Just Breath....

I've got fifty million thoughts flying through my head all at once this evening and too much left on my "To Do" list for the day. I should have taken more time to just breath and "take in the sights" of the day. So that is where I am left, at this moment. My shot today was reminiscent of my day, a little too quick and rushed.

Nikon D2x
ISO-200
Aperture F/4.5
Shutter 1/160 sec.
18-70mm @55mm

I was rushing out to rescue a puppy that had followed momma out of his house, only problem is, he couldn't find his way back into the house because his eyes are still closed. So he was outside yipping away and momma was going a little crazy because she couldn't get him back in the house. She knew that he shouldn't be where he was. I had been wanting to take quick picture of the litter anyway so I had grabbed my camera and figured I would rescue puppy and take a shot.

I was on my way back into the house when something caught my attention in the pine tree. A toy of my sons was flapping in the breeze so I went to investigate. I looked up into the tree and saw my shot. The angle was the same as with Scott's and well his had a tree and mine has part of a tree. So there you have it.

Hope you all are having a calmer, more relaxed evening then me. Remember to "just breath" and make sure you "take in the sights" of the world, instead of rushing around all the time.

Enjoy!
Sere

My Knarly Looking Tree

My son and I were at a park a few days ago and there was this really cool looking log there. I absolutely LOVE funky looking trees, so I tried to capture the knarly looking knobs and humps this log had.

Nikon D2X
Aperture F/9
Shutter Speed 1/640 sec.
ISO-200
Lens 18-70mm at 44mm
Natural Lighting, Aperture Priority, Filter

I turned the picture to black and white, for fun and to connect it to Scott's more, although I suppose log and leaves would have been connection enough. But I do enjoy playing with my filters, so I used a high contrast black and white filter just to kick up the roughness of this log a bit. I may have overdone it, but I like the look.

I had planned on going back to the log to retake some pictures without children running around and screaming, but it rained on me today, so I couldn't get out.

Enjoy!
Sere

Water Droplets!

I loved how both Scott and Brandi used lighting to really make their pictures work. My tie in was supposed to be using lighting as well to create a certain effect in my post today. It didn't go so well and I ran out of experimentation time. I didn't really like any of the pictures I took, but since I had run out of time I had to choose one, so I did.

Nikon D2X

ISO-100

Aperture F/8

Shutter Speed 1/25 sec.

18-200mm at 200mm

Natural Lighting

Without having a macro lens I find it hard to capture water droplets which I so want to practice learning how to do. This is why I use my telephoto and zoom in, but it just doesn't work very well and as you can see the picture gets so soft looking. I love that I was able to capture the droplets on the leaf, but it just didn't quite turn out the way I had envisioned it in my head.

On the plus side I did learn a new way to sharpen an image in Photoshop that I hope to play around with some more.

Off to bed I go, I am beat! Tomorrow is another day!

Somewhere Over the Rainbow...

Has anybody ever tried to see how close to the end of a rainbow you could get to? I've never tried it. I guess for me part of the allure is the mystery of a rainbow, along with the fact that it is a promise from God. However you look at rainbows they are wonderful to behold.

Nikon D2x

ISO-640

Aperture F/4.5

Shutter Speed 1/125 sec.

Exposure -1 step (that was an oops)

Natural Lighting

This was one of those I spotted the rainbow and ran out with my camera. Missed around with aperture a bit, but really just wanted to capture it before it disappeared on me. I had taken this picture awhile ago and thought that this was an appropriate time to share it. Obvious connection with ROY G BIV.

Still having issues with my spacing. What the heck!! This is really annoying!

Enjoy!

Sere

Signs of Spring

Oooops woke up at 2am and realized I had forgotten to post my picture for the day. I even had everything all ready to post and then my day got away from me. In any event here is my post for the day and I believe Jay'me will be up later today for some Wordless Wednesday fun.

Nikon D90
ISO-100
Aperture F/7.1
Shutter 1/100 sec.
18-200mm @ 92mm
Natural Lighting

As usual I am wishing for a macro. The focal point on non-macro cameras just aren't the same when trying to capture things like this tree bud. Can you see the lovely spider web hanging from the bud? For our family seeing the buds on the trees around our home is how we know that spring is just around the corner. Maybe it's the farmer in my husband whose job it is to grow things, so we notice and find it fascinating. We love to watch the buds grow and then explode with life. It's pretty awesome if you have never taken the time to actually watch it happen as the days unfold. How remarkable it is from a seemingly dead living thing to just start to pop out with life and color.

