Project 365 - Day One Hundred And Eighty-Eight

I love going for drives and simply exploring.

Image taken 31 May 2011

I really wished I had some neutral density filters when I was taking this shot. It would have looked so beautiful if I could have blurred the water and shown a bit of movement in the clouds. When I eventually get some ND filters I'll have to remember to go back to that spot to see what I can get.

Until next time I hope your week has been going great.

Project 365 - Day One Hundred And Eighty-Seven

It's been a bit of a blah week for me. I my images have been slightly lacking of late. Not bad just not at the usual standard that I have been attaining. Part of this could probably be attributed to my feet.

Image taken 30 May 2011

They've been giving me a bit of trouble lately... So I thought they needed a spot on project 365. Now I just have to push through and come up with some fabulous concepts. I've got to do something to get the creativity flowing again.

Any suggestions?

Project 365 - Day One Hundred And Eighty-Six

I have taken a shot very similar to this before. But at least it's a different shaped vial. I like it that the glow of the vial very subtly lights the cork top.

Image taken 29 May 2011

I don't know why but this photo reminds me of a nursery rhyme or something. It's kind of magical... Don't you think?

Project 365 - Day One Hundred And Eighty-Five

I went for an explore of the local lake - away from everyone else - in order to find a decent backdrop for this week's self-portrait. Once I'd found an uninhabited corner I set about trying to get a decent shot... Of course immediately after I had finished setting up my equipment my little corner got a bit busy and I had some spectators watching me try to leap from behind the camera to in front of it. (I wonder if they were secretly hoping I'd fall into the water?...) But I had fun nevertheless. Once I get into my 'picture zone' I rarely get distracted.

Unfortunately due to my use of flash (I'm still learning how to use my external flash effectively) my dress just looks like a bright white splotch instead of reveling its beautiful pattern. Oh well I'll just chalk it up to experience and know what to do better next time. It's all part of the learning experience.

Image taken 28 May 2011

See that rock I'm standing on? It wasn't nearly as stable as it looks. I was wobbling all over the place. Not the best place for someone who has terrible balance to be standing but I managed to stay upright and not fall in. Unfortunately my remote shutter control wasn't so lucky. Right after this shot it took a little dip. I'm hoping that it has survived swim if I let it dry out a bit. Fingers crossed!

How's your weekend going?

Project 365 - Day One Hundred And Eighty-Four

Is anyone else having problems with blogger? Or is it simply my system throwing a tantrum? Anyway I digress...

I adore the soft light of a spectacular sunset. It is so amazing to be able to capture the beauty that surrounds me and to me sunsets are breathtaking.

Image taken 27 May 2011

The different layers of of light and color, the beautiful reflection in the water... Yep you can't get much better than a gorgeous sunset.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend ahead!

Project 365 - Day One Hundred And Eighty-Three

Of late my attitude and outlook has changed quite a bit. I used to be a melancholy type of person. I was forever focusing on what I didn't have and what I thought was 'wrong' with my life. But lately I'm looking at how fantastic my life is. Not my life in comparison to someone else but rather at what my life is right at this moment. I've got to tell you - I LOVE MY LIFE!

Image taken 26 May 2011

Sure it's not exactly what I thought it would be but it's fabulous just the same. When I let go of my negativity and constant comparisons I got to relax and simply enjoy my life. It's fun to enjoy to journey rather than focus on the 'what ifs'. What about you? Are you enjoying your life exactly where it is?

Until next time I hope that you are enjoying your life and making the most out of every step in the journey.

Project 365 - Day One Hundred And Eighty-Two

I've spoken before about my intense love of nighttime and my general 'night owl' behavior. Seriously I think there is something magical about the night - it's so much softer and full of unending possibilities. Having said all that I realized that it has been quite a while since I've taken a night shot. Day one hundred and eighty-two seemed like the perfect time to change that stat.

Image taken 25 May 2011

I love how the sea can turn into a gigantic mirror if you set your shutter to the right speed. It's all glowing and gorgeous. It makes my heart flutter. You can bet your bottom dollar that I'm going to make the most of these wonderful longer nights winter has given us.

