New Stuff

I am happy to say the reason I am behind on my blog this time is because I have been so busy with stuff other than work, I am finding it hard to catch up with all my editing and writing. (I also have to fit a bit of work into my fun stuff)

I mentioned in the last post that we were doing a bit of renovating...The two most important things have happened. I got a new oven, it is so good, gas cook top (with a lid), an electric grill that doubles as a small oven and an electric fan forced oven. The very first thing I cooked was lemon meringue cup cakes - because I could. It was so nice to have them cook at an even temperature not having to rotate them every few minutes to stop burning, then I make a beautiful roast chicken with vegies and gravy. SOOOO yum.

***Inset photo of old oven here***

New Oven - I love the extra bench space the lid creates 

Lemon Meringue Cupcakes 

We also got our lounge suite recovered, this was a very hard decision to make as we could have spent just a little more and gotten a brand spanking new one. The reasons we chose to recover not  buy new are,

• A lounge suite with 2 recliners and a sofa bed was $1500 more than recovering (no sofa bed on $550 more)
• The mechanism on our recliners is no longer made and is less likely to fault like the new model
• The quality of our furniture is very good, nice thick timber, new products made out of thinner ***inset cheaper*** timber - not as long lasting.
• New (reasonably priced) furniture is imported and a lot of the foam is treated with formaldehyde - the use of formaldehyde is banned in Australia but not in our imported products go figure...
• I am supporting a local business

The two most important reasons I chose to recover not buy new

• The environment, anyone looking for a second hand lounge suite would not likely spend the money on revamping our old one if the same amount of money buy new.
• We bought this lounge suite because we liked it and it was comfortable - it still is and I still like it.

Before, 

***waves frantically at UK Student , Hi miss you***

The finished product...I love it

My Epiphany

I can't believe it has been almost a month since I have written a blog post, I have no real excuse except life gets in the way. I have been busy with work, home and photos. Work is all kinds of crazy with every weekend booked, lucky I am able to share the work load with my colleagues (a few years ago it fell to me to do all the weekends - until I had a tanty and said 'NO MORE I CAN'T DO IT ALL {shouty capitals intended}. Circumstances have changed a bit at home and we have finally been able to get some much needed work done...this will be another post in a few days ***I hope***

In my last post I was talking about finding my 'style' as a photographer, while I still have not found 'the style' I have come to a huge realisation. ***Insert dramatic music*** I do not want to make a business out of photography, not that I don't think I am good enough, I am. I just don't want the stress or the pressure that goes with making money. 
I love photography everything about it (except maybe getting up for sunrise), I loved some aspects of the weddings I have photographed....but I hated trying to get the families organised for the group shots. I will still do wedding photos for friends and families if asked (any excuse to use may camera) I will take baby photos of any babies that are related to me, I just won't do it for money. 
I feel really good about this decision. It means everything I photograph now, I do for me and me alone.

This past few weeks I have been working on ideas, I come up with a image (or I see something on the net I would like to reproduce) then I work on how to do it. I have played with a few ideas that have turned out just how I imagined them too. I have gotten into the habit of sharing my idea with HWMBO or my daughters, so that I have some accountability. To show I am not just making it up as I go and hoping for the best result, not that it matters. 

The monthly challenges on the flicker group help a lot with my ideas, they give me a 'theme' to focus on.

This was my entry for the Up Close Portrait challenge, #2's friends are so much fun to dress up and play with, we had a huge laugh over the makeup session, I didn't know what I was doing and neither did she so lots of makeup wipes later we got the look I wanted. (this image didn't place I was a bit heavy handed with the background, I should really re edit....one day)

This months challenge is another portrait one - surprisingly only it is Portrait showing extreme emotion. This was good because I had the whole hospital garb idea running though my head. my models couldn't quite pull of the expressions I wanted for the escape through the ferns- probably because we were laughing too much. The hollow log provided the perfect hiding spot.

This was is #3 and our beautiful Lilly, I wanted this image to be a bit dark and mysterious,even a bit magical. I know I pulled it off when The Guy Who Taught ME Everything messaged me saying "This image brought to mind Silence of the Lambs"  

Feel free to let me know what you think, I will try not to be so slack and post more often.

Be Happy and smile often

Finding my 'style' what I don't want to do

I am still trying to find my 'Style' as a photographer, by trying a bit of everything I am sure I will get find it soon. I recently had the chance to do a maternity and  newborn baby shoot. What I learnt from this is I loved the maternity shoot - hated the newborn shoot. Perhaps hate is too strong, I did love having newborn baby cuddles and seeing how happy and proud Mum and Grandma were. 
Baby girl was wide awake and happy, this meant she was forever moving, I found it hard to get any of the stereotype poses that are popular for newborn photos. I also felt like I was intruding - which I didn't feel when doing the maternity shoot...I can now cross newborn photography of my list of 'styles'.

