77-365 A Racing Legend

I was walking around the house trying to figure out what to take a picture of and saw my husbands Dale Earnhardt collectors shot glass.  I should have filled it up and celebrated afterwards but I didn't.  LOL!  My husband and I used to be pretty big race fans but after Earnhardt Sr died from an accident at Daytona (a race we watched) it just didn't seem the same.  We still watch it occasionally but with the retirement of some of our favorite generation of racers, the missing black intimidator car and the high number of rules and restrictions that have been added to nascar racing, it's just not as fun to watch anymore.  

Settings for this shot were: Shutter speed 1/15 sec, Aperture F3.2, ISO 400, WB Auto, Focal Length 60mm, Flash not fired.

76-365 Laguna Bay

I took this in a subdivision called Laguna Bay.  It is a very pretty area with prime lots by the water.  Unfortunately the owner is having a hard time selling the lots due to the neighborhoods you have to drive through to get to it.

75-365 Noose

I took this at a pier visit and thought it turned out pretty neat.  I called it noose because it looked like one once I saw it on my computer.  I cropped it to have 13 rows which if I remember correctly is the number of loops that you used in a noose knot though I didn't confirm it prior to posting.  Settings aren't anything special as this was taken with my cell phone.

74-365 Clips that Shine

These paperclips actually looked neater in real life than they do in this picture I think.  It still made for a nifty macro shot.  I hope that Saturday I'll get to use my wide angle lens some because I think I might be getting bored with macro.  Is that possible when macro opens so many doors?  Maybe I'm just in a slump on ideas. 

Settings for this shot were: Shutter speed 1/30, Aperture F5.6, ISO 400, WB Auto, Focal length 60mm, Flash not fired.

73-365 Violet Wilds

These were in my backyard blowing in the wind.  Way too much for me to focus well on it.  So...I grabbed a handful of them and stuck them in the flower vase my son had filled earlier in the week with azaleas.  I had them under my LED light strip in my kitchen and I think it really brought out some neat shadows and textures.  

The settings were: Shutter speed - 1/125 secs, Aperture - F4.0, ISO 400, WB Fluorescent, Focal length 60mm, Flash not fired.

72-365 Yellow Winds

These yellow flowers are on a vine hanging over my fence in the backyard.  I adjusted the levels like usual and got these great colors.  The flower isn't as clear as I wanted but it was windy before the bad storms we got a few hours later.

The settings were: Shutter speed -  1/125 sec, Aperture - F8, ISO - 200, WB Cloudy, Focal Length - 60mm, Flash not fired.

71-365 Berrylicious

I bought strawberries, angel food cake and whip cream for strawberry shortcake and boy was it yummy.  I thought a macro shot would be great on the bright red strawberries.  Not sure that I'm too happy with the final product though but I'm sure I'll have another shot before the spring and summer is over.

Settings for this were: Shutter speed - 1/30 sec, Aperture - F3.5, ISO 400, Focal Length - 60mm, WB - Cloudy, Flash not fired.

70-365 Rio's Toucan

I got this cute little character in my happy meal and thought he was cute enough to take a picture of.  I was going to put my cheeseburger in his wings like he was holding it but it wouldn't stay there.  LOL!  So...while slightly unfocused and technically a nightmare...I wanted to post my cheesy snapshot for today's photo of the day.  :)

69-365 Butterfly

So I'm wayyyy behind this time.  The most behind as I've ever been.  BUT...just because I haven't been able to keep up my postings, it doesn't mean I haven't been taking pictures.  So my 69th photo of my 365 Project is a butterfly I saw on the ground when a co-worker and I were leaving a job site.  It's my first ever butterfly shot and I wish I had had my macro lens with me.  Taken with my cell phone, I still like the shot.

Catching Up

I am the most behind that I've been in my project since I started it...but no worries...because I'm getting caught up tomorrow.  I have all of my pictures from the last few days...I've post processed them....I just haven't had a chance to post them yet.  (I was more consumed with the storms last night that were occurring in this area...and I hope those of you who follow me that live in or around the areas that were hit with tornado's are praying for the healing of those who were directly affected.  Many places and folks lost a lot during these storms and I pray for their safety and immediate recovery after a very scary night for us all.)

