Posts filed under 'Photography'
During my walk around the cabin grounds, I snapped a few shots I thought I’d share.
…some simple wildflowers on the side of the road:
… a local berry plant (apparently the berries & roots of this plant are poisonous, but many people actually make salads from the leaves. I don’t know about you, but I’m not sure I’d be willing to take the risk on that one!)
…a wonderfully shaped weed growing out of the surrounding stones. (Isn’t nature’s geometry fascinating?!)
…and some beautiful rock ground cover
When I took a closer look at the rocks all around the cabin, I actually began noticing that many of the stones had quartz stripes running through them. I was amazed….I’ve been collecting those stones for years, but have only been able to find them previously on the shores of Ireland & Costa Rica. To think there are thousands in Oklahoma is bizarre! I even have art prints in my house of this type of stone. I collected about 10 of them and am hoping to do some still-life photography with them soon, so I’ll post pics when I do.
My sister-in-law cooked a great dinner for us of grilled burgers, sweet potato souffle, asian slaw salad, & corn on the cob. After we had our fill, we put the kids to bed & pulled out the poker chips.
Now I have to preface this by saying…I’ve only played poker a handful of times in my life. I’m by no means a real poker player. In fact, I don’t even really know the rules because I always forget what makes a good hand & what beats what.
What I soon found out, though, was that not knowing what I had in my hand actually helped. Well - that and a dash of luck, of course! No one could read if I was bluffing or not because I didn’t even know what I was holding half the time. *LOL* Slowly my chips started accumulating. I thought it was a fluke. And for some reason, I kept getting more and more winning cards. Mike started commenting that we needed to go buy a lottery ticket…my odds were so uncanny. When it finally got down to only my brother and I left at the table and we were on the final hand (winner takes all), I was pretty sure that I had nothing. As he revealed his cards, I laid mine down and realized I had a flush. I said, “I think I have a flush thing!” We ended up doubling over in laughter because he totally didn’t see it coming & neither did I. I might have to take up this poker thing after all!
Hard to believe this was my chip pile!
August 21st, 2007
You may have noticed that some of my recent macro pictures have been taken with a white background. I actually built a light box for under $10 using a cardboard box, some white tissue paper & a piece of white posterboard. Beats paying $100 for a professional one! You can learn how to make your own here. Is great for when you can’t go outside for a pic or you need to take some late at night. It works great with ott-lites or daylight lamps if you own any. Happy photographing!
August 18th, 2007
I forgot to post an image I took in Renee’s garden a few weeks ago. What beautiful things flowers are! Can anyone help me with the name of this?
July 17th, 2007
We spent the 4th of July in Tulsa visiting family & my Mom’s garden was in full bloom. She has such an amazing green thumb (which I unfortunately did not inherit - I can kill just about any plant within a mile of my house!) *LOL*. Here are just a few of the blossoms abounding.
The colors in this Lantana just make me happy looking at them:
This is a Butterfly Bush (sans butterflies at the moment):
I just love the geometric design in this Dill:
And here’s a lone Black-eyed Susan (there were hundreds in that patch of the garden!):
My parents also picked up a new toy for the backyard - a portable disc golf basket. 
Over the holiday, I had the opportunity to make another stardust art doll with my sister-in-law, Renee. I’ll post some images shortly of our creations. They were lots of fun!
July 7th, 2007
Was out walking & this lil’ guy was hiding in my neighbor’s back garden this evening. He’s an outdoor cat that frequents my condo courtyard.
Also wanted to share some images of beautiful coneflowers growing just a few doors down…
June 18th, 2007
I finally took my new macro lens out for a test run this past weekend. The Arboretum was having their Dallas Blooms festival, and it was an amazing sight! The earth was exploding with gorgeous flowers. The poppies & tulips were particularly beautiful. I also captured some great images of daisies, iris, daffodils, and more… over 150 photos in all. I’m posting some of my favs in the new “photography” section of my gallery. Here is a sampling, but click here to go the gallery and see them all.
April 4th, 2007
I learned about a fascinating photography technique today that gives almost any photograph an ethereal, dreamy quality. It is called the Orton technique & is super simple to do in Photoshop. Below are some samples I made today & here is a link to a tutorial so you can learn how to do this yourself. It works particularly great on landscapes, but also works on portraits as well.
Close-up of flowers from NYC Arboretum. First pic is original. Second uses the Orton technique:
Yellow flowering bushes at NYC Arboretum. First pic is original. Second uses the Orton technique:
A portrait. First pic is original. Second uses the Orton technique:
Another portrait. First pic is original. Second uses the Orton technique:
January 21st, 2007
We spent a wonderful Christmas holiday with my parents this year. Christmas with mom & dad always involves a memorable meal made up of my mom’s best recipes (check out the apple pie & italian cream cake below!) combined with lots of good laughs. I only wish I could have inherited her talent in the kitchen! (I think my oven sees more polymer clay than actual food.) *LOL*
Mom’s house was decorated beautifully with festive golds & reds. The Christmas tree was gorgeous this year (see pics below) and there were fresh poinsettias throughout the house.
December 25th, 2006
It has taken me months to find a gallery program that I really like that was easy to install on my server & user-friendly to boot. I’m now a huge fan of ZenPhoto. True to its name - it is simple & clutter-free, but easy to customize as well.
You can check out my new gallery here. There are only a few pictures in each section. I will be uploading more in the future as I am able to scan in some of my older published designs that I am now able to show online. TFL.
December 6th, 2006
It was a beautiful day in Dallas today, and I decided to get some fresh air & take a little stroll around my neighborhood.
There is a particular house at the end of my block that looks like it was taken straight out of a fairytale book.
They have the classic white picket fence and the most beautiful garden you’ve ever seen.
There must be over 100 different variety of flora there.
I’ve never had a chance to see it up close, so I grabbed my camera & took a few pictures to show you. They hardly do it justice.
Whoever owns this garden oasis must spend hours tending it each day…but the results are breathtaking!
Dozens of butterflies dance amidst the flowers.
Amazing to think that this garden is in the heart of our city (and along a fairly heavy traffic street, at that!)
April 30th, 2006
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