three sixty five

My love

2011-03-24T23:29:00.000-04:00

People ask me all the time, "How's married life?"

It's wonderful.

Peachy Keen Photography

2011-03-16T11:39:00.000-04:00

The site has been launched! Check it out!

Peachy Keen Photography

For those who follow my blog, soon I will be moving over to this blog:

http://peachykeenphotography.blogspot.com/

So follow meeeee!

Jeepers creepers!

2011-02-22T14:44:00.002-05:00

Nicole and Leo Engagement Shoot

2010-12-14T02:20:00.000-05:00

Bloggerland, I'm sorry. I've been busy. Here's a couple to hold you over.

sneak peek

2010-11-22T00:58:00.000-05:00

More to come. When I'm not about to fall into a coma due to sheer exhaustion...this weekend was work, work, work, but it was sooooo worth it :)

They were so much fun :) I think I'm gonna like this job!

Updates

2010-11-14T01:00:00.001-05:00

Okay, so!

I recently upgraded to the Nikon D90 and future hubby is learning to shoot with the D80. Not a bad hand-me-down, if you ask me. Side note: the D90 is awesome. Just awesome.

Our wedding is 5 weeks away. Next weekend we are shooting a wedding AND an engagement session. And all I can do is shoot photos of my very soon to be husband.

I am aware I have a problem.

But I just can't help myself.

Disney Weekend

2010-10-18T10:39:00.002-04:00

I almost didn't bring my camera with me this time around. I'm glad I did.

She didn't know I was taking her picture. She likes to talk to her toys. I think she was scolding him haha

Aww. Look at the adorable boogers.

My favorite shot from the day.

I'll finish this post the same way I started it...with a skate trick.

I just wanted to mention one small achievement...nothing much, really, but over the weekend I participated in a photography assignment contest online on www.thepioneerwoman.com. Her blog is awesome, and part of it focuses on photography- tutorials, guest posts, her own, and contests. For her last contest, she provided a photograph for us, the readers, to edit any way we wanted. After that, she picked groups of her favorites and then picked four winners from those groups. I estimated she received about 2000+ submissions, and picked maybe 80 or less as her favorites to choose the winners from, and she picked mine! I didn't win but just getting selected is awesome. I know it's no big deal but it still made me really happy! :)

Here's the original:

And here's my edited version:

Outtakes

2010-10-12T20:30:00.000-04:00

I haven't had much opportunity to do a lot of photographing. Life has been very busy, hectic, and non-stop. There is something happening every day, every weekend. But tonight I had some time to just sit and sort through some photos taken in the last 7 months or so. I had overlooked some that I kind of like.

Taken the day Jared asked me to marry him, at Morikami Museum and Gardens :) I'm so glad I have photos to remember this day.

Another shot from the same day.

Awesome tree.

Epcot Flower and Garden Festival.

She hates, loathes, detestes, and utterly disdains having her hair brushed.

My niece's pet bird, Oliver

That's all for now, folks. Hopefully I will get some newer pics posted soon.

Baby Turtle Time

2010-09-19T12:55:00.000-04:00

I took these a while back, in the beginning of August. I kind of forgot about these shots. This little dude was trying to make it out of my fiance's pool back into the lake.

You can make it little guy! I believe in you!

I loooooooooove how this shot came out. He's so small!

Stitch Rock

2010-09-02T18:36:00.000-04:00

Hello trusted followers, occasional readers, and random passers-by. I wanted to inform you of an event coming up locally (well, local for me) in October.

Be there or be square.

Free stuff

2010-08-24T23:46:00.001-04:00

If anyone wants photos done for free, for any reason, hit me up. I need to build my portfolio. You'd be doing me a favor, and it's free.

Email me moriahcuda@gmail.com

Coming soon to a blog near you...

2010-08-17T10:22:00.000-04:00

Finally came up with a good name. Started working on a logo and the domain has been purchased. Hopefully soon a website will be up...

Catchin' up.

2010-08-16T09:55:00.001-04:00

This week I need to catch up on a few things. Aside from this blog, I need to catch up on my sleep (I'm starting to envy people in comas) on wedding stuff (I've taken a break and it hit me last night how much I need to get done), on laundry, on cleaning, on reading, on prancer on dancer, on donner and blitzen!

So this is a hodgepodge of the last couple weeks with my camera.

Also, HELLO NEW FOLLOWER!

This is my friend's baby, Lucas. He's probably my favorite baby right now. Shh, don't tell any other babies. I tell their parents the same thing, but Lucas is really my favorite.

We went to the Museum of Discovery and Science in Fort Lauderdale. I had fun playing with my flash unit.

They wanted to take a photo that looked like an album cover...looking carelessly into the distance, unaware of each other. haha

Thursday night we drove out to a dark rest stop to watch the meteor shower. Long exposure, 94 seconds

Long exposure photo, 601 seconds

This one was 283 seconds

beach day

2010-07-21T23:40:00.002-04:00

I've been trying to blog more frequently. But I won't blog without photos to share. I feel bad sometimes that I gave up the 365 project, but today I was thinking about it and I kind of realized that it's not so much about quantity, but quality. Yes, forcing yourself to take a photo everyday will help you improve, but only if your heart is into it. The project was becoming more of a chore, and when you're forced into doing something, your heart is taken out of the equation, and you don't improve. That wasn't my intent.

