Some days are just a 'bottoms-up' kind of day!!

Mar 26, 2007

earthdancers Performance

Well, I did it. I took over 200 photos at the dress rehearsal. First time I used the Pentax K100D for this sort of thing. I wasn't sure how it was going to perform [or more like I wasn't sure how I was going to manage the camera] as it's still so new to me. I know for sure that I NEED a faster lens. I'm still at a loss though whether to look into a prime or a zoom.
Anyhoo, here's some of the best of the bunch. I'd appreciate any and all feedback!


















Mar 17, 2007

The end of winter

We went to camp yesterday. Daughter #2 and her boyfriend have been there all week - through the above 0º temps, the sun, the rain, the wind AND the sudden drop to -15º! In that time, the snowmobile broke. It works, but it only steers to the left! So to get anywhere, you have to straighten out the skis, drive as far as you can until it starts veering to the left... stop, straighten the skis out, reposition the snowmobile... and start all over! Needless to say, DD just left it by the shore. So, DH had to put it out of it's mysery for the rest of the season and retired it to the shed.
Luckily, we were able to take the Van across the lake. The snow that was on top of the lake had melted into solid ice, but there were tons of ruts and bumps from where the vehicles and sleds had been before. It made for very careful, slow driving, but we made it. The ice is still at least 12" thick, but there's very little snow left in the bush or on our property.
I have to go back tomorrow to bring DD and boyfriend back home. I'll likely pack up the bedding, close up the camp and wait until thaw. Forecast for next week is rain and temps back up in the mid teens. It's unlikely that we'd be able to get back to camp safely.
C'mon thaw!!!

Here's our humble, LITTLE, cottage abode.


The drive-to!


Practice with the Macro setting:




Mar 16, 2007

The Coldest day of the year!

After almost a week of above temps, we have very little snow left! YAY!
For several weeks I had a mini-shoot planned for some time in the March break. The young girl I was going to take pics of is a student of my daughter`s at her dance studio. This was to be a portfolio-building session for me and GREAT practice because I rarely get a chance to photograph people!!
Turns out that yesterday was the only day that worked for both me and her mom. And what happens?? The temps drop OVER 20 degrees in one day! That's Northern Ontario for ya!

We drove to Lake Laurentian Conservation area with hopes of taking some shots by the lake and on the trail. We only made it as far as the chalet because it was just SOOOOOOoooo darn cold outside. Luckily, the chalet had some neat surroundings for pics. I took a few pics of K in her coat, hat and mitts. By this time my hands and fingers were already starting to feel the bite of the cold. My DD's feet were in rubber boots [she thought it wasn't that cold out at first] and they were numb. K's mom was doing her best to cover up her daughter in between shots!

Young K brought several really cute outfits to change-up, but all she could manage was to ADD layers! I managed to find an area by the chalet out of the wind, so we did the remainder of the shots there. I can't tell you how COLD my cheeks and fingers were. OMG, so cold. The windchill was -26º C although the actual temp was only about -5º. Why is it that in the spring, when there's hardly any snow left, the wind just bites??

Well, enough of my whining. I'm only going to post a few pics because I haven't gotten the signed release back yet from the mom. Any HHCC would be appreciated as this was my first ever mini shoot for someone other than my own girls! I set custom WB and did my best at metering. I'd appreciate any feedback! Hopefully, I'll be able to post a few more!





Mar 15, 2007

My Goof-up

For my Cameras on the Rocks photo club, our assignment was to take photos in/of a cemetary. I had two weeks to do the work, but did I use my time wisely? Umm - no! On the last day, DH and I went to our cottage and I knew of a cemetary on the way. He had to run a errand first so I went to the cemetary and shot away. Whoo-hoo, I was all excited because I got some really great shots. There were some old wooden crosses with just a painted name on it, there were dried up floral arrangements, snow and shadows and some really neat colours.
So, we're now on our way to camp and I decided to take a peek at the photos, aniticipating some really great results. UGH, NO. I shot them ALL at 3200 ISO...in bright sun! I was not surprised that I did that, but I was so angry with myself. I had taken dance photos the night before in a low-lit studio and I totally forgot to reset my ISO.
Anyhoo, to make a long story short, I managed to get back and retake the photos, but they really didn't turn out that great. The sun and shadows weren't in the same place and there was just no oomph to them.
However, I decided to play with one of the overexposed shots and I really liked the results.
Here's the colour of my error!!

Mar 12, 2007

Colours of the Cottage

I really don't have a favourite colour. Well, I like red for my cottage decor. I like turquoise because it's Retro and I like to wear earth tones. Pastel yellow is awesome, but I could never wear it. I generally don't like green unless it's khaki. Can't stand blue vehicles but I don't mind a nice navy piece of clothing. Brown is one of my more likeable colours too! Orange is pretty cool too, but only for specific things.

Went to the camp yesterday to bring daughter #2 and her boyfriend. They're staying there for the March Break if they don't get flooded out first! The weather is so mild that the snow on the lake is turning to slush and there are puddles all over. The fish shacks are going to have to taken out soon or they will get frozen solid into the ice if it turns cold again.

Took a few pics with my Tamron 70-300. I'm not really used to this lens yet. I found a few of my pics turned out a little dark. Not sure if I have to do some EV adjusting or different metering. Practice, practice I guess.

So, here's a few from the cottage. The colours of the outdoors. Thanks for looking~! Don't be shy, leave me a comment - even HHCC is welcome, or just say Hi to tell me you popped in.

Bird House


Gracie's Toy. This is hung from a tree. She can play tug-o-war with it any time she wants!


We have these Hemlock trees all over the property. I love these trees.


