Day 31

We did it!! One month down, and 11 more to go! How do you all feel? Have many of you done this 365 before? I feel like I made it over the big hill. If I can do this, the rest should be a cinch. Well, at least not so much of a nail biter..

Again, this is mostly for me, but I'm chronicling my tuscany inspired dining area. I realized I'm not as thrilled with this photo as far as from a photographer's point of view because it's not that crisp. It's more that it is of a place in an area I love. This is funny, because we don't drink, but I love the decanters and old vintage bottles I find. Some were given as gifts at a wedding (the dog faces), and they look good with the wine crates I found on craigslist about 5 years ago.

Day 31

Settings:

ISO 400, f/2.8, ss 1/10, 50 mm, no flash

Day 30

I think when I look back on my 365, I want to have memories of what I hold dear. I am thinking about more shots around the house and things that will change over the years. So, a new phase begins.. this week must be the dining room! I am dying for color, and it's one of the most colorful places in my house, as I absolutely love... simple. I don't get it that often, because I live with 4 other people who don't really get my concept as much, if you know what I mean.

Thanks for all the nice thoughts from my previous photos. It really lifts my spirits to see a simple hello or hear a little about what is going on in your lives as well. I also loved the "Hero vs. Villains" critique from Carrie.  So fun! I'm so glad you wrote about that. So anyway, I just wanted to say, thank you my new 365 buddies!

A little thought for today.. 

Day 30

Settings:

ISO 400, f/1.8, ss 1/50, 50 mm, no flash

Day 29

A little fun! I reupholstered my dining room chairs, and only have 2 (of the 8) more to go! So far I've found a button, 2 quarters, 1 penny, and a hair tie. And yes, my walls in that room really do match a mustard bottle perfectly! I loved the material, it brought in all my colors. 

So again, inspired from Amanda's post yesterday, I'm letting the photos come to me! Grabbing what I have instead of searching for what might be the perfect shot..somewhere..somehow!

Here is my Day 29 with a fun textured photo of my new chairs! Then a little shot of the "before" complete with ketchup stains and whatever else. 

Day 29

Settings:

ISO 400, f/1.8, ss 1/30, 50 mm, no flash

added texture for fun!

 

Day 28

We found the sky! It's unbelievable how much we've missed it. Tonight there was even a pretty glow from where the sun had been.. not for very long, but it's better than nothing!

I'm getting a little tired of having to one up myself for a great picture that's better than the first. What would I be doing at day 100 or 365, maybe a trip to the moon or something. I know for a fact, I can't do that. 

My friend came by tonight and told me about Sevin Sweetness blog tonight. So I read her words of wisdom from her photography class, and she really inspired me! Thank you, Amanda, for sharing what you've learned. I just shot what I saw tonight instead of looking for something. 

Day 28

Settings:

ISO 100, f/5, ss 1/20, 90 mm, no flash

Day 27

I love my days downtown! That's where I have pretty much an open canvas to work with. The textures, the buildings, the lake..so much to choose from! This is why I will have to open a "Honorable Mentions" category. The days I have photos, some of them are really fun and I don't want to waste them. With that said, this is what made the cut today. I was loving everyone's black and white with a color pop, so this is mine for today.

It's "the Bean" from Grant Park downtown Chicago. Why it's a bean? Nobody knows, but it cost a fortune! Not only to buy, but maintenance. It's a big kidney bean shaped piece of mirrored metal? That's the best way I can describe it, but people come from all over to look at it! Go figure.. I love seeing the buildings reflected. There's also snow laying on it like whipped cream on top, and swiss cheese slapped on the side. :)

 Day 27

Settings:

ISO 100, f/5.6, ss 1/160, 75 mm, no flash

Day 26

This Peregrine Falcon was yards from our house last night. Yes, I confess. First time in 25 days I couldn't use the photos I took that day. I just had to add this! I thought he was so cool. Imagine me slip sliding all over the sidewalks chasing this thing from tree to tree..gotcha! 

  

Day 26
Settings:
ISO 200, f/5.6, ss 1/30, 300 mm, no flash

Day 25

Today was a Blue Chicago! It was very overcast and foggy, but it made for a beautiful picture of the skyline by the Shedd Aquarium. The water was a little bit glassy, so it caught the reflection of the buildings just right.

