I Clicked it up a Notch September

At the risk of becoming the water drop lady, here's my favourite for the month. I took this on the 1st of September and it's my favourite for the month.
My son loves to collect feathers,  he was home sick from school so we took out a selection from his school bag and had fun dropping water onto them and seeing how water repellent they are. He had so much fun and I tried to get some photos. Taken with my 50mm 1.8 and extension tube.I love the refraction of the feather in the water drops, they look like Cowrie shells to me.

Florabella Willow, Vintage Linen and Scratched Antique textures applied

Linking up with Click it up a Notch

Quarterly Top 5 - July, August & September

Can't believe another quarter has gone by. My son has been so tricky to photograph lately.  But these are my favourites for the quarter.

I love this photo it was the first of my 365 which I started on the 1st July. I think it was during the winter school holidays or he was home sick, he's had a terrible croupy cough off and on all winter. He's in his favourite pj's and robe and he's got his little doggie, given to him by his Grandad as a baby, he now calls him Bolt after the animated movie.

I think my favourite photo of my son taken only a few days after the first photo the first day of our holiday at Rainbow Beach taken at dusk. I love his cheeky smile and I remember how much fun he was having.

Also taken on our holiday at the park, I loved how I managed to get him looking at the camera and his eyes sharp.

Taken on a picnic, he still has icing on his nose from a cupcake. He's wearing a hat he made in school, he insisted on bringing it on our picnic, I think he looks like a little sailor.

Actually also on our winter holiday at Rainbow Beach, the most delicious gelato in town.

Journey Around the Sun Days 74 through 78

Well so much for catching up this week, both my son and I were sick all week, and it's really gone to my chest now, so hopefully I can shake this so we can enjoy the school holidays. Anyway, lots of photos unedited but this is this week and I'll be back after a rest and hopefully some fun over the school holidays.

Day Seventy Four

Florabella Chardonnay texture applied

Day Seventy Five

Processed with The CoffeeShop Blog Velvet Truffle action

Processed with Everyday Soulful Vintage action and My 2econd Skin Blush and Florabella Heirloom textures applied

Day Seventy Six

Processed with Isabelle Lafrance Little Ballerina action and My 2econd Skin Blush texture applied

Day Seventy Seven

Processed with Paint the Moon Passion fruit Tea action

I tried taking a photo of a water drop on a peacock feather but I left it too late and the light was poor and directional, but i quite like the disco/space look to it.

Day Seventy Eight

Florabella Sonata texture applied

I had another go. And took some photos of my mum's old typewriter, expect to see more of this one.

Shadow House Creations Heavenly Vintage and Florabella Shabby Scratch textures applied

 

Scavenger Hunt - Street, From a Distance, Sunday, Liquid & Behind

 I'm not completely happy with my Scavenger Hunt shots this week, but both my son and I have been sick all week and he's been home from school and stuck at home. :-( Oh well, but I thought I may as well link up. 

1. Street Photography

I know not really street photography but sort of an urban portrait of my son and his Nanna. Actually taken just before this week, but anyway I like the wall art of the old man drinking on the wall behind.

2. From a Distance

Couldn't get much distance between us in our tiny yard, my original idea was for a portrait in a big field.

3. Sunday

Sleep ins (hopefully) and family time!

4. Liquid

To be honest this was taken the weekend before last but I only edited this week and couldn't pass it up for this prompt.

5. Behind 

 The sun shining through from behind the fence. 

I Learned - Fun with Actions and Textures

Processed with Isabelle Lafrance Everyday Soulful Vintage action and My 2econd Skin Blush and Florabella Heirloom textures applied

I learned I love to play around with actions and textures to change the look of a photo, especially in still life work.
I recently bought Florabella's texture action and her texture III pack. I'm having so much fun with it. What I previously had trouble with was removing texture off areas. I found it easier to use a brush to remove the texture but then you also removed the tone, which could be very noticeable. Or you could use the lasso tool to select the area then apply a blur, but I found this so tedious.
I love that with the Florabella action you can remove the texture with the brush then the action adds the tone back, fully adjustable and also has other cool features like adding in a touch of sun warmth.
I took this photo of a Grevillea flower on Tuesday, but I wanted to soften and pretty it up a bit, so I ran Isabelle Lafrance Everyday Soulful Vintage action on it. Better, but I decided I wanted to add some more pink and texture to it. So I played around with a few and I loved the effect of My 2econd Skin's Blush and Florabella's Heirloom textures, I lowered their opacity and removed some texture and actually reduced the tone also as it cut out too much of the deep pink/red in the flower. I think it looks really dreamy and pretty now.
I also learned that my 18-55mm lens can focus much closer to my subject than my 50mm 1.8, so I've been using it more for still life photos where I want to get in close. 

