Sunday's Assignment

Illustrate or show depth of one kind or another in a photograph today.

Haven't decorated much of my tree yet.  Actually, I haven't done anything other than put it up.  I was waiting for the little guys to come over but it may be Christmas before they do.  I like to hang ornaments more in the back of the tree than on the branches where little fingers can grab them.  So we have a little mouse hanging out in the back of the branch, waiting for some other friends to join him.

Shot with P.  iso 1600.  +2 exposure and auto white balance.

Friday's Assignment

Double up on your art today.  Make a photograph of something else that you've created or crafted.

Afghan part 3.  There aren't many things that I've actually created or crafted in my house.  I suppose if I thought about it I might have come up with something besides my crochet projects.  I have lots of brown in my living room and figured it was time to have a brown afghan.  I've named this project afghan part 3 as I continue to make the same kind of zigzag afghan.  I haven't gotten too far along- it'll be summer before I know it.

Shot with P- iso was 1600.  +2 exposure and auto white balance.

Thursday's Assignment

Make a photo today that features a hand in a creative way.

Yikes!  Look how muted this picture is.  The more pictures I took of my hand the more I realized that I am getting older.  Saggy skin, wrinkles, popping veins.  I am beginning to look more and more like my mom, whom I adored dearly.  Her hands were not her best feature, but to be honest, her skin was super sensitive to dish detergent.  No matter what she did they always looked "weathered."  I wanted to get a close-up of my fingers as I am suffering horribly from split skin near my nails.  Couldn't figure out a way to hold my camera to get close enough.  Unfortunately, I was too lazy to get out my tripod so that didn't work.  Ended up throwing in a glove which I've been wearing at night.  It's the only way I can lather on hand cream in the hopes that my skin will be healed by the morning.  I can only hope....  Anyhow, this photo really shows that I don't know what I'm doing when it comes to photography.  When I posted it yesterday my skin was yellow, the table was yellow, the cast from the light was yellow.  I thought I had changed the lighting in photoshop but when I uploaded the photo to this site I see that it's as yellow as ever.  I decided to go back today and try to lighten it but now I have less color- should just do black and white!  Maybe I should just take a hundred photos, changing the shutter speed ever so slightly.  Perhaps then I can find ONE useable picture.

Shot with P today.

Saturday's Assignment

Go for an unusual point of view and make a photograph that can only be made from that viewpoint.

Laid on the floor for awhile shooting a variety of shots.  Used the program mode but couldn't get everything in focus.  The viewfinder showed L so kept trying to lighten it but as you can see the picture is pretty dark.  For the most part the room I was in was dark and the only light came from the door of the house.  There is a small amount of light in the livingroom but not exactly what I was looking for.  You don't get the idea that there is a shingled roofline and extended porch.  I kept moving back but then the girl was less in focus.  Tried using my dad's old lens but no luck with macro- not even sure if that works on the lens as it's so old.  Then I tried the short lens and eventually my 18-55mm- even tried using the flash but then the entire house was lit up.  I really only wanted to front door and living room to be the focus of the picture but I would have liked a little more definition for the porch and roof.

Shot using P- +2 exposure and dot matrix.  Iso 1600.  White balance auto.

Friday's Assignment

Make a photograph today that visually communicates a sound.  Your choice of sound, but do your best to make us "hear" it.

This was actually yesterday's assignment but I forgot to post it.  I was experimenting with my f/1.8 lens while visiting my son.  This is the lens that was recommended when Deb and I did our first class- recommend anything and I'm on it.  I guess it's good for portrait and indoor setting but I hardly use it.  And what the #%$ does f/1.8 really mean?  Now that I'm writing this I guess it might relate to the focal length.  And I did shoot this with no flash, probably in Program.  I'm getting pretty good using P instead of automatic.  And before I know it I might have some knowledge when it comes to using S, M, and A.  But I thought a raging fire would be a good choice for "imagined" sound.  The fire was burning pretty hot and the wood was doing a fine job of crackling.  I hardly ever use our fireplace but do enjoy the ambiance.

Shot with P- yippee.

Friday's Assignment

Illustrate the idea of time in a photograph today.  Be as literal or abstract as you want to be with your interpretation.

Decided to place this timer on the oven so that the white wouldn't look washed out on the counter.  Funny how the white of the timer looked brighter in the viewfinder than it does in this picture.  I experimented with exposure composition but I still don't understand what I'm trying to accomplish.  I guess that's another question for the next photography class.  I set the camera for florescent lighting and no flash but not quite the effect that I was hoping to get.  I tried to focus on the actual time but the numbers look clearer than the time does.   That happens a lot and I'm not sure if I move the camera while I am focusing or not thinking about what I am looking at.

