P52 - Week11 - Green

Spring is definitely in the air here in Texas. In fact, this week it has warmed to near record breaking temps! And with the warm up (& even a sprinkle or two here and there) we are starting to see things begin to bloom and grow again.

Thankfully, there is quite a lot of this going on in my very own yard. We took some time to get the beds weeded and mulched. There's just something about pulling into the drive and seeing everything fresh and GREEN again.

This little beauty is one of the first blooms in our yard. I can't tell you what it is though, so don't ask. The folks who lived here before us did an AWESOME job of getting the beds in order. We have color in one shape or another almost all year long. I can't wait to see what comes next!

P52 - Week10 - Texture

Originally, I had something completely different in mind. In fact, I had several different "somethings" in mind. But time got away from me and my first attempts didn't turn out quite like I had planned.

So what's a girl to do?

I decided upon this approach:

Instead of an image of something displaying a certain texture, I decided to add texture to an image.

In this image I have actually added a couple of different textures. I really love this photo of my soccer star. Here's the original (though with a different crop):

But while I truly love this image as it came out of the camera, I think in this case the texture (& processing) give it a completely different feel. I couldn't be happier with this result and it looks even better printed and hanging in my office.

P52 - Week 9 - In The Bathroom

Here is another week when I truly did not know where to begin. I mean, the bathroom, really?!

But that was the task at hand. In the end, I actually combined the week 8 theme (low light) with the bathroom theme to come up with this:

These candles sit along side my tub. Up until this shot, I had never even tried to light them. But they looked so pretty for this little assignment, that I jumped at the chance for a candle lit bubble bath not long afterward. They smell as pretty as they look. :+)

P52 - Week 8 - Low Light

The theme for this week is "low light." And I have to admit that I wasn't sure where I wanted to go with this. Typically, finding time with my camera after sun down and before sun rise is not the easiest. I did have a few thoughts for things to try, but honestly, I never quite got around to it.

Then, near the end of the week, I had an early morning start for my day job. And sitting there at my computer, I noticed the neat pattern of light that my desk lamp was creating on the bed behind my chair. So I grabbed this little angel that normally sits on top of my router and placed her smack dab in the middle of a pool of soft light. And this is what I captured:

Settings: f/2.5, SS=1/6 sec, ISO=800
I really love how this turned out. This angel has long been one of my favorite sights in the computer room. And I think she really shines here!

I still have a few other low light ideas I want to give a try in the future. Hopefully one of the other themes will fit the ideas.

P52 - Week 7 - Red

I'm pretty sure that with this being the week of Valentine's Day, that the person who picked the theme of "Red" didn't quite have something like this in mind:

But regardless, this is what I have for the week. We're still climbing out from being sick and even our Valentine's didn't have a lot of red on them. I guess we're non-traditionalists, in this respect.

I actually really like the red here. All that pepperoni just waiting to be wrapped up (where it magically becomes Stromboli) screams "check me out" to me.

I actually did venture out to the garden for some shots of the roses starting to bloom, but I like the color of the pepperoni here. It's more "my shade" of red.

P52 - Week 6 - Love

It's really no surprise that the first full week of February has a theme of "love." I was thinking of some family photos or maybe a special shoot with my "forever Valentine." But we both got sick and neither of these plans quite worked out.

But on a bright sunny February afternoon, my younger Valentine and I took a book to the park and soaked up some vitamin D together. It was a really nice afternoon with someone I love so very much. And to top it off, he loves me too!

I think we've got this theme well covered!

P52 - Week 5 - Lines

I guess it's logical to follow the circle theme from last week with lines this week. And I had some fun ideas floating around my head for a local spot that has some cool lines.

But honestly, my day job got in the way this week. *sigh* It happens.

So, instead I went hunting around the house one morning before school/work to see what "lines" jumped out at me. And here is a sampling of what I found:

Funny enough, there were actually lots of circles and curves associated with a lot of these lines. That kind of made me chuckle as last week I was so certain I wouldn't be able to find much for that theme.

Hopefully next week, I will have more time to devote to the challenge.

P52 - Week 4 - Circles

This week's P52 theme was "circles or curves."

I was a little disappointed when I saw this was the subject as I was not sure I had anything that would really fit the bill. So I admit to dragging my feet a bit.

But as you can see, I was worried about nothing. There are LOTS of circles in my little world!

I chuckle a bit as I review these circle samples ... the top left photo is this odd little habit I have. Once I am done w/ a bottle of water or soda, I promptly get the bottle to recycling. But for some reason, I hold onto the caps and stack them in tiny pyramids around my desk. Can't explain why, but I do it. The next photo over is our "wine rack." Except we don't drink wine, so it's filled with Gatorade. Handy place to store it, let me tell ya! The next one over is a little do-dad that's been gracing my desk for so long that I'm not really sure where it came from any more. It was a gift. Something to keep me company while I work. Wish I could remember who gave it to me though.

