*Project 52* weeks #25 & 26 / Austin, Texas Photographic Art

2014 was officially halfway over this week. I am not above remarking how quickly this year is flying by, either. Without further adieu (since I still need to post my final two Project 52 submissions for the Letters of the Alphabet).....

Week # 25: Y is for Yawn
This is the only deviation from the norm for the first half of the year in that I included two separate images to create this piece. I wanted to include both of my boys in this one, so I did!

Week # 26: Z is for Ziegen Bock
I think that completing the first half of the year calls for a little refreshment.....

I've already started on the first image(s) for the second half of the year....to be revealed sometime within the next week! Until then, have a safe and happy Independence Day!

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*Project 52* week #24 / Austin, Texas Photographic Art

Week # 23:'X is for X-ACTO'
The letter X proved to be a challenge.....there just aren't a whole bunch of words, relatively speaking, that begin with X that are in line with this project. I looked for a Dos Equis beer in the fridge, but alas, we had none.....so an X-ACTO knife had to do. How do you like my X-ACTO lettering?

So there ya go. 24 down and two to go for the first half of 2014.

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*Project 52* week #23 / Austin, Texas Photographic Art

Week # 23:'W is for Worth'
What is the difference between value and worth? According to Mr. Webster, they are synonyms for how much money something will fetch. Either way, most would agree that these three coins (well, two of them technically being game tokens) have very little of either. The tokens actually claim to have no monetary value at all. The grime-covered penny would most likely be passed over if spotted on the street, rendering it effectively the same.

But what about the materials used to make them? If I am not mistaken, today it actually costs more to mint a penny, currently made mostly of zinc and a small percentage of copper, than its cash value. The game tokens are likely to be made of brass or an alloy including brass. Had these objects been made into something both unique and beautiful by an artist or artisan, their value could possibly be exponentially higher. So it is safe to say that the form something takes may determine, at least in part, how much it's worth.

I could easily segue into why professional photography is so expensive (nutshell: it's the image so lovingly rendered upon the paper that provides its value, not just the paper and ink/emulsion). For the moment, suffice it to say that these three small, round, worthless metal thingies were worth something to me, at least for a moment, when I carefully positioned them side by side for their group 'portrait'. Incidentally, it was no accident that I chose red to anchor them.....the first color in the rainbow is said to stimulate energy and conversation, among other things. It's an attention-getting color, and I wanted to bring attention to the concept of worth, and how we humans assign it, often arbitrarily.

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*Project 52* week #22 / Austin, Texas Photographic Art

Week # 22: 'V is for Vase'
How to take a banal object and make it interesting....for starters, choose one with some style. This vase is minimalist for sure, but there is enough to it to make it interesting. I love the muted colors....the rough, sanded finish topped off with a glossy white flourish at an unexpected angle....and the feminine curve in the middle. This vase would scream for flowers, if it were a screamer....I think it's the kind that gently attracts attention with a mere whisper.

I filled it with some beautiful yellow roses leftover from Easter, now dessicated and full of texture. I love dried roses as much, if not more, as fresh ones. They are marvelous subjects to photograph, particularly up close. I set the rose-adorned vase on my garage floor during mid-afternoon, just before the sun flooded it with too much light. It's one of my favorite places to photograph many things because the light is so easy to work with and it's just so pretty.

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*Project 52* week #21 / Austin, Texas Photographic Art

Week # 21: 'U is for Uvula'
I did not expect to love this image as much as I do. It started out as a sub-par snapshot and ended up kinda cool-looking with the application of a little Photoshop magic.

I had googled things starting with the letter u for inspiration, and I decided on uvula because I thought it would make for a comical image. I enlisted my younger son to give me a wide-mouthed expression and he offered me but a single shot; once he heard the click of the shutter, he was off to play in the yard, and there was no reeling him back in. Technically it began as an underexposed mess (see before & after below). However, I was happy with his expression and that his uvula was indeed visible and sharply focused. This shot I could work with.

