White Room Colorful Life

Check me out, Beantown style!

2011-08-12T20:48:00.004-04:00

Happy Friday! I did a guest post for one of my bestest buddies, who also just happens to have an amazing baking blog. Check it out at Beantownbaker.com! Love ya Jen!

Here's a little hint...

Family blueprints

2011-03-04T22:00:00.001-05:00

3.4.2011

Starting the process of tracing my heritage. Lucky for me, someone already traced one of my lines to 1600's Germany.

This end is the beginning.

2011-03-03T19:08:00.004-05:00

I'm starting my 1 a day photo log with an "end".

LensHero, where have you been my whole life?

2010-12-19T10:43:00.004-05:00

Okay, not my whole life, but at least over the last 5 years or so, LensHero.com would have been a great tool to have and I will certainly be using it from now on. Here's the gist... tell the site what camera you use, the price range you are working with and if you want, the type of photos you a looking to take. They will then give you a list of lenses that will work for you, complete with reviews and prices.

I did a quick search for a low priced (<$200), low light lens for my old Rebel and was given the 50mm, f/1.8. Now if you remember awhile back I wrote about my love for this lens, but I only bought this lens after a good amount of research. If LensHero would have been around at that time, I would have saved myself time of the computer and could have spent more time actually taking pictures!

Anyway, I will definitely be putting this site to use for my next purchase, which I hope will be a moderately priced telephoto lens! And because all posts are better with a picture, here is a recent shot with my beloved 50mm...

A Garden Request

2010-07-01T18:56:00.006-04:00

When the greenest gal I know asks to see some pictures of the garden, I'm happy to oblige. These are for you, Sara!

It's not the nice serene spot your garden is, it's more like Little Shop of Horrors garden. Sure it produces a lot but pretty soon it's going to be wanting blood to stay alive!

Maybe we planted a little too close. The two of us aren't really known for under doing something...

These Zinnias aren't in the garden, but I did grow them from a seed.

Home Grown Tomatoes = Awesomeness Squared

The corn I thought was a goner after a wind storm managed to stand itself back up.

This pic is what reminds me of Little Shop.

Finally, the dill slices I made last night. T-2 weeks!

State Fair'n it

2009-08-19T17:12:00.003-04:00

Attending a state fair is always a unique experience. Where else can you find so many options of food on a stick?

The Indiana State Fair is no exception. Scott and I did the whole fair experience last week: Rode the Fair Train, ate tasty-but-bad-for-you foods, and took in the balloon glow.

I found photographing an evening at the state fair a great chance to challenge myself behind the camera. Throughout the evening, I was constantly adjusting exposure settings to compensate for the fading light. For the price, you can't beat the photo opps at the fair!

See the whole set in my Flikr Stream here.

A Rainy Evening

2009-08-11T21:32:00.002-04:00

A few shots from after the rain came through this evening...

By the way, Digital Photography School has a whole thread dedicated to the 50mm. Seriously, the whole thread is a great example of its versatility. Have I mentioned I'm in love this that lens...oh, I have...like a hundred times...

A week of composition

2009-08-05T20:50:00.003-04:00

For Amy's Photo Week, the topic of interest was composition. I found this to be quite the challenge. The idea was to pick a principle of composition to focus on for the week and shoot with it in mind.

I pretty much failed at this concept! It felt really unnatural to me for some reason. So, I modified the concept a bit. The week was spent shooting whatever I found interesting, then examining the pics I like best, and figuring out which composition principle drew me to the photograph.

Not too surprising, two of my favorite shots I would consider in the realm of lines and curves. Of course, they all have multiple principles within them, but I feel these first two are dominated by lines.

This final shot I would consider negative space in action...

If you want to see the rest of my favs, check out my set on Flikr.

Father's Day at the Library of Congress

2009-06-18T20:34:00.007-04:00

One place I've spent a massive amount of time browsing is the Library of Congress Digital Archives. It almost sounds smart to spend that much time in a library, even if it's only virtually!

The archives are full of old photos free of copy right restrictions (for the most part.) Combine that with some Flikr inspiration found in pennylrichardsca's photostream and suddenly I've got a nearly instant personalized Father's Day gift.

Here's the concoction:

This picture from the digital archives, which I believe might

be the original pagoda at the track (or at least one like it.)

This picture I took of the 2009 Indy 500 Pace Car

This gift for my dad.

(I love the way the guy in the front is eye-ing that hot ride!)

Happy Father's Day, Dad! Hopefully, you don't get your computer fixed till after this weekend...

Dog Olympics

2009-06-13T18:54:00.004-04:00

One item on my neglected list of 28 for 28 was to donate my time. You might remember this post a few months ago about volunteering through photography. I contacted my favorite animal rescue organization, ARPO, and volunteered to take pictures at different events. Here are my favorites from their annual Dog Olympics fundraiser a few weekend ago.

Anticipation building before the Pie Eating Contest.

(The people ate regular pies and the pups ate cupcakes from a dog bakery.)

One of a litter of adoptable puppies and one of the youngest volunteers.

The winner for the Bark Contest, by a landslide.

(A surprising amount of stage freight going around that day!)

To see the whole set, click here.

The Perfect Storm for Photography

2009-06-02T21:34:00.003-04:00

Last night, "the perfect storm" for photographing lightning passed just north of our home. It was really fun to play with manual camera settings and enjoy the beautiful show the skies were performing.

I set the camera up on the tripod and used the remote to control the shutter. For the pictures from earlier in the evening, I cranked the aperture nearly as high as I could to allow for a longer shutterspeeds without being over exposed. As night fell, I continued to lengthen the shutterspeed to increase my chances of catching a strike.

A Sky Timeline

2009-06-01T20:28:00.003-04:00

Saturday evening, Scott and I were driving home from Danville. We were in seperate cars at the time, I was following, one eye in front of me and one eye on the sky. The sun shining through the clouds was beautiful. All the sudden Scott pulled over and said we have to get a shot of that...my thoughts exactly.

We enjoyed the little stop, took a few shots, and continued on our way. About the time we're rolling into Lebanon, 30 minutes up the road, Scott calls on the cell phone to tell me a funnel cloud was spotted a few miles north of Lebanon. Evidently, over my singing along with the radio, I didn't hear the tornado siren going off in town. I spent the rest of the ride home, about 30 more minutes listening to local talk radio station.

The radio advised of a possible tornado headed toward Sheridian at 8:45, just the time we'd be driving though! We decided to forge ahead. I took this shot out the window on our way into town.

We finally made it home where we proceeded to stand outside and take in the amazing depth of colors in the sky. Luckily, we never saw any funnel clouds or tornados, and the skys finally calmed down after the sun went down. These last two shots are from our place.

