Enough Rain!

A day of sun, then a downpour of rain...I am not sure that Mother Nature can decide which season were in. I really wish I could have lightened up the grape vineyard below, but the sky just left such a deep and dreary darkness below its cape.

Edwards

Although this sign can be seen brightly lit in the River Park area, I thought it would look classic as a monochromatic photo. As a note to self: I should have also taken it in color to do a complete comparison of the photos. SHOOT! *no pun intended*

Palms Everywhere

You can tell that you are in the desert when you see tons of palm trees and tons of cactus. I chose to photograph the palms....such the superstars!

Bright Nights

I would love to learn more about taking pictures in the evening or with bright lights. This is one of the ferris wheel and the strange tents that I thought came out rather cool.

StageCoach 2010

If you like- I mean if you LOVE country music, then you probably know what Stage Coach is. It is literally the woodstock of country music. A half a day of driving lead us to this much anticipated adventure!

There were a dozen or so bands or artists. Keith Urban, Sugarland, Billy Currington, Phil Vassar, Joey + Rory, Merle Haggard, Toby Keith, Brooks & Dunn, Jason Aldean, Heidi Newfield, to name a few.

There are too many photos to share but here are a few of my favorites:

*Crazy shot showing how many people were there
*Keith Urban



*Sugarland

*Toby Keith in post-its (ha)

Cloudy

Just another amazing shot from the car window. The land seemed so alive to me. This one is my favorite of them all.

Going Somewhere

Where am I: Driving through the Tahachapi Mountains. Great old train tracks were everywhere. Endlessly snaking through the hills and little old towns. I sat like a dog with her head out the car window taking pictures as the wind blew in my hair. I enjoyed capturing so many pictures, entertained by the simplicity of tracks seemingly going no where.

Flowers

Just a few flowers planted ahead inside my blog~
for the upcoming weekend!

...for that one

THE STARFISH POEM

Once upon a time there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work. One day he was walking along the shore. As he looked down the beach, he saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself to think of someone who would dance to start the day.

So he began to walk faster to catch up. As he got closer, he saw that it was a young man and the young man wasn't dancing, but instead he was reaching down to the shore, picking up something and very gently throwing it into the ocean.

As he got closer he called out, "Good morning! What are you doing?"

The young man paused, looked up and replied, "Throwing starfish in the ocean."

"I guess I should have asked, why are you throwing starfish in the ocean?"

"The sun is up and the tide is going out. And if I don't throw them in they'll die."

"But, young man, don't you realize that there are miles and miles of beach and starfish all along it. You can't possibly make a difference!"

The young man listened politely. Then bent down, picked up another starfish and threw it into the sea, past the breaking waves and said- "It made a difference for that one." (author unknown)

Tire-d

I am just tired.
My body. My brain. My spirit. My all.

Momma Mollie

1:23 AM and Haylee wakes me and says Mollie is crying like crazy. My little Mollie is in labor. I have never been around to see/hear a cat have kittens before and none of the Googling or YouTubing prepared me for the next five and a half hours. Mollie was so clingy even trying to follow me out of the room at one point.

Her first kitten was still born which lead me into a frantic because I had no idea what to do. Mollie was confused and Haylee was in shock. Before we knew it Guido the fattest little black kitten was born; then came a skinny greyish kitten who couldnt figure out if he need to nurse on an ear, tail or its sibling--his name is yet to be determined, were thinking GPS might be appropriate. Third came along Gramps with the whitest little beard and black and white striped socks...the only one to look like Mollie. A few minutes later and a yet to be named black kitty joined the group of four. (total last kid syndrome, isn't it though!?!?!* We have no idea what the sex of the kittens are but so far we've had fun with the names. Everyone says I am a grama. Har. Seriously, I was so involved (don't ask me how horrific it was to "remove" the last two kittens) *shudder* But a grama's gotta do what a grama's gotta do, right? One day I will be an Ava to my my own children's babies.... I cannot imagine the joy THAT will bring me because I am so excited about these four teeny kitties. And so proud of my Mollie.

Just Dew It

Another morning....

Some days ya just got dew whatcha gotta do. Today I have to take a final. Which means computers, books, post-its, pens and *sadly* total concentration. I am lacking the later as one can tell since I am blogging. I thought I would present my photo of the day as my first homework assignment, but foremost as a self inspiration. In my current class we learned of wiki's and blogs. I have to ask my self (as provoked by this particular course) what is the purpose of my blog. The "desired" purpose in fact. Is it for others to view and support me? or am I wanting to show off my pretty photos? (that sounded so snotty and totally not the intent of the blog!) or the final option in my eyes is that I blog for me. A total get away to a little island in my own mind. My desired purpose is to complete a goal of 365 days doing something I love and sharing it with those who care enough to peek in when time permits.