Are you a night owl?

Project 365 - Day One Hundred And Eighty-One

Day one hundred and eighty-one saw me at home and stuck for ideas. Luckily my garden came to my rescue yet again. I have taken a photo of these flowers previously but I was interested to see if I could get a slightly more detailed shot. This is what I can up with:

Image taken 24 May 2011

These flowers are so tiny (about the size of a thumbnail) and delicate. I kind of adore them!

Stay tuned for more...

Project 365 - Day One Hundred And Eighty

It's been overcast, wet and cold today. The perfect sort of weather to snuggle under the covers and spend a few hours lost in a good book. So that's exactly what I did. It seemed like the perfect time to have some fun with food coloring.

Image taken 23 May 2011

I love the different shapes that you can get just by changing the height you drop the food coloring. It good, messy fun that's super easy to clean up.

Until next time... I hope your week is off to an amazing start.

Project 365 - Day One Hundred And Seventy-Nine

I love receiving things in the mail. Don't you? With the advent of email I rarely get mail these days - even the majority of my bills are delivered electronically. I like it that way but there is still something special about getting physical mail.

A few days ago I received a beautiful invitation to a very special event.

Image taken 22 May 2011

Hold tight another update is on the way

Project 365 - Day One Hundred And Seventy-Eight

Yesterday afternoon I went on a bit of a drive in order to take photos of pretty things I had not yet seen. Unfortunately not long into my drive it started to rain. Still I remained on my course desperate to not have a repeat of an uninspired photo. A few dashes into the rain later and I still hadn't come up with something I was happy with...

Then the clouds lifted slightly and the sun beautifully lit a stunning tree just waiting for its portrait to be taken.

Image taken 21 May 2011

After this photo was taken it started raining in earnest so I quickly scampered off to my car happy that I had managed to get a decent shot for the day.

Til next time... I hope your weekend has been wonderful!

Project 365 - Day One Hundred And Seventy-Seven

My idea for day one hundred and seventy-seven completely failed. So much so that I don't really want to share it -- it's just such a basic humdrum image. I'm a little embarrassed by it to be perfectly honest. But I will dutifully keep to the spirit of project 365 and share an image everyday no matter how much it makes me cringe.

Image taken 20 May 2011

I'm not really sure what I was trying to do... I think maybe I wanted the perfume bottle to look like it was lit from within and shining out as a bit of a beacon. It didn't turn out that way though. Instead looking like a random floating shiny ball. Oh well let's just chalk this one up to experience and move on shall we?

Project 365 - Day One Hundred And Seventy-Six

I do so love twirling! There's something about it the feels outrageously free. I love wearing a nice full skirt that can flare and fly anytime I want. There's that deliciously giddy moment when the rest of the world blurs and I feel like I could lift of and take flight. It reminds me of being a kid I suppose.

On day one hundred and seventy-six I wore a pretty dress that felt like it was made for twirling.

Image taken 19 May 2011

I can't decide if I like the black and white with a splash of color. Part of me likes how striking it is but part of me wonders if it's a little too sever. Hopefully as a get better at using Photoshop I'll figure out how to make it look a little more seamless. It took a huge amount of time to select when I wanted to keep in color partly because I was using a touch pad instead of a mouse - not the wisest idea in the world. In the original image - before I got to it with Photoshop - the wall was a horrible green color with bright red graffiti - very distracting.

What do you think? Do you like the black and white with a splash of color? Or would you have preferred to see the original image? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

More posts are on the way...

Project 365 - Day One Hundred And Seventy-Five

I have noticed that as I have become more and more interested (some may say obsessed) with photography that my ‘personal’ language has change. I’m more interested in the scene and artistic expression than whether a phrase follows the correct sentence structure. I think more in terms of aperture, depth of field and shutter speed instead of author intent.

