Week 20

f4, 1/180 sec., ISO-200, 100 mm

Week 20 - July 15-21

OK, so I am already getting used to shooting photos with a cast.  I have a system going and it seems to be working well.

On this day, my neighbour two doors down, saw me walking by with my camera.  She invited me into her yard to take photos of her flowers.  We chatted and I checked out her various hanging baskets and other garden flowers.  She had a beautiful hanging basket of these beautiful purple and yellow flowers (don't ask me what they are; I would have to check.)  I just love the softness of this photo.

My neighbour has given me the go-ahead to come into her yard whenever I want to get photos.  She has an amazing clematis plant on a trellis in her front yard.  It is just gorgeous, with a few shades of purple.  That could be next week's photo.  You just never know!  


P.S.  It's nice to be invited into my neighbour's yard.  Usually I stroll over when they are not at home and take a ton of photos...it's a shame that they are not there to enjoy them as much as I do!!  

Week 19

f4, 1/350 sec., ISO-200, 100 mm

Week 19 - July 8-14

This week finds me shooting photos while wearing a cast.  Unfortunately for me, when I fell last week, I broke a bone near my right thumb.  I am now in a cast for the next 4-6 weeks.  This does make photography more challenging as I am trying to balance my camera, hold it steady and take photos.  I also made the decision to put my camera on the "auto" mode to make it a bit easier for me to manage the camera.  

Some of you may be wondering why I don't use a tripod.  Well, that answer is pretty easy.  I used to have one and found that I never used it, so I gave it to my brother, who lives in another city, far away from me.  So I am trying to make the best of it.

I went down a different part of the path, took a right instead of a left.  There is so much to photograph.  It's funny how some days, you walk by something thinking there is not much to look at but on other days, there is so much to look at!  I found these grasses at the far end of a parking lot, behind a hockey arena.  They were just so colourful and pretty.  I have to say that I notice so much more detail in macro photography.  I am kind of a details person, so it is really right up my alley.  It always seems to be windy when I am out.  I will stand and wait until it dies down, then shoot.

Week 18

f4.5, 1.180 sec., ISO-200, 100 mm

Week 18 - July 1-7

When I originally left the house to go on my photo shoot, I decided to walk down my favourite little walking path/nature trail.  I didn't want to go too far from home as I had taken a tumble on July 1 and fell, hurting my right hand and wrist.  My friend Maria loaned me a heavy duty brace that she used for carpal tunnel.  So, off I went down the path, wrist support on and camera on  my shoulder.  Just as I was about to start shooting, I had a funny feeling that I forgot to put the memory card back into my camera, after downloading pics from the day before.  So then I had to go back home, put the card in the camera and start again.  I was pretty annoyed at myself...however, if I had not forgotten the card and come back, I would not have run into the deer feeding on the path.  At first I didn't see him, as he was a couple of feet into the bush, munching on tree branches.  And, as I was out on a macro shoot, I really was unsure if I could get any shots.  But I have to say I am amazed at the range of my 100 mm macro.  I was able to fire off from 10-15 shots of this deer at a very close range.  I was not too nervous that he would charge me (don't know why...)  I didn't move around too much and it was super quiet on the path, until a cyclist came down.  I actually stopped her and told her about the deer, because I didn't want it to be startled and jump out in front of her on her bike.  I figured that one accident on this path (me on Sunday night) was enough.  We chatted for a few minutes about where we have come across deer in town.  In all my years of living in the neighbourhood, this is the first time I have seen a deer on the path.  We know they are around as they eat my neighbour's flowers in spring and summer.  And sometimes we see their hoof prints in the snow in winter.  So once the deer was done eating, he went across the path, had a drink in the creek and carried on, up into someone's back yard.  I'm sure he'll be back, and if so, I hope I am ready to shoot him (with my camera only), lol.

Week 17

f2.8, 1/125 sec., ISO-200, 100 mm

Week 17 - June 24-30

This week my friend Jo-Ann invited me out to her "camp" as it is called in Northwestern Ontario.  I am originally from Manitoba and we call refer to our summer home as a "cottage" or just that we are going "to the lake/beach".  In Western Canada, they call them "cabins".  When I first heard the term camp, I immediately thought that everyone spent their time in a tent.  Because when we went "camping", that is exactly what we did.  Anyway, the term camp does not really describe how amazing these places are.  Jo-Ann and her husband have a place on Trout Lake, with an amazing view of the water from their kitchen window.  This is their first year of ownership, after having rented the same camp for several years.  

So to get to this week's photo...near the back door of the camp are two wooden Finnish gnomes, one is Tuiteri and the other is Konkeri for good luck and health.  I don't know which one I photographed.  I will have to get the explanation from Jo-Ann's son the next time I am out there.  I just loved them.  They reminded me of Santa Claus just a bit!!

Week 16

f2.8, 1/250 sec., ISO-200, 100 mm

Week 17 - June 24-30

This iris is right from our front yard.  It had rained quite a bit during the night and cleared up by morning.  It was early as I recall.  I had some time to kill before my Sunday morning spin class so I thought I would get some photos done before the sun came around and made things too bright.  So out I went with my mug of tea and camera.  And yes I took a ton of photos, some with the open flower petals, some still closed, and close ups.  I really love how the two water drops are just hanging on to the flower.

Week 15

f2.8, 1/2000 sec., ISO-400, 100 mm 

Week 15 - June 10-16

This week found me wandering around the neighbourhood once again.  I found these bleeding hearts on a pleasant walk down Hinton Street, just past Blanchard St.  The home owners have a lovely little garden right at the edge of the street so it was easy for me to get in and photograph.  I did not even have to leave the sidewalk.  I took several shots and liked this once the best due to its simplicity.  I also just love the vibrant pink colour.  Other than a bit of cropping and probably a bit of sharpening the image, I didn't do too much editing (from what I can remember.  It has been a while since I have posted on the blog!)