Shot with manual setting today using P.

Thursday's Assignment

Double your art today.  Make a photo of something you've created or crafted.

I'm backkkkkkk.  Returned to work in August and my desire to use my camera has been non-existent.  No energy to do much of anything once I get home.  But a friend of mine hooked us up with this great photography teacher and once again I am motivated.  We had our first class on Tuesday.  This is our fourth attempt at trying to learn our way around our 35mm cameras.  The first three times we had "instructors" who stood in front of us and power pointed us to death.  This time we actually have someone who will work hands on with the two of us.  I truly am a novice- even after an hour and a half I can't remember half of what she told us to do.  This is actually yesterday's assignment but I thought it was today's so will keep this picture.  When I looked through my view finder I thought the picture was light enough but now I can see it is pretty dark.  I have the camera set on P for program.  The light was coming from my sliding glass doors- think it was around 5 or so.  Not cloudy but obviously dusk.  I am hoping she can look at it and tell me in first grader language what I need to do to improve on this photo.

Shot with P today- I've graduated from automatic!

Monday's Assignment

Today's number is 5.  Make a photo that illustrates the number in some way, either literally or abstractly.

My feet have never been my favorite feature- but I am trying to keep the nails polished more frequently.  The baby toenail has never fully developed and now I have other nails that appear to list to the side.  Unfortunately, I am not a big fan of pedicures.  I am extremely ticklish and I don't like anyone scraping or sanding these sensitive areas.  I do love having my feet rubbed though, but can't get anyone in the household to take over that job.  If I could just have the pedicure people give me a foot message and skip the torture I'd be in heaven.  Not sure if you can see the bruise on top of my foot- hazard of wearing leather sandals all day long.  I am not big a big fan of sandals either but decided to wear them to school and of course I'm having to deal with the consequences.

Taken with automatic settings today.

Sunday's Assignment

Make a photograph using a hard light today.  Feature the crisp and strong shadows as a major element of your photograph.

What exactly does that mean- hard light?  Even if I research the term "hard light" I'm still not sure what it means.  I find that some of the recent assignments have caused me to question my knowledge about photography- which to be honest is obviously lacking.  Is that where an art background comes in handy?  I spoke to someone recently who said that in photography, we need to look at the world as two dimensional.  How do I go about doing that?  Is that what good photographers do?  Frustrating to say the least, I do need to look into some additional photography classes.  What I've taken so far is just about the mechanics of the camera.  There's so much more to learn.

Taken with automatic setting today.

Sunday's Assignment

Challenge: Sympathy can be difficult to express in words.  Make an image suitable for the cover of a condolence card.

I think this photo does need some help.  I doesn't scream sympathy to me.  I think the green in the background distracts from the simplicity that it needs.  Most of my flowers are looking rather sad anyway and on a condolence card you'd want something that has sharp colors and lines.  I think I may have been able to work it in Photoshop to bring out more of a soothing look instead of a hodgepodge of green and pinks.

Taken with automatic setting today.

Saturday's Assignment

Visit a park today--national, amusement, playground--and make a photo of something that catches your eye.

Here's my little piece of a park- which is what Ellie calls it.  I set up the slide last year thinking that she and her brother would spend hours climbing the slide.  If they spend 5 minutes on it that's probably 4 and a half minutes too long.  She's really not an outside girl- especially if she sees a bug.  Maybe when her brother gets older he may be more inclined to climb on it.  I put in the arbor this summer thinking I would sit there watching them play.  Where was my brain???  To be honest, the number of mosquitos hovering around is enough to prevent much play.  Those pests seem to have gotten worse as the summer's progressed.  But I spent long hours setting up this area to make it not only a place to go but something that is appealing to the eye.  I guess that should be enough for me.  But really....what was I thinking?  Someday I will look back on this photo and hopefully see an abundance of clematis climbing up the trellis.  And who knows.  Maybe the next family who moves into this house will enjoy my "playground".

Shot with manual setting today.

Friday's Assignment

Insects are everywhere.  Photograph a bug in your environment (no spiders- they're arachnids).

