Tones on Tuesday #76 5.7.13

Mona at Mona's Picturesque

Such a beautiful capture of love! The muted tones and the tight crop make the love shine through! Thank you for sharing Mona!

Leovi at La Fotografia Efectista Abstracta

I love how the color, light and texture of Leovi's photos evoke a feeling. There is something magical and yet intense about this photo. Thank you for linking up Leovi!

Lui at Unfiltered Musings

Wonderful sepia tones that emphasize the way the trees seem to go back forever. So glad to have you join Lui!

Mona, Leovi and Lui please go HERE to grab your showcase button.

Now it's your turn to share your photo with altered tones. Here are 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.
• One photo per photographer please. If you have more than one photo in your post please indicate which one is for Tones on Tuesday. If you link up more than once only the first photo will be considered for showcasing.
• Please link up with your permalink and not your blog address.
• Attach the Tones on Tuesday button or a link back here to your post.
• Leave comments for at least 3 other participants, share the love :o)!
• Have fun!

<center> <a href="http://scatteredhorizons.blogspot.com" target="_self"><img border="0" alt="Scattered Horizons" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oheKkR_BFoQ/ToqWTprynwI/AAAAAAAAAJE/eQ5mj0lgqx4/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.

It has been an amazing whirlwind of a weekend! It was my birthday on Sunday and my family planned a surprise photography adventure. There were clues, a rented lens, an allergy attack and countless breathtaking moments. I cannot wait to share it with you in detail on Thursday. Till then I leave you this shot from my amazing birthday adventure of my dog niece Cece who seemed to enjoy it as much as I did! Taken with the lens I rented, I am in love!

Settings: ISO 400, 35mm, ss1/800, f/11

"Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole." - Roger Caras

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: Cece in the Snow 1.16.12

I am going to end my snow and ice shots with this one of my dog niece Cece. As I mentioned in my last post, photographing Cece is a challenge for me but something I have been sticking with to hopefully move toward my goal of photographing more human beings, myself included :o). I do have to say that she is a great subject. She is patient and tolerant and doesn't require much in the way of model fees (just a pet and a treat and she is happy). For this shot, we were exploring the backyard during phase one of the snow storm and I loved how she filled up the space on the deck. The textures of the snow and her coat were also intriguing to me. Just an attempt to capture a simple moment with an amazing animal. I would love to know your thoughts...

Settings: ISO 400, 50mm, ss1/400, f/3.2 

(full manual, cloudy wb, SOOC with cropping)

"No one appreciates the very special genius of your conversation as the dog does." - Christopher Morley

          

I Clicked it Up a Notch - January

Oh how I have missed I Clicked it Up a Notch hosted by Courtney. It has been a couple of months and I have found there to be a void in the reflecting on my progress throughout the month that I Clicked it Up a Notch provided me. I also miss having the opportunity to see what others have learned and learn from them. This month I have been working on two of my photography goals that I wrote on the first of the year...

Goal 2. Learn more about my new lens - I have been using my Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 Lens quite a bit. I still do not feel like I am totally comfortable with it, but I have come a long way. I love that I have the ability to use low number (wide open) apertures to vary my depth of field to a degree that I had not been able to before. I also see a difference in the photos taken with this lens versus my kit lens, but I am not sure I could accurately describe what that difference is or why it is occurring. This goal will definitely be one I continue to work on.


The photo below is SOOC (the second one does have some cropping and straightening done on it though) and I think that speaks to what I have been finding out this lens can do. 


Goal 6. Self portraits - You may be thinking "What is she talking about? This photo is not a self portrait." And you would be right of course :o). But it is an attempt to broaden the subject matter of my photos and the ability to discover a potential photo with subjects I am not comfortable with. And that was the purpose of this goal for me, to expand my abilities and see things differently. I still love my sunset, silhouette and nature shots, but I know that to grow I need to take risk.The pictures below are of my dog niece Cece. She is an amazing dog and the perfect breathing, moving subject to photograph as she doesn't move too fast and allows me to take many shots if I mess up the settings the first time (or the tenth time :o). 


I can't wait to work on these goals and my other goals next month and throughout the year! I would love to know what you think of my risk-taking...well risky for me anyway...photos!

Settings: ISO 800, 50mm, ss1/30, f/2.0 (full manual, tungsten wb, SOOC)

"You'll always miss 100% of the shots you don't take." - Wayne Gretzky

Favorite Photo of the Week: Contentment 1.8.12

I had more than one favorite photo this week, surprising I know ;o)! However, one was a sunset photo and one was the photo below. I decided to go with this photo of my dog niece Cece for a few reasons. One, it was not a sunset photo which are the ones I often go to for favorites...I wanted to go with something different. Two, the photo was an accomplishment for me. It is SOOC, it was indoor lighting, it was a subject that was not nature/landscapes/macro and it was taken with my new 50mm lens. All of these factors are accomplishments for me and are another step on my photography journal. Three, the theme for Darcy at my3boybarians Project 52 is "Made with Love." I think that dogs are exceptionally skilled at unconditional love and I have a feeling that love was encoded into their DNA, hence they are made with love :o). I hope to find a few moments this coming week where I can experience this kind of contentment. My wish is that you will too! Thank you for stopping by!

Settings: ISO 800, 50mm, ss1/30, f/2.0 (full manual, tungsten wb)

"Dogs have given us their absolute all.  We are the center of their universe.  We are the focus of their love and faith and trust.  They serve us in return for scraps.  It is without a doubt the best deal man has ever made." - Roger Caras

         

Tones on Tuesday #17 1.10.12

Welcome to Tones on Tuesday! I am so glad you are here and I hope you will take a look at the photos and link up a photo of your own. Seeing your photos, visiting your blogs and being inspired by your work is one of the highlights of my week!

Now on with the showcases...

Jouko from Rubberduck Blog

Soft, ethereal and peaceful. Doesn't this look like a perfect place to just be? Beautiful tones, Jouko, thank you for sharing and for linking up!

Georgia from Simply Silver

I love the vintage feel of this edit and how it makes a toy look like the real thing. Thank you for linking up Georgia!

Bek from White Magnolia Photography

I find herons to be majestic creatures. I love how the black and white plays that up and adds such great drama. Thank you for sharing this photo with us Bek!

Due to the fact that some participants have been confused about which button to use, I am going to put the "Showcased" button HERE. Jouko, Georgia and Bek please go HERE to grab your 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="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oheKkR_BFoQ/ToqWTprynwI/AAAAAAAAAJE/eQ5mj0lgqx4/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.

For my picture this week, I am taking a small break from my sunset streak to show off a picture of my dog niece Cece. I love dogs. I grew up with a black lab for the first several years of my life. My favorite show is The Dog Whisperer. But due to my current living situation, I cannot have a dog right now. So, whenever possible I borrow my brother's girlfriend's dog Cece. She is the most amazing animal and just a joy to be around. While she was over yesterday, I took a few pictures using my new 50mm lens. I love this picture of her sleeping as it captures the contentment of a lazy Sunday afternoon. I went with a tip I learned from various blogs I have read about focusing on the subjects eye when using a low aperture number (something I don't often do shooting landscapes) and I think it worked really well for the kind of feeling I wanted. Below are the SOOC and a black and white conversion. I love black and white, but I think I might like the SOOC best in this case. What do you think?

Settings: ISO 800, 50mm, ss1/30, f/2.0 (full manual, tungsten wb)

Lightroom Black and White Conversion

"I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love.  For me they are the role model for being alive." - Gilda Radner

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