To snow or not to snow...

Well clearly I spoke too soon and my hopes for a nearly summer weekend have been washed away (literally) by the rain. And although I know that I am very lucky to live where I do and to have such generally mild weather patterns, the cold, pouring rain does make me slightly nostalgic for the crisp, clear, sunny days of the winters of my childhood (and also my Alberta Christmas vacation which is where these photos were taken).

Well, I guess the grass is always greener on the other side isn't it? (And since the grass is actually very green here right now, I should just be happy and enjoy what I've got!)

And it was all yellow...

The sun has been shining for the last two days and it makes me hopeful that summer is just around the corner. And I believe that no colour screams summer more than bright yellow. Maybe if I just believe it hard enough, it will come true.

Canine Companion...

On a rainy and blustery day like today, I find myself wishing that I could have a pet even more than usual. A dog or a cat that loves you unconditionally and will curl up on the couch with you is just good for the soul. Just the act of petting an animal can lower your blood pressure and put you in a better mood.

Since I don't have a pet of my own, I take any opportunity to love other people's pets... whether it be a random cat on the street, a friend's dog or one of the adorable family puppies above (Jeremy & Bubba), I can't resist a good canine snuggle.

Urban Art

In a city that has so much natural beauty (trees, mountains, ocean, flora, fauna, etc)... it is easy to miss or disregard the man-made beauty of urban art. To remember to stop and look around at the artists who are leaving their mark on the city. It is this art that makes you stop and think.

Rainy day blog...

On a grey and rainy day like today, I have to remind myself that the rain in this town is what makes our vegetation so lush and plentiful. It also is what ensures that we have plenty of beautiful blossoms in February. I am so lucky to live in a city that is so beautiful and so green, and some even say... the moisture in the air is what keeps our skin so young and healthy looking.

"The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain."
~ Dolly Parton

Working without a flash...

In a previous post about figuring out how to work with the limitations of my Olympus Pen F with only one lens, no zoom and no flash (Post titled Versatility), I was quite happy that I had been able to figure out how to take a variety of pictures with my camera despite the limitations, but had still not figured out how to take pictures indoors with out a flash. Well, a roll of pictures I had developed from Christmas time shows that I have actually already started to figure it out! Without even realizing it, I took a few photos of the same miniature train set in different lighting which really allowed me to compare and it helped me to figure out how my camera works indoors without a flash. I know it doesn't seem like it should be that hard to figure out, but without the instant feedback of a digital camera, it is difficult to judge lighting. I think I am developing my eye better and learning to adjust my shutter speed and aperature settings accordingly. It was such a positive thing to see that I had overcome another hurdle in my quest to take good pictures with my lovely and wonderful, but challenging old camera.

Toy Village taken in flat daylight near large window. The photo just ended up being flat and blurry.


Toy Village taken at night with large overhead light. The colour is much more vibrant and the focus is a lot better.

Church decoration with inner lighting, no extra indoor lighting.

Still figuring things out...

Ok, so I am back to using this blogspot space as my main blog. Once I moved everything over to the Windows Live Space, I realized that I actually had less and less need to have a space that would allow me to put a larger selection of my photos on at one time. Namely because, as I am getting better, within one roll of film I have so many photos that I really like that it no longer makes sense to post each roll as a seperate album, it makes more sense to group them into themes.
I have also been inspired by other photo blogs that post more frequently, but with fewer, more logically grouped photos. For example I love the Little Brown Pen blog  and her grouping of pictures by colour theme.
I also love to look at my friend (and collegue) Michelle's photo blog at Un Peu Capote while she is doing the 365 day project. Having a picture a day is a really great way to keep things interesting and makes it easier for people to just pop by and check it out, with out investing a huge chunk of time to look through (say) 20 photos. (I also look forward to seeing what sort of creative photo she will come up with each day) ;)
I will still create full albums of all my photos on the picasa photo albums site, but it will take me a little while to get all the photos from my Windows Live Space over there, then add my new pics as well.
For now, here is a sneak preview of one of the pictures taken with my new (to me) Pentax K 1000 camera that my grandpa sent me for my birthday. It is a huge change from my Olympus Pen F in terms of settings, framing, and focusing... but it has been a fun new challenge :) More to come...