Calm is when the flurry of scurrying and scavenging is done. It’s when I finally say (to myself) I’m happy with the result. There truly is something to be said about the sweet peace that tags along in the end.

There were objects in the assignment (this week) that were shot many times in several different locations. Like the cups (below). I wasn’t happy with the shot I posted the other day. The background was boring and needed some pop.

That’s when I got the bright idea to use this colorful blue paper for the background. This is the shot of cups that made me happy in the end.

C is for Cups

S – Remember the stack of scissors I posted the other day? Well, there was something about it that just didn’t jive. The more I looked at it, the more I didn’t like the shot.

While searching the house (high and low) for something that started with s, is when this little stapler in the office “SCREAMED” at me. From the moment my eyes hit it, that’s when I knew this little guy would be perfect for S.

I grabbed a large dinner plate to set up the display and scattered the staples for interest.

S is for Stapler

I is for ice. Try as I may, I did not capture the shot I was hoping to get. But in the end I captured something I like even better. I’m learning to continue shooting, from all angles as you never know unless you try.

The thing I like most about this shot is the reflection of the glass on the table. I like that little element of surprise.

I is for Ice

Last but not least. The Z! Oh the z nearly put me over the edge. The shots I worked on with my dresses (the zippers) just didn’t cut it for me. I think they lacked excitement and there was nothing about the shot that caused me to “want” to pause and look further. It was then that I accepted it and began to look for another object.

It was another lightbulb moment when I discovered this pair of boots with zippers. I knew at once that this boot was “just” what I was searching for.

It took a bit of time to find the right background, but once I found it, I knew.

Z is for Zipper

I learned a lot from this assignment. It was a challenge, I had a TON of fun! And I learned not to accept something just because it will make the grade or get me thru.

It’s a constant challenge to improve and to use what I have to see the world around me thru the lens. My wish is to grow daily thru this process and to feel calm (knowing I did my best) at the end of each assignment.

Blessings – Debbie

Or are they? While my assignment this week has nearly come to a close, I hope to keep the scavenger challenge ever in my thoughts. It’s amazing how we can use the simple things and create great images from them.

I still have one more letter to shoot before I can call it complete. V, that’s my last letter. I intend to shoot a vase (filled with fresh flowers) and hopefully get a nice shot at sunset. At least I’m hoping for a nice sunset as I know just how I’m going to shoot it. Fingers crossed…

The photo below was shot last evening in the kitchen. The sun was behind me shining on my subject (about an hour before sunset). The bright light (directly behind the “Queen”) is from a window on the other side of the room. I like how the light sort of makes a halo around the Queen’s head.

Q is for Queen. I had a great shot of Q-tips but realized they are not right for this assignment. The Q-tips are a proper name for swabs, thus I needed a new subject. I think the Queen works well for q.

The last pic I’m showing today.

F is for Faucet.

Cheers to wrapping up this assignment before class tomorrow! Onward and upward with the letter “V”

Blessings – Debbie

Happy Saturday afternoon!

And what a happy day it has been. The fun with the camera continues this weekend. Since I’m focusing on the alphabet, I thought I would continue sharing a little bit more of my project with you. If you are just joining me, see I’m A Scavenger At Heart for more details. I’ve had a list of items going every day. Even the hubs helped with brainstorming for different objects around the house to capture.

Without further ado, let’s look at a few more scavenged shots.

D is for doll – I know, I posted dice the other day but I could not seem to get a shot that I really liked. So I switched to doll.

O is for Onion – Every time I see an onion this time of the year, I think of that prank. You know, the one where an onion is covered with caramel? So if you receive a carmel apple as a gift this year, be SURE to cut it with a knife before taking a bite.

C is for Cups

I have seven letters to go before I call this assignment complete. I will not be posting all of my finds, but it will be complete for class Monday.

Blessings – Debbie

I can’t get over the amount of fun I’m having with this “Scavenger A B C” assignment.

If you have not checked out the details, run over to the post I’m A Scavenger At Heart. There you will find what I’m up to, as well as see the explanation for the A B C Scavenger hoopla this week.

As soon as I said goodbye to the hubs this morning, I checked my list and started in on the assignment right away.

