Tones on Tuesday #20 1.31.12

I can't wait to see what you have to share this week, but before that let's take a look at some showcases from last week...

Jenn at Shutter Happy Moments

The mystery of the depth of field, the softness of the texture and the lines of the grass are simply beautiful! Thank you for sharing with us Jenn!

Bec at Through the Lens: RAD Photography

I love the starkness of this photo and at the same time how it is soft and "creamy." Thank you for linking up Bec!

Liz at The Greatest of These Is Love

This truly looks like it could have been taken centuries ago, love it! Thank you for sharing with us Liz. 

Jenn, Bec and Liz please go HERE to grab your showcase button. 

Now it's your turn to share your photo with altered tones. Here is the guidelines for Tones on Tuesday:

• The basic idea is to share one photo where you have altered the tones. Such as a black and white, sepia toned, selective coloring or colored photo. Feel free to share the original and edit, or just the edit.
• Please share a photo that you have taken and edited yourself.
• If you have more than one photo in your post please indicate which one if for Tones on Tuesday.
• Please link up with your permalink and not your blog address.
• Attach the Tones on Tuesday button to your post
• Leave comments for the other participants, share the love :o)!
• Have fun!

<center> <a href="http://scatteredhorizons.blogspot.com" target="_self"><img border="0" alt="Scattered Horizons" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH_U2oqLh1UmXZMxfX_WPVaPVWJYh_HuiqvmOJi2frJOmTvsFe8rQPCPuzZfqD9Rm5Lz1E9ijR7i5_09GjPNDZeIcGNOwpU1VlkboGqGPGHxc0q-s28fzb99utdKzU6TvONWyodJtseQ/s1600/tonesontuesday2.jpg"></a> </center>

Disclaimer - By participating you give Scattered Horizons permission to share your photo on this blog. Photographers will be given credit for their work.

I thought I was done with ice and snow pictures, but I just keep finding more that appeal to me :o). I am also very hopeful that the caliber of ice and snow we had will not happen again for a long while. That makes these photos fleeting moments that I want to remember. This photo is of my favorite tree outside my house. It bent to the ground with the weight of the ice and snow, but it did not break. It is now standing tall again. I love the metaphor in that. Just what I need right now to make it through the assessment/report cards/conferences time at school. A photo that fits perfectly with my life outside of photography right now, I love when that happens :o).

Settings: ISO 200, 50mm, ss1/400, f/2.8 (full manual, cloudy wb)

Clean Edit and then a Black and White Conversion in Lightroom

"I bend and do not break." - Jean de La Fontaine

Joining the link ups below. Be sure to check out the beautiful shots and join the Tones on Tuesday link up found further down!

    

Favorite Photo of the Week: Sheathed in Ice 1.19.12

I can't believe that last week at this time the power had finally come back on at my house and the ice and snow was just beginning to melt. It seems like a lifetime ago and yet just yesterday. My favorite photo of the week reminds me of the beauty in face of adversity and how photographs allow us to remember the artistry and hardship of a moment. 

Settings: ISO 200, 50mm, ss1/320, f/2.8 (full manual, cloudy wb)

"Many human beings say that they enjoy the winter, but what they really enjoy is feeling proof against it." - Richard Adams

       

Frozen 1.19.12

While this week of crazy weather - snow, ice, wind, rain, hail and sun - has been tough at times (especially when the power was out), it has also be beautiful. The ice, which was the cause of the major power outages, fascinated me. The way it encased the plants and was frozen in the middle of dripping down made it feel as though things were standing still. My goal was to capture as much detail in the ice as possible and show how it enveloped the foliage. The first photo is SOOC and the second is a clean edit in Lightroom. I am glad the power is back on, but I am sort of sad the ice is gone. I really wish I would have taken more pictures, especially some at night after seeing my brother's girlfriend's AMAZING snow and ice at night photos. Oh well, it will just have to go on my photography bucket list :o)! What do you think? What fascinates you? Thank you for stopping by!

Settings: ISO 200, 50mm, ss1/160, f/2.8 (full manual, cloudy wb, SOOC)

Settings: ISO 200, 50mm, ss1/320, f/2.8 (full manual, cloudy wb)

"I search for the realness, the real feeling of a subject, all the texture around it... I always want to see the third dimension of something... I want to come alive with the object." - Andrew Wyeth

Linking up with the link ups below! Take a moment to check out the other fabulous photos.

  

Project 64: Winter Brown 1.18.12

I am not sure I am recovered from the wild weather of late, but the pictures sure are pretty :o). These are of a grape plant in the snow and in the ice. 

Settings: ISO 400, 50mm, ss1/2000, f/2.8 (full manual)

Settings: ISO 200, 50mm, ss1/500, f/2.8 (full manual)

“Adversity draws men together and produces beauty and harmony in life's relationships, just as the cold of winter produces ice-flowers on the window-panes, which vanish with the warmth.” - Soren Kierkegaard

Linking up with the link ups below! Take a look at the other amazing photos!

