Scavenger Hunt - Seeing Double, Whatever, Sweet, Space & Bright

1. Seeing Double / Two

I took this a couple of weeks ago but it was perfect for seeing double. These are Kookaburra's, giant Kingfisher birds.

2. Whatever

Whatever is it? :-) I joined all the fun by doing my own oil and water photos.

3. Sweet

Processed with Isabelle Lafrance Little Ballerina action

Sweet messages on sweet lollies!

4. Space

My 2econd Skin Aged Canvas texture no.8 applied

Negative space,  the space around the subject. In this photo I took yesterday at the botanical gardens I wondered if the flowers were the true subject of the photo or whether it was the space around them, the blurry hedge, leading us down the path.
In Japanese garden design the negative space around elements is called Ma, and it is the thing that takes place in the imagination of the human who experiences these elements.

5. Bright

Shadow House Creations Scratched Stock & My 2econd Skin Used Canvas no.2 textures applied

Bright coloured lights!

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

Live Every Moment - Summer

So we're in winter here in Australia but I wanted to take part so here's a shot I took at Easter at Rainbow Beach. It really shows summer to me, holidays, the beach, family time and playing in the sand.

Processed with The CoffeeShop Blog Velvet Truffle action

Check out all the other Summer shots at Live Every Moment

I made top three!! Thank you!!

Journey Around the Sun - Days 30 through 36

We were all feeling better at the beginning of this week but halfway through my son got sick again, this time with an ear infection, another visit to the doctor and more antibiotics. It's been the story of this winter for us. Anyway he's heaps better now that we've started the antibiotics.

Day Thirty

We got up at sunrise to take my Walking Empty Streets shot for the Scavenger Hunt. Then we went to the Science Center in town. Then walked around a bit. I took my repeating pattern shots for the Scavenger Hunt.

Processed with The CoffeeShop Blog Cross Processing and Shadow House Creations Scratched Stock texture applied

Processed with The CoffeeShop Blog Cross Processing and Shadow House Creations Scratched Stock texture applied

Processed with Johnna LaFaith Whisper action

Processed with Isabelle Lafrance Little Ballerina action

Processed with Paint the Moon Warm Chai action

Day Thirty One

A trip to the Lake in the afternoon. 

Processed with Paint the Moon Passion fruit Tea action

Day Thirty Two

I bought some strawberries today and took some photos of them but I was a bit disappointed with how they came out. I think it's lacking the warmth of some natural sunlight. Oh well live and learn, but we ate these with some vanilla cream and ice cream. Yummy!

The CoffeeShop Blog Cream Swirl texture applied

Day Thirty Three

I pruned the hedge today, which is an awful job because I have to get up on a ladder on a sloping driveway and it kills my arms. The first freesia buds have come out, I'm so excited. I stayed in the garden and took some photos. 

Processed with Paint the Moon Warm Chai action

The CoffeeShop Blog Favorite Apron texture applied

Day Thirty Four

My son was miserable today with an ear infection so we stayed inside and did quiet activities. 

Both processed with Paint the Moon Warm Chai action

Day Thirty Five

The antibiotics had started to kick in but he was still home from school so we decided to do oil and water photos. Mine ended up more like oil bubbles because the oil kept dissolving and then my stirrer assistant was a bit over exuberant.  They were really fun though. I have too many to post them all here so I'll do a separate post for them.

Day Thirty Six

Both processed with Isabelle Lafrance Little ballerina action

 

I Learned - Sometimes you just need a bit of luck

I wrote this for last week, I forgot that the July contest was on. But we were all sick last week and now my son has a miserable ear infection and is on antibiotics, so I'm just going to post it this week.

Now I've noticed you've changed things a bit this week. I've been shooting in manual for less than two months. At first I thought it was impossible for me to do manual at the same time as managing my extension tube for macro, but I started practicing with flowers, that couldn't run away. This is one of my first shots in manual in early June.

My 2econd Skin Milk and Honey texture applied

Settings: ISO 400, f/5.6, SS 1/50sec
I've found the biggest change during that time is my familiarity with the dials and metering. I love the freedom of manual, being able to capture the image you had envisaged.

So on to  my current manual photo (remember this was written last week). 
Just the other day I was thinking that I hadn't taken any shots of bees or insects lately. Yesterday I saw a bee buzzing around outside my window, so I ran for my camera.
I set my aperture and ISO and metered off the bushes he was buzzing around.  As I use an extension tube I have to focus manually and can't zoom in on my subject. So I just plunged my head and camera into the bushes and tried to find the bee. When I thought it was in focus I managed to shoot off one frame before he buzzed off and then left our garden.
I was so happy when I zoomed in on the bee in the view finder. I love that the shutter speed was fast enough to freeze his body but slow enough to show movement in his wings.
I also love that I thought to meter off something else for a moving target.
So I learned that sometimes you just need a bit of luck and possibly a bit of photography knowledge ;-).

Processed with Isabelle Lafrance Soulful Delightful Daylight action

Settings ISO 400, f/7.1, SS 1/640 sec.
Taken with my 50mm 1.8 together with an extension tube EF25 II.

By the way this shot hasn't been cropped. While you can't zoom with my set up you can use the focusing ring to effectively increase or decrease the size of the subject in the view finder. I quite often manually set the focus ring then sway in and out from the subject until I see it in focus.
If you're interested check out my post on extension tubes here.
I also posted some dew drop shots I took with my extension tube in July here.

Linking up with Click it up a Notch

Constructive critique welcome

Dew Drops

I was looking through my photos from the month and I had all these dew drop shots I had taken with my extension tube.
I love dew drops, the clarity and sparkle and how sometimes you can see another world reflected inside!
All of these shots were taken at Rainbow Beach, my heart place! I love going there, I draw energy and creativity from being there. I can't wait for the next school holiday so we can go again.

Sharing these at Lisa Gordon's Creative Exchange

If you're interested I have a post about my extension tube here.

My settings for Anna and anyone else interested:
F/10 - 11, ISO 400, SS 1/50 - 1/800, they are all hand held, someday I should try with a tripod.
As far as the clarity and sparkle I try to watch the light, that it's reflecting off the drop. It helps if they are hanging free, I find ones sitting on a leaf tend not to look as clear.
They have to be focused precisely. The images reflected inside can be focused too, but most were honestly just luck! I always focus manually, because the auto focus searching drives me crazy and I just set my focusing ring then sway in and out till I see focus where I want it then brace and snap.
In post processing I add some sharpening and sometimes contrast, and in the top two I adjusted the colour saturation.
Hope this helps, just yell out if there was anything else you wondered about.
Thank you! :-)