Cat On A Hot Shingled Roof

Photography Lesson Part II

Okay, so I have had a lot of comments, both on the blog and from friends in person, about my photos, so I am going to address a couple of the most popular ones here:

1. I could never take photos like yours!

Yes you can!  Yes we can! Go Obama!  (Oops.  I just got caught up in the moment).  Si se puede! (There, I'm really done).

Here's the thing - You absolutely can take photos like mine.  I don't care whether you have a point and shoot camera or a Nikon D700 (I get excited just thinking about the D700.  My Precious.  My dream).  

2. You have "the eye".

Thank you, but it's just about knowing how to get what you want out of your picture.  This is the subject of today's lesson: Perspective.  Know how to get the most out of your subject.  

I like to get close up to my subjects.  I don't like to have too much background stuff that doesn't mean anything.  And when I do get too much stuff in the background, I tend to blur it out in post production.  

So here's an example of perspective:

I took a lovely shot of Mom's Disney roses:

They are lovely roses and this is a perfectly lovely picture, but it doesn't do much for me.  You can't get any sense of the texture of the roses and all of the greenery in the background is distracting.  So...  I got closer:

Much better! Now you can see the shadows between the petals and you are not bombarded by background greenery.  

Okay, here's another example.  This is an especially good example when your subject is not a stationary flower, but rather a moving being that could care less that you are taking their picture (read: animals, children).  

I took this photo of The Noodle:

Again, a nice photo.  You get a sense of his coloring and his shaved tummy.  But I wanted less background, more Noodle.  So...

See?  It's that easy.  Now you can see his eyes and get a sense of what he is thinking. ("Cookies. Meat.  Cookies. Ice Cream.")

Finally, here is a photo of Caterpillar playing at the table with her very creepy dolls:

Cute.  She always looks cute in pictures.  But... Get a little closer and....

Voila!  You can see her amazing blue eyes.  And bonus: All Caterpillar, no creepy dolls.  

This should give you a good start on your own photography.  Good luck!

*None of the photos in this post were altered with PhotoShop.  The differences were all achieved by changing the focus of the camera.  I will post on how to PhotoShop later...when I have a couple of hundred hours.  

Lazy

Why He Would Serve No Time If He Kills Me

35° Brix

Who Gave Him The Number Of King Tut's Makeup Artist?

Men And Infants

"How old is she?"

"Just turned 10 months."

"Does she eat people food?"

"..."

"I mean...You know..."

"..."

Should Have Been Posted On Father's Day

Silhouette

Flight Risk

Star Jasmine*

*Also a really good name for a stripper.

Him Is Just A Yittle Guy

Ch Ch Ch Changes

I don't particularly like change, but I have decided to do away with my "Alice" signature.

I created it at the beginning of this whole blog process as a way of keeping it anonymous.  But with the pictures and other stuff posted I figured it was about time that I just use my name.  

Plus it was confusing some of the "older folk".  

I am still the Alice of this story.  

I am still trying to find my way through Wonderland.

Others on this blog will remain anonymous until I am granted permission to use their names.  

But their Blogosphere names may stick.  I have grown attached to the Queen of Hearts, the Mad Hatter, and the Cheshire Cat.    

So here it is, my new signature.

Incidentally, when creating a live signature you look at your name about a million times in different fonts, colors, sizes, etc.  Turns out that if you look at your name long enough it starts to look like another word completely.

My Job

And because I clearly have no shame given the above picture  said that I would post a photo that the kids took of me:

Possibly The Best Refrigerator Magnets Ever

Hamster In A Cracker Bag

This is Stephanie Plum's introduction to the blogosphere!  Welcome Steph!

Stuck

While walking down the driveway I noticed this little guy stuck in a spider's web.  He just seemed so helpless.  

I figured I would play God for a moment and try to free him.

I was able to free him from the web.  

However, in the process I may have accidentally pulled off one of his legs.

Oops.

Glass Sphere

Clearly Not A Morning Person

I wake up many mornings at 5:15 to do a workout on the Wii Fit.  It's a nifty bit of technology.  I especially like the Yoga and the Boxing.  

When you set up a Wii Fit you get the option of a male or female trainer.

I chose the male trainer and named him Paul.  

The woman is Nina and she has a serious attitude problem.

Paul is usually very nice and a good motivator.  However, it's still 5:15 am and I don't take shit from anyone that early.  

Here's a conversation overheard last week:

Paul: "Good morning! Are you ready to workout?"

Me: "Sure am Paul."

Paul:  "Good, let's start with the Tree Pose."

Me: "Let's."

Paul:  "You seem little shaky.  Maybe the Tree Pose isn't your forte."

Me: "Fuck you Paul."

You May Be Unbalanced If...

...this is on your bedside table.

Handmade Baby Hats and Socks

Available in my Etsy Shop.  Look Here!