Stood out in the garden waiting for something to land on the coneflowers.  They seem to get the most action in my garden.  Got rather close to a bumblebee but it made a beeline for me so I moved on to bigger and better things.  Standing still was nearly impossible as the mosquitos are out in full force.  As soon as I moved they moved toward me.  I think I got a few bites in a matter of seconds.  But I digress.  I happen to notice this poor butterfly- if you can zero in on it you'll notice that the wings are rather weather beaten.  Even the color was muted so I wasn't sure if it was alive but could see the wings move ever so slowly.  So I quickly took a picture and of course it's not quite in focus.  Unfortunately, I had to bend over to swat a mosquito and when I looked back it was gone.  Don't know if it fell to the ground or took off but I had enough of the mosquitoes and headed for the protection of my house.

Due to the mosquito onslaught this photo was shot with automatic setting today.

Thursday's Assignment

Fabric: we wear it, sleep on it, decorate with it.  Make a photo of an interesting cloth design or texture.

I am not one for patterns or any fabric other than cotton.  But in my skinnier days I tended to buy and wear skirts- skirts of all fabrics and patterns.  I ordered this long skirt and top thinking that one day I could wear it to a summer wedding.  But alas...no summer wedding and of course it no longer fits.  Such is my life.  But I'm hanging onto the out as you never know.

Shot with automatic setting today.

Monday's Assignment

Today's theme is the color pink.  Find something that's pink and make a creative photo.

One of my later blooming plants- in fact it comes so late that I can never remember the name of it.  But now I do and along with the word Hibiscus comes that evil little bugger called the Japanese beetle.  Before the morning I know that this very perfect flower will have tons of holes in it and probably many fat beetles hanging with sated appetites.  I hope I can keep ahead of them with my mega bottles of deet or whatever the bug killer is called.  I've pretty much let my garden go to the pits with the slugs and white flies and aphids.  But I draw the line at Japanese Beetles.  This war begins today.

Shot with manual setting today.

Friday's Assignment

Double your art today.  Take a photo of something you've created or crafted.

So as not to offend anyone.....  It is from my ceramic collection back in the 70's.  I made two for my dad- I suppose I have both somewhere as I'm sure I inherited them once he died.  He thought it was pretty funny.  You'd have to know my dad- he had such an odd sense of humor.   But the pair made it across the country...from Chicago to Phoenix to Seattle and then back home again.  Obviously they were handled with care.  (Decided not to post the picture as I do have my job to think about...)

Shot with automatic setting today- a storm is a coming!

And then yesterday's assignment....

Rotate your camera today a bit and make a slightly off angle photograph.  Use the photograph to emphasize the subject.

As usual I didn't quite follow the assignment.  But I did find something that was off angled and that's the huge limb that's protruding from the maple in our backyard.  It hangs precariously over our house and I fear that everytime a storm rolls through the limb (or tree) will find it's way on to the top of our house.  I asked dh if he thought the limb might just land on the roof or actually poke a hole through it.  He figures the tree weighs tons and tons so maybe we'll be inline for a new second story.  Always wanted to add a fourth bedroom (and master bath with soaker tub)!

Shot with automatic setting today...that storm is still a coming!

Saturday's Assignment

Find something that's out of context today, natural or staged, and make a photograph.

Don't know how this pillow pet ended up here.  If it had any idea it would have thought otherwise.  Maybe you can tell that this used to be the trunk of a rather nice looking car- a '95 Impala.  But then we upgraded to a mini van and I oh so wished someone would have bought this car off of us or that we would have traded it in.  But for some reason my dh thought that it would be a great idea to remake this car- from the head lights to the tail lights.  It does keep him occupied, although I wished he would take more of an interest in some necessary home repair.  I guess he could be spending his days sitting in front of the television so I should be grateful.  So for now the house is not high on his priority list.  Darn!

Shot with manual settings today.

Wednesday's Assignment

Make a photo from a low point of view.  Go for a dramatic effect by changing the appearance of the size of your subject.

It's hot, hot, hot, outside today.  After hours of staining I finally got around to taking a few photographs.  There aren't a lot of flowers in my garden right now- or if there were I couldn't get low enough to take their picture.  I have a row of coneflowers that have been slowly filling in.  Not quite sure why this picture looks so dark.  I used automatic and when I looked in the LCD panel it looked a lot lighter.  Maybe because I was kind of shooting toward the sun.  I was hoping that a butterfly might land on the flower but of course, that didn't happen.  This has really been the year for butterflies- mostly monarchs and occasionally a swallowtail.   I wish I had flowers that attracted hummingbirds but for now I'll settle for the butterflies.

Shot with automatic setting today.

Tuesday's Assignment

Corners are everywhere.  Make a photo of an interesting corner today, capturing its light and angles.