Image taken 18 May 2011

Don’t get me wrong I’m still in love with the English language. I can get lost in a book in no time at all. I adore learning new words and I thoroughly enjoy writing (it would be hard to keep up a blog if I didn't enjoy writing). I even still fantasize about becoming a published author one day. It’s just not the be all and end all of my life any more.

Until next time... I hope your week has been enjoyable!

Project 365 - Day One Hundred And Seventy-Four

One thing I am learning through project 365 is the importance of light. You can dramatically change a photo by simply adding/reducing the amount of light on the subject. For example with the photo below I filled the shot with a harsh direct flash (something that I wouldn't normally do) and I think it makes the focal point stand out even more.

Image taken 17 May 2011

I know I featured these lilies only a couple of days ago but I was keen to make the most of them before they died. But it highlights another fabulous aspect of photography - you can photograph the exact same thing in a multitude of ways. There is ample opportunity for so much creativity.

Until next time... Take care blogger buddies!

Project 365 - Day One Hundred And Seventy-Three

I have a bit of a fascination with old/vintage things. There is such a sense of history in older items. Today on my adventuring I saw a beautiful old wagon and found myself instantly drawn to how rusty, weathered and worn it was. There was just so much character emanating from this cart. I knew it deserved a spot in project 365.

Image taken 16 May 2011

This wagon amazes me - to think that it was made (I'm assuming) before modern day machinery was invented... Who knew there could be such craftsmanship in a simple wagon? I wonder what stories it would tell if it could talk? It must have seen the world go through drastic changes.

Until my next post I hope your week is off to an amazing start!

Project 365 - Day One Hundred And Seventy-Two

There has been a bit of a cold snap of late. Well... cold for Brisbane anyway which isn't really that cold in reality. It is the perfect kind of weather to enjoy a well made cup of tea. There's something soothing about a nice cup of hot tea on a cold night.

Image taken 15 May 2011

I like the warmth of this photo - it kind of captures the warming quality of a piping hot cup of tea. The slightly translucent nature of my cute tea set somehow magnified the light from the candle sitting inside. I think it would make a lovely centerpiece. Are you a fan of hot drinks?

I hope you had a wonderful weekend!

Project 365 - Day One Hundred And Seventy-One

I decided to treat myself to a bunch of flowers and they were just begging, begging for their photo to be taken. I was more than happy to oblige.

Image taken 14 May 2011

The beautiful pink, the pristine white anchored in green makes my heart flutter. Lilies are simply beautiful flowers. My home always seems brighter when I have a bunch of these sitting on my dining room table.

Until my next post I hope you have a fantastic weekend!

Project 365 - Day One Hundred And Seventy

So you might feel a bit: 'Whoa. Back off. Two self-portraits in one week? Ease up a bit'. Don't worry this isn't becoming a habit. In truth I hadn't intended to take another self-portrait (one a week is more than enough for me). But I met up with a friend for coffee and I figured while I was all dressed up I may as well make the most of it.

Image taken 13 May 2011

I like it that the blue dress complements the peacock feather in my hair. There was a plethora of wildlife in the river behind me - ducks, turtles, a jumping fish. It is quite a spectacular area and I fully intend to go back there in the future to try my hand at a bit of wildlife photography.

How was your week?

Project 365 - Day One Hundred And Sixty-Nine

Okay so it's no secret that I'm a huge fan of sunsets. I would really like to capture more sunrises but the simple truth is is that I'm hardly ever up in time. I am most defiantly not a morning person but I'm going to try and fit in a few more sunrises.

So I headed to the local lake to try and capture the different layers of the fleeting light. I always find there is something so beautiful about the fleeting sun bidding yet another day goodbye.

Image taken 12 May 2011

I like the sun flare... Sun flares aren't everyone's cup of tea in fact quite a few photographers go out of their way to avoid them. But not me. I like to see what different effects can happen. Shooting directly into the sun can produce such wonderfully different results. So I'm quite happy with the random rainbow spot. It gives it character.

Until next time I hope your day has been wonderful filled with joy and unexpected beauty.

