silverlight...

week 2 assignment for Frugal Still Life Photography with Cheryl McCain 

(found http://cherylmccainphotography.com/)

i had a busy week so it took til friday to work on this one.

this week, the objective was to play with cropping, filling the frame versus leaving negative space.

this is only the second week but i am going to bet that this one ends up being my favorite.

i wasn't sure what to use for a prop. 

i wanted something really simple so i could stay focused on the cropping. 

so i went with 5 pieces of antique child-size silverware that i bought at garage sales over the years.

here is my set-up...

the best light was coming in the back sliding doors, shining on our beat-up dining room table. 

i took my mother's antique silverware box to use as a background and stuck it on the table. 

the light was too harsh so i filtered it with a reflector/filter, making the set up really easy.

 

then i took a bunch of pictures, trying different cropping as i went. 

i did not stay methodical, like i had hoped to, so i can't put these in any order that makes sense.

Equipment/settings...

i started with a 50mm lens but switched to a 40mm macro lens within a few images...

i had the camera in automatic, on sports mode, so i could determine the focus point for each image individually.

the settings were ranging from

- F-stop of 4 to 5,

- ISO of 450,

- exposure times of 1/1000sec to 1/1250 sec

these are straight out of the camera, and they include lots of dents/scratches and some cat hair...

these next three images seemed to go together well so i played with them in photoshop elements, 

adding a texture layer (texvol2 #3) of from Cheryl's textures.  

 

i am so in love with them, 

i am going to print them and put them up on my dining room wall. 

i am loving this class, thank you Cheryl!!

frozen in time...

the polar vortex...

here in united states,

our world was frozen for a few days.

it left it's mark.

waves at the ocean were stopped, mid wave...

bubbles froze as they landed...

i am grateful it has warmed up.

but i will miss the frozen beauty...

still life...

this is my first assignment with the Frugal Still Life Photography course with Cheryl McCain (who can be found HERE).

i was struggling with what to photograph for this but finally decided to use some shells.  this shell in the foreground was $1.25 at a shell store, and the ones in the background I found on the beach.

i used a curtain panel for a background. i picked it up at a garage sale last summer for ten cents.  there is no hem, and it is worn in spots but i love it for still life backgrounds.  i clipped a pant-hanger to the top and hung it off my front door.  for lighting, i used the available light coming thru the door.

i added a texture from Cheryl (i think the name texvol7 #2)
and i love how it gave the image a wash of colors.

here is a pull-back image of the set up.

looking forward to seeing everyone else's images!
thank you, cheryl!

the colors of winter...

i am not a fan of being cold but i absolutely love the beauty of winter...

the world changes from one day to the next.

and instead of just the winter whites (which i LOVE), 

there are 50 shades of gray...

soft muted greens...

pastel sunrises...

browns and blues and 

feathers and seed pods...

there isn't enough time in a day to see it all.

and tomorrow,

it's going to be different :)

 it truly is a winter wonderland out there

   

  

looking at 60

there are eleven more months of being 59 yrs old.

God willing, that is :)

i want to live deeply and fully for these 11 months. 

my plan is to develop new habits that make this part of my life all that i dreamed it would be.

my twin sister and i have a facebook page called looking at 60.

as we come across anything that helps us look at 60 with new eyes, we put it on there.  

our goals for this year are simple

we want our last year as 50-something to be the year of the Good Stuff. 

 

What is Good Stuff?

1 - Do Good... volunteer, donate, give back, pay it forward, feed the birds, donate coats....
2 - Play... in the snow, poker, Frisbee, kickball, pool/darts, go bowling... participate, not spectate.
3 - Appreciate... buy bouquet. watch the birds. walk in the rain. go to sunrise. taste-touch-smell-hear-see... 
4 - Be Bad... say yes instead of no. take a cab to a bar, sleep naked, drink beer for breakfast, trespass, share a sin LOL 
5 - Leave a Legacy. teach someone something, make a difference, touch a stranger, share The Adventure List, gather momentum...

                                              here's to Looking at 60, may it be all and more than we hoped for :)