Day 100: Fingerpaint

Day 100!  I feel like I have been so focused on this Lightroom class that I have been forgetting about composition and aperture and being more creative in camera, so today I tried to intentionally take a more interesting photo by using aerial perspective while the girls were finger painting.  Plus, the light coming through the window was really pretty.  But I used a pretty tight aperture and didn't quite get the focus where I wanted (her eyelashes are a bit blurry), so it's not exactly what I was trying for but I still like it.

50mm, ISO 2000, f/2.8, ss 1/80

We also went on a walk which gave me a chance to continue practicing back button focusing as my subject moves towards me.  I think I have decided I like back button focusing but that I still am learning how to work with it and still struggling with sharpness on my images.

102mm, ISO 1250, f/6.3, ss 1/800

Day 99: Library

It has been a while since we have done a trip to the library.  Clara even mentioned it when we drove past on the way to gymnastics in the morning.  So after preschool was over we went back.  I like the symmetry and leading lines of this photo almost as much as I like the pose Clara struck when I told her to stop running around like crazy climbing on the structures in front of the building and come do a library pose for me.

24mm, ISO 1600, f/14, ss 1/125

24mm, ISO 3200, f/6.3, ss 1/100

Day 98: Costco Cart

Two rainy days in a row!  It dumped most of the morning and then cleared out again in the afternoon.  We love Costco!

24mm, ISO 1600, f/14, ss 1/40

Day 97: Stormy skies

It rained for what felt like the first time in ages and ages.  But the rain stopped so we went for a walk at Sycamore Grove in the afternoon to enjoy the chilly, fresh air and beautiful, dramatic skies.

24mm, ISO 1600, f/4.0, ss 1/2500

Day 96: Sticker Ball

I can't stand the sticker balls that fall from our neighbors trees and make a mess, but the girls love finding them and picking them up.

50mm, ISO 400, f/3.2, 1/4000

Day 94: Lunch Date with Dad

The girls and I ended up stuck in San Francisco for hours dealing with renewing my passport.  Since my 10:30 appointment turned into more like at 12:15 appointment after waiting in a DMV-type line and we missed preschool drop-off, we decided to meet up with Paul for lunch instead.  This isn't Paul's tower, but it IS the one right next to his, which you can barely see in the background.  A skating rink has been set-up for the holidays at Embarcadero Center and we were watching a man skate.  We need to go back and try it out ourselves.

24mm, ISO 2000, f/5.6, ss 1/1600

Day 93: Field Trip24

Clara's preschool class did a field trip to Sunol where they talked about the Ohlone Indians, looked at deer tracks, gathered nature items, and used binoculars that they made at school.  I love this image except for the darn parent whose head is hovering over Clara's little noggin.

24mm, ISO 640, f/6.3, ss 1/125

Day 92: Scowler Monkey

This is Rose scowling at about 20%.  That girl has such an evil eye when she wants to use it.  I was playing with side lighting and light and shadows today.

82mm, ISO 100, f/4.0, ss 1/400

Day 91: Zipline (again)

I was doing a sunflare/sillhouette project for the Mastering Light class.  Turns out I'm no good at either and need lots more practice.  But on a high note, Clara can jump onto the zipline all by herself now.

28mm, ISO 100, f/22, ss 1/50

Day 90: Talk Prep

Clara came home from church with a paper bracelet taped to her wrist reminding us that she is assigned to give the talk during primary next Sunday.  So we spent part of the afternoon working on her talk.  Aside from giving her basic prompts (the topic is "when I am serving others, I am serving God"), she pretty much came up with the talk on her own.  It's about a time when Rose got her and Clara helped her by getting a bandaid and neosporin and how Jesus helped others who were sick or hurt too.  I wrote it all out for her using illustrations interspersed among the words so she could "read" it.

50mm, ISO 1000, f/4.0, ss 1/125

Day 89: Halloween

We took pictures at Natural Bridges State Park in Santa Cruz on the morning of Halloween.  It was perfect weather for a photo shoot and so much fun.  Clara chose the theme this year.

Day 87: Performance

 Clara's preschool had a Halloween party and program where they performed songs for the parents.  She was so excited about it and did a great job.

Day 86: Skeletons

Only photo for the day.  Our neighbors decorated their jeep with skeletons and skulls for the month of October.  It was pretty cool seeing it driving around.

ISO 800, 50mm, f/8.0, ss 1/200

Day 85: Ghosts

28mm, ISO 100, f/22, ss 8 seconds

Day 84: Day of Rest

Paul took a good 45 minute nap after church and home teaching this afternoon while Rose napped, Clara colored, and I developed photos.  He is the cutest in his argyle socks.

32mm, ISO 640, f/4.0, ss 1/100

Day 83: Boo!

On Friday night we came home to treats on our doorstep with a "Boo!" handout telling us to take treats to two other families along with a copy of the handout, so on Saturday we made sugar cookies and ding-dong-ditched two families we know from our ward.  Clara was SOOOOOO into it and was thrilled when I let her do the second house totally on her own.

65 mm, ISO 640, f/4.0, ss 1/80

Day 82: Fort Point

I have been wanting to go to Fort Point for a while now, ever since I heard about it on the website of a photography school that does photography tours of San Francisco and stops here as one of their shooting locations.  It did not disappoint.  Paul and I loved these big rusting chains that look like they are flaking away from years of exposure to the saltwater that crashes on the rocks below.  And I'm happy with my composition here with the post on the rule of thirds and then the vertical element being repeated in the towers of the Golden Gate Bridge.  I even got a shot with the water going out from a wave which made the rock on the right hand side of the image darker and larger than when it is further submerged.

28mm, ISO 200, f/13, ss 1/40

 And I just adore this image of Clara hugging herself to stay warm and making a face as she tells me "I'm cold, Mama!"  I always underestimate the drop in temperature that happens right around the bridge, even if it is in the 70's in the city itself.  It wasn't freezing or anything, but it definitely was a little chilly and her cardigan wasn't enough for her.

45mm, ISO 1250, f/4.0, ss 1/160

Day 81: Oven Roasted Potatoes

Another food photo.  I actually took a few other pictures today with my dslr of the girls playing in Clara's room but I just didn't like how any of them turned out.  So I'm posting this one of our favorite oven roasted potatoes.

50mm, ISO 200, f/1.6, ss 1/400

Day 80: Passport

We had to go to Livermore City Hall to apply for a passport for Rose.  Afterwards I took the girls on a walk around the grounds to check out some statues and a little garden area and Clara told me she wanted to "pose" for a picture on this cement block.  Fine by me.  I love Rose's running stance.

50mm, ISO 200, f/2.0, ss 1/640

Day 79: Gymnast

I just love that my girls love gymnastics.  Rose is starting to get the hang of some of the things that have been difficult for her for a few months, like putting both her feet up on the bar and supporting herself on her arms.  This was the first day that she did this unassisted.  You can see her coach, Coach Cindy, clapping for her in the background.

50mm, ISO 2500, f/1.8, ss 1/400