February 17 ~ fur

I didn't get to this yesterday, but was thinking about it.

Bobb informed me that technically Poodles have hair, not fur, but we'll leave the title as is.


Gear: Nikon D90. Nikkor AFD 50mm f/1.4, SB-600, close-up filters

February 16 ~ daylight and windows

This is a view outside the kitchen window where I'm house-sitting. Photographing has not been high on my priorities these past couple of days, but I have been enjoying the way light passes through this house.

Most of the images I've been posting are small shots and I haven't yet decided when or whether I'll back up more. Close examination of intimate scenes usually catches my interest first, but, who knows what may come in the next few months.

February 15 ~ doorway

I like the creepiness present in this image. It's just a door in my temporary bedroom, but the angle and lines, along with the greenish glow of the lamp illuminating the space, give it a certain eerie power.

February 14 ~ hmm

nothing much for tonight. just some home-made wine.


Gear: Nikon D90, Nikkor AFD 50mm f/1.4, close focus filters

February 13 ~ relaxation

Today was a good day. I managed to get nothing done but spent time with friends, had a massage, and started a week of house/dog-sitting (and Rocky obligingly posed here).

As stated in an earlier post, night owl tendencies don't blend with early mornings, so although I was up at 5:30am to take Greg and Sue to the airport, I promptly went back to sleep upon arriving home an hour and a half later. A lunch date with long lost friends brought me out of the house at midday, and, on the way to see them, I enjoyed the view but did not have time to make any photographs of the beautiful hoarfrost resulting from last night's fog. It was a nice day, though. After a 90-minute massage (the first in many, many months) I felt completely at peace with the world.


Gear: Nikon D90, Nikkor AFD 50mm f/1.4, Nikon SB-600

February 12 ~ sweet sheets

Ah, winter... how hard it is to pull away from the warm bed in the morning, and so inviting at night. I'm looking forward to sleeping tonight, and napping tomorrow. Soon.
I was thinking of Georgia O'Keeffe and Imogen Cunningham when composing these.

Fyi, for the curious and astute, I did not post the pics from last night's inquiry into star trail imagery off the back deck. Alas, too much light pollution and lack of spectacular composition made the photos less than amazing. I'll have to tackle that again from a better location. Sometimes my enthusiasm and energy for such things is great (usually this doesn't happen until I've pushed into it), but recently I've been unwilling to search out that sort of thing when it's the end of a long day. We'll see.


Gear: Nikon D90, Nikkor AFD 50m f/1.4

February 11 ~ closet colors / star trail

Hallo. It's a clear night and I've been wanting to shoot some star trail pics for a while--haven't done anything of that nature for almost a year--however I just did one about an hour ago and the light pollution wasn't so hot. I would get better results further from the cities (and, more comfortably, on a warmer evening). The next (and last, for this evenings) one is currently writing to the card, so we'll see if that's any better. It won't be as impressive as my aurora pics, etc, from outside Fairbanks last March (and those could be expanded upon, too). Actually, those ranged from about ten to thirty seconds, whereas these are ten to twenty minutes. Bobb and I did a few star trail pics while we were waiting for the aurora one night, but the northern lights were always the main attraction.
So, in the meantime, I've posted a pic here from indoors... the inner lights, one may say. I was just playing with the rear curtain flash setting and looking at the color arrangement in my closet, and I liked the way these colors worked together.


Gear: Nikon D90, Nikkor AFD 50mm f/1.4, SB-600

February 10 ~ flash in sight

I finally purchased a speedlight, so here are the first results with the new toy. The bottom image (that I have mixed feelings about but still enjoy certain aspects of) was made an hour or two before the top two. Those two resulted from an improvised green glass diffuser-turned-subject (meaning, I used a green glass bottle as a diffuser, initially, then began shooting into the green glass). I had a few softer images that almost made the cut, but these kept drawing my attention.


Gear: Nikon D90, Nikkor AFD 60mm f/2.8, SB-600

February 9 ~ macro light dancing

These share a similar vibe to February 4th's post because I enjoyed those results enough to revisit the same subject, wine in the bottom of a glass. The top image is my preference, from these three.


Gear: Nikon D90, Nikkor AFD 60mm f/2.8 micro

February 8 ~ nature's a peel

Today was a day for snow. And, it was a day for me to look out the back window and enjoy the peeling bark on a birch, as it snowed. Alas, I had to leave for work about half an hour after these shots were taken.