Day 25

Settings:

ISO 100, f/5.6, ss 1/640, 45 mm, no flash

Day 24

No really colorful backgrounds here! It is so cold, and we had more snow last night. Hence, all outdoor pictures will plain or white background, overcast, and rosy cheeked. :)

This is dedicated to pillow pet lovers all over the world (who take them everywhere with them and name them Georgina George Georgopolis ____ then our last name).

Day 24

Settings:
ISO 100, f/5, ss 1/100, 100 mm, no flash

This is SOOC

What is your opinion? Should I have had a flash?

 okay, I fixed the levels, and lightened up her face a bit. That better?

Day 23

Today was "Go Bears!" day. It's not turning out so well for the orange and blue. Not quite over, but it's "over" my husband says. He was excited about it at first, and so was the cat. She snuggled in with him just knowing he'd be hanging out there for a while. She was actually laying down sideways, but I turned the photo so you didn't have to turn your head to see her. I caught her eyes in the light. I absolutely love her bright green eyes when you can catch them. I tried my best, but sometimes they don't always cooperate.

Day 23 

Settings:

ISO 400, f/1.8, ss 1/8, 50 mm, no flash

Day 22

So my husband is really into medieval swords, staffs, armor, the era, the movies... you name it. Our sconces fit right in, and I love the glow that it reflects onto the walls when the lights are out. I turned out the lights, took a picture of the sconce, and it was beautiful! But, my husband thought it needed more. He willingly (and patiently) held his precious sword up against the wall while I clicked away. It's a little dark, but I love the patterns it gives off.  

I do realize a lot of my pictures are looking the same. The same colors, a glowing ball.. I think I really love browns and oranges! Or maybe it's the need to feel warm in our 0 degree weather lately!

Day 22

Settings:

ISO 400, f/1.8, ss 1/15, 50 mm, no flash

Day 21

I got the moon! 2nd attempt, read a couple tutorials, thanks for my kind friends for letting me know! ;) Got it all together, started dowloading a few cool actions I found, and my photoshop lost all my actions! I've spent most the night uninstalling/reinstalling and redoing them all! Hope you've all had a better night than me. 

Day 21

Settings:

ISO 3200, f/20, ss 1/320, 300 mm, no flash

Day 20

Again... I got nothin'! Do you have days like this? It's my fault, I realize. I know there are a ton of sites out there with ideas. I just don't seem to remember anything I've seen. Today I just drew a blank. So, in my last ditch effort, I layed on the floor and zeroed in on my sleeping dog. I guess I will get some repeats through the year, like more than one dog shot, and more than one cat.. etc. 

I did skip looking at more photography today. Does homeschooling count? One can only see so many adjectives, nouns, and spelling lists. There ya go.. a spelling list!

And, a special thank you to everyone who is commenting and being so kind! I appreciate it! And, I really don't mind some constructive criticism. That's why we're all in this, right? To learn things that sometimes you just can't see it yourself. 
See ya tomorrow! ;)

Day 20

Settings:

ISO 400, f/1.8, ss 1/8, 50 mm, no flash 

I did have to lighten up her face a little with Touch of Light/Darkness (free action from MCP)

Day 19

Nothing like waiting until the last possible moment. Tonight's moon was beautiful, wasn't it? And, today was the first day we've seen the sun for... a week or so now! It's been so overcast and icky.

Here is my photo of the moon. I had no idea which lens to use, what shutter speed, what setting.. sigh. This is what I liked best. The moon's not clear, it's just an eerie glow.  

Day 19

Settings:
ISO 400, f/4.5, ss 1/10, 75 mm, no flash

Day 18

I'm out to lunch with my son! Love these times together. Just him and I wasting away a couple hours while we wait for the youngest to get out of a class. I did sneak a couple photos while we played on our electronics and chatted away. He was groaning when I asked him a question about what I was doing.. color or no color.. after that, I just called him a sucky editor friend. LOL
So he just told me I'd be proud of him. He just downloaded Color Splash on his ipad.. I'm AM so proud of him! Color Splash takes a black and white photo and lets you edit on the ipad. So fun!
So guess what? I now have a FUN editor friend to hang out with at lunch. I'm sure I'll pay for it later while he owns me at Black Ops. 

