March 11, 2010

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Buds and Bokeh

Another late post... I've been trying to recover from a surgery this week, and also still suffering some unpleasant side effects. My treatments have been put on hold for a week so that I can recover properly. Unfortunately I'm sleeping through parts of the day, and unable to move around very quickly.

Meanwhile, I'm grateful for my friends who stop by to see me and spend time with me! Your company lifts my spirits when I get consumed by cabin fever! Also for those who don't live close, I am grateful for your correspondence and phone conversations! I'm just trying to get through this rough March and look forward to feeling human again!

March 10, 2010

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The rusted wind chimes

Wow! It started off raining today and turned out pretty nice in the 60's! The snow is still melting, and spring is in the air!

I'm starting to feel a little better each day, but tomorrow starts a very difficult course of treatment. I was also informed that I have to continue with chemotherapy through these next few weeks. Thought I was done, but I guess I can endure another two treatments. {sigh} It's the radiation that is going to be difficult. Just pushing through each day - just like the spring pushing through the winter.

March 8, 2010

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Drops in the pond

These are not drops of rain believe it or not, instead, they are the drops of rapidly melting snow dripping from the roof of a gazebo into the pond. Another sunny day with warm temps and glimpses of spring everywhere!

March 7, 2010

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Tree reflection in a puddle

The tail end of the weekend I'm squeaking in my reflection... Taken at the Toledo Botanical Gardens; one of my favorite places to shoot. Another nice warm sunny day. The snow is melting little by little... creating puddles and reflections!

*This reflection is inspired by Weekend Reflections thanks to James at Newtown Area Photo. Click on the link to see other wonderful reflection shots!

March 6, 2010

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Sunlight, shadows and bokeh

The weather has been getting better... and so have I. This has been a rough week for me - struggling with some side effects that I wasn't expecting. I am disappointed that I haven't been able to get out and shoot, and sometimes it makes me sad that I am finding it difficult to get inspired. I guess we are all entitled to lick our wounds now and again; and resting has helped me get through this rough patch. They said it wasn't going to be easy, and I am finding that out!

March 2, 2010

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The urban farmer - Eenie meanie miney moe...

OK, so this post is late by a day. I'm not sure which hen this is... but I know for sure it's not Moe.. While visiting Holly and new baby, she showed me her urban farming efforts. I also came home with a dozen fresh eggs!

It's easier than one would think to raise a few chickens in an urban neighborhood. She and her husband have created an even easier way to house chickens with the invention of the "Poultry Pod" (below) a handy crate-like hen house that is easy to order and set up. It's the latest trend in urban chicken farming and organic living!

The organic eggs were delicious by the way!

March 1, 2010

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Madelyn Kay - Seven Days Fresh

Today I finally got to meet my friend's new baby girl - she was born one week ago today. I'm not one for portrait photography, but Madelyn certainly deserved the spotlight today. She is beautiful and healthy.

I tried this in B/W. Had some problems with exposure today - for some reason I started out very over exposed. ISO was set much too high, and also it was the first time in a long time that the sun was out. Her crib was right near the window, so light was not an issue. By the time I took this shot, I had the ISO and exposure figured out, but wow... I am out of practice!

February 26, 2010

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Objects in Mirror are Closer than they Appear

Is it ever going to stop snowing??? TGIF! It's the weekend, but the snow is coming down like mad. It looks very pretty out the window right now, but the cabin fever is getting me down!! There's no end in sight. {sigh} Meanwhile enjoy my silly self-portrait in the rear-view!

*This reflection is inspired by Weekend Reflections thanks to James at Newtown Area Photo. Click on the link to see other wonderful reflection shots!

February 25, 2010

A small milepost...

Today was my last treatment of chemotherapy. I had six of them - one per week. Today was the last. It is one small tick mark of many milestones in this journey to come.

The team of nurses who looked after me each Thursday for the past 6 weeks have been amazing, knowledgeable and supportive. They made me feel comfortable, and made my long days in the chair seem as if it were my own living room. I grew to love Thursdays. But it is over for now. Next week will end my first round of external beam radiation - only a few more radiation treatments to go! The radiation, however, is very difficult to tolerate - especially in these last weeks. I've spent the last few days feeling completely wiped out from the pain and discomfort of the cumulative side affects of radiation. I spent the past two days crying a lot. I need to get over it. I am at the end of this first thing, and I can see the light at the end of this tunnel, so I get tough, and push through. I don't have a choice!!! I will worry about the next course of 'internal' radiation when its time comes next month. But for now, ONE DAY AT A TIME, push through the pain and get through today.

