Tones on Tuesday #58 12.18.12

I tend to try to keep my work life and my blogging/photography life separate and only mention the fact that I am a teacher occasionally. Today, however, I feel as though I want to take a moment to express what the events of Friday have meant to me. It is hard to put into words the way it feels as a teacher to realize that what happened in Newtown, CT could have happened in any school including mine. I saw this on Facebook and feel it summarizes exactly how I feel as a teacher every day and especially at this time:

"To those who aren't educators, this may be hard to understand: Five days a week, we teach your kids. That means we educate your kids. Play with your kids. Discipline your kids. Joke with your kids. Console your kids. Praise your kids. Question your kids. Beat our heads up against a wall about your kids. Gush over your kids. Laugh with your kids. Worry about your kids. Keep an eye on your kids. Learn about your kids. Invest in your kids. Protect your kids. Love your kids... We would all take a bullet for your kids. It's nowhere in our job description. It isn't covered in the employee handook. It isn't cited in our contracts. But we would all do it. So yes, please hug your kids tonight, really, really tight. But on Monday, if you see your kids teacher, hug them too." - Author Unknown

To all the families of Sandy Hook Elementary who lost a child or a loved one or who endured that horrible day...to all the teachers who did their job and did everything they could to keep their students safe...to all the first responders - "the good guys" - who saw what they saw and did what they did, my thoughts are with you all.

I debated whether or not to do Tones on Tuesday today as I wasn't sure we were up for it, but I feel as though connecting with you through your photography is my way of continuing to move forward. And that is the only thing I can do. With that said, here are the showcases from last week and please note that this link up will be open for 2 weeks as I will not be putting a new one up due to Christmas. Feel free to link up more than once. Happy Holidays!

Mona at Mona's Picturesque

This looks like a Christmas card! I makes me want to go there and just stand in the quiet. Thank you for sharing Mona.

YolandaR at Peanut Butter and Jelly

I love the snow against the blue sky, there is something vibrant and yet still about it. A beautiful combination! Thank you for sharing Yolanda. 

Ritva at Ritva's Art

Beautiful catchlights, lovely softness in the black and white and a wonderful expression captured. Thank you for sharing your photo Ritva. 

Mona, Yolanda and Ritva 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="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.

Settings: ISO 1600, 100mm, ss1/6, f/2.8 (on tripod)

"I hope that I serve by being a teacher." - Jenna Bush

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

      

Tones on Tuesday #57 12.11.12

Leovi at La Fotografia Efectista Abstracta

I love the softness of this image. The colors and texture have such a dreamy quality. Thank you for sharing Leovi!

Maboe

What gorgeous sparkle! I love the sunbursts. Thank you for linking up Maboe!

Life with Kaishon

What an adorable photo! I love the depth of field and the mischievous expression. Thank you for sharing!

Leovi, Maboe and Life with Kaishon 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="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.

Usually it takes me a long time to find my holiday spirit. This weekend my family and I did decorations and I headed to the snow again. I think I found my holiday spirit early! There is something about decorations and snow that speaks of the season. Here is a macro from Steven's Pass. 

Settings: ISO 1600, 100mm, ss1/500, f/5.6

"The snow itself is lonely or, if you prefer, self-sufficient. There is no other time when the whole world seems composed of one thing and one thing only." - Joseph Wood Krutch

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

    

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!