Speaking of time... I have a course final to attack. Have a great day!

Black-Eyed Susan

"All in the dawn the fleet was moor'd,
The streamers waving to the wind,
When Black-eyed Susan came on board,
Oh where shall I my true love find?
Tell me, ye jovial sailors, tell me true..."
John Gay, poet

This weekend I planted wildflower seeds. No, these are obviously not mine. But I cannot wait for them to grow and blossom just as these flowers have! There is nothing prettier than wildflowers. I had not heard of this poem before, therefore never had associated the flower to a woman or to a "true love"... I thought it was just great!

Bubble

Today was a beautiful sunny day and I helped my best friend at a fundraiser for the new aquarium. There was a great section with bubbles and I was steadfast on capturing some in flight.
I found it difficult to choose just one photo. I of course had to share Matthew as he enjoyed making the biggest bubbles of his life!

Change

"Every day does present a new opportunity that was not there the day before, and within the sameness there is change. Often, the change is very positive—even when we’re not paying attention."

Sharon Leah

I sit in my self-slumber. I am fuzzy minded, foggy if you will. I made a change today to walk into the day. Yes, with a camera in hand as it was the one thing that held my hand and persuaded me to face the morning. I thought long and hard to find the words to explain not only why I chose to share this photo but why I felt the need to capture it on film.

I think I have forgotten how a few things in my life are defined: opportunity, change...and choices.
Kristi: it is time to begin paying attention.

Rose

What's in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet...
William Shakespeare

I heard my dad give his version of this quote more than once as a teen. It always crossed his lips as a lesson was being reinforced.
"A rose by any other name..." When I was younger I didn't quite understand its meaning. However, life has taught me that it is not the name that is important but the character and sweetness of the flower...or person...or action.

Travels

“Too often. . .I would hear men boast of the miles covered that day, rarely of what they had seen.”

Louis L'Amour

Some days a person just needs to get in their car and drive. There are so many places I have yet to see...I need to drive.

Determined

"It's the constant and determined effort that breaks down all resistance and sweeps away all obstacles."
Claude M. Bristol

Barriers

I have been told that I "put up walls." As a matter of fact, I have been told this more than once and by more than one person. Yes, I put up barriers. Yes, I put up walls. Today, I am putting up a fence. Take it literally if you must. It is intended to keep people out and keep me hidden within. This photo is fitting of how I am feeling... more than you can ever know.

Orange Uh-Oh

jaye: "Mom, Matthew stole his first orange today."
me: "No, he took one from a tree last week."

jaye: "Yeah but we got caught by the guy who owns the orchard..."
jaye, jarrid & matthew: LAUGHTER

Trouble makers. I am such a proud mother *rolling eyes* Then Jessica suggested I document it in my blog.
Here they are with their evidence: Jarrid, Matthew and Jessica.

Taylor Swift Day

Many months ago we purchased Taylor Swift tickets. We had a fabulous time. I was too scared they would say my camera was not allowed. Because we drove to the concert in a limo and I had to leave it back in the car. I did get some pictures with my friend Tina's camera; I made it within a dozen feet of Taylor Swift. Should've seen me walking across the stadium chairs to get a good photo! Me and every little seven year old in the house!

Here are two pictures, obviously not from my own clicking, but I had to share. Outside of Red Robin in front of our limo--had to go to the concert in style! Tina & Claire, Haylee, Me, Eric holding Jenna, Jaye and her boyfriend Jarrid.
And the next one is me and my Girls. What a great memory!

From Here to There

Homework. I always have homework.

Occasionally we create a homework assignment for 365. This weekend is a "flower assignment" to capture spring. I also have homework for my Learning Communities and the Internet course for KGSM in which we are working on using blogs as teaching tools.

TODAY I get to combine the two...which sadly has turned out to be the highlight of my day.

When I stand behind my camera, my goal is to capture a "moment". Sometimes you see the picture in your mind and the perfection of the vision is blissful! Then you look at the screen on your camera and the photo is just a photo verses a "moment".

The flower assignment was easy as I am surrounded by blossoms in my yard These vibrant purple wild flowers creep every which way throughout the fence surrounding the pond. As I approached, the hum of the bees made me cautious and my objective to capture a shot of a hovering bee was clear. I love how I caught him mid-flight. He was doing his job and he helped me succeed at mine.