However, I do feel some sense of motivation again to photograph more often. It may not be every single day (some days just have nothing much to them) but as often as I can.

Today I cut out of work early to meet my sister and her kids at the beach. They are visiting from Clermont and leaving tomorrow. I wouldn't have gotten to see them again had I not taken a half day, and I'm glad I did.

I would have missed this wave...

And this face...

And this moment. I felt like I can hear her thoughts..."there's so much world, and I am so small". She is not afraid of a thing.

EDIT: Just an afterthought...I haven't done textures in a while. So here's one. Someone on flickr said one of my photos was overly-processed...I supposed they're probably right, but I think it's a matter of taste.

Old Favorites

2010-07-20T20:14:00.001-04:00

Once in a while I like to look back at older shots just for fun.

I took this shot on a trip to Oregon one year. My family and I have always taken this trip annually to visit my dad's parents and family. This was taken with my dad's film SLR (which I claimed as my own when I was about 15), Canon AE-1. I think this was in 2005 or 2006. This shot right now means something to me. This year I won't be going on this trip- because of the wedding/honeymoon I don't have the vacation time and I can't afford to not get paid for that long. My dad and my brother will be going alone, and only for a week. This is the first year I'll be missing it and it kind of makes me sad, even though in the past I would sometimes dread going. Things are changing and it's exciting but then little things like this make me reflect on how my life will never be the same, everything as I know it will change, and sometimes that's a lot to process.

This is my niece, Micaela, which my last post was about. She is 4 now. This was one of the very first shots I was actually very proud of. I think the reason for that was because I finally seemed to get that focus in the right place. The film SLR had no autofocus feature and everything is done manually. Not to mention, you can't tell if you got the shot until you used up the roll and made it over to the lab to get it processed. Learning was slow and sometimes really frustrating. But I got a lot from using that old dinosaur. I still love it.

My brother Mark and Micaela. Before he had a job, or a license, or a car, or graduated high school, or anything. He'll be 18 soon. Where does the time go?

My friend Kristin. She is also getting married. This was taken at a bridal shower for a couple of my friends. The thought that now Kristin is getting hitched, is, well...crazy! Time just goes by really fast.

I was going to scan some other older ones that I've never gotten into the computer, like from 9-10 years ago. But my scanner is acting all wonky.

If you want to see some amazing photography/post processing work, click here.

Micaela

2010-07-18T11:56:00.000-04:00

My niece. She's crazy.

But she can also be pretty cute.

But, uh...she's still pretty crazy. You can literally see the crazy in her eyes.

I can't decide which processing I like better on this one!

This one...

Or this one?

Lizard

2010-07-16T18:12:00.001-04:00

I've lived in Florida almost my whole life and I still don't know what lizards are doing when they do this.

Is he being territorial, trying to scare me away? Is he trying to mate with me? Not really sure.

Flugtag.

2010-07-15T22:02:00.001-04:00

Flugtag, according to Wikipedia, is German for "flight day" or "airshow".

Flugtag, according to ME, is the crappiest crap that ever crapped.

It was hot. 100,000 degrees.

It was crowded. For every degree there was a human crammed into Bayfront Park to see this Flugtag business.

(By the way, I may be exaggerating the heat, but I'm not exaggerating the head count.)

It was also kind of a bore. They took too long in between contestants, the announcers tried to fill the time with their attempt at witty banter ("Hey man, I got drunk with these guys last night. Yeah, I got drunk with them too! We all got drunk! Awesome!") and everyone around me was sweating profusely and stinking profusely. Not a pretty sight.

Jared was sick that day. He shouldn't have gone. This is him sleeping on the way there.

This is a building I saw there.

Soccer Fevah

2010-07-01T00:28:00.001-04:00

Ok, so, I couldn't care less about soccer.

Sorry. I just couldn't. Televised sports cannot grab my attention. Oh, I've tried. Just to fit in. But it doesn't do it for me.

What I DO like, however, is to watch other people that I actually know play in actual real life! And then to photograph them!

I'm getting back into this. And I'm lovin' every minute of it!

Here's just a few shots.

Just before the kick! (I have no idea who these legs belong to)

Ooof! Gut punch!

You missed. Dork.

He's so cute. Look at him with his mouth open! He can't breathe. Adorable!

And then everyone floated away.

Best Buds

2010-06-30T10:36:00.001-04:00

Just something I took yesterday.

Can't decide what to call it. Either "New Beginnings" which is stupid and overdone or "Best Buds" which is corny but makes me laugh.

Flower and Garden Festival 2010

2010-06-13T13:34:00.001-04:00

I had these photos sitting in my camera for three months. I only uploaded them yesterday. Now that things have calmed down a bit I need to resume this little hobby. I've seriously neglected it, and I miss it. Here are some shots of a little trip we took to Disney the weekend after we got engaged.

Hello, Blog? Are you there? It's me, Moriah.

2010-04-08T00:26:00.000-04:00

So I feel really bad I've been neglecting this. As I explained things just got really really busy and hectic. But now that we've got the big things figured out and booked and out of the way, I expect things to start settling down soon.