Now I will keep trying to find my 'style' ***I know what I want it to be...I have to prove I can do it before I advertise it*** in the meantime I will take my camera out as often as possible and search for the million dollar shot.

Last weekend I had a lucky find with a Jabiru (Black Headed Stork) in a pond beside the road near the local shopping centre,I tried to find a way to access the pond via a local park however the only way I could get close was to park on the side of the road...I was spotted 'stalking' the bird by one of my neighbors.   I thought the bird was one of the wetland birds from Australia Zoo on a bit of an adventure. This what they said to me G'day Roz, great shot! This is not one of ours. We have had reports over the last 12-18 months of wild Jabiru's in the area (mostly around Ewen Maddock Dam). It's very rare to see them this far south so you're very lucky. Sometimes they're seen as far south as Port Macquarie!I almost didn't read past great shot, LOL.

Until next time....see ya

Need to find a balance between work and play

This last few weeks have been incredibly busy at work, I have been starting work at 5am and often not finishing before 5pm. Not that I am complaining (well I did a little bit). I was starting to get withdrawal symptoms and missing my camera, I starting carry my camera with me in hope a photo opportunity would present. I don't really like taking photos at work - it is too much like 'work'. I miss a few weeks of the 52 week challenge on Flickr because I have been so busy and it has rained a lot on my days off. The conference that has kept me busy was an International Olympiad in Informatics (or my working title The Nerd Olympics) 300 students from 80 countries, competing for gold medals in mathematics.

http://www.ioi2013.org/

Every team of 4 had a leader from UQ who carried signs with the country names on them, the placement of them outside of the exam room appealed to me enough to take this photo.

On the last day of the Examination part of the Nerd Olympics, there was an hour delay due to technical issues, the students were getting a bit stressed and the tension in the room was high, 10 minutes before the start time there was a commotion at one end of the room. An announcement was made that this animal was harmless and to leave it be. A possum had run into the exam room, the international students were thrilled (and a little worried). With a lot of help I managed to get the possum to an area it would be safe and out of the way. The Dutch camera crew managed to get a good video of it, which I up loaded to You Tube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5Gt0bUY2Oc

The possum came out of his hiding place at the end of the day and was escorted outside.   

One night when I got home right on dusk HWMBO was burning the hard wood he had been collecting for charcoal - he is collecting charcoal for his forge.

if made an awesome fire. I took some photos, thinking I would be able to use the flames as overlays for photoshop sometime in the future. I was so pleased with the look of this one it has become one of my favorite photos of the month.

By bringing my camera to work every day I managed to convince one of my boys to let me take his photo - he was a bit worried I was going to make him 'pose and smile for the camera'. I told him I was after a tired hard working look...No smiling. HE HE this is one sure way to get anyone to smile. His girlfriend was very pleased with the result, she says it is hard to get him to look natural.

I finally set aside some time for a sunset shoot, I went to one of my favorite spots on the Maroochy River and waited for the beautiful clouds to turn to gold. As I was taking this photo the rain snuck up on me from behind, it was a mad rush to get back to my car....luckily I got my camera on the seat before the skies opened and I got soaked. 

I was so happy to get out with my camera and get a few nice photos I didn't care.

I also found a nice patch of fungi always a treat

Toowong Cemetery

Daughter #1 is always keen to help me with my photography ideas, you may remember when she willing walked in the freezing waters at Gardeners Falls for the lady in the lake photos. Here Recently I have been toying with an dark morbid idea using a cemetery as the back drop.  I was after a dark fantasy look. I think I pulled it off.

I have been following the work of Brooke Shaden, http://shadenproductions.com/blog/ she does a lot of composite work with photoshop, I like the story telling of her work and wanted to try my own take. #1 and her BF are keen gamers and love the game of Thrones and Medieval stuff, I am sure they are going to love these photos. ***Although I  am not sure how HWMBO will like them*** (perhaps I won't show him)

The Toowong Cemetery is one of Brisbane's most historical cemeteries a lot of Queensland's governors and premiers buried here, the most notable grave in the Toowong Cemetery is  possibly that of Jack the Ripper. This is an extract from Wikipedia In August 2008 Toowong Cemetery made world news with the revelation that Jack the Ripper may well be buried there. According to Queensland Historians Jack Sim and Paul Tully, Walter Thomas Porriott was in the Whitechapel area of London at the time of the murders and later migrated to Australia. The headstone over his grave is only engraved with "Bessie - Died 25th June 1957 - And her Husband". 

