The Tween Part:

You tell me:

1) Gross no matter what?

2) Gross, kinda, but it's nature.

3) Gross, but killer shot!

4) Killer shot - too bad it's about nature.

5) Oh HELL NO you didn't just make me look at that thing! Nature SUCKS!

I'll tell you from my standpoint - if I happened upon a knitting/generic blog that showed this shot? I would hit the "unsubscribe" button so fast, their mousepad would still be quivering.

I only took the picture because it's a really great nature shot and looking through a lens is so much easier (to me) than seeing it in Real Life. Yeah. I know looking at this spider through my lens - getting close enough, framing the shot, blocking the lighting, yadayadayada, it's also real life and just on the other side of my camera. Believeyoume. I know.

It's something I cannot explain. There is a distance - a wall - a "something" that comes between me and my subject that works for me. It's how I can take picture after picture after picture of bass fish, live and in the flesh and within arm's distance, trying for stupendous shots. If that same said fish touches me? Or jumps out of the bag after the tournament? Freaks me the hell out.

Between me and my camera is a world apart from me and my day-to-day.


Click here if you dare . . .

Busy and Learning:

Yesterday, The Mike got off a little early so we headed over to Los Osos/Baywood Park - him to get his paycheck and me to . . . what else? Snap photos!

Baywood Park set

Montana De Oro set

Los Osos Valley Road set

The weather was really nice and Mike knows the area pretty well because he lived there years ago. We ended up having to get his check right by one of the entrances into the Elfin Forest.Honestly, I wasn't impressed with the "forest" part, but the view from the boardwalk was wonderful! The back bay, from Los Osos to Morro Rock, is in clear sight.

My favorite three shots:





Oh, last Tuesday evening I met up with my photog friend Alex and we took a bunch of pictures in and around the village of Arroyo Grande. I forgot to blog about it - sorry! You can see the set here. I'm not enamored with any of them overall so I'm not picking a top three on those.

On the learning front, this is something I just read and I can't wait to implement the idea!

"Here's a central and obvious principle about photography that is sometimes overlooked even by some veteran photographers — that it's about light. Light makes the image. All cameras, whether film-based or digital are wonders of technology but they don't have a clue about subject; they're designed to transmit and register light and a range of its qualities.

It's true that the history of photography is filled with examples in which the subject and not the light is what the viewer's attention is drawn to and many of those images are powerful and memorable. In photojournalism, for example, when the urgency of an event takes precedence over art, the photographer may not have the time or the interest in waiting for the right light. But amongst the most memorable of those images, the ones that put a lump in your throat are those in which the light was a significant and descriptive player. So think about the subject but shoot the light."

- Malcolm Lubliner, Photographer

Some of his photographs.

Fascinating idea!

On October 9th, the SLO Camera Club has their monthly meeting and this time I'm going. Truth be told, I'm intimidated by "real" photographers but I'm willing to go to at least one meeting just to give it a chance. The worst that can happen is that everyone hates me, lol, but it's not like I KNOW these people so I won't have to ever see them again. That's what I keep telling myself when my little voice gets all Negative Nancy on me :grin:

YAY! My Camera is Home:

Last week The Mike took *my* camera on his fishing tournament trip to Clearlake and I missed it greatly.

Oh, Lawdy did I miss it so! It's become a part of me. Like my knitting.

I made him promise that he would actually take pictures of his environs while out and about and I have to give him credit. He not only "took pictures", he took a few good ones!

My top three favorites:

The land line is even and the clouds look great. He's pretty close to the 1/3rd rule too.


Again, the lines are even and his subject matter is attractive


My personal favorite. Look at that composition! I would have taken that picture myself, LOL.

He had some also-rans. The top three almosts:

A really good shot but I find the lopsidedness distracting


Another really good one overall, but the subject matter is too far away for me to identify


The Mike's partner took this one. The subject matter is eye-catching . . . and the fish is a beaut too, LOL. Tray doesn't know from out-of-focus or framing or anything picture taking related so I'm not really unhappy with it outside of the generic "it could have been better" if taken by someone more into photography.

Thank me that I've spared you the other 32 horribly crappy pictures he came home with. Bless his pointy little head though because the effort was worthy of an A+.

He doesn't listen to me about how to fold the laundry properly, but maybe . . . just maybe . . . he's been keeping his ears open when I discuss photography.

Stunned:

My virtual friend Diane is going through a tragic loss right now.

Diane has been a very important part of ravelry's Project 365 group and is such an inspiration to me personally in my photog passion and path. Whenever I talk about my love of taking pictures, I start with ravelry, project 365 and Diane.

The things she's taught me about my camera and the way I look through it are priceless. She usually adds something to any comment she puts towards our shots.

Her son's picture reminds me of The Mike so much. She captured via a camera the way I see Mike every day. The gentle giant-ness of them. The potential and the gleam and the essence.

She can get it on film whereas I can only capture it with my naked eye.

My soul is sad for her. Such a kind and nice person does not deserve this pain.

The Same Difference:

I've met up with another local photographer and we've been hitting the same places - together and apart.

Her set of shots versus my set of shots.

She's damn good, I think. Those comparisons aren't exactly the same but they are as close as close gets for the most part.

My Favorite Three (of hers):





How is it that we were at the same event and saw things so damn differently? That's what I want to learn.

Tomorrow I'm taking one of my cameras gifted from Knitting Suzanne out and about on the town - fresh manual film and everything, LOL! I need to learn how to wield a "real" camera by now. No more Scare-dy Cat hiding.

Clang Clang Goes the Trolley:

I ran out for an errand today, and luckily remembered that I've been wanting to visit the Amtrak station just down the road.

There's a picturesque foot bridge that goes over the tracks. Without having a clue about the the train schedule, I lucked into a passenger train arriving while I was on that bridge. My initial emotion was fear of being up there, but it didn't move or anything so I'm definitely going to go back up there.

My favorite three:





You can see the entire set here.

09/15/08

I got my weekend photos up and organized finally.

Here's the set from i Madonnari in Downtown SLO, and here is the set from yesterday's monthly Beer & Knitting meetup.

My favorite three:

(I didn't notice the reflection until I had put the pictures in my computer)

Over on September 11th's flickr blog entry, there is an interesting interview with some photographer. One of his tips/suggestions is (paraphrased) to not always look at the display monitor after taking a picture. Just 'go shoot' a bunch of shots without critiquing them in the moment. That stuck with me and will be something I do the next time I've got camera in hand.

I cannot believe it myself, but I left the house today without my camera. It was completely by accident and I'm annoyed I did it. After knitting group this morning, I'd intended to wander the Bob Jones Trail since it's right there. Oh well, next Monday for sure. Probably for the best, as I had one of my six stuck up in a tree all night. She's finally home and safe and *shocker* doesn't want out, lol.