I am excited to keep experimenting!
Showing posts with label photos. Show all posts
Showing posts with label photos. Show all posts
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Polarizer
I finally took the plunge and bought a polarizer for my 17-40L lens a couple weeks ago. I'd been hesitating because I didn't want to spend $170 on a good one quite yet, but I knew it was necessary, and so far, I have loved it. I had one with my previous wide angle lens, but I didn't use it much. I took this one out to the beach a couple days after it arrived in the mail and thought I would share what a useful tool it is.
A polarizer cuts glare, as well as saturates colors. This image, I was not utilizing the polarizer, so the water and sand in the foreground look to be continuous, when the direct foreground has a blue, silky glare. I like the effect, but sometimes the glare is distracting.
This image shows the effect of the polarizer taking the glare off the sand, as well as allowing the rocks under the water to peek through, despite the long exposure. I was surprised by how well the colors were saturated at a long exposure versus a not so long one that I observed as I sorted the images.
I am excited to keep experimenting!
I am excited to keep experimenting!
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Huge Waves
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Canon 17-40L
I am really happy to have this lens. It's amazing (but silly) how much more professional I feel with the red ring on my camera. It feels like I am already gaining respect for it :P
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Winter is Definitely About Here
This morning it is a chilly 30 degrees...coldest I think I have seen it yet.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Day 14
Day 14 of the sugar fast. I haven't given in yet, but I sure am craving sugar! It feels like I am eternally hungry, since I am wanting something sweet. I'm dreaming of brownies and chocolate in the end of August!
Two posts ago, I whined about not getting to shoot the sunset. I was able to shortly after that! The sunset looked promising, but I never got that far, because a rainbow appeared. The sunset fizzled out before it became amazing, so I was able to focus (ha) my attention on the rainbow and its reflection on a lake.
I was able to buy plane tickets for our trips in the coming months. Very excited to be getting out of town. Not excited to be leaving during fall time, but that is a price I pay, I suppose.
I need to purchase a laptop before too long so I can complete my school work while I am away from home. I have been looking at several, and while I don't need anything special, I do want a bit of processing speed so I can potentially edit photos on the road. Main reason for this purchase would be for school, but the other would be for a photo dump. Now that I shoot RAW, my photo file sizes are incredible, and I fill up memory cards like crazy.
I am continually saving up money for camera stuff, and I am running into the chicken and the egg problem. My camera is slowly dying. Canon Rebel's don't last long, and I have run it hard in the past year and a half that I have had it. It's most definitely still usable and in working condition, but I am afraid it will not be much longer. I have set my sights on a much more expensive camera, but it will take me years to save up for it. In addition to this problem, the full frame camera will not work with my wide angle lens. Buying better lenses is a great investment, so I have been saving up for those first and foremost. Maybe the solution is to buy a step up in the camera department after this one bites the dust instead of going straight for the pro level one. Not sure.
In other news, summer is sort of winding down. The fireweed is in full bloom, less tourists are coming through and the days are getting shorter. I start school in a month.
Many people have been complaining about how rainy and miserable this summer is. I admit that it has been quite rainy, but I really have not noticed it much. I work inside all week, so I don't get much chance to enjoy it, and I don't let the weather faze me when I am out shooting, so I suppose I have been a bit oblivious to it. I do wish it would be warm a bit more, since summer is almost gone.
C and I have a weird work week. Our weekend occurs on Tuesday and Wednesday, and not Saturday and Sunday. It makes it obnoxious to go to church and Saturday events, but we get time off during the week when weekday businesses are open. It also makes lunch dates less stressful as there are less people milling around.
Yesterday, C had to work and he has to do so on next Tuesday as well. It's all overtime pay, which will be nice, but we'd rather he have the day off instead!
Going into the day, I was a bit confused as to what I was supposed to be doing. Working full time makes me forget that I get to stay at home all winter long. I did the dishes, then went to lunch with a friend, and did the grocery shopping. Then I came home. I ended up finishing up a book I had been reading at work all week on my lunch breaks. Then went out to shoot some flower photos in the yard. Next week I will probably watch a movie.
It's just not the same without him at home!