Anyone remember the end of Ghost Busters? Same sky...

The Greatest Spectacle in Parades

2009-05-26T20:41:00.004-04:00

Okay, that's a lie, there are technically two greater spectacles in parades... allegedly... But can you see 33 race car drives, a caveman, and a dragon at the freak'n Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade? I doubt it! Only at the 500 Festival Parade can you take in that kind of diversity.

Here's my fave shots from the day:

That dragon had just eaten a young man and he doesn't chew very well...

This is my very favorite of the day.

I managed to get the officer's face nearly in focus and capture the movement!

Yes, that is a caveman sitting next to Paul Tracey!

The lengths teams will go to in order to please a sponsor is amazing.

The Monument reflected in a tuba.

The view from our seats.

Photo Week - Checkered Flag Style

2009-05-15T10:27:00.003-04:00

Is it me, or does time go by insanely fast?! We're already here at Friday, the photo finish day of this Photo Week.

The challenge this week was to take pictures inspired by the high contrast black and white checkered flag that will be waiving someone to victory next Sunday at the Indianapolis 500.

This first picture is actually primarily black and white, for the other two I removed the color afterwards. These are flowers from a Lilly of the Valley plant we have out in the yard.

What I love about black and white photography is how shapes and composition catch the eye. Black and whites always look so graphic. Love'em!

Photo Week - Checkered Flag Style

2009-05-10T20:03:00.005-04:00

May in Indy is an exciting time, so much happening even if you're not a racing fan. And now that I've got the mini-marathon under my belt, I'm ready to take in the rest of the other festivities the month has to offer. So I'm thinking, let's do this thing right with a Black and White Photo Week. You know, Black and White, like a checkered flag...yeah? Who's with me?!

Here's the plan: Shoot all week and post'em on Friday for a photo finish...sorry, had to do it.

What's a Photo Week without a kick off shot?

A Long Way To Go...

2009-05-01T19:56:00.002-04:00

Today, the eve of the Mini-Marathon, I've been having some anxiety about the monumental challenge ahead. Okay, "monumental" might be extreme, but I am in no way a skilled runner, therefore to me this is monumental.

Then this morning, while on a walk through the neighborhood, we came across this guy. Our little crayfish friend was at least a half mile from the lake and that's assuming he went straight through some yards. No joke, from the time we first crossed paths till this picture was taken, this guy had traveled more than three tenths of a mile in the curb gutter. So, I'm thinking, if this tiny little crayfish can travel thousands of feet on those little crusty legs and holding those huge claws in the air, I can do 13.1 miles tomorrow morning. Thanks, Little Crayfish!

Taken with my highly adored 50mm at f-3.2 with the camera on aperture priority.

Lightpainting Take One

2009-04-12T21:35:00.005-04:00

Ever since I did this Love shot for Photoweek, I've been wanting to play with light and long exposures. Then a few weeks back DIYPhotography.net had this post on Lightpainting, which refueled this desire (along with a little warmer weather around here...)

So we got together with our good friends and unbelievably creative people Amy and Alex last night to create these:

For these shots we cranked the ISO, set the shutter speed to "bulb", and mounted the camera on Amy's sweet tripod.

We're hoping to put together another evening of lightpainting in the near future and further develop our techniques. But as a first effort, I think these turned out quite well!

I played with my food

2009-04-10T22:28:00.005-04:00

What do you do when you have 4 stale, purple Peep bunnies laying around for a whole week? Make a shot a stop-motion video, you say! You read my mind.

Here is a quick and dirty first attempt at stop motion. It's crude, but that adds to the charm, right??

Spring in Action

2009-04-05T20:09:00.003-04:00

I find it amazing how quickly Mother Nature snaps out of her bleak winter cover. In just a matter two weeks the small green shoots in the backyard bloomed into beautiful daffodils. Thanks to Sara for throwing down the challenge to capture this sign of warm things to come.

While I was laying in our flower bed, also picked up these...

Pits on Parade

2009-03-23T20:06:00.003-04:00

Ever since my friend, Amy, sent me this link about giving through photography I've been wanting to take action, but of course, I haven't... Part of my reluctance steams from a lack of confidence in my work...So, this weekend I did a little "test shoot" with my parents pack.

Meet Max and Deacon, both shelter adoptees, both very spoiled...

Max

Deacon

Max refusing to do a trick without a treat.

(Like I said, spoiled!)

Spring, come on down!

2009-03-12T20:56:00.002-04:00

The first sign of spring in my backyard!

Breakfast @ the Uptown Cafe (#19)

2009-03-12T20:29:00.005-04:00

A little update on the 28 for 28 list, and yes, I'm a bit behind on posting. Is it me or 09' flying by?!

So for February's new place (#19) it was off to Noblesville for Breakfast at the Uptown Cafe on the southwest corner of the courthouse square.

The building won't blow you away, kinda looks like someone gave up in the middle of a paint job...

But the inside is super cute!

The menu is pretty basic, but tasty, and the cook is right behind the counter making all those yummy breakfast delights.

Bottom line:

A great place to grab a quick bite and cup of coffee before hitting the Saturday morning auction.

Pencils Down

2009-02-20T16:59:00.003-05:00

A pop quiz?! My good friend, Sara, the queen of awesome information, posted a link to this quiz from Sproost and I couldn't help but take it. What can I say, I'm a sucker for self-exploration quizzes!

Sproost is a really cool site, they help you discover (or focus) your personal style to make your home a place you love. I really enjoyed the descriptions of the different styles, they seem to be dead on what I'm into. I try to suppress my love for the beach, just isn't right in the dead of winter in Indiana...

Here are my results: (I've added a quick shot from around the house that I think represents each style.)

Cottage Chic (50%)

Who says that cottages can't be modern and chic? Who says that they have to be floral and cheesy? Not you!

You love the carefree spirit that the cottage interior inspires, but you are also serious about your appreciation for modern art and hip treasures. You love old and new alike, and love to highlight them all to expose the uniqueness of each. What better way to show off these treasures than with a light background?

Nantucket Style (30%)

Oh how you love the beach! Who doesn't, right? And so your dream home is either perched in your favorite beach town, or you've brought that favorite beach town into your house.

Your art and accessories speak directly to the activities that are found at the beach. Pieces of driftwood you found here, pictures or paintings of the amazing views there. Things that remind you of the coast - surf boards or fishing boats - are found throughout the house. The feeling of the seaside is both abstract and literal in the design of your space. The fabrics are natural, cottons and linens and are light in color and touch. Much of the furniture is wood or wood framed (the lighter the better, think driftwood!) and wicker, when done right, is a must.

