I got one!!!! 6 10 07

I've been struggling with sharp photos out of my 70-200 lens. This is the first time I got a sharply focused shot at 2.8! HURRAY!!!
I maybe should mention I went for a walk at the golden hour before sunset with my little S. Out of the 111 shots, this is the only one I got that is tack sharp at 2.8- although, not all the shots were that wide; the shots between 3.5-5.6 were nicely in focus too. I was a good distance from her at the time of this shot, and she was standing still. Too bad it isn't a more interesting shot, but hey at this point I'm so excited I don't care!

My settings were 1/400 (watching my shutter speed); 2.8 (yes!), and an ISO of 400. Now, because the sun was fairly low, there was a lot of noise so I ran it through noise reduction in PS. The first one is SOOC, the second is with N.R., defog, and sharpened for web. Both were resized.

TFL, and for all the support over the last few days. It really helped. I won't say I've mastered it at all, but now at least I have hope!

6 7 07 Thinking about my SIL's wedding...

K's ballerina dress up caught my eye tonight. I have G's wedding in the back of my mind- I've been increasingly looking at wedding galleries. Completely for fun, but I do want to be able to get great as I can get shots for them. I'm contemplating asking if I can do an engagment shoot with them, my gift. Really a gift to me because this is not my thing. But I think it would be fun, and hey, if I get some good captures, they win, right?

This is minimally pp'd. I boosted contrast, ran defog, and a minimal color pop at 50%; sharpened and sized for web. I'm really aiming for streamlining my pping and being happier with SOOC. TFL!
Oh, yeah. Settings were: 1/40, 2.5, 200 ISO and my flash bounced over my shoulder onto a white bookcase.

School pic

It's not even a great one, but I don't want to fall off the posting wagon again...I've got to get back to that tree again. It's called a peach blossom (or so K tells me). It has the most beautiful trunk- which you can't tell from this picture at all. I love to admire it each time I pick her up from school. Hopefully, I can get a great one in before the end of the year and give it as a gift...

6 5 07 Dragging the Shutter- AhA!

Okay, so I experimented some more. I went back and read the thread again. I read the Planet Neil tutorial, again. What I was doing wrong (aside from trying to learn this and master my new lens at the same time- Doh!) was trying to meter. Nope, that's not what you do.
What you have to do is make sure you have just enough light to register on your meter, and then go.
These were taken in a room where the only light source was another room adjacent to it- with a few obstacles in the way. It was fairly dark.
My settings were: 1: 1/30, 1.8, 800 ISO; 2&3: 1/25, 2.0, 800 ISO. These were all taken with my 50 mm. The only photo editting was the following:
ACR: adjusted white balance
increased Luminance Smoothing to 30, color noise reduction, 30.
PS: defog and sharpened for web (also, framing and logo).
That's it. Nothing else.
This technique absoluelty rocks out loud. This is a fabulous AHA! moment. Wish I had someone to photograph other than toy horses.
Oh yeah- the first one was to see what I could get. The second was to see if there was a big difference in changing the shutter and apperture a hair.
The third was to try to create "catchlights". All the way around, I'm feeling kinda good. Tell me what you think. If you've experimented too, include the link in your comments. TFL!

6 4 07

Thank you Jordyn!
I tried playing with dragging the shutter after reading the thread you pointed out at ILP. This is the best one I got out of the 11 I tried. I definately don't have the metering down yet; I had to bump up my exposure in ACR, and editted with color pop and a screen light layer. I think I've found the next piece of photography I want to focus on. I'm excited that it will be exactly what I need to know for my SIL's wedding in September (I'm in it, not offically shooting it).
Anyway, thank you Jordan for pointing out the thread, and to Amy for starting it!

Lovin' my cousin

Not exactly from today. But, I took so many pics last week, I will be editting them for the next few weeks!!!
My youngest fell in love with her godmother- my youngest cousin- during her visit last week. Toward the end of the party, she wouldn't let J go! I loved watching the two of them fall in love all over again. J lives in Far Away, so we only see her every year or two. We'll miss her lots!

6 2 07 A decorated Poppy

A little something silly. My younger DD thought it was pretty funny to decorate her grandfather as he caught a nap. Honestly, we did too! 50 mm, 1/60, 2.0, ISO 800. I popped the color a bit, and added a filter- tungensten lighting is tough for me. It's still too orange, but because it's a silly shot, I'm kinda okay with that.

TFL!

Reading about fairies 6 1 07

We were lucky to receive a sofa from my inlaws yesterday. The girls enjoyed twilight sitting on the new couch and loveseat. K ended up curling up with one of her beloved fairy books. It's not the most falttering picture of her, but I love the missing tooth, how she is engrossed in the story as she is telling it, and being outside on a sofa. Good times! 50 mm, 1/100, 2.8, 800 ISO. TFL!