Photo by the other photographer at the wedding we shot of our friends' last month. I am really happy with this image!
We went on a hike last weekend and I was taking waterfall shots. Unfortunately, a slow shutter speed does not work well for self portraits!
I love summertime, because that means that my summer is free for reading novels, instead of textbooks! Here are some I have completed so far:
This is probably the longest post I have written in a long while!
Two posts ago, I whined about not getting to shoot the sunset. I was able to shortly after that! The sunset looked promising, but I never got that far, because a rainbow appeared. The sunset fizzled out before it became amazing, so I was able to focus (ha) my attention on the rainbow and its reflection on a lake.
I was able to buy plane tickets for our trips in the coming months. Very excited to be getting out of town. Not excited to be leaving during fall time, but that is a price I pay, I suppose.
I need to purchase a laptop before too long so I can complete my school work while I am away from home. I have been looking at several, and while I don't need anything special, I do want a bit of processing speed so I can potentially edit photos on the road. Main reason for this purchase would be for school, but the other would be for a photo dump. Now that I shoot RAW, my photo file sizes are incredible, and I fill up memory cards like crazy.
I am continually saving up money for camera stuff, and I am running into the chicken and the egg problem. My camera is slowly dying. Canon Rebel's don't last long, and I have run it hard in the past year and a half that I have had it. It's most definitely still usable and in working condition, but I am afraid it will not be much longer. I have set my sights on a much more expensive camera, but it will take me years to save up for it. In addition to this problem, the full frame camera will not work with my wide angle lens. Buying better lenses is a great investment, so I have been saving up for those first and foremost. Maybe the solution is to buy a step up in the camera department after this one bites the dust instead of going straight for the pro level one. Not sure.
In other news, summer is sort of winding down. The fireweed is in full bloom, less tourists are coming through and the days are getting shorter. I start school in a month.
Many people have been complaining about how rainy and miserable this summer is. I admit that it has been quite rainy, but I really have not noticed it much. I work inside all week, so I don't get much chance to enjoy it, and I don't let the weather faze me when I am out shooting, so I suppose I have been a bit oblivious to it. I do wish it would be warm a bit more, since summer is almost gone.
C and I have a weird work week. Our weekend occurs on Tuesday and Wednesday, and not Saturday and Sunday. It makes it obnoxious to go to church and Saturday events, but we get time off during the week when weekday businesses are open. It also makes lunch dates less stressful as there are less people milling around.
Yesterday, C had to work and he has to do so on next Tuesday as well. It's all overtime pay, which will be nice, but we'd rather he have the day off instead!
Going into the day, I was a bit confused as to what I was supposed to be doing. Working full time makes me forget that I get to stay at home all winter long. I did the dishes, then went to lunch with a friend, and did the grocery shopping. Then I came home. I ended up finishing up a book I had been reading at work all week on my lunch breaks. Then went out to shoot some flower photos in the yard. Next week I will probably watch a movie.
It's just not the same without him at home!
I love summertime, because that means that my summer is free for reading novels, instead of textbooks! Here are some I have completed so far:
- Crazy Love by Francis Chan: I had heard piles about this book, and finally picked it up. I ended up skimming through it again after I was finished with it, because it was so thought provoking. Great book for shaking up the mundane Christian life.
- Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater: The newest teenage obsession. An interesting read. The second book just came out, but I have not picked it up yet (saving my money, as stated earlier!)
- The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger: I found this book at the thrift store after having it on my wish list. I have not seen the movie yet. It was an interesting story, but I was depressed after finishing it. I might rent the movie next Tuesday to watch by myself.
- The Bride Collector by Ted Dekker: Ted is my favorite author, hands down, but his recent "supernatural thrillers" are not my cup of tea. This will probably be the last one I read for a while. Seems like he has been beating the same drum for several books now, and I am not interested in the creepiness of it.
- Never Let You Go by Erin Healy: Debut novel from an author who collaborated on two of Ted Dekker's books, that I enjoyed. This was also a "supernatural thriller" like Ted's, but it was not as dark. Good message at the end. I definitely could see Ted's influence in her writing.