Day 18

Settings:

(will get back - don't know why  my laptop isn't showing them) 

Day 17

This car brought back some memories growing up. My dad was/is really into old cars! Let's just say, my driver's test when I was 16 was in a 1959 Chevy Impala Convertible. (And, let's also say, I nailed it with a 100%..which I did!) I used to hate having such old, huge, conspicuous cars. Now, I really appreciate them and my heart does a little happy dance when I see them. So when I drove past this car today, I had to stop. 

Day 17

Settings:
ISO 200, f/4.5, ss 1/400, 50 mm, no flash

Day 16

My sister in law makes these scalps, or hair wigs, for the Blythe dolls. She is known in this Blythe world as Unicornmine. She also has an Etsy store!

Isn't she cute? I decided to take one of her dolls home and photograph her in the snow! :) She was catching snowflakes in the "trees" outside. Pretty girl! 

Day 16

Settings:

ISO 200, f/5.6, ss 1/640, 160 mm, no flash

Day 15

My daughter is getting ready for a photo shoot with a friend. While she was, I seized the moment, and got a couple shots. I miss her as a little girl in ballet, I have a million photos that I can go back and pour over, though. That is what I love most about photography. I can still relive those memories! She's growing into a beautiful young woman, so all ages are to be celebrated!

Day 15

Settings:

ISO 200, f/4.5, ss 1/2, 50 mm, no flash

edited with a soft texture overlay

Day 14

Just one today! That's all I'm doing, and it's only to continue this process. I was busy all day today. Getting passport info ready for 5 people, trying to take pictures to save money... then realized. I can't do what they want me to do, I gave up. It was pretty hilarious. My husband thought I should post one of my "mug shots" of the kids. I thought they wouldn't let us smile. So, I gave up.. hating what I'd come up with, then realizing I should have had a white sheet or something in the background. Get to the clerk's office, and what do they do? They say, "Okay, smile!" ?????? Really? sigh.. live and learn. It's over and I'm happy!

Kids had friends over, and it was time to cook dinner. Then I remembered I still had to take a picture! So I tried to get the steam rising, slow the shutter speed down, see what I can get. So VOILA! Here it is. A picture. LOL

Day 14

Settings:

ISO 200 (what was I thinking? I wasn't!), f/4.5, ss 1/5, 50 mm, no flash

Day 13

What if I can't decide which photo to put up for day 13? I liked them both, and everyone (in my family) I asked, was divided. So, here I am posting 2! Is that even allowed? Will beat 365 come and give me a ticket? Oh well. I'm doing it! I've tried to be so good.. it's not working. At least (for now..never say never) I am taking each photo on the day it is supposed to be done. Those are the rules, right?

I froze at the park today, but only for a few minutes. There were so many cool things up for grabs.. here are a couple, then I can't decide between the last two.

Hey, if I'm not "following" you and your blog, please post your site address in a comment so I can find you. Sometimes when I click on the name/photo of someone who commented, I don't see their site, only those they are following or sometimes nothing. Thanks! And, I SO appreciate the support from all of you. You're the best!

 Just for fun

Settings: 

ISO 200, ss 1/150, f/5.6, 300 mm, no flash

added a little color pop

 Can't decide Day 13?

Settings:

ISO 200, ss 1/100, f/4.5, 75 mm, no flash

I used the saturate sponge to bring out a little more color.

 

Can't decide Day 13

Settings:

ISO 200, ss 1/2500, f/1.8, 50 mm, no flash

I darkened up the trees and creek bed with the burn tool.

Day 12

This is Frodo! He's my little Hobbit cat since he has hair on his toes! :) Really, I had him named before I met him. My husband is a big LOTR fan. Since I came up with one of those names, I'm pretty sure that helped cinch the deal! 

I also added my photos to kara's 365 flickr group. Add yours too!

Day 12

Settings: 

ISO 400, f/2.8, ss 1/25, 50 mm, no flash

Okay, I'm not gonna lie, this was hard to do! I couldn't get the lighting right. The ISO on 100-400 still came out too dark for my taste. My room was a little dark, but natural light was still present. So I added a light texture to this and lightened it a bit. Love it now, but so frustrating to do on it's own. Any thoughts?