Going Exploring

Going Exploring
Originally uploaded by Anonymously Uncool

It's been a while since I have blogged my pictures. Heck, it's been a long time since I've uploaded any of my pictures. Since starting my new job about a year ago, photography has taken a back seat.

This shot was actually taken with the Hipstamatic app on my iPhone while on vacation, but I love the way it came out.

We went to Fort Myers Beach, Florida last week, and stayed at the Pink Shell Resort and Spa. The first night there, we went for a walk on the beach during sunset and encountered a variety of sea life. This picture is of my daughter and son checking out part of a horseshoe crabs remains that had washed onto the beach. We also saw sea urchins, sea stars, and jelly fish on this particular walk.

All decorated

All decorated
Originally uploaded by Anonymously Uncool

This is the first year that we have hung lights for Christmas, and we did very little actual decorating. We hung the icicle lights, and set out the train, but that was it. We also have some candy cane lights for lining the sidewalk, but we didn't put them out. I wanted to take some pictures of the lights on the first measurable snow fall of the year.

Fall!

Fall!
Originally uploaded by Anonymously Uncool

I haven't been taking a lot of pictures lately. I'm not sure why not, other than I just haven't. I'm thinking I may try a 365 project again, maybe starting at Thankgiving.

I took this picture of my son on Friday evening after work. He was throwing leafs up in the air and letting them fall. I love how this picture in particular came out.

Fireworks 007

Fireworks 007
Originally uploaded by Anonymously Uncool

The Fourth of July came and went. We saw fireworks on three different nights, but the first night we watched them from afar, the second night, I didn't take my camera because it was my sons first time watching fireworks and I wanted to enjoy the experience with him (good thing too, because he was tired and spent the whole time cuddling on my lap), and the last night I got fireworks. Next year, I find my tripod in advance, instead of propping my camera on top of the car.

Just a Post

I am writing this post specifically to validate my blog for another site. Please disregard.

Men love to play with kitchen utensils

Standing in a Row

Standing in a Row
Originally uploaded by Anonymously Uncool

I have gotten quite a few hits to my pictures of the beach from last year, from people looking for pictures of the Gulf oil spill. Fortunately, for now, the beaches I grew up on have not been impacted by the oil spill, but I'm afraid that it's coming, and glad that I got these pictures last year.

This beach is located on the northern tip of Estero Island in Fort Myers Beach, Florida. This photo was taken from our 7th floor hotel room at The Pink Shell Resort and Spa. You can see Sanibel Island in the distance, including the historic light house, if you view the original size.

These shots are just so calming. I miss the beach.

003/365: I will Never Be Skinny Like those Girls on TV

003/365: I will Never Be Skinny Like those Girls on TV
Originally uploaded by Anonymously Uncool

I told you I'd have to get the nerve. After considering it, I decided not to edit out my imperfections, so here I am in all my not so pretty glory.

It's not the exact shot I was going for, but I like how it came out anyway.

002/365: Relaxing

002/365: Relaxing
Originally uploaded by Anonymously Uncool

I decided to try 365 again, and made Thursday day number one.

We finally made it to see the new polar bear exhibit on Friday, and I got a couple of great shots of the girls. This is one of my favorites because you can see the fine detail of the fur and the rock she's laying on. I did some post processing on this because I really wanted the bear to stand out, and the sunlight was pretty inconsistent throughout. I have an idea for today's shot, if I can get the nerve to take (and post) it. We shall see. I'll need to find my tripod for it though. My children apparently believe it's a toy and it seems to have disappeared.

On the Horizon

On the Horizon
Originally uploaded by Anonymously Uncool

I think I might give 365 another shot. I'm in a better place now than I was when I started it the first time, and I'm having a great time pulling the camera out most days. The summer months are a little more encouraging for daily shooting than winter. This might be photo 001/365 if I decide to start again. I have some great shots from the zoo today that I want to post as well. We shall see.

Soaking in a Sunset

Soaking in a Sunset
Originally uploaded by Anonymously Uncool

This is an older picture. I was looking for the original, then realized that it was probably on the laptop we bought that crashed within a week of purchase. Fortunately, this evening I found my external hard drive and, low and behold, there were pictures of last years vacation, as well as my sons first birthday, nieces second birthday, and daughters third birthday. I have never been so relieved.