- The Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood b Rebecca Wells: I really don't know anything about this book, but I have seen many copies of it at the thrift store and decided I could spend 50 cents on it. I started it this morning, and so far I am ambivalent on continuing.
- In Praise of Slowness by Carl Honore: I heard the praises sung on this nonfiction book, so it is on my to read list next.
This is probably the longest post I have written in a long while!
Monday, July 19, 2010
Day 5
I haven't shot the sunset in nearly a month. I am having withdrawals, in a way. I bought another filter that I can use at dusk, and I have been itching to try it out. We are rapidly losing daylight now, though, so sunsets should be easier to go to, now that I won't have to travel almost 15 minutes to see them at 11pm! I was set to go tonight, but then it clouded up and started raining. There is still hope though :)
The building I work in is not very well insulated. It is freezing in the winter, and unbearably warm in the summertime. This week, since the sun has been out, has been awful. The fan is running, the A/C is running in one room (yes, there is actually an air conditioner.) and the doors are all open wide for a breeze. I have been guzzling water to stay hydrated. Usually, a walk outside can be a relief. Not this week. It's still hotter inside, but it's not much better outside. Yesterday, it was raining, and oddly enough, the air became quite humid. Not only was the work building hot, it was wet hot. My apartment was the same way that night. Today was better, thankfully.
Day 5 of the sugar fast is done. I am fine, for the most part. I am really craving a moist brownie though. I'm already sort of planning on sweets I can have at the end.
C got his vacation request approved for our plans this fall. Probably will be buying plane tickets tomorrow :)
Well, it's C and I's weekend now! Hopefully I can get out and shoot some photos!
The building I work in is not very well insulated. It is freezing in the winter, and unbearably warm in the summertime. This week, since the sun has been out, has been awful. The fan is running, the A/C is running in one room (yes, there is actually an air conditioner.) and the doors are all open wide for a breeze. I have been guzzling water to stay hydrated. Usually, a walk outside can be a relief. Not this week. It's still hotter inside, but it's not much better outside. Yesterday, it was raining, and oddly enough, the air became quite humid. Not only was the work building hot, it was wet hot. My apartment was the same way that night. Today was better, thankfully.
Day 5 of the sugar fast is done. I am fine, for the most part. I am really craving a moist brownie though. I'm already sort of planning on sweets I can have at the end.
C got his vacation request approved for our plans this fall. Probably will be buying plane tickets tomorrow :)
Well, it's C and I's weekend now! Hopefully I can get out and shoot some photos!
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Sugar Fast Day 1
Today was day 1 of my 40 day sugar fast. It was rough, but mainly because I knew I could not have anything. Discovered that the protein drinks I have with my lunch have 22g of sugar in them. So they are out! Consequently, I was starving before my shift was up. I imagine that I had more energy today, but it was really warm at work, and I was dying of heat, so I was still a bit lethargic.
In other news, I ordered Photoshop CS5 recently and I was able to install it tonight. It has amazing new features, including the famed Content Aware Fill. My favorite is the ability to reduce noise in Camera RAW, mainly to reduce luminance noise. My images look so much more smooth now!
Not much more to report for the day. We've had glorious weather the past two days. I really hope it continues!
In other news, I ordered Photoshop CS5 recently and I was able to install it tonight. It has amazing new features, including the famed Content Aware Fill. My favorite is the ability to reduce noise in Camera RAW, mainly to reduce luminance noise. My images look so much more smooth now!
Not much more to report for the day. We've had glorious weather the past two days. I really hope it continues!
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Student Art Showcase
I stayed at the college for almost two hours as family and friends filtered through. It was definitely a challenge to be gracious with praise for my work. I don't take praise or criticism well, at least in person, which is something I need to work on!
My professor for the class was delighted with the image, so that was a good sign :) It was a good experience, and also good to see what people that I do not know thought of my work.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Sunset
I love having a flexible schedule right now so that I can drop everything to shoot the sunset if I want to. I had been praying for another incredible one. I was out shooting in the golden hour at about 4pm. I figured the sunset would be alright, but nothing spectacular. I left where I'd been shooting and ran to the bank quickly. When I pulled out, the sky was starting to fill up with color!
