Reverse 365: Imperfections - Day 137/365 5.17.13

Here is another photo from my first day with my new camera. I had no idea what I was doing, but I learn best by trying things out. I sure did learn a lot that day!

Settings: ISO 1600, 50mm, ss1/200, f/8.0

Date: November 4th, 2012

Location: Squak Mountain Park

137/365 - May 17th, 2013

"If you look closely at a tree you'll notice it's knots and dead branches, just like our bodies. What we learn is that beauty and imperfection go together wonderfully." - Matthew Fox 

Project 64: Iced Yellow 1.19.12

The color at Project 64 was yellow. Amidst the ice and snow of recent memory the yellow leaves of this plant stood out beckoning me to take a photo. 

Settings: ISO 200, 50mm, ss1/125, f/2.8 (full manual, cloudy wb)

"Plant the seed of desire in your mind and it forms a nucleus with power to attract to itself everything needed for its fulfillment." - Robert Collier

     

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.

  

Everett 10th Street Marina 11.25.11

When I was editing the first photo below from my day after Thanksgiving photo shoot I realized I had taken a similar picture and posted it on my blog as a flashback. It was before I started shooting manual and before I knew all that I know now about how to take a proper picture. Despite that, I really love both of them. I am excited to see how much I have grown though and to see one of my old photos next to a new one and know what I would do differently (smaller aperture number! cloudy wb!) to fix what I didn't like about it. 

What do you think? Do have those moments as well?

Location: 10th Street Marina Park, Everett, Washington

Date: November 26th, 2011
Settings: ISO 100, 55mm, ss1/320, f/5.6 (full manual, sunlight wb)
Post Processing: Blacks, Contrast and Brightness to make the blue more vibrant

Location: Cathlamet Marina - Cathlamet, Washington

Date: June 11th, 2011

Settings: Shot in Auto - 1/200, f/10

Post Processing: Sharpening, Color Levels (to bring out more of the green and magenta)

"Growth demands a temporary surrender of security." - Gail Sheehy


One of the reasons I feel I have grown so much is by linking up and learning and becoming inspired from other photographers. Here are a few great link ups that continue to help me grow!

    

Shades of Autumn: Favorites 11.27.11

I have LOVED participating in the Shades of Autumn Challenge. I have always loved fall, but I have a much deeper appreciation of the varied shades and the fading nature of the time of year. There is no other time so fleeting yet so vibrant. Here are my favorites from the past few weeks.

Green: I did not participate in this week initially but here is a green shot from the beginning of fall.
Settings: ISO 200, 55mm, ss1/30, f/5.6 (full manual)

Yellow: A pumpkin patch and fruit stand provided an array of yellow hues.

Settings: ISO 200, 55mm, ss1/320, f/5.6 (full manual)

Orange: A visit to a state park and a small town filled my memory card with orange. 

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

Settings: ISO 400, 55mm ss1/500, f/5.6 (full manual, cloudy wb)

Red: Raindrops and red make for a beautiful combination.

Settings: ISO 400, 55mm, ss1/80, f/5.6 (full manual, cloudy wb)

Purple: My favorite color and fun to find in a local small town.

Settings: ISO 100, 43mm, ss1/320, f/5.0 (full manual, sunlight wb)

Brown: At first I assumed this color would be dreary and dull, but it is anything but. 

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

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

White: Snow in my old college town across the mountains was peaceful and a beautiful beginning to winter. 

Settings: ISO 400, 55mm, ss1/50, f/9.0 (full manual, cloudy wb)

Settings: ISO 400, 53mm, ss1/250, f/5.6 (full manual, cloudy wb)

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

Favorite Photo of the Week: Birch Trees at Wanapum 11.20.11

The Friday after Thanksgiving came and went with me out taking pictures on a bay up north. It was cold, but peaceful and I am excited to post pictures this week. As I look back on last week, the picture below is by far my favorite. I love how the trees are growing in different directions but all upward. I love  the detail on their bark and I love how the edit made the fading colors of fall pop. To read more about this photo and see the SOOC shot, head here. 


Settings: ISO 200, 43mm, ss1/100, f/6.3 (full manual, cloudy wb)
Processing with a Free Lightroom Preset called Clear Yellow/Purple Split Tone Mild Vintage

"Trees are your best antiques." - Alexander Smith

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