And since your true inspiration is the sea, the colors and textures in your home are the same that you would find at your favorite beach: white, light beiges and grays of the sand and driftwood, a variety of blues for the ocean and sky, and greens and vibrant blues of the sea glass, but the key is white! Your space should feel light and airy and give off the mood one has when at the beach: laid back!

Your furniture is comfortable and the layout is cozy. The more it reminds you of actually sitting on the warm sand, the better! And what do you do at the beach? Hang out with family and friends - and your home is just an extension of this play place. And though the space is filled with large white furniture, it somehow manages to feel both durable and casual.

Vintage Modern (20%)

Flea Market, anyone? You know you are drawn to modern furniture and interiors, and yet you don't like a space that feels cold and sterile. And who could blame you? That's why Vintage Modern is so appealing to you. Though the backdrop of the room, the walls and windows, are many times white or monochromatic, the furniture and accessories have the color, shape and texture to bring the warmth into the space.

The great thing about Vintage Modern is ease of mixing different styles in the one space. You can have a new modular sofa mixed with a great pair of chairs that your grandmother purchased in the late 1950's. The new and old work appear as though they were destined for each other. Even if you don't have time for swap meets and garage sales, so many of the mid-century pieces were so great that they have been remade and mimicked year after year.

Photoshop Elements for Dummies like me

2009-02-09T19:32:00.005-05:00

Inspired by the always thought provoking and informational Digital Photography School post on Processing Black and Whites, I decided to give to warm up some black and white photos myself with Photoshop Elements.

So, if you're an Elements user, here is a quick and dirty tutorial on making warmer black and white photographs.

1. Start by making 2 duplicates of the Background Layer, for the sake of this tutorial, we'll call these new layers B&W and Sepia. To duplicate a layer, click on the more button in the layers tab and you'll find "Duplicate Layer".

2. Make sure the Sepia layer is at the top of your layer box and the B&W layer is just below it. Simply click and drag to change the order of your layers. Whichever layer is closest to the top will be shown first.

3. Select the Sepia layer, and then click the Layer Styles tab. Use the pulldown menu to select Photographic Effects and the select the effect "sepia". Before finishing up with Sepia layer adjust the Opacity to between 50-60%. This can be adjusted layer for the desired effect.

4. Select the B&W layer, and from the Enhance menu select Adjust Color and then Remove Color. Now you have a black and white image. While under Enhance you may want to move the contrast to the right a bit.

5. Now your photo should that warm feel that's not as stark as black and white but not sepia either. You can easily adjust the opacity of the sepia layer to play with this effect.

Here is the Sepia layer:

Here is the black and white:

Here is the finished product:

And here is the same image but I left the color in the eyes by making another layer:

Okay, now rock out the Elements!

Sewing Bag Zen Moment - #23

2009-02-08T21:00:00.004-05:00

Ever had a project that you started, but never finished, and then it loomed over your head for what seems to be FOREVER?? My project is #23 on my list of 28 for 28 and here's the story:

About 4 eons ago, my creative buddy, Amy, and I started these sewing bags. Like most projects, these bags started as a quick project to carrying our sewing stuff between homes. Of course, after some major brainstorming we came up with this not-so-simple sketch with piping and the works.

Fast forward to today, I finally finished the bag! It did turn out large enough to put my whole sewing machine in (if I ever want to take it one the road I'll be good to go), but it will also be great to carry fabric and all my little sewing tools. Mostly I'm just blissfully happy to have it DONE.

Check out these other list items:

#19 (January) - Vistit a new place at least once a month

#11 (January) - Take (at least one) portrait a month

Foto Friday - Gone in a flash

2009-02-02T20:26:00.007-05:00

January's Foto Friday is all about Flash. FF Co-creator, Jen, wrote a great post on the Flash Compensation settings on her Nikon. To my slight dismay, my Canon does not have a flash compensation.

But with the help of Photojojo, I made this handy little diffuser from an old film container. This creation is a quick, low-tech way to tame that flash!

The one and only step:

Remove an area the same width of the flash with an exacto knife.

The diffused difference:

Without the diffuser - Too stark

With Diffuser - Must softer

Photographer Beware: You may want to close your eyes just before you snap the shot. The diffuser, if not tight enough, can reflect the light back toward you a bit. Consider yourself warned!

Photo Weekend - A Series of Shots

2009-02-01T19:35:00.007-05:00

Sue threw out a photo weekend challenge inspired by these sledding shots Scott and I took earlier in the week. The challenge is to create a series of shots telling a story.

Well, here is the story of the intensity, luck, and heartbreak known as the Farming Game. Special thanks for the brown farmer, Sara, for allowing me capture a roll of fate.

(click on the pic to see it larger)

To change it up a bit, I tried to get an retro feel by tweaking the color as well as adding some grain and blur. I adjusted the saturation down, contrast up and pushed the hue toward yellow.

Here is the pre-tweaked original for comparison.

Love Thursday

2009-01-29T18:11:00.004-05:00

Hey, 2 Love Thursdays in a row. I'm rolling here!

I took this yesterday on our way back from sledding. All that up-and-down-the-hill really got the body temperatures up, and the truck windows fogged up like that steamy scene in Titanic. Not quite as romantic, but we had a great time acting like kids instead of working drones.

A Winter Wonderland (and now I'm done with it!) and #11 (Jan)

2009-01-28T21:18:00.008-05:00

When Mother Nature gives you snow, go sledding! This evening we hit the slopes of Forest Park, I use slopes loosely, but seriously, for Indiana, not too bad.

Wipe out by Scott: click on the pic to see it bigger

Wipe out by Steph (and the tailgating tuber):

Other shots from the outing:

Including a quick portrait (#11) for the 28 for 28 list!

Okay, snow, nice to see you, now go away, and we'll see you next winter!

Late Lunch @ Zing - #19 for JAN

2009-01-27T18:13:00.006-05:00

With the end of the month rapidly approaching, time was running out for me to visit a new place in Indy for the month, #19 on the 28 for 28 list. So today, I finally pulled myself out of my winter hibernation and went out for a late lunch at Zing, and double-bonus, Scott was in Indy today for work!

Contrary to the historic exterior, the interior at Zing is floor to ceiling contemporary. Check out the sweet ball-chain bead curtain!

Zing describes itself as "a small plate dining experience. Rather than offering individual starters and main courses, ZING serves dishes that are designed for sharing among friends and are brought to the table steadily and continuously throughout the meal."

The lunch menu is a little more typical: sandwiches, pizzas, and the like. (but all with a slight twist.)

Out of shear curiosity, we tried the Stuffed Medjool Dates with Chorizo Sausage and Bacon, an interesting twist of sweet and savory... and bedded on a spicy tomato sauce. A lot going on there.

Scott had the Prime Rib Burger with Blue Cheese. Anything red meat and he's happy!