My settings: ISO 400, f/5.6, SS 1/100
Shot with 18-55mm lens at focal length 55mm

Linking up with Click it up a Notch - I Learned

Constructive critiques welcome

Journey Around the Sun - Days 65 through 73

Today I remembered a photo I'd taken over a week ago and wondered why I hadn't posted it, then I realised how far behind I was. So I'm trying to catch up. I've decided at the end of this week to take a two week blog-cation, my son's going to be on school holidays and I want to be able to spend some quality time with him. But I'll continue my project 365, I'll just leave editing and blogging till he goes back to school.

Day Sixty Five

Florabella Searust II texture applied

Noisy Miner, taken with my 50mm 1.8, he was that close. He was actually closer at first but this was in the middle of the city and a man, completely oblivious to him, actually walked right by scary him away, but he came back after I quietly waited although he was a bit timid.

Taken for Scavenger Hunt prompt of Stairs. I love the colour and texture of these stairs.

Love the light in this shot!

Day Sixty Six

Father's Day and breakfast in bed for my husband, buttermilk pancakes with berry compote and ice cream. That's our son and my husband in the background checking out his homemade card. :-)

Day Sixty Seven 

Florabella Olive Juice texture applied

I love how this raindrop looks like a ball on this clover leaf.

Day Sixty Eight

Processed with Paint the Moon Macchiato action Florabella Brushed Sky II texture applied

Lawn weeds, taken with my 50mm 1.8 together with my extension tube 25.

Day Sixty Nine

Isabelle Lafrance Midsummer texture applied

Clover is taking over our lawn but I don't really care, I love to photograph it. At sunset, love the glow!

Day Seventy

Florabella Sonata texture applied

Processed with Isabelle Lafrance Soulful Everyday Vintage and Florabella Blushing texture applied

Freesias are taking over my garden and I love it, I cut myself a bunch every couple of days. I love the fragrance! This time last year I wasn't really into photography so much, and I regretted not taking photos of my Freesias all year, so I'm making up for it now.

Day Seventy One

Processed with Isabelle Lafrance Soulful Everyday Vintage

Pelicans at the docks, it poured down while we were there but I managed to get these before that.

Florabella Brushed Sky and Sonata texture applied

Florabella Ashbury texture applied

I shot this through the passenger side window of our car going 100km down the motorway at sunset, I love the way the light was hitting the water in the river we were driving over but I knew we couldn't stop, so I just opened my aperture and blurred the focus, then applied a texture, I like the effect.

Day Seventy Two

Florabella Sonata and Heirloom texture applied

An old Swedish Alphabet book with Flower "fairies", I love this book and others like it as a child. I loved the idea of fairies for every flower, like Barker's Flower Fairies.

Day Seventy Three

Processed with Isabelle Lafrance Fleeting action and Florabella Chardonnay texture applied

Scavenger Hunt - Bokeh, Process of Elimination, Remember, Statues & Flying High

End of another week, and what a trying one. I had headaches on and off all week and now my son is sick again. So I haven't much been in the mood for exploring with my camera, so all my shots are from around home mostly, but I did fulfill all the prompts.

1. Bokeh

 Some of you may have seen this one earlier this week, but I liked the pretty Freesias and bokeh. 

2. Process of Elimination

All week when I parked my car on our driveway I kept noticing these Freesias spilling out on to our driveway from under our hedge. I wanted to capture this in a photo but I tried lots of different angles. At first I wanted to also include an Azalea bush in the neighbour's yard but when I shot the Freesias straight on you lost the sense of them spilling out onto the driveway. So I decided to shoot it side on but also include the bottom of the hedge and more of the pavers of the driveway, but I didn't like the way this looked so in the end I filled the frame with the flowers but side on, I love the profile of the buds too. And you see some of the pattern of the pavers too. 

