Mirror Mirror On The Wall.....

Today's assignment was to use a mirror as part of a composition in a photograph today. Show yourself in the image if you'd like!

Over the past few weeks, I've been living, eating, breathing and, pretty soon, will be sleeping in the "beige cage" as I've been pulling some ridiculous 11, 12 and sometimes even 14 hour work days. I've lost touch with the outside world. I'm exhausted, and don't have the time when I get home to pull out the DSLR and shoot wonderful pictures. Thank darwin I always have my point and shoot with me at all times. I was able to capture a shot of my little "spy mirror" I've got hooked up on the top corner of my computer at work. As you can see, my desk was in total disarray at the time this shot was taken.....

Mags.

Colourful Indoor Water Fun....

Water sustains life. Colour enhances life. Today's challenge was to make a photo combining colour and water.

With the weather being cold and yucky today, I needed to figure out a creative way to combine colour and water together in an indoor environment. Rooting through my kitchen cabinets, I came across some bottles of food colouring and began to experiment by adding a drop or two into a container of water. I realized I needed to move fast as the food colouring sank quickly to the bottom. I played around with different shots stirring the food colour until the water became solid colours of blue, yellow and red. I even took it one step further by combing the primary colours into solid secondary colours ( orange, purple and green). I eventually settled for this shot. I liked the way the movement of the food colouring in the water took on a ribbon-like appearance.

Mags.

In The Gutter....

Today's daily challenge was to make a photograph featuring a diagonal line of series of diagonal lines.

Feeling a bit under the weather with seasonal allergies today, I really wasn't in the mood to be photographing much. I came across this sewer cover and was instantly attracted to it because of the diagonal lines and, with a few adjustments, really highlighted the lines to make them the focal point of the photo. Little did I know, one can be arrested for taking photos of sewers. I came across an article about a man in the UK who was arrested for allegedly taking such a picture......check it out: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x54hqTVtM78&feature=player_embedded

Crazy!

Mags.

Glass

Today's challenge was to make a photograph of something made out of glass and to go for interesting reflections or highlights.

Was a little sidetracked today with other things that needed to be done so today's photo shoot was a little last minute. This photo is of an antique wine decanter that my grandmother gave me before she passed away. Sadly, within the first month of owning it I accidently smashed the crystal topper that went with this, so, this is what I use in it's  place: http://365project.org/mags/365/2010-05-04 . I know, the styles don't really work together but, it does the trick. I liked the way the incandescent bulb that is shining from the top of the decanter has created the sunburst effect from the cuts in the crystal base. Overall I'm pretty satisfied with how this shot came out considering how rushed and last minute it was.

Mags.

Strikes, Spares and Gutter Balls.........

It was an early morning call as my butt was dragged out to watch Guy bowl with his friends. While I do bowl from time to time, I chose not to participate as I need new bowling shoes (I REFUSE to rent them...my princess feet don't get squeezed into shoes that smell like stinky cheese or are masked by the smell of disinfectant.....I'm kinda germaphobic that way). So, I brought my camera and decided to play around with it and learn how to create some motion shots. I eventually figured out the best way to capture motion is by using a tripod. I took over 100 shots today and settled on this one. I liked how the pin in the middle remained in focus while the rest of the pins surrounding it became a blurry chaos.

Mags.

Me and My Shadow

Today's challenge was to take a self-portrait.

Since I've been behind the camera a lot lately, I've become quite self-conscious in front of it. Posing seems so unnatural to me--very awkward and forced. I'm sure I'm not the only one who is critical of the photos they are in. I found without having direction from someone as to how to pose so that my best features are shown, it made it quite difficult to direct myself from this side of the camera.

Mags.

Fireworks Gone Amiss

Ok, so technically this was taken last night, not today. Yesterday being Canada Day, there were many displays of fireworks going off in our neighbourhood. It's my first attempt to photograph the light show using my big-girl camera. It's not a classic textbook photo by anymeans. I know what I did wrong......I should have used my tripod and I should have used a faster shutter speed. I thought the way the light trails in the sky was still pretty cool though.

Mags.

Circles and Squares

Today's inspiration came from The Daily Shoot .....the object was to photograph a circle and crop it to fit inside a square frame. I loved the texture on the back of my yoga towel and thought that the little nubby thing that prevents it from slipping on my mat would make a cool circle. I then framed it with a floral frog (an item that holds floral stems in place in a vase) to add some demension to the shot. Finally I edited the picture by cropping it into a square frame. Thoughts? Suggestions?

Mags.

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Anemoi

MAY 31, 2010

In Greek mythology, the Anemoi (Greek for "winds") were wind gods who were each assigned a cardinal direction from which their respective wind direction came from. As well, these gods were associated with different seasons and weather conditions. The four main Anemoi were: Boreas (north wind and bringer of cold winter air), Notus (south wind and was thought to be responsible for storms associated with the late summer / fall)., Zephyrus (the west wind and brought the light breezes associated with spring / early summer) and Eurus (the east wind and was not associated with the three Greek seasons).

The weather was rather gloomy this evening so I snapped a few shots of this Anemoi mask that I had. I tried to create a bit of drama with the lighting to give the piece a bit more of a dramatic look.

Mags.

Distorted Dan

MAY 30, 2010

This weekend was super busy and I spent most of it outside gardening. Planted the pots yesterday and today was up super early as we had a yard of topsoil delivered this morning and we wanted to get it spread before the killer sun overtook the backyard. Earlier this evening, Dan cut the lawn and as I sat on the porch drinking some refreshing water, I noticed that his image became backwards and distorted (in the glass, it appears that he's stick thin and looks like he's pushing a kids toy) but on either side of the glass you can see the reality. Weird.........

Mags.

"Praying" For A Miracle

MAY 28, 2010

Thank you everyone who helped identify the bugs that are feasting on my lilies...I spent a good half hour last night holding a flashlight and picking the beatles out of the succulent lily leaves and crushing them (a solution presented to me via the world wide web). Imagine my frustration and disappointment when I found more of those bugs hanging off of the leaves this morning. That's it.....this is war!

I went to a reputable nursery in Georgetown this evening and spoke with the resident bug expert. When I explained to him my dilema and showed him a photo of the bastards, he led me to the bug killer aisle and explained all the different sprays, liquids and powders available. I'm concerned about accidentally harming neighbourhood animals with these solutions and was looking for something a little more "green" and easy to use. While all were "environmentally friendly", he presented me with one more option that peaked my interest. As he opened the fridge door, he handed me a bright, child's toy -like container. It was a praying mantis' cocoon. I was confused.....add MORE bugs into the garden? Mr. Garden Expert explained that Praying Mantises are exclusively predatory. Insects form the primary diet, but larger species have been known to prey on small lizards, frogs, birds, snakes, fish and even rodents; they will prey upon any species small enough to successfully capture and devour. Most species of mantis are known to engage in cannibalism. The majority of mantises are ambush predators, waiting for prey to stray too near. The mantis then lashes out at remarkable speed. Some ground and bark species, however, pursue their prey rather quickly. Prey items are caught and held securely with grasping, spiked forelegs. He instructed me to leave the "cage" in the sun and within a few days, hundreds of praying mantis are hatched. All I need to do is release them and nature will take it's course.

At this point, what's the harm in trying. It sure beats standing outside in my jammies in the middle of the night, shining a flashlight into the garden and picking and crushing bugs......wish me luck............

Mags.

Psychedelic Playground

MAY 19, 2010

It was a great evening to be out and I noticed the sun was quickly setting. I took a quick walk over to the community playground and took some shots of some of the equipment that was there. While the primary colours of the playground sets really stood out, I decided to experiment and play around with the tints and shading and ended up with this......

Mags.