I had the Eggplant Parmigiana. Could have used more eggplant and less deep fried goodness...

The bottom line:

A menu full of interesting flavor combinations, which are fun to try and a small commitment, since the non-lunch items come in small portions meant to share. (It's kind of like having a bunch of appetizers for dinner.)

The lunch items are pretty average, but the fries are amazing!

I'd visit again with some friends to explore the dinner menu and some cocktails.

Love Thursday

2009-01-22T21:41:00.006-05:00

Karen, over at http://www.chookooloonks.com/blog/, has been inspiring me daily since I came across her blog. She is an amazing photographer, I especially love her portraits!

Here is my contribution to Love Thursday:

Cinnamon Biscuits with Cream Cheese Icing

2009-01-20T19:29:00.008-05:00

Within our home lives a weakness for cinnamon rolls. One fateful morning, when no refrigerated rolls could be found, I came across this Cinnamon-Sugar Fan Biscuit recipe on Allrecipes.com and topped them with some left over homemade cream cheese icing. They turned out great! Add raisins and you have a cinnamon raisin biscuit that rivals that of a certain fast food chain which will remain nameless...

Ingredients

Biscuits:

2 cups flour

3 tablespoons sugar

4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/2 cup shortening

2/3 cup milk

Filling:

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Icing:

1/8 cup butter

1/2 package of cream cheese at room temperature

1/2 lb. confectioners' sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

Preheat oven at 425.

Mix together all the biscuits ingredients except the shortening and milk. Cut the shortening into the mix till it looks like bread crumbs.

Stir the milk into the mix and then roll the dough out onto a floured surface. Spread butter across dough and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Cut into 2" strips.

Stack the strips one on top of another. (The smaller edge pieces may make up one layer to even out the thickness at the ends.) Cut into six even stacks.

Stuff stacks into greased cup cake pan and bake for 11-14 minutes. While biscuits are baking, mix together all the icing ingredients with a hand mixer. Remove biscuits from pan and let cool.

Icing the tops and enjoy!

The beauty of a 50 mm, 1.8 lens

2009-01-12T20:12:00.010-05:00

The best 85 bucks I've spent in awhile was on my new 50mm, 1.8 lens and here is why:

The 50mm is perfect lens!

-Great for portraits since it can reach the lower f-stops meaning higher apertures resulting in shallower depths of field.

-Great for everyday since it doesn't need as much light, meaning faster shutter speeds and less blur.

-Great for travel since it is so light and not nearly as big as most zoom lenses.

-Great for the pocket book since you can get one for uner $100.

So here it is!

The following is an example of the difference between the lens I was primarly using, a 18-55 mm (zoom), 3.5 to5.6, to the new 50 mm (prime), 1.8.

The two pictures below were both taken with a shutter speed of 1/30 sec and the lowest f-stop the lens would allow, 5.6 for the zoom lens at 50 mm and 1.8 for the prime lens.

This picture was taken with the zoom lens at approximately 50 mm, 5.6 f-stop, 1/30 sec.

Here is the prime lens at 50mm, 1.8 f-stop, 1/30 sec.

As you can see the ability to reach lower f-stops, which means larger aperatures, with the prime lens allows much more light in at the same shutter speed.

*In case you were wondering the relationship between f-stops and apertures here it is straight from Complete Digital Photography by Ben Long. "F-stop values are simply the ratio of the focal length of the lens to the diameter of the opening in the aperture."

Now that's covered, here are a few samples of the 5o mm in action.

A portrait of Coach.

Notice the shallow depth of field, only his face is in focus.

A bokeh shot.

Notice the blurred light circles in the background.

Musical bokeh.

This was created using a tutorial from DIYPhotography.net.

Finally, I feel obligated to mention one more thing about the 50 mm. The auto-focus is much slower than with the 15-55 mm. If you are trying to caputure children and pets this may take some getting use to and some planning ahead on action shots.

Okay, so that's the tale of my love affair with the 50 mm, 1.8 lens. I must get back to playing with my new toy!

A foggy tour of northeastern Indiana

2009-01-08T21:56:00.003-05:00

Last Sunday we took a trip up to Huntington to pick up Scott's work materials. Here are some quick photos of what we saw during our trip. Good bye, Huntington!

Sam's, the abandoned restaurant, near Elwood

Another shot of urban decay in Marion

The boat ramp at Salamonie Reservoir

The Salamonie dam with the drained lake in the background

Happy Thursday!

Earrings from the Light Box

2009-01-04T19:56:00.004-05:00

These are some earrings I made over the weekend and then photographed in the new light box. I might list these on Etsy, but I'd like to hear some feed back on them and on the photography. Give me the good and more importantly the bad!

This first ones were my personal favorite, but the picture is probably my least favorite. The little turquoise bead at the bottom looks odd from this angle. Maybe I'll reshoot these from a little lower vantage point.

These last ones I also snapped in front of a colored background. Thought the pearls might be lost with the white background...but I think the white background turned out better... maybe it's because this color looks like it needs a weather map projected over it...kinda green screen effect...not good.

Thanks for taking the time to look at my stuff!!

A Light Box on the Cheap

2009-01-03T18:03:00.007-05:00

One of the most aggravating aspects of winter, besides the bone chilling temperatures, is the lack of sunlight. Bad for people, worse for photography. In lieu of moving hundreds of miles south to Key West, I decided to construct a light box on the cheap. I'm also hoping this will help me with my #12, get an Etsy shop up and going, on the 28 for 28 list.

I used this tutorial from the Digital Photography School. The whole set up cost me $2 for 2 pieces of poster board.

The light box under construction, before the fabric panels

In action. Yes, the lighting is totally jimmied, but it works for on the cheap!

The results:

An anniversary gift from Scott

Dog Treats from Christmas

A little penguin friend

I'm pretty happy with the results! I also took pictures of a few pairs of earrings, I will be posting soon hopefully for some feedback, and eventual posting in my shop.

Also, here's a link to a fold up version my shutter buddy Amy made over at Drawings in Montion. Much easier to store. :)

28 while 28

2009-01-01T20:23:00.005-05:00

In a mere 28 days, I will be 28 years old. Inspired by those who've created birthday lists before me and for the fun of making lists, below is 28 to-do's while being 28. Some of these are simple, some are much larger commitments, but all I've wanted to do and haven't got to, YET!

