Day 12-365 "Simple Pleasures of Winter"

Day 12-365 "Simple Pleasures of Winter", originally uploaded by saralonde.

I am feeling a little "whited out" at the moment. The cold weather is keeping the snow on the ground and I feel a little chilled all the time. Best thing to do is look for something that you would not enjoy half as much in a warmer mouth, but gives you a bit of joy when it's cold. Hot chocolate with handmade marshmallows fits the bill. Not cocoa, you understand, which is a different treat, but hot chocolate, where delicate shavings of chocolate are stirred into hot milk and melt into a rich, mellow and smooth drink with an aroma that can take you back to childhood or a European cafe, whatever you are in the mood for.

Exposure: 0.008 sec (1/125)
Aperture: f/6.3
Focal Length: 31 mm
ISO Speed: 400
Exposure Bias: 0/3 EV
Flash: Flash fired, red-eye reduction

Day 11-365 "Remembrance"

Day 11-365 "Remembrance", originally uploaded by saralonde.

I went out to take some snow pics today. Got back and started playing around with them. This was my least favorite shot until I did a little editing on it. It then triggered some hazy memory of my childhood, being pulled along a snowy street on a sled by my mother. Doesn't even really look like my old street, but the feeling is the same: pines weighted by heavy snow, flakes falling all around, the quiet broken only by crunching footsteps, the feeling that the world was all black and white and gray.

So that is why it became my photo of the day.

Exposure: 0.002 sec (1/500)
Aperture: f/8
Focal Length: 31 mm
ISO Speed: 400
Exposure Bias: 0/3 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire

Day 10-365 "Through My Window on a Snowy Day"

Day 10-365 "Through My Window on a Snowy Day", originally uploaded by saralonde.

I was going to wait until after the snowfall to go out and take some shots, but unfortunately it turned into a light icy rain and I was less than enthusiastic. So I took a shot through a window. I was less than enthusiastic. What could I do? Play in Photoshop! Four results. I am less than enthusiastic. Winter is a good time to practice though.

1. (Top left) Boosted color, contrast, added vignette.
2. (Top right) Sepia tint, contrast, sharpen
3. (Bottom left) B&W, film grain, fake TTV (that's all I remember
4. (Bottom right) B&W, sharpen, contrast

Day 8-365 "Rare Cat Photo"

Day 8-365 "Rare Cat Photo", originally uploaded by saralonde.

This is a shot of the rare Loki cat, found in this part of the world. It is fond of humans, but does not like to be photographed. Indeed, only minutes after this shot was taken, he attacked my shooting hand as a warning not to invade his area again. of course, as is his nature, he immediately felt shame and remorse for the attack and gripped my hand tightly and tried to lick it to death.

Exposure: 0.077 sec (1/13)
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 50 mm
ISO Speed: 400
Exposure Bias: 0/3 EV
Flash: Flash fired, red-eye reduction

Day 8-365 "How Low Can You Go?"

Day 8-365 "How Low Can You Go?", originally uploaded by saralonde.

Meet my new tripod. Has this lovely trick of being able to get nice and low for a shot. Old tripod is a bit jealous. I had to explain he would still be the go-to guy for hikes as Mr. Show-off has a bit of heft to him. So he's unimpressed by the newcomer's tricks.

Sorry about the weird lighting. I was excited to get my new toy!

Lovely, Christmas in January!

Exposure: 0.077 sec (1/13)
Aperture: f/10
Focal Length: 31 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Exposure Bias: 1 EV
Flash: Flash did not fi

Day 7-365 "Rainy Day with (just a bit of) Bokeh"

Day 7-365 "Rainy Day with (just a bit of) Bokeh", originally uploaded by saralonde.

It's been nasty outside, cold icy rain yesterday (along with icy roads), more dreary rain today.

This is just a shot of one of my Christmas wreaths perched on the edge of my patio table. It's too yucky out to take it out to the compost pile, so it will have to sit there a few days. I opened the patio door for a quick pic. Too miserable to go outside for anything, even photography!

Exposure: 0.003 sec (1/400)
Aperture: f/1.4
Focal Length: 50 mm
ISO Speed: 400
Exposure Bias: 0/3 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire

Day 6-365 "All Eyes on Sid"

Day 6-365 "All Eyes on Sid", originally uploaded by saralonde.

As you can tell, I've had very little practice in this area of photography and I don't think I'll be practicing it very much. Hockey is not the easiest thing to shoot. Lots of reflective white, fast moving players and if you're close, you have to shoot through glass and/or net, not to mention the people in front of you.

But the game was good - any win is good - and we saw some great players in action.

Exposure: 0.02 sec (1/50)
Aperture: f/9
Focal Length: 75 mm
ISO Speed: 400
Exposure Bias: 0/3 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire