Stirred, NOT Shaken......

It's summer in the Northern Hemisphere (whoo hoo!). Today's assignment was to make a photo of a cool, refreshing drink. To me, nothing says summer like a great martini. In this photo, I've captured a shot of todays apres work beverage: The Apple Martin.

Nothing matches the mystique of the martini. It's the ultimate cocktail for cool cats and lounge lizards alike. The classic martini is made with gin and vermouth. Although nowadays martinis are often made with vodka, purists still insist on gin. The "dryness" of the martini depends on the amount of vermouth used; less vermouth results in a "drier" martini. Back in the swanky 1960's, people were accustomed to a lower ratio of gin to vermouth, sometimes a 1:1 ratio. The modern trend is for drier martinis-often an 8:1 ratio. Experimentation will help you discover your own "perfect martini". Chic variations on the classic martinis use flavoured vodkas--orange, vanilla and even hot pepper for a spicy alternative. But remember, martinis should always be stirred, NOT shaken, so that the molecules lie sensuously on top of one another.

CHEERS!

Mags.

I like it Hard and Soft, Rough and Smooth......

Today's challenge was to create a photograph that emphasizes a change in texture.

I chose to photograph this small floral arrangement that I keep next to my kitchen sink. I thought that the softness of the flowers and foliage contrasted nicely with the hard glass container that the arrangement sits in. The glass container has a striped combination of clear glass and frosted glass which is an excellent example of rough and smooth.

Mags.

Crinkled, Wrinkled and Folded

Ads promote removing wrinkles, but they often add character. Today's challenge was to shoot a photo of something crinkled, wrinkled or folded.

This photo captures all three of those elements. I wanted the bowl of the crinkled-styled potato chips to be the focal point of this photo so I made sure that my backdrop was dark so that the light coloured chips would stand out. I found some folded up black tissue paper, wrinkled it and unfolded it . The afternoon sun was streaming through the window and provided the only source of lighting I used for this shot. 

I also thought it would make an interesting entry into this week's theme of "Look But Don't Touch" here on 365 project since some of us may be watching what we eat and consuming a whole bowl of greasy chips would certainly be detrimental to our healthy eating lifestyles we are attempting to follow..........

Mags.

Dreamy

Today's challenge was to compose an image that has a soft and dreamy look.

I ventured out into the backyard between raindrops early this evening to capture a shot of a blush white Verbena. I loved this one as it seemed to be "deformed" with a few fuchia petals. I edited the photo simply by blurring the edges.

Mags.

Reflections

After some late afternoon showers threatened the possibility of an evening photo shoot, I was glad when they passed through quickly. I made my way over to the Brampton Soccer Centre in hopes to capture some interesting shots of the unusual architecture that forms this building. I captured this shot as the sun setting was reflecting on the glass.

The Brampton Soccer Centre is a community soccer facility that opened in June 2007. Located on the southwest corner of Dixie Road and Sandalwood Parkway, this landmark building was created at a cost of $26.9 million dollars. The initial concept for the building was to have it host Ice Hockey, Basketball / Volleyball and Soccer. Feedback from the community resulted in a change of plans, thus rendering the inside of the building as a soccer only facility.

Mags.

Jolly Rancher Martini

Everyone loves food photos! Today's challenge was to make a close-up of food that I was enjoying today. While this is technically a beverage, I was still enjoying it and it is something that I did consume...so...I'm going to say it counts.

It's the end of the week (Thank Darwin it's Friday!) and to celebrate I relaxed with this cold, tasty martini. Mmmmmmmmmm........Named after the famous cubed hard candy, this Jolly Rancher martini tasted just like the real thing.....


Mags.

Abstracted with Abstraction

Today's assignment was to get creative with abstraction by taking a photo of patterns and/or shapes that aren't recognizable objects.

I spent most of my day trying to find an interesting object to shoot. After clicking photos of this and that, I settled for this object. To add an "abstract" feel to it, I cropped it and enhanced the colouring to this everyday object. 

Can you guess what this is?

Mags.