brush and black gouache.  I love to use the sumi brushes, but I do see a trip to the art supply store in my near future to widen my brush repertoire. I really like to paint but I don’t.  Do you have something which eludes you like this?  Every time I get the brushes out I love it, I am no artist, but I would like to do more and try and get a bit better.  Paint and colour and shapes, love it all! I just want to grab a pack of blank cards and paint paint paint, …

Through The Lens Thursday #43. Sweet.

  Sweet.  These teeny tiny dolls are the sweetest thing ever.  Getting them to stand up was quite a task though, one stands up, two stand up then I get the third one to stand up and number one falls.  It took a few minutes!  I have a whole tub of these cuties but I couldn’t persuade more than three to stand nicely at the same time. I am really pleased with the way the sunlight just catches the blonde doll’s hair and gives it a little sparkle. Thanks as always to the creators of Through the Lens Thursday, Greta of Gfunkified and Alison of Writing Wishing who is back after having gorgeous twins.  Welcome back Alison!