Mighty 8th Air Force Museum

I packed up the camera equipment, and headed over to the Mighty 8th Museum this afternoon. It's been here for several years, and this was my first trip.
The museum is very awesome. It carries you back in time, remembering, or for me, experiencing "The War To End All Wars."
A very surreal experience.
I set out with specific shots in mind that I wanted to capture. I was unsuccessful in that, but I had a chance to really play with the camera, and capture some great shots of the museum, the memorial gardens, and of course the chapel. The chapel contains the most incredible stained glass windows!
So, sit back, and enjoy my pictures from the Mighty 8th!

Photography Class

I just submitted my first assignment for my photography class! Thank God that assignment is over with! I had a hard time finding something in motion to freeze!
But, it was fun riding all over town getting some great pictures at the same time!
I don't typically go downtown. Too much traffic, too hard to find parking, too hot this time of year, too many tourists, yadda, yadda, yadda. But, I enjoyed it. I went to Forsyth Park Saturday, and a bride and her groom were at the fountain having their picture taken! I was working on action shots, so I didn't take any pictures of the happy couple. She was having a hard time walking in her heels on the cobblestones! LOL! And, sweating in the July heat!

So, here are the photos that I submitted for my assignment. The assignment was titled "Techniques" and we practiced manipulating aperture and shutter speed.

The first photo is manipulating aperture, and everything had to be in focus.



Second we were to use a smaller aperture, so the background would blur, and the focus is on the subject alone.



Then come the stupid action shots! :-P
First one is manipulating shutter speed to freeze action. There was not to be any blur at all. Which is very easy to accomplish when you are shooting in Auto mode, a little more difficult when you are in manual mode! I had to borrow the children next door for this picture!



And lastly, a photo with blurred motion. Keeping the shutter held open so the motion blurs, but the subject is still.



It's hard to see my "subject" in this shot. But, you will notice John is nice and still. The fire ball is a sparkler attached to a drill bit. Cool, huh?

Our next assignment is "Still Life". That will be much easier to find objects to photograph! Basically anything that stands still! I like things that stand still! LOL!
I just need to get creative in what I find to photograph.
Would alligators be considered "still life"? I guess if he isn't chasing the photographer, huh? LOL!

Working On My Class Assignment

I am discovering it's very hard to find subjects to take pictures of!
John is busy working, and doesn't want to be included in my class assignments. And the cat, well, let's just say he's more comfortable hiding from me, not posing for me!
This first assignment is all about "Technique". Learning how to shoot in manual, adjusting the aperture and shutter speed. Today I worked on adjusting Aperture. Notice in the first picture, using a high F-stop (F-16) everything in the photo is in focus.



Then, in the second, using a low F-stop (F 1.8), the subject comes into focus, and the background blurs, so you can concentrate on the subject, and not be bothered with a busy background.



Not the best example, still a work in progress.
The second part of the assignment is shutter speed. I have to work with a slow shutter. Needing some major inspiration for that. Maybe a trip downtown is in order?

Starting A New Dream

Anybody who knows me, knows I am ALWAYS behind the viewfinder of a camera!
I received my first camera as a child, and was constantly pushing it in people's faces. I cannot go on vacation without shooting a million pictures. John fusses that I can't be enjoying myself, because I am too busy taking pictures.
Wednesday night, I attended my first photography workshop! And I LOVED it! Now things are starting to make sense. I understood ISO and Aperture, and shutter speed. Just didn't understand how it all worked together at one time.
After the class, things are starting to click in my brain!
Who knows, maybe I just took the first step to my next profession? When we retire some day, I'd love to work as a photographer. Shooting families, and babies. Forget weddings, I don't need to be stressed out by some prima dona bridezilla! NOT my idea of retirement!
Today I was working on my first assignment shots. Well, dummy here thought her first assignment was "still lifes". I read the syllabus wrong. The first assignment is "techniques" using aperture, and shutter speed, not still lifes. Oh well, I'm ready for assignment 2, huh? LOL
Where else to go for Still Lifes than the cemetery?! Those who know me know I love cemeteries, and it was a great day to visit Bonaventure today.
These were shot entirely in manual mode, and were only sharpened for the internet, and re sized. No other "tweaking" was done to them.
Enjoy!