I drove to the beach and decided that maybe it would turn out pretty nice. The waves were crashing with so much fury tonight. It was not windy at all, but the waves were quite violent. I ended up retreating to my car after a bit from the cold, but I stayed and watched as the sunset got more and more vivid and vibrant.
It was just fantastic. I was quite amazed because it felt like the first vibrant sunset since the beginning of December. I have probably missed a couple, but it felt like when I was finally able to get out and shoot after being sick twice this month, God brought along a fantastic one. I love it.
I drove to the beach and decided that maybe it would turn out pretty nice. The waves were crashing with so much fury tonight. It was not windy at all, but the waves were quite violent. I ended up retreating to my car after a bit from the cold, but I stayed and watched as the sunset got more and more vivid and vibrant.
It was just fantastic. I was quite amazed because it felt like the first vibrant sunset since the beginning of December. I have probably missed a couple, but it felt like when I was finally able to get out and shoot after being sick twice this month, God brought along a fantastic one. I love it.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Done!
I love being done with the semester! It is the greatest feeling in the world. The weight on your back suddenly lifts and there is free time in abundance. Supposedly anyway!
I am done a week earlier than I expected to be, so that is a great blessing. I finished wrapping all the Christmas presents that I have yesterday. I still have a few more I need to buy, but it feels good to have a pile near my tree.
Last night before we fell asleep, C started telling me some stories about Luann (the comic strip). He reads the comics on his lunch break and had to update me on the latest with Luann, Garfield and Pickles. It was super funny. I kept laughing about how it was 1AM and he was getting in depth and describing the story lines of these cartoon characters and their personality traits. It was great. :)
Christmas is in 2 weeks! Hard to believe. We finally have real snow here, so it definitely feels like Christmas now.
For my photography class, we picked out the best images from the class and made a slideshow of them. I had probably 13 images picked for it, which was pretty cool. The slideshow will hopefully be showing at the movie theatre before they show movies. It's definitely a cool opportunity for me to get my name out there more. I'm excited about it.
I'm going to try to hang out with friends today. I haven't gotten to do much of that with school. Wish me luck!
I am done a week earlier than I expected to be, so that is a great blessing. I finished wrapping all the Christmas presents that I have yesterday. I still have a few more I need to buy, but it feels good to have a pile near my tree.
Last night before we fell asleep, C started telling me some stories about Luann (the comic strip). He reads the comics on his lunch break and had to update me on the latest with Luann, Garfield and Pickles. It was super funny. I kept laughing about how it was 1AM and he was getting in depth and describing the story lines of these cartoon characters and their personality traits. It was great. :)
Christmas is in 2 weeks! Hard to believe. We finally have real snow here, so it definitely feels like Christmas now.
For my photography class, we picked out the best images from the class and made a slideshow of them. I had probably 13 images picked for it, which was pretty cool. The slideshow will hopefully be showing at the movie theatre before they show movies. It's definitely a cool opportunity for me to get my name out there more. I'm excited about it.
I'm going to try to hang out with friends today. I haven't gotten to do much of that with school. Wish me luck!
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Thanksgiving Sale
Hello everyone! I am running a Thanksgiving weekend sale of my own!
I have added 5 new prints to the shop, and they are each 25% off!
I still have the Alaskan Flora 2010 Calendar for sale as well! It could make a great Christmas gift!
And, as always, I have all the rest of the prints for sale as well
Buy your Christmas presents now to ensure they get to you in time!
I have added 5 new prints to the shop, and they are each 25% off!
I still have the Alaskan Flora 2010 Calendar for sale as well! It could make a great Christmas gift!
And, as always, I have all the rest of the prints for sale as well
Buy your Christmas presents now to ensure they get to you in time!
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Calendar: Alaskan Flora 2010
I now have a calendar for sale in my shop! "Alaskan Flora 2010" features images from the Kenai Peninsula of flowers, plants and trees.
The calendar features standard U.S. holidays. It is spiral bound and the paper is quite heavy for a calendar. There is a space for "Notes" on each page if there is a need for more writing space. It is available for $19.99 and would be a great Christmas gift!
Please let me know if you purchase 1 (or more!) so that I can properly thank you!