Here are a few more letters that I covered today.

B is for Bell

G is for Glasses

J is for Jug = One of the last pottery pieces I made this year.

L is for Lock

N is for Necktie – Who knew I would be tying this guy today?

P is for Pebbles

I have quite a few more letters to cover before class next week. But I will not be denied as I’m having WAY too much fun.

I’m calling it quits today for now as I have a few things to wrap up before the weekend. But I’m not so sure that I won’t be picking up the camera again today.

Blessings – Debbie

It was a lovely and busy day. A day that called for a lot more thought than the norm. A list was made and this scavenger is on the prowl.

Our photography assignment this week is “I’m A Scavenger At Heart”. We’re getting tested to see how well we know our A B C’s.

Starting with the letter “A” and ending with the letter “Z”. We are to photograph objects that begin with that particular letter.

Our photographs MUST be of the real object that begins with that letter. And we are not to use similar objects for different letters. Like J for jewelry, n for necklace, r for ring…

We may use a person for “Human” but not as their name. So there will be nothing like D for Debbie…

We may not attempt to capture emotions or feelings or use colors as they are intangible.

No proper names allowed like: XBox, iPhone and there will be no taking pictures of signs with “zoo” and using that for z. S is for Sign, not what the sign says. We may take a shot of a restaurant for r but not the name of a restaurant. Reminder, it has to be tangible.

He spelled it out in black and white and the rules must be followed. 4 points will be subtracted for each unacceptable object.

Total points possible = 100

That said, I’m so excited about the challenge this week. I’ve already had a great day capturing a few letters of the alphabet including the letter X! Wanna take a guess what I snapped? I got really lucky with my x this week as my dentist appointment was scheduled for today. Can you guess now? I’m sure you guessed. Check out the pix to see for sure.

D is for Dice

H is for Hat

M is for Magnifying Glass

S is for Scissors – I scavenged every pair of scissors in the house for this shot.

X is for X-ray – Lucky me, I had my checkup this morning. That is one of my X-rays on the screen. She was such a good sport to pose for this shot.  Cheers to another great visit and for crossing X off my list!

Z is for Zipper

While I know my A B C’s, it’s tricky taking them in order. I’m still brainstorming with some of those letters and having lots of fun with this assignment.

There are still many letters in the alphabet. Stay tuned to see what I come up with.

Blessings – Debbie

I would like to argue that we’re somewhere back in May. But the calendar tells me otherwise. So, Cheers to October, I just hope I’m able to catch up to speed with this year before it ends.

It’s been one of those rewarding days. However, I can’t say that I made it thru class sans a panic attack here and there.

Boy can I ever get myself worked up over the smallest thing. Like today, my panties were all in a twist worrying if I was printing to the right printer. Or did I save things properly such that I could get back to Photoshop without starting over. It’s the little things I fret over and I think the teacher is getting a kick out of it. It’s a good thing somebody is, right? I think there’s reason enough right there for therapy.

And thank goodness for my sweet neighbor Sarah. When she gets the slightest inkling that I’m struggling, she’s right there to see to it that I’m ok and not to worry. Love her, I’m so happy we sit next to each other.

In the end, I’m glad that I was able to get my assignment turned in and “hopefully” get another really good grade.

It seems I’m reminded daily of all the things I’m learning. I’m amazed with what I’ve learned over the last 6 – 7 weeks of class. And I still have such a long way to go. It’s almost like a daily growth as we continue to build on the foundation we started weeks ago.

Wednesday is the day we get our next assignment.  I’m sitting on the edge of my seat ready and waiting for a brand new challenge.

Blessings – Debbie

I’m happy it’s Friday!  And for getting caught up on all things around the house.  The last batch of laundry is in the last spin cycle and the sheets will be fresh out of the dryer in  no time.  It’s a good feeling going into the weekend with the hubs.

Yesterday was a different story.  Have you ever had one of those tasks when your “joy” went from full to expired in an instant?  That happened to me yesterday when I made someone angry.  I fled the scene on foot making a b-line for my car.  Home sweet home, that’s the only place I wanted to seek refuge for the remains of the day.  Read on to see how the story unfolds.

So I took this shot at the height of joy.  I was so excited to be in the heart of downtown San Diego.

