Huntington Gardens in Fall

My husband helped to bring out the sky in the shot above. It was overcast, but he used a few different layers, adjusted the levels in photoshop and got surprisingly good results! I really like the contrast between the red flowers and the blue sky.

Happy Holidays!

I know I havent posted in a while, but thought I would check in and say Happy belated Thanksgiving, and Happy Holidays! The signs of fall were few and far between here in Southern CA, but surprisingly some leaves have changed color. It is December, however, and the leaves on a few trees have just started to change. It will never compare to fall in New England, but it is exciting nonetheless! I hope everyone is doing well!

Runyon Canyon Hike

We went on a hike through Runyon Canyon in the Hollywood Hills a few weeks ago. It is a decent hike, although it was pretty crowded and the trails were a little bit rundown. The views were great, but I would recommend hiking in Griffith Park over Runyon Canyon. It is very dog friendly, however, the loop is pretty quick and easy. Here are some pics I took during the hike. The internship is going well, things have been really busy, and I've missed blogging the past few weeks. I hope everyone is doing well!

Happy Labor Day!

I hope everyone has a relaxing day!

Thank you!

I came across these beautiful flowers and thought I would share them today. I wanted to say thank you to everyone who has sent their well-wishes and kind thoughts! The fire seems to be dying down a little bit. Yesterday the air was much clearer, so we are all hoping for the best. Interestingly, and quite sadly, the fire has now been labelled an arson. Because two firefighters were killed trying to fight this fire, it will be investigated as a homicide. The fire has cost $37 million to fight thus far. For more information check out THIS article from the LA times. I hope you are all doing well and that you have a great Labor Day Weekend!!

Awards

Thank you Gayle from Planet M Files for passing along the Lovely Blog Award to me! I truly appreciate it and will be passing along all the awards soon. When you have a second, please head on over to Gayle's blog. It has lovely recipes, great photos and many wonderful stories. I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Thanks Gayle!

~Ashley

Los Angeles Wildfires

I decided to take some pictures of the wildfires that are in the San Gabriel Mountains at the moment. I was hoping to get better pictures, but these will suffice. The wildfires are currently threatening the communication towers as well as a historical observatory on top of Mount Wilson. Hopefully they will soon be under control! The other night my husband and I walked down our street and we could see flames throughout the mountain ridges. I didn't have my camera, but if we go back out tonight perhaps I can capture some images. For more information about the current wildfires in LA check out the LA TIMES. For a map of the area including where the fire is and where it is heading please click HERE. We are in Pasadena, which is close by, but the fire seems to be heading in the other direction towards Acton. It is pretty scary! For a very cool time lapse of the fire done by anosmicovni check out the video below. I only hope to one day be able to capture something like that. It is amazing! He also has some amazing images on his flickr page of the fire. MUCH better than the ones I have here. I will keep trying though!

I also wanted to let everyone know that tomorrow I am starting my internship in psychology so I will have less time to take pictures and post them on my blog. Although I am excited to start my internship I am sad about having less time for photography! I will still do my best to take pictures as well as peruse all the wonderful photography blogs I have come across.

Textures, Colors and Lines

Awards

A special thank you to Icy BC at Reach Beyond Limits for the wonderful awards! It was so kind and thoughtful of you to pass them along to me. I love them. Everyone should check out Icy's blog, it has wonderful images, great stories and many helpful tips. Thanks Icy!!

~Ashley

A Lazy Summer Stroll

Hibiscus Flower

The Hike to Griffith Observatory

A few weeks ago my husband and I decided to check out a new area of Los Angeles. We went on a hike up to Griffith Observatory. It was very hot so we decided to do a short loop of only 1.5 miles total. It is straight up one way, and straight down on the way back, but the hike boasts beautiful views of downtown LA as well as the Hollywood sign. There are a variety of trails around that area and we hope to go back soon for a longer hike. I think you can even hike up to the Hollywood sign itself, which would be fun! For more information on the observatory check out THEIR OFFICIAL SITE. For more information on hikes around there check out MODERN HIKER If you don't feel like hiking, however, you can also drive up to the observatory to get the same views.

Sleeping puppy

Sunset Over Tucson

Hummingbird

While in AZ my family and I did some bird watching. We put some food in the hummingbird feeders and I don't think I have ever seen so many hummingbirds in my life! They are beautiful. My dad actually took this picture with my camera. It is the best one out of all the pictures that we took! I think it is an amazing picture. Their wings move so fast, that in most of the pictures we took you couldn't even see them. Don't you think my dad should start his own photo blog?!

Cardinal

The Prince and the Pea

This is my dog Rex, and this picture reminded me of the story The Princess and the Pea! I also love the reflection in the windows behind him.