Now that I've taken this picture I'm not quite sure what I was focusing on.  I see the corner of the slats but they aren't in focus.  I can see that the brace below the slats is the only thing that's really in focus and obviously that was not my intention.  But here's a snapshot of what I was doing today- and that was staining a 6 ft arbor with bench seat.  By the time I finished the 5 and a half hours of staining I could hardly uncurl the fingers of my right hand.  Never thought it would take me this long.  But with any staining project I have another full day ahead of me to put the second coat on it.  And if my husband has his way I'll have to put a coat of polyurethane on top of that.  I'd opt for one more coat and then I'll want to call it quits.

Shot with automatic settings today- couldn't get my fingers positioned to fool with manual settings so its the best I could do.

Here are the two photos that I didn't get posted for Sunday and Monday.

Sunday's assignment had to do with taking a picture that was all the same color showing highlights and low lights.  Sure wish I remembered what the name of these plants are.
Shot with manual settings today.

Monday's assignment had to do with taking a portion of a picture.  I don't think I actually did that.  The portion is really taken from the top looking down.  It's of an angel that my very best friends gave to me when my mom died years ago.  It always means so much to me and I look forward to adding it to my garden every summer.  She was certainly the angel of my life and I hope she is still looking down on me trying to guide me through my days.

Shot with automatic setting today.

Saturday's Assignment

Who are you?  Make a self portrait today and show the rest of us what you look like.

Well, meet my grungy shoes.  This is really what I look like all summer- gym shoes and socks.  Never one to wear sandals- I guess I like the support that tied shoes give me.  Even when it's blazing hot outside I'm still wearing socks and gym shoes.  I guess you could call these my gardening/mowing/go to the store shoes.  It's usually when I'm in a hurry and don't want to put on my semi white gym shoes.  You probably can't tell that I'm resting them on my very new arbor with seat.  Got it this week and dh helped put it together today.  Only took us about 6 hours.  Didn't realize that I would have to stain and water proof the dang thing before I can put it out in the yard.  (Reminds me of the Pella windows that I have yet to paint and we've had those a few years now.  But out of sight out of mind!!)  Also says we should sink the legs in concrete to prevent it from flying around the yard.  I suppose we should but it's pretty heavy and neither one of us feels like digging a hole.  Maybe I could put a chain around one of the legs and wind the chain around one of our trees.  That way if the tree crashes on the house then it won't matter if the arbor follows the same path.

Shot with automatic setting today- too tired to think.

Thursday's Assignment

Make a photo with the number 4 in it one way or another.  Maybe 4 items.  Maybe a written number.  Maybe more abstract.

Tried to experiment with the manual settings on the camera.  The beads in this picture seem to be more green than yellow.  When I looked through my LCD lens they looked pretty yellow.  Now I don't know.  It looked like I was doing okay with catching the color but now I am not so sure.  I don't spend a lot of time evaluating my shots nor do I spend a lot of time with preliminary set up.  I seem to be in such a rush when I want to take a picture.  I think it's because I have so much to do and trying to fit everything into a 24 hour day- and not being too successful doing it all.

Shot with manual settings today.

Tuesday's Assignment

Today's theme is the color blue. Blue sky. Blue plate. Blue m&ms.  Make a photo of something blue and post it today.

In between storms I rushed out to get a picture of my blue fountain.  I love this fountain so very much but it seems to drain much faster so I am filling it up just about every day.  I have several favorite fountains,not to mention this one.  It has much meaning in my yard and is a pleasure to put out every year.

Shot with automatic setting today.

Sunday's Assignment

It's Independence Day in the US (fireworks!).  Make a photo with celebration as the theme, wherever you are.

Watching fireworks is never on the top of my favorite things to do list.  They're pretty and all but my feeling is if you seen one you've seen them all.  All I can think about are crowds, bugs, and crying kids.  My oldest hated listening to the loud noises until he was around 5 and the youngest always slept through the big occasion.  These days I've chosen to look at the community fireworks from the comfort of my front porch- mostly because my dog would go nuts and I would be close to lend a hand if necessary.  Unfortunately, over the years the trees have grown enormously and our once unobstructed viewpoint is no more.  But every once-in-awhile there's a partial view of a cascading firework.  Sometimes it makes the wait worthwhile.

Shot with automatic settings today.

Wednesday's Assignment

Make a photograph of something circular and crop it within a square frame.

