Vagabond

Today's challenge was to photograph an interpretation of my favourite indulgence or guilty pleasure.

I've been bitten by the travel bug. Not a nibble or nip but a chomp! I'm full of wanderlust and while I have had the opportunity to travel a little here and there, I'm ready to make travelling not a hobby but rather make it my lifestyle. Inspired by the television show "Departures" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93Bl4zDenjg&feature=player_embedded) seeing the world and experiencing all it has to offer is the number one thing on my bucket list of things to do before I die. I love learning about cultures, religions and way of life and want to experience it first hand. I'd love to be able to experience the ruins of Sigiriya in Sri Lanka or endure the harsh temperatures of Russia in the winter (I'm sure the vodka would keep me warm) or hike through the Amazon rainforest or soak up the warm sun on the beaches of Rio De Janeiro in Brazil. Other places I'd love to see: Vietnam, Indonesia, Mongolia, Australia, New Zealand, Madagascar, India, Chile, The Antarctic and Korea (both North and South).

Now if I could only find a pair of pants with pockets deep enough to hold all the money I'd need to accomplish this dream and I'd be all set!

Mags.

Let Your Backbone Slide

Symmetry can be calm and soothing. Today's challenge was to make a photo featuring symmetry, either in subject or composition.

Today I enjoyed my bi-monthly 45 minute massage therapy session and after working many long hours of late, my back, neck and shoulders really needed it. My massage therapist, Leslie, is awesome! What she may lack in stature, she sure makes up for with magical hands! I took this photo of a model human vertebrae while in the therapists office. I love the way the desk lamp (the only light source available in the room) was shining on the model and how it cast some interesting shadows really adding to the depth and dimension of the piece. 

For some strange reason, whenever I see vertebrae such as this or hear the word "backbone"...I always think of this old school hip hop song by Maestro Fresh Wes:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pzull7scV2Y

Mags.

Pucker Up, Baby!

Today's challenge was to make a photograph using strong verticle lines.

Technical difficulties have prevented me from posting something wonderful and interesting so I had to resort to using a photo I took two weeks ago while shopping with some friends. I didn't get to edit the photo so this is it....I've always loved M.A.C. cosmetics and in my younger wild and foolish days, would blow a good chunk of my paycheques on some M.A.C products ( the other part of my pay would go to clothes and weekend partying). I've always been drawn to displays of lipsticks ...the rows of lipstick colours ranging from just barely there nudes to va va voom reds and every colour in between just begging to be tested and ultimately purchased. Sadly, these days the M.A.C. "lipstick fund" is now substituted with the "grocery fund" , "mortgage fund" and "utility bill fund"... :-(

Mags.

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Birds On A Wire

I was out on an assignment this evening trying to capture a photo of the front of a building (as per the daily shoot assignment). I decided to capture the municipal Hydro building as I really love the architecture and think it looks beautiful especially at night. While clicking away, I was distracted by a commotion across the street. I looked up into the dusk sky to see THOUSANDS of birds flying around in a large group. There were so many that it literally looked like a black cloud floating across the sky. Upon closer observation, I noticed the telephone wires and lamp posts were covered with birds as well. Feeling like I was in an Alfred Hitchcock movie, I attempted to capture this phenomenon. It was difficult to capture clear photos of the birds as they were very unpredictable and and would take off in a flash. I wanted to post this photo as it was one of my favourites. I loved the dark silhouettes of the birds against the sky.

Oh, and the photo of the building front I was supposed to capture? Check it out here:http://magneticmags365.tumblr.com/. It's titled "Night Lights"

Mags.

I Get Around......

How did you get around today? The challenge for today was to make a photograph of your transportation and post it.

I'm always on the go and today was no different. I used several different modes of transportation...a car, public transportation (how ghetto) ,some might say on a broomstick, and I wheeled around the office on my ugly, uncomfortable desk chair. By far; however, the most fashionable (albeit tiring after awhile) method was on my own two feet. Sporting my snake skin Steve Madden stilettos today, I decided to showcase this method of transportation. Yes, ok...you're on to me...it's just another way for me to show off my love of stiletto shoes......

Mags.

Juxtapose...

My sincere apologies for such a lame-assed picture today. I've been awake since 3 a.m. and have been suffering with a mild bout of insomnia over the past few nights. I was lazy in my photography today and for that I feel bad. Feeling tired and a little grumpy at having to return to work after a long (but crappy-weathered) weekend, I was greeted by a beautiful sunrise as I left my house this morning. In fact, the beautiful colours seemed to lure me into a better mood. I took a few shots of the sunrise as I was driving into work. This one seemed to work the best as I was stopped at a red light. I really like how the beauty of nature found in the sunrise and the bird sitting on the light post in the back juxtaposes the ugliness found in the man-made technology of the traffic light, telephone poles and electrical wires.

Mags.

Larger Than Life

Today's challenge was to make a bright, cheery photo outdoors.

