Black and White Challenge Day 5

I saved my favorite photo in my focal black and white series for last. I loved this photo in color, but I think it is pretty cool this way too!

My wonderful fuzzy Cedric with his wonderful cat eyes peering out at you!

Thank you Robin for inviting me to participate in this challenge. I enjoyed learning about focal black and white, and now that I know how to do it, might try it more often!
Please let me know if any of you decide to give this technique or this challenge a try – I’d love to see what you come up with!

First shots with the 85mm

I am thrilled with my new camera lens! I have absolutely no buyer’s remorse in the purchase of my Canon 85mm f1.8. Everything I read about this lens seems to be very true. Gorgeous sharp photos with lovely background bokeh. The descriptions said the lens is great for portraits and nature shots. Here are my first portrait “victims”:

Teddy

Daphne

And probably my favorite of this group because I love the way Cedric’s fur frames his face:

As for nature shots, I took these from my dining room window. Again I’m quite happy. The only editing I really did to these was to crop them tighter and up the contrast a little to bring out the detail on the birds against the snow.

Black-capped Chicadee

My favorite of this group, a female northern cardinal with snow falling – yes, more snow, grrrr…- I have to admit, however, I just love what this lens did with that snow:

I can’t wait to keep playing!!

“What, Again?” and “Happy Birthday”

Yesterday, day 27 of summer, was one of those one-day-blends-into-the-others kind of days.  Errands, dishes, laundry, exercise etc.  Went outside to sit and read for a bit and cranked up the umbrella on my deck so I could use my Kindle.  Take a wild guess what fell out of the umbrella!  I bet you know!

Seriously?  Really, frogs and toads don’t bother me but I’m starting to wonder…

Did I ever tell you that story of my 3- or 4-year-old self with the little toad? Probably not, it’s kind of gross.  My parents moved out of the city and into the suburbs when I was about 3 years old.  I remember being delighted with my new bedroom, all my own, and my yard and all the wonderful things it contained.  Apparently one day in my excitement to show my mother the little toad I’d just found, I squeezed it just a little too hard.  Poor thing’s guts squeezed right out of its mouth in my grip.  Maybe “frog karma” is finding its way around to me!

 

Today, day 28 of summer – 4 weeks out of school and hubby’s birthday.  Bought this fabulous looking cake at our local Big Y supermarket:

This is for dessert tonight and we are having slow-cooked brisket (this link will take you to a guest post I did about our recipe over at my sister’s old blog) and “loaded” baked potato salad for dinner. I used ranch dressing to mix up with the potatoes and added in red onions, bacon, chives, and shredded cheese for the “loaded” part.

This picture has absolutely nothing to do with what I am blogging about today, but here it is anyway:

Cedric took my spot here at the computer this morning when I got up to let the dogs in. Looks like he’d like my cup of coffee as well.

Best of, Part 3

First were the birds.  Second were the flowers.  Are you waiting with bated breath to see what part 3 will bring? No, I didn’t really think you were, but here’s part 3 anyway!  The critters, of course!  Furry, rather than feathered this time around.

Although they really try my patience when it comes to my bird feeders (I am currently shopping for a new one since they managed to destroy my “squirrel-proof” feeder), squirrels are really rather comical.  I found this one doing quite the acrobatic routine one morning:

For my June photo hunt, I asked for a cow picture as a bonus shot.  I’ve had a thing for cows for a while now.  It may stem back to my days as a milkmaid at Old Sturbridge Village, but that doesn’t really explain my love of Oreo cows:

Teddy and Daphne make fairly regular appearances here on the blog, so here are my favorite shots of them from this year:

Teddy’s hi-key portrait in the snow

My solar-powered golden retriever enjoying a sun beam.

And an animated shot of the two of them showing their doggy love for snow.

I could hardly leave poor Cedric out of the fun, right?  Here he is in a “serious” game of “cat and mouse”!

I still have more to come!  This was Part 3 of my submission for Scott’s assignment: Best Photos of 2011.

