Forest Park.

Yesterday there was actually a break in the rain, and my friend was in town and had her camera, so we went to Forest Park and took some pictures. Forest Park is a big place and it is mostly just greenery - no gardens or anything, so I always wondered why people wanted to photograph there...but, if you look in unusual places, you can find things.









About the raindrops shot - I've talked about the "macro" setting on most cameras (symbolized by a flower), which lets you get pretty close to things but doesn't, obviously, function as well as a specific macro lens. But if you want to simulate a macro shot, just make sure that you get as close as you can focus, and that the picture has very good clarity (as clear as you can get it, which is made easier with a tripod, which I didn't have on me yesterday). That way you will be able to crop the photo and sharpen it in post-processing.

When you do major cropping like this, it drastically reduces the size of the file, meaning you won't ever be able to make good quality large prints, but it's still something that's nice to know how to do while you're waiting on the money to actually purchase a macro lens. :-)

A blackout, a freakout, and the zoo (again).

My laptop is temporarily out of commission as, due to manufacturer error, the screen has gone dark. Everything works fine...just can't see anything. So I'm posting this on a little netbook borrowed from my dad. Can't tell you how nice it will be to know, in a couple of days, that my photo editing resources are once again accessible!

Also, I'm thisclose to booking a flight to....Oakland, California! (Paid for, obviously, you know I'm broke) The lady who currently employs me wants me to help out with her archives that are two thousand miles away, so yes, it is highly possible that one day soon, this blog will be classed up with dreamy photographs of the beach and the Golden Gate Bridge. (Or whatever it's called. You know. The one in San Francisco) Eeek!

Lastly, yes, I went to the zoo again last week. But this time there were beautiful leaves on the trees and the temperature was a marvelously perfect 68 degrees. Hardly a trace of wind, either. Lovely, lovely day to be there (especially with kids in school!).

So sit back and enjoy the view. I think I'm getting better at this. Oh, and if you're tired of the animals, hold on to the end - the zoo also had....tulips!!

So, is there such as thing as animal portraiture? If so, I think I'd like to do that.









Of course, I could catch you in a bad way.



That will never fail to make me laugh. Moving on!







(He's alive, I promise)

I still need someone to explain the turkeys (?) let loose to wander.



I caught the tigers in stalking mode.



And, as promised, the gorgeous tulips.









It was a lovely, lovely day. =)

Marshall, TX.

While driving through the small town of Marshall, Texas last month, I passed by two buildings that stood side-by-side and knew immediately I had to turn around and capture them. One was condemned, the other long shuttered.







I passed so many wonderfully dilapidated buildings during my trip, but didn't have the time to stop for them like I did this. Guess I'll be building my crazy old buildings collection slowwwwly but surely.

(The "watermark" is still me, just from my side business. These were already prepared for Flickr so I didn't start from scratch)

Spring.

Spring is here. Really here. No more snow, just blues skies, cloudbursts, and blooming. Lots and lots of dogwoods blooming...









And magnolias, and orchids, and many colorful blooms of which I do not know their name. :)









Mind the ducks...

Pelican Island, which you may recall, is showing off the true beauty of the last of winter through vibrant browns and blues and whites, a perfect contrast between earth and sky.





And on the other end, spring sunsets are ablaze. (Not like our awful, boring summer sunsets)





Spring is here!

What in the world am I doing?

Worse than not posting, I've been neglectful of other blogs, and I really, really plan on getting over to them this week and doing my civic duty.

However, I have also been taking pictures and dreaming of getting them up here on the blog. I still have plenty of photos from the trip to post, but first, I'm planning an extravaganza - an ode to spring. This is the snowiest winter I can remember, and we are all soooo ready for greenery and tree blossoms and birdsong and warm evenings...ahhh. I've been out and about capturing all the newness, and you will see it all here shortly! Hold your breath!

Caddo Lake.

The first in a series of photographs from the South.

Inside Caddo Lake State Park in Karnack, TX is the Big Cypress Bayou, a huge lake full of bald cypress trees with their hanging Spanish moss, and an array of wildlife you just don't see up north. Unfortunately I didn't have much time for pleasure on this trip - I only say a tiny portion of the bayou. There's a steamboat called the Graceful Ghost that gives tours, and sadly I never could make the time to take one. Maybe one day.





With the advent of high dynamic range, you don't see silhouettes in nature photography much anymore. You're expected to make sure every element in a photo has its own lighting so every element can be enjoyed. However...I still believe in silhouette.



The water was a consistency unlike anything I'd seen before. It wasn't just wet, it looked almost creamy. Maybe it has something to do with the nearby swamps, but where I stood, on the swaying dock and along the riverbank, it looked...yummy.





Be back later with more!

Spring dreams.

Wow, I haven't posted in years!!! Or weeks. As you may recall I went to Louisiana and Texas last week, and they were definitely having a wonderful southern spring down there. Low eighties every day. Beautiful sunshine, fluffy clouds, huge sun at sunset, huge orange moon on the horizon. Ahhhh. But don't expect photos for a while yet. I've been super-busy with a new part-time job (sounds a bit oxymoronic, doesn't it...) so I'm getting around to post-processing slower than normal.

In the meantime, I thought I'd post a few pictures representing the crazy split-personality spring we're having right now. Although the daisies were taken last summer (still, so springy!). But the snow is totally real and from TODAY.

Love affair.

It seems the stars have been aligning for a while now to lead me toward black-and-white photography, and while I don't see myself becoming exclusively B&W, it's exciting to really dig in and explore the possibilities.

I found an absolutely fabulous manual for my version of PSE at Borders yesterday (for 30% off!) and as I love reading manuals, the whole setup is perfect. I had NO idea you could do so much with just a basic version of Photoshop, and the first thing I did was learn how to use levels/layers/gradiant maps to convert color photos to B&W.

I had tried using some of the presets that came with the program, but they were a little frustrating - even though you can use RGB sliders, for some reason it was just...eh. However, with my newfound skills, I can make much more dynamic grayscale prints. Check out the Ampur leopard shot from my zoo trip, and how much more interesting it becomes after conversion:





LOVE IT.

(Sorry, I had to start making my humble little watermark bigger, I was getting unjustifiably paranoid)

I have a whole stash of photos from a trip to Holden Beach in NC back in 2009. For some reason I never thought to catch a sunrise or sunset there, but more importantly, it just wasn't as stimulating for me as the mountains I'd visited. So I never really liked the photos. But now..........black and white.









As I've mentioned in another B&W post, it's generally accepted that you should convert a color photo in post-editing, rather than using the B&W option in-camera. This seems like a huge stroke of luck. Honestly, in the past I've simply forgotten to try the B&W aspect - and it's totally okay. That makes me happy.

Lines and shapes.

I visited an art gallery today and spoke with the very talented owner; these photos are of a couple of buildings in the immediate vicinity (the last being the gallery's storefront). She looked at my portfolio, said some good things and gave great tips, and picked out two prints in particular for me to mat and frame to hang in her space when I have some things ready for consignment. Pretty cool, I'd say. :-)

I shot mostly in B&W today in preparation for next week, when the scenery may still be a little drab from the last of winter. If you take away the color you leave a reflection of objects and placement, not shading and hue, and that's the best way to makeover an environment that leaves something to be desired.