I'd like to take up some hobbies again, besides (but not excluding) photography. I have a lot of paint and a blank canvas, and a lot of fabric scraps and crafty things lying around. I'm starting to get that familiar itch in my brain to crank out something creative. I might explode if I don't. (Ever see cloverfield? Like that.)

A couple weeks ago we took a drive to a restaurant in Boca to check out a potential band for the wedding. I didn't know a whole lot about them, other than the fact that they seemed pretty old. Well, I was right. Not only were they old, but the restaurant they played at was pretty much not unlike a retirement home- we were the youngest people there by about 40 years. After the initial awkwardness wore off, it was actually really awesome! These guys are so good!

I knew they were the ones because the first song I heard them play when I walked in was "night train". And don't even think for a second that you don't know the song "night train", because you do.

Yes, you do.

Hello, Bloggerland.

2010-03-26T22:40:00.001-04:00

Remember back in the day (like three months ago) I made this crazy claim that I'd take a photo every single day FOR A WHOLE YEAR and post it in a timely and efficient manner on this here little blogaroo?

Yeah. I fail.

I have actually been taking a photo every day. I haven't skipped or missed a day yet. But I have had no free time to sit down and upload it and post it here. And at this point I'm like three weeks behind and to sit and sort out which photo to choose out of all the ones from each day, or to even remember which photo it was I squeezed in on the last minute of a day just so I wouldn't miss the deadline...that task is just not going to happen. I've been way too exhausted every day and night and I have...caps lock, bold AND italic, NO time. It's amazing how a little ring manages to suck up all your energy and free time. We are trying to do this wedding on a budget and also keep it pretty cool, and it calls for a lot of work. No money for a wedding planner here. It's all us, baby!

I read someplace that an average wedding in the US is $28,500.

Our budget is one-third of that. *gasp*

But I think we can do it. I know people that have gotten by with less.

Booked so far, we got:

-Caterer
-Photographer
-Venue

And I bought my dress for a RIDICULOUS, DISGUSTING, and almost even OFFENSIVE price. And it looks like a million bucks.

($263.94. Shh, don't tell no one...)

In fact, one of my friends that accompanied my mother and I when I went to try it on thought the woman was speaking in thousands (as in, $2600) and said, "that's a good deal for that dress! under $3000!"

Hahah. Oh, if only. Even if I had that kind of money I wouldn't spend it on a dress.

Also, I have appointments to pick out suits and bridesmaid's dresses, and an appointment with a florist. I'm crankin' it out, baby!

BUT ENOUGH OF THAT.

The point is, I have no time anymore for this project. I will post here from time to time but not every day. I just can't. I'm sorry.

I accept the fact that I am a loser.

But at least I'm an engaged loser.

Ta-ta for now, bloggerland.

A quick word.

2010-03-16T11:00:00.000-04:00

I've been super behind and busy. And when I get home I'm pooped.

I have been keeping up with the project. I haven't missed a day. I've just had no time to upload and post the photos. And I was out of town.

I got a lot coming. Sorry folks.

365/66

2010-03-09T00:54:00.002-05:00

I have the most beautiful ring in the world :)

365/65

2010-03-09T00:53:00.000-05:00

Sorry these photos are so late...but something happened this weekend that was a pretty big deal :)

Can you guess? :)

Hint: That sucker's not my grandma's ring :)

365/64

2010-03-09T00:50:00.000-05:00

365/63

2010-03-05T14:06:00.000-05:00

Daddy's crunchin' some numbers.

365/62

2010-03-05T14:05:00.002-05:00

Anticipating the new Alice in Wonderland movie. Can't wait!

365/61

2010-03-05T14:04:00.003-05:00

Catching up! Sorry I just haven't felt like posting in the last few days.

I noticed I have two new followers. Hi! Thanks for following my blog, and thanks for the comment.

I'd just like to say that I really love when I get comments. It seriously makes my day. So feel free to speak up!

Here's my photo from Tuesday night. It sucks, I know. But in my defense, I was feeling really crappy.

365/60

2010-03-02T00:09:00.000-05:00

Day sixty!

Please don't read into this. I just so happened to be trying to find my photo and decided to shoot what was in my hand.

I'm not an alcoholic.

But i'm not a nun, either.

(I'm assuming nuns cant drink. I don't really know, I'm not a nun.)

365/59

2010-02-28T23:38:00.000-05:00

Orchids from the backyard.

Can't believe February is over! This year is flying by. I feel like it was just the other weekend when my friend got married...in October.

365/58

2010-02-28T00:58:00.000-05:00

Tonight was taco night. The night of the taco. El Noche de Taco.

I don't know spanish.

But that doesn't mean I can't make a darn good taco.

365/57

2010-02-28T00:56:00.002-05:00

Playing catch up. I took this photo on the correct day I just never got around to uploading it. This is a lily plant taken by a pool.

365/56

2010-02-26T00:07:00.000-05:00

Just playing with a doily thing I found in the house.

365/55

2010-02-24T22:45:00.001-05:00

I forgot I was meaning to do a theme of photos all week with Chuckie. Sorry, little buddy.