Visiting cousin

I'm sorry I fell off the face of the planet...computer woes and crazy time of the year. Anyway- this was taken this weekend when my adorable cousin was visiting. The angle is awkward, but I love her funny expression and her beautiful face. She was taking in a request by little dd...
This was taken with my 50mm. I just couldn't bring my new lens to the community pool! 1/400, 5.6, 200 ISO. I had to increase my exposure in ACR, ran defog and sharpened.

5 22 07 What do you think?

I am going to try to avoid my usual rambling, in hope of avoiding giving anything away. Please give me your honest feedback. I have some serious momma googles on, and I know the story behind this picture. I'm wondering what it looks like without the known. TFL- oh- and this was taken with my 50mm- gasp- my new lens actually came off my camera! Settings: 1/1000, 1.8, 200 ISO. I increased contrast in ACR, and applied a screen light layer and a warming filter.

5 21 07 Menu?

Okay, so this is a story.
K has had some difficulty with school. As it turns out, she has speech and language issues which impact her learning. Long story short, it was taking a little longer for reading to "click" for her.
So today, when she read her short story for her Monday night reading, the book was about a giant and his eatting habits (cute storym btw). It used the word menu several times in the book. In looking at the points to follow up on in the back of the book, I casually asked her if she would like to make a menu. Ha! She was off and running.
The menu we created is the black folded paper in her apron pocket. The apron, pencil, and rag were all her idea, as was the table decorations. She asked to borrow my shoes as waitresses wear "big black shoes." And, she created a sign labeling her restaurant. She went to town!

So,this pic is commemorate her conecting with a story that she read. As well as her directly inherited from her mother propensity to take an idea and run with it well past reason and into crazy...believe me, this was waaaay scaled back from what she wanted to do... :)
TFL, and if you read all of that, a big pat on the back to you, too.

5 20 07 An interloper

Or, you know, a bug :)

I was trying to practice a bit more with my lens and snapped this rhoddendron in front of our home. I didn't notice the busy bee inside until I was editting later. Too bad I don't have a macro so we could see him even better.

Two of the girsl playing at grandma and grandpa's. They had a pajama party so Momma and daddy could ccelebrate their anniversary- yay! K is playing in the rubble left in the wake of a violent t-storm this week. S is simply making a wish!

5 19 07. Anniversary Bouquet

My Dh is terrific. He is my buddy, my lover, my friend. We laugh together and love our daughters together. we get annoyed with each other and tease each other. We don't always get it right. But undeniably, we love each other and trust each other and will spend the rest of our days holding hands and laughing.
Happy anniversary, my love!
*Well, except our anniversary was yesterday. I couldn't really be present with posting on our day, now could I? ;)
These pictures don't do justice the magnificence of the bouquet my love gave me yesterday. But they are the few that I like the most. Oh and the third flower is what my "crown" was made of for the reception. I wore my Great Grandmother's chapel length veil for the ceremony- that needed to come off for the outdoor, very muddy, exceptionally fun wedding recpetion afterward.
Cheers to all! TFL!

5 19 07 Sisters by the stream

This spot is a place I used to go to think, play, escape, write and overall just "be". It is a small stream that babbles its way along across my parents property. It is beautifully shaded, and is always teaming with life and activity. I swear the sun dances when it meest the water on this stream. It gives me immense pleasure to see my children captivated, feeling the call of the water just as I did.

Not sure which crop I like better. Any thoughts? Anyway, it's my post of the day. TFL!

5 18 07 Some flowers

I've gotten out of the habit and just need to post again. The rose is very, very photoshopped. I was playing around with the texture/vintage thing. I'm not sure how I feel about it, to be honest. The lillies were bought on Sunday and were closed so tight, I didn't think they'd open. But they did, just in time for our aniversary :)

I took the lillies inside in front of sheer curtains- and added "screen blend" layers.

TFL!

Got her!

My oldest is the typical run from the camera kinda kid. But we had a guest- the class teddy bear- and so she actually posed. Well, sat and looked at the camera. That counts, right? I ran noise-reduction (the filter on PS) as at an ISO of 800 it had a significant amount of noise. Not sure what's going on there, will have to work on that some more.
Anyhow, this is what I got. I think I overly smoothed her skin, but I kinda thought it looked glamerous-ish. Is it plastic skin, or does it look good? I'm not objective anymore...
TFL!

5 12 07 Family

I love these two together. S was playing her "I'm shy, no one but Daddy will do" thing at a family party yesterday.