Okay- so this is boring but it is round and it is within a square.  And I actually used my manual settings to take this picture.  The most interesting thing is that the ? which usually appears in my viewfinder did not appear this time.  Not sure if it was because there was enough light reflecting off the white of the bowl to enable a decent shot.  On a sad note though....my Sony point and shoot camera died.  It's a few years old but had been working up until recently, but it appears the CCD (which has something to do with the squiggily lines running up and down in the LCD panel) chip has died.  Sony was replacing them up until March as I guess they were defective but their free repair is no longer in effect.  It's nice to have something else to use when I don't want to be carrying around a clunky 35 mm so I guess I'll be doing some shopping via amazon.com.

Shot with manual setting today.

Tuesday's Assignment

What's your favorite device to access the internet?  Make a photograph of it today.

When I took this picture using the automatic setting the keyboard came out awfully dark.  For whatever reason I couldn't get the flash to go off.  Guess I should have found a darker room to shoot in.  I uploaded it into photoshop and used the auto fix to lighten it up a little.  Must be the silver against the white that disables the flash.  Haven't spent much time fooling around with manual settings.  Where I thought I would have all the time in the summer that's not the case.  Too many things to do and little time to do them all.  I do like coming up with the shots- just the process that eludes me.  And perhaps the next time this assignment comes up I'll have an ipad to shoot instead of this laptop.  Just dreaming.....

Shot with automatic setting today.

Monday's Assignment

Go high key today.  Make a photograph that's all bright tones or dominated by white.

I kind of drew a blank on this one today even though I may have mentioned that I wished my house was all white- walls, carpet, tile, etc etc.  So I resorted to dragging a few items out of the cupboard that were white and attempted to stage them- unfortunately, I'm not getting the stark white that I was looking for.  What is that brown tone at the bottom of the picture?  And how come the cup has a darker hue to it?  Even though I was using automatic setting the color of the picture would change the closer or further I got from the cups.  Finally decided to add some water to the coffee cup and for whatever reason the flash went off.  Moving around the cups didn't seem to make any difference.  Not exactly the kind of picture I wanted to take today but I waited too long and was somewhat mentally exhausted by the end of the day.

Shot with automatic setting today.

Friday's Assignment

Weekend whimsy.  Make a photograph of something that tickles your funny bone.  Caption it accordingly.

Have lots of butterflies flitting around our yard this summer.  Yesterday we had three flying in and out and between our cars for several minutes.  Of course, when they'd land they'd close up their wings and the beauty of their colors were hidden.  For whatever reason I was able to get close enough to motivate the butterfly to open it's wings.  It actually stayed there long enough for me to get several shots.  This is truly one of nature's gems.

Shot with automatic focus today.

Thursday's Assignment

Make a photo of elements that are strikingly different from one another to add tension and interest to your composition.

You might say to yourself that this photo has to have been taken in some turn of the century home. Who else would still have brick on their bathroom floor.  Well, I can say with some satisfaction that this is, in fact, our "master" bathroom floor.  It is the same floor as the one we had when we moved in during the early 80's.  (I think it is the original floor, and this home was built back in mid 1960's.)  And yes, it is one of the many unfinished projects in our house.  I think it has become such because it is tucked away in the corner of our bedroom and the only one who sees it or cares about it is me.  We did attempt a partial remodel when my brother and his family came to visit during the late 1990's.  After that, it just became another project to add to my list.  I'm sure we'll get it done eventually.  It's small- just has a shower, toilet and sink.  Sure would be nice to have a huge master bathroom but on my list of things to spend money on that's not it.

Taken with automatic settings today.

Monday's Assignment

Leave something out today.  Be visually brief.  Shoot tight.  Make a photo that's direct and to the point.

I purchased this rose bush last year in memory of our dear Cari.  I was looking for something with a carefree or funny name.  There's so many things we could plant in Matt's yard but he's not ready for that yet.  Besides, he wants to sell his home as soon as he can so no need to put down roots there, literally speaking.  Went to check on the name of this rose bush and I guess this is not the one I was thinking of- its' name is Ronald Regan rose.  That definitely does not begin to describe Cari.  But it has a sweet smell so every time I smell it I think of her.

Shot with automatic setting today.

Sunday's Assignment

Make a photo that creates depth.  Draw the viewer in by choosing an interesting foreground, middle-ground, and background.

I am really slacking off these last couple of days.  Too much yard work to do and too little creativity when it comes to the photo assignment. Even with this one I'm not sure if the picture draws the eyes from the front to the back.  The sky was darkening so I used my outside flash which gives it a whole different look.  I like it much better in the daylight- or at least when I can get a picture of the fountain in motion.

Taken with automatic settings today.

Friday's Assignment

Your viewer's eye will tend to follow a line.  Make a photo that uses leading lines to direct the viewer to your subject.

