Favorite Photo of the Week: Sandpipers on the Beach 12.29.11

I can't believe there is one more day left in 2011. As I reflect on the year that has been, I can't help but get excited for the year to come. Christmas Day was the one year anniversary of me owning my DSLR, but I didn't really find my true passion for using it until I stumbled upon Courtney at Click it Up a Notch and found the help I needed to switch over to manual mode. It has been almost five months and I have been throughly changed by the experience. I am inspired, full of excitement for the possibilities and a desire to learn and grow. I have big photography and blog plans and goals for the upcoming year that I cannot wait to share with you!

Part of the reason I am so excited is the new photography gear I got for Christmas. A bunch of little things and one big thing that will aid in my photography journey. One of my favorite presents is a rain sleeve for my camera. Living and photographing in the Pacific Northwest presents some challenges when it comes to weather, specifically rain. My brother's girlfriend got me a rain sleeve for Christmas and on my recent trip to visit my dad in Astoria I used it every day (it was very stormy)! I loved that I could get out in the rain and the wind without worrying about my camera and it is so easy to use. Did I mention I love it :o)? I also got to use my Lens Pen Cleaning Kit I received for Christmas when the lens got wet from the rain drops. It allowed me to captured two of my favorite shots from the week.

The first is of a ship coming in on the Columbia River at Fort Stevens State Park (my favorite park in the area). I did a crop and a clean edit. The second was taken at Del Ray State Park the next day of the Sandpipers who were persistent in their search for food despite the weather. They would run out in a little pack when the waves rolled out and then back in when they rolled in again. They continued this pattern until some of them stopped to rest. This shot was taken with my zoom lens, rain sleeve and a little inspiration from my brother's girlfriend. Another clean edit, but no crop this time.

I hope you are looking forward to the upcoming year as much as I am. Let the 2012 journey begin!

Settings: ISO 200, 43mm, ss1/80, f/9.0 (full manual, cloudy wb)

Settings: ISO 400, 250mm, ss1/160, f/8.0 (full manual, cloudy wb)

"We spend January 1 walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched.  Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives... not looking for flaws, but for potential."  - Ellen Goodman

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

      

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!

      

Shades of Autumn: Brown 11.12.11

Initially I felt uninspired by the color brown for the Shades of Autumn Challenge. However, when I headed out to some nearby parks I found the beauty in the different shades of brown and the contrast with the other autumn colors. Despite the rain and wind I found some lovely examples of brown and was impressed by how many hues of brown there were. I am sharing a few of my favorite shots. They are SOOC as I felt they captured the essence of the rainy day, which complimented the brown tones. The first 3 were taken at Soaring Eagle Park, which is full of trails frequented by mountain bikers and the last one is taken on dry riverbed in Tolt MacDonald Park.

Settings: ISO 400, 55mm, ss1/160, f/5.6 (full manual, cloudy wb)

Settings: ISO 800, 55mm, ss1/60, f/5.6 (full manual, cloudy wb)

Settings: ISO 400, 55mm, ss1/125, f/5.6 (full manual, cloudy wb)

Settings: ISO 800, 55mm, ss1/100, f/5.6 (full manual, cloudy wb)

One take on the meaning of the color brown - "Brown says stability, reliability, and approachability. It is the color of our earth and is associated with all things natural or organic." 


Linking up with the Shades of Autumn Challenge. Check out the other brown photos!