Day 363 Freddy in the Water Again!

I can't help it, I love this dog! Not to mention I have been working pretty hard in the first half of my days and by the afternoon I am completely tired and unable to get my old self up and look for a picture. I have taken pictures of Freddy in the water before, and not posted them as I have several posts of him playing in water. But my blog is about the best picture I take during the course of the day and if it is Freddy then so be it. He is after all very photographic! His Beautiful red fur goes well with the green grass background he is usually in. And... each time I photograph him in the water I try to shoot it differently. I am also thinking maybe I can turn him into a series like the one of my old blind horse Covey.

These images I picked for today were difficult to choose. When you love your subject how do you know if you are choosing the photo that is best? or the photo that is not best but represents who you love, so you love that photo? I hope I picked the best photo's.

Day 362 Guy with Red Shirt

One frame taken while driving. I don't like it as much as yesterday's picture, but it's one of those that grows on you.

Day 361 Doggie in a Car

One frame taken while driving and I absolutely love it.

Day 360 Orchid

After photographing my husband with the flower I picked outside of a restaurant the other day, I put the remaining stem in a glass of water on the kitchen windowsill. It opened this morning and was absolutely beautiful. I wanted to photograph it but photographing flowers is a speciality all in itself. So I looked up orchid on Flicker. So many beautiful pictures I knew with my randomly picked flower I couldn't get the kinds of pictures they had. Especially since most flower photographers have someone else picking the perfect flower! So my goal was to photograph it with decent lighting on a black background, yet still be good enough to post to Flicker. The middle picture is what I was attempting to get. So I'm pretty happy I have it. The top and bottom picture were just me playing around after the fact.

Day 359 Supermarket Passers by

I usually sit in the passenger side of my husbands car while he runs in to buy a few things. I always note that it would be fun to photograph the people walking by. Well today I was coming out of the supermarket when a young girl asked to borrow my phone. I let her but was slightly annoyed my time was being wasted, then I realized I could take those pictures of people walking by I always think of. She had my phone for about five minutes and these are the best I got in that time.

Day 358 post 2 Wayne and an Orchid?

I had already taken my picture for the day and was enjoying a nice meal out with my husband, when on our way back to the car I noticed a bunch of plants with lovely flowers. I thought, "I bet one of those flowers would look beautiful coming out of my husbands mouth." Plus I have been wanting to take another portrait of him with out his ears showing. The lighting set up was different. Last time I used two lights and tonight I used just one.

Every time I take a picture with my studio lights it's a project. I have to take them out, set them up, and when finished put them away.

Day 358 Weed with Lavender Flowers

I noticed this weed about a week ago, and loved it's pretty little lavender flowers. I've been thinking how I could photograph it? Should I just do a close up of one of the flowers? Should I photograph the whole thing? and if so should I include the root? and if so should I clean it? Well I obviously photographed the whole thing root and all, but I left the dirt on. Seems more natural that way. Although now that I am done, I wonder if cleaning the root off might have made it show up a little better? This was not an easy picture to take. I used three light sources, and in the tiny space I have available managed to get it all in, about four feet in length, I think?

Day 357 A Cool Drink of Water

I thought it would be fun to get a picture of one of my dogs drinking water. Not as easy as it sounds. I think I need a glass fish tank. I did get this nice picture of Tyler's mouth and don't ask me how long it took to get the bottom picture. It's the water drops from the over flow of water, going into his water dish.

Day 356 Freddy in the Water Again!

I hadn't taken any pictures today and it is hot, so I went to my old fail safe for a picture, that's right my beautiful chow mix Freddy. That dog is never without a smile. Plus I really wanted to photograph him in the sprinkler with a slow shutter speed.