I took this with my cell phone today - I guess it counts.. it was a milestone that needed to be shared regardless of the quality or the equipment. These posts are never my best work anyway, but certainly my most profound thoughts and feelings. So no exif data in tact ;) I will be back on track soon enough.

February 23, 2010

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The March of the Penguins and the kicking of the Ducks

I am continuing the zoo animal theme today - I had a lot of shots from the zoo, but for the past day or two have been unable to get out and shoot.

The penguins and the ducks... somehow they co-exist with each other, as odd as it seems. The ducks don't seem too bothered by other zoo animals, and they are quite content sharing their space, and in some cases invading spaces. Here they were enjoying a nice rest on the penguins' deck. The penguins came out of the water, and carelessly waddled their way past the lying ducks, casually kicking them out of the way as they passed by. The ducks were annoyed, but just got out of their way to let the penguins move through. It was very funny to watch this! The ducks were good sports...sweet little things!

February 21, 2010

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Today it's all about the monkeys...

A trip to the zoo. My favorite has always been the primates. I can be around them for hours. I am intrigued by these beautiful creatures - so human like, so intelligent. This little guy above actually posed for me. He saw my camera, looked straight at me and sat as if to say "I'm ready for my portrait." Oh, how I wanted to capture him - the problems at the zoo, of course, is the thick glass separating you and your lens from them. This creates problems with glare, lighting, reflection, lack of sharpness, unclear images - you name it. I tried to work out the problems as best as I could in PP.

Ah, if I can only be in the cages with them! Better yet, if they can only be out here with us. For each of these creatures seemed to have reluctantly accepted their captivity. They just exist, and their desperate expressions sometimes show boredom and frustration. I can't say that I don't fully understand how they feel.

February 20, 2010

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High Level Bridge

This Monochrome concept came from Aileni at The Monochrome Weekend

February 20, 2010

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High Level Bridge

I liked this one in color, the bridge is blue. The sky was blue. I had to take advantage of blue :) Don't get to see this color too often!

Tried a different angle in monochrome for the Monochrome Weekend.. see next post!

February 19, 2010

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Weekend Reflection in Architecture

I have my architecture theme still going here... Today there was sun - oh glorious sun! The temps were balmy in the 30's! I had to get out to show my friend the sights of Toledo. This prompted a trip to downtown. We drove all over - the waterfront, old factories, the art museum, historical neighborhoods - we saw it all. Of course, I was on a photo shooting mission which had us in the middle of abandoned factories with "no trespassing" signs, under bridges, and in some undesirable places. Good for me, not so good for her sight-seeing mission ;) But nonetheless we had little adventures.

On the way out of town, I was at a stop light and came face to face with this reflection - the epitome of Toledo - the Toledo Edison building with a reflection of some old architecture in its glass structure. The light was perfect, and since I was at an intersection, I dropped the window, put camera out and began shooting. Of course the light turned green, and I was still shooting. The pickup truck behind me grew very impatient and laid on the horn for at least 8 seconds, and proceeded to aggressively speed around me to my left. I smiled and gave a friendly wave and just laughed and laughed. He was angry... but I got my shot ;)

February 17, 2010

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Toledo Architecture

I am very much enjoying a visit this week from a good friend of mine from Washington. It's nice to have a familiar face spending time with me in Toledo. Unfortunately, it's not the best time to have any decent sight-seeing or fun activities, between the predictably snowy and gray weather, and the fact that I'm not at the top of my physical game at the moment.

For the meanwhile, we are happy to drive around and appreciate the architecture, while also indulging into a little rest and relaxation indoors.

February 16, 2010

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The lonely bench

This is what happens when I go out unprepared... I definitely needed to get out shooting today. Even though it was snowing, and gray (again)... the last few days have been extremely busy with some friends visiting me from out of town.

I ventured out with a camera that was completely out of battery power, and SD card pretty much full. Of course I discovered this much too late, and clicked what was left of my limited resources at Toledo Botanical Gardens in the snow. So this was it! My shot for the day. Next time I will be more prepared, but for now, reluctantly, the lonely bench gets the post.