3. Remember

 I had in mind a red ribbon tied around a finger but I didn't have any willing volunteers and I even tried a self hand portrait, but no good. So I used my red ribbon bow around some clover flowers and an old childhood alphabet flower book that I remember loving as a little girl. I used to dream that there were little flower fairies that represented each flower and wore clothes that resembled that flower. Like Barker's Flower Fairies. 
I realise today is a very special day of remembrance, especially in the USA, so I also remember that horrible day and the many people who lost their lives and those who's lives changed forever. 

4. Statues

 We don't actually have many statues in the traditional sense here. I thought about going into the Art Gallery to take photos of the statues they have on display there. But this is a statue that my mum actually made. It's a whole life size torso. But I only shot her head and shoulders because that captures her attitude I think. 

5. Flying High

I saw this pelican taking off at the docks on Friday, our only outing for the week, it poured down by the way. It was so dark and dreary so my shutter speed wasn't very fast so I froze his body but caught movement blur in his wings . I'm always amazed that pelicans can fly, they are such big birds.

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

I Learned - Flowers for the Soul

I learned that bringing in a pretty and fragrant bunch of spring flowers from the garden can be medicine for the soul. I've had a hard week with headaches, Tuesday night I even went to bed when my husband came home, earlier than my five year old. I don't normally get headaches and I'm hoping they'll go away soon. But a bunch of Freesias from my garden brightened my day, plus they gave me something pretty to photograph.

ISO 200, f/4.5, SS 1/125, focal length 80mm, Florabella Sonata texture applied

Shot with my 55-250 lens at a focal length of 80mm, so I could get bokeh in the background while still getting in the whole bouquet and vase.

Constructive critiques welcome
Linking up with Click it up a Notch

Journey Around the Sun Days 58 through 64

What a great week, this is actually Saturday to Friday last week, I'm always behind because of editing, but throughout this week it felt like all my photo ideas found me. Everyday I'd wonder what I was going to photograph and somehow I wound find something interesting. I spent a lot of time in the garden, with the beginning of spring, I planted some herbs and tomatoe plants. My Freesias are flowering and I bring a new bunch inside every couple of days, I love their fragrance.
I've also had fun playing around with my new textures from Florabella. 

Day Fifty Eight

Processed with Paint the Moon Spoonful of Sugar action and Pixel Lounge Champagne texture applied

My mum's chandeliers, taken for the Scavenger Hunt Night prompt.

Day Fifty Nine

Florabella Lady Grey texture applied

Rain drops in a row on a branch. Taken with my 50mm and extension tube.

Florabella Sonata texture applied

We don't get autumn foliage here, besides it's just become spring, but I loved these yellow leaves.

Florabella Chardonnay texture applied

Flowers refracted in raindrops. Taken with my 50mm and extension tube.

Day Sixty

Florabella Stonewash texture applied

A snail shell I found in the garden. It's a pity I've never been able to find any live snails, I think our weather may be too harsh for them. Taken with my 50mm and extension tube.

Day Sixty One

Florabella Golden Autumn II texture applied

Rain drops on a clover plant. Taken with my 50mm 1.8 and extension tube.

Day Sixty Two

Florabella Chardonnay texture applied

Colourful fly. I don't normally take photos of flies, I think there's a bit of a yucky association there, but I couldn't pass up this one, he was basically posing and I loved his colours. Taken with my 50mm 1.8 together with an extension tube 25.

Florabella Latte texture applied

Thyme seedling about to be planted. Taken with my 50mm 1.8 and extension tube.

Florabella B&W Latte texture applied

My son playing with water drops from the tap.

Day Sixty Three

Florabella Willow, vintage Linen and Scratched Antique textures applied

My son loves to collect feathers, and on Thursday he was home sick from school so we took out a selection from his school bag and had fun dropping water onto them and seeing how water repellent they are. He had so much fun and I tried to get some photos. It was hard because any movement shook the drops. I love the refractions of the feather in the drops, I think it makes these drops look like Cowrie shells. Taken with my 50mm 1.8 and extension tube too.

Day Sixty Four

Processed with Isabelle Lafrance Soulful Everyday Vintage action and Florabella Heirloom and My 2econd Skin Peach textures applied

Florabella Raw Silk and Chambord textures applied

Freesias from my garden. Taken with my 50mm and extension tube.