Photo's by Sonja

God light paints too.....

2009-08-21T09:00:00.001-07:00

It's called lightning and it's quite deadly, but lots of fun to photograph. I was out for about 20 minutes last night and got my "holy grail" of a picture before the rain started to pour. My trick was to set the camera to Manual, use auto focus on the lens to find a light far away and focus on it, set it to manual focus, set the aperture to 5.6 and set the shutter speed to 30 seconds. I zoom out as far as possible to get as much sky, I point it up so there's very little land (it's just black anyway and a waste of space) and then start shooting. It was a real trick to guess where the next strike would be, the storm was all around me.

Here are my two best shots.....

Light Painting

2009-08-14T10:28:00.000-07:00

Light painting is fun! It requires a camera, tripod, and a light source. I had 2 different flashlights and a flash that I could turn into a strobe. It also should be dark outside. In a nutshell, I set my camera to be open for 30 seconds (slow shutter speed), about f/8 to f/10 aperture, ISO 100 and just jump in front of it with my lights. I can draw in the air with the flashlight pointing at the camera or "paint" something else I see. Here are my results......

We came across some skater boys, they were very interested in what we were doing and I asked them if they'd hold my flashlights while skating. They were awesome!

One of my favorite shots, I painted the bridge with my bright light.

Here's a neat tutorial on how to light paint....

And a really neat video of some people who obviously love light painting...

The love tree - in HDR

2009-08-14T10:23:00.000-07:00

I am quite fond of this heart in the tree so this time, I took a few shots and made it into an HDR image.

On a hill

2009-06-30T09:43:00.000-07:00

I took this in upstate New York, it was in between rain showers and I just loved the storm clouds. This is an HDR image, I combined three differently exposed images with Photomatix PRO to create this effect.

HDR

2009-06-29T21:44:00.000-07:00

High Dynamic Range (HDR) is a technique many photographers use to combine several differently exposed photographs to make one amazing image. I used Photomatix PRO to combine 3 images which were all exposed about 1-2 f-stops apart. One was darker, one was correctly exposed and the other was over exposed. I did some finishing touches in Photoshop CS4 and the end result is.....

This was my first HDR photo, I am sure I will be doing more with HDR in the near future.

My first Quinceanera

2009-06-03T15:05:00.000-07:00

I had a lot of fun with this Quinceanera! The young lady was beautiful, she was dressed like a princess. The family was fun, they sure know how to throw a party! Here are some of my favorites and a couple are more artsy - people who know me also know that I love to play with photoshop.

I didn't have much time to catch this photo where this young lady was standing alone. Many people were eager to jump right in and get their picture taken with her. I had to stand around and wait for a free moment. I like non-posey pictures where the subject isn't always looking right at the camera, these make more creative photos.

I loved how this little girl stood out amongst the big girls, I decided that I wanted the focus to be on her only so I cut off the heads of the older girls (I know, sounds violent) and kept their fancy shoes in the photo.

If I really wanted all of the focus to go to the flowers, then I would have cut off her head (more violence), but I did like her blurry smile so I kept her in tact :)

I tried something different in photoshop, I wanted to hide the background because there was a person standing off to the left of the photo. Although she was blurry, my eyes were still drawn to her and I didn't like that she took some of the attention from this young lady. I will continue to experiment with this one down the road.

This is my favorite photo of the bunch. She put on a beautiful smile and looked very comfortable in front of the camera - she could easily have a modeling career. I have a spot meter on my camera so for this photo, I was able to point it at her skin so that it was perfectly exposed while the background was bright. It's very important for backlit subjects, otherwise I would have had a silhouette shot - which wouldn't be the worst thing, but I wanted her smile to show up.

I'm a fan of silhouettes when they seem appropriate, this young lady took plenty of opportunities to make her little sister feel special and I could tell that little girl loved her!

2009-05-03T14:52:00.000-07:00

This is a technique called "tilt shift photography." There are tilt shift lenses you can buy to create this effect, but a cheaper way to do it is to use photoshop. Tilt shift photography is a way to make real life appear to be a miniature model. It's best to take a photo from a high place and shooting down. Trains, automobiles and people work better as the subject. You can check out the tutorial here.

I think the fact that I don't show up in the reflection of this bubble makes this photo unique. I was in every other bubble reflection except this one.

Odds and Ends

2009-05-03T14:48:00.000-07:00

I've been out with my camera lately just driving around town, here are some of my favorites....

I won 2nd place in a local photo contest with this one, the title of the contest was "reflections"

I couldn't decide which I liked better, the black and white or the color version so I'm posting both.

My latest baby photo shoots....

2009-05-03T14:45:00.000-07:00

Twins!! These two were adorable and fun - especially because they were so sleepy.

Vintage Photography

2009-04-12T21:25:00.000-07:00

Here's a really neat method that I've never used before. One of my friends brought her Kodak Duaflex camera with her, it's an antique and has a large view finder.

