the one

I am crushed.

I just deleted all my files off my SD card, including a round of beautful, colorful, contrasty abstract pics from a trip to the Volunteer Park Conservatory last Friday. Last week's weather was horribly dreary, and I was craving some color. I knew a trip to the conservatory would lift my spirits. so. sad. so very, very sad. All those beautiful shapes and lines and bokeh and colors... gone.

Luckily, I have one image that I had already processed. I am thankful, though, for at least this one little morsel to remember a lovely trip to the park.

death?

A few weeks ago, I used my cute little trophy cupcake as a subject for speedlight experimentation.

poor, unsuspecting box.

it begins.

oooo, what is inside?

mmmmm.... coconut. tempting.

be careful! don't get out of the box!

uh-oh

oh no

more seattle...

ehe... I am multi-tasking again... updating the old blog while watching the State of the Union address. I tried to upload these pics last night but blogger was being stooopid.

These pics are a continuation of adventures in Seattle! dma and I strolled through Sandpoint not too long ago, focusing mostly on the old barracks & some of the hangars. Once again, I was on the lookout for interesting architectural features and found this neat 'ol fire alarm. I loved the monotone look of red on red, the chipping paint and the chunky curves of the alarm. I ended up taking about 20 different frames, experimenting with composition, exposure & aperture. Here are some of my favorites.... edited msg style.

Doing as winter does, it became dark before we were ready to call it a day ;) We were near UW, so we decided to continue our campus tour. Top on my list was a walkway by the physics/astronomy building. It is a pretty popular spot, so I tried some different angles & editing techniques to give this cliche spot my own spin.

Thanks for checking out another round of random frames! I appreciate the interest & wish you well!

the hill

... more old pics!

On a busy Saturday night not too long ago, dma and headed to Capitol Hill. This part of Seattle hasn't exactly been top on our list and I think this was our first actual exploration of the area. I ended up being suprisingly uninspired. Might have been residual frustrations from trying to find parking in this cooky place, or it could just be too much winter gloom. Too dark. bleh.

I ended up with two frames that I like though :) I used my bff the 50mm for its fabulous low light performance.

This sepia looking one was actually shot using in camera black & white. It is on the corner of Broadway & Roy... and the place that inspired my original ringtone on dma's phone (awww New Kids...) (& why do I remember such random things?)




This one with all the staples was taken outside of the Harvard Exit. I thought it was cool to see all the staples... just think of all the concerts announced, lost cats found & random openings posted here throughout the years. A sort of modern history, I suppose.

Thanks for checking out this little post. Hope you have a non-dreary day!

T-Town 2010

Yesterday, with the enthusiastic influence of dma, I made a new purchase at Talls in Bellevue Square. BUT... before I can get all caught up in the fun of new gear, I needed to wrap up some editing. Today was unfortunately the day for editing my Tacoma pics from mlk weekend. I only say unfortunately because I am home with a crummy stomach something (bug, flu, bad yogurt... not sure...) so, circumstances could be better, eh?

I have never really explored downtown Tacoma. What a cool place! I loved the mix of the older history, the more recent turbulent history, and the current atmosphere of transition. There were tons of photographic moments, and I think this post represents some of the highlights.

Broadway Garage
One of the cool spots was a converted garage where grafitti artists can come in and work their magic.

I couldn't decide whether I liked the soft, classic look of the black & white version, or the vitality of the colored frame... so I posted 'em both ;)


I was drawn to the white flower on the pavement, and framed this picture to include the silhouette of an artist.

I loved how every stinkin inch of this place was covered in paint. Even this old circuit breaker box thing was a paint magnet.

Something about this outlet painted in silver reminded me of the Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz. funny.

oooo, I experimented with some filters! First I did a pinch filter then I added a slight radial blur. I emphasize *slight* because when I first applied the radial blur at 10 units I got dizzy! yikes!

Buildings, buildings, buildings...

One of my new favorite subjects are architectural ornamentation pieces. Well, I have always loved architecture, but I have a renewed interest in it because of some editing steps I have been working on. This little group of pics were taken at a cool, but unmarked building. I am not sure what it is called, and didn't think to note the address to research it later. I noticed a "proposed action" notice on the door, so hopefully it will be renovated soon!

Rrrrrrrialto!

Luck was on our side; not only were dma and I able to get some outside frames of the Rialto Theater, we were able to take a sneak peek inside! Nice, huh?

Random last frames

These pics are just some other images that caught my eye. enjoy!

OH, here is a random, side-of-the-road weed. It was pretty to me, though! The first frame is in focus, to show what the plant looked like. I took another picture using manual focus for a more abstract look, then I edited that one a bit more for a warmer look.

Well, I think I am fully hydrated again, and will be ready to rock the dairy econ world tomorrow. I still have a few more shoots to edit, including... some flowers! yay!

Thank you for taking a look at this long set of pics. Hope that you are having a beautiful day.

downtown

Here is another round from the box 'o old posts!

These were taken on a mild winter evening when I wandered around downtown Seattle with my two bff's... dma & my 50 mm ;) I knew that it would be dark, and I am super clumsy with my tripod around crowds (well, super clumsy in general actually... sigh.), so I packed just the 50mm. Oh how I love f1.8; I like the look, plus it saves the day in challenging light conditions.

My first pic of the day was this old wall in Pioneer Square. I love the washed out writing and the staircase.

We walked around for-ev-er. It was nice! One of the things that I miss the most about being in DC is just randomly walking around all the time. Well, I should clarify... I miss being able to wander and see some pretty interesting sights. You can wander in Bothell for ever, but it ain't so cool. One of our stops was at the newspaper stand at Pike Place. I liked these intenational newspapers, so I took a bunch of frames. These are my favorites...

As much as I liked the nice, clean look of these newspapers, I wanted to practice some editing effects. This is what I came up with:

And, to wrap things up, here are some random street scenes that caught my eye. Enjoy!

Thank you for taking a looksie at this round of pics. Hope the upcoming weekend treats you well

Just for Fun

oh boy, this is an old set of pics!

DMA and I embraced the dark, rainy wintery weather and headed to the Bravern, a lovely, lavish outdoor shopping experience in Bellevue.

I was really drawn to one of the fountains. I loved the warm, natural tones contrasted with the luxurious look of bubbles and stone. I didn't have my tripod with me, but a Trophy cupcake box seemed to work juuuust fine. These were all shot with my bff the 50mm. The first two are unedited, and the bottom one has a few wee little adjustments.

An entrance to one of the stores had some nice wood work. I liked the texture and pattern, so I snapped a few quick pictures. I did a bit of editing, not much though. good times.

thanks for checking out this round of pics! I hope that the winter is treating you well and if you are in the neighborhood, I highly suggest you swing by Trophy cupcakes... try the coconut one; its yummy.

keepin out of trouble?

Well, I am keeping this post short & sweet... Blogger has the junflu or something, and keeps giving me error messages. grrrrr.

So, these are just some recent pics from adventures near and far. Well, maybe more near than far ;) The shiny lights are from Coulon during a late-holiday stroll. The logs & water pics are from an old stand-by... Rattlesnake Lake. I can't believe how much the water has receded! And the last two are from Lake Easton. Brrrr!