Vinegar and Baking Soda Are Fun!!!

Be forewarned inner science geek is coming out with this post!! I'm sure you all have heard about, or in my case tried the baking soda volcano. If you haven't, you need to, especially with your kids or just by yourself if you're a science geek like I am haha. There's a cool, chemical reaction that happens when the two ingredients meet, something to do with carbon dioxide. Bubbles and foam are produced which is what I attempted to capture with my camera here.

Nikon D2x
ISO-800(oops left over from my fast shutter speed practice the other day)
18mm-200mm f/3.5-6.3
Aperture F/10
Shutter Speed 1/60 sec.
Nikon Speedlight, contrast filter

We've been having trouble with our tub not draining properly. It's been a real pain in the rear to take care of. I tried Liquid Plumber and all that good stuff. My husband was online researching how to fix drains and came across an article talking about using vinegar and baking soda. Ready to try anything, I attempted it. Within the first couple of drops I was in LOVE with the reaction. I immediately had to get my camera to try and capture it.

So there I am bending over the tub with my vinegar in one hand(the baking soda had already been poured down the drain) and my camera in the other. I'd pour a little vinegar in, then try and get my camera up to my face to capture the bubbles. I only had a few seconds to capture them and I knew immediately I was going to have to use a flash. The entire time I was wishing I had a macro lens, yet again, to be able to get closer up.

So there you have my abstract attempt to make something fairly ordinary look kinda cool. Try it! Get that camera out and play around with what you have just laying around your house or yard. See what you come up with.

Enjoy!
Sere

Blogger stinks

Well Kids, the title says it all. Blogger stinks. All the chicks and the dude tried in vein to post a picture yesterday but alas, Blogger had some type of epic meltdown and wouldn't let us on. Boo hiss.

I'm glad it's back up and running. I've got so much to share both here and on my other blog. My best girl and I (along with my super fab parents) just spent four wonderful, really, REALLY hot days in the glorious Walt Disney World. I'm proud to say that I took just shy of 500 pictures in those four days. My ten pound baby (my camera) was attached to my wrist almost non-stop. It was terrific. I'm happy to share one of them with you tonight.


Nikon D300s Nikkor 24-70 f/2.8 @62mm
ISO 200
Shutter speed 1/640
Aperture f/2.8
natural light

Scott's picture is incredibly abstract. Even I can't figure out what it is and usually Scott and I share similar brain patterns, especially as it relates to photography. Well, except he's a Cannon guy and I'm a Nikon girl. I forgive him for his misstep. He went to the dark side long before I knew him.
Anyways, here is my most abstract picture from the "Disney motherload". It's a fountain that was sitting just outside the Crystal Palace restaraunt. I got a few moments to wander around and look at Disney though the viewfinder, while we waited for Winnie the Pooh and his friends to join us for breakfast.

Who's been to Disney World and have you eaten at the Crystal Palace? I would love to know. It sure seemed like the entire universe was there while we were.

Sere is up tomorrow and then Jay'me will be wrapping up the week.

Have a wonderful, magical, weekend.

Surprise...Wordless Wednesday with Scott

The poster (that's me) will post a picture and its settings. No other verbiage is allowed. The commenter's (that's you) will guess in the comments section below how my picture associates with yesterdays (Tuesday's) picture. It can be a setting. It can be a play on words. It can be a theme. In every photo there are numerous ties, thus creating no right or wrong answer. Just make a comment below and you will be entered into our drawing to be our next guest photographer.


What if I am not good enough to be a guest photographer?
You are good enough. We love all kinds of photographers! That's what makes this so much fun. We believe that everybody has a unique view of this world and we want to see it through the lens of your camera. Any camera goes, camera phone, point and shoot, film camera that has its photos turned into jpgs., high end professional grade cameras, any and all of them! So make a guess and have some fun!
How does this all work?


The contest will go on until my (Scott's) next post. I will use random.org to choose the winner and post the story behind my picture and what the connection is, along with my photo for that day. All you have to do, as our chosen winner, is email us your picture before 10pm on your post day. Usually on a Sunday, but we are flexible. The photo has to be yours, has to tie into the picture from the day before, and 3C1D has to be authorized to use it. Just remember to keep checking back with us to make sure you get the post about who has won.

Only one guess per person. Have fun!

Ready! Set!! Go!!!


Canon 30D
Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro
Aperture f/2.8
Shutter 1/25
ISO 400
Backlit with Sunlight

It's All About The Kids!!!

With this warm weather we've had the last couple of days, being outside has been our top priority. We are enjoying our sunshine while we have it since rain is potentially on the way. In keeping with the last couple of posts I have also included a shot of my child playing.