I could have spent hours walking about the cemetery, looking at the different graves, the new and the old...although the old are much more interesting. I have another photo shoot planned for a cemetery so I might spend a bit of time on my own looking around for another site.

This was the first photo I took when I got out of the car, I love the light and colour of the weeds.

From this spot you can see the newer graves in the background, it was really quiet eerie...there was also a very strong smell of incense around the newer graves yet no evidence of it.

The lady in red 

HWMBO looking at the headstones

Behind the scenes a little help with the hood

The BF floating above the grave of Sir Anthony Musgrave Qld's 6th governor

This is the image I was after, again I am amazed that I can execute and idea and it work just as I picture it in my mind. Thank you #1 for being so patient and obliging 

I am looking forward to my next photography adventure....now I just need some ideas.

***Any ideas would be appreciated*** 

Musical Instruments

One of Daughter #2's friends is a very talented musician, before #2 left to go overseas she asked if I would take some photos of her instruments as she is looking for some artwork for her bedroom wall. It was her fathers suggestion that she take photos and get them printed on canvas.... Pommy Chick is a much better musician than photographer. Her exact words 'I am crap with photos'.

It is not as easy as it looks to get photos of musical instruments, PC's favorite is the french horn and this is a shiny brass instrument as is her trumpet and flute. My favorite was the violin...although she doesn't play it.

All the instruments that she wanted photos of....in the bright light of the window. There is many more instruments that she didn't even want photos of 

Her dog Rocky wanted to play with us, he was a poser

Her second favorite clarinet 

Flute 

French Horn up close

French horn Pommy Chicks favorite instrument (at the moment) 

Saxophone 

This Sax is in need of a bit of love and attention, PC saved it from being thrown out

It is very hard as a photographer to avoid a reflection in shiny objects...I did well on this one

My favorite the violin, when it is played well I could listen for hours.

Pommy Chick was asking #2 what wine i drank so she could give me something for my time, we refused to tell her. Pommy Chick will be repaying me by being a model for me some time soon. I have a location and an idea in mind for her.

Photoshop Police

Any one who reads my blog or follows me on Facebook or Flickr know that I love photoshop....I embraced photoshop as quickly and as passionately as I embraced photography. I love it. This is not going to be a post on Photoshop VS SOOC (straight out of camera), I see and understand both sides of the argument and strongly believe that there is no right or wrong way. 

I follow a lot of photographers on Facebook, amateur, professional and  everyone in between, I love looking at other peoples work and getting ideas and inspiration. I don't think there is ever a new idea, only different peoples interpretations. 

Today I am going to critique someone's work - I do not know this person, I do not follow her FB page (nor will I) she has close to 3000 likes for her page with lots of gushing comments. Her photos are very good however she has added a bird in all her outdoor photos, the same bird in every photo. The editing is not good that even (as hubby would say) blind Freddy can see the copy and paste halo. In my mind she has distracted from good work not added to it. 

If she was a friend or one of my photography comunity I would comment on her page about such an obvious PS mistake - the halo not the bird, as she is not I would normally pass right by these images with a smug smile knowing I am better that that....then I read the description on one of the images. There will always be something I love about maternity sessions... and then there's that awesome moment when a bird flies into the shot... Seriously who are her clients

BTW she offers posing and Photoshop tutorials for $900 per day!

I get the whole add something to make it photo your own, like a trademark. I know of people who will photoshop a fly or a flower somewhere on all their photos so even if the watermark is removed there is an identifying mark on all the images they produce.  These marks are subtle and often hard to find. 

These are a few PS fails I found on the internet today....so many to choose from so little time

Lost - most of my horse....

The famous office chair in front of the Eiffel Tower - I wonder if #2 had this photo opportunity 

All the tutorials I have watched has been very clear about avoiding repeating patterns - I guess repeating people are OK....I wonder what was there in the original.

I know I am not perfect and have made some pretty fake PS photos, I was going to show them here only I have not saved them. I am getting better at seeing my mistakes before I publish anything... and I have a very good family who let me know what they think of my finished work. The good the bad and the ugly.

I don't know why this upset me so much today....I guess I never will know. It just did.

(perhaps it is the guilt of not finishing my latest edits....perhaps it is envy for all the likes on her page...maybe I am just a bitter old lady with too much time spent on FB.....)