For this week’s photo challenge of PINK, I decided to turn my attention – and in turn my iPhone camera – to the abundance of Crepe Myrtles in Oklahoma. I’m not sure if it was because of all the rain or the cooler than normal temps this past summer (don’t worry, August is making up for it), but the crepe myrtles are exceptionally beautiful this year and the blooms seem to be going on and on! So naturally, I wanted to capture all the wonderful colors that Oklahoma has to offer in this particular flowering bush/tree. There are two that don’t actually fit the category, the white and red ones, but I couldn’t leave them out as they are my favorites! Some images are just as God intended them, but a view have been pinked with the help of HD and Photoshop!
Weekly Photo Challenge: Fifty Shades of Pink – Well, Kind Of
31 Aug 2013 Leave a comment
in Weekly Photo Challenge Tags: crepe myrtles, flowering bush, iphone, pink
Weekly Photo Challenge: Focus
26 Aug 2013 Leave a comment
in Weekly Photo Challenge Tags: depth of field, flowers, horses, mexioco, mushrooms, shallow depth of field
I have a nasty habit of “just skimming” things that come into my email; so I didn’t really tackle the entire challenge of focus. I have a very shallow depth of field with the trail of mushrooms and a bit deeper dof with the single mushroom top. I suppose I could scour my images to find one with deep depth of field, but I’m lazy!
Anyway, what I really wanted to say about this challenge is that I love the emotions different depths of fields provoke. From the ethereal (shallow) to the pragmatic (deep) depths of fields, focus has the ability to take our minds to places other than just what the image portrays.

No matter what plane your focal point is in a shallow depth of field, it makes for an interesting image. With the focal point in the middle, it leads your eye through the image.

Okay, so I found one that I took on vacation two years ago. Its not that remarkable of an image (in comparison to some of my blogging friends) but it does demonstrate the use of a deeper depth of field.
Just In The Nick of Time!
19 Aug 2013 9 Comments
in According to me Tags: car weeck, car wreck, insurance nightmares, macro photography, nikon d800, photojournalisim, tamaron lens, Wedding Photograpny, wedding rings
Those of you who know me better will remember that an unfortunate car wreck rendered me without any camera equipment since May 6. I spent the whole summer playing with “phoneography” as my iPhone was my only camera.
This might not seem like a big deal to most, but my camera is how I make my living – as a photojournalist and a portrait photographer. To be without a way to earn income was a real drag, but mostly it was stressful. As I battled with the insurance company, a previously contracted wedding date was looming near! Because my equipment although in good working order was older, I did not get a decent settlement to replace my camera, lens and flash. I was forced to finance part of it and because of the cost, had to make due with a less than desirable used lens. I just couldn’t see investing in equipment that was inferior to what I was using, so had to shell out bigger bucks for the new camera and flash!
I got my new Nikon D800 camera, SB910 flash and a used Tamaron lens just days before theĀ wedding on August 3! Not much time to learn the new equipment, so I pretty much put it on auto ISO and white balance and shot away!
The new gear (although much heavier than my old equipment) is AWESOME! The D800 shoots at 36 mega pixels and the flash is brilliant! Like I said, the lens is not the best and does not have macro capabilities or stabilizers. This made shooting closeups of the rings difficult. I had to shoot from several feet away and then crop, crop, crop the image to get the extreme closeups I was needing. Fortunately, the D800 could handle it. The weight was bit of a problem after six hours of non-stop shooting, and my arthritic hands really let me know about it before I was finished. Also, because of the size of the images, it takes me MUCH longer to edit, but I can deal with that! All in all, I’m very pleased with my equipment and am counting the days, if not my pennies until I can get better lenses!

The camera performed well with the flash and with natural light; with a ISO of 6400, it can handle most lighting situations.

When capturing reflection shots, a flash is your worst nightmare. The D800’s 6400 ISO capability takes away the worries of low lighting indoors.

The couple used sparklers for the send off. This was the shot I was most worried about with not being able to learn the equipment before hand. I took the sparkler shots on auto ISO and auto flash and just hoped for the best. It performed beautifully! I was able to light the couple and surrounding area without washing out the sparklers! Unfortunately, because of the high heat, everyone was spread out for fear of burns.
A BIG thanks to LEANNE COLE of Leanne Cole Photography for creating a mat of “sparkles” and creating this composite for me – and all the way from Australia! Gotta love modern technology!
Now, I’m waiting for the insurance company to pay our medical bills! Grrrrr!
Weekly Photo Challenge: One Shot Two Ways
13 Aug 2013 3 Comments
in Weekly Photo Challenge Tags: granddaughter, new camera, nikon d800, people, photo challenge, walking
Okay, this isn’t anything stellar in the field of photography, and considering that I now have my new Nikon D800, not very impressive at all. But a shot fromĀ Apronhead Lilly had me remembering my trying to capture my baby granddaughter walking. And the first shot is very blurry I’m still learning my new camera.
So it is what it is, I was hoping to get out and do some real shooting, but have been very busy.
Frustrated!
10 Aug 2013 11 Comments
This is for all my blogging friends. I am sorry I haven’t commented or LIKED your posts in a long while. I am having issues with WP! I switched browsers to Firefox and I guess WP is not compatible.
Half the time, it won’t post a comment with my wordpress name, so it wants to create a new login for me. It won’t let me LIKE a blog at all and Now, after I get everything right, it gives me a message, “sorry we are unable to post your comment right now!”
I’m really frustrated. I promise I’m reading and viewing your blogs and posts, I just can’t make my presence known!
Just Call Me Rosebud
09 Aug 2013 2 Comments
in Just Photos Tags: Camera, Nikon, photography, roses, toghrapy, weddings
Sunshine Incarnate
06 Aug 2013 2 Comments
in According to me, Just Photos Tags: lantanas, little flowers, love, nature, plants, sunshine, yellow
To Brighten Your Day!