The last few days have been rainy and gloomy. I’m not feeling great overall, but I got to spend some time with my darling nephew. During a brief break in the storm, we went outside and took a few photographs together. Let me know what you think of these, both as a collection and as an editing style. Does it tell you a story? Are there enough varied shots? Do you have a favorite? Any constructive criticism is welcome.
Thank you for helping me grow and enjoy the rest of your week.
I’m trying to use my camera’s manual mode more, but it’s not going well. The night of the last full moon, I went to the lake and left in tears. The lighting wasn’t good, and the moon hid behind the clouds. Every image was a mess.
I spent the rest of the night thinking about quitting. I’d secretly been considering making photography my new career. Maybe another year and I could start charging real money for my work and help my family pay down our debt. Failing at the moon photos felt like a rejection—a confirmation that I’m wasting my time.
The next morning, I woke up early and headed to my local park to try again. These photos are the result. I’m still not thrilled with these images, but at least I’m getting better at making fast adjustments. The sky went from totally dark to a bright sunlight in the hour I was there. I had to keep tweaking my settings, popping in and out of light and shadow. But, unlike the previous night, I didn’t let it get to me.
These aren’t the best, not even my best. Not by a long shot. But, I edited them to be cohesive. Some of these shots have potential. I’ve taking a few online photography classes. I’m still going to keep trying.
She walks into the artificial wilderness on unsteady feet and looks around. Nothing seems real. Perhaps she’s fallen. Perhaps she’s dreaming. Perhaps she’s lost her mind. It’s not until she looks up that she finds herself.
“There you are moon,” she says.
The moon says nothing back and she feels better.
“If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn’t. And contrary wise, what is, it wouldn’t be. And what it wouldn’t be, it would. You see?” —Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
#1#2#3#4#5#6#7#8#9#10
The seventh full moon found me feeling lost. I’m surrounded by tough things; sudden death, cancer, money troubles, injury, hurt friendships, and mental health struggles. Those I love are hurting and I feel helpless. So, here we have some photos that aren’t exactly right. They are a bit nonsensical. I hope you like them. Let me know if you have a favorite.
These photos were taken with an Olympus OM-D and edited with ON1 Photo RAW.
it can look selfish this way I’m living looking for love through a camera lens through the way my thighs move when I dance through the way my chest rises when I sing but it’s survival like the lone daffodil blooming in January a waning moon at dawn the first dandelion puff the cluster of fuzzy buds on the bare peach tree we are all looking
These photos were taken this morning in my yard with an Olympus OM-D and edited with ON1 Photo RAW.
“Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, it’s a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope.”—Dr. Seuss
This week my assignment for the 52 photo challenge was to create an image by shooting through an object. My photos were taken this morning at Folsom Lake.
The bird above, and its near twin #5, were shot through a hole in a leaf. Unfortunately, I didn’t manage to capture the edges of the leaf so it’s more of an abstract image. #1 is through a piece of bark and #4 is through a discarded styrofoam cup. Let me know which image you think works best or if you have a favorite.
As a bonus, I’ve included a link to the story I wrote this time last year. It’s a fantasy story/tribute to Queen Elizabeth II. If you haven’t already, I hope you’ll give it a read.
I played my first Dungeons & Dragons game this week. I’ve been wanting to do this forever and it was everything I thought it could be. So grateful for new friends!
Photos were taken with an Olympus OM-D and edited with ON1 Photo RAW
If you want to join the 52 Photo Challenge, you can find all the information at nicolesy.com
“I sometimes think of people’s personalities as the negative space around their insecurities.” -Lindy West
This week my assignment for the 52-week photo challenge was to capture something with negative space (also known as “copy space” in the commercial-photography industry). It’s a more minimalist style photo and allows space for advertising text to be added.
My first attempt was at our local Green Acres Nursery, but the plants were too close together and I couldn’t get enough space to create the effect I wanted. The last two photos below are the only ones I kept from that shoot. They don’t quite work for negative space, but I really liked how they turned out.
My second attempt was this morning in the rain. I drove around to the farms near my house and I captured these moody photos. I know #8 doesn’t work, but I wanted to include it anyway. Let me know which shot you think best uses the concept of negative space and which is your favorite. Thanks for supporting me!
#1#2#3#4#5#6#7#8#9 (This one is dedicated to Cori)#10
Photos were taken with an Olympus OM-D and edited with ON1 Photo RAW
If you want to join the 52 Photo Challenge, you can find all the information at nicolesy.com
This week my assignment for the 52-week photo challenge was to capture leading lines, which simply means looking for lines that lead your eye toward a certain direction in the photo. It was a fun assignment and although I think it would have been easier to do in a city setting, I’m overall happy with my images.
My daughter and I went to one of our favorite places, Effie Yeaw Nature Center, and met up with an old friend who happens to be a fantastic photographer. She gave me some excellent pointers and we had a wonderful time catching up and shooting together.
Let me know which shot you think best uses the concept of leading lines. I’ve numbered the photos again this week and I’ve included some fun extra images outside the assignment. Which is your favorite? Thanks for supporting me!
#1#2#3#4#5#6#7#8#9#10
Photos were taken with an Olympus OM-D and edited with ON1 Photo RAW
If you want to join the 52 Photo Challenge, you can find all the information at nicolesy.com
“I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” -Anne of Green Gables
I happen to agree with Anne, there’s something magical about Octobers. While our family is experiencing a bit of a rough patch, we still made time this week to put up our fall decorations and notice the changes in our yard. All the trees are dropping their leaves, my pineapple guava plant is almost ready to harvest, there’s a large mushroom bloom growing along one of the garden boxes and everything feels just a bit more relaxed in the golden light.
For my photos this week, I’ve tried to capture a bit of the feel around our house. I hope you enjoy this selection of images and have a wonderful week.
Photos were taken with an Olympus OM-D and edited with ON1 Photo RAW
“If you truly love nature, you will find beauty everywhere.”—Vincent Van Gogh
This morning I visited my local plant nursery and spent over an hour wandering the aisles photographing everything that caught my eye. I was pleased to find lots of colorful plants and several buzzing bees. The weather was nice and cool with just a hint of the autumn breeze which will soon become my everyday companion.
I’ve edited the ten best images and hope you find them interesting. May your week contain a little adventure and perhaps a surprise or two.
Photos were taken with an Olympus OM-D and edited with ON1 Photo RAW
Bridgette Tales 