365/54

2010-02-24T00:26:00.000-05:00

Tonight, after getting home from work, I found there was no dinner being made. How dare you take off for a day with your girlfriends to go to the Keys, mom! You're fired.

Hi, mom. I'm just kidding. I can't fire you. I have no jurisdiction. And you're the boss' favorite.

So I made dinner. Which no one really ate, partially because today was free pancake day at IHOP.

IHOP...always ruining my good time.

Anyway, after that I didn't feel like doing much other than vegetating on the couch with my boyfriend watching Alton Brown.

365/53

2010-02-22T22:41:00.001-05:00

Remember the movie "Rugrats in Paris"? This photo is just like that.

Not really.

I'm just kind of idea-less today. I may just do a theme of photos with Chuckie this week though.

Also I'm throwing in another photo of my boyfriend's brother's alter ego, Jethro

365/52

2010-02-22T00:26:00.000-05:00

Meet Jethro. He's a country bumpkin who is at one with nature.

Question: Does this count as a diptych with three images? Is a diptych strictly two images only?

365/51

2010-02-21T13:57:00.001-05:00

My cousin got married yesterday. It was a cute wedding. This is a photo of another cousin of mine holding her new baby. I snapped it quickly before she realized I was taking her photo.

That's my mom standing behind her, admiring the baby. My other cousin is to her right. I think I would have preferred not to have anyone behind her because it kind of clutters up the frame, but it's ok. I like their candid expressions.

365/50

2010-02-20T01:27:00.001-05:00

I can't believe we are fifty days into 2010 already. It's true what they say, time goes by quicker as you get older. I think a lot of it has to do with being very busy as well.

Went to a friend's house. They have two cats. One is evil, and one is nice. Actually, I am of the opinion that pretty much all cats are evil because they all seem to hate me unconditionally. Being around cats is like being around the popular kids in high school. They are cute but they ignore you because you are not as cool as they are.

When I was five I was attacked by our house cat, which I had named Rainbow. In hindsight, I see where he was coming from because if anyone ever named me "Rainbow" I'd probably maul their leg too.

When I was a little older we took in two baby kittens from a litter my aunt's cat had. I raised them till they were pretty big until one day, as if by design, they simultaneously decided to attack my face. I think they secretly planned it. They ran away after that.

Several years ago, I had a brief run-in with a bobcat on a camping trip. Long story short, I punched that S.O.B. in the face. Literally.

Since then, I have had nothing but bad blood with their snooty race.

But this one was not bad. His name is Jonah and he sits very still. I think he knows I'm taking his photo because he strikes a post and DOES NOT MOVE until I click the shutter. He's a vain creature indeed.

If you look into his eyes you can see me taking the photo :)

365/49

2010-02-19T00:03:00.000-05:00

Today at work, my co-worker conned me into doing her first-grader's black history month project.

She knows I am not one to back down from an art project.

365/48

2010-02-17T23:36:00.000-05:00

My boyfriend is far far away, on a business trip in a distant, cold, terrible place.

New Jersey.

Come home soon! I miss you. No one will watch Food Network with me.

365/47

2010-02-16T23:39:00.000-05:00

I really need new subject material. No more guitars, I promise!

365/46

2010-02-16T00:18:00.000-05:00

I realize I dropped the ball on this one. I realize that there are a million photos that look just like this.

The deadline creeped up on me. As it usually does on a Monday. Mondays are hard...

365/45

2010-02-15T00:22:00.000-05:00

What is this?

Well, with a better crop you might not be able to tell, but I'm lazy, so it's fairly obvious this is a glass.

What's behind it, you ask?

Day thirty-three, that's what.

365/44

2010-02-14T13:51:00.002-05:00

I didn't post yesterday. I did take photos though. My brother and I were experimenting with water drops and such...it was fun and I will be doing more of this in the future.

365/43

2010-02-12T15:45:00.000-05:00

I got my new glasses today! Like 'em?

On another note: Dang, look at those pores. It's a wonder I'm even dating.

365/42

2010-02-12T00:01:00.000-05:00

365/41

2010-02-10T21:54:00.000-05:00

I love Spongebob.

Oh, so much.

365/40

2010-02-10T00:07:00.000-05:00

I admit this is not the best photo ever. It's not the best photo, period. And I wish I could have taken something nicer because it's day forty. Forty days in a row is a big deal for me! I hope I can stick this out.

365/39

2010-02-08T22:45:00.000-05:00

Quite often, driving home from work, I have a wonderful view of the sunsets. The sunsets in South Florida can be so beautiful. My dad says it's a result of the pollution...I hope not. I saw a movie one time that talked about "monet-like skies"...I don't remember the name of the movie but that's pretty much the only thing I remember, and every time we have a gorgeous sunset I think about that line.

By the time I got home it was almost gone, and the view from my backyard is not that great. But I think this almost kind of illustrates what I mean. One day I'll get a better shot.

365/38

2010-02-07T23:52:00.000-05:00

Guess what nerds?

I don't wanna take a picture today.

So this is what you get.

I'm such a graceful and sophisticated lady.

*nya nya nya*

365/37

2010-02-07T12:13:00.002-05:00

I didn't post my photo yesterday, but I did take lots of photos. We went to the Museum of Art in Fort Lauderdale to see the Normal Rockwell exhibit. I wasn't allowed to take photos inside but I took plenty afterwards.

