Reverse 365: Always - Day 28/365 1.28.13

Chuckanut Drive is a scenic byway in Northern Washington. It is one of the most beautiful drives in the state as it hugs the cliffs and ocean as it winds from the Skagit Valley to Bellingham. 

Settings: ISO 200, 50mm, ss1/1000, f/1.8

Date: March 24th, 2012

Location: Chuckanut Drive near Mount Vernon, WA

Day 28/365 - January 28th, 2013

“I must have flowers, always, and always.”  ― Claude Monet

Good to Wow Edit: Happy New Year! 12.25.11

I cannot believe the Good to Wow Challenge is coming to an end. I only started participating in September, but I have gained so much from this challenge and from Jill, Ashley and the other participants. I will miss it, but I will use what I have learned to continue to grow as a photographer in 2012! Now here is my edit for the Happy New Year prompt, just a clean edit then a color change through the white balance sliders in Lightroom. Below that a collage of my edited shots from the challenge (on Monday I will do the same with the SOOC shots). Since I have only been participating for 4 months I didn't have to choose and was able to include them all. 

SOOC Shot

Settings: ISO 800, 28mm, ss1/20, f/4.0 (full manual, tripod, tungsten wb)

Edit Shot

In Lightroom

Edited Photos Collage

Made with Big Huge Labs Mosaic Maker

Click to Enlarge

"Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning." - Albert Einstein

Linking up with Good to Wow: Edit. Check out the the Happy New Year photo edits and end of challenge collages!

Custom Holiday Bokeh 12.28.11

It has been rainy, windy and stormy in Astoria where I am visiting my dad. We still spent some time at the beach and exploring the area, which I plan to post in the next few days. But until then, I decided to experiment with some custom bokeh I have been seeing everywhere. The perfect rainy day project. I followed this tutorial and this tutorial and had to experiment with the size of the cut out because my kit lens only goes down to 3.5 in aperture. I ended up with a star stencil (the second to the smallest size) and black construction paper. I found it worked best when I manually focused without the construction paper cover, then put it on top and turned it until I liked the look. I also found that the less in focus, the bigger the bokeh and the bigger the shapes. Here are my results, taken into a mirror with the reflection of the tree in the mirror and the window. Processed in Lightroom with a clean edit and some cropping. I can't decide if I like the shapes bigger or smaller. What do you think?

Settings: ISO 1600, 50mm, ss1/8, f/5.6 (full manual, tungsten wb)

Settings: ISO 200, 46mm, ss3.2sec, f/5.0 (full manual, on tripod, tungsten wb)

"Year's end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us." - Hal Borland

Linking up with the link ups below! Take a look at the other amazing photos and enjoy the end of 2011!

      

Tones on Tuesday #15 12.27.11

*I apologize for the delay in getting this linky open this morning. I am visiting my dad and the internet connection is a little slower than I remembered.*

I hope you had an enjoyable holiday! I apologize for not visiting your blogs as the holiday consumed my time. I did have a chance to look at your amazing photos and pick a few to showcase! Enjoy and see you in the new year!

Ana at Wonderland

The softness and sparkle of the light hitting the sand is lovely. The monochromatic look adds to the beautiful overall feel of this ethereal photo. Thank you for sharing Ana!

Kristy at Life-n-Reflection

I am a big fan of Kristy's work. I love how her style is so identifiable and soft and lovely. This photo captures a unique view of the holiday season. Thank you for sharing with us Kristy!

Lili at Sanukipity Photography

Can a photo look quiet? To me, this one does. The snow, the dog waiting patiently and the texture applied all give it a quiet, peaceful feel. Thank you for sharing Lili!

Be sure to grab your this button if you were showcased! (button for linking up can be found after the guidelines)

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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!

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

This is what this time of year is all about! I hope you have had the opportunity to be with your family and enjoy this time of year. 