The straight line of the garden gate directs viewers to the plants along and behind.  I am hoping that the direct line will welcome visitors into my backyard- invited of course- to peruse my many plantings and structures.  It has become such a work in progress.  Today I shoveled at least 3 yards of mulch for our playground area.  Once that is complete we will have a place to show off  our Little Tykes slide and my very own pergala arbor with full bench seat.  I still have to finish shoveling in the rest of the mulch but by the end of today I could no more lift a shovel than lift my little pinkie.  Hope I'll be in better shape tomorrow.

Shot with automatic setting today.

Wednesday's Assignment

Find the shape of a letter in something around you--architecture, nature, or anything not in print--and make a photo.

I can't believe how much effort I put into looking around for something that resembled a letter--only to finally see this "E" which had been right in front of my face most of the day.  I was beginning to think that I had absolutely no imagination.  I dragged my camera with me as I ran my errands thinking I'd find something along the way.  Even as I put out more of my garden items I couldn't find anything that looked like a letter.  As I went outside for one last look around my yard I finally saw what I've should have seen all day.  It's my rain gauge holder-- only I can't find the rain gauge container which is really beginning to annoy me.  It's copper looking and I know it's right in front of my face somewhere.  The mess that I live in is overtaking me- I wasted so much time looking through crap but I still couldn't find what I was looking for.  I'm sure that as soon as I open the shed door I'll find it tomorrow but until then it's annoying me.   But at least I found my letter!

Taken with manual settings today.

Monday's Assignment

Make a photo of a flag today: national, state, or otherwise.  Try to compose it in a unique way.

Been thinking about this picture all day.  Years ago my dad took a picture of my then carpenter boyfriend showing a flag reflecting off his sunglasses.  The picture has worn over the years so the rest of the picture is torn but he was wearing his hard hat and carhartts.  Carpenters are union men and union men believe in civil rights, freedom and everything American.  I know it is difficult to see the reflection in his glasses but its there and has been a picture that we've been proud to own.

Tried to scan the photo first but because of the wear and tear I took a photo of a photo and even that didn't turn out too well.  Oh well, cropping helps I guess.

Sunday's Assignment

Challenge: Invent your own filter!  Shoot through something translucent or transparent.  Make a photo with a unique look.

Didn't quite know how I would do this photo.  I kept thinking I'd have to use some flimsy paper like tracing paper but wasn't sure how transparent it would be.  But I did find this dish that is somewhat translucent.  It does add to the unique look of the flowers.  The problem would be when I would hold the glass close to the lens the lens would assume it was too close and the shutter wouldn't close.  After several times I found a picture of some flowers and laid the bowl on top of it.  My idea of using a filter is that it has to be attached to the camera.  I guess not if you want to be creative.  So once I did this attempt and moved back with my camera all was will.  Held the light down as there would be too much glare.

Shot with automatic settings today.

Saturday's Assignment

Why wait for the perfect subject?  Make a photo of something that is unfinished.

Many things to offer up in the way of unfinished projects around my house.  I have lived with unfinished projects for the last 35 years so I wouldn't even know where to start.  Thank goodness I've learned to overlook most.  And some I can take upon myself to fix myself.  But at the Hornbacker garden I found these teeny tiny hosta plants with teeny tiny names- in this case the names are Mouse Ears.  I keep thinking the plant is bound to get bigger but with the name Mouse Ears I doubt it.

Shot with automatic setting today.

Thursday's Assignment

Contrast subjects of different size today.  Be subtle or make it obvious, it's up to you!

Today, a friend and I took a road trip to Hornbaker Gardens which is located in Princeton, Illinois.  It's a good 3 hour trip but Chicago but oh so worth it.  It's out in the middle of nowhere and is known for it's hostas and daylillies.  I had heard about the gardens several years ago after listening to Kathy and Judy on WGN radio and had often wanted to go there but never found the time.  So glad I went as it is a beautiful nursery and garden.  Reasonable plants with a huge number of perennials, shrubs and trees.  I took this picture of two iron statues but it's difficult to discern the two.  I don't even know if you can make out the bird in the foreground but I liked what I saw so I decided to use it as today's subject.  So subtle it is!  (Actually, if you click on the picture to enlarge it you can see the two iron statues).

Shot with automatic setting today.

Wednesday's Assignment

Place or find a subject floating on water today---boats, leaves, ice cubes, etc.---and make a photo!

