*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.

As always, if you liked this post, let me know! If you loved it and want to see more, please subscribe. You can also find me on facebook.