Project 52 - Week 2/52

One of my goals this year is to make a list of places I want to photograph. I am still working on the list, but I know that the final one will include the Palouse area in Eastern Washington with its colored, rolling hills. I went to Ebey's Landing on Whidbey Island in Western Washington and I was reminded of the Palouse, but this was a little closer to home. 

Ebey's Landing is also the nation's first Historical Reserve. For more information on the history of this amazing place you can check out the National Park Service site. It is a place full of the history of the past and the beauty of nature. After a ferry ride we headed to Ebey's Landing beach but took a wrong road and ended up at a sort of overlook above the prairie. Despite the stormy weather, I could not help but be touched by the pure natural beauty. I am determined to go back again and explore more, especially the wildlife of which we saw 2 hawks and 1 eagle on our short visit. What shall I see next time? 

Settings: ISO 3200, 50mm, ss1/160, f/13

"What is past is prologue." - William Shakespeare

          

Photography Goals 1.1.13

The new year for me is a chance to reflect, review and renew. One part of that is writing photography goals for the year. I did this last year and it was a great way to start the year. Thank you again to Courtney at Click it Up a Notch for the inspiration to keep up with my goals!

My goals from last year can be found here - Photography Goals for 2012. I feel like I made a good effort or accomplished 4 of the 12. I wish it would have been more, but time and budget got in the way.  I do think that there is a lot for me to learn from the goals that I didn't accomplish and why. With that in mind, here is what I am working on this year...

1. Complete a Reverse 365 - A traditional 365, even with my phone as I tried last year is just not possible for me. I came across the idea of a reverse 365 in a Photojojo Newsletter. The concept is to post a photo a day but to use photos from the past. With my schedule this seems the most doable and will be a chance to work on my editing skills and to rescue more photos from my hard drive. 

2. Complete a Project 52 - For the past year I have been shooting about once a week and posting at least once a week. Therefore, a Project 52 seems like something I can accomplish and still pushes me to be out and shooting on a regular basis. 

3. Print more Photos - Last year I set a goal to print my photos monthly and was unable to do so. I am trying this goal again in a less specific form. I have a nice collection of canvases, but I want to start either a photo album or board of my work. 

4. Photography Locations List - I wanted to do this last year, to make a list of places I want to photograph and go to 5 of them. I am going to try again!

5. Wide-Angle Lens - I became familiar with my 50mm lens this year and bought and fell in love with a 100mm macro. Next up, I want a wide angle lens for my passion of shooting vistas. 

6. Do a better job of Blog Connecting - In doing Tones on Tuesday every week I have "met" some amazing photographers. I want to do a better job of visiting blogs, commenting on photos and connecting to other people who share this amazing passion. 

7. Continue to take a "Photoshoot Time-Out" - I set the goal in 2012 of taking a 10 minute time out during each photography experience to just be in the moment. I have to admit that I don't always do this, but when I do it is a powerful exercise. The other day I was shooting a sunset at Fort Stevens State Park and I intentionally put my camera away and just took it all in. The sound of the waves, the color of the sky and feeling I get on the beach. When I look at the photo below it means that much more to me because I stopped for a small moment in time to just be.

Settings: ISO 500, 50mm, ss1/125, f/16

8. Continue to Share on My Blog - This year I did 4 posts on things I have learned on my photography journey in my Tips and Tricks posts. I hope to do more of them this year! 

"If you want to reach a goal, you must "see the reaching" in your own mind before you actually arrive at your goal." - Zig Ziglar

 

Wordless Wednesday: 50mm Lens Journey

Be sure to check out the announcements to the right!

This weekend I decided to use only my 50mm lens to really see what I love about it and what are the limitations. On Saturday I went to the local fair and on Sunday I got up insanely early to watch the sunrise over Seattle. Here are my favorites...

Settings: ISO 100, 50mm, ss1/640, f/20 

Puyallup Fair Ferris Wheel, Puyallup, WA

Settings: ISO 100, 50mm, ss1/100, f/11
Sunset at the Puyallup Fair, Puyallup, WA

Settings: ISO 400, 50mm, ss1/30, f/4.0 (should have had a tripod, but I still love it!)

Rides Alight at the Puyallup Fair, Puyallup, WA

Settings: ISO 100, 50mm, ss1/5, f/7.1 (on tripod) 
Sunrise at Louisa Boren Park, Seattle, WA

Settings: ISO 100, 50mm, ss1/80, f/22

Sunrise over Issaquah, WA

"Experience is the best teacher of all. And for that, there are no guarantees that one will become an artist. Only the journey matters." - Harry Callahan

    

I Clicked It Up a Notch - July

For this month, I picked a photo that continues to make me happy and proud. The location was Astoria, Oregon where my dad lives and was taken on the Fourth of July, which just so happens to be my favorite holiday. I did research before going and went into this shoot unsure, but excited. The results were more than I could have hoped for. This is just one of those photos where I had a vision of what I wanted and with a little work I was able to make it happen. I can't wait to see what happens next month!

Settings: ISO 100, 18mm, ss12secs, f/11 (on tripod, shutter on bulb)

"The intelligent man is one who has successfully fulfilled many accomplishments, and is yet willing to learn more." - Ed Parker

Favorite Photo of the Week: Spring Sunset at Clark Lake Park 3.8.12

This week, it was again difficult to pick a favorite photo. I had the opportunity to shoot an amazing sunset in the middle of the work week. And when it comes to sunsets, if you follow along, you know that I can't get enough of them. This means that when I have a week devoted to sunset pictures, I find it nearly impossible to pick just one. However, there was something about this one that spoke to me. For one, I really thought about the angle of this shot and the composition and framing with the purpose of using the lines of the dock to highlight the focal point of the photo, the sunset. This left me feeling accomplished as it is something I was working after being critiqued at Click it Up a Notch. I also love how it turned out and that it is SOOC, which always leave me feeling pride in my work. I also chose this photo as the theme for P52 this week is "Eyes of March." This was the perfect sight to behold as March began. I would love to know your thoughts on this photo. Thank you for stopping by!