I decided that this particular 'pose' and composition called for a high-contrast (but not too high) finish with a grungy border. I'm not sure what 'style' this image calls to mind (Irreverent mugshot? Lomography? Vintage photobooth?), but I'm pleasantly surprised at the end result (again, see before & after below). I even like the shallow depth of field causing some of his features to be a bit soft, coaxing more attention to the uvula. It reminds me of a pomegranate seed.

The icing on the cake is that he is wearing a T-shirt with Texas on it.

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*Project 52* weeks #19 & 20 / Austin, Texas Photographic Art

Woohoo! This post brings me fully up to date! Yessir, folks, we are now 20 weeks into 2014.

Week #19: 'S if for Spider'
This image was admittedly unplanned. I was out in the woods behind my house one morning and happened upon this lovely little green spider when its web caught my eye. I love spider webs. I think they are one of nature's loveliest and most intriguing works of art. It doesn't matter to me whether they are in use or abandoned, but the way this spider lit up to a day-glo green with the sun behind it was kind of mesmerizing. Well, for a critter-lover like me, anyway. Armed, yet again, with my macro lens, getting this shot was almost as challenging as capturing the Hummingbird moth because it was very breezy that morning, and the spider was pretty sensitive—more times than not, when it heard/felt the shutter, it jerked a little. This is one of very few shots in which the whole spider was acceptably sharp, and I took at least twenty. All I needed was one, so mission accomplished. Best I can tell, this is a Venusta Orchard Spider.

Week #20: 'T is for Thistle'
I think most folks would consider a thistle to be a weed. I think they are beautiful. They look like crazy purple upside-down tassels to me. This one is out on the edge of my front yard. It's arguably the most colorful thing out there right now, or at least the one thing that isn't green or brown. Their happy appearance is deceitful, as they have spiky leaves that run along their long stalks. A quick google search led me to its scientific name, Cirsium Texanum (aka Texas Purple Thistle), as well as some other interesting information about this springtime wildflower.

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*Project 52* weeks #16, 17, & 18 / Austin, Texas Photographic Art

One more post after this one and I will be fully caught up!


Week #16: 'P is for Pomelo'
If you like citrus fruits and you've never tasted a pomelo, I recommend that you do! They are kind of like a grapefruit. Tart and 'bright' in flavor. Delicious.
This one was particularly large and my sons' hands were perfect to show that. You can probably tell by now that I love their hands, as they are in several images. I love that human hands are a symbol for giving when they are open and facing up. The joyful side of the human spirit.

Week #17: 'Q is for Queen Anne's Lace'
We've had quite a flower-filled spring here in Austin, Texas. It was a record Bluebonnet year, which, sadly, seemed to end as fast as it started. One day it was like BAM!—they were everywhere. And maybe four weeks later, they were dried up and gone. Fortunately, every year they give way to many other flowers that would otherwise have a hard time competing but are beautiful in their own right. I noticed this year that the Queen Anne's Lace is abundant in my neighborhood. I think it's a lovely flower. It looks quite different bunched up in a vase than it does naturally, with plenty of space between tiny blooms.
For this shot, I played with a very small, very modest studio setup. A few white foam boards and my speedlight with a bounce attachment. Not the norm for me, but really enjoyable.

Week #18: 'R is for Rose'
I love dried roses. I love that they hold their shape, and I love their texture and the way they change colors as they dry out, but you can still tell what color they were when they were fresh. This one was subject to more speedlight practice, and what I like best about it is how sharp and detailed it is.

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*Project 52* weeks #13, 14, & 15 / Austin, Texas Photographic Art

Ahem....
I have been keeping up with my weekly photo project but I've done a dismal job blogging about it this spring. Time to catch up!

So....getting right to it.....I'm limiting it to three images per post so as not to overwhelm. More to follow shortly.