Picture Winter Day 25

“The Magic Machine”

“Where would we be today if it weren’t for one of our most trusty companions? I’m referring to our computers. Today, we’ll be really looking at our coveted computers and focusing on our gratitude for the part of our daily life that so often goes overlooked. Today, find the beauty in the technical. Shoot the messenger, if you will and shed some well-deserved light on what makes it possible for you each and every day.”  Okay.  Yesterday, snow.  Today, computers? As much as I love getting my daily photo prompt, I’m starting to think our instructor is beginning to run a little dry on ideas. 

Admittedly, this is the last of four of this style class; the “Picture..” series began last year with “Picture Spring” of which I wasn’t a part.  I followed Becky through “Picture Summer” and joined up for “Picture Fall.”  As always, creative license with the prompt is encouraged, but how creative can you get showcasing a computer? Here’s my take:

"Cat and Mouse"

I like how Cedric appears to have his “killer” instinct in place to pounce on the “mouse,” somewhat blurred in the foreground, and how the nifty-fifty seems to have once again shown that soft but sharp focus.  Sure the various cords in the shot are a bit distracting, but they are part of “the magic machine.”

The Great Pumpkin – Picture Fall, day 28

The days are winding down in my one-month commitment to take a picture for class and blog about it each day.  I’ve no way to predict of course, but I’d imagine the next few days, including today, could have a Halloween feel to them.  Today’s prompt is named after one of my favorite childhood tv specials.

My pumpkin isn’t carved or decorated yet for Halloween, but Cedric decided to investigate the new arrival to the house, as cats are wont to do:

Personally, I’m looking forward to chopping open the pumpkin’s head and eating its brains!!!  Buh-wa-ha-ha-ha!  Oh, er, um, by that, I mean the seeds, of course, roasted with plenty of salt. 😉

Lurking

I was wandering the yard the other day looking for excuses to use my camera photo subjects, when I stumbled upon this weed lurking in a corner, near the steps to door of the house that we never use.  Does everyone have one of those? (a door you never use, I mean, not lurking weeds.  Watch out Gerry, it could be triffids!)  It wasn’t a dandelion or milkweed, but it did have lovely fluff, lit up by the sun, floating in the breeze.

These cute little lurkers, plus Kathy’s post, got me wondering about folks who may be lurking around this blog.  On a day I’ve published a new post, I’ve noticed this blog gets about 30-60 hits.  My most popular day was around 100.  The most comments I’ve ever gotten I think is around 28 – and half of those are me, responding to your comments.  A more average number of comments is around 16 or so – again with half of those being me.  (Does everyone know that I respond to your comments? Do you come back and check?)  That seems to me that maybe an average of one fourth of the folks who have some sort of look at the blog leave a comment.  That makes the rest of you lurkers!  Lurkers, any chance you would unlurk?  I’d love to know who you are,  just to say hello!  I’m really not a scary sort, so don’t be afraid.  Say hi, as long as you are not a spammer. 

I found another lurker while I was out aimlessly wandering seriously shooting adorable balls of fluff.  It was actually another fluffball

but I suppose I can’t call Cedric a true lurker.  Although he watched the goings-on from his post in the windowsill, he’s rarely one to be without comment.

“C’mon, Mom.  Stop spending so much time playing with that camera and come in and pay attention to me!”  Cedric will never be shy about his comments.

Cedric Says

Hi, my name is Cedric, and I have a complaint!  A couple actually.  First of all, ever since Mom started this blog-thing, I think she spends waaaaayyyyy too much time in front of the computer – time that she could be spending paying attention to me!

I find computers quite boring, you see… don’t even get me started on the camera!  I especially don’t like it when she flashes that bright light in my eyes!  It makes me squint, and look mean, and I’m about as far from mean as you could get.  Even dog people like me ( or so Mom tells me, I’m really not trying to be vain.)

My other complaint is that Mom gives the dogs in this family far too much press time!  I’m the senior pet in this house afterall!  My birthday is coming up this month and I’ll be 9 years old!  Mom wrote about the dogs here, here, here, here and here! I’m glad she’s giving this elder a little respect.  I thought I deserved the chance to say hello.

Hello!