This was a challenge since it was a craptacular overcast and drizzly day. I headed to the local community park to take photos of the bright, over-sized flowers and butterflies found in the water park area. Thankfully, the park was deserted and I was able to snap away without having parents think I'm some creeper takin' photos of their kids (sidenote: Does anyone else encounter this? How do you get around this? It seems to be a touchy subject and I'm not sure how to deal with it other than avoiding these areas.......but I digress). I loved how the bright orange colour in the flower and butterfly really stand out against the dull grey sky......I had a hard time choosing a photo and I decided to post some of the other contenders on my blog: http://magneticmags365.tumblr.com/ .

Mags.

Taking The Plunge....

Today's challenge was to make a photograph of something metallic putting the emphasis on texture and light. This is a shot of the plunger of my French press.

A french press, also known as a press pot, coffee press, coffee plunger, cafietere or cafetiere a piston, is a simple coffee brewing device invented in France during the 1850's.

A French press requires coffee of a coarser grind than does a drip brew coffee filter, as finer grounds will seep through the press filter and into the coffee. Coffee is brewed by placing the coffee and water together, stirring it and leaving to brew for a few minutes, then depressing the plunger to trap the coffee grounds at the bottom of the beaker.

Because the coffee grounds remain in direct contact with the brewing water and the grounds are filtered from the water via a mesh instead of a paper filter, coffee brewed with the French press captures more of the coffee's flavour and essential oils, which would become trapped in a traditional drip brew machine's paper filters. French pressed coffee is usually stronger and thicker and has more sediment than drip-brewed coffee. Because the used grounds remain in the drink after brewing, French pressed coffee left to stand can become bitter. For a 1⁄2-litre French press the contents are considered spoiled after around 20 minutes.

Mags.

Devastation and Dismay

Feeling a little nervous on bringing the DSRL with me to the Greenday concert last night for fear of confiscation or being trampled on by some wasted concertgoer, I opted to bring my new point and shoot with me. I thought it would be a great opportunity to experiment a bit with what it is capable of creating. I spent the afternoon with friends at Ontario Place on a restaurant patio overlooking the marina. I took some great shots of the boats, the infamous Cenisphere and of the beautiful Toronto skyline. Many goofy shots were taken as well by Bina as she was able to capture interesting shots of the Ketchup bottle, candid portraits of us and of the food we were eating. I was pretty sure that I'd have several selections to choose from for today's pictures.

As the concert started, I started to snap away in hopes of getting "the" great shot of the band. Knowing the camera had a movie setting, I thought I'd try it out to see how well it worked. I chose one of the songs that I loved and started filming. It was halfway during the song that the stoner boner beside me thought it would be a great time to jump up and down and smash his elbow in my face. #$%&!!!! I accidentally hit the stop button during the kerfuffle. I was angry! I thought I would delete the video and try again with another song. Not being familiar with the camera (especially in the dark) I managed to not only delete the video but ALL of the pictures I took that day! It left me with nothing! I was able to capture a video and take a few shots but then the red battery light started to flash and before I knew it, the camera shut down. Game over. So, while I know this is by far not the best picture that I had captured during the entire day, it' s the best of the worst that I managed to shoot prior to the battery dying..........

Mags.

The "Signs" of Summer

Today's challenge was to make a photograph that features a sign of some sort today. 

Ahhhhhh....Summertime! Lazy days spent at the beach, long weekends at the cottage and endless road construction.....the sure signs of summer! Seems like everywhere you drive, some road is being torn up, repaired or expanded leaving many commuters hot under the collar at the long delays. This shot was taken near my house. This street used to be a two lane road surrounded by heavily wooded areas and farmlands. Sadly, traffic has increased considerably since we've lived here due to the expanding residential area. This road can no longer handle the amount of traffic flowing here, thus, the city has decided it was time to expand it to a 4 lane road. Trees were cut down, older homes have been abandoned and torn down to make way for the new road. Construction is slated to be completed by Fall 2010.

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.

Desperate

Today's challenge was to make a photograph that uses the rule of thirds composition in a very obvious way. 

But what is "the rules of thirds"? The rule of thirds is a compositional rule of thumb in visual arts such as painting, photography and design. The rule states that an image should be imagined as divided into nine equal parts by two equally-spaced horizontal lines and two equally-spaced vertical lines, and that important compositional elements should be placed along these lines or their intersections. Those in favour of using the technique claim that aligning a subject with these points creates more tension, energy and interest in the composition than simply centering the subject would.

Desperate, and with dusk almost turning to darkness, I started to snap away at anything in hopes I had a half decent shot to post for today. Not sure if this shot accurately captures this rule, but I was really drawn to the colours in the sky and liked how the sunset reflected off of the house across the street from me.

Mags.

Putting the "Grrrrrrr" in Cougar.......