Settings: ISO 800, 23mm, ss1/50, f/4.0 (full manual, tungsten wb, tripod)

"Family faces are magic mirrors.  Looking at people who belong to us, we see the past, present, and future." - Gail Lumet Buckley

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

  

Project 64: Merry Christmas Green 12.23.2011 and Good to Wow SOOC: Happy New Year! 12.25.11

Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday! This is my first Christmas as a blogger and I must say I have never experienced a holiday quite like this one. The past couple of Christmases have been tough for me and have left me with some ba-hum-bug feelings that did not have me all too enthusiastic about this holiday. Then I stepped into the holiday as photographed by the most amazing photographers! I was inspired and awed and dare I say anticipating the Christmas season :o). The photos and ideas and sharing that happened in this community are just amazing. So let me say thank you for helping to get me in the holiday spirit and thank you for sharing your talent. I hope the new year finds you and yours happy and healthy. I cannot wait to see what I can learn from you in 2012!

I hope these two photos give back a little of what you have given me! This first one is from a local house that sets lights to music that my family and I decided might have to be a new holiday tradition. It is such a fun experience! I only brought the point and shoot, set on auto, as I wanted to focus on the experience and being with my family. It felt strange to shoot without my DSLR, but it was worth it :o). After opening this in Lightroom and doing a clean edit and a crop I realized it was a great match for the Project 64 color of the week - green.

Settings: ISO 200, 7.7mm, ss1/8, f/2.8 (point and shoot, auto)

This second photo was shot with my homemade bokeh set-up and some pieces from an amazingly fun game I got the family for Christmas (another tradition we have). The game is called Konexi and it a cross between Scrabble and Jenga. Not only is it a fun game, but it makes a great photography prop! I chose to do the word "LOVE" to represent my wish for the new year. I wish that you have love, share love freely and find something you love!

Settings: ISO 800, 28mm, ss1/20, f/4.0 (full manual, tripod, tungsten wb)

"A new beginning is perhaps the best time to say…
It’s so nice to know you…
And here’s wishing our friendship
continues to grow in the days to come." - Author Unknown

Favorite Photo of the Week: Sparkling Silver 12.21.11

As I mentioned last week, I have been enjoying my newly discovered bokeh obsession. I love the softness and the feel that bokeh gives to a photo. I decided to play around with some self-made bokeh and a clean edit. I love the result with the sparkly ornaments.

I have been horrible at visiting and commenting on your photos. I hope to get back to my regular routine in the next week or so. Until then, I am enjoying the inspiration I get from your photos and promise to tell you personally just that as soon as I can! I hope you have a wonderful holiday and enjoy a relaxing day with family and friends!

SOOC Shot

Settings: ISO 400, 32mm, ss1/6, f/4.5 (full manual, tungsten wb, tripod)

Clean Edit in Lightroom

"Every piece of the universe, even the tiniest little snow crystal, matters somehow. I have a place in the pattern, and so do you…Thinking of you this holiday season!" - T.A. Barron

Linking up with the link ups below. Be sure to check out the other favorite shots!

      

Project 64: Silver 12.21.11

I love this new aspect to my Christmas this year - capturing the feel of this time of year in photographs. The sparkle, the lights and the joy are my favorite parts of the season. My goal was to convey that through this photo and to showcase the color of the week at Project 64: silver. I set up a string of lights on the wall covered with batting, set ornaments on a mirrored plate and snapped. In processing, I upped the blacks, fill light, clarity, vibrance and saturation and lowered the contrast to give a bit of softness. Finally, I added a tiny white vignette. I think the effect is a bit of magic, and isn't that what Christmas is about :o)?

Settings: ISO 400, 32mm, ss1/6, f/4.5 (full manual, tungsten wb, tripod)

"Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer, and more beautiful." - Norman Vincent Peale

Linking up with the link ups below! Take a look at the other amazing photos and enjoy a bit of magic!