The calendar features standard U.S. holidays. It is spiral bound and the paper is quite heavy for a calendar. There is a space for "Notes" on each page if there is a need for more writing space. It is available for $19.99 and would be a great Christmas gift!
Please let me know if you purchase 1 (or more!) so that I can properly thank you!
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
New Prints and a Deal
Hello everyone! Just wanted to say that I have added new photos to the print site, and all new prints are 25% off. All new framed prints are also 25% off.
The newest prints are located here. And as always, all prints are available here.
Also, if you use Twitter, follow my printing company to get special deals. Or follow me to get the same updates.
That's all for now!
The newest prints are located here. And as always, all prints are available here.
Also, if you use Twitter, follow my printing company to get special deals. Or follow me to get the same updates.
That's all for now!
Monday, July 13, 2009
Pink Ice Cream
It's been a busy week for me, as you can tell, since I have not updated. Actually, it hasn't really been busy from events, I just haven't had the chance to sit here and blog.
Wednesday, Lo and I spent some time at the beach. The weather was gloriously warm, and we chatted while laying on a blanket.
Thursday, I had my girls group, and Lo made us breakfast at her house! Ahhh, it was really yummy!
Friday, I went to my in laws' house to pick up C's new computer monitor! He has been wanting a flat screen like mine for a while and it came on Friday :)
Saturday, I went to a baby shower for a woman in my small group. I got to play the games and grabbed a piece of delicious cake (with caramel frosting..ahhh :)) on my way out the door for work.
Sunday, I had a flat tire so I skipped church and ended up walking the 1.5 miles to work. It took me 35 minutes, and ended up being pretty hot by the time I got there.
Then, after work, I met Redhead and another coworker for ice cream at a new ice cream shop in town. There prices were pretty good and they had an interesting selection. I got chocolate peanut butter and to be daring, a scoop of cotton candy. It wasn't that bad, just a bit pink and blue...
Today, I saw lots of old friends at work, so that was fun. The rest of my week is fairly eventful as well!
Hopefully I will not be absent as long this time!
Wednesday, Lo and I spent some time at the beach. The weather was gloriously warm, and we chatted while laying on a blanket.
Thursday, I had my girls group, and Lo made us breakfast at her house! Ahhh, it was really yummy!
Friday, I went to my in laws' house to pick up C's new computer monitor! He has been wanting a flat screen like mine for a while and it came on Friday :)
Saturday, I went to a baby shower for a woman in my small group. I got to play the games and grabbed a piece of delicious cake (with caramel frosting..ahhh :)) on my way out the door for work.
Sunday, I had a flat tire so I skipped church and ended up walking the 1.5 miles to work. It took me 35 minutes, and ended up being pretty hot by the time I got there.
Then, after work, I met Redhead and another coworker for ice cream at a new ice cream shop in town. There prices were pretty good and they had an interesting selection. I got chocolate peanut butter and to be daring, a scoop of cotton candy. It wasn't that bad, just a bit pink and blue...
Today, I saw lots of old friends at work, so that was fun. The rest of my week is fairly eventful as well!Hopefully I will not be absent as long this time!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
First Sale!
I had my first photography sale a couple weeks back and completed the transaction today!
When I posted my moose photos a couple weeks back, I had interest in one of the photos from a girl from church. I ordered her an 8x10 print soon after and it came last week. I didn't make it to church on Sunday, as I had a cold and did not want to spread it around, so I met the girl for coffee this morning and we exchanged print for a check. Boy, it felt good to have my first sale!
When I posted my moose photos a couple weeks back, I had interest in one of the photos from a girl from church. I ordered her an 8x10 print soon after and it came last week. I didn't make it to church on Sunday, as I had a cold and did not want to spread it around, so I met the girl for coffee this morning and we exchanged print for a check. Boy, it felt good to have my first sale!
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Photography
Hello all, family and friends!
I wanted to share what I’ve been up to for the past month or so. I have always been interested in photography, but only in the past 5 months have I really started pursuing it. If you know me even a little, I constantly have a camera in hand, taking photos of everything around me. My photography blog that I keep has had a lot of interest and in turn I’ve had a bit of interest in prints, so I thought it deserved looking into.