Project 365 - Day One Hundred And Sixty-Eight

As I was hanging out the washing I herd a rustling noise coming from my nearby lemon tree. I went to investigate and a caterpillar was making quick work of the leaves. The cheeky thing!! Eating my beautiful lemon tree in plain sight - the least it could have done is wait until I was back inside so I didn't have to witness the devastation.

Image taken 11 May 2011

I would have liked to get this photo from a different angle but my lemon tree has massive spikes and my hands were already getting scratched up. So this is the best I could do. I do like the slight curve in its little body.

I wonder if it smells lemony because it's been eating lemon leaves? I'm not brave enough to test the theory. Until next time I hope you're Wednesday has been wonderful (unless your reading this in another time zone. If so, change the day accordingly)

Project 365 - Day One Hundred And Sixty-Seven

I have a really gotten into online shopping recently. Anything that keeps me out of those horrible changing rooms is okay with me. With the great Australian dollar at the moment I am making the most of the bargains that can be had out there at the moment.

My most recent find is the ASOS US store. I love it!! There are so many pretty dresses (and in case you haven't noticed I do so love a pretty dress). This online store has amazing prices (especially when you convert to Australian Dollars) and - get ready for the best bit - FREE SHIPPING!! Here's a picture of one of my recent purchases.

Image taken 10 May 2011

This dress is awesome for twirling! I'll have to try and get a photo of it sometime. You can't see it very well in this photo but I have a massive bruise on my upper left arm. It must have happened sometime during the busyness of Saturday. I didn't even notice it until I went to bed that night. I suppose that's what happens when you are completely focused on the task at hand.

Are you an online shopper? Until my next post I hope you are enjoying your week.

Project 365 - Day One Hundred And Sixty-Six

Today has been a super chilled out, super relaxing sort of day. Sheer bliss! It gave me a chance to get my blog back up-to-date and simply enjoy the magnificent surroundings of my mum's house.

In fact the only major event of the day was when I went for a little walk around the town. In the center of the little town is a beautiful square with playground equipment, a war memorial and park benches scattered in amongst the turf and trees. But what really got my attention was the tree lined sidewalk. The leaves were turning that gorgeous golden/orange-y color before leaving the tree nude for the winter (something I rarely see around Brisbane. It's far too temperate).

Image taken 09 May 2011

As I looked at this marvelous spectacle I had to wonder if anyone ever makes 'fallen leaves angels' (you know like 'snow angels' instead of being in snow you try it in some fallen leaves). I would have loved to try it but there weren't enough leaves on the ground. Have you ever made a 'fallen leaves angel'? How did it turn out?

Until my next post take care of yourselves my beautiful readers and try to take some time to appreciate the little things in life.

Project 365 - Day One Hundred And Sixty-Five

One hundred and sixty-five days down only two hundred more to go! I am still really enjoying the project. It's so much fun! Sure you get a few sub-par photos but for the most part it's a great way to see improvement in technique and realize how special life is.

Anyway on day one hundred and sixty-five I loaded up my gear into mum's car to go spend a few days up at her house. I love spending time with my mum. She's amazing!! Not just on Mother's day but every single day I am so thankful to have such an wonderful mum. When we spend time together there's lots of laughter until tears are running down my face as I begin to beg for a chance to catch my breath. All in all a wonderful way to spend a few days.

When we were making out way up to her house we noticed a fog slowly lifting from the valley... Can anyone say beautiful photo? So we quickly pulled over so I could make the most of the sublime setting.

Image taken 08 May 2011

There's something wonderfully mysterious about fog. I always feel like Heathcliff or Mr Darcy could come striding out of the miry depths at any moment... Excuse me for a moment while I swoon...

There were so many beautiful sights as we made the journey from my place to her's. One that particularly caught my eye was a bridge that still stood despite the massive flooding that had swept through the area. I was captivated by its character and details...

The setting sun signaled the end to a lovely day as I snapped one last picture before settling in for the night.

I love how clouds paint the sky adding depth, dimension and texture. It's simply glorious!

Until my next post I hope that you had a lovely weekend and that your week is off to a fantastic start!