I'm still pretty much only using my 70-200 2.8 lens~yum. This is just about SOOC; I cropped slightly, ran defog, sharpened, and just for fun added a vignette. I also addded a color pop/channel mixer layer for a little boost. TFL!
***Editted to add*** I was mistaken- looking back at this pic, last night as I editted about 60+ pictures- this photo was intially underexposed. I bumped the exposure by at least a stop in ACR.

5 11 07 Grandmas Rule!

Grandmas rule, as we all know. Our grandmas attended grandparents day for K at her school. It made her day to have her grandmas there with her. Thank you so very, very much!

5 10 07 Nonna's visit

You are such a good sport, Nonna! It made our day that you came so far for such a brief visit. You show us over and over how important we are in your life.

5 9 07 Cheers for ice cream!

Love this messy, messy face.

5 8 07 Weather

Not much to say, except I like the texture of this cloud. And the color rocks, in my *humble* opinion.

5 7 07 Practice, practice, evaluate...

I'm still practicing! The learning curve is absolutely there. I'm getting sharp and crisp- once in a while. I'm working on patience...for those of you who have been hanging around two peas long enough, you may recognize my title as wise advice from Paul on learning something new.

***okay. I'm going to elaborate on the learning curve part. Please DO NOT read this as whining. I know exactly how lucky I am. And I am extraordinarily grateful. I thought my struggle might strike a chord with others who are working on mastering something new, too.

I know this lens is sweet as all get out. But I think I've achieved tack sharp about ten times- out of five hundred shots! I just want to get someone who is willing to sit for me so I can really see what this baby can do, and really learn it. Learning on moving targets is just plain challenging. And I have practiced on things that stay still- but- I don't really want this lens for still life, KWIM?***

There. Now the above are ones I'm willing to share. It's coming. Slowly. But coming.

5 6 07, one more- I can't resist

Okay, I know she's falling off the edge of the world with way too much tilt- but look at this photo with my new lens! Yay!

5 6 07 I GOT A NEW LENS!!!

DH surprised me with an early Mother's Day/anniversary gift. I got... a 70-200L LENS!!!!!!!!! WAHOO! Here is the very first photo I took with it-boring, but crisp. The first is SOOC, the second one is editted. I spent all day yesterday playing. There is a bit of a learning curve, but so far I'm happy with it. Hey, I can use this lens inside, at night! Amazing.

5 5 07 Playing with parameter settings

I played around with my parameter settings; I increased the in-camera contrast, sharpness and saturation as an experiment. These are SOOC and editted. I still had to edit to get the picture as I want it, but this made a difference. What do you think?

5 4 07 School social worker

I love working in a school. I like working with young children; school is where the children are! I have all the related perks of school, it's true. But I also work in a place where children already are, the families are connected and the staff are all united in the shared love of working with children. It's a great place to be. Plus, the school I am in is small- giving me two more benefits. One, I can name almost every child as they walk in the hall; second, the numbers are small enough that I only work three days a week. Although I'd love to work full time, my little one is only two. So, it has been a blessing to have these extra two days to be with her.
TFL!
**The badge idea was thanks to Janice's post. Her pic is much better than mine, though. ;) Thanks for the inspiration.

5 3 07 My profession

I am proud to be a social worker. It is a difficult, demanding job that requires many different skills and abilities. It is, as originally developed, a job dedicated to assisting others during tough times at the beginning of the 20th century.

It has evolved into many different facets, including therapy and mental health, care for the elderly, care for children and famillies, the work force, the downtrodden, the homeless, the person who is having difficulty right now making ends meet. We work in schools and prisions, shelters for the homeless and victims of dometstic violence. We help people struggling with alcohol, drugs and other afflctions. Hospitals and nursing homes. Housing. Healthcare and medication. Food.

It is an amazing profession. I care and nurture, teach, network, advocate, support, provide therapy, attend life milestones. I help celebrate success and mourn loss. I sometimes advise, and often counsel. I am empathic, but I come home to my own family intact. I create strong boundaries, but I cry with a child who has lost her mother.

I have worked in a school with special needs children, a mental health hospital, in a community service agaency helping adults with mental illness to obtain housing, food and mental health care; a mental health clinic for children and families, and a program working with preschool children whose families are homeless.

I have learned amazing things about each person I meet. My profession is a privledge. It is a responsibilty. And it is one I am proud to identify myself with. I am a social worker!!!

The picture above is from anotepad that I keep at work. A dear friend gave it to me one Christmas, and I just love it.

If you made it through all that, kudos to you!

I am lucky to work in a small elementary school, in a small suburban community. I'll talk more about that tomorrow.

It makes me a bit sad that most people don't know what social workers do. they have visions of children and elderly being removed from their homes, over worked social service caseworkers, etc. Mostly, we are portrayed as overworked, callaused and stingy. I don't get it.

Anyway, just a little public service information that social workers are in many, many places helping many, many, many people.