This is one of my favorite shots from that vacation. I have several, but something about my one year old son watching the sunset, the colors, the atmosphere... I just love this. There are others on my Flickr if you want to check them out.

Wilted

Wilted
Originally uploaded by Anonymously Uncool

I bought a cord to get my flash off camera so I could get a little more creative with my lighting. What a waste of $30. The cord is so tightly wound that I can't get the flash more than six inches from my camera and if I try to face the flash away from me, the tension in the cord pulls the flash back around and faces it directly towards my subject. I was so excited to play with different lighting, and now I'm just pissed because I wasted the money and I'm back where I started from.

This is one of the roses my sweet baby insisted on buying me for Mother's Day. They've pretty much had it, but before I tossed them, I wanted to take pictures of the pretty wilted flower. This was one picture that I actually managed to get the flash facing away from the flower, and bounced it off of a piece of white foam board. I like the resulting lighting.

Are You Ready for Some Football

Are You Ready for Some Football
Originally uploaded by Anonymously Uncool

We visited with my parents this weekend. It's very seldom that things align so that we get to spend time at bothof their houses. I cooked my mom an amazing steak on the grill, along with baked potatoes, kabobs (assembled by my youngest sister), hamburgers, and hot dogs. My other sister brought Birthday cake for my niece, who turned two last week. My brother and his kids were there too. Only my youngest brother was missing; but overall it was a good Mothers Day celebration.

Today we went to my dads and the kids got outside to play. It was a bit chilly, but we got to enjoy the sunshine for a little bit. My son definitely loves football.

Pretty In Pink

Originally uploaded by Anonymously Uncool

My husband has asked that I remove some of the pictures of our kids from the internet, so I deleted them from Flickr and Facebook. It makes me angry that we live in a world where I can't post some of the cuter pictures of my kids on my Flickr account or blog because somebody with less than pure intentions might see it.

My daughter wanted to get me pink flowers in a pink vase for Mothers Day. We went out Friday night to look for my gift and I had suggested that we get live potted flowers instead of cut flowers so we could plant them in our flower bed instead of having dead flowers in a few days. We went to a nursery and looked at every flower they had and my princess didn't like any of them. I personally liked the orchids and rose bushes. But no, princess didn't like any of them.

We went to Wal-Mart to get stuff so I could cook my mom dinner for Mothers Day, and wouldn't you know that she decided the pink rose bouquet that she saw right inside the door.

I took some pictures last night using my lensbaby and bouncing the flash off the ceiling and the wall, and this morning using natural light. I love the dreamy feel of this image created by the lensbaby.

There Are Just Some Things

Originally uploaded by Anonymously Uncool

I love Flickr. I do. I like being able to share my photos, I like being able to view other peoples photos. I like seeing how people do the things they do with their cameras and learning about how to do new things with my camera. It's awesome. It's a great learning tool and a great way to see great photographers.

And then there is the darker side of Flickr.

Now, I'm just speculating here, but, I used to not put pictures of my kids on here, at least not publicly. I was afraid of pedophiles looking at their pictures and doing unsavory things, but I started to get over it, especially because there are SO many kids pictures on Flickr.

During this past week, I have added pictures of my kids out playing because I was playing with my lensbaby and they're fun to take pictures of. No big deal, right?

And then I looked at my stats, and where my hits are coming from.

"wet pants"
"wet boys"
"wet"

Really?

Wet pants was not even part of my tags, just happened to fall in the descriptions of the pictures, and it's taking these people to a picture of my son running around in a diaper.

I'm disturbed, really.

And it makes me feel a little sick to my stomach. I removed the words wet and pants from the caption of my photo. But who knows who has already seen it.

And then there are people that add me as a contact, with no pictures and no other contacts. Why? Are they really a pedophile that just wants to be able to easily access my kids pictures? Where do you draw the line? Do I just stop putting pictures of my kids on Flickr?

Sometimes, I'm really just disgusted by the world we live in. And I'm mad at myself for exposing my kids to that without even thinking.