I could NOT wait to get this shot.  I stood here on this corner a very long – long time taking all sorts of shots as these guys moved in and out of our busy town.

It was fun taking shots of strangers when they had no clue I was around.  This is all part of our urban assignment this week.

And this guy looking back at something.  Glad it wasn’t me.  The goal is to capture expressions without them seeing the camera.  Yay for getting the job done!

But here is the part where my joy expired.  I got yelled at on this corner.  The lady made a complete scene and I thought she was going to knock my lights out.  Seriously.

She was a dear homeless lady and my heart felt for her, while I worried about me.  I don’t know if I stood on her corner too long or what.  I couldn’t make much sense of what she was saying, but I could understand the word “pictures”.  Clearly I was not taking shots of her, but it was clear that she was not happy, at all.  She also pointed to her eye and said something.  I think she wanted to throw a punch.

So I quickly raised my left hand (in a wave gesture) and said “no – no” in a very soft voice. And it was that precise moment that I knew I did not have it in me to hit/harm her in my defense.  Nor did I feel safe standing there a moment longer.  So I quickly joined a group of strangers and walked with them away from her. Oh boy, did I ever have a very angry woman on my hands.  And all I could imagine is running and screaming thru the streets of San Diego.

Once I was about 300 feet away, I turned around to see if she was tagging along. Luckily, she was back there on the corner.

But my joy of taking photography in the streets of San Diego was gone.  My heart was pounding for a while and my artsy fartsy was out the window.  And all I wanted to do was go home.  So I did.  I didn’t even bother going to the other places I wanted to shoot.  I just made a b-line for home sweet home.

As late afternoon approached, I thought I’d hop in the car and run into town for some more shots.  I did run into town, camera in tow.  As I weaved in and out of the one way streets, my heart wasn’t in it.  Home, there’s no refuge quite like home and that’s where I spent the remains of the day and evening.

I don’t believe in giving up, but I do believe in time to heal that expired tank of joy.

Last evening when hubby asked about my day, he felt so bad, but thankful I was ok.  He assured me that he would take me into the city this weekend AND he assured me that I could have whatever street corner I pleased.  He said he would protect me from any and all who stood in my way of getting the shots I need for the class.  He’s amazing like that.  I love him for making me feel that everything will be ok.

I’m sure I’ll have all the shots I need for class come Monday.

Today was a brand new day.  A day I was ready to pick up my camera and shoot some more.

So I headed over to the farmers market, something a bit more my speed.

This is the very first thing (a little garden flag) I shot today. I think it was for good luck, as my little light was shining bright.

I took shots of decorations on the outside of old buildings.  This establishment has been in the same family since the 1800’s.

This wasn’t for sale, just a part of the outdoor decor.

This shot tickles me.  Gramps, the guy over on the left side of the pic (I like how one sock is up and the other down) was trying to tell his “bride” that I was taking her picture. Fortunately, she could not hear him and I was able to capture a lovely market exchange.

This pair of shoes (hanging on the exterior of a building) called for my attention.

And this old (cash register?) piece called for a shot too.

I was truly in my happy place.

It was sheer joy when the owner of this beautiful pooch allowed me to have a photo session with her baby.

He had my heart at hello.

Mommy was feeding him treats and he was drooling for more.

I can’t think of a better place to shoot than the farmers market.

And I can’t think of a better way to end this week.  It’s nice ending on a good note.

Blessings – Debbie

I don’t claim to be good or great.  But I can claim that leaving something alone is not part of my DNA.

I’ve had that jug of coins (outside) on that counter for days.  I’ve taken pictures of that thing several mornings in a row, as well as a couple of evenings.  My assignment is complete but I can’t stop analyzing it inside out.

Here’s a shot where the coins were getting the last squeak of light from the sun last evening.  There’s something warm about it that I like.

And this morning I took this shot of that jug of coins.

I like this shot because it lends itself to the feel of the sky.  As you can see, the upper part of the jug has a reflection of the blue sky and the mid portion has the feel of white  hazy clouds.

I was focused on the coins midway thru the jug.  This is a shallow depth of field shot.

I framed it just for you!

It’s to be determined if I leave it alone and move on to the next thing.