Sere

Sunset Meanings

I love sunsets! Sunsets are so different depending upon where you are in the world and the time of year. People attribute many different meanings to sunsets when they watch one, depending upon their mood, time of life, and who they are. Sunsets can mean the ending of a day, maybe promise of another day, riding off into the sunset of living happily ever after, to show someone God's beauty at what he has created or maybe it is just the different wavelengths of light that create the different colors that you see in the sky. However you choose to view sunsets, they are pretty spectacular to see.

Nikon D90
ISO-200
Aperture F/8
Shutter Speed 1/500 sec.
18-70mm @ 65mm
Natural Lighting

For me sunsets make me pensive and are thought provoking. I'm back to Brandi's moments in life. When the sun is setting that means that day is done, over. I sometimes ask myself what have I done this day? Did I make a difference for somebody, spend enough time with my family, tell the people that need to hear how much I love them? Did I do what God wanted me to do this day? Maybe you think these same things, maybe not. Maybe you just sit back and enjoy the moment of watching a sunset with your family and just enjoy its beauty.

My connection to Scott's is in the color red and moments with family. My family and I all watched this sunset together down in Key Largo, enjoying each others company (though my son had been pretty bratty this particular day as well). I hope everybody had a chance or gets a chance to enjoy a beautiful sunset with their family as well.

Sere

Friday Faces with Sere

You all received a double-dose of 3C1D yesterday, you lucky people! So today hopefully we will get back on track, but first some 3C1D business to take care of. Our WW winner from last week is BigDan. Congratulations BigDan who is our local city of Chicago photographer. BigDan if you are okay with it we would love for you to post on Sunday. Please send an email to 3chicks1dudephoto@gmail.com and let us know if that will work.

Now back to my post for the day. I LOVE to photograph animals so our Friday Face for today is a big aquatic cutie! Gotta love dolphins.


Nikon D90
ISO-200
Aperture F/6.3
Shutter 1/800 sec.
18-200mm at 42mm
Natural Lighting

My family and I were able to go and see a dolphin show the other day. My son was able to "wade with the dolphins" for the first time. He thought that was pretty cool. Like mother, like son, I've swam with the dolphins a couple of times in my life.

It actually started to pour down rain while we were there, but we waited it out. The temperature just dropped about twenty degrees, but the shows just kept going on. So this picture was taken after the downpour while the skies were still cloudy. It gave me some nice, natural lighting on the dolphin. I adore dolphins so these shots were a lot of fun for me to take. Exotic animals is my connection to the post from yesterday.

I believe our dude is up for tomorrow to help get us back on schedule.
Sere

Gator Bites

Okay so Brandi's post from yesterday was all about new cool toys. My post is going to be all about new experiences. Things that you have not done before or experienced. So enjoy!



Nikon D90
ISO-200
Aperture F/6.3
Shutter 1/320 sec.
18-200 mm at 150mm
Natural Lighting

I am all about new experiences in life. In fact I get thoroughly bored if I don't get try new experiences in my life. This was one of those experiences. My family and I had taken an airboat tour through the Everglades and this lovely girl (at least our guide said she was a girl) decided to swim on up to us and check us out. Now folks this was not some gator in a zoo or aquarium, this was a real live wild gator. It was AWESOME!!! The adorable older lady who sat in front of us on the airboat thought she was going to jump right in and join us in the boat. Instead she just kind of hung around checking us out. I literally could have reached out and touched her.

Aftewards we all went out to eat and I tried (for the first time mind you) gator bites. They tasted really good, but I felt kind of bad eating them after seeing this beauty out in the wild.

Enjoy your life experiences!

Sere

Dream a Little Dream

Ahhh my "happy place", it can be sooo many different places. I love my family to pieces, but I'm a natural born wanderer. Different sites and places intrique and excite me, I love the adventure of it. The open road calls me. I used to escape by driving, sometimes I would drive a half a days drive away or more, just because. That's a little harder to do now, but I still feel the need to get away from it all every so often, it helps to clear my head. Thank God I have a wonderful husband who, though he may not always get it, understands my need for it and accepts it. He even joins me from time to time.

Typically my "happy place" includes beautiful scenary, a National Park or state park if possible, lots of hiking, a lack of buildings, and lots of nature. I can do without the people as well sometimes :). Sometimes it includes my family, sometimes just myself, depends upon my mood. One thing is for sure though, I always have my camera handy when I do escape to my "happy place". The photo below includes just about everything I require.


Nikon D2x
ISO-400
Aperture F/6.3
Shutter 1/45 sec.
18-70mm lens at 28mm
Natural Lighting

This was taken at the Grand Canyon (beautiful scenary and a National Park) on our road trip down to Arizona, where we did lots of hiking. My family was with me and we were also visiting family. The park was not overly busy so we were able to enjoy it without wall to wall people. My dream is to hit all 5o states at some point in my life and attempt to capture it with my camera. My secondary dream is to hit all the National Parks. Some dreams are simple, some are more, ah, grand? What do you dream about and does it have something to do with your own "happy place"?