I have set up a website (http://michellesimpsonphotos.com) for your convenience if you are interested. From there, you can go to my online storefront and purchase prints. If you would like, spread the word. I’d appreciate it greatly.
Thanks so much everyone!
I wanted to share what I’ve been up to for the past month or so. I have always been interested in photography, but only in the past 5 months have I really started pursuing it. If you know me even a little, I constantly have a camera in hand, taking photos of everything around me. My photography blog that I keep has had a lot of interest and in turn I’ve had a bit of interest in prints, so I thought it deserved looking into.
I have set up a website (http://michellesimpsonphotos.com) for your convenience if you are interested. From there, you can go to my online storefront and purchase prints. If you would like, spread the word. I’d appreciate it greatly.
Thanks so much everyone!
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
New Lens
I had a stroke of genius (well, not really) and opened another ING account today. This is for my spending money. I keep a change jar and every couple of months, I roll what I can. I also throw $1 bills in there every so often and stuff.
Several months ago, I deposited $80 that had come from my jar. I threw that in the ING account today, and also $38 combined from change and an Ebates.com check I got 2 days ago.
What did I do with the money? I practically spent it all as soon as I got it :P I bought a Canon 50mm 1.8 lens, 3 books and 1 CD from Amazon. I also had some Amazon gift cards to spend, so it worked out well.
I am excited to work out the details of my spending account. I always feel guilty when I use our monthly budgeted money to buy books or whatever. This way, I can feel a little less guilty about it :P I'm planning on throwing in online survey checks, as well as the leftover cash I have at the end of the month into the pot. I have several bigger ticket items I'd like to buy in the relatively near future - a netbook for our next trip, several lenses, maybe a Kindle, etc. (I like my toys :P)
C thinks it's weird for me to be excited about "just designating money we already have" but I don't care :P
Several months ago, I deposited $80 that had come from my jar. I threw that in the ING account today, and also $38 combined from change and an Ebates.com check I got 2 days ago.
What did I do with the money? I practically spent it all as soon as I got it :P I bought a Canon 50mm 1.8 lens, 3 books and 1 CD from Amazon. I also had some Amazon gift cards to spend, so it worked out well.
I am excited to work out the details of my spending account. I always feel guilty when I use our monthly budgeted money to buy books or whatever. This way, I can feel a little less guilty about it :P I'm planning on throwing in online survey checks, as well as the leftover cash I have at the end of the month into the pot. I have several bigger ticket items I'd like to buy in the relatively near future - a netbook for our next trip, several lenses, maybe a Kindle, etc. (I like my toys :P)
C thinks it's weird for me to be excited about "just designating money we already have" but I don't care :P
Friday, April 24, 2009
New Photo Gallery
I started a new project on Tuesday night. It originally started as wanting some webspace to back up my photos on. Then I wanted to play with web design again and wanted webspace to make a site AND have space for storage. C wouldn't go for it, though.
I started searching for free sites, instead of inexpensive ones. I found several that had significant amounts of space. I settled on one that is decent, with 20GB of free space. After I signed up, I started playing with HTML again and designed a simple gallery for myself. I originally wanted to put each of my blogs and a gallery up, but I decided that would be too much work. I found a really nice gallery program to use - SimpleViewer, and I started using it in Picasa to make simple albums. So, here I am, with another big thing in a week!
Feel free to check out my new gallery. I'll be updating it every time I take some worthy photos! Thanks for looking in advance!
I started searching for free sites, instead of inexpensive ones. I found several that had significant amounts of space. I settled on one that is decent, with 20GB of free space. After I signed up, I started playing with HTML again and designed a simple gallery for myself. I originally wanted to put each of my blogs and a gallery up, but I decided that would be too much work. I found a really nice gallery program to use - SimpleViewer, and I started using it in Picasa to make simple albums. So, here I am, with another big thing in a week!
Feel free to check out my new gallery. I'll be updating it every time I take some worthy photos! Thanks for looking in advance!
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
My Photography blog
I know most of you have been dying to see my latest photos. I have decided to start a photography blog, where I can fill up the space there without bogging down everyone's readers if they don't want it. If you're interested, click on over to it! There's not much there yet, but there will be soon!
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