Showdown

Lunch Time

These little guys were actually kind of hard to photograph because they were, surprisingly, moving pretty fast to get those Cherrios...

How to Photograph Flowers

The flowers in southern California are so beautiful right now that I thought I would post another "how to" today. I wanted to share some tips that I found helpful when photographing my flowers. Check out some inspirational flower photos here, some of them are absolutely amazing! I hope to be able to get some shots like that someday. Flowers are so delicate and colorful, they are the perfect subject for any aspiring photographer. Plus, they are super easy to find! You can just walk out your door, explore your neighborhood and photograph flowers along the way! Here is a great article that describes the best way to photograph flowers!

Some specific tips include to, first and foremost, plan your picture. Whether it's a macro (close-up) of a flower, or a field of wild flowers spanning across acres. For close-ups you will need to have a macro setting on your camera, or have macro lenses. I have a macro setting, which I used, but I also tried to get up very close to the flower since I have no special lenses yet. (If anyone has any suggestions on affordable macro lenses and filters that would be great!)

Secondly, the focus of the picture is very important. Decide on your focal point, or the part of the flower that you want to be in sharp focus. It could be a petal, stem, stamen or anything you want! Because this is a close-up, the focal point is very important!

Next, many sites recommend using a tripod for perfect pictures, but of course it is possible to do it without one.

In addition, trust your light meter, try for the best light and try to avoid distractions in the background....unless thats what you're going for. All in all, have fun experimenting and maybe you will get some good shots. That's what I tried to do, but after seeing all the amazing pictures of flowers in the link above....I think I have some more work to do :)

Pasadena's Finest Flowers: My first attempt at a design board

Completed this with a little help from my husband's photoshop skills and a little inspiration from Snippet & Ink's beautiful boards that they do!

Orange Delight

My first flower design board to come soon! Thought I would give you a taste of the shots I took today.

How to Photograph Fireworks

Happy 4th of July weekend everyone!! I'm hoping to get out there tomorrow and try out some new techniques while photographing fireworks and thought I would post some tips that I have found helpful. For two great sites with helpful hints, click on the links below. They have great suggestions depending on what kind of camera you are going to use, whether you have a dSLR or an iPhone!

With a digital SLR they suggest to use a slow shutter speed which means you will also need a tripod (I still dont have one, but hopefully soon!). Get a shutter release cable (I don't have this either....) to reduce any camera shake. Reduce the ISO (film speed) to the lowest level to reduce graininess, turn off auto focus and use an f/stop between f/8 and f/16. Sounds tricky to me, but hopefully I can still try to get some good shots without the tripod and the shutter release cable. Interestingly, for those of us without tripods, here is another hint: Use a faster shutter speed and a higher ISO. You will need to re-adjust your f/stop so that the images wont be too dark. These pictures will be a bit different in that you wont have light trails from your fireworks, but there will be a higher level of detail.

For more tips on using different kinds of cameras like the point and shoot and iPhone, click on the links below! Also, check out this book that has a few pages on how to photograph fireworks

as well as other really great tips. Have a happy 4th!

http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/null/145428

http://howto.wired.com/wiki/Photograph_Fireworks

Blog Review: The Menu

Heres another awesome new little blog called The Menu. It's not directly related to photography, but there are some great pics on there as well as very helpful food related information. Check it out here

http://thetaylormenu.blogspot.com/

There is also a really cool photo of a purple sunset in Tucson, AZ. Check that out here! I'm wondering if the purple hues are related to the volcano that erupted in Russia. The article about purple sunsets that were seen throughout the US can be found here. Was anyone else lucky enough to photograph this amazing phenomenon?

Photo Blog: Photography Bay

I love this picture that I found on Photography Bay's blog. It is beautiful and I hope to be able to take pics like this one day! It is a great site with helpful tips and information about photography. Check out their latest post on how to photograph fireworks:

http://www.photographybay.com/2009/07/01/how-to-shoot-fireworks/

Another post I really liked was how to shoot big cities at night

http://www.photographybay.com/2009/06/30/shooting-big-cities-at-night-while-traveling-light/

I hope to get a chance to try out their tips soon! I think my next photography related purchase needs to be a tripod though.... Does anyone have suggestions on affordable, yet functional tripods? Check back after this weekend and maybe I will have some semi-decent fireworks pictures of my own.

Sunset Traffic

Summertime

Dusk

Pearl Harbor: A Journey to the Past

USS Missouri

Arizona Memorial

Pearl Harbor Air Control Tower

Peaceful Evening

Hawaiian Sunsets

Oahu Hawaii is beautiful. I highly recommend visiting. It has a bit of everything from the very manageable city of Honolulu to the quieter, less developed North Shore. There are wonderful beaches and coves with amazing snorkeling. Here are some sunset pictures, taken off the coast of Honolulu as well as from Sunset Beach, which is on the North Shore.

A little family

Morning Glory

Churchill Downs

While in Kentucky, we stopped by Churchill Downs in Louisville to bet on some races. We didn't win anything, but it was so much fun!

Married!

This past weekend, my fiance and I got married at Spindletop Hall in Lexington, KY and it was wonderful! I included a few pictures of my rings on my great grandmother's handkerchief, which my mom surprised me with on my wedding day. There was also a beautiful sunrise that day! Be sure to check back for pictures from our honeymoon in Oahu, Hawaii!!!

Sturtevant Falls

We went on a hike into a canyon the other day and came upon Sturtevant Falls. It was beautiful and it is a great hike. I highly recommend it. It's only about a ten minute drive from downtown Pasadena. The trail itself was a little under 4 miles roundtrip. There are longer trails as well. Click on the link below for more information.
http://www.modernhiker.com/2008/02/17/hiking-santa-anita-canyon/

My First Model

The other day, I looked outside and saw this squirrel who wanted to model for me. It was the perfect opportunity to practice my photography again! It was also pretty funny how long he stayed. These pictures are the best of the bunch. Let me know what you think!