I have a water fountain that I finally got out of the shed.  I was given this fountain nearly four years ago after my mom died.  Or maybe it's been longer but I've forgotten how many years have passed.  It really means a lot to me as it was given to me by my friends from school.  Our social committee usually gives a plant after someone dies, so it was quite a surprise to receive this in lieu of flowers.  It's so soothing to listen to- I can sit on my balcony and hear the water running down the sides of the fountain.  I often wish I had a pond but that's more work than I can handle.  So for the moment I'll enjoy my fountain and pretend there's a babbling brook in my yard.

Shot with automatic settings today.

Tuesday's Assignment

Iteration or repetition of a subject makes for good composition.  Look for a repeating pattern today and make a photo.

Lots of rain outside today so it made searching for patterns difficult.  Around the house I saw many of the same things that I've taken pictures of before.  But in the kitchen I decided to lay on the floor and take a picture looking up at our pantry door.  It's an old door that I've never liked- made up of vented wood slats.  The pantry is small as are the doors but at least they make for an interesting composition.  From this view it doesn't even look like a door but I can assure you it is.

Shot with automatic setting today.

Monday's Assignment

Manhole covers have character and quietly tell a story.  Make a photo of a manhole cover in your neighborhood today.

It's been here a long time- I think this neighborhood was developed back in the 60's.  As I drove around I kept my eyes peeled for something more unusual but they all looked the same.  I wish that I had braved the weather last weekend and taken a picture of the water bubbling up from the drain hole.  The rain was so heavy that the sewer drains couldn't take the amount as quickly as it was coming down.  But to brave that weather I'd have to have a raincoat and/or umbrella and/or rain boots as the water was about a foot deep in some places.  It would have made for an interesting picture though.  That's how I am beginning to view my take on photography- would've, should've, could've.   I have to learn to be proactive not reactive!!

Shot with automatic settings today.

Sunday's Assignment

Lens flare is typically avoided, but can be used deliberately to a good effect.   Make a photo with creative lens flare.

Waited all day to take my photo but unfortunately the clouds rolled in and the rains came.  Every time the sun would peek out from behind the clouds I'd run out with my camera only to see the sun disappear.  We have too many towering trees in our yard so I stood in front of my neighbor's house and waited.  As I pointed my camera to the sky the neighbor came out to ask me if I needed any help.  Obviously she thought I was stalking her house and didn't realize I was her next door neighbor.  That's another story for another time but briefly we are not too social and barely know anyone on our street.  To say we've lived next door to this neighbor for 29 years and rarely speak is an understatement.  But like I said that's a story for another time.  Don't know what I did to get this picture other than blind myself as I looked directly at the sun.  Hopefully you can see the circle in the middle of the picture- a ring which I am assuming is a lens flare.  Don't know how that happened but I'm going with it.

Taken with manual settings today.

Saturday's Assignment

Using contrast in your photography can give you very artistic shots.  Make a color photo with high contrast today.

Guess there's a decent amount of contrast in this photo but I don't know how artistic it is- maybe the rain drops add some artistic finesse.  I really just pointed the camera and clicked the shutter.  A lot of my flowers are beginning to bloom but there's not as much contrast with them- blue against green, white against green, etc etc.  I love daylilies as they are constantly blooming in the spring and early summer.  They'll even rejuvenate enough to bloom again in the fall.  Most of my plants have yellow flowers but there are a few with reddish blooms.  Unfortunately, I don't have enough sun in my backyard to add more to my garden.  So for the moment I'll enjoy what I have.

Shot with automatic setting today but using the flower setting on the dial.

Friday's Assignment

Make an interpretive photo of a subject or scene that sums up your mood today.

Yep, this certainly sums up my mood today.  Remember when peonies begin to grow their buds and you can hardly wait for the buds to bloom.  Peony flowers are one of the sweetest smelling flowers.  The anticipation was great, the moment they bloomed stupendous, and then the rains would fall.  One moment a beautiful flower the next day a soggy mess.  My peonies inevitably bloom Memorial Day weekend and I get maybe two days of some sweet smelling flowers.

This kind of reminds me of my end of the school year.  You know...the anticipation building up to the last day...kind of like waiting for the flower to bloom.  And then when it does you're all over it admiring and smelling and turning it to see the perfect petals.  And if you have neighbors come by you want them to admire and acknowledge it too.  I guess that's how I felt the end of this year would be.  Have a get together and acknowledge everyone for their great work during the year.  Give awards out for those who are outstanding.  Remember the ones who are leaving with kind words.  But there's always a flower who doesn't get recognized and feels less and less appreciated.  Never could understand why all are not shown some appreciation, even the ones who are innately beautiful but not as showy.

Shot with automatic settings through a chain link fence.  Windy and somewhat difficult to shoot.