February 14, 2010

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The street sculpture outside the Toledo Mud Hens stadium

I just loved this brass sculpture on the street looking inside the ball field - so realistic and nostalgic. The fact that it is winter, with snow on the ground - the farthest we can be from baseball season - just made this shot even more curious. A baseball field in the winter seems so desolate.

So what do they see when they look through the wall?

...certainly not a baseball game on Valentine's Day :)

February 13, 2010

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A custom jewelry photo shoot

I just spent the last 10 hours photographing jewelry for my friend who creates these beautiful custom pieces. I have never done light-box photography; this was my first attempt at catalog style images. I am learning about indirect lighting, back lighting, white balance, tone mapping in post production, etc. A bit of an undertaking that I was not quite ready for; but for my first attempt, I don't think they are too bad! This was one that made it through post production - I have a long way to go to get them all produced and exported! These images will be used on the website, in a catalog, and some will be printed.

Signe is the artist who creates these beautiful pieces of jewelry - each one hand crafted. See more of her work at Signeture Line. My eyes are about to fall out of my head, and so I will continue this project tomorrow! I hope that she likes the images, and that they are the way she would like to represent her pieces.

This particular piece is made from genuine beach glass found on a Lake Erie beach, fancy bezel set. The pendant is made of 16 gauge square sterling wire.

February 12, 2010

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A door in downtown

A little reflection for the weekend... Walking through downtown Toledo there are so many old buildings, so many have such great architectural character. Unfortunately, there is a suffering in Toledo's downtown - a lot of abandoned buildings, boarded up windows, and glimpses of urban decay.

I think that there are a lot of great photo opportunities with urban decay - images that evoke a feeling, an emotion or a story. Not every image has to be visually pleasing, and not every image has to tell a happy story. I do find urban images to be visually interesting with textures, colors, imperfections, and much like the human spirit, even old buildings go through their metamorphoses and transformations - sometimes falling victim to collapse and failure, and sometimes an incredible revival!

*This reflection is inspired by Weekend Reflections thanks to James at Newtown Area Photo. Click on the link to see other wonderful reflection shots!

February 10, 2010

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Finding your way

The Inukshuk means “likeness of a person”. In the northern parts of Canada and the arctic, there are not many natural landmarks, therefore, the Inuit people made these inuksuit for directional markers to trails, food caches, hunting grounds, and nearby settlements. I have seen many of these throughout the wilderness of Canada – I’ve even built one or two. The inukshuk embodies the spirit and persistence of the Inuit and represent strength, leadership and motivation.

Feeling as though I’m in the arctic myself, I thought it would be fun to photograph this decorative inukshuk. I took some time to experiment with light and white balance for this indoor shot. This little guy didn’t lead me anywhere today, but the symbol of strength will continue to inspire me!

(Photo below was taken in Yoho National Park in Canada on the Iceline Trail in September, 2009) The quality is poor, I did not post the original image.

February 9, 2010

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Snow....

Well there are already 8 or so inches on the ground and it's supposed to keep snowing through the night into tomorrow. Another winter storm in action.

Maybe we should all pray for this to happen for the Winter Games in Vancouver, BC - snow in the east is not helping the athletes! I'm feeling a bit uninspired because of this weather, not much else to shoot at, so I practiced with a kinetic effect.

February 7, 2010

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Long shadows in the snow

A little cheat - this shot was taken yesterday, although, the weather was almost the same today as it was yesterday - the sun came out, but the snow was still here. This is the Manor House at Wildwood Metropark in Toledo, OH. Not my favorite composition, but I liked the shadows that the trees cast in the snow.

This Monochrome concept came from Aileni at The Monochrome Weekend

February 6, 2010

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A trade-off

The sun made an appearance today - it was nice to get outdoors and look at some nature. Unfortunately, the trade off was snow! Not as unfortunate as those on parts of the east coast, but maybe 3-4 inches to trek through.

This winter weather is for the birds, and I think even they have long abandoned their snowy home for a warmer place!

February 5, 2010

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My culinary masterpizza!

I couldn't resist taking a shot of this Greek-inspired pizza that I threw together. It looks good, doesn't it? There's nothing like a good home-made pizza. I am kind of a pizza snob - I am from New York and of course NY style is my favorite, but I am open to many different styles and flavors. But pizza, especially delivery pizza, has become so expensive and so uninspiring in taste, that I can't bring myself to spend money on it. Therefore, I get a big kick out of making my own brand!