Without further ado and in no particular order:

1. Find ways to reduce the number of paper towels we use in our home

2. Adopt a signature cocktail, by trial and error method

3. Find the perfect frame for my PE license

4. Paint a diptych style work

5. Take a European vacation with good friends

6. Attend a new local festival

7. Begin an on-going album of my favorite photos

8. Teach Lex to not jump on guests

9. Create a mobile

10. Perfect a coffee cake recipe

11. Take (at least) one portrait a month

12. Get an Etsy shop up and running

13. Improve my mini-triathlon time by 8 minutes

14. Successfully get up on the wake board

15. Create a series of miniatures pictures

16. Sew a quilt

17. Attempt to make pepper jelly

18. Read Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte and Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

19. Visit at least one new place, shop, restaurant, event in Indy each month

20. Plant (and maintain) an herb garden for the summer

21. Find a way to volunteer my time and do it!

22. Complete the mini-marathon

23. Finish my sewing bag

24. Adopt another family for Christmas through the United Way

25. Take a vacation with just Scott

26. Clean out my closet, donate what I don't wear, and organize it in a maintainable way

27. Visit the IMA and picnic in the gardens

28. Send out greeting cards for a random holiday

And now I'm off to get started. Update posts coming soon!

Wanna check out those inspiring birthday lists?! Here ya go:

Let it roll!

2008-12-30T18:47:00.004-05:00

I'm always looking for quick and easy sewing projects, especially when they yield a super functional end product! I made this tool roll for my sister-in-law for Christmas and filled it will different types of fabric scissors.

Here is a little ditty on how to make an easy tool roll like the one I made with the Daisy Janie fabric I bought from Etsy. This project is based on a knitting needle roll up from Cut Out + Keep.

What you'll need:

2 pieces of fabric

Ribbon about 18"

*the size of fabric will depend on how large a roll you want to make

Cut a piece of solid fabric to be the inside lining. I used a 12" x 12".

Cut a piece of pattern fabric to be the outside approximately 4 to 6" longer than the solid on one side. This one is 12" x 17".

Place the pieces of fabric right sides together and sew along the 3 sides where the two pieces match up. Before sewing this step, fold the ribbon piece in half and place between the two pieces along one of the sides.

Below is the result after turning it right side out.

Fold and iron the three edges of the print as seen above. Sew along the end edge of the print to create a nice hem at the eventual top of the pocket.

Fold the print piece over and sew long the side to attached it to the plain fabric.

Finally, sew vertical lines as far apart as you desire the pockets to be wide.

Here is a close up of the vertical stitches.

A little wider shot.

The final product all rolled up!

This project is so easy, gives me that instant sewing satisfaction I love!

Cats Make Great Pillows

2008-12-18T20:03:00.002-05:00

Sure, cats can be a pain, but they really are comforable.

A bright ornament idea!

2008-12-18T19:22:00.002-05:00

Monday night my creative buddy, Amy, had an ornament swap party. Pretty much what it sounds like, some tasty snacks and a little ornament trading among friends! To keep the hand-made Christmas in tact, I whipped these up Sunday night.

The only materials required were replacement lights bulbs from the hardware and some wire and beads I already had on hand. The wire is 18 gauge aluminum and it was the perfect stiffness to easily bend yet hold the shape.

I just wrapped the beginning of the wire around the bulb to make a quasi thread around the buld, threaded a bead on the wire, and then bent the rest of the wire into whatever shape I was feeling at the time. As you can tell most were inspired by the color of the bulb. (Not real deep, I know...)

The Collection

(on the right: Blue bulb and rain drop to celebrate Scott and his new job)

A red bulb and heart for the swap

A shamrock for my Irish buddy, Sara

A funky star because orange is awesome!

(With this one I made a little stand, I have no idea why,

just thought it needed a stand...)

A Cozy Hat for Gryphon

2008-12-15T21:56:00.004-05:00

The handmade Christmas continues...Here's a hat I made for our little nephew Gryphon who was just born in August. The pom-pom might be a little large for him, but I think he can pull off that look. The more pom the better!

I used this Martha tutorial for the inspiration. The tut also includes a size chart just in case you don't have access for a head measurement. I'll let you know how close those numbers are after Christmas...

Photo Weekend - Sunday

2008-12-14T18:54:00.004-05:00

Red & Green

The jingle bells on my stocking

A few ornaments hung from our chandelier

Seems like this photo weekend just started yesterday...probably because it did! Anyway, thanks for everyone who shared their festive photos. Merry Christmas!

Photo Weekend - Saturday

2008-12-13T17:24:00.005-05:00

Sparkle and Spirit

Today, I put up some more decorations and made some cookies to share. It's amazing what a few strands of lights wound through some garland can do for your mood. 12 Days till Christmas.

The sparkle on my ornament Christmas tree

The spirit of the holidays found making cookies

Shout out with a comment if you've found some sparkle and spirit today! And, don't forget tomorrow is red and green.

A quick color weekend?!

2008-12-12T15:02:00.005-05:00

Anyone up for a Photo Weekend?!...I know it's crazy, right, like there's not enough to do...

But, I've been a little low on holiday spirit the last week or so. The only thing that can save the season is a quick and simple Photo Weekend. Here's the throw down:

Saturday: Sparkle and Spirit

Sunday: Classic Red and Green

If your game leave a comment below or on my Saturday or Sunday post.

In case your new to Photo Week, here's the gist from Jen who put it beautifully when hosted:

"Photo Week has very few rules. The point is to get out there and use your camera, and observe the world around more than you usually do. To participate, simply take pictures any time this week (starting today). Just be sure to post your pictures on the appropriate day. If you can't participate every day, that's fine too. And don't worry about how advanced of a camera you have. Or how advanced your photography skills are. Just get out there and experiment and see how it goes."

And finally a little kick off photo:

Indoor Fishing

2008-12-11T18:07:00.004-05:00

Sometimes the only way to find a fishing buddy for your husband is to grow one! I made this fishing game for our little nephew, Jack, for his upcoming third birthday. Hopefully, a few years from now after lots of fishing game, Jack can be Scott's fishing buddy at the lake...

Here is a little tut from abunchofkidsinc on making your own. I used felt stuffed with pillow fluff instead of fabric with batting because that's what I had on hand. Worked out pretty well, if I ever make it again, probably won't create such ambitious shapes! Also, I used a piece of bamboo instead of a dowel rod and then hot glued the string to the bamboo and magnets. (Much easier than drilling.)

A gift for the pack rat...the stash book

2008-12-10T20:47:00.005-05:00

My brother is a notorious pack rat and as part of my effort to make everyone something for Christmas, I've decided to encourage him.

First, I bought this old book. Then I spent a few evenings cutting a rectangle out of the each page with an exacto knife. I did the first bunch and then used that hole as the template for the rest of the cutting.

Here is the inside of the finished book. I glued the pages together from the inside using a basic washable glue. The I lined the inside with cardboard wrapped in corduroy fabric and hot glued them into place.

Now Kyle has another place to put all those small items he just can't part with!