Lately I've been appreciating the different shades of color reflected in snow, dependent upon the time of day, weather and lighting, and I like the blue cast to these images. Although, these don't seem to be particularly interesting or innovative in terms of idea or composition, so I'm a little disappointed because they feel a little too easy. But, for some reason they compelled me--likely due to the color, texture, shape and other basic visual elements--and it's just one day's post out of the year.

Gear: Nikon D90, Tamron 28-300mm

February 7 ~ morning

Usually, if I have to go to work, I don't give myself a lot of extra time to relax in the mornings. Despite my appreciation for this quiet time of day, my night-owl tendencies and appreciation for a good amount of sleep usually trumps the need to relax with a mug of something delicious before heading out the door.

This morning I didn't drink any coffee or tea out of this mug, but I did stop to enjoy the way the morning light slanted across it. Morning light in kitchens is the best. :-)

The bottom scene is what first caught my eye, and the top image appeals to a nice sense of slightly uncomfortable imbalance.


Gear: Nikon D90, Nikkor AFD 50mm f/1.4

February 6 ~ illumination

These were taken at the City of Lakes Luminary Loppet, on Lake of the Isles in Minneapolis.

The top two images are my choices for the day, but these two pics are included for fun context

Today was very busy with a few ups and downs, but it ended nicely with a walk on a frozen lake in a luminary brightened darkness.

I also had nice company, among some friends who live in the area and plan gatherings frequently, but I haven't seen them for weeks. Good food, events and conversation are usually had with those folks.


Gear: Nikon D90, Nikkor AFD 50mm f/1.4

February 5 ~ impressions

For weeks I've been intending to shoot a few images of the local turkeys' snowy footprints, but I wanted to do so in daylight. After arriving home from work, I took advantage of the fresh prints left after today's snowfall, even though they were only illuminated by artificial light. This experience was yet another situation which is leading me to purchase an external flash.

Clearly this image is not in the same abstract style as what I've been working with over the past couple days, but perhaps it's reflective of the more linear thinking I've been doing for a grants writing assignment due tomorrow.


Gear: Nikon D90, Nikkor 60mm f/2.8 micro

February 4 ~ painting light relief

These are part of a continuing exploration of color and light. Actually, shooting this type of image loosens me up, which is nice after a busy or stressful day. I realized today how much I would like to have a proper studio space.

The top image is worked over a bit.


Gear: Nikon D90, Nikkor 60mm f/2.8 micro

February 3 ~ painting flesh

Since I'm finishing a brief paper, I didn't give myself as much time tonight to make an image. I continue to like the exploration of light as a source of color and movement, not necessarily confined to one specific correct way of being.

Because I've been pondering women, painting, representation, and the grotesque, such is where these thoughts combined for imagery.

February 2 ~ dress the part

I interviewed for a management position today, so I was thinking about how we sometimes put emphasis on appearing--or trying to embody--a certain way of being. This is jewelry I ended up accessorizing with and it's something I would wear any day, but it made me ponder the little accoutrements of persona we often carefully consider.


Gear: Nikon D90, Nikkor 60mm f/2.8 micro

February 1 ~ snowy traffic

This composition isn't quite as dynamic as I'd envisioned while driving home from work. The snow came down heavily all day and traffic was dense, which meant red taillights were denser, but I had a hard time thinking of a place where I could get a good view while also remaining safe from any potential slick road accidents, so I chose a footbridge I've crossed on a bike (in warmer weather).
Alas, the combination of a fence, numbed fingers and irritations with the ball head (for some reason it wouldn't tighten enough to hold the heavy lens stiffly in the vertical position) did not cooperate for a great range of visual positioning, but I enjoyed shooting outside again and I always like making long exposures at night. The light responds in such different ways.

Gear: Nikon D90, Tokina 12-24mm, Manfrotto legs/head

January 31 ~ loose threads

I thought about titling this loose ends, but I'm not sure how I feel about the metaphoric connection there to my daily life. Lately I have been feeling a bit overwhelmed by various commitments, so perhaps this is a reflection of that. Either way, I enjoyed exploring this small bit of something that became part of the day. As I worked over the image, the blue cast also felt appropriate.

The way the threads curve within the frame reminded someone of detail on a spider web but it also resembles the face of a dragon.

Bobb said this was his new favorite image. Thanks, Bobb! :-)
Gear: Nikon D90, Nikkor AFD 60mm f/2.8 micro

January 30 ~ light (longer days)

Photography is all about light, so I love coming across simple moments like this.

January 29 ~ long distance

My boyfriend and I don't currently live in the same city.

Gear: Nikon D90, Nikkor AFD 50mm f/1.4