Photo for day 37. View it larger here. I'm posting a couple other photos too.

365/36

2010-02-06T00:32:00.000-05:00

Risk!

365/35

2010-02-05T00:32:00.001-05:00

My Epiphone SG.

365/34

2010-02-03T22:32:00.001-05:00

My trusty old film SLR. My first "real" camera. I still love this little guy :)

365/33

2010-02-03T00:05:00.001-05:00

Today's deadline totally creeped up on me. It wasn't until 11:56 PM that I realized I hadn't taken any photos today. You wanna know why?

Here is the culprit! Almost ruined my 33 day streak!

I wasn't doing this all day...I got home from work, ate dinner, then played.

Then totally lost track of time.

365/32

2010-02-01T23:03:00.002-05:00

My niece left her friend at my house a few weeks ago.

Madisen, if you're reading this, Dexter misses you.

Very much.

Please come get him soon, because he's totally bumming me out.

(By the way if you like sewing and have some nice fabric lying around you can make your very own friend :) just click here)

365/31

2010-02-01T00:31:00.008-05:00

My boyfriend likes to brew his own beer. I think this is very cool. Although the process is somewhat slow and kind of smelly, I still enjoy hanging out with him when he does it and occasionally helping out, like when he needs me to hold the big spoon, or wipe up spilled beer, or to yell out "IT'S BOILING OVER" when the concoction in the big pot starts turning violent and scary...then he comes and turns the heat down and everything is okay.

It's all very exciting.

This is my official photo of the day!

That does it for January, folks. February, here we come!

365/30

2010-01-31T18:09:00.000-05:00

I didn't blog yesterday. But I did take plenty of photos!

One of my favorite things to do is bake. Yesterday I made a Tres Leches cake for the first time.

This was only one of many photos I took. I photographed that cake like it was a newborn baby.

I will post today's actual photo later...

365/29

2010-01-29T20:10:00.000-05:00

Easter is officially the most terrifying holiday.

Behold, the easter bunny from hell.

On sale now at your local Marshalls.

"Find the eggs, childrens...or I'll kill your family! Bwahahhahhahahahahahaha"

365/28

2010-01-28T23:40:00.000-05:00

Out tonight.

I'm phoning this one in.

Get it?! Phoning it in?

hahahhahahahahhahahah.

Oh. *ahem* this was taken with my iPhone. I probably should have said that before the joke.

The terrible, terrible joke.

"No more Yuengling"

365/27

2010-01-27T18:25:00.004-05:00

Today is my birthday. I don't celebrate birthdays but it does make me think a lot about getting older. About how time passes very very quickly and before you know it, you're grown up and there's no going back.

My grandmother died two and a half years ago. Her birthday is in January, too- January 23. She would have been 86.

This is a photo of her ring. She gave it to me when she was dying. She asked me to pick one from several- I picked the simplest one. I don't know if there's a story behind it, if there was, she wouldn't have remembered anyway. I'd like to think there is.

I didn't know her very well. We lived on different sides of the continent. But I miss her anyway.

Also: I added a music player on the right side over there. I'll change it from time to time.

365/26

2010-01-26T21:36:00.000-05:00

My widdle baby brudder plays drums at the most unappealing times.

Like at 8:17 pm on a Tuesday night when I'm tired from work and cursing my womanly existence.

Don't get me wrong. Being a girl is fine most of the time, but right now I'd just as soon forsake my reproductive system.

Someone bring me some midol...and a truckload of chocolate. Just leave it at the door and go away.

ANYway, now that we got that unpleasantness behind us, here's a photo of baby brudder playing drums!

365/25

2010-01-25T22:42:00.003-05:00

Today's shot was taken, once again, on a Monday, with an iPhone. I'm sensing a trend here...

I brightened it a bit using an app called Photoshop Mobile for the iPhone. If you have an iPhone, try it, it's free!

For those of you without an iPhone, continue with your game of Snake.

(I mean no disrespect. Remember Snake? That game was awesome.)

So anyway, this is a photo of a warning that came with my brother's telescope that he is unsuccessfully assembling. I thought it was kind of funny. When are eyeballs on fire NOT funny? You tell me.

EDIT: Okay so I just did some research and found a Snake game for the iPhone. Non-iPhone users: you have officially been p0wnd (whatever that means).

365/24

2010-01-25T00:28:00.000-05:00

I saw some geese today. Man, those suckers are hard to photograph! They move so darn much!

365/23

2010-01-23T16:15:00.000-05:00

More flowers today. I can't take credit for any of these things- my parents do all the gardening.

I'd love to go to one of the botanical gardens in my area, there is a really cool japanese garden not to far away that I'd like to visit. One day...

365/22

2010-01-22T20:01:00.000-05:00

I really like taking photos of flowers. It's one of my favorite subjects.

Taken in my kitchen with a bit of color enhancing and one grainy, woodsy texture added in Photoshop.

365/21

2010-01-22T00:46:00.000-05:00

Playing with my Bokeh Masters kit!

Yes, this is a Big Boy. One of two, actually. No, we didn't get them because of Austin Powers, they are original collectables from my parents vast, endless wealth of antiques.