Christmas on the Square in Danville

2008-12-07T21:24:00.004-05:00

A few pictures from our quick stop in Scott's hometown of Danville on Saturday.

The Royal Theater, originally opened in 1914

The southwest corner of the courthouse

Jefferson Street strung with lights

Lions, Tigers, and Turtles, Oh My!

2008-12-02T21:08:00.004-05:00

Yeah, it's official, I'm addicted! A pattern repeat from a picture I took in Grand Cayman of a beautiful sea turtle... gotta love the turtles.

Original

Repeat

Bokeh on the Circle

2008-12-01T21:20:00.004-05:00

Throughout the fall, I've been trying to create a light distortion trick called Bokeh. Here is an attempt to create music notes at the Soldiers and Sailors' Monument last Friday. Since the lights are wrapped around tree limbs, the notes look like they are being sung as they appear to float into the air. A surprisingly wonderful affect!

Next time, I'll try to put a greater distance between myself and the light source, then hopefully, there will be more whole shapes. More to come...

A Washable Backsplash, Yay!

2008-12-01T19:36:00.005-05:00

Know what makes a bad backsplash?? Flat paint...

Know what makes a good backsplash?? Tile!

A few weeks from looking straight down the nose of a stagnant real estate market, we've been doing some "enhancement" projects around the house. One of the first, was addressing the dirty backsplash in our kitchen. Since the surface consisted of flat paint, our options were pretty much limited to repainting the whole kitchen or installing some sweet subway tiles, so we picked the later. Already having all the materials except the tiles on hand, it was a pretty simple project.

Before: The first row goes up

Midway: Tiles are up, no grout

After: Grouted and ready to be splattered with tomatoe sauce

After: Corner detail at the window

Since the total area was less than 25 sq.ft., we used a premixed mortar and grout. This saved loads of time opposed to mixing small batches of the powdered stuff. Great stuff! The brand was Tile Perfect, I'd recommend it to anyone with a similar project.

A Coloring Book for Jack

2008-11-25T17:47:00.002-05:00

As part of the hand-made Christmas, I'm making our little nephew, Jack, a coloring book from pictures we've taken throughout the year. Here are a few I've created so far. (See below for a quick how-to.)

Scott thought these might be too difficult for a 3 year old, but I thought Jack could make what he wanted of them and doesn't have to stay inside every line. Are they too tough?! Any thoughts...

By the way, if you know Jack, don't tell him about this. ;)

Indiana State Museum

Wrigley Field

A duck on the lake

A random barn

How-to (with a disclaimer):

Bring the picture into Photoshop. Select Filter-->Sketch-->Stamp. Inside the Stamp controls, turn the smoothness all the way down (1), then adjust the Light/Dark Balance until the picture has desirable detail. Some pictures worked better than others and there is no perfect Balance that works for all pictures. I also found it helpful to adjust the contrast before beginning the Filter work for some pictures with many shades of similar colors.

The fine print disclaimer: I used Photoshop Elements and am in no an expert or even an advanced user, I just play with settings until I get the effect I want, so this is only the way I did it. As always, I'd love to hear others ways to achieve the effect too!

The house work texture repeat! (finally...)

2008-11-24T20:06:00.007-05:00

For awhile now, I've been wanting to experiment with texture repeats like those done by Daisy Janie. Finally, this weekend, while touching up some paint in the kitchen, I pulled out a can of paint dated 2005, which was suppose to be a mossy green. Low and behold, after so many years on the shelf the colors had separated out, and as I stirred the can, a beautiful swirl formed and within that my first texture repeat!

The original swirl

The finished product after 3 flips in photoshop.
(I really like the hearts that formed in the repeat.)

The next picture is just a shot I had to take today. After such a foggy, gloomy day, as soon as I got home, this was out my back door. The skies really rallied at the end!

Pink clouds on the horizon

Almond Joy Hot Cocoa

2008-11-20T20:47:00.011-05:00

Here is another great Hungry Girl recipe from today's newsletter. (Yes, I was so psyched, I stopped on the way home to get everything.) Think warm Almond Joy with a kick! This is a seriously splendid drink!!

Ingredients:
1 package Hot Chocolate Mix
(I used the fat free mix and it was still great!)
Shot and a Half Coconut Rum
Drop of Almond Extract
Whipped Topping

Directions:

Get Ingredients

Boil the Water

Mix together, top with whip, enjoy!

Small tip: Use a larger than normal coffee cup...

Friday - Happiness (a little late)

2008-11-16T19:01:00.004-05:00

Finally posting my last picture of this photo week. Happiness is a being at home by the crackling fire on a relaxing Sunday. All day has been easy, easy like Sunday morning...

Yay for another great photo week! Thanks, Sara, for a inspirational one! This week made the glasses I see the world through a little rosier.

Side note: Saw an ad for this very mobile tripod in the new issue Popular Photography mag. This would be super handy for those shots with longer shutter speeds, without all the hassle of setting up a bigger tripod. I'm adding it to my wishlist! Also, this December issue has a great story about taking better holiday pictures, worth picking up if you're at the store. ( I checked the website, but the entire story isn't there...bummer.) Okay, enough of that plug.

Happy Sunday!

Thursday - Community (Boiler Up!)

2008-11-13T20:53:00.007-05:00

My community for four and half years, the wonderful Purdue University. Just so happens, I was on campus today for a conference, and I took the opportunity to snap a few pictures at lunch with the point and shoot stashed in my purse.

A tree still full of leaves

The new Armstrong Hall

A replicate of Armstrong's footprints on the moon.

Are the college folks getting younger every year?! Still love visiting campus, BTFU!

Wednesday - Gratitude

2008-11-12T19:55:00.004-05:00

In my book, gratitude is the most under used expression. Monday, I took this picture of a flag flying in the cemetery to honor our country's heroes. A simple and beautiful thank you for our veterans.

Tuesday - Exploration (at the Indiana State Museum)

2008-11-11T20:19:00.004-05:00

A (holi)day spent exploring the Indiana State Museum. Yay for hometown exploration. As a side note, we also saw the Grand Canyon Adventure 3D at the IMAX, and it was amazing!!

Snowflakes for the Christmas exhibit currently being installed.
Best looking rope light around, right?!

The Foucault Pendlum that was moved from the old museum.

A collection of pins from the 1970's.

Monday - Acceptance

2008-11-10T21:31:00.004-05:00

Photo week if off and running. Sara our gracious host has really thrown down the challenge this time. Get the details here!

Accepting where the wind takes you

Accepting the gym as a necessary evil

The thing I love about my gym is that everyone is very friendly and accepting. It's like we're all here grinding it out, doing our thing the best way we can,
and that creates an intrinsic comradery.