Keep doing what you love, you never know what you’ll discover.

Blessings – Debbie

= Fun for this artist.

After playing with my assignment for a good part of the morning (yesterday), I decided to play during the golden hour last evening.  And then again this morning.

I won’t go into the process of sharing all 4 photos of each object (like yesterday), but I would like to share some shots with shallow depth of field.  That means, the object I’m focused on will be in focus and everything else, blown out of focus.

When taking certain images, this has been my favorite way to shoot this past year.  That’s when I got my 50mm 1.4 lens and that’s what opened my shallow depth of field love.

After playing with the assignment this week, I have a great big wish for a really cool telephoto lens.  I can only dream of the shots I could take with that bad boy.

Onward and upward with my 50mm 1.4 experiment…

Forks Hold an Egg – I prayed the wind would not knock the egg off its rocker.  My prayers were answered.

The Money Spill

It was yesterday afternoon during one of my brainstorms, I got the notion to pop the lid on my ancient (20-year-old) bank.  I literally broke the brittle bank lid doing it.  It started cracking the moment I began tugging.  But I didn’t care, I wanted the money spill shot.

After taking a few shots from the angle as seen above, I wasn’t happy at all.  There was  something lacking and the angle was all wrong.

So I made this adjustment last evening.

This was focused on the spill, as you can clearly see the coins on the counter and everything else is thrown out of focus.

This next shot was focused more on the money in the bank.  It’s like your eye reaches way into the bank.  See how the foreground and the background are blurred?  The coins on the counter are no longer in focus.

Here we are working playing with the same subject during the golden hour last evening.

One more golden hour shot.

And back at it again this morning.  Focused on the coins inside the bank.

Focused on the spill (coins) scattered about the counter.

The same thing with this vase filled with flowers.  I was not happy with my shots yesterday morning.  I didn’t care for the angle or the way the roses were placed.  At the time I thought it would be cool to kinda have the flowers spilling over the one side.  But after criticizing it, things had to change.

So I played during the golden hour last evening, as my subject was backlit with the sun.  I love the soft light this time of day.

We played again this morning.  Isn’t this a cheerful hour?

While all the experimenting is not part of the lesson,  I can’t help myself.  The perk was getting to stay around the house such that I didn’t have to do a lot of running around this week.

Cheers to getting to stay home + I nailed my assignment.  Bring on the weekend with the hubs!

Blessings – Debbie

Our photo project of the week is Depth Of Field (DOF)

DOF is the area in front of and behind the subject that is in focus.

Using different lenses is one of the most rewarding and challenging aspects of photography.  Understanding what wide-angle and telephoto lenses do and how they do it is vital.

Follow along if you would like to enjoy the process.

Before I get started we have 4 pictures, all taken (with the camera attached to a tripod) the same distance (about 3 feet) from the subject.

First up – Taken with a 50mm f1.4 prime lens. The Aperture set to f11 = a greater depth of field.  In other words, the background and foreground are not too blurred.

The subject today is a pottery piece I made last year – Filled with fresh roses from the garden.

Now consider the second shot.  It’s taken with the same lens (50mm f1.4 prime lens) but with an aperture setting of f2.8.  Ah, see the difference?  Same shot, same lens, same distance but with that delicious blurred background.  This is my cup of tea, this lens and a good shallow depth of field.

Now see what happens when we keep the tripod in the same spot (3 feet away) but we change the lens.

Instead of shooting with a 50mm like the shots above, we switch to an 18mm.  See the difference?  The subject appears further away, yet we are still in the same spot.  The aperture for the shot below was set to f16 (not so blurred) with pretty much everything in focus.

Again, the same shot with the 18mm, the aperture setting at f4 = a little more shallow depth of field.

You will also notice that the smaller the lens, the less depth of field we can achieve.  No wonder I use my 50mm 1.4 so much.

I started a wish list of a few lenses I would like.

• 16-35mm
• 24-85mm
• 70-200mm
• 70-300mm

The possibilities are endless!  I just wish the bank account were endless as well.

Now I’m off to brainstorm, as I need to find a few more images.  Then follow the procedure as seen above, to complete the assignment this week.

Should be fun!

Blessings – Debbie