WAW - Zoom & By Request

Last summer the Weekly Assignment was to ask other people for "requests" of what they would like to see us photograph. My friend Aleta asked for a "zoomed out" photo in which each shot gets progressively more and more zoomed out until it finally reveals a larger frame shot. The request was inspired by a book we used in our post-graduate studies during the summer called "Zoom" by Istvan Banyai (here is a summary or a video of the book). Of course Banyai's zoomed out pictures are far more impressive; but I think I managed alright with the assignment (even if it is only a few months late). This was one of the toughest assignments yet, because the settings for a close-up are quite different than the settings for larger framed shot. The toughest part was adjusting for the lighting and white balance to maintain similar colours as I got further and further away; but I definitley learned a lot about the settings and abilities of my camera.
Conveniently, a few weeks after the "Request" assignment, Michelle chose the "Zoom" subject for a weekly assignment. So yet again, I get to hit two assignments with one post. Boo-ya!

This is the Christmas tree at my in-law's house. I love the little village built around the bottom. I actually took some photos of this with my Olympus Pen F two years ago when we were back for Christmas. This gave me a neat way to look at and photograph it again.

Photos taken with DigitalSLR Canon Rebel XS, Mosaic created with PhotoFiltre
p.s. I am adding on this mini zoom-mosaic that I did at the Crazy Christmas lady's house (as in "crazy about Christmas" not "mentally unstable") just because it is fun. Those little blurry figures in the middle are little figure skaters that spin around on the mirror when you turn it on. More on the Crazy Christmas Lady to follow.

This mosaic was created with Big Huge Labs Mosaic Maker

WAW - Message

I can't believe that it has been over a month since I have posted here! The madness of December (and the lead up to it) really seemed to be multiplied in our house this year between me finishing up my post graduate program (yay!), the end of the school term, a big move for Jeffrey at work, both of our birthdays, a visit from my parents... oh yeah, and that whole Christmas thing too. But now we are officially on holidays and relaxing in the snowy homeland of Jeffrey at his parent's place in Alberta. I intend to do some serious photo-catch-up.

So to begin, a weekly assignment from ages ago - "Message".

I feel that I am extremely fortunate to work at a school that values and encourages altruism in all sorts of ways. We are school a of mixed means and the emphasis is often placed on helping others in whatever way you can. In fact, part of our school motto is - "Take care of others, Take care of yourself, and Take care of this place." I mean, doesn't that just sum it all up in the simplest of terms?
And so I went to work armed with my camera and tried to capture in whatever way I could, the ways that this important message is shared.

Three of my students who participated in the "Vow of Silence" put on by the Free the Children Campaign. Students go silent (no talking, no texting, no emailing, etc) for 24 hours to raise awareness for children in the world who can not speak up to protect their rights.

A rainbow of student & teacher hands in our main foyer, each one indicating something they have done to "make the world a better place". Isn't it beautiful?

My dear friend Michelle (organizer extrodinaire of Weekly Assignment Wednesday) used another example from our school for her "Message" assignment as well. She featured photos of students participating in the Love Is Louder Campaign earlier this year.

Auntie Em, Auntie Em, It's a twister!

While sitting at home enjoying a quiet day on the couch, I looked out the window in time to see the craziest weather pattern I think that I have ever seen! First it started to pour rain (like in buckets), then the sun came out and shone so brightly that I nearly pulled out my sunglasses, then just as suddenly the wind picked up and started to blow like I had never seen it before. It was sheer madness!
So of course, I grabbed my camera and ran outside.
I just barely caught the end of the sun against the grey sky contrast, and by the time the leaves really started to blow, the sun had gone away. Because I ran out so quickly and was trying to catch a moment, I put my camera on auto white balance and just snapped away. The result was some pictures with interesting movement, but not great white balance or colour. So, although I usually try to create the right photo within the camera, rather than doing it afterwards in a photo editor... due to my lack of experience and general rushed-ness in this situation, the photos needed a little help. I think it was worth it.

All photos taken with my digital SLR Canon Rebel XS and edited with Photofiltre

WAW - "Significant" (Lest We Forget)

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
- John McCrae

On this day of remembrance, we pay tribute to the men and women who have served to keep us safe and to protect our rights and freedoms. Every year I tell my students about how both my grandfathers served in WWII, and how they went into Europe on D-day (one in France, the other in Holland) and put their lives in danger to stand up against hatred and tyranny. This year, after hearing my stories, the students got together and made a card for me to send to my grandpa from them; the front of the card reads "You're our Hero" and inside each of them wrote a message of Thanks for my grandpa - thanking him for fighting for their freedom, for making Canada and the world a better place, for standing up for their rights. I was moved to tears, and I can hardly wait to send it in the mail to my Pa so that he can know that their sacrifices are still appreciated and remembered today.
So for my weekly assignment "Significant" in which we were to photograph something that may be seemingly insignificant but actually held much significance, I chose to take a photo of my students all wearing their poppies in rememberance of our veterans.
Because a new generation of people choosing to remember, that's pretty significant.

Photo taken with my digital SLR Canon Rebel XS

WAW - Autumn

Please sit down before you read this... because it may shock you, and I don't want to be responsible for anyone getting hurt. Ready? Ok...
This weekly assignment was actually completed... on time! I know, astonishing right?
Well, since the assignment "Autumn" is time sensitive, and because it is also perfectly timed right now as the leaves are changing and the sun has been shining... I think it would have taken more effort NOT to complete it on time. In our "photo group" where we post our assignments, we are only supposed to post 3 examples, but I had more that I wanted to share... so you guys get them all! Lucky ducks.

 

That last picture also actually fulfills another weekly assignment - "By Request" where my friend and colleague Danielle requested a photo of something humerous. When a pumpkin makes me laugh out loud and still chuckle everytime I see the photo... that counts as humerous!

All photos taken with my digital SLR Canon Rebel XS

WAW - Cameras

Sometime back, I tried to post a photo of all of our cameras. But the quality and the set up wasn't great. When the Weekly Assignment of "Cameras" came up, I was super excited to take some shots of our "babies". Unfortunately, the assignment came out exactly 1 day after I had packed up all of our cameras (except the ones we use most frequently) for the move. So I had to wait until we were moved in, and unpacked before I could really complete this assignment. But it was worth the wait.
Here are our camera "babies" (we actually have a few more, but I didn't include and duplicate cameras, and of course I was using the digital, so that isn't in there either).

About four of these get regular usage. The others either don't have enough manual settings or we can't get film for them anymore. But we love them all the same.
My next project is going to be learning how to use the old Super 8 video camera my grandpa gave me. Some day.

WAW - A Day in the Life

This autumn, though beautiful, has been jam packed with stuff... you know, just life stuff that gets in the way of posting here, or taking photos, or visiting with friends, or reading, or painting, or cooking, or doing some of those things that I just love to do to keep my sanity. Most of the stuff is good stuff - like moving into a new apartment, and the rest of it is just fact-of-life stuff - like taking on more responsibility at work.
But I feel like this weekend is the first weekend where life is starting to feel back to normal.
So what better time to catch up on my blog posts, and my weekly assignments?
I am really behind on weekly assignments, but I am still powering through and doing as much as I can. Since I have been so focused on getting my life back to normal, I thought it would only be natural to post my photos from the weekly assignment "A Day in the Life".
Here is a day in my life...

All photos taken with my DSLR Canon Rebel XS. Mosaic created with Big Labs Mosaic Maker.