60 Days of the 50mm | 3

I finally got around to downloading almost a month's worth of photos from my camera. I've had the 50mm lens on my camera for almost 60 days. Unfortunately, I got derailed in the photo taking area and as of today, have 32 photos in my collection. I might see where I get to in the next week and wrap up the project or continue until I have 60 photos. Not sure at this point (how's that for commitment!)

Here's a sampling taken in June:










Linked to This or That Thursday.

Read more...

60 Days of the 50mm

Here's the second edition of my 60 Days / 60 Photos / 50mm photo project.

I love this lens because it works great in low light and since it is so small, it makes my camera almost seem "small". I guess size is all relative, though.

The photos I've taken over the past week.

Strike Three, You're Out!


The Lavender blooms in the front yard.


I have camera gear and iPhone gear. It's an obsession, I know. Here's my iPhone 4s mounted on a Glif, which is attached to a Joby flexible tripod. I've attached the Olloclip macro lens. I'll post more about all this gear and the apps I use in a separate post.


A dedicated musician, practicing in the dark. It was so hot this weekend, I guess this is a way to keep cool while playing.


Watercress Salad


I am trying to capture as much variety as possible. I tend to gravitate towards nature, flowers and what my kids are doing - and I've taken so many photos over the years, sometimes it feels repetitive. I've been fortunate so far and I hope the opportunities continue to come.

All of the photos from this project can be found on my Flickr Set, 60 Days of the 50mm

Read more...

Lavender

lavender, sweet lavender;
come and buy my lavender,
hide it in your trousseau, lady fair.
Let its flovely fragrance flow
Over your from head to toe,
lightening on your eyes, your cheek, your hair

Cumberkand Clark Flower Song Book 1929

One of my favorite flowers, which grows abundantly in our front yard. Its scent is calming and aids in sleep. I massage a couple drops of lavender essential oil on my hands at night and own an array of lavender lotions (some could call it a collection!).











Wishing you a calm, fragrant Sunday evening. If you are in the US, Happy Memorial Day Weekend - and a huge Thank You to all the Service People in our country.

Linked to Mary and Mosaic Monday.

Read more...

Through the Looking Glass

This is what happens when I'm out of commission and not able to go outside with my camera.

I'm finding different ways to shoot things outside from the inside:



My neighbor's backyard, taken through a drinking glass. I was drinking a big glass of water when I noticed how the bottom of the glass distorted the window in front of me, like a fisheye lens.


See the bent lines? Those are part of the windows, normally straight. Hey, I'm always on the lookout for weird things like this!

Changing subjects - my knee injury - first of all, thank you for all the well wishes. I found out today that I have a torn ACL (the Anterior Cruciate Ligament). Truthfully, this is the diagnosis that I expected and while it's certainly not something I wished for, I know it is treatable through surgery and I am confident I'll recover. So no marathon for me this year, but I won't let this stop me from trying in 2013.

Read more...

After the Run

After the run.... I am out of breath
After the run.... my heart pounds
After the run.... I drip with sweat
After the run.... I feel accomplished
After the run.... I feel strong
After the run.... the endorphins kick in
And it was all worth it



Today, I am linking up to Paper Heart Camera's self portrait challenge, whose theme is nourish. I can't think of a better way to nourish my body and soul than with a long run.

Read more...

50-50-50 Challenge and Mosaic Monday

Yesterday, I participated in a 50-50-50 Challenge.
The premise of the challenge - 50 Pictures, using a 50mm lens, on Day 50 of the year.
You guessed it - yesterday was Day 50 of this year.

I had been using my 50mm lens pretty exclusively until two weeks ago when I needed a lens with a little more reach. You know what happens when a lens goes on the camera - it tends to stay on the camera! So I pulled out the 50mm lens again.

As a matter of full disclosure, I actually only yielded 34 "decent" pictures yesterday. I actually grew a little weary of trying to figure out "what I would take a picture of next". I figure 34 pictures is fine.

For Mosaic Monday, I picked five pictures from the collection:

What started out as a chilly morning warmed up to a very nice, almost spring like day. Most of the snow that covered the area just a week ago has melted and small signs of spring are in the air.

To see the entire collection of photos I took for the 50-50-50 Challenge, here is the link to the Set on Flickr: To get a glimpse of the other participant's photos, you can also check out the 50-50-50 Flickr Group.


Mosaic Monday is Hosted by Mary at this Little Red House. You can check out the other mosaics there.

Read more...