A Snappy Strap

2008-11-10T15:42:00.005-05:00

A while back Amy found this great site for ribbons and we placed an order with the intentions of making some sweet camera strap modifications with our loot. Since then I've been thinking about how I wanted to do it, I knew wanted to use the strap that came with the camera, but I also wanted to be able to change it in the future. And of course, if you wait long enough (or surf the web long enough), the solution will find you. Voila, here it is on Made by Petchy.

I used my ribbon for one side and plain black fabric for the back side. My final product is a super tight fit, but I was limited by the width of the ribbon. I am happy with the finished strap cover now that I have it on there!

It only took 80 bottles of wine...

2008-11-09T18:00:00.003-05:00

The finished cork board (as seen during photo week), a great place for a wine drinker to pin up all those great ideas that come do mind while enjoying a few glasses.

The frame is a simple wood frame I found at the craft store and stained dark. It happens to be a 12" x 12" frame to fit scrapbooking sheets, but it perfectly fit an even number of corks and already had hanging hardware on the back! The setup: The huge chemistry book was to place on top while the wood glue dried. The cutting board and old knife were used to cut the half pieces at the end of each row.

I thought this would also make a nice place to put hot pots and dishes on the table, probably make some smaller ones in the future just to use as hot pads. I'm also interested in trying to dye some of the corks with fabric dye or colored stain to create a pattern and add some punch!

Easiest Blueberry Muffins Ever!

2008-11-05T20:54:00.003-05:00

The perfect blueberry muffin storm happened today. Well, it started brewing a week or so ago when Scott got a free box of cake mix at the store. Then Monday, I decided to make blueberry muffins, so I bought fresh blueberries. Finally today, I got my Hungry Girl newsletter, which Sara got me hooked on, and low and behold cake mix and diet soda recipe!

The light bulb moment: Cake mix + diet soda + blueberries = Easiest Blueberry Muffins EVER!

Directions:
Instead of adding the oil, egg, and water to a box of cake mix, add a whole can of diet soda. (You can actually use any type of soda.) Mix for 2 minutes. Fold in blueberries before pouring into cupcake pan. (I added a butter/flour/sugar crumb topping to these.) Cook according to directions on box.

These puppies actually turned out great. They were really moist and had an almost caramel like taste.

Evidently you can do this with brownie mix also...in fact after some research, Scott the cynic found out you don't have to add the oil or the eggs to cake mix at all. A long time ago, they just added that to the directions so "bakers" thought they were contributing more to their "home cooking". Good to know!

Friday - Yesterday

2008-11-02T13:00:00.006-05:00

The Beatles - Yesterday

Friday we spent our day off preparing the outdoors for
the all too long winter season. Above is the aftermath of a day of labor.

"Why she had to go, I don't know she wouldn't say."
Summer, I eagerly await your return!

And with that another photo week comes to an end. Thanks again, Sue, for a great week!

Thursday - Too Much of Nothing

2008-11-02T12:41:00.004-05:00

Bob Dylan - Too Much of Nothing

All these corks and no wine...

I'm trying to create a cork board from all these wine corks,
don't worry, I had some help collecting these.
Hopefully within the next week I'll have a finished product to post!

Wednesday - Slippery People

2008-10-29T20:07:00.005-04:00

Talking Heads - Slippery People

Beautiful and slippery sea turtles

Don't miss out on photo week! Visit Sue's blog for more info!

Tuesday - Torn and Frayed

2008-10-28T19:26:00.005-04:00

Yes, it's more vacation action, but it's cold here and stifling my creativity...must get warm...

Rolling Stones - Torn and Frayed

Super literal!

Monday - Of Angels and Angles

2008-10-28T19:03:00.006-04:00

Ok, so I'm a little behind on the new photo week due to a fantastic and just-in-time vacation last week, hence many of these photo week pictures... here goes Monday! (Sue, great theme!)

The Decemberists - Of Angels and Angles

I skimmed through my vacation pictures while listening to the song,
and this picture grabbed me.

Notice the two crustaceans on the sea wall,
they probably fell in love while listening to the Decemberists!

Thursday - Smell

2008-10-09T20:11:00.004-04:00

Smells bad (the dump)

Smells good (detergent and fabric softener)

One day left of this fantastic photo week. Tomorrow bring on the touch!

Speaking of Sound...

2008-10-08T20:34:00.004-04:00

Why not dress up those sound hearing beauties on the side of your head?!

I love earrings, particularly ones that dangle. So, I made these Monday night. Next time I take a picture like this I'll use a darker background so the silver stands out and the details are more apparent. Shoot and learn I guess.

Anyway, I'd love to hear what you think.

Black drops, crystal, and shell earrings

Wednesday - Sound

2008-10-08T20:26:00.003-04:00

The Sound of Morning (boo)

The Sound of Fun (yay!)

Viva la photo week! Up tomorrow: Smell.
More info on photo week here.

Tuesday - Taste

2008-10-07T21:10:00.004-04:00

Ironically, on Taste Day, I came home from work to find Lex dog had "tasted" the mattress pad on the guest bed. This pad was under a fitted sheet and a fitted mattress cover, which were both unharmed in mayhem that caused the demise of the pad. Grrrr....

What Lex tasted today.

What I tasted after the clean up.

Monday - Sight

2008-10-06T19:56:00.004-04:00

The new photo week is here and it's back to our Senses Week. Check out all the details on Jen's blog. (Jen, you've really put down the gauntlet here, and I love it!)

Sight Protection

Sight Distortion

Sight Aid

Sight Removed
(These are my acquisitions from a stop at the Arcadia Fall Fest on Saturday: a jar of pepper jelly and a miniature sock monkey, which I pulled the eyes off of on the way home because they were so not right for his face. Any ideas for replacement eyes?? I'm thinking sequins, but that might be too glam for a little ol' sock monkey.)

The Good Grub Compilation is here, salsa anyone?

2008-10-05T14:48:00.006-04:00

The grub is moving here. As part of Mission Simplicity, the food is coming together with all the other things I love right here!

So... Scott, the suburban farmer, has a bumper crop of tomatoes just wanting to be made into the world's best condiment: SALSA. (yeah, I threw it out there, the WORLD'S BEST!)

I read over a few recipes and then created this concoction.

The before.
I ended up using only Roma tomatoes and shied away from the fresh pepper.

Roughly, the Ingredients:
2 Romas, pureed in the food processor
6 Romas, chopped
1/2 Onion, chopped
1/2 Shallot, chopped
5 Stems worth of Cilantro leaves, chopped
3 Tbl. diced jalapenos, from a jar
1 tsp. Tabasco
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. lime juice
1 tsp. balsamic vinegar

Directions:
Mix everything together.

The after.