It often resembles a TGI Fridays in my house...or maybe a Cracker Barrel....every square inch taken up by a vintage suitcase, or an old sugar and cream set, or a Big Boy, or an I Love Lucy lamp (yes, they exist) or a Norman Rockwell painting printed on a plate, or a dusty old book, or several dusty old books, or a bakelite radio that no longer works, or a house that lights up from the inside, or a picture frame that looks like a diner...(and on and on and on and on)

365/20

2010-01-20T22:44:00.002-05:00

It's-a me! Pichu!

365/19

2010-01-20T00:19:00.000-05:00

I couldn't decide which one to use.

So guess what? You get FOUR for the price of ONE!

It's fun to make up the rules!

365/18

2010-01-18T23:03:00.003-05:00

Today flew by. I almost forgot to take today's picture. And it's only January 18...yikes.

So I went to the kitchen, not only my second favorite place to be in the house, but also the place with the best lighting. And the best food.

The laundry room is the second best place for food in my house. That's just how we roll.

This turned out to be the most interesting sight in the kitchen at the time. After taking some unsuccessful photos of cheetos, plastic bags, and the sink, I finally looked up. And saw this.

Maybe it's just me. But I think the way the shadows and light bounce off the ceiling look pretty cool. The part in the middle kinda looks like the transformers logo to me. But maybe I'm crazy.

What do you see?

365/17

2010-01-18T00:41:00.002-05:00

I'm late again! This photo was taken a little before midnight- just made it!

It's a toy plane that belongs to my widdle baby brudder. Who is seventeen years old :) I put it on top of an ikea desk lamp that is basically a glass box lit from the inside. It almost looks like it's not supported by anything at all!

365/16

2010-01-17T00:57:00.001-05:00

No, I didn't skip a day. I've just been out all day and I haven't been home to post this.

This is a straight out of the camera shot for two reasons:

1. Joey Wills, a reader (one of a very few of a kind) said he'd like to see some SOOC shots.
2. I am so tired I could throw up. Literally. I don't have the brain power to Photoshop anything tonight.

We went to the beach today. This is a photo of me and my boyfriend. He sure is handsome, ain't he? :)

365/15

2010-01-15T13:41:00.004-05:00

The other day I was reading this article on the MCP Actions blog, and I really couldn't help but laugh at the cartoon posted in that article:

First things first: That title is hilarious.

But it makes a good point. I've had a lot of people look at my photos and say things like, "WOW! You have a really nice camera" or "Your camera takes really nice photos!" and at first it doesn't seem weird to say that but if you really think about it, it's like saying:

-To a chef who just prepared you a gourmet meal: "Wow, you must have really nice set of pots!"

-To a painter who just painted a beautiful masterpiece: "My goodness, you have awesome brushes!"

-To a seamstress who just created a gorgeous suit: "Gee whiz, your sewing machine is great!"

-To a pianist who just wrote and performed a breathtaking piece: "My god...your piano sounds amazing."

-To an athlete who just completed a marathon: "Those must be some nice running shoes!"

Do you get the point? It's not just about the equipment. Yes, good equipment helps. But that's not even the half of it.

Now, in no way am I comparing myself to the above chef, painter, seamstress, pianist, or athlete. In fact, when people make that kind of comment to me about my photographs, maybe they are just being polite and looking for something they can say to be nice.

But would you ever walk up to Ansel Adams and say, "Ansel, the photographs your camera takes are amazing. You're a lucky guy"?

No. No, you would not.

(now that I got that out of my system...)

365/14

2010-01-15T00:32:00.004-05:00

I realized today that I don't have a lot of black and white shots. Back in the day I would shoot ONLY in black and white, with my dad's old Canon AE-1. And guess what? I loved it. And I still do. Some of those shots are my favorites.

But since I got my Nikon DSLR I haven't done much of anything in b&w. These days, all I want is color. Rich, vibrant, shocking, bright, saturated colors. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing...I think every photographer (or, "photo enthusiast", if you're modest) should find what they love most and just go for it! I love color a lot these days so I just go for the most I can get, and then bump it way up later in post processing. BUT...I really should branch out and try some black and whites for a while.

But not today. Today, my offering to the 365 gods is this:

An adorable clown fish in a super saturated and textured photo.

I will try to make it a goal to do some black and whites. But for now, please look at this photo and say "OOOOOOooooooooo pretty colors!"

365/13

2010-01-13T23:27:00.001-05:00

Very tired. I feel like this photo is a cop-out. I could have done something more creative. I just sat it on my dresser and hung a green tee shirt behind it as a backdrop.

This is an old AM pocket radio that a friend of my parents sent them, and I immediately claimed. I love this little thing. I will probably use it as a subject in more photos to come, when the weather warms up and I can stand being outside for more than 12 seconds at a time.

Here's a link to the shot straight out of the camera (or, SOOC as the nerds call it). It really was not a bad shot on it's own. But I can never leave well enough alone, can I?

365/12

2010-01-12T20:53:00.006-05:00

Driving while taking photos is dangerous.

Do not try this at home.

I'd like for you to view this in a larger size. Click here.

I also wanted to share this. Please view larger size here too. I took this photo a couple months ago in California.

