Finally

Here is the November 30 post in November's Pic of the Day album. I have finished the challenge and posted an image each day except for one in the album you'll find here. It was harder than I thought, not because I don't shoot every day...I do. Taking a picture and choosing a picture that I thought was good enough for the album was a challenge...and sometimes I was in a rush to do so...so I posted and then ended up taking better pictures, more interesting pictures later in the day. And so it went.

Composing this picture, I decided to have the more interesting things in the lower corner of the shot, leaving negative space up top as a contrast. The yellow lily in the background made for a brilliant backdrop. I was using my 60 mm macro lens with an aperture of f/2.8 so the lily was only colour, instead of detail that would distract.

My shutter speed was 2.5 seconds so you'll guess correctly that I used my tripod for this shot. My ISO was 100.

T-Town!

Construction signs and all, here is my Transcona!

I shot this scene in my neighborhood and made sure to include the ordinary...the piles of dirty snow...the construction signs...the stop signs and the traffic. It is an ordinary little neighborhood but also I think, quaint...and rather patriotic it seems.

Cropping out the sky's expanse, I focused in on the street scene alone. It is what is important in this image.

Once on my computer I enhanced the colours, increased the contrast and then also added a textured layer to add to the nostalgic feel.

I shot at a speed of 1/160 with an aperture of f/6.3 and focal length of 40 mm. My ISO was 100 and my lens choice was my EF24-70mm.

Christmas Question

Can Christmas come to the cold and hard places?

28/30

This is 28 of 30 in November's Pic of the Day album. Almost done!

I was in too much of a rush! I left the persimmon out and as the light changed I continued to snap. I think I prefer this second one over the first. What about you?

Amazing Artistry

Amazing artistry in the snowflake.

Misty Morning

I shot this on a cold misty morning. Snow and ice were all around except on this lake, the deepest lake in Manitoba. This lake is interesting in its origin as it was formed when a meteorite hit the earth, creating a huge crater that became what we now know as West Hawk Lake.

My shutter speed was 1/125 and my aperture was f/5.0. My ISO was 100 and focal length 190. When I converted the image to black and white, the frosted trees seemed to separate from those without, the mist became more obvious and the negative space more effective.

Snowy Woodlands

A steady hand, a long and fast lens...and maybe some carrots were all useful to capture these kinds of images.

We were out at a cabin in the woods over the weekend and had the delight of deer company. When the snow began to fall it was absolutely magical.

My aperture was f/5.6 and shutter speed 1/100 for this one while my focal length was 300.

For this duo pair having a bit of a stare-down, I shot at f/5 and a speed of 1/125. My focal length was 150.

And finally, this snow-capped buck was shot at f/5.6 with a shutter speed of 1/100. My focal length was 300.

Tune

Slow Ride

My Winnipeg

Sacred Echoes of the St. Boniface Basilica

One of the things I either look for or am drawn to are echoes within an image. When we see a shape or idea repeated, we take note. It is interesting and engaging. Here in this image of the St. Boniface Basilica we see triangular echos throughout the frame.

With regard to spiritual things, I quite like to consider repeated truths or teachings as sacred echoes. This idea first came to me through a book called The Sacred Echo by Margaret Feinberg. My sister-in-law told me about this good read and I have since bought it for myself. When an idea or teaching is repeated within a distinct enough time-frame to be noticeable I sit up and do take notice. There will be something for me to see and understand, for sure.

I shot this image at a speed of 1/100 and aperture of f/10. My focal distance was 24 mm with my 24-70mm lens. As usual, my ISO was 100.

Beautiful Brereton

Hope

Winter Settles In at The Forks

Train Town

Include the telling things in your compositions. Sometimes we shy away from street and business signs and climb a little higher to avoid entire structures to get that great shot. On occasion, perhaps more often than this, it is better to include these things as they inform the viewer about the whole. If you intentionally include these things, the overall composition will also be improved.

I shot this image with my 60 mm macro lens - it is what I had with me. My shutter speed was 1/4000 and my aperture was f/2.8. ISO was fixed at 100.

Summer in the City

Basket

In no hurry, this gentleman peddles slowly down the street. What you may not notice is he is taking a drag on his smoke and just movin' along, taking in the sights and sounds of the neighborhood.

Shot in the Exchange District in Winnipeg, Manitoba back in the fall of 2011. When I happened upon this guy I didn't have time to change my settings so I shot with what I had. My shutter speed was 1/6400 and aperture was f/5.6. What is most ridiculous to me is my ISO setting. For those who have been following my posts, you'll be a little surprised to read it was set at 800. I do not know what that was about and since this was more than a year ago, try as I might, I cannot remember for the life of me!