Day 355 Mr. Ramirez

I noticed Mr. Ramirez while driving and made a quick u-turn. I pulled into the store parking lot and was going to pretend to need something at the store and then casually take a picture of him. But as I got out of my truck he stood up and started talking to me. I couldn't make out what he was saying as I don't speak Spanish, until I noticed the store was still locked up. Ohhh the store is closed, so I took a picture of him while he was waiting for the store to open and I was pretending to wait for the store to open. I heard him say "Bonita," Which I know means pretty, so I said "Bonita photo" while pointing to the digital image I had taken of him. I showed him the picture and he posed for me to take a few more pictures. I was about to leave when I heard him say "uno photo" I smiled and said o.k. then took one more picture of him. This is that shot.

Day 354 Bananas

I was cleaning the kitchen when I noticed the browning bananas sitting on the counter. They shouted out to me "We want to be photographed".

Day 353 Double Barrel Harold

While waiting for a friend so they could go to church, Harold let me snap a few pictures. He told me his cousin from Missouri gave him the name Double Barrel Harold shortly after WWII. He also said he now lives in Washington State. I quipped "then you've come a long ways to go to church with a friend".

Day 352 Little Girl with a White Dress

I was driving home when out of the corner of my eye I saw a tiny girl wearing a white dress on the porch of a blue house. I was really tired but managed to turn around and ask her mother if I could take a picture. The little girl seemed to enjoy having her picture taken as she started to smile and have a good time. I have to post at least three of her pictures and I think the top picture is absolutely adorable.

Day 351 Silverware

It's been awhile since I've photographed silverware. I've had this idea for a while now. So it was about time to give it a try.

Day 350 Patty G

Quite a while ago, while photographing on South Ninth Street, I came across a situation where I could have used a little help. Patty was there and with the two of us working as a team we accomplished a mission. I've often wondered about her and today while I was meandering about she said "hey are you a photographer?" I said yes and she told me who she was, thankfully, as I wouldn't have recognized her. We had a wonderful conversation and she let me take a few pictures.

Day 349 Trowel

Another exhausting day! feeling as if I was done, but having to come up with a photo for today, I began looking around the house. What could I photograph? What could I photograph? I've photographed a lot of things from around the house and wasn't having to good of a time finding something that interested me. Until I walked out front and noticed this trowel stuck in the dirt. I pulled it out, cleaned it off a bit, and had my husband hold it.

Day 348 Adam and Jovita

While out for an evening stroll I noticed Adam busily working. I thought he looked photographic with his glasses and hat so asked for a picture. His better half came out soon after and I took a few pictures of her as well. He's sanding a door that is over a hundred years old.

Day 347 Flashed Water and a Wet Rose

I've poured water on quite a few things and was wondering how it would look to pour water on absolutely nothing. After about four frames, I remembered a new rose bush I have in the back yard. A few weeks ago we bought a small rose bush from Home Depot. We planted it and three of the buds have opened. So of course I had to make another go of the water pouring on the rose concept.

Day 346 James and Scotty

While out for a walk I came upon a couple of guys shooting hoops. James didn't want me to photograph him but his girlfriend who was sitting on the sidelines said "Let the Lady take pictures."

Day 345 Elise

While walking my dog Tyler I noticed Elise straightening things on her porch. I've seen her before as she sometimes has yard sales. We had a lovely conversation and she shared some excitement at possibly selling things at a place in Alameda.

Day 344 Karate Kid Kids

I was exhausted and the only time I ventured outdoors was to see a movie with my son and husband. We watched the A Team and as we exited the theater watched these kids perform. Obviously promoting the Karate Kid.

Day 343 Covey

I'm going to make a concerted effort to photograph Covey more. He's a sweet old man and I'd like to have a nice series of images of him.

Day 342 OG and Lucy

While walking my dog Tyler I entered Moose Park from a different direction than usual. There I noticed a group of people hanging out near a picnic bench. I gave them a wide birth as I noticed one of them had a pit bull and I didn't want any trouble. Then OG and lucy came walking towards me, I moved further away and they sped up coming closer. OG said she just wants to play, and I noticed the extremely submissive behavior of Lucy and let the two dogs sniff each other. As they began to get a long OG told me how he had rescued Lucy from an abusive situation and how he wanted to socialize her. I asked if I could take their picture. He struck up a pose and I took several. Some of OG portrait style and some of Lucy. I really didn't believe I had a picture of the two of them together, but in the end this is my choice.

