Scavenger Hunt - Walking Empty Streets, Repeating patterns, Floor, Then & Now & Finger Tips

Time for Ashley Sisk's Scavenger Hunt again. It's amazing how every week I think it will be impossible to take photos for all the prompts but somehow it always works out. I'm really enjoying it too. I'm taking heaps of photos that I wouldn't have taken otherwise.

1. Walking Empty Streets

I love my husband! He came out at sunrise with me so I could take this photo. We had our son in his car seat in the car just to my right as every time we heard a car we had to run off the road.
My husband said it reminded him of his young years walking home from a dance party with his friends as the sun was coming up.

2. Repeating Patterns

Linking up with the Kat Eye View of the World: Exploring with a Camera

(I just can't get buttons to work lately, I had to use the scavenger hunt button from an old post also. Don't know what I'm doing wrong. )

3. Floor

 Great for playing with cars!

4. Then and Now

Pixel Lounge Before & After frames and The CoffeeShop Blog Fabric Maker action used for the fabric texture background

My son as a baby and now as an wonderful little boy!

5. Finger Tips

Time to practice those fine motor skills with some Lego. So proud of my son, this lego set where you build a car is for ages 6-12, he's just turned 5 and built it himself following the instructions.

Can't wait to see everyone's interpretations and photos!

Journey Around the Sun - Days 23 through 29

 We were all sick this week, nothing serious, just another winter cold. But we had a pretty quiet week. 

Day Twenty Three

Processed with The CoffeeShop Blog Golden Vintage action

Took this shot when I noticed their shadows.

Processed with Isabelle Lafrance Soulful Dusk action

Day Twenty Four

Processed with Paint the Moon Warm Chai action

I took this shot of my son on our picnic, notice the cupcake icing on his nose. He insisted on bringing this paper crown he'd made at school. I think he looks like a little sailor!

I love the atmospheric perspective of this scene. It makes me laugh though because it looks like we have a clear unimpeded view but in reality I could barely find anywhere to shoot without trees in the way and they weren't nice trees for framing the shot.

Processed with The CoffeeShop Blog Cross Processing 2

Kookaburra's, they're giant Kingfishers. They make the laughing call noise.
We thought it was so peculiar that they were sitting like this, but we realised they were scoping out the left over fries at a nearby table. I had switched lenses when they flew down to grab the fries so I didn't catch it. :-(

Day Twenty Five

My 2econd Skin Blush, Paint the Moon Timeworn & Isabelle Lafrance Midsummer textures applied

The last cupcake from the weekend with a pot of French Earl Grey tea.

Day Twenty Six

Processed with Paint the Moon Warm Chai action

Pink Lady apple, I so didn't know what to photograph today. My son thinks it's hilariously funny that they're called Pink Lady, he's at that age!

Day Twenty Seven

Processed with Isabelle Lafrance Soulful Delightful Daylight action

Sometimes you just need a bit of luck! I only got one shot at this bee before it buzzed away!
Taken with a 50mm 1.8 together with an extension tube 25mm. Not cropped at all. 
I have a post about my extension tube here. 

Day Twenty Eight

 I sewed my son a cubby house a couple of years ago. It fits over our dining table and has windows and a fold up flap for a door. I love that he still likes to play in it! 

Day Twenty Nine

My 2econd Skin Old Paper no.10 texture and a writing texture applied

A bit of book love!

Live Every moment - White

I love the book love/heart photos I've seen around the place. I decided to try it myself. I used a journal though, with blank white pages waiting to be written on.

Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart.  ~William Wordsworth

Top Three Winner! Thank you so much!!

I Clicked it up a Notch - July

This month's decision was even harder than last month. But I decided to go with my heart again.
I love this photo of my husband and son. I feel like the world is such a huge awe inspiring place but we're taking our son by the hand and guiding him through.

 

“There are no seven wonders of the world in the eyes of a child. There are seven million.”

~ Walt Streightiff

Linking up with Click it up a Notch

Can't wait to see everyones best photo for July

Scavenger Hunt - Music to my Ears, Hat, Clear, Out of this World & Sprinkles

1. Music to my Ears

My son laughing! This is the best photo I could get of him laughing this week. He was moving around so much.

2. Hat

I had to get one out of the archives this week, because this photo is all about the hat. This is actually me. I had this idea to have the shadows and light from my hat on my face. Not the most attractive photo but it's really fun! I did actually get my husband to take the photo but I set it all up and gave instructions.