Week #13: 'M is for Moth'.
But not just any kind of moth! This is a Hummingbird Moth, aka Sphinx Moth, and these suckers are not only beautiful and quite large, they are FAST. It was a humbling task to capture just one good shot. I couldn't get too close because they are a bit elusive, so I had to use a long lens—my 70-200mm, which is heavy. The additional challenge was that I only saw them at dusk, so there was not a ton of light to offset the fast shutter speeds that were required to photograph them. Fast critter + long/heavy lens + low light (even with high ISO) = a lot of missed shots.
Here is more information about this one in particular: the White-lined Sphinx.

Week #14: 'N is for Nest'.
Never fear, this is a 100% staged setup; no live eggs were used for this image, nor were any birds disturbed. The nest itself belonged to a Golden-cheeked Warbler in the past (those are Ashe Juniper strips constructing it), and the eggs are rather old, store-bought quail eggs. My son held it with a piece of white foam board as the background, and I think the resulting image is sweet; it's a solid springtime shot.

Week #15: 'O is for Opal'.
As an October baby, the opal is my birthstone. I have a few opals, and I purchased this one in Australia, the country for which opals are known. As fragile as they are, this gemstone would do well to be set in a necklace rather than a ring. I've had it for nearly twelve years, though, so it may just stay in its box and remain an objet trouvé. In reality it is a white opal with a lot of fire, but I decided to play with the lighting and exposure to make it look like a black opal. I left it in its box of black velvet and used a simple flashlight to skim light across it at the left, with something white (a plate? I can't remember what I used!) to bounce some light back in from the right. As you may safely assume, I employed my macro lens for this image.

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*Project 52* weeks #11 & 12 / Austin, Texas Photographic Art

Oops. I am on the day of the week that transitions from one week to the next in my *Project 52* series (2014 began on a Wednesday). And I've been absent from here for almost three weeks. Time to get caught back up!

Actually, it worked out really well to combine weeks 11 & 12 because they go hand-in-hand. Check it out.....'K is for Key' and 'L is for Lock'.....and together they're a solid problem-solving pair.

Pretty straightforward as far as images go. I used my 60mm 2.8 macro lens again (which I cannot seem to remove from my camera, as it's my favorite these days!), employing natural light on an overcast day. I love the soft shadows in contrast with the lightly gritty surfaces of the lock & key. My favorite of these three is the lock by itself, whose background I embellished a scoche with some texture. This set belongs to my younger son, who was into locking up his private stuff for awhile.

Onto week #13....

In the meantime,
Enjoy!

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*Project 52* week #10 / Austin, Texas Photographic Art

Keeping it simple this week....
'J is for Jar of Jellybeans'

I may skip next week due to spring break and double up the following week.....or I may try to do something creative using my iPhone....
In the meantime,
Enjoy!

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*Project 52* week #9 / Austin, Texas Photographic Art

The letter 'I' had me stumped before I finally googled photos of words starting with I for inspiration. Well, let me tell ya, there were some good ideas. Which led me to this week's image:
'I is for Idea'.

It was either that, or 'incense' or 'illusion' or 'ignite' (all of which I will probably do at some point).

To illustrate 'idea' as a photograph, I recruited Zach, who agreed to help me, albeit begrudgingly. Matthew flat-out refused. I'm not sure why.....what tween-aged boy wouldn't jump at the chance to dress up all dapper, with slicked hair, bow tie and 'smart' specs?  ;-)

Clearly this is not a single photograph. Matthew helped me by holding the light bulb so I could capture it for this composite. Then Zach did his part, and I spent the afternoon putting it all together. I think it looks more like he is surprised than receiving an idea, but maybe it's a surprising idea. Those are fun, too.

So here ya go!
Enjoy!

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*Project 52* week #8 / Austin, Texas Photographic Art

Last week I swapped letters so I could use 'H' for heart in celebration of Valentine's Day. This week it's back to 'G' with:
'G is for Glitter'.