Project 365 - Day One Hundred And Sixty-Four

Okay confession time... On day one hundred and sixty-four I never even touched my DSLR (oh the horror!)! But this brings me to the news I have been alluding to in my last few posts...

I have had the amazing opportunity to work as a photographer's assistant for a phenomenal professional photographer! It has been a marvelous experience. It's really something else to watch how the pro's really do it. A very different experience to me just taking whatever shots I want it. I am learning SO much through the entire experience - stuff I've never really thought about before. I am loving every moment of it! The photographer is so talented and has been in the industry for years -- I am trying to act like a sponge and absorb as much as possible!

Anyway on day one hundred and sixty-four I was assisting the photographer as she was shooting a wedding! So it was go, go, go in order to capture the beautiful moments of the day. As you can imagine there wasn't really the time (or appropriate) for me to get out my little consumer DSLR to get the shot of the day.

But never fear I had my new HTC Desire HD with me so I quickly snapped a shot at one of the locations.

Image taken 07 May 2011

So I gave it a vintage treatment just to make it look a bit more interesting. I am loving my new phone (slash toy -- I'm a bit of a gadgets geek!). The camera on it is quite amazing. It boasts eight megapixels - that's better than my last 'real' camera! Plus you can try out a heap of different effects if you want to get a different look. It will never replace my DSLR but it's quite handy when I can't lug my DSLR around.

Yep I love my new phone... (did you know I can now blog on the go if I want to?). It's so much fun playing with it and setting it up just the way I want it. Plus it has proven to be an invaluable tool in helping me to get organized (calender, email, text messages, and a heap of other thing all at my finger tips). For more info on the phone click here... And if you're in the market for a new phone I can highly recommend it!

So what's new with you?

Project 365 - Day One Hundred And Sixty-Three

If I were in the habit of naming my posts anything other than what day I'm at this one would surely be: "Eat Your Heart Out Alice". I brought this cute little outfit and decided to give it its maiden voyage when I caught up with some friends on Friday night. One of my friend's commented that said outfit looked very Alice in Wonderland (a high complement indeed). But instead of showing you the whole outfit I went for a 'my perspective/ sneaky peek' kind of thing.

Image taken 06 May 2011

My intention was for a completely different photograph. I wasn't even planning to take one of myself at all. But after two days at home I needed to go and get a few things... and it ended up taking most of the day.

So this photo was born out of an 'oh-my-gosh-there's-only-half-an-hour-left-of-today-and-I-still-haven't-gotten-my-shot' kind of moment. Not my best shot by any means but I kind of like it... It feels like what Alice might have seen just before she fell down the rabbit's hole.

What did you get up to this week?

Project 365 - Day One Hundred And Sixty-Two

Another rest day -- all the while realizing that I am beginning to run out of things to photograph at home. But my art supplies came to my rescue...

Image taken 05 May 2011

I've mentioned before that I'm a fairly creative person - drawing, writing, painting, sewing - you name it and I've probably at least attempted it at one time or another. Now drawing I'm not so good at - you most defiantly won't see any samples popping up on this blog any time soon. But that doesn't stop me from collecting pencils. Pencils of every description - graphite, charcoal, watercolor one, and colored pencils of every color, size and description. I think I like having them on hand for it I ever get a truly great concept that just had to be expressed instantly. They are like my 'safety blanket' art supplies... It remains to be seem if I'll ever use them.

What about you? Do you have a 'just in case' collection? If so, what is it?

Project 365 - Day One Hundred And Sixty-One

So day one hundred and sixty-one rolled around and I was feeling pretty lousy. Lousy enough to wonder about the actual benefits of the sinuses. I knew I had a busy Saturday looming and I needed to be at my best (again more on that in a later post... don't you just hate being left hanging?). There was nothing for it but to snuggle down in bed.

Yet again it fell to my garden to provide me with something to photograph.

Image taken 04 May 2011

These charming white, velvet-y flowers are basically looking after themselves in a little pot all on their lonesome. I really should give this plant a little more attention. I mean, I didn't even realize there were tiny purple dots on the petals until I was reviewing this shot on my computer screen.