3. Clear

4. Out of this World

 The Sun, our star!
We've been watching the "Wonders of the Solar System" with Professor Brian Cox (who used to be in a British boyband). It's such an interesting series and has beautiful cinematography. He visits remote places around the world with stunning scenery. I sit there half the time just looking at the scenes and wishing I was there photographing them. They're beautifully shot with silhouettes, star bursts and haze. The latest we watched was about the sun. I love this quote "For us it's everything, and yet it's just one ordinary star amongst 200 billion starry wonders that make up our galaxy. " I love that, but it makes you feel so small.

5. Sprinkles

 We made cupcakes for a picnic this weekend, with sprinkles and 100's & 1000's. My son came over and tried to sneak off with this one as I was taking a photo. 

Journey Around the Sun - Days 18 Through 22

This week I decided to try matching up my daily photos with quotes. Some photos were inspired by quotes others I found quotes to match how I felt about the photos. 

Day Eighteen
Or stars of morning, dew-drops which the sun
  Impearls on every leaf and every flower.
      ~ John Milton, Paradise Lost (bk. V, l. 746)

Processed with Johnna Lafaith's Lost action

Day Nineteen
To be overcome by the fragrance of flowers is a delectable form of defeat.  ~Beverly Nichols

My Second Skin Blush & Isabelle Lafrance Magnolia Madness textures applied

My Second Skin Blush & Isabelle Lafrance Magnolia Madness textures applied

Processed with Velvet Truffle action by The CoffeeShop Blog

Isabelle Lafrance Midsummer & Magnolia Madness textures applied

Day Twenty
 Light gives of itself freely, filling all available space.  It does not seek anything in return; it asks not whether you are friend or foe.  It gives of itself and is not thereby diminished.  ~Michael Strassfeld

All photos had My 2econd Skin Blush texture applied

Day Twenty One

Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.  ~J. Lubbock

My 2econd Skin Harvest texture applied

 Day Twenty Two

A rose can say "I love you"

Orchids can enthrall, 

but a weed bouquet in a chubby fist, 

yes, that says it all. ~ Author unknown 

The CoffeeShop Blog Vintage Cream texture applied

Processed with The CoffeeShop Blog Golden Vintage action and warming filter applied

Processed with Paint the Moon Warm Chai Tea

Linking up with Lisa Gorden's creative Exchange. 

And Click it up a Notch Project 365

I Learned - Car Light Trails

Because the prompt for Sunday's Scavenger Hunt was head lights I decided to try photographing car light trails in the city last Saturday. So I set up on a covered walk way over a road. I would have liked to try some on ground level but it was raining off and on. And actually there were some drunk people loitering around down there, so no. I used my 55-250mm lens so I could zoom in and out. I used a tripod and set the 2 second timer on my camera so I would minimise camera shake. Even my son jumping around next to me made some movement in some shots. I metered off the sky, and adjusted my shutter speed as it got darker. Photo settings ISO 100, f/22, SS 25 secs. I did take shorter shutter speeds at the beginning as the sun was setting producing shorter trails. There also wasn't as much traffic then. I should have tried some wider apertures as it got darker but it was cold and we had to get our son fed and back home to bed. So something for next time. I liked the city lights but I'd like to set up somewhere darker next time with less distraction from the actual trails, or try some city lights bokeh.
All photos processed with The CoffeeShop Blog Cross Processing action.

Linking up with Click it up a Notch - I learned

Constructive critique welcomed

There's been some interest in my settings so I thought I might just explain why I chose these settings. If this is self explanatory just ignore me!
So I started when the sun was just setting and to get the longest shutter speed (= long trails) I set my ISO to 100 (less sensitivity) and aperture to 22 (smaller opening = less light). The added bonus of f/22 is the star bursts, which I wouldn't get at a wider aperture.
When there was still quite a bit of light around my SS was 1.3 secs, I metered off the sky to get the correct exposure. As the cars were only going 60km/hr tops I got really short trails and there wasn't much traffic. As it got darker I kept metering off the sky and adjusting my SS to slower numbers.
Now if I was at a motor way the cars are going really fast so it would be unnecessary to go as slow as 25 secs only a few seconds would probably do.  The longer the SS the more chance of camera shake even on a tripod.
And if I didn't want the star burst I would widen my aperture.
So my settings aren't creatively the correct settings for car trails just what I came up with in my setting to get pleasingly long trails.