To start off the second row, we have a pulley from a weight machine on our back porch. A dear friend gave us this contraption, but she didn't give us the assembly instructions. We managed to find them on-line, but I'll be danged if that wasn't one of the most onerous projects we've ever undertaken. In the middle is a pull from one of my kitchen cabinets. That swirly little pattern is just the right size for grabbing and pulling. And finally we have a water hose holder mounted on the back wall of the house. It's funny. I never really looked at that hose holder until this little challenge. It's actually very pretty. I'm happy to have paused a minute to really take it in.

P52 - Week 3 - B&W

This week's theme for the P52 challenge is 'black & white conversions.'

What makes a good b&w conversion for you?

My thoughts on this have changed through the years. In the past, I have craved high contrast b&w images with lots of true whites and blacks.

I went through a stage where I was craving a more subtle conversion. In fact, a lot of times I would only partially desaturate my images so that just the slightest hint of color was still visible. I have played with color overlays and sepia tones.

These days, there is no telling what flavor of b&w processing I will employ with any given photo.

For today's example, I fell near my original leanings - lots of contrast - though I hope it is not too much. The strings on his bow look a bit bright. I may have to go back and give this a second (or third or ...) attempt to find just the right conversion process.

For comparison's sake, here is the color image before processing:

P52 - Week 2 - Food

I don't know if this technically counts as food. It's more beverage than food, but I'm hoping the marshmallows make it count.

Decided to jazz up my boy's breakfast this week. Granted, he thought I was a bit nuts. But my real hope is that one day he'll find himself doing the same little things for his kiddos so that they will have daily reminders of just how much he loves them.

Just like I adore him.

P52 - Week 1 - New

The theme for week 1 in this P52 challenge is "new."

The first week of a new year seems to be chock full of "new" things! There are new toys still littering the house from Christmas. There are new resolutions floating around my head and my heart. How to chose the right "new" thing in my life for a photo this week?

In the end, I went with this quick iPad photo. These new shoes are part of my resolution to make fitter choices this year. It's not just about dropping weight (though that is vital). I need to make some sweeping changes in my health and this is quite literally the first step.

These kinds of changes do not come quickly or easily. But I am committed to giving it a go. In fact, if you want to see what I am up to with these efforts, check out my fitness blog.

Anyway ... the new shoes are to help motivate me to keep moving. They're light and flexible and the bright color makes me feel happy. That seems like a good place to start.

New Year, New Start

Well ... 2013 got here in the blink of an eye! WOW!

I make no apologies, that's the way life happens some times. But what I DO make is a new resolve to get back into the swing of things. And along those lines, I've joined a P52 group in order to help motivate me and move me along. So look for some new posts, at least one per week as we kick off 2013.

Happy New Year!

P52 - Week 52

For my final photo of the year, I am sharing a shot that I didn't actually take (though I did set the camera first):

Big thanks go to my better half for snapping this image of my mom and I. It's rare enough for me to come out from behind the camera, but doubly so to find mom and I together in the same frame.

I am so very thankful that she and Bubba and his family were able to make the trip up here for the holiday. And I can think of no better image to finish off this little challenge.

P52 - Week 51

for Week 51, you get a view of my own 'Prep & Landing' team:

Happy Holidays Everyone!

P52 - Week 50

Just a quick look at my Wonder Boy helping me set up for a holiday shoot with friends.

P52 - Weeks 48 & 49

Week 49:

Week 48:

P52 - Week 47

Still short on time, but wanted to get this out there.

I am SO thankful (for so many things) after all!

Catching Up a Bit

Life is nuts right now, so no words ... just pics and a lot of catching up:

Week 43:


Week 44:


Week 45:


Week 46:


More updates when things slow down. But at least I'm still snapping away. :)

P52 - Week 42

This week I want to share a photo with you that is all about the motion.

I find it hard to get the right amount of motion in a picture (usually displayed by blur). Too much and it's just another out of focus shot. Too little and you lose the impact that motion adds to the shot.

This is one of those shots where I think I at least came close to maintaining a proper balance. My main subject is the young man in blue (our dear friend AJ). Most of his body is in focus. His surroundings (the mat, the mirror, the flags) are all pretty crisp. But the other young man, the one about to hit the mat, is all a blur.

Judo is actually a pretty fast sport. Motion comes in quick bursts. Many is the time that I miss it all together. While other times I completely freeze the moment. I don't mind the complete freeze, but there are times when just the right amount of blur has a much greater impact.

I love this shot since it captures an exact moment while still managing to imply the velocity at which things move. I hope you will too.

P52 - Week 41

I think, if I could, I would specialize in sports photography with a leaning toward martial arts photos. Perhaps as a life long student, I am a bit biased towards martial arts photos, but I love the action and the unanticipated angles you see in a martial arts class.

This is one of those photos. The guy in grey is about to meet the mat. As someone who is on a first name basis with that mat, I understand the total loss of orientation that must have been going through his mind in the split second before he hit the ground.

I have really enjoyed the opportunity to sit in on a lot of the classes at the Academy over the last few weeks. And I look forward to the few I have yet to work into my schedule. Hopefully the dojo's web master will have plenty of images to play with as they update the website.