Climbing Trees

Climbing Trees
Originally uploaded by Anonymously Uncool

I bought a Lensbaby Muse this weekend and I've been playing with it for the past few days. It's going to take a lot of getting used to and playing with, I think. Today was the first that I took it outside and took any action shots with it. They're still not coming out with any consistancy. I have to remind myself that it's only day three and I can't expect myself to be amazing with it. I'm not even consistently good with my regular lenses. I also bought a cord to get my Speedlite off camera, so maybe I'll get to have a little fun with that too.

Pretties

Pretties
Originally uploaded by Anonymously Uncool

We've been spending a lot of time outside lately. It's been warmer (aside from Thursday and Friday) and we have weeds growing all over our yard in the form of dandelions and these purple flowers. Our maple trees are sprouting new leafs and we've had a few bees.

We got a gallon of bubble solution and spent the evening outside last night and again today. It's been great.

Although I hate that my new job requires I work five days a week, and that I have to work until 5:30 once a week, it is nice getting home by 4:00 the other days of the week, and being able to take the kids outside before bedtime.

I'm working on writing and illustrating a childrens book, or two, or three. I have a lot of ideas. The more I write, the more ideas I have. I can write them. The question is, can I illustrate them. I'd like to illustrate one of them. Just one. Then I am more than willing ot pass off the illustrations to somebody else.

I'm trying to get my creativity back. It used to be my life. Now it's hardly anything.

The Thing with Project 365

If you follow my Flickr at all, you've probably realized that I am no longer participating in Project 365 at this point. I just wasn't getting what I wanted out of the project; I was getting very little feedback on my pictures, they were getting worse instead of better, and I was slowly finding myself caring less and less about getting a good picture. I'd comment 30 people and not even get a single view on my shots, which made me bitter, and isn't what I want photography to be about anyway. So yeah, that's why I stopped doing Project 365.

I also started a new job today that is making me work five days a week instead of four, and with the total upheaval of my life, it just wasn't conducive to continue. I will try again later. Maybe this summer....maybe.

We've been going to the zoo rather often, and I've been taking a lot of pictures...some I love, some not so much.

I took some of my kids on the carousel at the zoo, which was originally built in 1914. I know this, because they repeat it before and after every ride. I played with PSE, because I wanted an older feel to them, to go along with the old carousel, but I think I like the originals better.

Our last trip to the zoo was an all day event, because it was the last weekday I would be home with the kiddos, so we were all exhausted when we left.

I love the koala's.

The elephants are pretty cool too.

065/365: All Dressed Up with Nowhere to Go

065/365: All Dressed Up with Nowhere to Go
Originally uploaded by Anonymously Uncool

I haven't blogged in a while. I've been having a hard time getting a good shot every day, and an even harder time getting things uploaded in a timely fashion.

I knew I wanted to take this picture, at least the one of me laying face down on the bed, for a long time. I decided to add in some additional sequential pictures for effect. I kind of like it, but it's something I will probably reshoot later.

I bought this little black dress for my 10 year high school reunion. My husband said he'd take me out somewhere we could wear it when we returned to Ohio. It's been hanging in the closet for six months now.

I think I want the shot of me in bed from a higher angle.

Your Hand is Cold as Ice

Your Hand is Cold as Ice
Originally uploaded by Anonymously Uncool

I really don't have much to say about this. I love the shape of the icicle, and I love the light reflection off of it. I used my Speedlite and angled it towards the snow covered ground, so it reflected back up and off of the ice. The ice is so distructive though; it's pulling shingles off of our roof.

Being a Good Neighbor

Being a Good Neighbor
Originally uploaded by Anonymously Uncool

Not my 365 shot, but maybe it should have been. The more I look at it, the more I like it.

I called the gas company to report a gas leak outside. I wish I could take all of the credit, but really it was the contractor that was here to fix our basement that noticed the smell. I just made the call.

The gas company said that had somebody not called, the leak would have been in their house within a matter of weeks, and they likely would have gotten carbon monoxide poisoning.

We hardly talk to anybody on our street, but the neighbors came over to thank me for calling and saving their lives. I joked that I almost felt I should apologize after seeing the holes in their yard. I'd like to think they would have done the same.

Really, I can't take the credit.