Addicted to Photoshop

2010-01-11T21:52:00.000-05:00

To say that I'm a Photoshop addict is the understatement of the century. I've been hooked for years and I just can't ever get enough of it. Lately I have been really into textures. I found wonderful FREE downloads here. Take a gander, you might find something you like!

Here's a couple examples from the past few days:

365/11

2010-01-11T13:57:00.003-05:00

Another iPhone shot on a Monday!

It's been unprecedentedly cold here in South Florida. Usually around this time of year it's in the 50's, maybe 40's, and when we gripe and whine and cry and complain about how cold it is, the Northerners make fun of us for being such pansies and then they go swimming while we turn the heat up and put on another sweater.

However, it has actually been pretty cold around these parts. The last few days have dropped down to about 35 degrees and with the wind chill factor, takes it down in the 20's. It's legitimately cold!

But us humans are not the only creatures that are affected. Our cold-blooded reptile friends don't like the cold either. Difference is, we can bundle up and drink hot tea when it gets cold. They can't, so what happens is, while they are out walking around in the cold, naked, they just sloooooooow down and eventually get to a state of suspended animation of some sort.

My boyfriend found this little guy outside of my office. Poor thing can't move! He took him home and is warming him up. He'll make a cool little pet :)

By the way, if anyone knows what kind of lizard he is, let me know. I thought it was a baby iguana, but what do I know?

365/10

2010-01-10T22:52:00.001-05:00

I made it to day ten! Yeehaw!

Just a little story about this. This is a photo of an artist's palette that I have hanging in my room. It's pretty massive, as far as palettes go. Years ago, when I lived for a brief time in New York with my family, my brother and brother-in-law were walking around in Brooklyn and came across it in the garbage- discarded by a local artist. It was clean and dry so they took it home. I eventually claimed it because it was just too darn cool to let anyone else have it.

I am the "artistic" one in the family, anyway. If anyone's gonna have the old garbage of an unknown artist hanging in their room, it's gonna be me.

365/9

2010-01-09T21:51:00.003-05:00

I'm really tired.

Guess what happens when I'm really tired?

That's right. Crappy self-portaits taken in the mirror.

By the way, this nice person linked my blog in his. How cool is that!

Pretty soon those checks will just be rooooooooolllin' in.

Anytime now.

I'll just sit here and wait...

...

..........

.......................

Hello? *tap tap* This thing on?

365/8

2010-01-08T23:20:00.003-05:00

Phew!

Shopping is exhausting!

Like my new shoes?

365/7

2010-01-07T20:26:00.004-05:00

I had Pei-Wei for lunch today. I will never pay to eat Pei-Wei, for three reasons:

1. Pei-Wei is a poser restaurant. It is not real chinese or japanese or anything asian, in my opinion.
2. Pei-Wei gives me tummy aches. Seriously. My belly makes noises that sound like mating buffalo.
3. I'm pretty sure that's not real beef they're serving. Meat is not supposed to sting when you eat it. Maybe it's buffalo...

But every Thursday at work, they buy us lunch. And it's usually Pei-Wei.

I don't like to complain. So I eat it. I just avoid the "beef".

But...they do have fortune cookies. And today's was particularly nice.

I would never say that I'm a musician. But I do like to play music and have been playing for years, piano since I was about 5 and guitar since about 14, and along the way I've picked up little bits of drums and bass and whatnot. So I really liked that little fortune and I'm somewhat attached to this photo.

What I like about it: I had this shot planned exactly how I wanted it from the second I read the fortune. I'm seeing shots now in my head and executing them, instead of blindly shooting and hoping something comes out looking decent.

On another note: my boyfriend thought I should post a before and after of my photo from day five, to show the difference a little Photoshop can make. So here you go.

365/6

2010-01-06T18:23:00.004-05:00

Know what I like about cold weather?

(I know I live in South Florida...shut UP, it's COLD, okay?!)

Nice long warm socks to wear under your boots!

The funkier, the better, baby!

Also...I got a package in the mail today. JOY! :D

365/5

2010-01-06T00:22:00.006-05:00

I can already tell that the days I work, Monday thru Thursday, are going to be difficult. But no matter! I will try my best. I know I'm late on this entry but I did take this on the correct day so...it counts! What happens when I'm on vacation? Or if my internet doesn't work? The point of this project is to take a photo a day and work towards improvement. I will do my best to post before midnight but I can't guarantee that I will. I can, however, strive to take a photo each day.

I took this shot tonight, waiting at the gatehouse of the community where my boyfriend lives. I live in South Florida, and I always thought that the winter/holiday decor seemed a bit out of place in the tropical
suburbs.

I did a bit of post processing*- the photo was a bit dark because I refuse to use the built-in flash. But I think I did a good job. I like how the colors came out. It's not as artsy as I'd like it to be. That's something I'd like to concentrate more on.

What this shot made me learn, though, is that having your camera with you everywhere you go pays off. I took this shot, like I said, while waiting in line, in my car, with the window rolled down and the camera resting on the car window- a makeshift tripod. If I hadn't brought my DSLR I wouldn't have gotten this photo. And if I didn't have this blog to motivate me to pull out the giant contraption in the first place to even take this shot while looking like a total weirdo to everyone in line, well, I probably would not have done it.