Settings: ISO 200, 18mm, ss1/200, f/11 (sunlight wb, SOOC)

Intention: The lines of the dock pointing to the sunset

"He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed." - Albert Einstein

         

I Clicked it Up a Notch - February

Even though I love I Clicked it Up a Notch hosted by Courtney, I was a little nervous to participate this month as I have stumbled quite a bit when it comes to my photography goals. However, as I mentioned in my Tones on Tuesday post I plan to start fresh and to do that I need to reflect in order to grow.

While I didn't do too well on many of my goals in February, there was one that I really tried to commit myself to...

Goal 12. Take a 10 minute time-out during every photo shoot - As I mentioned when I made this goal, I often get caught up in taking pictures and finding the shot and then I miss opportunities and moments. Therefore, I have been purposefully pausing to put my camera down and just be in the moment and in the beautiful places I go to photograph. More often than not, this is when I stumble upon a favorite shot from the shoot. An unexpected image or perspective that I would not have seen within the viewfinder. It also allows me to experience a place more fully as I open my other senses beside sight to the space. 

The photo below happened as I was sitting in the dunes on the Long Beach Peninsula taking my 10 minutes. My main focus when on the beach is the sun, sand and waves. I love shooting through beach grasses, but my aim is usually to frame the beach and ocean. As I was taking my 10 minutes I was fascinated by the way the light played in the grasses, cast shadows on the sand and how well the colors of the grass and the sky and the water worked together. I am very glad I took my time-out and was able to "see" this shot :o). 

Settings: ISO 200, 50mm, ss1/4000, f/3.2 

(full manual, sunlight wb, clean edit in Lightroom)

"The best things in life are unexpected - because there were no expectations."
- Eli Khamarov

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

Photography Goals 1.1.12

I absolutely loved Courtney from Click it Up a Notch's idea of writing photography goals for 2012. I love the idea of concrete things to accomplish this year when it comes to my photography. Here are my goals for the coming year. 2012 is going to be amazing!

1. Take photography class/workshop - I would love to take a Clickin Moms class or another workshop be it online or in person to expand my photography skills and learn and grow from other photographers.

2. Learn more about my new lens - I recieved a Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 Lens from my mom for Christmas and I got to play with it today during a sunset at Indian Beach in Ecola State Park, Cannon Beach, Oregon. The shot below is SOOC and if it is any indication, I think I am going to love this lens!


Settings: ISO 200, 50mm, ss1/1250, f/7.1 (full manual, sunlight wb)

3. Read at least one photography book - Also for Christmas I was given 3 photography books. You can see which ones by clicking on the "Camera Bag" tab at the top. My goal is to read at least one, hopefully more than, and put what I learn directly into practice.

4. Complete a Project 365 using my iPhone and my Facebook page and post a blog entry a day - I have seen so many wonderful Project 365s on countless photography blogs, but with my work schedule I cannot committ to taking a photo a day with my DSLR. However, I carry my iPhone everywhere and it has a camera, which means a iPhone 365 is doable! (Thank you Photojojo for the idea! If you don't get there newsletter sign up right away!). I will be showcasing it on my Facebook page. I would love if you followed my 365 journey by clicking on the "Like" button in the side bar to the right. I will continue to aim for a blog post a day on this blog using mostly photos from the previous weekend photo shoot.

5. Start an online photography shop - I have been toying with the idea of selling prints of my photos for a while now and I want to go for it this year. I am not sure if I want to do an Etsy Shop or go through a company like SmugMug. It looks like research on this topic is in my future!

6. Self portraits - I want to become comfortable taking a self-portrait. Hopefully this will lead to photographing other people. Who better to learn on than myself?

7. Learn how to use backlighting - Backlighting is the one skill that I have really wanted to learn that I have not been able to teach myself through online reasearch and trial and error...yet. I am going to learn this year for sure!

8. Print my photos monthly - Thank you for the idea Courtney! What better way to rescue my photos from a life of sitting on a hard drive? I have already starting printing a few on Canvases, but I like the idea of printing them and putting them on a board. Economical and fun!

9. Share what I have been learning about photography on my blog - I have learned SO MUCH from reading the blogs of other photographers. I want to give back and share a tiny bit of what I have been learning as well.

10. Save up for a macro lens and a Tamron all-in-one lens - I had read countless pieces of advice that say to go with new lenses before going with a new camera. I think this sounds smart and much more affordable :o).

11. Make a list of the places I want to photograph and go to at least 5 of them - I have so many places I want to go to experience and take photos. I would like to have them listed so I can check them off. I love checking off a list!

12. Take a 10 minute time-out during every photo shoot - I have a tendency to get so caught up with that next shot that I don't live in the moment and soak up the amazing places I go to photograph. I am hoping that taking a short time-out will help me stay in the moment and be open to finding new things to photograph. I tried it on my photo shoot today and this was one of the photos after my time out. I usually like to wait until all the people are out of the shot on the beach, but there is just something about this that worked for me. (Side note - tons of surfers on this beach, the surfing/beach scene in the first Twilight movie was filmed here.)

Settings: ISO 200, 50mm, ss1/200, f/8.0 (full manual, cloudy wb)
Processing: Clean edit of basic settings in Lightroom

"You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream." - C.S. Lewis


Linking up with the link ups below. I hope you'll spend a moment or two checking out the amazing photographs of those participating!