Tickled Pink

Some call it a fondness of the color pink, some might consider it a hobby (collecting anything that is pink in color). Ask my husband, or my friends, and they will probably say it's grown into an obsession to own anything that is pink! LOL

I was always a "girly-girl" when I was younger, but I did not have a passion for the color pink like I have now.

In my teen years I collected unicorns, in my 20's I collected boyfriends (giggle), in my 30's I tried to recapture my youth, and started collecting Barbies (maybe that's where the pink started?), with the sole intent to pass them along to a daughter one day, a daughter whom I never got. Then in my 40's, what may have started out as a fondness for pink, has turned into an all out struggle to capture anything pink, so I can have it for myself! I swear, if I could figure out a way, our bunny and cat would be pink too! You think I'm kidding……? :-)

When shopping for a wedding dress 6 years ago, of course the dress that caught my eye was pink. I didn't seriously set out to buy it, I noticed it, and remarked on how beautiful it was. It was the salesgirl's insistence that I try it on! She insisted so badly, it was the FIRST dress I tired on that day, just to make her happy! Of literally a dozen dresses that made it into the fitting room, only one came out on my body, yup, you guessed it, the pink one! I twirled in front of the mirror, and blushed, I did look good in that dress! But then the girl placed a rhinestone tiara on my head, and suddenly I was Cinderella. My friend Carol was with me, and when the tiara went on, the tears came out…yup, this was the dress!

Advance in time 3 years. My sweet husband let me turn a spare bedroom into my very own craft/sewing room! He drew the line at painting the walls pink, but anything else was fair game! So, I used pink as my inspiration. Now I find myself shopping for items, just for the color! The knick knacks on the shelves, the stapler and office supplies, the framed artwork on the walls, the clock, fuzzy pink shag rug on the floor, the switch plate covers, everything has pink in it in some form or another!

Then the obsession skyrocketed. If I see it, and it's pink, then it must be mine! A camera, a lap top, all of my computer accessories, a rockin' pink cell phone, my clothes, the roses in my garden. You name it, if it's pink, I probably have one! With the exception of my car, John draws the line there as well! And, if Apple would ever get off of their butts and make a pink ipod touch, it would be all mine! In the meantime, I am quite happy with my pink cover and of course matching headphones. :-)

Here are some pink things in my life, how many can you count?! LOL!



From left to right, my Sony Digital Reader with a pink cover and pink skin, a compact digital camera, my flamingo pink Dell computer, a small digital photo key chain, my ipod touch with a pink cover, pink external hard drive, pink LG Shine cell phone, and of course a pink mouse!

So…if you're ever stuck wondering what to get me as a gift, if it's pink, I might already have it, but a girl can't have too many pink things! Or can she…….? LOL!

America's Got Talent

John and I HATE reality tv with a purple passion! But, we do love America's Got Talent. In 2007, Terry Fador was our favorite, and indeed he went on to win!
The other night, the show ended with Kevin Skinner. A country guy from Kentucky who sang Garth Brook's song "If Tomorrow Never Comes". This is one of my all-time favorite Garth songs, Google the lyrics, it is totally awesome! Anyways, this guys starts out looking like a big dweeby country boy. He talks about catching chickens! doesn't speak very well, just real country-fied. Then, he starts playing his guitar, and better yet, he starts to sing! Oh my God! What talent! Every time I watch this video, I boo hoo cry these big ole crocodile tears! I can't control myself, they just flow from my eye sockets!
Watch it for yourself.
I sure hope this link works. I've tried to save it on my computer, but the only part that saves is the stupid commercial!