Backlit Fireweed

Shot this fireweed plant an hour before sunset last week. Partial silhouette and partial backlighting made it a very interesting scene.

Fog

There has been a lot of heavy fog in Homer recently. I have been itching to catch it blanketing the Bay, but not the mountains. I had a small window of time this past week to get higher up to shoot when it was foggy again. It was still a bit hazy over the mountains, but it was the effect I had been looking for, if not perfect.

Small Blossoms

This plant in my yard has finally bloomed! Soft and small flowers are so delicate, but so intriguing to see!

Bay at Sunset 2

Another shot from the chilly sunset last week. I love seeing the tumultuous waves looking calm from a long exposure!

Bay at Sunset 1

It was pretty chilly shooting the sunset last week. I was down at the beach, shivering, but I wasn't about to leave with the moon there!

Burnt

I have shot this stump many times in the past year, after the Mile 17 forest fire last May. The fireweed is not thriving as much as I would like in that area this year, so I had to make due with just one flower around it.

The Butterfly

My mother loves butterflies, so I have a special place in my heart for them as well. Despite there being many species of butterflies in Alaska, I only regularly see two types. Last week, we had a particularly windy day and I followed this butterfly around my yard to see where it would land. A clump of mowed, dry grass was not my first choice, but I took it anyway. He patiently posed for me about a half hour total.

I moved around a lot to get better angles, and my shadow crossing it finally made him take flight. I followed him again until he landed a few feet away on a gravel rock in the driveway.

It's really fascinating to see the tiny head and even its tongue!

I loved seeing the colors of its wings change to this lovely iridescent blue/purple/pink ever so often. Truly beautiful!

Small Waterfall

 A small waterfall out East End Road. I have seen this one several times this summer, and while I have had my tripod with me several times, this was the first time I really stopped and made an effort to capture this one.

Hint of a Rainbow

Had to stop and shoot when I saw this small rainbow lighting up the mountains a few nights ago!

Day 30

Well, we decided to cut the sugar fast down to 30 days. This is day 30. Tomorrow I can wake up and have syrup on my pancakes if I want. I admittedly bought chocolate Monday night because I couldn't stand it anymore. Now I have some ready for me..

I don't really know how going off of sugar for 30 days has effected me. I have had more of an appetite, and I definitely miss the candy. I think it has given me more energy, but I really am not sure.

Well, I am off to go have 3/4 cup of Honey Nut Cheerios with a banana in it for one of my last sorry meals without sugar...

Abstract

The last image from after the rain storm. The white cotton was drenched and looking a bit droopy and pathetic, but the grass was wet as well, creating more of that sparkly bokeh. With the sun streaming through, it created a really abstract but intriguing effect that I love.

Haircut

I got a haircut yesterday. Well, really a trim. I just love going in and having someone pamper you for a half hour.

It's always fascinating to be in a beauty salon to me. Listening to the lady running the place chattering away, the smells of the different products, and the little knickknacks to look at while you have to look straight ahead.

Of course, I always manage to schedule my appointments when it is windy out. *sigh*

Sparkles

One of my new favorites!

Print available.

Leg Cramps, Not Sugar

Yesterday morning, I woke up to a painful cramp in my leg. I don't get them often, and I usually can get my leg to relax so that I can go back to sleep fairly easily when they do occur.

I stirred quite a bit to wake myself up and heard C stirring as well. To let him know what was happening, I said, "I'm having a charley horse." but it came out very high pitched and whiny sounding in my pain. C scoffed at me and went back to sleep. I was mildly offended that he was not trying to ease my pain. Shortly after, he asked me what I had said. I repeated back to him, and he had an "ah" moment.

"I thought you said, 'I want a chocolate milkshake.' and I almost said, 'I have no sympathy for you.' "

Thanks sugar fast! That would have gone over real well if he had said that! Definitely got a good laugh out of this one :)

Oozing Pink

An unopened fireweed petal after a rain shower.

Ted Stevens

Alaska lost a very prominent citizen on August 9th. Ted Stevens, our former US senator, was killed in a plane crash. I was saddened to hear of his loss.

I "met" him on my 8th grade trip to Washington DC. In the image above, I am in left, right in the middle, in the blue shirt.

He was 86 years old, so he lived a full and long life. My prayers are with the senator's family and friends.

Last of the Lupine

This is probably the last image of lupine I will get this summer. I was fascinated with the raindrops trying to drip off of the petals, as I have been trying to capture them all summer long!

Fireweed

Fireweed. My favorite flower. Seems like I wait all year to see it, and then when it comes, I get depressed that it signals the end of summer. But I just loving seeing it all over town. It brightens up yards and ditches along the roadside. A random burst of pink here and there.  This image has some more dying lupine in the left background.

I am patiently awaiting my favorite spot to burst with pink so I can shoot there. It's an unbeatable and beautiful view.