Miss Marzipan

Night Sky

I finally got a tripod and have been experimenting with night-time photography. This shot was taken in AZ. I used the bulb setting and the exposure was 3 minutes long. Pretty fun!! By the way, that's the big dipper behind those clouds!

Baby Bella

I am in Arizona visiting my family and I got to visit my aunt and uncle's new baby horse named Bella. She is about two months old. Isn't she beautiful?!

Vintage Flower

I was playing around with textures and other techniques in photoshop and come up with this. It is pretty fun!

Sun Bathing

I tired to get a good picture of this little dragonfly the other day, but it was somewhat difficult. This one came out pretty well though! Hope everyone has a great Thursday!

Synchronized Swimming

I took four pictures of this little baby turtle swimming in a pond and then decided to work on them within photoshop. With the help of my husband, I compiled all four pictures into one document and then used the auto-blend technique to blend the pictures together and make it look like one. I think it worked pretty well! This little guy was so cute, and he almost made it to the edge of the pond while we were there. I'm sure he will just keep on trying! Make sure to click on the picture to get a better view!

A New Day

DIY Macro Studio

This weekend my husband and I attempted to make a home-made macro studio. It was fun, but actually harder than I was expecting. We did it all for under $10 though, which is the best part. I think the biggest problem was that we didn't have the right kind of lights to use, so we just used flash lights! It worked alright, but it was not ideal. First, we cut holes in three sides of a cardboard box, we covered each side with white tissue paper and put black poster board on the inside to use as a back drop. Check out strobist.com for more detailed information on how to make one.

I took some pictures of my great grandmother's purple glass bowl. She lived in Phoenix, AZ and would turn clear glass purple by leaving it outside in the sun. I don't think they make glass like that anymore! I think the hardest part of using this light box was not getting reflections from the surrounding environment. This one turned out alright though, let me know what you think!

Rain Drops on Roses

Recently posted this on the World in Black and White. It's a nice blog, you should check it out!

Macro Studio

The other day I tried to make my own little macro photography studio using a black table. I don't think it worked out so well, but it was fun trying. Afterwards, my husband had the idea to make a DIY light box or macro studio. I thought that was a great idea, so at some point this week we are going to try it out. I will let you know how it goes!

Wildlife Photography

Wildlife photography seems fun and interesting so I thought I'd read up about it and see what helpful hints I could find. I found a few and thought I would share them with you! Check out this article for more information. It suggests going to places where animals have become accustomed to humans in order to get closer to them, especially if you don't have a zoom lens. The other day, I stumbled upon these ducks in a pond, that were obviously accustomed to humans feeding them. I, unfortunately, didn't have any food for them, but that didn't stop them from trying!

Secondly, the article suggests getting low to the ground, or even laying on your stomach to get artistic photos. I tried to get as low as I could without laying down.

Another article mentions that you have to be fast in setting up and framing your shots. It is a good idea to practice taking pictures of moving objects before going out in the field. I thought this pond was a safe place to practice! And it is hard to get good shots of moving objects! Keep the sun at your back and keep your camera ready for unexpected encounters. This article also suggests having a telephoto lens so that you can get good shots, without getting too close to your subjects.

I don't have one yet, but perhaps once I learn more and get better I will consider looking into one. I think my next photography related purchase needs to be a tripod! What I've learned is that photographing wildlife is hard! It's always on the move and you have to be patient, or take a million shots before getting one good one. Being patient and being lucky seem to be pretty important with this type of photography. It is fun and exciting to try though and hopefully I can keep getting better at it!

Lily Pond

Summer Dreams

Huntington Gardens

The cactus gardens make you forget you're in the middle of Pasadena, CA!

Above you can see that the agapanthus are in full bloom!

Huntington Gardens in Pasadena, CA is a beautiful place! I highly recommend checking it out. It is a little pricey....but well worth it. There are acres and acres of different gardens from botanical to cactus and japanese to chinese. There is a wonderful little tea room in the rose garden, but make reservations because it can get super crowded! The chinese garden is new, and growing! There is a new, affordable and adorable dim sum restaurant which I cant wait to try! The agapanthus flowers are in full bloom right now and they are beautiful. You can keep checking back on their website to see what is blooming, so each time you go it will be a completely different experience. If anything, Huntington Gardens is a great place to spend the day and photograph anything and everything you see. I loved it and will definitely be going back. For more information, click here! During the summer they provide a space to have lovely evening picnics with live music. You can either bring your own picnic or buy food that they provide, which is different every time they do it. We are going to check it out this weekend and will let you know how it goes!