Do you ever miss things in your own backyard?

Project 365 - Day One Hundred And Sixty

Wow!! Sorry for the unintended blogger break there folks (almost a whole week... that's despicable). But between a pretty busy week - more on that in an upcoming post - and horrible sinusitis (it feels like a pressure cooker under my face) I have barely had time to load my photos onto my computer let alone anything else... My poor Google reader is filled to bursting!

But right now I want to talk about the weather. The weather is a bit of a topic in my family (and the source of a few well intentioned jokes). Well I was in the city on day one hundred and sixty getting ready to take my shot of the day and it started bucketing down. You can't see it well in the photo but it was a veritable waterfall. I decided to shoot from the hip and try my hand at a bit of street photography.

Image taken 03 May 2011

It was interesting to watch peoples reactions as they sprinted across when the pedestrian light said go. It was bedlam! Anyone would think people were worried they would melt in the rain or something. So it's blurry and soft in focus but that's because everyone was moving so, so fast.

I have noticed that Queenslands (as a vast generalization - though the same may hold true in other areas) tend to complain bitterly when there's been no rain but the minute the first raindrop falls to the Earth there is bitter complaint about how wet it it... The grass is always greener I guess. But then maybe I don't understand because I'm the type of person who loves to wander/dance in the rain (though I couldn't on this occasion because I had my camera kit with me and cameras and water generally don't mix).

What are your feelings about this wonderful wet stuff?

Project 365 - Day One Hundred And Fifty-Nine

Hello to my new subscriber! Thanks for following. Thank you to everyone for following and/or for reading. I hope you enjoy reading this blog as much as I do writing it! I'd love to hear from you.

So looking back I've noticed that almost all of my self-portraits are of me right next to a fence post. There's a very defiant reason for this... It gave me something to focus on. When I'm setting up the shot I am (obviously) behind the camera - meaning I can't focus on me (if you can follow that logic). So I have always used a fence post as my focal point.

Today I decided to change that. So I headed to a relatively uninhabited park and set about the task at hand.

Image taken 02 May 2011

The focus isn't dead on unfortunately. But I'm hoping to get better at getting it just right. It just take practice and building my knowledge base. So you may be wondering how I focused on something that wasn't there. I carried a broom with me - turning it upside-down, balancing the handle in my camera bag and focusing on the bristles. It must have looked a little strange. A few people walked by stopping to politely ask me why I was carrying around a broom. Rather hard to explain to people who don't understand that a DSLR works differently to a point and shoot camera.

Please forgive my pasty white legs... Now you see why I have worn stockings in all my other self-portraits! I really like this outfit - it really accentuates my curves. My favorite aspect of it is probably the belt. The tan color really compliments the deep purple of the knit dress. Most of all I feel fantastic, pretty, and confident when I'm wearing it -- all you can want from an outfit. I really got into the 'dress up' vibe even going so far as to put on a pair of wedge heels (only for the photo and even then they were so painful!). I think this may become my favorite winter outfit. Do you have favorite seasonal outfits? Or is that just something I do?

So that's what I was doing when news about Bin Laden was announced. What were you doing? What's your opinion about it all? I hope you've had a wonderful day and a great start to the week!

Project 365 - Day One Hundred And Fifty-Eight

Well wow! I can't believe it's May already. Is it just me or is this year absolutely flying? Blink and you'll miss it sort of fast.

Life is pretty fantastic I think. For a great many of reasons one of which being I got to witness a magnificent sunset. And any day I get to appreciate a beautiful sunset it a pretty good day in my opinion. Now I was driving at the time of 'full' sunset so I pulled over as fast (and as safely) as possible in order to quickly snapped a photo of the fast disappearing sun.

Image taken 01 May 2011

Unfortunately I missed the main event but I still like the play of light and shadow. As a happy accident a flock (?) of birds just happen to fly by as I clicked the shutter button. I kind of like how it turned out. What do you think?

How was your weekend? I hope that it was magnificent and that your week is looking fine and dandy.