Still, I liked the shot and decided to work with what I had. Currently on a quest to incorporate interesting colour and textures into my photography, I imported this image into photoshop and played around until I found something that worked well with both the original composition and the one in my head.

My Winnipeg

I was out and about today and as is often the case, my camera occupied the passenger seat. I pulled over a couple of times and shot some local scenes in my city. Sometimes it is easy to feel as though our own hometown is commonplace. Perhaps it is but in its "ordinary" is often found the extraordinary.

I love my city.

 

The above photo was shot in St. Vital, Winnipeg. The lens I used for both the images in this post is my EF24-70 mm. My shutter speed was 1/80 and aperture f/9.0. My ISO was 100 and focal length 32 mm.

In my effort to include the ordinary, I did not wait for the parked car to leave (I also didn't have the kind of time that may have required). The street signs are present and appropriate. One other shot I had taken included a fire hydrant with a bright orange marking pole beside it. I have my limits to ordinary and quickly opted away from that picture.

Once on my computer, I played in Lightroom with the colours and contrasts and then also brought it into Photoshop where I applied a texture layer over top.

This second image was taken in my own neighborhood of Transcona. The sun shone a little brighter as it was closer to noon when I took this picture. I mentioned earlier my lens choice but my settings were different. I used a shutter speed of 1/320, aperture of f/9.0 and ISO 100. My focal length was 24 mm.

I played with the colour and contrast in a similar way to the above image, both in Lightroom and Photoshop.

Winters in Winnipeg

I took this photo after the big snow we got in Winnipeg last weekend. Some cars are all but buried, noticed only by their side mirrors. One driver stands beside his car, not sure where to begin. Ahh, Winnipeg....

Prairie Palms

Scenic Manitoba

These trees looked as though they were dipped in frosting and then stuck back into the snow to set! Scenic Manitoba!!

Pic of the Day

I am challenging myself in this month of November to post a picture of the day for the entire month. Each day, the featured picture must be taken on that day; I cannot pull from the archives. Some may be pretty rough but I am committed to this. It challenges my creativity through discipline.

If you're interested in following the album, you can find it here.

Here is today's posting:

I shot this with my zoom, focal length was 300. My aperture was set at f/5.6 and my shutter speed was 1/400. ISO? You guessed it - 100.

Words Without Pictures

I remember.
I remember those who gave their lives.
I remember those who sacrificed time with their families, and those families who sacrificed time with their soldiers.
I remember.
With gratitude.

Unexpected

Winter's Beach

Winter's beach can be as serene and peaceful as summer's. Maybe more so with quiet's presence.

With an almost all-white composition, I made sure to compensate so my image would not end up under-exposed. If left for the light meter to decide, it would be a dull and dark image. I "pushed my whites to the right" on my histogram and ended up with an appropriately exposed photo.

I shot at a speed of 1/500 and aperture of f/8. ISO was fixed at 100, as is my habit.

I added a textured layer in photoshop that also brought a touch of colour to the sky.

Turtle Island

Hoarfrost at Dusk

Last winter was an amazing winter for hoarfrost in Winnipeg. Instead of disappearing with the sun's rise, some days it lasted well into the day and on occasion into the evening and night. Hoping for more of the same this winter.

Winter-Kissed

Making sure to compensate for the full white composition, I bumped up my exposure so the camera actually indicated the image was overexposed. I shot at f/8 and a speed of 1/800. My ISO was 100.

Once on my computer, I converted the image to a black and white because I wanted to rid the shot of the blues that are often found in snow compositions. However, it is not a true black and white as there are some warm tones present.

This wintry scene originally presented quite grey with a blue cast. Using a preset and then adjusting the colour from there, I eventually found what worked best, but the image was not yet complete. I brought it into Photoshop and applied a texture layer over-top.

In camera, I shot at f/8 with a speed of 1/800 and ISO of 100.

I Can Almost Hear it Play

Niche

Our niche may not always initially appear to be the place where we belong. That does not mean it won't be a good fit.

I took this picture on an overcast morning, eliminating the chance of extreme glare off the glass. I used my macro lens, a 60 mm prime, and shot at a speed of 1/250, an easily hand-held speed with little risk of camera shake. My aperture was f/2.8. My ISO was, as is my custom, firmly fixed at 100.

Corona

Our mind completes a circle. This is why it works to take a picture of part of something round. We fill in the blanks and complete what is missing quite easily. This works for close-ups of people's faces, sunsets, pumpkins...you name it. If it is round, or close to round, you can get away with not including the whole of the round.

I chose to present this image in black and white, void of colour, to accentuate the textures and shape of the sunflower.

Using my 60 mm macro lens, I shot at a speed of 1/160 with an aperture of f/2.8.

PS If the title "Corona" puzzles you, look it up.