I took my digital camera, zoomed in as much as I could and then pointed it at the Kodak's viewfinder (while pointing the Kodak at my subject). It creates this really neat effect.....

Technically, these pictures would all be in black and white or maybe sepia if I wanted it to look legit, but these beautiful little girls had orange dresses and I just loved them. Can you blame me?

Won my first local photo contest

2009-02-16T10:41:00.000-08:00

The topic was "composite images" where I'm suppose to combine 2 images. Normally I get slaughtered with these contests, but this was something I could do. It's my first time winning so I'm pretty excited.

"Giant in the park"

Compositing

2009-01-25T19:24:00.000-08:00

I learned how to do this in CS4 (I've been combining images for years, but learning to do it in photoshop saves a considerable amount of time). Compositing is where you combine 2 images to make 1. I took the moon from another photo, then copied and pasted it over the bridge. I pasted a second one into the water, flipped it so it would be a proper mirror reflection and used motion blur so it would look like the other reflections in the water. Pretty swell trick!

Angel Maria

2009-01-18T19:24:00.001-08:00

To learn more, visit NILMDTS.com

In this photo, there were a lot of tubes in the abdomen, but I used used a cloning tool and paintbrush to eliminate them. It doesn't look as natural as I was hoping, but I'm still perfecting this one (it's my rough draft).

The best gift

2008-12-07T20:43:00.000-08:00

Textures and Layers

2008-11-21T22:04:00.000-08:00

With some tutorials and lots of fiddling around, I have figured out how to use layers to my advantage. I still have a lot to learn, but the basics will afford me hours of fun.

Latest Photo Shoots

2008-11-11T11:14:00.001-08:00

I've been busy so I'm going to include a few recent favorites.

Would you like sugar with your tea?

Comes with free rolls :)

The feeling of fall

2008-10-31T14:31:00.000-07:00

My latest angel, JaXxon

2008-10-12T14:50:00.000-07:00

I spent some time with a couple who lost their baby, JaXxon. When I first saw him, I wondered how something so precious could be so heartbreaking. Here are the photos that caused tears to spill over while editing, I'll never forget this angel and his family. I still think about the other angels I've met. They are so small, but the impression they've left in my heart is huge.

Sacred Grove

2008-09-21T11:46:00.000-07:00

This is one print I will have to frame when I have the chance. I just loved how the sun was just right and it lit up this grove of trees.

Maternity Shoot

2008-09-02T21:14:00.000-07:00

This beautiful expectant mother made an excellent model this past week. She was so natural with the photo shoot, very photogenic and fun to work with. Here are some of my personal favorites....

Photo Challenge - Self Portrait

2008-08-28T21:40:00.001-07:00

A friend challenged us (ladies in an exclusive group) to take a self portrait. We're suppose to use the self-timer and express ourselves - tell who we are in this portrait. So here are my entries, it's a tough one because I don't take pictures of myself - only other people/things/places/etc. There are 3 earthly things I can think of that I love; family, travel and photography. I need them all to be healthy. I entered my family picture - in a previous post and these 2.

Fun couple!

2008-08-25T12:00:00.000-07:00

I did a wedding more than 2 weeks ago and this was a fun couple, they were laid back and easy to work with. While I was shooting, the neighbor dog wandered into the pictures so the groom picked him up and I captured one fun moment before sending the dog on his way.

Sweet Baby!

2008-08-25T11:58:00.000-07:00

One of my friends let me practice on her baby, she is a doll!

While I was on vacation....

2008-07-21T16:26:00.000-07:00

Daniela

2008-06-22T20:28:00.000-07:00

This baby was born early this morning, she is an angel (NowILayMeDownToSleep.org). When I arrived at the hospital, the room was filled with family members and heartbreak. The mother didn't want to hold her baby for any photos. I understand this because it is so hard to want to hold a child she will never take home. It's very common. However, as I got into the photo session and other family members allowed me to take photos of them with this angel, this mother was more willing. I got her to hold her baby despite the pain she was struggling with.

Perhaps the most heartbreaking photo I took was of this sweet innocent boy with gorgeous big eyes.

Cutie!

2008-05-07T12:07:00.000-07:00

My latest photo shoot was for an adorable little girl and her family. I had loads of fun editing her pictures, she is a doll and I just loved all of her different expressions.

Spring!

2008-04-18T09:48:00.001-07:00

The weather is getting warmer and the buds are blossoming. These recent photos look like spring to me.

April Wedding

2008-04-12T19:46:00.000-07:00

My friend, LeeAnn, invited me to help do a wedding with her. I couldn't resist the opportunity to add more photos to my wedding collection. Today was gorgeous and the perfect conditions for an outdoor photo shoot.