In the past few years I've seen several images of people blowing glitter from their open palms, and I've been wanting to capture such an image myself. I had my younger son do the honors for me, and this is the result.

If you're guessing that our driveway was very sparkly and colorful afterward, you would be correct.
Until next time,
Enjoy!

*Project 52* week #7 / Austin, Texas Photographic Art

In the interest of celebrating Valentine's Day, I'm swapping 'G' for 'H' in order to feature the predictable 'H is for Heart' this week.

Actually, this week's image is entitled 'H is for Heart of Hearts'. Clever, eh?  ;-)

My younger son is doing the highly-anticipated Valentine's Day card/candy exchange with his class this week, and he decided on the ever-popular 'Sweethearts' candy message hearts to accompany his cards. Did you know that they have been around for almost 150 years? The very first conversation hearts were created by Daniel Chase in 1866, and the first factory-produced candy hearts came along 35 years later, courtesy of NECCO founder Oliver Chase (Daniel's brother). You can read more about it here and here.

Anyhoo....those candy hearts made this week's assignment way too easy not to indulge. I dressed it up a little, but it's pretty straightforward and quite fitting for our annual heart-centric holiday. BTW, I did not eat a single one of them. Their appearance is far more appealing than their taste, imho.
Here ya go:

Have a Happy Heart Day, and may Love bless you this week in ways unexpected.
Enjoy!

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*Project 52* week #6 / Austin, Texas Photographic Art

'F is for Football'
I was struggling a bit with what to do for this week's image, and it hit me as we were on our way to watch the Super Bowl with some friends: FOOTBALL! It just happened to fall on the right week—YAY!
Having two boys and a husband who love sports, we own lots of sports equipment, including several footballs. This one here belongs to my husband; I think perhaps it's from when he was in high school. It's slightly deflated but still has enough air to give it the proper shape, and I love how worn it is on the surface.....enough to show it's been used a lot, but not so much that it needs to be retired. It's actually great the way it is to teach kids how to catch because it's so easy to grip.
For those interested in the particulars, I captured this image with a Nikon D800 and a 60mm/f2.8 macro lens,1/80 second at f/4, ISO 1600, handheld with support, lit by north-facing window light on the left and with a white board angled from the front right to bounce some light back onto the football. Starting with the RAW image, post work included basic tweaks and conversion in ACR, then refining it in Photoshop with Nik plug-ins (Dfine, Viveza, Color Efex and Sharpener Pro). I wrapped it up with some layered textures that I purchased from a couple different suppliers.
Until next time....
Enjoy!

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*Project 52* week #5 / Austin, Texas Photographic Art

'E is for Eyes (or Eyebrows)'
My kids have really beautiful brown eyes, and Matthew was kind enough to indulge me with his peepers for this week's image.
One of my intentions with this project is to experiment with styles that are a little offbeat (you can see this in more detail by clicking on the image). While vintage filters and 'film grain' are not difficult to add when you have the right software, getting them to look right can be a challenge (especially when you're applying them in the wee hours and your eyes start to glaze over....).
Anyway, what I'm really thinking when I see this one is: why wasn't I blessed with eyebrows like that (nevermind those juicy kissy lips)??
Enjoy!

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*Project 52* / Austin, Texas Photographic Art

Dear zogblog,
Please accept my humble apology for neglecting you for nearly a year. WOW. I'm hoping to fully make it up to you, starting right now. I've begun a *Project 52* and thus you should see much more frequent visits from me. That said....this post will be a quadrupling-up since I've already completed Week 4. For the first half of the year, I chose to make it about the alphabet. I figured that this would keep me on task while giving me lots of freedom to create; so far so good!
Here is what I've accumulated so far.


A is for APPLE

B is for BUBBLES

C is for COFFEE

D is for DUCKY

Until next time, enjoy!
K