After everything was mixed together, I threw in some corn and black beans we had as leftovers and some chopped avocado. It turned out about like a mild salsa. Scott thought it was a little tomato-y, which was okay with me. Maybe more cilantro next time.

The Train Graveyard

2008-10-02T20:15:00.004-04:00

Today we visited the abandoned trains parked randomly on the tracks near Cicero. Rest in peace or at least in place, little run down train cars...

And I had to take the Kodak Brownie for the mini-road trip.

The Brownie's are still blurrier than I would like. The empty train was pretty creepy, so I didn't do a lot of playing with settings. Shoot, shoot, and out.

Friday - Nighttime

2008-09-21T15:58:00.008-04:00

Love with a laser pointer in a dark bathroom
(and a 3 second shutter speed)

The canal adjacent to the Historical Society just before sunrise.

Indy skyline looking down Ohio Street

Indiana State House just before sunrise

That wraps up another exhausting and amazing photo week. Thanks to everyone who participated! I was amazed at the variety of pictures this taken week! Nice work.

Now I need to pass the photo week host torch to out east coast-baking wiz-photographer friend, Jen. She'll pick a week sometime in the future and announce the next photo week challenge. Check her blog or back here for updates.

Keep on shooting!

Thursday - Action

2008-09-18T22:38:00.007-04:00

One of the many fountains along the canal

Food coloring sinking in water

Okay, these are both water related. I'm having photographer's block today...
does that even exist?!

Don't forget tomorrow, our last day of this photo week, is Nighttime!

See Monday's post for links to all the photo week participants.
Click here for Monday's post

Wednesday - Portrait

2008-09-17T21:12:00.004-04:00

Me and most of my animal posse
(I need to work on finding more "human subjects"...)

Samp "the scared stalker"

Coach "the bossy sweetheart"

Lex "the crazy beauty"

Me "the mob boss"

Tuesday - Macro

2008-09-16T21:21:00.005-04:00

A penguin in his natural environment, basil.

The amazing fuschia plant, the only hanging basket I can't kill!

The chandelier in our entryway, super sea glam.

Check out yesterday's post for links to all the Photo Weekers!

BEA-U-tiful job everyone!!

Monday - Landscape

2008-09-15T21:02:00.005-04:00

Along the canal downtown

The only sun rays on an otherwise dreary day

Soybeans ready for harvest near Cicero

Check out all the fabulous Photo Weekers:

Amy
Scott
Sara
Sue
Greg
Alex
Jen
Beth
Ashley
Shelly
Cambrie
Justin
Mindy
Nicole
Shawn
Eric

Through the Viewfinder - The Build

2008-09-13T14:21:00.004-04:00

Amy called yesterday about this great idea she came across for using the twin lens camera she just bought, not knowing I have a similar camera that was my grandfather's. Mine is a Kodak Brownie Hawkeye, what a great name, right?! Of course, I fell in love with the idea of using this camera that my grandfather had taken so many picture with . So I spent the evening building my own Through the Viewfinder (TtV) retrofit!

Here is the Brownie Hawkeye, which had previously sat idle on the bookshelf since it came into my possession about few years ago.

The retrofit is built out of cardboard so it's not a lot to look at, but it does the trick. The only electrical tape I could find was green, so this contraption looks extra earthy! Also, I had to use a popsicle stick to keep the front of bowing out, I did color coordinate it though...

And here are a few of the results. I need to play around with the white balance on my camera, but these turned out well for the first go around. I'm excited about taking it out and seeing the world through my little Brownie Hawkeye twin lens!

Auto-inspiration Week

2008-09-12T21:29:00.010-04:00

Color week was fantastic! (If you missed it, see it here.) The photographs were all so wildly different, I throughly enjoyed the brief glance into everyone's day through their own eyes. The week also really motivated me. I actually carried my camera all week, and the most mundane objects and details of everyday life became more beautiful and interesting. I literally couldn't stop looking at everything!!

And now, after weeks of anticipation, the second photo week is upon us! This go at it lets take inspiration from those oh-so-dependable automatic camera settings. (Not that you have to use those settings, just an inspiration...)

So here it is:

Monday - Landscape

Tuesday - Macro

Wednesday - Portrait

Thursday - Action

Friday - Nighttime

I can't wait to see how these are interpreted. As always, photo week is what you make of it. Don't split your wig, just have fun! Email me at stephanie[dot]wags[at]gmail[dot]com if you're gonna get out there to shoot and I'll add you to the list below. Feel free to spread the good word of photo week, as we are a dynamic and every growing conglomeration!

Amy
Scott
Sara
Sue
Greg
Alex
Jen
Beth
Ashley
Shelly
Cambrie
Justin
Mindy
Nicole
Shawn
Eric

Pups make great companions!

2008-09-08T21:27:00.004-04:00

So Coach doesn't get jealous while he is surf'n and Scott can see his furry family while he's away.

The Next Picture Week!

2008-09-02T21:50:00.011-04:00

September 15th, mark your calendars and check out my awesome count down!

While I'm here, a picture of Lex...I thought the lighting turned out really nice. What a sad sack!

Friday - Blue

2008-08-29T22:24:00.005-04:00

Light poll on Senate Ave.

Christ the King Church in South Bend

The Elephant in his new suit!

Thursday - Green

2008-08-28T21:43:00.006-04:00

Potato vine and scenic city sidewalk grate

Barn at the Jasper County Fair Grounds (yes, I was actually there today!)

I love fun shoes

Hilbert Circle Theater, Indianapolis

Wednesday - Yellow

2008-08-27T15:51:00.004-04:00

Flowers on Monument Circle

Neon sign at the Off Track Betting parlor

The locus book club reads Mr. Happy

World's Eleventh Largest Ear of Corn, Wilson's Market on US 31

Tuesday - Orange

2008-08-26T19:33:00.005-04:00

Stink pipe at the corner of Washington and Senate, Indianapolis

Barricade along the road south of the Soldiers and Sailors Monument

Death by Nintendo

Wild beast hunts prey in the backyard

Monday - Red/Pink

2008-08-25T20:51:00.006-04:00

Flower outside the Conrad Hotel.

Bikes on the rack at the Government Center.

Door to the Indianapolis Repertory Theater (and vivid reflection).

Yay for Color Week!

2008-08-24T20:54:00.004-04:00

Monday - Red/Pink
Tuesday - Orange
Wednesday - Yellow
Thursday - Green
Friday - Blue

Dahlia

2008-08-21T19:51:00.005-04:00

A dahlia from the backyard of our old place in Lebanon. (It's an old pic, but it's a fav.)

Hiya there.

2008-08-19T20:10:00.002-04:00

This is the place for me to share what I've done and what I want to do next.