Thursday's Assignment

Think of a favorite childhood sport, game, or activity. Make a nostalgic photo today.

Hop scotch was one of my favorite games but actually touching the chalk today gives me the creeps.  I don't know what it is about the surface of chalk but I can barely touch it.  This mega colored box reminds me of the excitement I would feel opening up a larger than large box of crayola crayons.  It's not so unusual to find chalk in these large boxes.  Never a chance of running out of a specific color.

Experimented with both manual and automatic settings today.  Could not get the right shot that I needed to so settled on the automatic setting.

Tuesday's Assignment

How do you get around: car, train, bicycle, plane, feet?  Make a photo that represents your mode of transportation today.

My favorite form of transportation- and my favorite model which is the Town and Country.  We've had vans all of our married life but this mini van is my favorite.  Roomy yet somewhat low to the ground but high enough to see over everyone else.  The only drawback is the black color- gets awfully dirty and I've been pretty lazy lately when it comes to washing it.  But I still love it nevertheless.  I wish I had had my camera earlier today.  The fog was super thick which might have made for an eerier picture had I taken it this morning.

Shot with manual setting today.

Sunday's Assignment

Sunday challenge time!  Find any sort of wildlife today, and make a photo.  Get in close if you can and focus on the eyes.

How could I expect any form of wildlife to stand still enough so that I can focus on their eyes.  It would have to be stuffed and mounted in order for me to do that.  Come to think of it; we do have a couple of dead fish mounted on our basement wall.  Had I thought about that I could have dusted off the northern and taken a picture of their glass eyeball.  Instead, I forced my husband to stare at the light while I took his picture.  Notice the bloodshot eye.  I wonder if he realized that.  I had to fool around with my lenses. Kept thinking that my telephoto would work close up but then finally got the hint that I needed to step back.  I don't know why I thought I could get relatively close.  Makes me think that I need to invest in a macro lens, just so I can say I have one.  Then I would look official as I swapped out lenses depending on the situation.  Eventually I will have to label each as I never know what kind of lens I have in my hand.

It's a late night by my standards (almost 11:32 P.M.) and I had to use automatic settings.  Otherwise I would never have gotten this posted.

Friday's Assignment

Clocks are omnipresent in modern life.  Make a photo of the clock, watch, or other device that you use most to tell time.

None of our clocks tell the correct time.  It's so frustrating to look at both battery operated and electrical clocks and know that none of them are accurate.  The only one that I can really count on is the clock on the cable box- but then again, it's odd that I think even that is the correct time.  Who's to say that perhaps they are a minute off and I just assume it's the right time.  My most favorite clock was one that we purchased when we were first married.  It was black like this one but all it had was a white circle where the twelve would be.  Neither kid could tell time using that clock but I thought it was pretty cool looking.  I discovered somewhat later that it was a replica of a clock that was hanging in the Museum of Modern Art.  Sure do wish I hadn't gotten rid of it- don't remember if I just grew tired of it or if it actually stopped working.

Shot with automatic setting today.

Thursday's Assignment

Shiny things attract attention.  Make a photograph of a shiny object and post it today.  Focus in on the reflections.

Would have much rather taken a picture of something outside that had a shiny reflection.  But landed on the couch when I got home from school and it's only minutes ago that I actually got moving.  I thought this picture would be much more shiny but it's as shiny as it gets for 9:00 at night.  Too bad I didn't focus closer on any and all reflections- I guess I was just going for the shiny aspect.

In a hurry- shot with automatic settings today.

Monday's Assignment

Focus the viewer's attention.  Make a photo of a single subject with as plain a background as you can.

Here's a face only a mother could love.  And of course I neglected to follow the instructions- shoot against a plain background.  I wanted a photo of this face and not surprisingly it was difficult to get him to sit still and look at me.  I took many pictures thinking that eventually I'd get a good one.  Now if only I could figure out how to fade out the background....another day another time.

Shot with automatic settings today.

Monday's Assignment

Today's color is purple.  Maybe you''ll find it on a fruit.  Maybe a flower.  Or, maybe a sign.  Make a photo and post it.

Only serves to remind me that I've been working on this project since February.  I wanted it done for Mother's Day and that didn't happen.  A one year, sad kind of anniversary might have worked but it didn't seem the time.  Now her birthday is coming up in a couple of weeks and I'd really like to have it done by then.  Too many interruptions to keep me on task I guess.  I only hope the finished project will be meaningful.  It meant a lot to me so I hope it does the same for her.

Taken with automatic settings today.