Triangles keep the viewer’s eyes on a photo. Follow a triangle, and you see other elements.  Today's challenge was to make a photo with triangles.

Ok, so I'm not sure if I'm pushing this or not but....I thought that the overall shape of the car reminded me of a wedge of cheese (which is triangular) and the leopard print has some triangular shapes in it's print and the open areas on the spokes of the wheels are shaped like triangles......truth be told...I was in love with this tiny little Smart car and it's unusual paint job and was desperately trying to figure out a way to use it as my picture today.  The upholstery is done in the exact same pattern as the exterior.  And since I am now an official "Cougar", I think I'd look great in one of these zipping around town perhaps even wearing that damned leopard print Snuggie that my friends bought me as a gag gift.....ok, drop the Snuggie idea and let's stick with my short skirts and stiletto heels....... :-)

Mags.

Danger In The Park............

Today's theme was to visit a park--- national, amusement, playground --- and make a photo of something that catches your eye.

As a kid, my elders always told me to exercise caution while playing in the park..."Don't walk away with strangers", "Don't take candy or talk to strangers" "Don't take your shoes off....there could be hidden needles, glass, razors or other sharp objects that could hurt you". Bet they never figured an alligator would be buried in the sand waiting to attack unsuspecting children and chomp their little toes off.......

Mags.

Tamarindo Treasures

July 28, 2010

Today was my birthday and as per usual, it rained buckets. But I didn't let that stop my fun! Guy surprised me with some champagne and chocolate covered strawberries in the afternoon and later on that night, a birthday cake complete with the staff singing "Happy Birthday" in spanish......

In the afternoon, I took a quick (but bumpy) cab ride into Tamarindo to peruse the shops for some unique finds. Sadly, every shop seemed to carry the same tacky souvenirs but I did quite enjoy the character and colours of the shops and enjoyed watching all the barefoot surfers stroll around town with their surf boards in tow.... I wanted to take a stroll on the beach in hopes of capturing one of the infamous sunsets, unfortunately, the rain came pouring down and dusk had started to come and as we were warned, walking along the beach in Tamarindo at night wasn't the safest thing to do....All in all, I enjoyed the sights, smells and sounds that the small town had to offer.......

Mags.

You're such a tease!

Today's assignment was to focus on a fragment of an object today by only showing part of it, not the whole thing.

Can you guess what this is?

This photo is a shot of a curtain tie-back holder that I have in my living room. I liked the way that the shadow of the tie-back holder is blurred in the background.

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.

The Glass City

Yesterday, I travelled to the Big Bad City to meet a few friends for dinner and drinks. Anyone who knows me knows I love the city. I love the concrete jungle, the hustle and bustle of people, the constant activities that have the city buzzing. I love trying out the swanky restaurants, peering into the unique boutiques and watching all the weirdos go by. This is the view from my friend's office window and shows a great depiction of all the glass used in the office towers, condos and hotels that make up this fantastic city. I love how the mirrored building reflects other buildings in the surrounding area.

 

Mags.

Chinguacousy Park Fire/Life Centre

Tonight I tagged along with my friend Scribe as she zipped around to a few local landmarks around the city that we live in. Once of our stops was to the infamous Chinguacousy Park which, as seen through the lens of a camera, can be quite beautiful. Dusk was fast approaching so we needed to be quick. I snapped a few shots of this "house" with this week's architectural theme in mind.

Located near one of the park's entrances, the Fire/Life Safety Education Centre is a hands-on learning facility for training children about fire hazards in and around the home.  Upstairs, Stephanie’s Place models an average home with kitchen, living room, bedroom and bath. Children have the opportunity to find hazards and learn where to go when fire strikes and locate safe escape routes out of the house.

 

Vowing to come back, I've marked out a few other spots to photograph in and around the park. Stay tuned....

 

Mags.

Cheltenham Badlands

Tonight I decided to try my hand at sunsets. I know....this doesn't look like one. This was a "detour" on our way to scope out a good sunset view.

 

“Badlands” is a geologic term for an area of soft rock devoid of vegetation and soil cover that has become molded into a rolling landscape of rounded hills and gullies. Such areas are rare in Ontario and this is one of the best examples.

 

They exhibit the reddish hue of the Queenston Shale that forms them; the iron oxide in the shale produces this colour. The narrow greenish bands that can be seen throughout the shale are due to the change of red iron oxide to green iron oxide brought on by the circulating groundwater. The relatively soft shale is essentially clay and is easily eroded by water.

 

Vibrantly red, and totally at odds with a county typified by pastoral meadows and gentle streams lined with majestic black willows, The Cheltenham Badlands probably started to form with the erosion of soft, iron-rich Queenston shale when cattle grazing stripped a protective layer of vegetation from the site in the nineteenth century.

 

The Cheltenham Badlands are located on Olde Base Road in Caledon and are one of the most striking examples of badlands topography in Southern Ontario.

Mags.