I'll have my photos up tomorrow so those who are saying "ah...she's always behind"...stand by....because I'll only be behind...for one more night".  Isn't the anticipation worth it, though?!?!  ;-)

Thanks so much for your patience.  I'm especially happy with the photo that will take tonight's slot!

68-365 Disney or Bust

My husband and I have been talking for a few months about the idea of taking our boys to Disney World for Christmas this year and finally we decided on Sunday to plan our trip.  For the most part, it was fairly painless and though we have a lot to do to get ready for the trip that is still 8 months away, planning early we think is going allow us to have a nice trip that is efficient and allows us to see and do everything we want to do.  We told our boys and along with that, we told them that they were going to help pay for it.  We pulled out two glass jars and told them that whenever they have change, they need to consider putting it in the jars because that money collected will be our "spending money" for the trip.  Of course we'll make contributions to the spending fund but this way, they might be able to appreciate their souvenirs a little more knowing they helped to save for it.

The settings were: Shutter speed 1/15 sec, Aperture F2.8, ISO 400, WB Cloudy, Focal length 20mm, Flash not fired.

67-365 Willow Greens

This tree is the same one I photographed in the beginning of my project with no leaves.  It is also the same tree that has the beautiful moss all over the side of it.  Today when I got to it, the new leaves really grabbed my attention.  The light fresh green with the dense heaviness of the atmosphere that sort of gave a soft haze to parts of the final image I think worked out quite nicely.  I love the way the light is sprinkled throughout the leaves.  I am beginning to have quite an enjoyment of trees and the different phases of their life in one year.  My own Crape Myrtle tree looks pretty neat right now because it's just now starting to show it's buds for the spring.  Maybe I'll try some creative shots with it tomorrow....maybe with my wide angle lens.  This was taken from inside my car through my opened sunroof with my cell phone.  I don't have any settings to report except that I bumped the saturation a bit in my phone to bring out the bright light green in the leaves.

66-365 Pink

I know some folks might get tired of seeing flowers but I have never had the opportunities to photograph them like this until I got my macro lens.  My azaleas, which I keep saying I'm going to get rid of, are just now starting to bloom and are so beautiful.  Each year that I think I'll get rid of them or move them, I end up just cutting them back after the summer and enjoying them the next season.

The settings were: Shutter speed - 1/60 sec, Aperture - F5.6, ISO 400, WB - manual, Focal length - 60mm, Flash not fired.

 

65-365 Caterpillar

My boys love bugs, especially the oldest one.  He found his first caterpillar of the season and I thought...yay, my first macro "bug" shot opportunity.  My sisters and neighbors used to find this particular species all the time growing up.  This caterpillar is a Malacosoma Americanum also known as an Eastern Tent Caterpillar as I found out on Wikipedia.  I really, really love this picture.  I think the colors and focus area is just like I wanted it.  He was a squirmy little thing so I chalk it all up to pure luck.

The settings were: Shutter speed - 1/250 sec, Aperture - F4.0, ISO 400, WB - manual, Focal length - 60mm, Flash not fired. 

64-365 Cut Crystal Cups

I saw these plastic "wanna be" crystal cut plastic cups in my cabinet and they make a neat artistic style photo.  I bumped the saturation on it and did my typical post processing on it.  Nothing too dramatic but I like the outcome!  Taken with my cell phone.

63-365 Carnation Crumble

I noticed these dead carnations from the flower set my mom gave me a few weeks ago on my bar counter and the texture of them looked really cool.  I completely forgot they were even there because they were parked in between some of my other plants hiding.  It's definitely a more abstract picture.  :-)

The settings were: Shutter speed - 1/30 sec, Aperture - F4.0, ISO 400, WB - Manual, Focal length - 60mm, Flash not fired.

62-365 Movie Theater Butter

Everybody loves popcorn at the movies.  It's one of those staples we can't go without.  Well, I enjoy popcorn outside of the movies at home too.  This popcorn in particular is White Cheddar Popcorn.  I thought it would make a neat macro shot for this project.

The settings were: Shutter speed - 1/15 sec, Aperture - F4.0, WB Manual (not sure what the temperature was because I didn't realize it was even on manual), Focal length - 60mm, Flash not fired.