But that's the whole point of this. To learn and push and improve and experiment.

*Just a quick run-down on the post-processing:

I did it in Photoshop CS4, first I ran it through the Reduce Noice filter at full strength (the photo was taken at 1600 ISO so it had a lot of grain) and then brought out more color by converting it to Lab Mode and tweaking the channels (check out this tutorial- I followed it and then turned it into a custom action so it's easy as pie!), then converting back to RGB and setting that layer to Screen. This is a great way to make a dark photo brighter. This depends on the photo itself, of course. You can set the layer to Overlay or Soft Light if it's not so dark and it'll just boost the colors.

365/4

2010-01-04T17:08:00.004-05:00

Yes. Yes, it has.

Sorry to cop out on today with a measly iPhone shot. But, it's Monday.

And I'm tired. And cold. And I've been at work.

And at lunch I bought holiday candy half-off only to later realize that it was half-off, not because the season has passed, but because it had all melted and then at some point re-solidified and they realized that selling it half-price was the only way a dummy like me would buy it.

This is a picture on my desk of a rabbit giving me a thumbs-up (duh. I seriously underestimate the intelligence of whoever is reading this blog).

I drew it a while back so that whenever someone is...well, let's say, less than pleasant with me, I can look at him and think, "Hey, everything's gonna be alllllll-right. Look, he's giving me a thumbs up! I must be doing something cool."

365/3

2010-01-03T12:28:00.011-05:00

My parents like to collect antiques. I don't like most of them. But some things I do like a lot. Like this vintage clock radio, for example. They have a few really cool old ones that still work.

I hope they realize I'm totally swiping this when I move out.

Thoughts about this shot: I wish I had a better setup for lighting-some of the reflections in the clock face drive me crazy. I used PW's "Seventies" action on this along with a few tweaks of my own- and I'm diggin' it. Thanks, PW! You're the best.

I also wanted to share this one too. I took it yesterday. I found these awesome textures for free and used it on this...I love how it came out.

One last thought: I'm adding a watermark to all my photos now. I don't really know why. It's just fun and cool to look at for me :P

365/2

2010-01-02T15:38:00.001-05:00

My baby niece Micaela. In between helping my mom prepare the house and dinner for tonight, I managed to snap a quick one of her and dress it up in Photoshop. I wish the focus was a little sharper around her eyes...but oh well. She moves so much it's nearly impossible. I will try harder!

365/1

2010-01-01T14:58:00.004-05:00

Day one of my project 365.

Aside from this project, this should be an interesting year.

My niece's pet lovebird, Oliver. He's less than a year old. I like taking photos of this little guy because it distracts him from biting my fingertips.

Catastrophe

2009-12-27T23:49:00.003-05:00

So! I hate camping.

Why?

Because bad things always happen to me when I go camping.

This is no coincidence.

Bad things that have happened to me while camping:

-Attacked by wild bobcats
-Tormented by evil twins
-Violent diarrhea
-Sleeping on bare hard wood planks in the freezing cold

And the newest entry? A busted kit lens.

I thought I was having a good time, running on the beach at night with new friends while taking shots of bottle rockets.

Until reality set in and I tripped over my own two left feet, completely wiping out in the dark on the sand, and getting approximately one ton of sand in my camera.

My 18-55mm kit lens is completely busted.

At least I got a couple shots in.

Anticipation

2009-12-24T00:37:00.014-05:00

I know it's not quite time for this yet. But I'm getting pretty anxious to start posting photos!

So, I'll just post this one.

Okay, maybe two.

Hey, MY blog, MY rules. ¿Comprende?

A while back we went to the Miami Planetarium and saw a laser show performed to the music of Radiohead. They gave us these orange, psychedelic, paper glasses with strange symbols on it (like a big eyeball that actually reminds me of the masons "all-seeing eye"- kinda creepy) that, when looked through, turns everything into a vortex of rainbows and lights! Sort of.

Anyway. I took this shot with the glasses held up to the lens. That's it. I will definitely experiment further- Chrismas lights should look pretty trippy, maybe even seizure-inducing! Fun!

Also, I submitted this photo to InterfaceLift.com for consideration as a wallpaper. After it's approved for not containing questionable content (which I'm pretty confident it will, haha) it will be up for voting, and that will decide if it will be featured as a downloadable wallpaper on the website. Cool, huh?

There are no benefits for me, really, other than the bragging rights. Which I wouldn't use anyway. And I'm not saying I think it will be picked at all. There are hundreds of submissions.

I just think it's kinda neat :)

EDIT: It's up for voting! :)

Project Three Sixty-Five: An Improbable Mission

2009-12-16T14:03:00.000-05:00

I have too many hobbies. It gets to the point where I lose interest and as a result, I am into a little bit of everything-but not really great at any of them. This blog will be an attempt to back myself into a corner and force my attention upon one thing at least once a day- photography.

Starting January 2010, I will attempt to take one photograph a day and post it here- either with my digital SLR or my iPhone. Or, if I'm being fancy, my film SLR. Or maybe a regular old Casio Exilim point-and-shoot. So many options...I really have no excuse. There is a way for me to take a photo under any circumstance.

Let's see if I can do it.