       

Tones on Tuesday #19 1.24.12

I am so glad the snow, ice and power outage did not keep me from getting Tones on Tuesday up! I know I say this every week, but I so enjoy seeing your work, learning from you and being inspired. Thank you for linking up! Now on with the showcases from last week (which seems so long ago due to the week I have had)...

Kristy from LifenReflection

Kristy is one of those photographers who has a distinct style. I love the collages that tell a beautiful story and the softness and texture of her photos. Another stunning job Kristy, and just what I needed after the crazy winter weather!

Melissa at Serendipity is Sweet

I love the power of black and white to freeze time in a way that color photos cannot. This photo is a lovely example of that. Not only is the subject adorable, but the combination of tones and contemplative expression makes this one of those photos that tells a story. Thank you for sharing and linking up Melissa!

Nancy at A Rural Journal

What a beautifully simple photo! And yet it is so dramatic with the tones and the texture. Great job Nancy!

Kristy, Melissa and Nancy please go HERE to grab your showcase button. 

Now it's your turn to share your photo with altered tones. Here is the guidelines for Tones on Tuesday:

• The basic idea is to share one photo where you have altered the tones. Such as a black and white, sepia toned, selective coloring or colored photo. Feel free to share the original and edit, or just the edit.
• Please share a photo that you have taken and edited yourself.
• If you have more than one photo in your post please indicate which one if for Tones on Tuesday.
• Please link up with your permalink and not your blog address.
• Attach the Tones on Tuesday button to your post
• Leave comments for the other participants, share the love :o)!
• Have fun!

<center> <a href="http://scatteredhorizons.blogspot.com" target="_self"><img border="0" alt="Scattered Horizons" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH_U2oqLh1UmXZMxfX_WPVaPVWJYh_HuiqvmOJi2frJOmTvsFe8rQPCPuzZfqD9Rm5Lz1E9ijR7i5_09GjPNDZeIcGNOwpU1VlkboGqGPGHxc0q-s28fzb99utdKzU6TvONWyodJtseQ/s1600/tonesontuesday2.jpg"></a> </center>

Disclaimer - By participating you give Scattered Horizons permission to share your photo on this blog. Photographers will be given credit for their work.

One of the positive byproducts of the snow week was having the opportunity to spend time taking pictures around my house. One Wednesday, day 4 of snow and day 2 of snow days, there was a group of at least 30 robins who were flying among the trees in the back yard presumably trying to stay warm. My goal was to capture the robins, the snow on the trees and the snow falling. I must say that wildlife photography is difficult, yet rewarding. What I learned from shooting the robins is try to set your setting as quickly as possible and be patient. It took a while for the robins to become comfortable with my presence and the zoom lens sure helped :o). The first shot is SOOC and the second is a black and white conversion in Lightroom with the basic settings adjusted. 

If you love snow and ice shots be sure to come back this week as that is all I from the past week. I am glad to be decompressing and thawing out! I would love to know what you think and if you prefer the color or black and white. 

Settings: ISO 400, 250mm, ss1/160, f/5.6 (full manual, cloudy wb)

Converted to black and white in Lightroom

"Birds are a miracle because they prove to us there is a finer, simpler state of being which we may strive to attain." - Doug Coupland

Joining the link ups below. Be sure to check out the beautiful shots and join the Tones on Tuesday link up found further down!

    

Favorite Photo of the Week: Snowy Sunset Surprise 1.15.12

This post is going up three days late. It has been a week of beauty, stress and challenges. As I mentioned before my absence, we had a snow storm hit Washington State. At my house we got 5 inches of snow and then an ice storm hit. It knocked out power and then more snow fell on top of that. We were without power for about 60 hours, but lucky enough to have a generator to keep us warm. Prior to the snow storm, I had dreamed of snow as we hadn't had any this winter. But I never could have imagined that it would be as much as it was. I have not been to work since Friday, January 13th and will finally get to go back tomorrow January 24th. 3 of the schools in our district are still without power, which is an indication of just how bad this storm was.

My favorite picture from the past week was the shot I took before the worst of the snow hit. We had done some exploring and were driving back home. If you follow along you know I LOVE sunsets, but I was resigned to the fact that I would not be able to get a sunset shot due to the snow clouds. So when I glimpsed the sunset I had to pull over and shoot it. It was so unexpected and one of those shots that I didn't know I really wanted to capture until it presented itself. It felt like a dream. My goal was to capture the snow and the colors of the sunset. In processing, I removed some distractions and played with the basic settings.

I hope to get back on track now that the stress of has began to ebb. I hope you have been staying safe and warm!

Settings: ISO 400, 32mm, ss1/6, f/8.0 (full manual, tripod)

"I'm looking for the unexpected. I'm looking for things I've never seen before." - Robert Mapplethorpe