The second shot is an expression to share the Here and There concept. This is virtually the same photo. Amazing what a zoom lens can do. It totally changes the environment. It totally changes the memory.

Beauty...

...is in the eye of the beholder. Or the photographer in this case!

What do you see?

I like this picture because of its simplicity. When I first spotted this potential photo: I noticed an old tree. Only secondly did I notice how great it presented itself against the lush green. Lastly, and much to my pleasing did I realize the ground had the perfect sprinkling of white flowers.

Beauty.

The Art Of Crop

I was scanning an awesome article from the magazine, Outdoor Photography just a few days ago. Only today did I realize that I was actually reading a "lesson" on the magic of cropping a photo. I decided to follow the same concept as the article discussed which is basically taking one photo but making two or more photos from the original.

Original Photo: Such a non adventurous day for this photo experiment. I noticed this view from my home office window. The screen prevented a clear shot so I left my seat and stood literally outside the office window to try my best to get the same shot.__________________________________________________

First Crop: After selecting lower middle section of the tree and clouds I created a dramatic crop. This created more of an emphasis on the clouds verses the entire tree. It also gives the illusion that the color of the sky has changed; but it was not altered from the original.
______________________________________________
Second Crop: For the final crop I chose to make the photo a landscape scene, removing much of the upper and lower sections of the original photo. I think this adds a nice touch and feels more dramatic. However just like the other two versions, the tree (branches) frames the photograph giving more of three dimension element.

What Is Inspiration?

I have seen the definition in the dictionary. I have felt it from viewing pictures and hearing stories from others.

What does Inspiration mean to you? Where do you find it?

Many people assume that I need inspiration to be able to take a photograph. But it is actually the opposite: The photograph actually creates the inspiration inside of me.

What do you see when you look at the photograph of this old house? Does it evoke an emotion? For me I sense history and a story: Who lived here? Why did they leave?

I decided to share this photo and ask each person in my household what emotion they felt when they looked at it.

Adult male: "it's confusing, why would there be new doors and awnings on an old place?" Really?! is this a man thing?! *next*
15 yr. old girl: "its a cafe" Plain and simple, just a shrug of the shoulder, no emotion. Maybe this is a teenaged girl thing?! *next*
13 yr. old boy: "its a bad house" and "it makes me feel sad" Very surprising that he saw such negativity in the old place. His face really looked perplexed as if he was waiting for something more? I should have asked him but I was already yelling for my next guinea pig....*next*
7 yr. old girl: "its an old house" I asked her it she felt an emotion: No. Do you know what an emotion is?: Yes, like happy or sad. (blank stare from me indicating I wanted to know if she had an emotional response) She smiled this huge toothy grin: I don't feel happy or sad. *groan*next*
3 yr. old boy: "ohhhhhhhhhhh I like it!" I am thinking "finally" someone in this house has an artist eye! I am feeling so proud!!! Then he burst my bubble by saying he likes how the house is "all covered in mud" *sigh, he is soooo three years old & all boy*

I am all out of guinea pigs....and not a single one of them mentioned the little purple row of flowers. I honestly don't even think they noticed them. I thought they made this old place inviting enough that I pulled over on the side of the road to take a picture of Inspiration.

Sunset again...and again...and again

This is the same photograph. Can you guess which one is the original? Probably since I made the three distinctively different!

Depending on what program the editor/ photographer chooses to use, many changes can be made to every single photograph.

Photos can be enhanced in many ways usually to brighten or contrast the colors of the original photo. A scene such as a sunset usually has the desired imagery of different color tones and editing can come into play in various ways...as I have chosen in the three photos. I realistically could have changed this seen several dozen times. For the changes I made enhancements by adjusting my saturation and hues.

The Big Questions of the Day:
Which is the original photo?
AND which photo do you like the best?

Easter 2010

This day is celebrated in many ways for different families. For me it is about Family. This year was spent with only two of my children: Jenna and Matthew. The other children I was able to enjoy via text messaging...Ah the joys of technology in our every day lives! It can keep a family closer and for that, I will always keep a blackberry in my back pocket!

Here are my two little sweeties....who am I kidding? They were so rambunctious gathering their eggs and negotiating from their baskets to other kids!

Ye Old Farm

We learn from our past. If you dig deep into the past of my Grama Georgina Melo Roza's life...you will return to the days of dairies and cows. Although this is not the old family dairy it did give me a sense of what toils those in agriculture dedicate. I am sure they saw much less of the beauty that I do through the lens of my camera. I chose monochromatic tones in order to preserve the "old eyes" look.