Day 341 Washing Hands

Always when I wash my hands in the "ladies room," I think this would make a nice picture. To exhausted to go out and look for a picture today, I decided to try it. I'm not sure how I feel about the old scale in the bottom right, but I think it's starting to grow on me. Gives some kind of "scale" to the picture.

Day 340 Boxer Girl

It was a long day and with no pictures I took my dog Tyler for a walk. I noticed a house in beautiful evening light with a huge American Flag blowing in the wind, so I headed in that direction. A group of people were sitting on the front porch laughing it up and I stopped to ask them If I could take their picture. None of them wanted to be in a picture but as I was asking, I noticed this girl peeking her head up and looking out the window. They let me photograph the boxer whose name I forgot to get. She'd leap up and stand up and look real cute so all the people were laughing and as they were I got this great picture.

Day 339 Freddie Happiest Dog Ever

Freddie is the happiest dog I have ever known. He always has a smile and a lot of fun.

Day 338 Brenden Theater

Yesterday my husband and I went to see the movie Species. About forty minutes into the movie we noticed a pungent oder, one I recognized from my wanton youth. I went to complain to the management about people smoking pot in the theater and while I was doing so another couple left and demanded their money back. I went back to the theater as the "security team" was exiting and they said yes the smell was pretty strong. I'll say... it was pervasive through out and smoke clouded the screen! The security guy in charge said they couldn't do anything unless the people were caught red handed with a cherry or a bud so they were off to the projection room to scope out the situation. My husband and I left as the smell was just to strong. And we felt they should have gotten rid of the perpetrators committing this high crime. This was a five o:clock show so there were only about five groups of people, two to three in each group. All they had to do was follow the smell. Anyway we used our "free passes" today and saw "Prince of Persia" a far better movie anyway.

This picture was taken on our way to the theater. Funny thing, last year soon after I started this blog I photographed this same rose bush. When viewing the photo went outside to get a better shot. It made me think I had to try harder for my photographs. So what was I thinking taking the picture again? I have no clue, but I shot it with a wide angle and I love this picture!!! I especially love the two people in the bottom left. My husband is the guy in the bottom right, purple shirt.

Day 337 Wayne

Another lighting experiment. The goal was to have light on his face giving him natural skin tones with darkness on the sides so that his ears don't show. This was a little bit more difficult than the side profile from a few days ago, but a fun learning experience.

Day 336 post 2, Covey

I had plans to photograph Covey tonight and instead photographed my hands. Then I boredom set in and I went to photograph Covey after all. This means for the third time I'll have two posts for one day.

Photographing Covey is difficult at best, because he is in the same field, doing the same things, everyday. I don't think this is a great photo by any means, but it is different than what I already have. If I can get something different then hooray for me. It also looks like Covey needs a bath!

Day 336 Working Hands

I had planned on photographing something else today, but it would have had to of been taken in the evening, so I spent the day cleaning and on the computer. This was a mistake as I have chronic pain in my hands. I laid on the couch with my hands in a bowl of icy water hoping to minimize the pain when I began looking at them. They remind me of my moms hands. Well worn obviously belonging to a person who has used them all her life. So I had to photograph them for todays post.

These two images are basically the same but with a little different take on the lighting.

Day 335 Steven Swimming June 2010

After a year of taking swimming pictures Steven's old brown shorts finally tore beyond repair. I have sewn them up several times and according to Steven he had to go out and buy another pair. Part of the swimming project was that the pictures be taken with the brown shorts so eventually I could have a series. Plus I like how the brown photographed in the water. They were just cool. But we all must roll with the punches and today we photographed our monthly swimming pictures with a regular pair of blue swimming trunks. I like todays picture and it will be fun to see how the blue plays out.