61-365 Bamboozled

I had to bring my bamboo that my little one bought me for Mother's Day last year home from work because one of the stalks died and another one had turned yellow.  After doing some research on it, I think it has a fungus that I don't believe I can get rid of.  So, I'm going to enjoy it while I can and when it's days are over, maybe I'll give it a proper burial.  I think I'll have to go buy another one because I really, really love this plant.  I really love this picture!  Funny thing is that I usually take 10 or more pictures of my subject.  For this...I only took one.  I thought it was going to look like a "snapshot" but I am so happy with the outcome.

Settings were: Shutter speed - 1/30 sec, Aperture - F3.2, ISO - 400, WB - Cloudy, Focal Length - 60mm, Flash not fired.

60-365 Shell Shock

I was walking around trying to figure out what in the world to take a photo of.  I saw this on my bookshelf and liked the character on it.  I cropped it tight around the shell because I really liked the wavy edge against the neutral tone of my background.  I put my white balance on cloudy because I love the warmer tones it offers.  I had read somewhere before from a photographers book or magazine that they almost always shot on cloudy.  I can see why.

Settings were: Shutter speed - 1/60 secs, Aperture - F3.2, ISO - 400, WB - Cloudy, Flash not fired.

 

59-365 Denim Blues

I was driving home from errands yesterday when the sun hit my jeans and made the prettiest blue texture show up.  I thought it was worth a shot.  It's definitely an "art" shot.  I didn't do anything but bump the levels a little.

58-365A & B Amusing Fun

We went to the Newport Pig Cooking contest just to check out the festival.  I had read that they had donated more than 700,000 dollars to charitable organizations over the years.  I expected it was going to pretty much be food and craft stands.  My boys and I were pleasantly surprised that they had rides too.  I don't ride rides but I love watching others ride them.  This first ride was a different version of what I believe was similar to a ride called the Zipper.  Crazy!  My little one hadn't ridden any big rides yet so this was his first one and I was a little nervous for him.  He LOVED it!  They are in the bottom section of this ride.  I think this would have been a really cool picture if it wasn't for that ugly RED truck.  LOL!

The next ride they rode I just knew was going to make one of them throw up all over the other.  Who in the world thought "hey, I think it'll be fun to make a round bucket with seats and a steering wheel in the center that allows you to spin it so fast you get dizzy..."?  My two boys happened to get on the ride with a bunch of other kids closer to their age when the previous bunch looked to be very young kids.  The little ones didn't spin their buckets too much.  I guess the whole thing spinning was enough.  Heck, THAT was even too much for me.  This older group of kids couldn't even wait until the ride started to start spinning their buckets as fast as they can with all hands on deck making it turn.  I got queasy just watching them.  I have a couple pictures of my little one where I was afraid he really  might lose his lunch...and we hadn't even eaten yet.  LOL!  After this ride, they went on the swings which also went around in large circle.  A glutton for punishment I guess.  Which is why we made them wait to eat barbecue!  Once they were done riding, we got in the food line and boy my little man had white lips and didn't look the bright pretty flesh color that he should!  We hugged him close while we laughed our butts off at him.  It was his first experience like that and I think he'll be a bit more cautious before he goes on that many dizzy type rides in a row.  :-)

57-365 Recycle & Reuse

I caught this on my way to run some errands and thought it looked pretty cool.  Looks like someone is recycling nicely.  These are a bunch of broken down and tied up cardboard boxes.  I applied a gradient map to convert it to black and white and then also applied a curves layer where I bumped the contrast to almost unrealistic.  I like the outcome.  I especially like the star on the metal container behind the boxes.

 

Burned Out

As I have been reminded, I didn't post a picture yesterday. Well, guess what? I'm not posting one today either. It's not because I don't want to but because I am in a photo "funk". After 50+ days of steady photos, I am out of ideas and those of you who have done this project or who have a love for a similar art can sympathize with my delima. I have every intention of continuing my project but I feel that I owe my few followers an explanation when I can't post. I'll catch up & before I do a coffee table book of my experience, I plan to have 365+ (remember I've posted more than just one shot on some days) photos in it. I'm going to the Newport pig cooking contest tomorrow & I plan to take my camera. Maybe I'll find enough subject matter to re-inspire me & help me up for yesterday, today & tomorrow. Please keep checking because I still want to share this experience with the few friends I have keeping up with my 365 Project. Thank you so much for "following" me whether public or anonymously. I really do appreciate it more than you know. :-)