My First Angel

2008-03-28T08:11:00.000-07:00

I am a volunteer photographer for the organization called 'Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep.' I provide a free service to parents who give birth to a baby who is likely to pass away or has already. I received a call a couple of nights ago from a coordinator who asked me to photograph a baby who would was not likely to survive the night. I was at the hospital in less than 30 minutes. There I met Rudy, a sweet Angel who was born at 34 weeks gestation. He has a condition which is "not compatible with life" as the nurse explained it. I spent some time with this grieving family and took some photos of them. It was an experience I'll never forget.

As of Sunday, March 30th, Rudy is still fighting for life.
Last update: Rudy passed away, he spent 8 days with his family which was a miracle!

Finally, a baby to practice on!

2008-03-22T08:07:00.000-07:00

I took pictures of a 1 month old baby and his older sister. They were both easy to work with, although, I've learned a few things since. I will remember to turn off the light, it causes a little yellow glow (which doesn't look terrible, but I want all natural light). Also, I'm going to wait until the babies are a bit older for the teacup.

My latest

2008-03-19T09:07:00.000-07:00

I'm really liking the ease of this camera, the lighting was just right and I had very little editing to do. Here is my latest shoot....

Here's a fun one. I'm thinking he is a bit too heavy for her to carry.... but she did get one leg up.

Night Shots

2008-03-16T20:32:00.000-07:00

I love taking pictures of things in the dark, especially things that reflect in the water.

Challenge - Movement

2008-03-16T20:11:00.001-07:00

This month's challenge is to capture movement. I did a few things to achieve this, one is panning. Panning is where I set my shutter speed to a lower speed, perhaps 1-2 seconds, and follow a moving object after I've fired the shutter. The picture is open for those 1-2 seconds so the moving object should be in focus (or somewhat close) and everything around it should be blurry. You're suppose to see that it's moving.

It was an adrenaline rush to be this close to a moving train as it passed me. The force of it's weight and size shook the ground around me. Again, I practiced panning.

In these pictures, I slowed the shutter speed down to capture the light streaks.

Another technique to cause motion is to take the picture while zooming in or out. I don't think you can do this with a regular point-and-shoot camera. You need to do it manually with the lens.

Baby Bump!

2008-03-09T18:01:00.000-07:00

One of my dear friends is having a baby, she let me take pictures yesterday. Here are a couple of my favorites.

Wedding Weekend!

2008-03-09T17:56:00.000-07:00

I photographed a wedding on Friday and a reception for another couple on Saturday. Both couples were fun!

This bride went against the 'norm' and wore yellow shoes, I love it!

Engagement Pictures

2008-03-02T13:55:00.000-08:00

These are my latest clients, they got married last weekend so I'll post pictures soon. They were fun to work with!

Sunset Behind a Barn

2008-03-02T13:51:00.000-08:00

I was on my way to photograph a wedding reception and while driving up a hill, I saw this beautiful sunset behind a barn so I pulled over to take a couple of photos.

Travel

2008-02-21T19:48:00.000-08:00

I took a few pictures while on my recent travels.

Funerals

2008-02-21T19:38:00.000-08:00

I went to a couple of funerals in the past 2 weeks and took some pictures for the families at their request. It was especially hard to photograph these because one was for my cousin and the other was for a very dear friend of the family. Even if I were doing this for a stranger, watching others suffer would be difficult for me.

Tree Star

2008-01-28T19:40:00.000-08:00

While my kids played in the snow, I had my own play time.

A Wedding

2008-01-08T17:15:00.000-08:00

One of my best friends got married more than a year ago. They didn't hire a photographer and I happened to bring my small point & shoot camera so I took their pictures. I could have had MUCH better quality if I had taken my Canon plus accessories, but I think they turned out well despite the handicap.

Photography Challenge - Macro/Close Ups

2008-01-04T12:36:00.001-08:00

I have a photo friend whom I love to learn from, her challenge this week is to get close ups without losing focus. Here are a couple I enjoyed playing with this morning.

My son's eye

My son's naval. Yes, it's an outie.

A leaf

A rough jade stone, it's wet from the rain

Yesterday's pictures

2007-12-23T17:24:00.000-08:00

I did family pictures for a friend and took these solo shots outside after the family pictures.

Photo Shopping

2007-12-20T17:09:00.000-08:00

I'm still perfecting my craft, I learn new things every time I play. This was my first project, cutting out 5 people and giving them a colorful background. It's not perfect, but I'm working on it. I just got new software a couple of months ago and am still playing with it to get it just right. The picture was not taken by me, I only did the photoshopping.

Original Picture:

After:

Pictures in the dark

2007-12-20T16:55:00.001-08:00

Photo's in low light or the dark are a challenge that I enjoy. It took me more than an hour outside in the elements to get the lightning pictures. One of them (the first) was on KNDU news one night.

Portraits

2007-12-20T11:05:00.000-08:00

Scenic & Nature

2007-12-20T11:04:00.000-08:00

Miscelaneous East Coast

2007-12-20T09:51:00.000-08:00

Oregon Coast

2007-12-20T09:37:00.001-08:00

Photo's of Ontario in October

2007-12-20T09:15:00.001-08:00