Sere

Reflection

Reflection has many definitions.

Scott's version of reflection is defined as
Something, such as light, radiant heat, sound, or an image, that is reflected

Here's my version of reflection
Mental concentration; careful consideration


Nikon D40 kit lens
Shutter speed 1/320sec
Aperture f/4.0
Focal length 24.00mm
ISO 200

Whenever I'm near the water it seems to take me over. Giving me peace, quieting the noise in my head and giving me a moment of reflection. The fact that water also reflects like a mirror is not lost on me. Perhaps standing near the edge and seeing myself in the clear water is what allows for that quiet moment.

Capturing water right as it's forming into ice is harder than one would think. Light, as with all photos, is crucial. Harsh sun and you'll lose the details. Cloudy sky and you'll lose the reflection. So I knew I needed to head out today at the "prime time". "Prime time" or "the golden hour" the last hour of daylight, which sadly around these parts is 4pm.
Also posing a problem is the need for depth, structure if you will. Something to ground the photo. Just a picture of an ice edge is rather blah, as I found out.
As I stood at the waters edge, reflecting and thinking of what I could do to "make" a photo happen, a soft, tiny, whisper of a feather floated down and landed just beside me.



"The day is done, and the darkness, Falls from the wings of Night, As a feather is wafted downward, From an eagle in his flight”
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow


Enjoy the moment of reflection.
xoxo,
Brandi

Sky's The Limit

I have to say that I am obsessed with sunsets and sunrises. They are a sign of renewing and beginnings or endings depending. I have a goal of trying to get sunsets or sunrises in every state of the United States. No two are ever really alike and depending upon where you are, when you take the shot, at the time of the year you take your shot, it always changes.

I was up early the other day and was able to catch this glorious sunrise. I just thought that the colors were just breath taking. Hope you all enjoy it as well.

Nikon D90
ISO-640
Lens 18-70mm at 46mm
Aperture F/13
Shutter 1/60 secs.
Manual Settings

I rushed out of my house and was messing with my settings to be able to get as true a color as possible to what I was seeing and manual was the only way to do this. So I played around with several settings until I found the one that I liked. In doing this I completely forgot about my ISO/film speed and did not change that. I wish I had set my film speed lower for these shots. Otherwise I was pleased with the sky color. My connection to Justin's picture is the sun.

Welcome Amanda, winner of last Wednesdays' Wordless Wednesday! Please email 3chicks1dudephoto@gmail.com in order to get your post up. I know I speak for all of us when I say that we look forward to seeing what you will be bringing us through the camera lens.

Jay'me will be up tomorrow, unless Amanda wants to post on Tuesday. Stay tuned....

Wordless Wednesday with Sere with one change....

The poster must post only one (1) photo with settings. No additional verbiage (other than the rules) is allowed.

Commenters (that's you!) must comment and guess how the photo associates with the previous (Tuesday's) photo. We will take a look at every commenter's comments and randomly select a winner on the following Saturday. The winner will get to be our guest poster on the following Tuesday. If you can't make Tuesday, we will pick another day that works for you. We aren't too picky. So if you think you have an answer (or even if you don't) leave a comment, you might just win!

No previous photography experience required. In fact, wannabe's like us, are encouraged. The only criteria; you must be able to take a photo (any camera will do), email said photo, allow 3C1D to publish said photo and follow the rules....

Only one (1) guess per person. All rules strictly enforced with a paddle (Brandi style)!

Ready Set Go!!!!


Nikon D90
18-70mm lens at 38mm
Aperture F/6.3
Shutter 1/100 sec.
ISO 640
Natural Lighting

Hungry Hungry Caterpillar

Cannon Rebel XT EOS
Manual -No flash
1/500
f 5.6
55.mm
ISO 100


So this little guy simply amazes me. I was walking along taking pictures of the girls last week when he caught my eye. He had devoured most of a huge leaf. He was so well camouflaged, I almost step over him. He was so beautiful with his whispy, shiny guard lashes. I got down and personal, right on my belly. Again, who cares who see's me right?
I was playing with my settings mostly the field of depth because it's easiest. I really got what I was looking for here. The back ground almost looks digitally blurred. I couldn't believe my camera could do this. I really love this type of subject - it totally floats my boat!
I hope you all enjoy. I have included a wider shot to show you just how much this little glutton put away.

Faces Friday with Scott next...
Jay'me


Cannon Rebel XT EOS
Manual -No flash
1/500
f 5.6
38.mm
ISO 100