Beetle 2

I was eyeing some fireweed when I noticed this rather large beetle sitting on a flower. He's a bit....creepy looking, but intriguing as well!

I drove out East with a fellow photographer friend on Tuesday. The weather was a bit iffy, but the pouring rain stopped before we arrived. The sun started to peak out and while I shot some fireweed, my friend insisted I come shoot the wild grass.

Incredibly sparkly from the raindrops and diffused sunshine, eh? I love it.

8-3 Mountains

I took a drive out East End Road on Tuesday. The sky had fog off and on for several days and I was itching to capture it.

Driving farther out the road made it seem very mystical. The ocean was still and calm, creating wonderful reflections.

Grewingk Glacier is always one of my favorite views. The blues are so incredible.

August

August has been busy so far.

C had to work this past Tuesday again, so I went on a photoshoot with a friend. The lighting was glorious, with just a hint of sunshine for us. It was wonderful, except the mosquitoes ate me alive!

I came home and later that afternoon went to see Toy Story 3 with Mom. It was so good! And so fun to see it with Mom.

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When I was at work on Monday, someone came to the door with a lovely orange cat, saying it was lost. She took it up into the woods, and mentioned it had a collar with a phone number on it. We forgot about him, until later when I hear him yowling. I went to the door to see what was happening and he saw me. Quite excited to see a human, the kitty bounded towards me and tried to come into the building with me. My boss let me carry him up to the woods again. He was a really nice kitty that wasn't afraid of me at all, which was sweet :) He hung around a bit more, and then I went home.

The bunny is still hopping around our yard!

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I've been keeping an eye to the skies in the evening to catch a glimpse of the northern lights, but it has been too cloudy. Tonight has potential, if only a bit, though!

Well, I just wanted to say hello.

Beginning of a Raspberry

The berries are late this year, as evidenced by this raspberry I shot on Monday. Taking its sweet time in becoming ripe :)

Curious

I was shooting the bleeding hearts, looking at the LCD screen on the camera as it sat on the tripod, and trying to shoot the flowers with the slight breeze when I saw this little fly perched on the side of the flower. He stayed just long enough for this shot, and then was gone.

Newly In Bloom

Not sure what this plant is, but I love this image.

Busy Bee

Bee Bum!

This is my first week participating in Macro Monday! Please go check out the other entries and give them some love!

My First Wedding: A Review

It's been a month since I shot my first wedding. I meant to write this post right afterward, but I obviously did not.

A dear friend was getting married and asked another of our friends to do her photos. I heard about it and told her I would be willing to take some too, since I would be doing it anyway! The bride was aware that wedding photography was not my thing, but was happy to let me shoot if I so desired.

So, I happily went about looking at wedding photos and techniques.

The day of the wedding, I bought another memory card for my camera, just in case. The main card I use is a 4GB SDHC, and I bought an 8GB SD card. I had several other cards, as well, but wanted one more for that extra space. Should have bought one that was SDHC...because the camera wrote much slower to it (shooting in RAW).

The wedding took place at the bride's home, and it was a fun, and informal affair. Knowing the house well was a distinct advantage in getting shots, for sure.

The original photographer was late in getting to the wedding. So the getting ready shots fell to me. Unfortunately, it was pouring rain outside, and the dark bedroom where the bride and her matron of honor got ready was a bit unfortunate.

I mainly shot with my 50mm lens, which made for beautiful shots, but was obnoxious in the cramped bedroom.

Once the ceremony started, I realized the fatal mistake in my "flawless" (ha) planning. I did not bring my telephoto lens. I have no idea why it never occurred to me that it would have been incredibly useful. The shots I took of the ceremony did not turn out well, because I was not comfortable getting up close with only a 50mm lens. The only reason I can think of for not bringing the lens was because its wide open aperture only went to f4. No excuse. I should have brought it. Thankfully, the other photographer was well prepared and got some great ceremony shots.

Because it was an outside wedding, and it was raining, there was a big white tent the ceremony was shut under. Unfortunately, the chairs for the guests were facing south, so the lighting was awful. Shooting straight into brightness does not work well. I discovered a few days before the wedding that my camera does not do center weighted average for exposing, which would have made it so much better. *sigh*

Due to the rain, the reception was entirely inside, so the lighting was atrocious there too! The reception was planned to be outside, and there was a change last minute. BUT, by being overcast (it eventually stopped raining) and not sunny, the lighting for the portraits was nice and even. I loved not having to deal with harsh shadows, as you can see below.

I was really happy to have my nifty fifty for the bride and groom formals later!

All in all, I learned a lot. Definitely learned that I never want to do it again! Though, time may tell. I did have a good time, but I will admit that I felt like I missed out on some of the festivities, as I was "working".

Moral? Leave the shooting to the pros, but also bring the telephoto lens!