Christmas Glow

Christmas at The Forks

Christmas Tree Lot

Jingle Bells

Snowing Colour

Snow falls on Osborne.

Christmas Glow at The Forks

Tis the Season

Christ

"This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

Luke 2:12

"Taking Jesus' body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen.

This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs."

John 19:40

"Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb.

He saw the linen cloths lying there, and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head,

not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself."

John 20: 6, 7

Advent: Hope

Advent: Peace 

Advent: Joy

Advent: Love

Love

This is how God showed his love among us:

He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.

This is love: not that we loved God,

but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

1 John 4:9-11

Advent: Hope

Advent: Peace 

Advent: Joy

Decorated Decorations

I left some Christmas ornaments out in the snow in hopes that the new flakes would settle in on top without covering them up completely. It worked like a charm so I went outside with my camera and tripod once it was bright enough outside.

I shot this at 1/10 with an aperture of f/8. The slower speed required a tripod to steady my camera. The aperture I chose allowed for more of the snowflakes to be in focus because it offered a greater depth of field.
As is always the case with a predominantly white composition, I "pushed my whites to the right" on the histogram and then further brightened the image once on my computer.

Christmas Reflection

I love playing with reflection in photography. Throw Christmas in as a subject and it only gets better!

I shot this reflection image at a speed of 1/25 sec with an aperture of f/2.8. My focal length was 70 and my ISO was 400.

This is a reflection of our tree in a grandfather clock casing's glass (no actual clock yet). With the f/2.8 aperture, the depth of field was pretty shallow, not allowing both the reflection and the casing to be in focus (my focal choice is obvious). This worked well for this particular image, especially once I added a texture layer and increased the contrast and saturation. It all came together quite beautifully.

Joy

That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”  Luke 2:7-12

Advent: Hope

Advent: Peace

City Shoppers

Words Without Pictures

How quick am I to tease apart Mary's boy-child's presence from His purpose? For to us a child is born, to us a son is given... Why?

I wouldn't consider leaving any gift under the tree unopened, never mind the best and biggest gift. But by my actions of separating out Christmas from the cross, do I not leave the greatest gift of all, wrapped up in swaddling clothes, lying beneath the tree?

Bell Hotel

Shooting on a mild morning, before sun-up, allowed me to take full advantage of the lights' reflection in the puddles. Puddles are an unusual sight in Winnipeg in winter and well worth getting up early to incorporate into my compositions. Puddles add pop to pictures.

I shot this scene at a speed of 1/30 and with an aperture of f/2.8. My focal length was 28 mm and my ISO was 400.

Christmas Bokeh

I love how the bokeh echoes the shape of the Christmas ball. Include bokeh. Look for bokeh. It can add so much to your image. Its light and form are positively magical.

I shot at a speed of 1/80 with an aperture of f/2.8. My focal length was 45 and ISO was a whopping 800. 

Tree Trimming

Peace

I give you peace, the kind of peace that only I can give.

It isn't like the peace that this world can give.

So don't be worried or afraid.

John 14:27

Advent: Hope
Advent: Joy

Oh Christmas Tree

Deck the Halls at The Forks

The Forks Market is all decked out for Christmas and looks fabulous! The combination of rich colours and textures in this meeting place call me back time and time again. Add the festive touches and it welcomes me with increased celebration!

Though there was a fair bit of natural light, it was not adequate to take a still shot without bumping up my ISO. Since I did not have my tripod to reduce the risk of camera shake, reluctantly, I set my ISO at 500. My shutter speed was 1/125 and my aperture set at f/2.8.