Nikon D90
ISO-400
Aperture F/6.3
Shutter Speed 1/1600 sec.
Natural Lighting, Shutter Priority

I had my camera set on shutter priority mode so I could play with my shutter speeds without having to worry about my aperture so much. I was practicing how to get that "stop" action for sports pictures. It was a little bit difficult because of the shadows that played around in my yard, but I liked his expression in this shot. My son loves soccer! He plays it both seasons (spring and fall) and has fun with it.

I would suggest for anybody reading this that has a DSLR and wants to do more with it, but is a little afraid to go completely manual on their camera that you play around in either aperture or shutter priority mode. You set up either your aperture or shutter and the camera will automatically adjust for the other. You will end up way more pleased with your shots then if you stay in Auto, but it is not quite as scary as full manual.

Have Fun!
Sere

Happy Mother's Day from 3C1D!!!

What a freakin' fantastic day! Are y'all outside having a blast? I know we are! And that's how I got this shot:

Canon 30D
Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L
Aperture f/2.8
Shutter 1/4000
ISO 400
Sunlight

After a morning spent gorging on brunch and sharing our presents for my bride, we all headed out to "Kick Ass Park" (aka Deicke park). It's truly a mansion of a playground, complete with the longest metal slide I've ever seen. Now my youngest son Brandon is a bulldozer of a boy, with very little fear. Ethan (pictured) meanwhile likes to really consider the risks before plunging down a slide. Once he saw Brandon flying down the polished metal, there was no stopping my E-man. Funny what a little sibling rivalry will do.

One thing I noticed as the boys slid over and over was how the metal was acting as a reflector for the sunlight. Normally, you would avoid underlighting like this at all cost, unless you're going for a special effect. But with my boys and the spirit of the day, added to the reflected face of my first born, I just couldn't help snapping off tons of photos.

A little hint for those of you that might try this. Switch over to manual focus and pick a spot on the slide. When the model begins their slide, you will already be prefocused on that spot, allowing for a sharp image. You only get one shot per slide, but atleast you have a decent chance.

Moving on, the latest winner of WW is Kristen! Kristen, if you're reading this, email us at 3chicks1dudephoto@gmail.com and we'll set you up with further instructions. Alright, I'm going outside. It might start raining for another month and I have to stock up on sunlight. Happy Mother's Day to the 3 chicks and to all you readers!

Peace!

Scott

Jay'me is right

"I hope everyone enjoyed some fresh air and sunlight today. I highly recommend taking your shoes off planting you feet in the grass with your face towards the sky and letting your soul stretch towards the sun. The sun will hug you back today! The air will make you feel alive, I swear!"

Jay'me ended her post yesterday with the above statement. In strange coincidence (the universe screaming) my daughter was doing this exact thing while Jay'me was writing about it.



Yesterday was my daughters 4th birthday. Every year on her actual birthday her dad and I would take her to Main Beach, a local beach on a lake. We would play, take pictures and enjoy the beginnings of spring. Taking special time to remember all the special moments that brought our daughter to life.
Kate and I spent the day at the beach as usual. It was her first birthday since her fathers passing. Instead of devoting all of time to thinking about her birthday, we spent most of it remember wonderful thoughts of my husband.

He was with us yesterday. Giving us just enough glorious sun to enjoy our time at the beach.

I'm really glad that I was shooting in raw for this picture. Harsh, changing lighting conditions made this photo really tough. Being able to recover some of the blown (or lost) detail in the sky during editing really makes the photo a success.

I hope your spending the day reaching toward the sky.
Happy Saturday everyone!

Who Knew ?

Maple trees have beautiful bell flowers.

Nikon D40

1/320

F 9.0

55.mm

Natural light

ISO 200

I love Sere's soft angelic towers of blue bells. I however, am feeling blind as bat lately and am loving as much detail as possible. I see in soft mode without my "cheaters" all the time. I'm the girl that may buy a huge magnifying glass to study stuff. I'll be like a sleuth running around checking stuff out. I WANT A MACRO LENS!!! I may never go wide or landscape again. My fellow bloggers may have to slap me straight if I get a macro lens. I'll be photographing mold and grains of sand.

I nabbed this shot in passing as I followed my daughter who was yelling "Take a picture of this mama bird sitting on her eggs!". I got the mama Killdeer shot too!

As for the Maple "Flower"; Isn't it worth clicking on to enlarge? Tinker Belle probably already knows that these are the perfect shade of green and the perfect shape! I cant wait for my fireworks of flowers. We may not have that many but they are worth waiting for! This little bloom reminds me of 4th of July in the sky. And it's the perfect opener for a great show.

I hope everyone enjoyed some fresh air and sunlight today. I highly recommend taking your shoes off planting you feet in the grass with your face towards the sky and letting your soul stretch towards the sun. The sun will hug you back today! The air will make you feel alive, I swear!

Jay'me