      

Favorite Photo of the Week: Holiday Bokeh 12.13.11

It is quite possible that I am developing another obsession. I have only tried it once, but I love capturing bokeh! The process is fun and the end result is beautiful. I expect to have more bokeh shots to post next week. What is your current photography obsession?

Can you guess what my favorite photo of the week is? That's right, it is a bokeh shot :o). Decorating and working has kept me from taking more than a few photos this week, so if you have been following my blog you have seen this photo before. If not, here is my first ever attempt at bokeh. I set up a table with a mirrored plate in front of the tree and then added the blue candle. In processing I did a clean edit with the basic settings. I also did another edit you can see here. The color combination and the softness are what make this photo my favorite. I would love to know your thoughts and your current obsessions!

Settings: ISO 800, 44mm, ss1/10, f/5.0 (full manual, tripod, tungsten wb)

"The word "bokeh" comes from the Japanese word "boke" (pronounced bo-keh) which literally means fuzziness or dizziness." - KenRockwell.com

Linking up with the link ups below. Be sure to check out the other favorite shots!

      

Good to Wow Edit: Lighting Up the Holiday 12.13.11

I go back and forth between enjoying this time of year and feeling the stress of it. I love the lights, the music and the joy. On the other hand, though, there is so much to do and so little time. I stress about the deadlines and the responsibilities. I am trying to remember that it always gets done every other year and I know it will this year too. I just have to concentrate on what I love about the holidays and take the time to enjoy it. Thank goodness for photography challenges and blogs! They continue to stretch me as a photographer and because so many of the prompts and themes are holiday related I don't need to look far to remember what it is that makes Christmas time so special. So, thank you to everyone who is helping me to keep my Christmas spirit! I am grateful for you :o).

Now for my edits for the Good to Wow Challenge - Bokeh Lights. I loved my SOOC shot so I stuck with a clean edit in Lightroom as I didn't want to stray too far. However, I was playing around with the Vibrancy and really liked the look of putting it all the way down...almost black and white with a hint of blue. So you get to see both, lucky huh :o)? What do you think? Thank you for stopping by!

SOOC Shot

Settings: ISO 800, 44mm, ss1/10, f/5.0 (full manual, tripod, tungsten wb)

Edits

"There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it." - Edith Wharton

Linking up with Good to Wow: Edit. Check out the stunning Bokeh Light photo edits!

Good to Wow SOOC: Lighting Up the Holiday 12.13.11

On almost every photo blog I frequent there is at least one picture of Christmas light bokeh. I have been so inspired by the beautiful shapes and lights created and I had to try it. The Good to Wow prompt this week is "Bokeh Lights," which gave me a great excuse to make my first attempt at intentional bokeh. I found the tutorial Jill posted to be extremely helpful. I had to work with the lens I had though, which meant that I couldn't open my aperture up as wide as I should have. Despite this fact and some frustration in setting up the shot, I am extremely pleased with the results. I set a table up in front the tree, put a mirrored plate down for some nice reflection and then placed a lit candle on top in blue to match the tree light colors. It is SOOC, except that I straightened it a tad bit as my tripod and I had some difficulty working together.

Settings: ISO 800, 44mm, ss1/10, f/5.0 (full manual, tripod, tungsten wb)

Linking up with Good to Wow and the other link ups below! Head over and check out the other SOOC and other shots.

    

I also played around photographing the outside lights with a tutorial that Courtney at Click it Up a Notch posted about how to get beams of Christmas lights. It is so fun! You should give it a try :o). I will be trying out some more bokeh and light related shots in the coming days. I enjoyed learning and trying out new techniques and appreciating the lights of the holiday in a different way!

Settings: ISO 100, 96mm, ss4.0 sec, f/5.0 (full manual, tripod, tungsten wb)

"Christmas is not in tinsel and lights and outward show. The secret lies in an inner glow. It's lighting a fire inside the heart. Good will and joy a vital part. It's higher thought and a greater plan. It's glorious dream in the soul of man." - Wilfred A. Peterson