Mighty Pine - cone!


There's nothing like a roasted weiner over an open fire. Mmmmmm. [Not sure what I was focused on in this shot - but it still looks yummy, right?]

Mar 10, 2007

My daughter, the Dance Teacher!

Daughter L teaches modern dance. She wanted me to take pics at one of her rehearsals for the big earthdancers show**. First time I've used the Pentax in this situation. Really had to bump up the ISO to 800 & 1600 for some. Ran them through Noiseware, but I'm generally pleased. All of them hand held, natural light, Av mode around f 4-5. No signed releases, so the faces are blocked.

A faster lens would have been SO much nicer! Perhaps a fixed aperture one or a variable? I'm so lens-challenged! Any suggestions?
Tell me what you think!


**p.s. Those are my pics on the earthdancers website!









Mar 9, 2007

The Games we Play



I love GAMES. Board games, card games, action games, any games [except Checkers...hate Checkers!!] :) Some of my favs are Scrabble, Cribbage, Rummy-Q, Balderdash, Scattergories, Pit....ah, the list is endless!
Unfortunately, it takes a LOT to convince my family to play anything with me. :(
Here's a pic from last month when my girls had friends over to play Crokinole.
SURE - play with the friends but not with Mamma!

Mar 6, 2007

Things that Make my Life Easier!





The POTD theme this week is to post objects of things that make your life easier. I'm gonna blog about how much I don't LIKE the new products that are out there that are SUPPOSED to make your life easier. I say, meh.

A lot of people have posted dishwashers, washers, dryers and appliances! Sure, I'm glad that I don't have to scrub my clothes on a washboard, or put them through a ringer like the 'olden days', but I love to hang my clothes out on the line. It does take a little longer, but at least I'm outside in the fresh air instead of my cold, dark laundry room! I can't wait to start doing that again once the temps go above freezing! The clothes not only smell better to hang them outside, but I find it much easier to fold them from the line than from out of a dryer!

As for dishwashers, some of you might be shocked to hear that I DON'T WANT ONE. My mom had one at our house when I was a teen. I remember the pain in the neck it was to roll out the washer [ours wasn't built-in], hook it up to the kitchen tap, then wait for the noisy cycle to be over, roll it back, empty the dishes, yadda, yadda, yadda. You call that easy? I'd rather wash dishes by hand while chatting with my family as they help dry and put away. Our first two houses had dishwashers and it was the first item that I got rid of. Nope, no dishwasher for me. Ever.

What's up with all those Swiffer products? It upsets me that with the state our world is in regarding waste and pollution that manufacturers are still making garbage-producing products!! I refuse to buy items that create more trash and waste. Each one of those little Swiffer wipe thingys have to be thrown away. And the bag that they come in. A broom, dustpan and cloth is what I use... and a bagless vacuum cleaner for my carpet.

I haven't bought a single bottle of Pledge or Fantastik or any other cleaning product in over 25 years. Most of the over-the-counter products are mostly water and few other ingredients. Some are extremely toxic. I make my own cleaner. It's all purpose and much safer... and cheaper, than the bought ones. My cleaner, a piece of newspaper, or a rag is all I need to make my house shine!

Convenience foods are supposed to make our life easier, give us more time for our families. That's all fine and dandy, but our children's lives won't be very easy if they have to live in a world full of health related problems from too many over-processed foods that are full of trans-fats, too much sugar and zero nutrition. Sure, that single-wrapped weiner is handy and cooks fast - but yuk! Pre-packaged everything, single-wrapped weiners, pre-cooked bacon, pre-cut/diced/sliced/chopped foods! I prefer natural foods that cook on the stove in the natural amount of time. I like to buy whole foods and foods without additives and junk. Sure, I love the odd chocolate bar or bag of chips, but I like to think that I'm a wise consumer when it comes to healthy eating... and recycling! I recycle EVERYTHING I possibly can.

I'll get off my soap-box now. I just couldn't for the life of me think of anything to take a picture of that makes my life easier. That's not to say that I don't appreciate having a vehicle to get me where I have to go, or a TV that entertains me, or a washing machine that cleans my clothes. It's just that all those items are a part of my life. I chose to have them. And I choose what NOT to have too!
I'll stop now before I get too carried away!! ha ha

The End!

p.s. Is there anybody else out there like me??

Mar 4, 2007

My Daughters

I had a little mini-shoot with my girls. The weather was warm and I wanted to practice with my camera outdoors. I set the White Balance which really made a huge difference. I don't shoot in RAW, so I still had to do a little PPing, but just a slight colour and curves adjustment. I took about 65 pics and these are a few of my favs.

L - Daughter #1








M - Daughter #2







Gracie - Daughter #3, 3 yrs. old.



Mar 2, 2007

My Collection



I love retro stuff. Perhaps it's because I'm still a hippy at heart, but I always seem to be drawn to retro decor and retro items! Since my house isn't really suited for retro decor, I have one room where I display my collection of old stuff. My office. I also want to decorate our cottage with retro stuff - especially RED things!



Some of the things are hand-me-downs from my family, like the bowling shoes. They were my dad's. I also have his personalized bowling ball.



This shirt was a favourite of mine when I was a young teenager! I LOVED that shirt and wore it all the time. I couldn't bear to part with it when I grew out of it. It's hanging on a hangar that was made for me when I was a baby.

This cooler and thermos will likely find a new home when the addition is finished at the cottage. I want to bring my 1930's Hoosier cabinet there and it will nicely display my retro stuff!

My Visitors

My Own Karma

kar·ma (kär'me) -- [from the root kri, "to do" "to make"] - is the means by which you become the architect of your own destiny....actions set in motion.....