So the depth of field is a bit narrow here, but what ingredients can you see on this pie?

(It was delicious, by the way) :)

February 4, 2010

(Bananas)
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Crazy bananas and wacky coconuts

My potassium looked good today! And the terror of having the line installed in my arm yesterday really paid off today - it was a chemo day, as is every Thursday. I think once I get past the weirdness of this little hose hanging out of my inner arm, the benefits of easy IV access and bloodwork will make that little hose my best friend.

So, feeling pretty good after a full day of treatments, I went to the grocery store for some much needed fresh foods and goodies. OK, I feel a bit bananas and wacky coconuts after chemo cocktail filled with steroids and Valium. I will have a hangover tomorrow, but another day down, and another cancer cell bites the dust.

(Coconuts)
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February 3, 2010

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A "Cheater's HDR" Experiment

I did not shoot today - it was another one of those gray, snowy days, and I had a procedure done to put a semi-permanent line in my arm - which has been a bit tender all day and I'm well aware of its presence.

I thought today would be a good day to sit on the couch and work on some post production skills. I read this great article from Digital Photography School (DPS) about creating an 'HDR' like image using one RAW file using Lightroom. I practiced this exercise on several of my photographs that might benefit from a high dynamic range treatment. I went with this shot - the before shot (see below) was VERY overexposed in the waterfall area. Also, if you look at my exif data above - it's a bit off. Not sure why ISO was set so high. It may have had to do with me being new to my camera at the time this was shot.

Anyway, I like the result of this treatment using Lightroom. While it's not true HDR, it does give it a nice depth and effect. I really want to try traditional HDR - I have not experimented with it yet, but when the weather gets more tolerable, there will be more of an opportunity to spend some time learning HDR. Meanwhile, today's exercise allowed me to sharpen my skills in Lightroom as well.

This shot was taken at Eagle Creek area of the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon. It's downstream of the lower punch-bowl falls (taken this past August). One of my favorite places to hike!

February 2, 2010

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Campiello Del Remer #2

Normally I don't photograph works of art - just seems irrelevant. Not to mention, cameras were strictly forbidden in this Dale Chihuly art exhibit at the Toledo Museum of Art. I have never seen a Chihuly up close, but this man does amazing things with glass, and so I risked stealing a few shots. It was all about glass today... not only were the works of Chihuly amazing, the gallery itself is a work of art. It's made entirely of glass. I can only imagine how the seasons and time of day play a big part on the atmosphere of this building. This is a new building for the Toledo Museum of Art. I used to spend lots of time in this museum back in the day when I was pursuing my bachelor of Fine Arts. In my opinion, it's one of the finer art museums I've ever had the pleasure in which to visit and study. I couldn't think of a better place to be on this gray and snowy day. So enjoy some "bootleg" photos from the Glass Pavilion of Toledo Museum of Art.

The above work is called Campiello Del Remer #2. It was one of 14 chandeliers designed for Chihuly Over Venice in 1996, - it was made in collaboration with the glassorkers at the Waterford Crystal Factory in Ireland. Chihuly subsequently split the chandelier in two, one "half" going to the Kemper Museum in Kansas City, and the other to Toledo. Chihuly's team installed the chandelier themselves in the Glass Pavilion lobby, rearranging the 243 pieces to make it unique to this location. The photo below is the full view of the chandelier in the lobby.

Observations of the Month

I'm not sorry to see January go - after all, it's another month of winter under our belts. January has been a fairly difficult month - adjusting to a new residence, a new marriage, turning 44, surviving this cold climate, and starting my cancer treatments. I'm wondering how I found the time to manage this photo journal. Considering I only missed one or two days of posts, I think I'm doing pretty good given the circumstances! I can only hope that the next few months go by smoothly, and I continue to find peace from within. I imagine that I will see my shadow at some point, and come to the harsh realization that there are still 6 weeks left of winter {sigh}... BUT, one of my most favorite things will happen in February - that is the 2010 Winter Olympics. There is nothing more uplifting and inspirational than the triumphs of athletes achieving their dreams. To reach for gold, one must be focused and strong. As for me, I am focused and strong - I have my moments and days, but I am in it to win.